Laie without a temple

The Laie Hawaii temple went from overflowing with people and workers for its last open week to a lonely, empty building, soon to be renovated. The temple was open after-hours to accommodate the crowds of people coming to squeeze one last session in before the temple closed.

For hundreds in Laie and thousands on Oahu, life will be different for the next 18 months. Workers, missionaries, community members, students and tourists will surely miss attending the beautiful temple.
You never appreciate what you have until it is taken away. For now, the exterior can still be enjoyed if you can ignore some scaffolding on the side.

It has only been a few weeks, and still, many temple regulars are feeling a loss with the closure of the temple. With accommodations and travel to Kona still a little steep for students, many are forced to sacrifice and save up for a future trip. We were truly spoiled with the temple right next door.

Christmas Break Burnout

The holidays, although usually not as filled with responsibility as a semester, can wear you out.

After the excitement and fun of the holidays, going back to school and work can seem like going to get a root canal.

Whether you celebrated the holidays with family or stayed and enjoyed them with friends, changing over from break-mode to student-mode can be quite an adjustment.

Fortunately, America feels strongly enough about its leaders (at least the ones in the past) to give us a national holiday. President's Day, Feb. 16th, is a Monday, which means a three day weekend is on the horizon.

President's Day normally does not receive the same amount of attention as the "festive" holidays preceding it, but I find myself already looking forward to it with the same amount of excitement.

As a suggestion to those who might be coming off of the Christmas-break high and suffering from the back-to-school low, a paper chain might help keep your holiday spirits up as you look forward to our next break. One less link means one day closer to vacation.