Hi everyone!  Wow, I keep getting reports of the weather on the "mainland" and it sounds pretty aweful!  In the matter of two days we will be donning our scarves, hats, gloves, boots and coats and shed these swimsuits and 80 degree weather!  Gary and I are currently sitting on the balcony watching a ton of whale activity!  We're trying to figure out how to stay here....so far all we have come up with is that we are fairly marketable...three teachers, a banker and one retired guy that could possibly sell coconut juice!

I would like to share Psalm 148 with everyone today....grab a Bible and take a look.  With all the various weather across this great country and it's islands, God knows that His creation is fantastic.  He addresses His creation in those 14 verses.  We serve an awesome God!  Here's to another great year of blogging and the beginning of our Bucket List Bible Study!  The Lord willing we will see all of you in 2010!  Aloha!

Hi guys.,.,well the time change is really tough trying to blog for the east coast.  The days are going fast and this is already New Year's Eve for the east coast and we're still before 11:00 p.m. on the 30th....so here goes with a catch up.

We went on the road to Hana on the 30th (Tuesday).  Now I remember vividly those 617 hairpin curves!  I told Gary this trip is like childbirth....you forget about the experience until you do it again!  Lots of beautiful waterfalls and sights to be seen; however, we went beyond Hana about nine miles to the "sacred pools".....the kids enjoyed the scenery and Nicholas and Luke jumped off some pretty steep cliffs.  I held my breath!  The ride to Hana is long, but it finally ended and afterwards we had a nice dinner and felt much better. 

Today we spent several hours at a neighboring hotel's beach that offered better snorkeling.  It was wonderful.  I got to snorkel and see more fish of different colors and variety that I did when we swam off the catamaran.  The day was delightfully warm...hot, really....and we ended the day attending a luau at the Hyatt Regency.  Superb food and entertainment....in fact, Kimberly and I got on stage with others to learn the hula.....it wasn't pretty, but it was fun!

Tomorrow we are doing more sunning with Luke and Nicholas playing what they have termed "The Maui Tennis Open" tomorrow morning.  Kimber and I are going to the pool while the boys duke it out and then we are having brunch with one of Nicholas' friends who lives in Maui...hopefully, we will end the day with dinner and a celebration of the New Year several hours behind all of you on the east coast.  Take care, my friends and have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve if you are celebrating and need to drive in possibly bad weather.  God bless! 

Wow, friends....I finally had a successful time snorkeling in the waters of Molokini, Hawaii yesterday!  All five of us donned our snorkeling gear and jumped off the back of our catamaran to begin swimming with the beautiful fish and coral of Hawaii.  It was a wonderful experience.  We had a cookout on the boat and a delightful trip from the launch to Molokini and back, plus we were able to spot the whales breeching.  Kimberly caught a glimpse and screamed out so all of us could watch a whale jump out of the water and make a big spash returning into the ocean....it was truly amazing.

We were totally exhausted as we returned to our condo, ordered pizza and once again played a game of cards.....I'm having no success with card playing in Hawaii....the boys back home wouldn't believe it!

This morning (remember we're five hours behind the east coast) we are heading on a road trip to Hana.  Over 600 hairpin curves, waterfalls, sacred pools and many sights to see on the way....I'm looking forward to breakfast at Charlie's (noted in the Frommer's book) and the shaved ice.  If you've never had Hawaiian shaved ice, it's a must when visiting this Island.  Okay, that's about it....Happy Birthday today to my Dad who is turning 84 and another belated Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law who turned 80 on the 26th.....God bless, my friends....I'll report about the Hana trip when we return!

It's Monday morning and we've just enjoyed a breakfast of fresh Hawaiian fruit!  Gary and I have been taking walks early each morning and today we were surprised to find a Farmer's Market.  Among our goodies we purchased a couple of bagels....coconut and pineapple, fresh pineapple, strawberries and a couple of macademia nut cookies....all fresh and/or freshly baked. 

We talked by phone to Gary's sister, Amy this morning.  She's been in PA for the holidays and she sent pictures of the newly fallen snow this morning.  This is when we are really happy to be out of the cold, snow and shoveling weather.  We are headed on a catamaran ride on the Pacific to snorkel and whale watch this afternoon.  It's awesome to be able to possibly see these whales close up....we've been watching them from our condo for the past couple of days.  The whales are giving birth in these warm waters and to see the babies breeching (jumping out of the water) is amazing!

We had a great time by the pool yesterday, walking on the beach and dining last night at the Hula Grill as we sat by the ocean and listened to an Hawaiian group play music with ukuleles!  In fact, since we arrived in Hawaii last Wednesday, each evening we've been able to eat under the moon-lit sky....I think a full moon is coming up soon....my personal favorite! 

