So it rained every day on my vacation....

The title of this blog shouldn't come as a shock. I remember checking the weather before I left for Paradise aka HAWAIIIII and calling my friend there, saying “does it really rain everyday?” Her response was yes. Ay yi yi. So to my surprise, it did rain every day. But it wasn't the Oklahoma rain that I have grown accustom to over the years. It was a peaceful, calming rain shower that lasted about 45 seconds and then the sun would come out. Heck, half of the time, the sun was shining as it was raining. This was the first of many beautiful things I saw while on my visit to Hawaii.

My friend's family lives on the Marine Base right near Kailua and every morning we would leave base and drive into the mountains. A rainy fog would sit over top of what they came to name the “Moses Mountain.” This was number 2 of beauties. It would appear as though it was about to storm like crazy but nope, just drops of peace. I remember thinking, this is such a true example of our lives. You're staring at the mountain, you can see the storm clouds over top but as you begin your journey up the mountain, you realize that the storm isn't as bad as you thought it to be. In all actuality, sometimes the storm is the best part. The drizzle of refreshing, calming rain that just removes the old, the dirty, the mundane of yesterday. I was given this sight for 8 straight days. Beautiful doesn't even do it justice.

The big adventure of this trip was that I jumped out of an airplane at 14000 feet in the air. Yep, you read that right. Like the mountain, you think the jump, or even getting up to the highest altitude is going to be the hardest part. But as the door opened and my toes barely crouched over the opening, I wasn't scared. I wasn't nervous. I wasn't fearful. I was actually the calmest and most at peace that I could ever recall in my entire life. The world stopped for 60 seconds and as I descended over the Pacific ocean, all of my problems began to seem very insignificant. Even my tandem partner on the jump was surprised of how calm was I considering this was my first jump. He kept saying it would change as we flew up and then when we got strapped in and then when I saw the door, but it never happened. The weirdest yet most amazing experience of my life. 

So back to the jump- it's mind blowing to think how in that moment I was fearless. You could have told me anything, you could have put the biggest spider in front of me, and you could have threatened to rip my dreams from my finger tips but all I would have done is looked in your face and smiled because nothing hindered my emotions. Nothing dictated my decisions. I was doing something for me; the most fearless moment that I pray I never let go of. It was a serene moment of what I like to call the "A-ha-God moment." Where it's just you and him and all of his creation. I knew in that moment that nothing could touch me. I could feel his peace and every question or doubt I had seemed to be instantly gone.

I can't even begin to describe to you how beautiful the Pacific Ocean is. The light blue and the dark blue mixed with the aqua and then the crystal clear waters. Every time my toes touched the water, it felt like a dream. When the sun would set on the clouds that overlooked the mountains, my heart would just smile. I literally could feel my heart smiling. It didn't have to take my breath away, I voluntarily offered it.

Normally by like day 5 of a trip, most people are ready to go. This time, I actually cried at the airport. Can't recall the last time that happened. I am sure the majority of the tears were caused by the reunion of my friend. She is the friend that I have had the longest. We grew up in church together, did everything together, and then had to marry a Marine and move away. :) Which I am grateful because I just go vacation with them. Before this trip, I stayed with them in San Diego. Another place of God's heavenly creations. It's good to know people. :)

Another one of the things that we did while I was in Honolulu was attend a women's conference. At first I was not a fan of this idea. That might sound rude considering that I am very involved in church but the selfish side of me screamed, “THIS IS VACATION- NOT TIME FOR CHURCH!” But in that moment, I realized that church, the real church, I am the church- church is everywhere at all times. So I decided to be open minded and attend with an open heart yielding to whatever I needed to hear and receive. Obviously, there was a reason that this happened at the same time of my vacation. To my surprise the theme was “Faith outside of the box.” I chuckled to myself. My church's name is Faith Church. Everything that I represent and do is pretty much out of faith. Every crazy decision I have made has been solely on faith, so this just brought a smile to my face. I must say it was quite encouraging to just attend church and receive.

I guess it was also a good idea to have faith and jump out of that airplane. :) It's true what they say, when you leave Hawaii, it takes a small piece of your heart.