April 30 - “Hamburgers, cookies, and love”

I joined Chris for mile one of her walk again. But it was cold. No, really. We had an actual cold front go through in the wee hours of the morning. Lots of heavy rain and thunder. And the wet stuff was followed by the cold. And the wind. It was really whipping, which of course made the cold even colder. Pretty miserable out there. 

When we got back, I stuck to indoor sports. Watching TV and working on the jigsaw puzzle while waiting for the Astros afternoon game to begin. We did have a visit from our neighbors. The Geran’s came over, and we just chatted for a long time. Great to have good neighbors. 

Speaking of which, Lauren came over after the church fund raiser. Even with the cold and windy conditions, they still made a tad over a thousand dollars toward the Alaska mission trip. She brought us each a hamburger and some cookies. Yet another expression of love. God has really placed some special people in our life. 

Galatians‬ ‭2‬‬:‭20‬ says, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Father, thank you for all the great people and their love that you have surrounded us with. Amen. 

April 29 - “Going yard”

I ventured outside with Chris yesterday to join her on the first mile of her hike. Of course she went three, so there’s that. And yes, I called it a hike rather than just a walk. Sounds more exotic. 

When I got back I addressed some birthday cards. I was supposed to turn the fire on the stove on to start cooking the Lima beans, but I forgot. Fortunately, Chris knows me all too well. She texted to remind me. She knew I would look at the text right away, because the last thing I said to her was, “Text me if you fall and can’t get up.”  Can’t take that possibility lightly. When she got home she walked some stairs. She promised she wouldn’t do more than five flights. 

Of course, she didn’t stop there. She took the opportunity of being outside to get back to doing even more yard work. Pulling weeds and clearing out dead leaves. I joined her for a very brief stint pulling weeds in the front yard. I also took a look at a tiny leak in one of our outdoor faucets. Looks like the faucet itself needs to be replaced. I put it on the list. 

I texted for a while with Cody in the hospital. He seems to be doing really well. They have him up and moving around.  Proud of you, Cody. 

Psalms‬ ‭27‬‬:‭4‬ says, One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. 

Father, thank you for guiding Cody’s surgeons. Now be with his nurses as they get him up and about. Amen. 

April 28 - “Banana Buddy”

We awoke to some serious rain yesterday. It was coming down in buckets. Raining cats and dogs. Where do those metaphors come from, anyway?  

Ordinarily I would have been at the hospital, praying with a young man who I have a double connection with. Cody grew up at Seaside. I baptized him after youth camp one year. He is also a captain at the Galveston Fire Department, so I’m also his chaplain. At least Cody’s brother Cory kept me updated on the progress of the surgery. Everything went well. Hate it when Covid steals these moments of ministry from me.

Speaking of ministry, I had a phone call that was the first of its kind in a long time. Stacy, the wedding coordinator at the San Luis Hotel recommended md to do a wedding, and the bride was making contact. The unusual thing this time though? The wedding is in nine days. Apparently, the person they had to be the officiant dropped out at the last minute. As it turned out, I was actually available, so we hammered out some quick details. It’ll be good to see Stacy again. 

We did get to see Lauren last night. She’s my banana buddy. We both eat one a day, and somehow our schedule for needing to buy some always seems to coincide. On an outside chance I texted and asked if she might be needing to go to the store soon for bananas. Yep. She had her last one last night. She dropped us off a rack of them on her way home from work. 

Matthew‬ ‭7‬‬:‭24‬ says, Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

Father, thanks for my Banana Buddy, and for the other folks who have checked in on us. Please be with Cody as he recuperates after his surgery. Amen. 

April 27 - “Disparate Styles”

This quarantine thing gets old quick now just like it did back when it supposedly meant something. 

This time we both headed into the backyard to attach the weeds in another of the flowerbeds. We also did some bush trimming. I marvel continually at the style differences between Chris and me. Oh, I don’t mean what we wear.  I’m talking about our styles of pulling weeds. Didn’t know there was such a thing? Well … yep. 

She attacks the evil buggers with a Walmart bag in hand, dutifully stuffing each hand duly until the plastic bag bulges. Only then does she stand up and walk to the trash can to dump the residue and begin again. I guess it does help her get in her steps, though. 

