Celebrate With Us...













We would like to share our baptism with all of you, our friends and family. God has abundantly blessed our time here on Maui and drawn us each into a deeper relationship with Jesus. It has been awesome and we look forward to sharing our experience with each of you when we see you again.
Jeff and I chose to be "re-baptized" as a symbol of fully re-dedicating our lives to God; Joe chose to be baptized to demonstrate his love for Jesus. Our baptism took place in the ocean across the street from our church, by Pastor Dominic (on the right in the following pictures) and Jacob, a church elder.
It was an amazing experience and we were blessed to have special friends there to share it: Mary and Allan Hayes (visiting from Bellevue), David and Glenda (our neighbors), Elyssa Done (a new friend and sister in Christ) and several people from our church family here.
We send you all love and aloha--and pray that God will bless you as richly as He has blessed us. 

Jeffrey Scott Graves...













"My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit--not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength--that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in." 

Sally Jo MacLean Graves...













"I want you to get out there and walk--better yet, run!--on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline--not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love..." 

Joseph Donald Graves...













"And I ask Him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God." 

New Life...













"God can do anything, you know--far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." 

Brothers and Sisters...














"The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus." (All verses from Ephesians 3-4, The Message translation.) 

Go, Daddy, Go!













Allan and Joe soak Dad GOOD with the bumper boat squirt guns. Fun city! 

Klimbing Kids...













Joe and Allan test their mettle on the climbing tower at Maui Golf and Sport. They both got to the top and rang the bells...yee-haw! 

After...













One great-big-fun-long-giggling-farting slumber party and they're still smiling! Thanks for everything, Grammy Beth and Grandpa Dick (our boys are blessed to have you in their lives)(and so are we)! 

Still Crazy...














See what else five months on an island'll do to you? We're falling in love all over again... 

Before...













Grammy Beth and Grandpa Dick are all smiles when we drop off the boys to spend the night...stay tuned for the "after" picture! 

Fun in the Surf...













We all had a blast snorkeling and diving into waves one sunny morning. It's always fun at Ulua Beach, and that's the truth! 

Under the Sea...














Joe and Allan get up close and personal with some deep sea creatures at the Maui Ocean Center (the amazing aquarium here on Maui). 

Fishbowl Day...













Jeff, Joe, Allan and I hiked out to the Fishbowl in South Maui for a little snorkel time with the fishies. Amazing day; we saw about 40 varieties of tropical fish and Joe and Allan even spotted an eel! (Put this at the top of your Maui to-do list if you ever visit our island!) 

Butter Scotch! Banana Skin!













Wish you could hear the soundtrack for this rowdy game of BS. You'd fall down laughing. Woo-hoo! 

On Top of the World...













We made it to the summit of Haleakala on a cold, cloudy day with limited visibility. And here are Mary and Dick, freezing to death while I make them smile for the camera. Woo-hoo! 

Moonscape on Maui...














The cloud vapor moving in and out of the Haleakala crater looks like steam rising up out of the vent cones. Weird science! (It was SO cold up there! We all had "chicken flesh," which is Mauian for "goose bumps!") 

Tea & Scones...













Dick, Beth, Mary and I enjoy the best scones on the planet at the Alii Lavender Farm. Yum! 

Bird of Paradise...













...a lovely spot of tropical color at the Lavender Farm... 

Watchin' Whales...













We went on a sunset whale-watching cruise and I was so excited to get this great shot of a whale fluke--with Joe watching. The underside of the tail, the fluke, is the whale's "fingerprint," no two are identical. Researchers compare photos like these to learn which whales return to Maui every year. 

Gentle Giants...













For most of the cruise there were four whales that kept popping up RIGHT BY the boat--you can see how close they were in this picture. You could easily hear their breath when they came up to spout -- and then everyone would race to that area of the boat to take pictures. It was amazing! 

Sunset Love...













Ahhhh, aren't they cute? Beth and Dick cuddle up for a sunset shot... 

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Super Sally!













It was so windy on the deck of the boat returning to the harbor that I thought I could fly! (Well, okay, maybe it was the whopping 1 1/2 cans of beer that gave me that idea...) I gotta say, though, it was a lot of fun trying - and quite entertaining for everyone else. Later, on shore, some people said, "Hey! You're the flying lady!" Yep, that's me. 

Woo-Hoo!













Here's my good ol' "woo-hoo!" pal, Mary. Let's hear it! WOO-HOO! 

Fishies Are Waiting...














The boys get geared up for some snorkeling at Ulua Beach...