The challenge to value set.

There is a very nice house for sale - two bedroom, two bath. A block from the ocean. Right next to a beautiful park lined with palm trees. Nice new kitchen, slate floors, nice enough. Raph wants it. Wants it bad. He's always wanted to live by the ocean. And I like it. Don't get me wrong! I'd love to live in that house. It's just that I'm not sure that I'm totally willing to make the sacrifices to afford a house like that. It isn't that expensive. We can afford it as long as we are both working, but there are sacrifices.

The sacrifices: my dream of building, with my own hands, my own house. My dream of having a negligible mortgage - so that I can travel, and engage in other activities that I am interested in, so that we aren't slaves to our mortgage. My dream of having AND RAISING children. I am really not interested in having children and then allowing someone else to watch them. This house won't allow us to live on one income, unless we were very creative.

And that brings us back to the basic value set...what is important. I sort of feel like living on an island is good enough! We can go to the ocean within 10 minutes whenever we want? Is it necessary to live right next to the ocean, where the threat from tsunamis and hurricanes is much greater? I'm not so sure? I just want a few acres with fruit trees and and trees and room to live and breathe and have kids run around (some day.) I'm just not sure how the cost of the house fits in? We'll see...

The worst bug yet!

So I've lived in Hawaii before. I am familiar with the giant roaches, the even bigger cane spiders (We had friends who after finding and then losing a cane spider in their house, pitched a tent on top of their bed, they were so afraid of the thing.) Last week I even had a gigantic cane toad thrown into my classroom in the middle of class. Talk about disruptions. So yeah, I'm prepared for those little critters. But not the centipede! I've had nights of nothing but nightmares about this guy. Scampering into my bed and stinging/biting me. Unfortunately, I think that the only thing that will cure my fear, is to actually get stung. Maybe it will happen soon so I can resume sleeping.