13 inches in 12 hours. On Thursday much of Laie was underwater. There was a foot of water in the house, 18 inches in the garage, and two and a half feet in the back yard. The water rushed through our yard creating a new landfill. We stayed with the house and pulled all the things out of the bottom draws and shelves. We put them on top of dressers and shelves. We stacked furniture on chairs and tables. We watched the waters rise very quickly. Soon there was nothing more we could do. We sat on metal chairs and waited. Some of the town drains got plugged and bulldozers went in to clear them. After that the water went down. We used a broom to push water out of the house as soon as the level went below the threshold. We used our 16 gallon water vacumn to suck out a lot of it. It really helped. Friends and neighbors who were spared came to our aid. All of the rugs had to be dragged out of the house. That is a really yucky job! Every bottom drawer and cupboard is warped or swollen. We lost our refigerator, freezer, and some furniture made of pressed wood. The washing machine and dryer are still working at least for now. We were lucky some people in our ward lost everything. Many with small children took their 72 hr kits and rode surfboards and kayaks up to BYUH emergency center. Friday was a clean up day.We bought a new mop and mop bucket, and a handcart. Merry Christmas to us.It will be a while till things are back in order. We will stay in the house until they tell us otherwise. Some families cannot. We will keep you updated as we know more.

Jonathan's favorite holiday.


This new sucalux represents our birthdays, Christmas, father's day, mother's day and any other holiday for the next year.

These are the friendly neighborhood kids trick or treating. Who are these trick or treaters????

We are celebrating Jonathan's 26th Birthday. We are so full of pizza and rootbeer floats. We miss him.

John found a surprise on his office door. His human resources class created this bigger than life sized Dilbert for him because he uses a Dilbert cartoon everyday in his class.

John and I celebrated our 33rd Anniversary at our favorite restaurant, Hale`iwa Joe's tonight. It was as great as usual. We enjoyed coconut shrimp, sizzling mushrooms, and a spinach salad along with the warm sourdough rolls. John couldn't resist a juicy New York steak and I had a tender fillet. We were seated near a wedding party. The table next to us was celebrating their 1st anniversary. It was a perfect night for all. For dessert we went home for a local favorite, chocolate haupia pie. May you all be happy and enjoy many anniversaries to come.

Summer is officially over... Even though I have been hard at work for a month.
We have washed and waxed both vehicles, detailed the inside of both vehicles, got an oil and lube job on both vehicles, cleaned the fans, sprayed the weeds, changed the water in the water jugs, gone to the cemetery and monument, kept the generator in tip top shape, polished all John's shoes, put a hurt on a pesky rooster, and taught the Hancock children how to use a sling shot. The only thing left is to put the old gas from the gas cans into the cars when the tanks get low. All this is getting harder as we get older.
I had fun shopping and making a quilt and blanket for Starlyn and Jeff's little one. I look forward to being there after the baby comes.
John has also done a whole new prep for his Law class.

Vacation 2008

We are back in Hawaii. Where did the time go?
We enjoyed a 2 week vacation on the main land. We especially enjoyed spending time with the grandkids in North Carolina. Preston and Rebecca moved into their new home only about 3 weeks before we got there so John helped them settle in with a few things. We had fun spending time with Preston on his birthday and with the family on the 4th of July. Wind kept us from doing all we wanted but we still had a good time. The kids are growing. William got 2 new teeth and ironically Emma lost her 2nd tooth while we were there. We had a great time visiting and playing with the little ones. They are now so far away! Preston is a bundle of energy and Evelyn is so talkative but sweet. Can't believe how fast William can move. And Emma is so smart. I wish all my 1st graders would come to school reading as well as she does.

Our 2nd week we flew to Utah and spent time with Grandma Taylor and the Bossos.
We had fun going to a movie and a late lunch with Grandma. We shopped and visited with Kathy and Lenny. They have Tonya and Heath there with their kids, but are soon moving out. They bought a house in Kaysville and are fixing it up. We took mom, Kathy and Lenny out to dinner and had a great time catching up.

We took a little unplanned "vacation from our vacation" on Saturday. We drove to Logan, Utah to put flowers on Mom, Dad, and Gaylen's graves. We then took a little drive and 9 hours later we passed through Idaho, Wyoming and back to Utah. We drove up to Bear Lake, had raspberry shakes, drove the other side of the lake, up the mountains, and on to Flaming Gorge where we stopped at the dam. We saw all sorts of animals. We stayed in a cheap motel in Vernal. Sunday morning we got up and drove again taking all the less used roads. We saw a lot of nothing out there and places where the cell phones had no signal. It was great. Good thing our PT "Cruiser" ran well. We got home to Kaysville in time to enjoy a fantastic meal at the Bossos.

Our only problem was a flight delay in LA. We had to wait about 4 Hours for our plane to come in from Atlanta. There were many problems there due to thunderstorms. We got home at 2 in the morning instead.

Starlyn returned from Aiea and she and I have done a bit of shopping. Soon my time will be spent preparing for the next school year. I need to go in on Monday the 21st to get things ready. School starts the 24th. John has another month. Otherwise all is well.

A Fresh Look

This blog needed a bit of a facelift and here it is! I hope you like it! Now, if I could only get someone else to put some new posts on here...

