February Update

After the death of two computers in the house and much deliquency on my part, I am back!!  It's about time!  I know, I know. It's been a looooong time since our last update. I've had to re-learn how to use the computer as our latest purchase is a Mac Pro.

 
Okay sooooo, since August of last year, things have been kinda just humming along. During the October fall break, our family was able to take a much needed and almost week long vacation in San Diego, California. We were thrilled to be able to spend some quality family time at Sea World, Balboa Park, LegoLand, San Diego Zoo and the Air and Space Museum. We arrived at each destination for gate opening and stayed until almost the close of the park day. We rode alot of rides, ate alot of Gluten Free food (Laurie's favourite was the GF hamburgers at the concession stand at LegoLand), took alot of pictures and had alot of fun! 

Christmas was quiet this year and came and went without much fanfare.  There was alot of grumbling though! (not really...well maybe only on my part) Christmas as you know, is a crazy time for pastors and is no exception for the island pastor. We always look forward to the 26th so we can finally breathe again. With Christmas came a brand new toy for the Bullers. We rarely spend any money on fun things for ourselves, and so this year we were blessed to have the money to be able to buy a paddle board. We are enjoying it immensely and feel it's been a great purchase for our family to enjoy the water.

January is going very well and we've hired two extremely amazing young men to share our youth pastor position.  We are very excited about the new team at church  and look forward to a fresh and energetic approach to ministry. Please pray against spiritual warfare as Satan is forever trying to derail us!!

Tuesday, Ben and I head to Kapiolani Women and Children's Hospital in Honolulu to do some further testing on his anxiety and OCD. Don't worry he has NOT relapsed. This is just coming on the heels of some new information we've received about severe and sudden onset OCD. We are seeing a pediatric Infectious Disease specialist there and are having him tested for P.A.N.D.A.S. again and LYME disease.
The family has been suffering from a terribly wicked chest and head cold so we've been quarantining ourselves for the last week or so. Pray that we will all return to health and that Ben will be able to catch up on the week's worth of school that he missed. 

Still painting....here are my latest... 

Since my beautiful island mom (and oil instructor/mentor) is a portrait artist, I am going to be learning from her the art of portraiture. *SCARY* "It's the neurosurgery of art," she keeps telling me!  Be on the lookout in the future for a portrait (or two hopefully). This will be extremely challenging but I am eager to learn the process.


We've had an exciting day today. A little piglet came from "who knows where" and poked it' s head into our patio door from our backyard.  Laurie and Michelle (neighbour) spent the next 1 1/2 hours trying to catch the little guy and finally did!!  He was so scared. Michelle will relocate the slippery pink oinker to a ranch where hopefully he'll live forever in piggie heaven!

It pains me to say that for us summer is over and we've already started a new school year (last week). Summer was short and sweet; about 6 weeks.

Ben started his freshmen year (grade 9) at Waimea High School. A more local and rural school but smaller and hopefully less overwhelming and more manageable. We are so blessed to have his advisory teacher be a member of our congregation.  Like any other teenager, he feels bummed in having to return to school (especially so early) but is making the best of it and comes home saying it was "ok".  We've managed to FINALLY get him out of sweatpants and sweatshirts and is wearing ONE t-shirt and one pair of shorts. We are so proud!  He used to wear 2 layers!  And in this heat!  We've been averaging 31 C the last couple of days!! Ben received a new computer last week from a few very generous donors and spends alot of time talking to Grandpa (i think we need to set up a hotline) and experimenting with video features; especially making and editing videos for his dad and the church.  He loves all thing technology still and we have a challenge in getting and maintaining healthy activity in his life.  He's very much a home body and feels most comfortable there. He has gained 8 lbs. in the last 6 weeks or so (mostly water retention from the new meds) and is chubbing out a little. Hopefully the weight gain will eventually plateau off or at least redistribute itself into height.  He is in generally in good spirits but feels the daily frustration of having to go to school and being a person living with OCD. 

