Baby you're a firework

Last night, I was invited to a dinner party on the 32nd floor of the Pinnacle. That is probably unimportant. Though, unbeknownst to me, it was also the night of the 24th annual Honolulu Festival that ended with a very large display of fireworks. It was very cool.

Tonight, I updated my new Instagram account and reviewed the posts from this last year. I also did our taxes yesterday.

When I look at Instagram, I am amazed at both how fast 2017 went and what the year entailed. Deneen and I were traveling nearly once a month throughout the entire year. Martin and Kelsy hiked the Pacific Crest Trail. Lucas and I built two large inhabitable art projects. Davis spent three months in Yellowstone National Park.

When I review it, the year looks nuts.

On December 11, 2016, I returned from Dutch Harbor, Alaska. We were in Columbus in March. Martin and Kelsy came to the Imperial Valley for Coachellain April, then the next week we put them on the Pacific Crest Trail. Deneen and I flew to Chicago in May for Lucas's graduation. I was in St. Louis the following week for AASLH. And that week we put Davis on a train to Yellowstone. At the end of June Lucas and I went to Budapest. Then at the end of July we were in Columbus, again, where both Deneen and I celebrated our birthdays. The last weekend of August I interviewed at the historic site of Woodstock - Jared drove 11 hours to meet me and we saw Sting (a highlight of the year). In September we accepted th eLagacy Award at Judson, in Chicago, and then I went to Austin for the AAM conference. In October, back to Columbus again. In November, Deneen and I interviewed in Hawaii - the weekend after Thanksgiving. Lucas left for Japan. Martina  and Kelsey came for Christmas. And then I moved to Hawaii!

The year has been nuts!

Starting from Scratch. Part 4

On September 9, 2007, this blog began with a post called "Starting from Scratch." That post was repeated on October 1, 2011, when we moved to El Centro, and again on September 20, 2016, my 30th day in Alaska.

This is the fourth move in last ten+ years to a remote location where I came with nothing but a suitcase. This is actually my favorite part. The idea of rebuilding your life from scratch is intoxicating to me. It allows you to separate your needs from your wants - but more than that - it allows you to really appreciate your "wants" when you get them.

The last 30 days have not have been comfortable. I did not really like where I lived. But it allowed me to look for an apartment. When I moved to Alaska it was really different - there was one apartment available. It was too expensive and unfurnished. And no fun.

Yesterday, I signed the lease on a the place we are renting in Hawaii. It is too expensive and unfurnished. But unbelievably FUN! It is so close to the beach that State Farm would not give me renters insurance; across the street from a brand new grocery store that has a wine bar in the center; a block from the "Ward" district; has a heated pool, hot tub, weight room, and a wood shop; and the lanai looks down the crescent shaped sandy beaches of Waikiki.

Also, it has two bedrooms. Not at all what we were expecting to get. More than we need. But exactly what I wanted.

First 30 Days

Today brought an end to my first 30 days in Hawaii.

As the last four transitions to remote places go, Hawaii has been pretty easy. I have been living in a pretty gritty, small AirBnB about a mile from the museum. Without a car, I have been walking, so nearly everything in this 30 days has occurred in a 1.5 mile radius of the museum. The walk to the AirBnB is not unpleasant, but it is in a residential area with absolutely nothing to do except sit in my small room.

30 day highlights: I have seen four bands; got my Club membership; submitted my first grant (historic paint analysis); and successfully got through the first of the planned bicentennial programs the museum will be doing over the next three-years.

30 day disappointments: at the beginning of week three - my first day after onboarding - four staff people were out sick. That Friday night I started having a sore throat and spent the next 48 hours in bed with a fever and chest cold. For the next week I was on meds operating at about 60%. Blah!

I was not sick a single day of the seven years I spent it in the desert!

Opukahaia Day

Yesterday was the first day of the bicentennial of the Hawaiian Mission Houses. It was a celebration of the life and passing of Henry Opukahaia, the first Hawaiian to convert to Christianity. He had a goal of bringing the Christian message back to Hawaii, and worked within the movement of the Second Great Awakening to see this happen. His untimely death, on February 17, 1818, meant that he was never to see Hawaii again, but the published memoirs of his life was a best seller in America and had a similar effect as Uncle Tom's Cabin in calling Northern Protestants to action.

In my own life and history, it seemed I had very little connection to the eventual mission that came to Hawaii. But through the celebrations surrounding the life of Opukahaia, I find that is not necessarily the case.

Along with Samuel Mills, Edwin Dwight, James Richards, and Adoniram Judson, Obukahaia was in a society of young men committed to beginning foreign missions. All of them were attending Andover Theological Seminary. Mills was one of the founders of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, which sent the first missionaries to Hawaii. Judson became the first missionary to Burma. Judson is also considered the first Baptist missionary.

When studying in New England, Opukahaia lived with Judson's wife's family.

I am a long way away, in what is turning out to be a very small world.

Phase 3

It is hard leaving a museum that is not finished. Since 2013, we have been working on the design, fabrication and installation of the permanent exhibit at the IVDM.  Phase 1 was completed in April 2015, and Phase 2 in August 2015. But Phase 3 did not get finished. 

A couple month ago, we received a $30,000 grant to begin the work on Phase 3. This included the

building of the valances and drywall finishes - similar projects that were completed in December 2014. This work, we did in house. Which really means in the last three weeks I built walls, hung, and finished drywall. The new interim director at IVDM, Dr. David Breeckner, has a work ethic that is pretty outstanding, and the two of us were able to finish - at least the to a point where the walls could be painted.

I am disappointed that I will not complete the entire exhibit that was designed by Weldon Exhibits in 2013, but we sure came close!

So, Let's Catch Up

Mid Ocotober, I applied for the position of Director at the Hawaiian Mission Houses Historic Site and Archives.

I had applied last January, but they did not make a hire at that time. So it was a job and a place we were familiar with. When I applied the second time, the process went very quickly. A phone interview the week before Thanksgiving. A site visit the week after Thanksgiving.

The phone call with an offer to hire came just a few days later. They wanted someone the first of the year, but I still had some projects to tie up.

So, February 2, was my on-island date. And to tie things up, I had to work right up to the day I flew out.

New Year, New Adventure

Well, here we go again. On Friday, I arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, to take my post as Executive Director of the Hawaiian Mission Houses Histoic Site and Archives.

We are very excited for this new opportunity. It has been a whirlwind of activity since Thanksgiving. Tying up projects and trying to finish a couple grant projects at IVDM.

This part - the first few weeks - is always the hardest. I have arrived with two suitcases.

I am staying in a one-room AirBnB for the month and trying to figure it out. Start work tomorrow.