We live in a very sports-minded community. That has become quite evident over the past week as the local Kahuku High School Red Devils football team played and won the state championship, ending a 13-0 season. This isn’t a fluke, either. Kahuku has won the state championship eight times in the past sixteen years. When I asked on Sunday what the secret is, I was told it was all the Samoans and Tongans living here in Laie, grandsons of the people who came here a hundred or hundred and fifty years ago when they were gathering to the Hawaiian Zion. I’m certain there’s a lot of truth to that “secret”, but it also helps to have a tradition of winning on your side as well.

It’s not just football, either. The surfing competition season is just starting the heat up as the big waves start rolling in. It’s a rare day now that there isn’t a “high surf advisory” somewhere on the island of Oahu. There are a lot of beaches that are sheltered from the big waves for the family vacationers along with some pretty spectacular surfing beaches. Sunset Beach, about twenty minutes to the west of us, is one of those premier surfing beaches. One of the members of our bishopric is said to be a champion surfer! We’ll be going to watch at least one competition as it involves water, sand, and sunshine … all important things for Nina!

About half of the Christmas Trees are decorated at the Visitors’ Center. They’ll all be done by Saturday night in readiness for the fireside and tree-lighting event on Sunday. It’s getting enough like Christmas that Nina has started playing some Christmas music on her iPhone. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ta ta for now!