I, on the other hand, pull the weeds, then haphazardly chunk them into a series of random piles. When I reach the point where it is becoming evident we should quit for the day, only then do I rise, roll the trash can over to my place of toil, and systematically pick up my piles and toss them. 

The result is the same. The techniques are radically different. Oh, and the flower bed look pretty good. 

John‬ ‭1‬‬:‭14‬ ‭says, The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Father, thanks for the beauty of nature that you created. Amen. 

April 26 - “Fillin’ in a blank”

Chris spent her morning outside. She walked a few miles then pulled weeds in the backyard. I stayed inside to try to keep from coughing. A little jigsaw puzzle and a little TV time. When I went out to help her empty the trash cans, I started coughing for the first time all morning. Should have stayed inside. 

The on-again-off-again surgery is officially on again. About 4 p.m. we finally heard back from Chris’ surgeon. Current Covid protocol is that she has to be two weeks post-last-positive-test. That would fall on Friday the 5th. So the surgery will be on again for Monday the 8th. We still don’t know what time, but at least it’s back on the docket. That’s one less unknown to fret about. 

Psalms‬ ‭3‬‬:‭3‬ says, But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.

Father, thank you for fillin’ in one more blank around here. It helps. Amen. 

April 25 - “In their court”

Well, the early morning of the day that was to be Chris’ surgery came and went. We didn’t get a call from the operating room asking where we were, so we assumed the surgeon had indeed communicated the need to postpone. Then it became a waiting game. The ball was in their court to figure out what was the latest Covid protocol for cancer surgeries. Chris called the office in the afternoon, but they never called back. Try again today, I guess. 

To help pass the time, I first whisked away the puzzle that our home group put together while we were gone. Quite a satisfying action. It was a cat. Then I broke out our last one that we haven’t completed yet - The Grand Canyon. I got most of the edge done. Still have the proverbial one more piece that is hiding in the pile somewhere. It’ll show up eventually. 

‭‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬‬:‭6‬ ‭says,Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Father, please grease some wheels with getting this surgery rescheduled. Amen. 

April 24 - “A quarantine day”

We began our little quarantine Sunday by tuning in to a few TV preachers. Sort of. We did watch then on our TV … by way of the computer hooked into it. Nine o’clock was the the start time for Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco. We have somewhat of a vested interest in that group. Their pastor is kinda special to us. So is “our” Sunday School class (at least it’s ours when we are in Waco). Josh did his usual great job of preaching. Then we switched over to a certain little church service on an island off the coast of Texas. We had really hoped to be there, but our little unwanted souvenir from Hawaii - the actual Covid - kept us away. Kel did a great job, and it was good to see at least a few of our family as they meandered in front of the camera. 

We spent the afternoon watching the Astros game. And once again, the good guys didn’t disappoint. Came from behind again to sweep the Braves. Finally two games above .500. It’s about time. 

We ended our day out in the front yard chatting with neighbors and watching Brennan fly a kite. Might have stayed longer, but it was getting downright cold. Mid - 60’s. Nope. Back inside. 

Romans‬ ‭1‬‬:‭16‬ says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

Father, give us the patience to get through this whole postponement thing. Amen. 

April 23 - “It transitioned”

And … Chris’ test results came in early yesterday morning. Yep. It’s official.The CoBid has transitioned into the Covid. That’s not what we were hoping for, to be sure.

We notified our friends and family. Chris called her surgeon. The surgery is postponed until … well, we don’t know for sure. Won’t know until the surgeon calls back Monday. 

I joined Chris after lunch for some of her famous self-therapy. That’s code for yard work. It’s what she does to get herself focused and to secondarily make the yard look pretty. About all we got done was pulling up some weeds in the backyard, though. It got too hot. 

We heard from our travel friends. Two of them got tested and were negative, so that’s a great thing. The others are feeling fine, so that’s a plus as well. Now we just need to wait this out so we can move on to the next thing. 

1 Peter‬ ‭5‬‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ says, Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

Father, thank you for the good report from the Huntley’s test. Keep watching over them and the Winkle’s. Amen. 

April 22 - “VanHorn”

Chris had to go in to the lab at the hospital yesterday. Because of her surgery on Monday and the presence of “symptoms” in her life (hey! Are they talking about me?), she had to go in for a (shhhh. Whisper here - that’s what the girl did who checked her in) Covid Test. She almost didn’t get in, though. They came out and called our name … “VanHorn.”  How do you get VanHorn out of Vaughan? Oh, well. I guess he gave it the old, “I haven’t been to college” try. 

