At first, only Tom was going to get a haircut as he entered the Supercuts salon on their last days before evacuating due to the lava.

We all knew that the lava flow was expected to take out the Pahoa Marketplace by Christmas and that the shopping center was due to close. Together, we decided to visit a few of the vendors in the U-shaped strip mall before they closed permanently within 24 hours. 

Here is a link to the news story.

Tom’s hair had grown quite bushy over the past several weeks.  He refuses to use products to help tame his hair.  A little gel would go a long way.

Tom needed a haircut as well as TJ and Jayden. Why not, three generations of haircuts on Supercut’s last day? 

As we entered the busy shop, the smiles on the faces of the staff were astounding. Here’s they were, forced to relocate from a location where they earned their income, knew their customers and it felt like home. Luckily, they are finding a new home for their business in Hilo and Keaau.

Tom is at the far left.  TJ is in the middle and Jayden is on the far right after they decided they also needed haircuts. Three generations of Lymans having their haircuts simultaneously. Too cute!

As it turned out, all three of our boys were able to have their haircuts simultaneously, and thus, here are my photos of the process in action. What a sweet moment it was – three generations of Lyman boys getting a haircut in Hawaii as the lava is heading this way!  Memorable!!!

Later, we visited the Mamala Market, crowded with customers buying out their entire inventory at 50% off.  Unfortunately, we were several hours too late to really take advantage of the sales. All the meat, dairy, and produce were long gone.

Jayden was unsure of how he wanted his hair cut.  At 9, the possibilities are many.

However, as TJ and Sarah wheeled a cart of their own, loading up on snacks and beverages, I fast and furiously maneuvered through the crowds, trying to find items that would serve us well with the two houses filled with four families over the next many days.

Making food purchases at 50% off the already high prices was rewarding, to say the least. But, in all, I only spent $124.45 for a total of $248.90 worth of pricey products.

TJ sat quietly while his stylist snipped away.

I’d brought the camera in the store with me hoping to make a video of the numbers of people in the store and the fast emptying shelves. No more than 60 seconds in the store I spotted several signs stating “No photos or videos allowed” which was shortly also announced over the loudspeakers.

Always respectful of such warnings, I ran the camera back to the car to keep my hands free for shopping. With the carts jammed into the aisles and with the number of shoppers, I needed every limb free to maneuver through the crowds.

Tom went for his now usual buzz cut which seems to serve him well for a few months.

Even with the crowds, it wasn’t a bad experience. The other shoppers and staff were friendly, laughing and chatting, many potentially losing their homes, their livelihood, that which they’ve known and loved. The Hawaiian people are rare indeed.

Now for the rundown of the next few days as the remainder of our family begins to arrive; Tammy, Tracy, and Vincent on Sunday; Camille, Greg, Maisie, Miles, and Madighan on Monday. Tomorrow, Tom and I will pack all of our belongings and foodstuffs and move them to the house next door.

Done, done, and done.

Once packed, we’ll clean the master bedroom and bath, wash and change the bedding and towels, and totally clear out, only to return on January 3rd, two weeks later when the rental ends on the second house next door and family have begun to depart.

At noon tomorrow, the property manager will meet us at the second house to let us in and provide instructions.  Then, we’ll begin the process of transferring our stuff, putting everything away, and creating as much order as possible.

Jayden had a hard time explaining this type of cut.  Finally, the stylist figured it out. He was happy.

The next day Sunday, TJ, Sarah, and the boys will move in with us, moving all of their stuff over. This will leave each of our two families with one night alone in each of the two houses. 

With the cupboards and refrigerator emptied of our food, on Sunday morning, Tom and I will head to Hilo to grocery shop for all of us. My list is almost completed in the app on my phone. 

All the shops were being evacuated in the U-shaped shopping mall.

Since he tends to be “overly grumpy” at the grocery store and I am always “overly bubbly,’ he’ll wait in the car reading a book on his phone until a prearranged time when he’ll come inside, take my cart of non-perishables, and check out, handing me another cart.  I’ll finish shopping for perishable products. He’ll load the non-perishables into the minivan and wait for a second designated period, coming back inside to help to check out the perishables to also load them into the minivan.  Easy. 

When we return, we’ll unload everything into the first house, while I neatly arrange it all in the refrigerator, freezer, and cupboards for the yet to arrive two families. (At one point after shopping, Tom and TJ will have hauled the newly purchased items for the six of us over to the second house which I’ll arrange and organize as well).

The boys checked out the hardware store but they’d yet to offer discounts on merchandise.

TJ and Sarah have graciously agreed to clean the first house, the second floor with two bedrooms and a bath, which they’ve used exclusively, and the first floor we’ve all used; the two rooms, living room, and kitchen. 

With everyone’s tasks assigned, by Sunday night when Tammy, Tracy, and Vincent arrive, we’ll be organized and I’ll have made a fun dinner of “pulled pork” and side dishes. Somehow, as soon as we return from the grocery store, I’ll need to take time to cook the meat in the oven to ensure we have moist, tender meat for dinner, salad, and veggies.

And here it was, the Mamala grocery store with nary an available parking spot, selling everything at 50% off. By the time we arrived, we were too late, the same scenario we’d experienced at Longs Drug on the previous day.

Why not grocery shop on Saturday and have it out of the way? We may, after all, if time allows, do so on Saturday and be done with it which I’d prefer.

Whew!

Tom used his last $5 off coupon derived from shopping at Mamala to top off the tank.  The next day, the tanks were emptied and the gas station was closed permanently.

The holiday season for all of us can present a myriad of tasks and responsibilities far beyond our usual daily lives. So, is the case for us on this special holiday, spending time with our family being of the utmost concern.  Regardless of the amount of preparation, we long to be together and do each task with love and happiness in our hearts.

Have a fantastic Friday filled with frivolity!

                                           Photo from one year ago today, December 19, 2013:

We took this photo one year ago today with mom warthog’s chin resting on another baby warthogs while babies are nursing. We couldn’t stop laughing over this one and can’t stop smiling now as we see this again. For details of this date, please click here.