Great Adventure!

My first day out, on the other side of life! For the last three days it has been raining on and off, but mostly on. I ventured outside on the second day to go to the closest thing to us, the town gas station. It's about 200 yards from our house up the hill. The sky was looking threatening, but I though I would have time. The plan was that once I reached the gas station I would buy an umbrella, or a rain poncho or something. I was 50 yards and closing, I looked up and saw sheets of rain headed my direction, so I buttoned down the kids in the stroller so that they wouldn't get wet and went as quickly as I could up the steepest pert of my venture. The whole left side of my body was soaked when I got to the gas station, and whats more there were no umbrellas, no ponchos, I mean they had the mantles for lanterns, but no poncho! Luckily I am in Hawaii where the people are awesome and after about five minutes waiting around to see if the rain was going to die down the gas station attendant loaned me her umbrella, I would have felt bad except that it was covered in dust and it looked like no one used it. I got some water and cookies for the kids went home never to venture out again until the sun shone, and shinning it is right now, and I love it!
Dani was in Hilo at a Midwifery conference for the last three days and that is why I was stuck inside with no where to go, the funny thing is that I knew a ten minute drive down the road would take me to a sunny swim spot and another 20 minutes beyond that was white sand beaches where it never rains. Man I love this island, I just need my truck, 8 days and counting and it will be here, I can't wait.
One more thing before I go. I have always loved flying, especially take off and landing, but this time was by far my absolute most favorite. Theres a book I am reading called, 'Dangerous Wonder' by Michael Yaconelli, where he talks about the wonder that children have when experiencing things for the first time, and man was Lily filled with wonder as we boarded the plane (for logistical reasons Lily and I boarded separately from Dani and Gabe, and Lily was sure to tell all the flight attendants not to leave without her mom) and the engines came on, then we were moving down the tarmac watching other planes as the took off and came down. I was glad Lily saw the plain land because when she saw us pull away from the loading dock she started to ask how we were going to get off the plain, I think she found comfort in seeing the plains coming going up and coming down. When the engines roared and we began to be pushed back into our seats Lily began to have sensory overloads, it was awesome. She couldn't stop grinning and looking first at me then Dani then back out the window, man was she stoaked! It was like she couldn't believe that what was happening was happening, she never once showed any signs of fear.
The flight went smoothly Gabe fell asleep and Lily tried but to no avail. They watched movies, colored in books and ate snacks. Getting off the plane was another adventure in itself. Kona airport has no indoor terminal, so you step outside off the plane on a mobile ramp, I got off a little after Lily, and I could not have been more proud. She was so confident walking down the ramp, as if she owned the place. We had packed her little pink backpack brimming with coloring projects, books and a portable dvd player, she could barely lift it, but when it was on she hunched over and carried it along. She kept looking back at me saying, "Come on Daddy lets go," it was awesome, as if I was the one needing reassurance that everything was okay. I wish I could have had a camera her squinted up face from looking toward the sun, while the wind whipped her hair all over the place, and her stuffed pink backpack, she was loving it!
Thank you all for all of your support and prayers, right now we have rented an apartment in a little town on the northern tip of the island, in fact I am told that if I take a twenty minute walk from our place there is a spot where you can see the sun set and rise off the ocean. I have had a few side jobs that have been nice and am currently looking for some work, nothing big just a little extra and Dani is getting really excited about the opportunities that are becoming available for her to practice midwifery on the Big Island.

Love to you all, miss you,
Aloha!
Johnny