When she got home, the call came about the surgery. We have to be in League City really early Monday morning. Like before 7 early. Hope that means they take her back fairly quickly. Of course that whole scenario is still pending the results of the Covid test. Positive would mean postponement. Could be as little as a week or as long as 90 days, which is too long - their words, not mine.  We didn’t hear anything last night, so they must have chosen to do the long version of the test. 

Thought I’d get to watch the Astros game last night. Nope. Apple TV picked up the game, so rather than pay that extra fee, we just followed the game on my phone app. It was a fun game, too. Especially good when the good guys came from behind to win. 

1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬‬:‭34 says, Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

Father, please work it out so Chris’ test is negative, so they can do the surgery Monday. It would be great to get that behind us. Amen. 

April 21 - “it that shall not be name”

I kinda expected to have some trouble with the cough the comes along with the CO Bid  (Remember…COld that BIDes it’s time, not to be confused with “it that shall not be named”). After I slept really well our first night back, though, I thought maybe it would leave me alone. Well, I guess I was just too tired to remember it. That second night was tough. I even got up and moved to the recliner so Chris could sleep. The cough finally  settled down. 

But then I was wide awake. At 11, my body was convinced it was still 6 (Hawaii time).  I worked crossword puzzles, read some in my book on Hawaiian myths, and started a to do list. I even had a bout with that dreaded airplane malady, restless leg syndrome. I finally got up and took a stroll around the house. After a long while, I managed to convince myself that it was at least time for an afternoon nap. That was around two. I dozed off and on until five, when I just gave up and got up. Man. Welcome home. But at least I had some great memories to ponder … 

And speaking of the dreaded “it that shall not be named,” we found out that because Chris  had been out of Texas, has been on an airplane, has been on a cruise ship, and has shown symptoms (cough,stuffy nose, etc.), she now has to have a … whisper here … Covid test before they will do her surgery on Monday. Ain’t that just grand? That little extra step takes place this morning in the midst of the thunderstorms. 

I spent about an hour on the phone yesterday. Diane told us we should try to get a refund for our baggage fees coming home. Went through United first. The guy’s accent made him quite difficult to understand, but he eventually sent me over to Delta anyway. Delta almost immediately transferred me to their texting department. An agent named May looked into it for  me, and she  came up with the same interpretation I had. Each flight had a separate charge. Took an hour or so to figure it out,  but I guess we are all squared away now. 

We made our Walmart/Randall’s run to pick up prescriptions and replenish our meager pantry. Kinda wore Chris out, though. She came home and took a nap. Meanwhile, I tried to download the pictures from my phone to the computer. Worked fine for a while.  Then it told me the device was no longer connected. Hmm. News to me. The phone was still plugged in, still being charged with power from the computer. But nothing worked. I finally tried the old faithful, turn it off and back on. That worked for a while, then kicked me off again. It may take me a week to get those pictures downloaded. 

Psalms‬ ‭8‬‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ says, When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

Father, I could do with this COBid head pressure biding its time elsewhere. Please? Amen. 

April 20 - “We’re back”

It was really strange to stay at home all day yesterday.  No excursion to rush to. No deadline. Not even worrying about when to meet for breakfast or deciding what to eat the rest of the day. Of course we are both still recovering from our bouts with the CoBid. I still feel like my head is exploding from the inside out. Really stopped up. Chris says she feels better, she still sounds stopped up as well. Oh, and we both actually slept in. I didn’t wake up until 6:15. Chris was closer to 7. Guess my Real Noni back and foot rub is doing its job. Amazing discovery, that stuff.

Chris spent most of the day washing clothes. We emptied out our suitcases and tried to get souvenirs and things all organized. I waded through the two weeks of mail that was waiting for us, and made sure the bills were all paid up. And once that was done, I watched TV. Yup. Haven’t done that in a few weeks. We watched an episode of Magnum, P.I. that we had taped. It was fun trying to see if we had been to the places they filmed. And what should come on when we turned that off? One of the Jurassic Park movies. And yep … we saw the mountains and jungles that we had been in just last week. Fun stuff. 

It was also fun to watch an Astros game. Especially one like last night’s. What looked like a really tight game suddenly turned into an 8-1 victory for the Astros. Woohoo. 