Alyson is 10 and entered her final year at the Kalaheo Elementary School....grade 5. Also bummed at the early return to school; though managing very well and loves having Miss Rivera as her new teacher.  She has a bright and sunshine-y spirit and has got quite the sense of humour.  Her goal at this moment in her life is to be a comedian-chef. Having many family members on a Gluten free diet (due to Celiac Sprue), she has resolved herself to opening the world's best GF Cafe.  Big aspirations for a 10 year old. She loves the computer as well and battles her brother at all costs to get as much time as he does.   She had a relatively successful baseball season cut short with a broken finger but made a huge impact on the team and won a lot of hearts being one of the only girls and the only caucasian one as well.  She enjoyed attending a bible based soccer sports camp during the summer and memorized 3 verses and learned many new soccer techniques.  Her favourite beach is currently Hanalei (Pine Trees) where there is often a natural river carved into the beach by the tides.  She tries to ride the waves on her dad's body board and had a very successful run on a rented paddle board. I do believe surfing lessons are in her future. Maybe one day when Uncle Bob's back is healed, he can teach her how to surf!  We would love to get a board of our own but they are fairly expensive.

We've had our niece Kailey visiting with us since July 13 and it has been great to have a familiar face around the place. We've explored alot of beaches together and had fun reconnecting. She leaves on Aug. 13.

We are looking forward to a possible family time away in San Diego for a week in October. We have unused airline tickets that expire in November and feel that although we can't really afford the vacation...we can't waste the tickets either. Praying the it will all work out as Ed is ready for a vacation and I am just ready to get away!

A Month Already!!

Wow...it's been over a month since my last post...here's a short update on the Buller family.

Ben got braces at the end of June and is coping with them ALOT better than his mother expected. The first few days were full of complaints about pain and oral abrasions but we're smooth sailing now!! He barely even realizes he has them anymore. Flossing has become a bit more difficult though and with Ben's very sensitive gag reflex...it's not pretty. We are not gonna push this too much for everyone's sake! Ben's been tolerating the new medication really well after the initial incident and we're slowing increasing his dose at manageable levels. He gained 3 pounds in one month which isn't bad considering the reviews I had read and of course, the age he is at. His appetite still hasn't increased at all. An ultrasound ruled out any stomach lumps and bumps. He has commented that he feels his hand washing compulsions are returning though. For far he seems to be able to control that to a degree. Monday is our next appointment and we'll have to discuss that then. Ben meets 3x/week with an aide provide through Nursefinders to help with his anxiety/ OCD, social and fine motor skills. Thursdays (today) they meet at the Waimea Boys and Girls Club to work on socialization.

Aly is enjoying summer break...although she and Ben are feeling the tedium and boredom of not being able to travel during the summer months. There are not many options here besides beaching...and while Mom and Dad could spend several days a week at the beach...the kids would like a little variety. Christian Sports Camp started up this week, with the theme, "The Great Comeback" and Aly is loving the Bible lessons and songs, interspersed with Soccer lessons by real coaches. She memorized John 14:1-3 and received a sports pin for the effort. The Uncharted Water team comes from the mainland to provide quality coaching with Bible based teaching and life skills. The children can choose to sign up for Basketball, Cheerleading or Soccer.

Ed is working very hard and feeling the pressure of regular church team leading life but coping admirably. He constantly impresses me with what he is capable of and how God is using him. Unable to take time off during the summer, he is (and we all are) looking forward to a vacation to San Diego in October. A glitch in the immigration paperwork means that tickets purchased last November (for a work visa renewal trip to Canada in March 2009) were postponed indefinitely. They expire a year from purchase however, and so thankfully, we are needing to take a vacation! At this time, our visa renewals are in process, but we are not allowed to leave the country. So a trip to the U.S. mainland it is!!