For those that have played card games at The Whites, we had a "hot" game last night....Kimberly won....we laughed so hard at some of the hands and the outcomes we experienced.  Gary decided we should "stick the dealer" and most of the sticking happened to me!  Oh well, the laughing made it all worth it.  God bless, my friends...stay safe.  Jan, loved your email and can't wait to see the new Bible!

It's early morning in Maui and the family is circled around our television watching the Steelers play football!  We undersstand that the temperature in Pittsburgh is around 36 degrees, it's sunny and so far the home team is winning!  How strange to be watching with our family room doors open, the birds singing and from where I'm sitting I have a view of the ocean and palm trees gently swaying in the warm breeze.....amazing. 

I'm enjoying a cup of Kona coffee prepared this morning by my son-in-law, Luke.  We had a delicious dinner last night in Lahaina at Bubba Gump's and finished off the night with a scoop of ice cream at Scoop's!  It's a dream vacation and we've laughed so hard at various comments that I've had tears running down my face.  I'm so thankful to God for these memories and the time away from the normal activities of life.  However, we did have some "comfort" food for breakfast....toast with peanut butter and bananas!  At least that was the breakfast for me and my boys.....Nicholas and Luke! 

Once again it's awesome how many fans are rooting for the Steelers away from Pittsburgh.  Gary and I donned our Steeler attire and went off for an early morning walk before the game started this morning.  One of the ladies working at our resort commented that Hines Ward was going to be playing for her today!!!  It's is cool how Steeler fans are everywhere!!!  Hope all of you are having an awesome day....no matter what point it is in the day.  God bless you all, my friends!  Aloha!

Hi, friends.  We made it to Maui this morning after rising at 4:00 a.m. to catch a flight from Oahu to Maui at 8:55 a.m.   It's a glorious day with bright sunshine and 80 degrees.  As we waited for our place to be ready for us, we basked in the sun by the pool and gazed up at the palm trees against a azure blue sky....absolutely no clouds.

We have wheels on the island and that means we can move with greater ease.  It is very commerical on Oahu and the traffic makes getting from one place to another very difficult.  All the kids commented that this island is what they expected of Hawaii....more laid back, beautiful and filled with excursions....what do you think about ziplining????  It's going to be a toss up if I try it with the kids.  I tried a fish taco for lunch....very different for me, but the fish was mahi mahi and it was delicious!  We now have a favorite place to eat at our condo, complete with two pools, a view of the ocean and lots of room for everyone.  If you ever visit Maui with your family this condo is the way to go.

Susan, sorry to hear about the snow in Texas...unbelievable!  For the first Christmas since I've known you, my weather was a bit better than yours!!!  Thanks for the note...it was great hearing from you.  Happy Birthday to my favorite mother-in-law.  I'm sure the party was great....wish you were here!  God bless, my friends....

Hi, my friends!  I'm writing from the lobby of the Sheraton Waikiki Resort at Waikiki Beach, Oahu.  What an exciting, fun-filled couple of days thus far.  I will write the entries I've been writing for the past few days.  Hope all of you are enjoying your Christmas Day with loved ones and family.  Billie, I'm thinking of you as you prepare for Ashley's wedding next weekend.  What an exciting time for all of you!

December 23...day of departure.  I'm currently writing this entry at 36,308 feet above the earth.  We've traveled 2,564 miles from the Atlanta airport and that was five hours ago,  We have another four hours to go and that doesn't include the air time from Pittsburgh International (our origination point) to Atlanta.  At a speed of over 500 mph, this aircraft has a screen on the back of each seat and this enables me to see our current location....amazing.  We are now flying above the Pacific Ocean.  Have I ever mentioned my fear of drowning?  We are blessed to have both our children and our son-in-law on board.  Our goal....ten days of being together as a family enjoying "paradise"....Hawaii.

It has been a long awaited goal....Gary's retirement.  We have our precious cargo on board to reap the benefits....a vacation.  Our goal is to enjoy the trip and time together and make memories...the prize.  Reminds me of what should be life's goal:

The long awaited goal....eternal dwelling in heaven.  The precious cargo in attendance...our precious loved ones.   The prize...being with Jesus forevermore.,  Puts the earthly goals into perspective, doesn't it?  Our earthly goals make a path to the prize we will reap for eternity.  What prize are you working towards?

December 24....Christmas Eve
It's been quite a different Christmas Eve this year.  I'm currently sitting on the balcony of our hotel room dressed in shorts and a tee-shirt...   Music below drifts up to us on the 21st floor as children sing "Jingle Bells" and "Jingle Bell Rock" from a platform that overlooks the Pacific Ocean.  As I scan around the various hotel balconies, people are sitting and watching the activities below just as we are and probably are wondering how their families are doing back home on this holiday,

We toured Pearl Harbor this morning and after being here five years ago, it's just as awe inspiring as the first time we visited.  Our pleasure came today as we watched our children explore the sacred, hollowed site where thousands of military personnel died on December 7, 1941.  The morning sun sone brightly once again and I felt the same gratitude towards the military of this great country.