2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬‬:‭3‬ says, But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.

Father, as fun as the trip was, thanks for the comfort that is home. Amen. 

April 19 - “Beyond our bucket list”

As I started in my story yesterday, we began our long trek back home.  Our first leg was that red eye flight to Los Angeles. Once in the airport there, we found a place that served up breakfast burritos. Hey, we were doing our best to reacclimatize our bodies to Texas time. 

The flight back to Dallas/FW airport actually seemed really short. Several factors, I guess. 

1. The flight from Honolulu to LA was two hours longer. 
2. I slept for all but about an hour and a half.
3. For that last hour and a half, I watched a movie. Made the time go by really fast. 

Let’s see. We left Honolulu at 9:30 pm. We arrived in Los Angeles at 5:40 am. That’s a five hour flight. But do the math. Then we left LA around 8:30 am and arrived in Dallas at 2:30. Thats a four hour flight. Do the math. Makes my head hurt. 

And speaking of heads hurting, in addition to our issues with CoBid (intense pressure on the ears, runny nose, occasional sneeze that you try to stifle so as not to panic those around you), we had a poor little crying baby. On both flights. Felt sorry for him and the mom. His anguish carried over to.

us   

Once back in Texas with our feet on the ground, we loaded up in the Huntley’s car and headed toward their house. Oh, and our record for odd airport mysteries continued. after Alaska, Cary’s car was strangely out of gas. This time it was Larry’s car making an unusual noise that wasn’t there when we left. No idea what it was,  it we made to their house in one piece 

And then, in spite of our lack of sleep, we decided that we just wanted to be home, too. We made a quick stop at Wendy’s for a burger. Actually, we went to Burger King first, but no one ever came to ask what we wanted, so we just walked out. 

The trip home was kinda weird. Chris drive first. No surprise there. But I woke up as we pulled into a rest area. She was done. I took over and was determined to get us to Buc-ees in Madisonville. I’ll made, too. Only ran off the freeway once. And another car conveniently appeared passing us. Gave me a quick excuse. Hey, I had to avoid hitting that guy, right?  Those little wake-you-up bumps in the road definitely did their job. Chris woke right up, ready to take over immediately. I convinced her I could make it the five more miles to Buc-ees. And I did. But she drove the rest of the way. She did request that I talk to her to help her stay awake. We chatted some about the vacation. Imagine that. She did great with her new glasses and the glare from oncoming headlights. And before we knew it, we were crossing over a familiar bridge onto … yet another tropical island paradise. Home. 

And when we got there, our neighbors met us, Freddy in hand. They filled us in on all the fun doggie gossip for the last two weeks. We also discovered a very sweet note, some cookies, and a vase of flowers from our home group. It’s great to be missed. 

Titus‬ ‭2‬‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ says, For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age

Father, thank you for every aspect of this trip. It went above and beyond our bucket list, for sure. Amen. 

April 18 - “Noni Disciples”

Our first stop (after our master packer Larry and his assistant Cary got the car loaded) was a famous bakery in Hawaii called Leonard’s. We had Malasadas, a cinnamon and sugar topped Portuguese donut. Chris had plain. I had the one filled with chocolate. We had to wait outside in the line that stretched around the building and down the block. Around 25 minutes to get in. They stay that busy until they run out every day. But the malasada was worth the wait. 

Stopped in the park next to where the beach is roped off because a Hawaiian monk seal was nesting with her husband and baby. We weren’t allowed to get close to them, of course, but the marine rescue people (aka the Lauren’s of Hawaii) were watching, and they pointed them out to us. Pretty fascinating. 

I gotta say … Hawaii is well-protected in the event of fires. Even in areas like Waikiki. There are hundreds of high rise buildings everywhere. And I saw quite a few fire trucks. There were at least two emergency vehicles with boats behind. Of course there were the usual ambulances. But I must have seen seven or eight ladder trucks. I mean the kind where an extra driver handles the back of the truck. They responded to all calls. Pretty impressive. 

We spent most of the morning just driving around the island. We saw a lot of beautiful scenery. We even ended up back by the glass bottom boat place. We had been looking for a food truck for lunch. We finally settled on a place called Gilligan’s back over by where we stayed the first couple of nights. But Gilligan was apparently away on an extended three hour tour. No food truck. Hence the return to the boat place. We chose a Brazilian one. I had a fried ham and cheese thing. Chris’ was chicken. Pretty good stuff. 