Fun on a School Day

This is us having fun on a school day (Dad is not done yet). We went driving north and saw the beauty of the North Shore. We drove up Pupukea and went to see the heiau. The road to the heiau is getting pretty bad. But many people are still going there. It is a wonderful sight. After, we drove into Haleiwa and ate at Kua`aina Kitchens. They have wonderful burgers there.

Our "New" House

Dad said I had to wait till the outside work was done.We wanted the house to look as good as it could. Saturday after we worked at the monument and the cemetery, we worked on rocks here at the house. We finished and I took a picture. LOOK NO POD!!!!! The house is as good as it gets even though it is not a new house. They fixed it up pretty good. They added and or replaced 3 fans. They put down ceramic floors in the kitchen. They even laid new carpet all over the house. It is freshly painted. That always makes things look better. They also added a window for ventilation. They replaced some solid windows with louvered windows also. We are quite comfortable. It is small. You need only take Ten steps and you can be in any room in the house. It's home. And it better be until we retire!!!!! Two moves in 3 and 1/2 months is too much for us. That is except it is always good to purge something and or organize something better.
Love and Aloha to all.

We are still here!

Starlyn thanks for the reminder. We are still here. We just don't have anything interesting to post. We will shortly when we move back to Moana Street. We will be back in the two bedroom house next to our old four bedroom.

It seems that everyone else has exciting news. New houses, job, internship, residency... our life just doesn't compare right now.

We are making plans for our summer trip. I am looking forward to going and not freezing like the last trip. And we are looking forward to you (Starlyn) coming to HI in July. I just wish that I wasn't back in school at that time.

hint, hint

Some very kind person set up this blog for you and has been faithfully checking it for quite some time, hoping that there will be something new to see. How about it? Just a hint!

Here is a picture of you two from your visit. Now come on, let's get blogging please!

There is more... oops!

Here are two other photos.

Monumental Happenings.

Today we went to the monument and did our monthly clean up. Boy do plants grow fast in Hawaii. Plenty of sunshine and rain helps I guess. We are sending a picture for those who have not seen or known about the monument built by scouts and members of our ward one year after Jonathan's death. We miss having kids around to help clean out weeds etc.

That Makes Five beautiful grandchildren for the Taylors.

Today February 21, 2008 Matt and Mindy had their baby. Jackson Kekoa Taylor was born at 6:59 PM. He weighed in at 7 lbs 11 oz, and was 20 in long. We were there only minutes after he was born. Matt delivered this handsome guy.

Aloha

Aloha,
I guess it was about time to enter some updated information. It is February and that is a busy time of year. It is winter time and the weather is rainy. Cool temperatures keep us in light jackets and even shoes and socks.

John had a bit of minor surgery. We went to see Dr. Neilson on advice from "Dr. Taylor". Here is the result.




We will again be celebrating Jonathan on the anniversary of his death. It is pepperoni pizza and rootbeer floats for us. Unfortunately we don't have anyone here to help us eat it. But the tradition must go on. We miss him but this keeps his memory alive. We went to Laie Cemetary and cleaned up.






Valentines Day reminds us of how much we love our family. We are so proud of all of you. You are all doing well. I enjoy keeping up as best I can by checking in on the Wallace Website and other family blogs. Thanks to those who keep us informed. Sometimes we feel so far away.

Preston and Rebecca will be celebrating an anniversary on the 17th. Congrats to them. They will be going on a house hunting trip to Charlotte at the end of the month. When they find something I am sure they will share it with all of us. Glad they will be buying where their money actually gets them something. Our rental place is up for sale at $650,000 for a two bedroom. It is in a not so great location.

I too will be having a birthday, again. This year it falls on President's Day. At least I don't have to go to work.

The best news (date) has yet to be determined. Little Jackson should make an appearance before the end of the month. Can't wait. It will be nice to have him around while he is little. They grow so fast. Hugs to you all.

I Did this by myself!

Well, we are home now and almost settled in the new house. It has been cold here but not nearly as cold as NY and UT. Our first guests were Matt and Mindy. I finally was able to give them the quilt, blanket and "penguin" outfit for baby Jackson. It was great fun to make but it took forever. It may be my first and last. Sorry!! Everything else is back to normal.

What a Vacation!

My mom passed away on Sunday, December 23rd. That was the day we were flying to Utah to visit with Preston and his family for the holidays. John made arrangements for me to continue on to New York for my mom's funeral. He got to stay and have Christmas with the grandkids as planned. I left on Sunday night and didn't arrive until Tuesday at 1 AM. It was nice to be with family and close friends. The funeral was nice. I then left Friday morning to return to Utah. I was lucky to make my flight due to bad weather in Atlanta. On Saturday we drove to Logan to attend mom's graveside service. The service was great. I was able to visit with relatives and people I knew from Ithaca.

Heather and Kyle provided us with a warm, delicious meal. The trip back down the canyon was treacherous. Sunday we attended the blessing of William Jonathan Taylor.
Monday we flew with Starlyn and Jeff to Monterey, California. We have enjoyed seeing the sights. The ocean is beautiful even on mainland. John got to visit Pebble Beach Golf Course.
We brought in the New Year by playing games with Star and Jeff. John dominated the evening. We hope 2008 will be a better year.

Our First Post!

We are giving the whole blogging thing a try thanks to Starlyn. We hope we can make this work, especially after we are back home in Hawaii.

Here we go!