Healthy. Wholesome. Family. Life.
Our blog emphasizes healthy, wholesome, family-friendly, life-giving choices.
Self-publishing books has been a rewarding process for our family. Seeing hard work pay off no matter what we’re doing is great, isn’t it? With publishing books, we sometimes have to call a project done and other times put it through the revision process.
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but I want to have deep, meaningful relationships with people. Deep, meaningful relationships aren’t possible, though, without both parties showing love, being truthful, and being authentic — not curating a persona that isn’t real.
Read MoreToday, on my first day of retired life, it's hard to believe that I joined the Navy 24 years ago. 24 years seems like a long time until it's already past. Looking back, though, 24 years pasted so quickly.
Read MoreTwenty years ago, we stood together in front of our family and friends and before God to become man and wife. What a wonderful thing that it’s been to be married to you, Franicia.
Read More9 children and 19 (almost 20) years into our marriage, you still truly amaze me at the woman and Mommy that you are, Franicia. How do you find time and energy to love and worship God, love your fellow man, love me, and love and teach our children in a way that causes people to wonder and want to know more about the God that you serve?
Read MoreCan you believe that 2021 is almost over? This year has been a busy year for us with lots of exciting changes and developments. One of the highlights of this year was our discovering that Franicia is pregnant with a precious soul who we expect to be welcoming into this world sometime next summer. We also found out the timing of Tim’s transition from the Navy to civilian life also next summer that will likely coincide with our relocating again.
Read MoreA little over 19 years ago, Franicia and I said, “I do”…actually, we said it twice and we’re pronounced “man and wife” twice, but that story is for another time. 😂 We never in our wildest dreams would’ve imagined that we would be blessed with 9 wonderful, precious children. I don’t think that we would’ve ever dreamed that either that we would’ve moved so many times, experienced so many wonderful things, or walked through the trials that we have experienced.
Read MoreAfter such an amazing and blessed trip to Dallas/Ft.Worth to make the most of Tim’s scheduled work trip, we arrived home three weeks ago with slight signs of a cold. Though we were being cautious and hardly went anywhere beyond our lovely Airbnb, we think we might have caught something at a gas station or perhaps a restaurant that we visited. The sickness ended up being the flu which wore us out. To be safe, we had a couple of our family members tested for “the virus,” but the test turned out negative. We had a few good days or so where we thought we might all be past it, but then experienced something we don’t ever think we’ve gone through before…
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Our dojo is almost ready! Woohoo! Pelaiah helped me clear out a lot more items, and Franicia has been working hard on making the bookshelf and school side function more like a library again. I love exercising with my children here, and, not too long from now, we’ll be learning our Okinawan Karate katas when Franicia is ready to teach us hopefully! We’re eager to learn the same kata that Mr. Miyagi taught Daniel in Karate Kid on the mountain. How awesome would that be?! #TRAINFORLIFE
Have you ever wanted to write a book and publish it? Many people who love books or writing dream sometimes that they’d love to be able to write something with meaning — write a book that makes a difference. You definitely can!
Read MoreThis photo was taken today. The love in their eyes says so much! I loved this so much I asked Tim, “What were you thinking here?” to which he replied, “I was thinking about how much I love you!”
Read MoreWow! When we joined this #ArmyNavyHouse USAA contest for the 2020 Army Navy Game, we never imagined we would get a prize like this or get to admire the impressive packaging and presentation.
Read MoreIn this video, you’ll get more than just a book reading, you’ll find out some of the reasons why I wrote it and why we published it. You’ll also find out what the extra pages include and how you can use them to teach your children whether you homeschool or love reading and teaching numbers and spelling to children.
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Is our sweet baby Pelaiah really sixteen already? It didn’t seem too long ago that Tim and I were eagerly awaiting her arrival. While many people have asked if the origin of her name was from my Pacific Islander heritage or even possibly Hawaiian, they’ve been often surprised to find that we chose her Hebrew name from the Bible because it has such a beautiful meaning --- “Jehovah is wonderful.”
Pelaiah, not only is our God Wonderful, but you are a wonderful daughter, sister, and person! You’re loving, kind, thoughtful, brilliant, and beautiful! It has been a joy to see your love for many things --- a few of them being music, God’s Word, and learning new things. Your amazing culinary skills in the kitchen with many delicious, healthy foods and desire to selflessly bless many people with meals alongside your siblings has encouraged many people -- including your daddy and me. When you play the piano, especially on a piece that means a lot to you, it’s such a gift to us to see your heart poured out so eloquently on those keys. At times, you stir people’s hearts to tears with that special gift!
May the Lord continue to bless you for the way you love others in your sweet and beautiful way! May you continue to grow, seeking His wisdom and honoring Him all the days of your life. We love you, dear Daughter, more than you’ll ever know! Mwa! 😍🥳❤️🎉😘🎈
(We asked Pelaiah to share with us what photos she loves and would like for us to share here in the coming days. We’ve included some of them in her birthday collage above.)
We rarely realize the life that we can speak into other people’s lives not only by the things that we say but also by our actions. The world that we live in can often be a dark, sad, lonely world, and love, light, and honor can be hard to come by. One thing that I’ve learned from Franicia, though, is how far-reaching the effects of the love that we show to people can go.
Read MoreAs we’ve many times and shared with numerous people in our lives, we are believers in the Bible and followers of Jesus Christ. While peaceful protests are fine, unlawful violence and destruction is unacceptable. There has been so much violence, hate, and division lately, and we continue to pray for healing in our nation.
Read MoreThis is a story I shared last Friday on Facebook:
Many years ago, while living on Guam, Mom (Anicia) would call and loved checking up on us and hearing our stories.
Read MoreRead MoreAnd the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luke 1:30-33
Our oldest six children had their Winter Recital virtually this past week.
Read MoreIf you know Tim well, you know how much he enjoys exercising and healthy living. When I wrote to one of his co-workers this morning about it being his birthday and that a greeting may be a fun break in their work day, I had no idea how much of a surprise they wanted to give him.
Read MoreOur mission is to encourage people to love the Lord and please Him in all that they do. We also love delicious, wholesome food, and enjoy life together as a family. Here you'll find encouragement and tools to help you on your journey to a healthy, wholesome life with your family.
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