We made one final stop on our way to the airport. We drove 45 minutes to the other side of the island. Why? To get to the Macadamia Nut Factory that we went to on the bus tour earlier in the week. That’s the only place on the island that we could find Real Noni. That’s the amazing magic rub that has relieved my back pain like nothing else. It has also helped me sleep. I had to get another bottle. And Diane wanted one. And so did KayLynn. We are now officially Noni Disciples. 

Finally we made it to the airport. And then we left again. We had to get some gas in the rental car. Found a station nearby and got ‘er all filled up. Then … yes, really … we got to the airport and got all checked in. Plenty of time before our flight, too. That line to get through security was looong. It was also outside, so it was hot. We were sweltering by the time our turn came.

And then Chris notified them that she nor her heart monitor device could go through the x-ray machine. They took her aside, as usual, but this time the lady was … less than understanding. She ended up swabbing the receiver, the bag she Carrie’s it in, her prescription bottle of nitroglycerin, and, when I inadvertently handed Chris her shoes, she had to swab them, too. They finally released her to the flight, but she definitely earned her passage this time. 

We all took a deep breath and made our way to the tiny food court. California Pizza, Burger King, or Chowmein Express. The Huntley’s and us had pizza. The Winkles went for Burger King. For the next hour or so we sat around the table and chatted. Well, we listened to Cary and Diane tell stories mainly. 

With full bellies and different stages of CoBid afflicted bodies, we made our way to the gate to await the arrival of our ride home. 

The flight was relatively uneventful. Always a good thing. The plane was one of the big ones this time. Two seats on the outside and three in the middle with two aisles. Pure luxury compared to our earlier ones. We got the usual drink and snack right away, but most people slept the whole way. I caught a few winks, but it was indeed difficult. I understand why they call it the red eye. That’s what you have when you get to your destination without enough sleep. The layover in Los Angeles was almost three hours. More on that tomorrow. If I can figure out when tomorrow is …

Psalms‬ ‭24‬‬:‭1‬ says, The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it

Father, thank you for all the wonders of your world have experienced we left Hawaii truly in awe of you and your creation. And I especially liked the critters. Amen. 

April 17 - “USS Arizona”

Back on the excursion train again. Well, not train exactly. More like a glass-bottom boat. Time to see what’s under the sea. We were the first ones to board. 

We went for a boat ride on a glass bottom boat. Surfing in the area was down a bit. A guy was bitten by a tiger shark last week. The trip was more just a relaxing boat ride than excursion. We did see several species of fish, though. But the highlight was certainly the two green sea turtles we saw swimming around lazily. 

Then if was back to Pearl Harbor. This time, thanks to Larry, we had tickets to the USS Arizona memorial. Out of 24 ships that got bombed all were recovered except Arizona, Utah and Oklahoma. And the ones recovered saw action later in the war. 

We had to be ferried out to the memorial by active duty Navy guys. And once we entered, we were told to treat it the same as if we were in a cemetery - a holy place.  Not everybody complied, but it was still a sobering experience. The outline of the ship under the water shows how vast the tragedy was. A Ranger told us that when the Arizona was bombed, they hit the part of the ship where a million pounds of explosives were stored. If created quite the explosion and fireball. We found the name of a guy who knew my mom. There was also someone named Vaughan. A cousin somewhere along the line. 

From there we needed a cold drink, so we tracked down a place called Ice Garden. They served a local fare called shave ice. Yes, we had it once before. It was good enough for seconds. And that’s where we met the pit bull crossed with a bull dog. Looked like an extremely fat dachshund with a pit bull face that made weird noises like a bulldog. Strange beast. But apparently very gentle. 

After much discussion (as per our usual), we went straight to Olive Garden for supper. There had been an hour and a half wait the night before, so we decided to beat the Sunday night crowd. And beat it we did. We were seated right away in the cool outside breezeway. Everybody got what was ordered, and we ate ‘til we were full. Good stuff, that lasagna. 

Back at the hotel, we didn’t hesitate. Chris was feeling poorly, and I was still beat and beginning to cough. This CoBid was tough. We hit the sack. 

John‬ ‭11‬‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ says, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Father, please break this crud that Chris has so she can be comfortable on this long journey home. Amen. 

