Excerpt from "Poor Richard's Almanac" written by Benjamin Franklin

A man in a passion rides a wild horse.

Be always ashamed to catch thyself idle.

Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.

Deny self for self's sake.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

Fond pride of dress is sure an empty curse; e'er fancy you consult, consult your purse.

God heals, and the doctor takes the fees.

Haste makes waste.

It is ill-manners to silence a fool, and cruelty to let him go on.

Keep flax from fire, youth from gaming.

Let every new year find you a better man.

Much virtue in herbs, little in men.

Ne'er take a wife till thou hast a house to put her in.

Observe all men; thyself most.

Philosophy as well as foppery often changes fashion.

Quarrels never could last long, if on one side only lay the wrong.

Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man.

Sorrow is good for nothing but sin.

Teach your child to hold his tongue, he'll learn fast enough to speak.

Up, sluggard, and waste not life; in the grave will be sleeping enough.

Vain-glory flowereth, but beareth no fruit.

Weighty questions ask for deliberate answers.

You will be careful, if you are wise; how you touch men's religion, or credit, or eyes.

The last half of our trip in pictures

We are now home from Maui.  It is bittersweet, for sure!  We had a marvelous time, but it's always nice to be back home.  Here is the final group of photos that tell the story...

Maui again!

Living the dream

We are in Maui, Hawaii (a.k.a. one of the most beautiful places on earth)!  We've been here since Sunday, and it's been amazingly, wonderfully wonderful.  I love this place!!  We've experienced a lot, relaxed a lot, and I could share so much but I shall refrain for now.  The photos speak for themselves a lot.  Yes, I have photos, as you can see below.  If you'd like to see more, click the obvious link at the end of the post.  For those who like lots of photos, you'll be pleasantly surprised, I hope!  Aloha!

The view from our lanai (veranda)

A pretty flower (anyone know the name?)

Wailea beach

Hibiscus

~Click here for more pictures!!~

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Haley who said, "Daddy, when I'm 16, I want to go to Hawaii and snorkel with you."

That was 8-9 years ago, and that little girl did not forget what she said.  Neither did her Daddy.  And now, 8-9 years later, here we are.  On August 26th, my family and I will hop on a 767 in San Jose and fly to Maui for a 10-day vacation!!!!!  Little girl's wishes do come true, you know.

I'm really, really, REALLY looking forward to this vacation for several reasons...Our family will be spending lots of quality time together in a beautiful place, with lots of new adventures and things to do...I will get to test my macro photography skills with my brand-new macro lens (which was a birthday gift from my Aunt)!!!!!...And we won't be bringing our instruments.  (Not that I don't like playing 2+ hours a day, but a break will be nice!)

Alright, I need to go for now.  I'll be posting pictures of the trip at some point, so keep looking for updates starting August 25th.  Have a great day!

Friendship and milestones

“A man of many companions may come to a ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”

~Proverbs 18:24

August 2011

“Let us not forget the dreams we share,

Forever like sisters we care.

You’ll always be a friend to me,

And that’s the way it’s meant to be.”

~Anonymous

July 2012

“Its so hard to find the perfect breeze,

One blowing none too hard nor soft,

Carrying a scent of wild flowers,

And moving clouds about aloft.

Yet no perfection’s so hard to find

As that which you extend

And none I’ll ever treasure more,

Than to simply be your friend.”

~Unknown