2019 in Review

Another year has come to an end and a new one is just beginning. Is it a sign that I am getting older when the time passes so quickly?

I feel blessed that most of 2019 brought us good things and experiences. The speed bumps along the way make us stronger: the division in our church, the bullying of our daughter, and the challenge of caring for our elderly parents and hoping we make the right choices.

It is because of those obstacles, I often recite Philippians 4:13 to keep me focused: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It seems trite to say God never gives us more than we can handle, but it remains a truth that cannot be ignored. When I fear I can't go on, He lifts me up. As it says in Deuteronomy, It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.

As I reflect on 2019, I hope it has encouraged me to be more grateful and more at peace, and may I learn to find joy in something every day.

Last church bazaar at Living Gate

Visiting the Arizona Memorial

Lost our beloved Killer

Adopted Autumn and...

Travis

The Lil' Diva graduated with honors

Spent three weeks in North Carolina

Acquired and edited this manuscript as acquisitions editor for 4RV Publishing

Held my first workshop on book marketing at the local library

Held my first book reading

Named 2019 RAPV REALTOR of the Year

Cleaned out my office ... and a few other places in this house too

I hope you'll share some of your 2019 highlights. Here's to a fabulous 2020!

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts - Mar 8

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts is hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. This is a chance for book bloggers to dabble in areas besides books (but those are welcome too). Share your plans for the weekend, a rant on people not using their turn signals in parking lots, or your love of Sunday morning mimosas.

Hawaii was a fun trip, but in some ways it was weird.

If you go there and like nachos, you need to go to the local Foodland grocery store and pick up these chips. They are toasted just right and have next to no sodium. At my age, less sodium is a good thing; but I've always like tortillas chips with very little salt. We snacked on these every night.

Weird thing number 1: There are chickens EVERYWHERE! There is not one place we went that roosters, chickens, and little chicks weren't running around begging for food. It's a known issue. Instead of feral cats they have feral fowl. The good thing is they eat bugs. The bad thing is they might hop onto your outdoor table while you're enjoy lunch and try to snag your food.

Speaking of bugs, weird thing number 2: they have gold beetles. Snapped this photo while walking through Haleiwa in hunt of a good cup of coffee (for Dad, not me).

If you are on the North Shore, the Halewia Beach House is a great place to eat. I had some of the best fish and chips I've ever eaten there. It's a bit loud, but it was crazy busy when we went. 

Perhaps the oddest thing is the sheer number of abandoned cars littering the roads--especially Kamehameha Highway, which we traveled every day.

They are working on the issue, but it is certainly a dreadful eyesore in an area that has some lovely scenery.

On a side note, we drove by the Anderson Estate, which became famous as the Robin Masters Estate in Magnum P.I. The property was sold to a close friend of the Obamas. It did not look as if the property was being well cared for when we went by.

On our way back home we had a four-hour layover in Dallas. In case you were wondering, they don't think you should mess with Texas.

Mailbox Monday - March 5

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Hard to believe that Hawaii has come and gone. We had a great time. We did some exploring, shopping, walking on the beach, and horseback riding. We also ate at some neat local places.

Honolulu International Airport

Shopping in Wakiki

Pearl Harbor

Waimea Valley Falls

Walking the beach

Honolulu Zoo

Lava rock on beach in Oahu

Yummy chicken

Sunset cruise

Horseback riding at Kualoa Ranch

(Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0, Lost and Jurassic Park filmed here)

As for reading, I finished A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard.

I also finished Revision is a Process by Catherine E. McLean, which I reviewed here.

I started this book...

I'm currently reading...

As for items in my mailbox, I picked up this Kindle freebie while we were away...

What if the police suspect your best friend of murder?

There’s a body in the cathedral library, among the priceless books chained to the shelves, and it seems Libby Forest’s friend, Angela, could be the killer.

The last thing female sleuth Libby needs is another investigation into a mysterious sudden death. There’s enough on her plate already. The fast-growing cake and chocolate business takes all her time, her apprentice has problems, and even Bear, Libby’s beloved dog, is determined to create havoc.

She’d like to leave detection to the police, but when her friend becomes the prime suspect Libby once more takes on the role of amateur sleuth and finds herself entangled with the respectable ladies of the local Knitters' Guild, who plan to spring a surprise on the quiet cathedral city.

With a cast of indefatigable knitters, a lively Exham on Sea grapevine and a missing cat, the green fields, rolling hills, and sandy beaches of the West Country are a perfect setting for crime, intrigue and mystery, with a touch of mid-life romance.

If you love murder mysteries, cosy crime, dogs, craft and chocolate, you'll enjoy this instalment in the fun series of whodunnits set in a small English seaside town in Somerset, full of quirky charm and eccentric inhabitants, with a female protagonist torn between independence and a new, enticing career as a private investigator.

Download the story now to follow the trail and discover the killer.

When we arrived home, this book was waiting in my mailbox...

When Alice's dad moves out, leaving her with her troubled mother, she does the only thing that feels right: she retreats to her family's old Renaissance tent in the backyard, determined to live there until her dad comes home. In an attempt to keep at least one part of her summer from changing, Alice focuses on her quest to swim freestyle fast enough to get on her swim team's record board. But summers contain multitudes, and soon Alice meets an odd new friend, Harriet, whose obsession with the school's science fair is equal only to her conviction that Alice's best stroke is backstroke, not freestyle. Most unexpected of all is an unusual babysitting charge, Piper, who is mute—until Alice hears her speak. A funny and honest middle-grade novel, this sharply observed depiction of family, friendship, and Alice's determination to prove herself—as a babysitter, as a friend, as a daughter, as a person—rings loud and true.

That's it for me this week. How about you? What was in your mailbox?