April 16 - “Lunch at Magnum’s”

The early morning this day was fraught with activity. All in the room, though. Chris was in Pack Mode. I stayed out of her way and followed orders. 

Ha’oli - means no breath, because the foreigners didn’t know or wouldn’t do the traditional forehead to forehead greeting (the aloha, or “share the breath or life”).

Speaking of aloha, as we waited in the terminal for Larry and Cary to figure out exactly how to do the whole rental car thing, our original bus driver from the first three days, Wes, walked into the terminal. He remembered us. Even called me “Old Yeller” again. Great to see him one last time. 

The whole process actually went quite smoothly. Well, other than the game of Tetris Larry and Cary played, cramming all our luggage and us into our rented minivan. It went so smoothly, in fact, that we were too early to check in to the hotel. They did let us store all our luggage there, though. 

For lunch we headed back out to try to find La Mariana’s, the restaurant/bar featured on the new version of Magnum P.I.  Didn’t see Rick or T.C. or Magnum or Juliet, though. I will say that they had the best fries in Hawaii.  And we have tasted a few. 

Our next killing time stop was at … Walmart. Yup. Walmart Hawaii. We had to get a few beach towels for a potential trip to one of the beaches. Hotels frown upon using their good white towels like that. We found the towels. Also found a little suitcase for cheap. And it was. Cheap. When we got back to the hotel the zipper broke. It revealed to he at there was a major tear hidden along the side as well. My bad for not catching it. We did return it. They had another one just like it, so I decided to give it one more try. I think I figured out why the first one collapsed, so maybe this one will work. 

We had supper at a Mexican food place right around the corner from the hotel. We all decided that it definitely did not hold a candle to Tex-Mex. 

John‬ ‭10‬‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ says, Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

Father, please bring some miracles of healing among our little group. Even though it’s just a cold, this stuff makes us pretty miserable. Amen. 

April 15 - “Cliffs, Whales, and CoBid”

 Here’s a new one. We woke up to a nice, brisk, morning rain. Coming down pretty hard, too. And this the day we planned to go into the nearby city and look for souvenirs. 

We added to our sickos list. KayLynn came out sniffling. So did I. She went to the ship’s doctor who told her it was viral and gave her some drugs. I’m pretty sure I have the Cobid. NOT to be confused with Covid. Cobid stands for  COld that BIDes it’s time. Hence COBID. I’ll take my Claritin and snort my nose drops. 

The rain finally stopped, so we took a short jaunt later in the morning over to Hilo Hattie’s. That’s the premier tourist trap for clothing, apparently. At least, for us it was. I nabbed a few Hawaiian shirts for half price and Chris got a t-shirt. 

We tried to get into one of the restaurants early so we could be on our balcony for the much-hyped views of the shoreline during the trip back to Honolulu.  Made it by noon at one of the sit-down restaurants. Not the one where you have t try I dress up. That didn’t open until five. Still classy, though. 

We retired to the room to begin getting all packed up to jump ship tomorrow. Looks like we’ll only need one extra carry-on. A big shopping bag should do the trick. Chris is a master packer. 

Around 5:15 the big excursion of the day came. We actually started the time on the main deck at the front of the ship with a few thousand of our new closest friends. The captain steered us really close to shore up next to some towering brown and black and green mountains. Occasionally a waterfall cascaded down the face of the cliffs. I guess that was Hawaii’s version of the calving glaciers in Alaska. Except the temperature was about 70 degrees warmer here. And there was no ice floating in the ocean. And the side of the cliff didn’t randomly fall into the ocean, making a massive cracking noise. It was majestic, nonetheless. And speaking of majestic, we were treated to a really special visit … by a few whales. One even leapt from the depths. Kind of gave new meaning to showing off some dunking skills. 

Last night we went on two different double dates. The first one was a dessert date where we ran into Cary and KayLynn and crashed their date. Then we got back to the room just in time to get invited to go bar hopping with Larry and Diane. Actually, we were in search of one particular drink - non-alcoholic. As it turned out, we had to hop to five different bars to find that drink as well as our allotment of two bottled waters. Not exactly what I pictured bar hopping was all about. It was fun hanging out with friends, though. 

John‬ ‭14‬‬:‭6‬ says, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Father, thank you once again for your display of magnificence, both in the cliffs and the whales. Amen.