Jerry and I appraoching the top of Diamond Head

DSC_0015, originally uploaded by Spazyone.

Here we are! We are so grateful for our two families who each gave us a week's free lodging in Hawaii. My mom and dad and our son and his wife.

We had a great time. On our hike up Diamond Head, we went early in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. There were many friendly people we met along the way. Jerry, as a MAJOR, war and history buff, loved seeing the tunnels and bunkers carved into the mountain by hand.

The view of Honolulu was spectacular!!

You can see more photos of our trip on my Flickr account. The link is on the left side of the page. Go to the Hawaii collection and look ant the different sets of photos.

The trekking poles really helped on the hike. As most of you know, I am not supposed to walk very far without a cane. However, since the problem is both hips, I chose trekking poles. That way I get the support but can walk in an anatomically correct manner. Those poles came in handy the whole trip.

I will post more little mini-journals of our trip.

Mercy

Mercy Ministries . . .  Valuing every young woman's future

 

A great organization whose mission is to help young women to deal with emotional and physical problems. 

If you or a loved one suffer from any of these difficulties and you want to talk to someone locally, call or e-mail me. 

There are people near you who have been there, understand and want to help.

From the Mercy Ministries web site:

Mercy Ministries is a non-profit organization for young women who face life-controlling issues. We provide residential programs free of charge designed to address the whole person: spiritual, physical and emotional. Our non-conventional approach to the underlying issues changes more than behavior; the Mercy Ministries program changes hearts and stops destructive cycles.

Our program includes life-skills training and educational opportunities that help ensure the success of our graduates. Our goal is to have each young woman not only complete the program but also discover the purpose for her life and bring value to her community as a productive citizen.

We have three facilities in the United States: Nashville, TN has 40 beds, Monroe, LA has 20 beds and St. Louis, Missouri has 30 beds. Plans are underway for a 40 bed home in Sacramento, California.

 

Since 1983, we have served thousands of young women from all over the world with varied cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Young women who come to Mercy Ministries are often facing a combination of difficult circumstances such as:   Abuse Self-Harm Depression Addictions Unplanned Pregnancy Eating Disorders Many of these girls have sought treatment before with unsuccessful long-term results. Residents are in the program an average of six months and our services reflect their diverse needs. Our residents are young women who want to change and move beyond their difficult circumstances, yet have never found a source for help before Mercy Ministries. Young women who have graduated from the Mercy Ministries program are truly transformed. They are found in universities, corporations, ministries, the mission field, and raising families. At Mercy Ministries, they learn to believe in themselves and in God's love for them and gain life-skills that equip them for successful reintegration into society.   For our pregnant residents, we provide a Basic Decision Making Program that assists the young woman in deciding about parenting or placing her baby for adoption. We provide parenting classes for those who decide to parent and grief counseling for those who chose to place their child.   Since 1987, we have had the joy of assisting hundreds of birth mothers with the placement of their babies into loving faithful families. We have also had the joy of over 150 babies being born to girls who have decided to parent their child. Due to the generosity of many individuals, businesses and foundations, Mercy Ministries operates debt free and only expands after raising the funds for operating a new home. We do not receive any state or federal funding. We are audited by an independent accounting firm each year, and our 2005 audit shows we spent 76% of our operating expenses on program costs.

 

EPS Excellent Packaging and Supply

We are a wholesale distribution company providing nature based packaging for foodservice and other applications. We specialize in environmentally sustainable packaging, offering compostable, biodegradable and recyclable product lines as well as traditional packaging. Our exclusive BioMass™ Foodservice Packaging Program is the most comprehensive sustainable packaging program available in North America. A LIST OF SOME OF THEIR PRODUCTS SpudWare™ Biodegradable Cutlery made from 80% starch (potato or corn) and 20% soy or other vegetable oil. Able to withstand High-Heat! BagasseWare™ Paper plates, cups, trays, bowls, and boxes made from plant fibers, either grown or recovered as crop residue. May be sugar cane, wheat bamboo or rice based pulps. Microwavable, ovenable and freezable, biodegradable, compostable and sustainable. EATware™ Made from bamboo, rice, or sugar cane and corn starches. Sturdy disposable food containers are microwave, oven and steamer safe. 100% biodegradable All natural, no bleach, chemicals or lamination. Oil and hot water resistant. NatureWorks™ PLA Made from corn grown in the USA, PLA is used to make clear plastic cups, bowls, boxes, straws and can liners. Biodegradable, compostable and sustainable BioBag™ Bags and can liners made from Mater-Bi, derived from cornstarch. Used for T-shirts bags and can liners. Biodegradable, compostable, recyclable and burnable. Natureflex™ Food films made from renewable wood-pulp. Suitable for wrapping and bagging food. Ovenable, heat sealable, biodegradable, compostable and sustainable. ecotainer™ Paper hot cups and soup containers made with a PLA lining, making them fully compostable, biodegradable and sustainable. Unbleached Paper products Other NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT THE PRODUCTS Californians Against Waste Recycling News cawrecycles.org - Friday, September 21, 2007 So Sweet You Can Eat The Plate By Susan Buchanan online.barrons.com - Monday, September 17, 2007 New Generation of Plastic Products ABC 7 News KGO-TV - Tuesday, March 27, 2007 SpudWare a Hot Potato Changing food-service industry, one spoon at a time Packaging Digest - Tuesday, March 6, 2007 Petroleum-Free Compostable Packaging EPS Announces Appointment of Local Distributors for BioMass Sustainable Food Packaging Co-op America - Monday, February 26, 2007 You can make a difference: Composting By Patricia Goodin, News Editor Novato Advance - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 5 Spuds Steal the Plastics Market Business 2.0 Magazine CNNMoney.com - Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Ridding World of Plastic Forks Richmond company uses lates technology to produce biodegradable and compostable containers and utensils whose acceptance is growing San Francisco Chronicle -Sunday, January 7, 2007 Forks and spoons made out of potatoes. Cups made of Corn. The Green 50, The Recyclers Inc. - November 2006 Starch Utensils at ESPN X Games Excellent Packaging & Supply introduces Spudware Food & Beverage News - Sunday, July 31, 2005

This is all non-plastic. It's made from corn, potatoes, and sugar cane among
other things. The disposable silverwware is edible. It totally biodegrades in 90
to 180 days and is compostable.



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