I am going a little squirrelly...missing friends and family. I try to keep myself busy by oil painting and volunteering at the church. I am the webmaster for our new church website... http://www.kalaheomc.org/ Check it out. I know you'll laugh and guffaw when I say that it is hard to live in Hawaii and not be employed. But it truly is...after 3 years I can say that boredom does set in and take its toll. Our computer died slowly after about 8 years of faithfulness and so now I am trying to keep you posted on an antiquated desktop that runs veeeeeeerrry slowly. Hard to upload or download anything (thus no photos) otherwise the whole thing will just shut down.

My garden is trying to survive...the cucumbers were doing so nicely and then a huge swarm of aphids came and destroyed them all. I HAD SO MANY CUCUMBERS ON THEM!! Boo Hoo! My 8 beefsteak tomato plants are as big as the 6 ft. fence but the blooms dropped off and I have very few tomatoes. The green onions, and mini bell peppers are doing really well and I can't decide WHAT my carrots are doing. I still have 3 lemons on my tree...why do they take SO long to ripen? Can somebody give me any advice on how to deal with dropping blooms, aphids and leafhoppers?

We are eagerly awaiting my niece Kailey's arrival on Monday and hope for a great month with her. It will be nice to have family visit again!

Sayonara...A Hui Hou

The Shed

After a year of living in our new home with several projects (landscaping) well on their way...it was time for a backyard shed. Our carport has been the outdoor storage closet of sorts; restricting the use of its major purpose in life....that is...to park our cars. Several weeks ago, we were blessed by some men from the church who came out to help pour a cement pad in the corner of our backyard to support the 10x7' shed we decided on at Home Depot. A coupla hours of hard labour and the pad fit snugly in and was left to harden for a week or so before we brought the new shed home.

A new family project!! The question was now...do you think we'll need help? It's kinda like big boy lego...right?!! The guys at Home Depot recommended that as long as we read and followed the directions, we should be able to do it!! YEAH RIGHT!! We got stuck on the "tools required" section (oh the shame -Laurie hangs her head)....a rubber mallet and a cordless drill. You are talking to the wrong family...we are SO NOT a family of tools. Ask me for a pair of pliers and you'll get the pointy jewellry needle-nose ones! Okay...we need help! Theron to the rescue!! We love Theron!! He is our HERO of the day! Da-da-da-da-! He came on the scene busting his gut at our feeble supply of rather feeble tools.

I like to see men reading the instructions!!

(did you notice the shed matches our house!)

Not only one...Theron has TWO drills and is apparently ambidextrous!! I was SO impressed!

trying to get the roof on right...it's hurricane proof...right Theron?!!

YEAH!!! And we're done!! It's definitely picture worthy!

Two shed building Kauaian cuties... Thank you Theron!!

(Big THANK YOU to Dad and Eliana for the housewarming gift!!)

Involuntary Hand Movements

While sharing a rare lunch opportunity with Aly yesterday, I was called by the health room at Ben's school. He had checked it in with involuntary movement in his extremities, predominantly his hands. I called his psychiatrist, who is also a pediatrician, and notified him of this new development. Touting Abilify as an ultra-safe drug, he felt that the tremors were unlikely to have been caused by the new drug at such a low dose entry level. So I was left to wonder...what the *bleep* is going on?? (pardon my expression) Uncomfortable with this new development, I checked Ben into the ER in Lihue and waited for the call. I was totally convinced this was a side effect of the new drug or at very least, an interaction with the already familiar Prozac. An hour into the wait, Ben was assigned to bed 31, a kid friendly room in the ER with a crash cart!! Nothing like comforting a sick child with a crash cart in the room! Anyways, long story short...the doc came in and examined him...called our psychiatrist in Oahu....and seemed somewhat determined to resolve this new tremor issue. Two brilliant minds came together with the diagnosis that the tremors were just a new symptom of anxiety and in NO WAY related to the new drug! What?? Are THEY on drugs?? How can this possibly be? I was NOT impressed!! Frustrated with their apparent lack of training, we left wondering about the state of our current healthcare system.

I drove the 20 minute drive home with a keen eye on Ben's hands which had previously been in a constant state of awkward, jerky movements. They were now decidedly silent. Still. No movement. What was going on?? Could they be right? Will I have to eat my silent words? Is this really just another symptom of anxiety? Who knows?