ENOA Tours again proved a good choice for seeing the entire island of Oahu in a ten hour period.  During one stop I called my parents' house to wish everyone a Merry Christmas since the Garbee clan meets on Christmas Eve in Lynchburg, VA.  I'm so grateful and fortunate to be sharing an Hawaiian Christmas with my husband, children and son-in-law.  However, tradition is tradition and I'm missing the gathering with all the family.....but for this year, I'll go with sunshine, 80 degrees and just bear it!!!!  Happy Birthday, Jesus.....and Merry Christmas to all of our friends and loved ones!  Mele Kalikimaka!

Good morning, my friends.  Well, I thought about continuing the retirement...day two, but that gets old fast.  The weirdest part about Gary being home is that I'm sleeping later....don't know what that's all about, but he quietly gets out of bed and goes downstairs to put the coffee on and about a half hour later I must smell the coffee!  I think it will take some getting used to that I'm being waited on!

We are busily getting packed for our little Christmas holiday.  I made a big crockpot of beef stew last night and it's all ready for the kids to begin showing up later tonight.  I can't believe that we will be in Hawaii tomorrow afternoon (nighttime here on the east coast) and in warmer temperatures.  Gary called to check on some reservations yesterday and the young woman in Oahu told him that we might want to bring some jackets....it was close to 66 degrees at night!  Gary laughed and said he thought we would be okay since it was predicted to be 18 degrees in Pittsburgh last night!  Sixty-six degrees is a heat wave in December!

I will be offline for a few days.  We will pick up "free" wireless in Maui and that will be on Saturday, December 26th.  I pray that each of you have a safe, relaxing and refreshing time spiritually, physically and mentally over the Christmas holidays.  Reflect on all your many blessings and simplify the true meaning for the season.  A baby born in a stable, laid in a manger...no fanfare, no elaborate tree, no fancy meal and table settings....puts it all into proper perspective, doesn't it?  God bless, my friends and Merry Christmas!

Probably many of you think I'll have a funny story to write today.  I don't....we're still in the honeymoon stage of retirement.  (For all my new readers that know Gary from a work perspective, the stories will come, I can feel it!)  We finally got in the bed after 1:00 a.m. and got up after 8:00 this morning.  That's late on both ends for us!  We are excited about our upcoming trip and are working diligently to accomplish the goal of being ready ahead of time.  The kids all come in tomorrow night and then I think it will really hit all of us that we're flying out of here on Wednesday morning!

We are all feeling like colds are coming so we are sooo ready to hit warmer temps and just "lay like broccoli" (a line from Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman) on the beach.  My best to all those in the southern states that are still shoveling out from inches upon inches of snow.  Wish I could send you some of our equipment because Pittsburgh never slows down due to inclement weather....unless it's ice or "feet" of snow!  1993 is the only time I've seen Pittsburgh come to a halt....and that only lasted a couple of days!  God bless, my friends.  Hopefully, your Christmas shopping has been completed!!!  Pam, if you're reading this, the Christmas picture of your girls is darling.  I thought you were in the picture and then I saw it was Juliana with Chloe....wow, has she grown!

It's been a whirlwind of activities!  We have been moving since Friday when Gary got home from his last day of work.  We so enjoyed each and every activity including a lovely December Christmas wedding on Saturday.  Our very best to the new Mr. and Mrs. Andy and Emily Nicholson who will be leaving for Korea on Tuesday.  Andy is in the military and they will be gone for the next year.  What a lovely couple and beautiful event.  God bless, you two!

Today we took Gary's mom to a brunch at a place called Tara in the vicinity of Gary's hometown area of Sharon/Farrell, PA.  The kids were in attendance and the five of us enjoyed a wonderfully delicious meal together in celebration of Mom's upcoming 80th birthday.  We will be in Hawaii when the Open House occurs on her birthday.  Afterwards, we attended an annual Open House that is given by one of our neighbors.  These gracious hosts have given this event for many years and it's a great chance for all the neighbors to gather and chat over munchies.  In fact, I had another gathering after that, but I had to cry "uncle" and go home.  This body can only participate in so many events in one day!

I mention this because we really do try to squeeze every minute out of each 24 hours of the 24 days preceding Christmas. It's been a wonderful weekend, but this 'ol girl is going to bed and instead of dreaming about sugarplums, they'll be sticking to my hips as I sleep!  God bless, my friends....have a good one!