Pastor John and Leigh's Sabbatical Mixed Plate

We returned to Tacoma for a few days to rest, do laundry and yard work, regroup and repack, and then we were off again on a road trip to Oakland, California, to spend time with Leigh's mom and dad, brother and family who live in the Bay Area, and sister and family who are in town from Atlanta.  Next week my (John's) parents will arrive in Oakland from Cincinnati, Ohio, for a week together with us and Leigh's parents.  What a blessing to have this opportunity on our sabbatical to spend so much time with immediate family members who live far from Tacoma.  When our parents are together, our plan is to listen to them share stories of their growing up and learn more about our cultural heritage.  We hope to visit places important to Leigh's dad in his childhood in Chinatown, San Francisco. While we were in Tacoma, we worshiped in Renton, Washington, at New Beginnings Christian Fellowship church -- as a pastor, it's wonderful to have this opportunity visit churches ne...

We spent our last week in Hawaii on the island of Kauai, the Garden Island.  When I think about Kauai, some words come to mind: verdant, lush, beautiful, hot, tropical, paradise, chickens.  Yes, chickens.  Chickens run wild in Kauai.  Chickens are everywhere.  The first indication was when I got our rental car -- a chicken greeted me by the car! Here are some other pictures that tell the story of our last week in Hawaii's paradise (before returning to the paradise of our beautiful Hilltop neighborhood in Tacoma!). Feeding the chickens! Waimea Canyon, Kauai's version of the Grand Canyon, but green! The Spouting Horn -- ocean waves create this blowhole through a hole in the lava rock.   Joy and Leigh went to a lei-making class, and Joy created her own lei from plumeria flowers! More swimming at beautiful beaches! Discovering a sea turtle on one beach and a Hawaiian monk seal on another! More good food!...

Leigh's parents flew with us to spend a week on the Big Island of Hawaii, where Leigh's mom spent her summers as a child visiting her grandmother near Hawi, Hawaii.  The Big Island is the youngest of the Hawaiian islands, and it often has active lava flows (remember last year?).  Right now there is no lava flowing on the island that can be seen, but it's a fascinating place to experience the lava landscape and learn about volcanoes.  We spent a couple days at Volcanoes National Park and then went to Waikaloa Village on the northeast side to visit Leigh's mom's relatives' home areas and to spend time at some incredible beaches.  A visit to a church for worship on Sunday provided unexpected blessings! Kilauea volcano, and hiking through a rain forest down to the crater floor! Walking on lava flows -- some from just a few decades ago! Hanging out more with Gung Gung (Grandpa) and Po Po (Grandma).  Here, Joy is practicing her hul...