At this point, we've been advised to continue the new drug. I for one am keeping watch.

Pray for Ben

I am full of gratitude that I am able to come to you (once again) with this request. We need to amp up our prayer for Ben. As the middle school year comes to an end, we find his anxiety levels increasing as well his OCD. He is curling up his toes and walking inside his sweats, typing with his knuckles, removing the outer casing of a ball point pen and using only the thin refill to write. The other day we spent a fabulous time on the north shore exploring, snorkelling with sea turtles and sun bathing; Ben was so agitated he couldn't enjoy a minute. At one point, Ed convinced him to jump off the Hanalei pier (BIG accomplishment) into the ocean. Ben's anxiety and OCD wouldn't allow him to return to shore because other people had been swimming in that part of the ocean. He started swimming out INTO the ocean around the pier thinking he could swim across the ocean bay to where we pitched our beach camp. They would've never made it. Ed had to struggle in a physical and emotional fight with him to encourage him back to shore. Ed was very frightened throughout the whole ordeal as the battle almost nearly ended in both of them drowning. :` (

Because of this life threatening incident over the weekend, we have decided to supplement Ben's current medication with another med called Abilify. For those of you in the know, Abilify is a newer version of Risperdal with less side effects. We struggled with the decision to add this new med over many weeks, but after the ocean scenario...we feel we have no choice. Abilify should calm Ben and manage his anxiety and compulsions. However the common long term side effects are not pretty: increased blood sugar levels and possible drug induced diabetes, extreme weight gain (40 lbs. in 3 months), increased cholesterol (100 unit increase in a year), seizures and muscle spasms. Most are reversible when the drug is removed although the muscle twitching has been known to be permanent.

Please, please, please pray for minimal to no side effects, especially no drug induced diabetes or seizure disorder (and for a return to healthy mental state). Those of you who know us well, know Ed has diabetes and epilepsy so there is already a genetic factor at play here. For what's left of my sanity, we need some hard core praying!!! I am not happy to walk through this again but will, knowing God is the Lord of Ben's life and He holds us all in His hands.

For spring break, we went to Honolulu for one night. Ben couldn't sleep in the bed because he didn't know who had used it before him. He spent the night on the floor by the door on the tile floor/ carpet with no blankie. Ed drew the line at him sleeping in the suitcase (that was his preference).

Exploring the Coastline with Auntie Betsy

Polihale Sunset

Ben and Auntie Betsy @ Polihale

Natural Brush

Round Hole (created by Volcanic Bomb?)

Volcanic Bomb?

Awesome Aly and Auntie Betsy

Cool Tree

Natural Bridge Formation

Serpentine Sea Cucumber in Salt Pond Tide Pools

Tiny Waterfall by Glass Beach

Old car parts melting away after 100 years of salt and erosion

Tiny Salt Beds

Hanapepe Cubs vs. Waimea Jays

Aly's first Baseball game at Waimea Community Center

Warming up on the bench before the game

1st inning Aly stayed on the bench...parents are eager to see her in action!

Aly and Isybella...the only girls on the team!! GIRL POWER!!!

2nd inning...Aly is out on the field in right field


Quiet out there today...most balls landing infield

Good Game Jays! We slaughtered them 21-0 in 2 innings!!

(poor guys...it was their first time playing baseball)

WAY TO GO HANAPEPE CUBS!!!!

Sights around Town

Poipu Landscape off Lawaii Road

Ye olde Sugar Mill off Koloa Bypass Road

Puakenikeni flowers popular for making lei

Sugar Cane

Blue Ginger

Heliconia

Hmmm...not sure what these shrubs are...

