It is almost Thanksgiving.  Where has the fall gone...It was just labor day.  But we are not complaining. 

As you can see, our chain is very small.  In fact, this photo is not up to date, we have only three links to go! That is two more Sundays so we are busy packing to get on the slow boat our boxes of junk.  Funny how stuff just piles up.  

The semester is almost over.  The students are ready for their finals and finishing all their projects.  I am tired and thankful that I am almost done teaching.  It seems to take so much energy at this stage in my life.  That and everything is social media and high tech.  I can wade in that water, but to swim in it is difficult.

We have become BYUH basketball fans.  They have a very good team that is really scrappy.  Games are close until the last ten minutes then

Kaye and Moana, her co-worker at the Library

they kick it in gear and the crowd roars.  We have a member of the team, a starter, in our Branch and I have three cheer leaders in my class.  That adds to the game. 

Here is a photo of Mom with her friend Moana who she works with at the library.  She is the official scorer at all the games.  She loves to play rugby and is a fitness gal.  Mom enjoys working with her.  

Mom is busy wrapping things up at the library.  She is done at the School of Education having organized their curriculum collection and cleaned out all their storage cupboards.  The professors are now busy filling them up again with junk.  Teachers are such pack-rats.  Mom's storytime is going great.  The Elementary Education majors are

Library Student Assistants

required to read stories to the kids under Mom's direction.  For the most part, she says they are very good.  A few would be better off becoming accountants.  Here is a photo of the students who work with her.  The boy is from China and is learning English.  She enjoys working with them.  

The community of Laie is high school football crazy.  Their team is always in the state finals and often wins.  This is the place where all those BYU and UTAH Polynesian players are from.   Their high school team is really something. This man even painted his house for the game. Yes - real paint. He is "fully invested."

For fun on Saturday we went to Haleiwa Joes, a famous North Shore restaurant.   I had Ahi (tuna) Mom had shrimp (of course) and our friend Elder Rowell had red snapper.  The picture below shows how they served it.  It was whole, head and all.  The waiter showed him how to break it apart and he said it was delicious.  It is a white fish that is caught in local waters.  

With the Rowells at the restaurant

The other photos were taken today at our branch meeting.  Because our last two Sundays are High Council Sunday and Fast Sunday, they asked us to speak today.  Mom did great with her talk on Joseph Smith, until she started crying.  Then all the girls in the branch started crying.  They really love her.  She has been a good friend to all of them and they really appreciate her.  The photo with the two girls are Mom's best friends, Hannah and Kuulei Akina.  

This photo shows the Tongan leis that they gave us.  It is a Hawaiian way of saying thank you.  Too bad they are real flowers and don't keep.  Maybe I will have to get one for Mom to wear home.