Hanapepe Mustangs Division

I couldn't be prouder of my little girl. She's not so little anymore...but compared to the west side boys...she's a little on the smaller side. Alyson ...for years...has wanted to play t-ball. We waited a bit too long and although she is too old (bah!) for t-ball, we did sign her up for baseball. Her team is called the Hanapepe Mustangs...she's the token haole (white person) on the team and the only girl. The first practice....I was so nervous!! What would she do? How would she feel? Not only was she the only girl, but the only white girl. And therefore, the only team player to have a pink glove and pink cleats. I had to laugh...but.... oh...my...goodness...what a trooper!! After first practice, I asked her how she felt. She responded nonchalantly, "I don't care!" If only we could be like children...like her; so oblivious to the differences in life that could consume and overwhelm us. She wanted to play ball and nothing would stop her. I AM SO *choke* PROUD.

The other day (after several practices...which are every day for 2 hours M-Th...a little extreme for 10 year olds i think), she said to me, "Mom, do you really think I should play baseball?" Why do you ask honey? Are you having second thoughts?" "Well," she said, "sometimes when the sun is shining and we run alot...I sweat." I had to stop from laughing. "Sweating is okay honey!"

Anne and Iain Prance

We met this wonderful couple after a recent invitation to join them for lunch at their "place" in the Allerton Gardens. I had heard of them from a friend and that they attended our church in Kalaheo when they were in town....perhaps once a year. Their real home is in the South of England. Iain and Anne are a wonderfully committed Christian couple and have embraced us into their family when on island. They are truly remarkable and I am blessed everytime we meet. Their passion for Christ is evident as is their love of mentoring others in the faith.

Iain and Anne work at different Botanical Institutions around the world...in their "retired" or rather exhausted estate. Poor things! They are as active as ever and are really overworked. Iain (and Anne) are constantly travelling, consulting, lecturing, collecting and studying. Their knowledge and experience is highly sought after. Iain...Sir Iain (as he is known...has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1995) is a prominent botanist and ecologist.

We'll be thinking of Anne as she heads home and visits with the Mellow Birds....and Iain as he heads off to San Diego and then New York.

Yakudoshi Celebration

So the other day, we were at home minding our own business and we received this beautiful invitation to a Yakudoshi Celebration in honor of Tsuji, our neighbour across the street.

So what exactly is a Yakudoshi Celebration? I'm glad you asked...

Bad luck ages are referred to as yakudoshi, with yaku meaning “calamity” or “calamitous” and doshi signifying “year(s).” These years are considered critical or dangerous because they are believed to bring bad luck or disaster.For men, the ages 24 and 41 (or 25 and 42 in Japan) are deemed critical years, with 41 being especially critical. It is customary in these unlucky years to visit temples and shrines to provide divine protection from harm. In Hawai‘i, it has become a widespread tradition among men of Japanese ancestry to celebrate the 41st birthday with a festive yakudoshi party or gathering to ward off the bad luck or disaster that may strike. The birthday person should wear red to bring good health, vitality and long life.

The equivalent yakudoshi ages for women are 18 and 32 (19 and 33 in Japan), with 32 thought to be a particularly hard, terrible or disastrous year. Like the age 41 for men, precautions are taken to ward off bad luck, and some women in Hawai‘i celebrate their 32nd birthday with a special yakudoshi party. The 41 year-old birthday boy with his party hat and wearing red and black

His cake...

Our neighbours Tsuji and Jeannine

Swimmy the Fish

After a colossal death toll from the dreaded sea monkey birthday gift..."Swimmy the Goldfish" entered our lives and became the second pet in the Buller family. Swimmy was aptly named by Alyson and has affectionately stuck as his legal name. Welcome Swimmy!

Swimmy the Betta Siamese Fighting Fish...

Long Awaited Grass Pictures

Many of you have been waiting for updated pictures of our lawn...the result of the creative plugging process that took months to complete. Well wait no more.. this...

has turned into this....

El Toro Zoysia grass knitting itself together.

Lemons on our tiny lemon tree...can't wait to make lemonade!

Red and Pink Ginger, Heliconia and pretty red Ti

Fragrant Stephanotis on the back fence

Egrets in the front yard...

God's promises multiplied in the back yard

We love and miss you all!