The Best Of Christmas Lights

You don't even have to get in your car I've done all the work for you. Although watching these videos makes me want to find a display like this in my town. If I find one I'll let you know.
If you haven't seen enough when you're done looking at my posts check out

Link
http://www.planetchristmas.com/ShowingOff2009.html

Christmas Lights

All I Want For Christmas Is Light-O-Rama

Do you think Liight-o-Rama goes on sale after Christmas?

Merry Christmas

What do the neighbors do? Walk around the house with ear plugs or dance around the house with glow sticks?

Is This In Your Neighborhood?

Because Christmas is The New Thanksgiving???

I'm a slacker, always behind, or moving at my own pace .
Here's a little taste of our Thanksgiving.
The pictures are taken by the girl with her new fancy camera.

First The Preparation:::



Helping Teenagers!!!!!


Job Well Done



Table Ready


TURKEY!!


Is It Ready Yet???


Worth The Wait!!!

Room For Improvement

things that didn't work so well this week....
trying to type with four fingers,
attempting to take out stitches myself,
oush not ready yer

(see above about typing with a handicap, that was meant to be... ouch not ready yet)

substituting for 12 second graders one day before christmas break,
trying to figure out what to do when 12 second graders all have to go to the bathroom at the same time,
and they are all SO THIRSTY at the same time,
and they are wielding scissors.
I think I might have a claim for post traumatic stress disorder ( not to make light of those that really suffer from that, I'm purely going for humor here)

and last but not least my desire to work on my agoraphobia and social anxiety...
I think the 2nd graders set me back a few years.
but don't get me wrong they are all sooo cute, I just have no classroom management skills.

Mom?

being a stay at home mom can be a thankless job
there's kids,
there's dogs
there's husbands
there's husbands that don't like dogs
there's homeschooling
there's teenage hormones
there's adult hormones
there's dishes
laundry
driving
cooking
vacumming dog hair
dishes
driving
cooking
vacuming
it' s so not the glamorous life ,
cooking laundry
man when did i sign up for this
why didn't i take the make money to pay people to do this path
especially when the dishes aren't done and that is what is noticed
not the previous month's gourmet meals
and I'm not the perfect gilmore gils mom who crawls in bed at the precise moment of birth to say i love you
and i'm not the mom that makes the perfect breakfast and smiles in the morning
I try hard
it's hard
and I only have a few years left
pray for me
I'm sure I'll be writing about how much I miss these times soon.

Eddie Can You Hear Me???

There's some serious surf in Hawaii right now . Tomorrow there's a possibility of 50 foot waves or local style 25 foot faces.
Which means if this happens and it's clean THE EDDIE IS ON!! First time since 2004.
Who is Eddie Aikau you ask?


Here's his story from his foundation web page:
Edward Ryon Makuahanai "Eddie" Aikau (May 4, 1946 – March 17, 1978) is one of the most respected names in surfing. He was the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu. He saved many lives and became well known as a big-wave surfer. "Eddie" was a true symbol of Aloha.

Born on the island of Maui, Aikau later moved to O'ahu with his family in 1959. In 1968, he became the first lifeguard hired by the City & County of Honolulu to work on the North Shore. Not one life was lost while he served as lifeguard at Waimea Bay. Eddie braved surf that often reached 20 feet high or more to make a rescue. He became very famous for surfing the bigHawaiian surf and won several surfing awards including First Place at the prestigious 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. The local saying, "Eddie Would Go," refers to his stoke to take on big waves that other surfers would shy away from and his courage to make a rescue in impossible situations.

"Eddie" became involved in perpetuating his Hawaiian heritage. In 1976, the Polynesian Voyaging Society sailed the Hokule'a on a successful 30-day, 2500 mile journey following the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands. In 1978, a second voyage of the traditional sailing canoe was planned. At 31 years of age, Aikau was selected for this voyage as a crew member. The Hokule'a left the Hawaiian Islands on March 16, 1978. The double-hulled voyaging canoe developed a leak in one of the hulls and later capsized in stormy weather about twelve miles south of the island of Molokai. In an attempt to get to land to save his crew and the Hokule'a, Aikau paddled toward Lanai on his surfboard. Hours later a commercial airplane spotted the Hokule'a and the rest of the crew was soon rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. Aikau was missing at sea. Despite great search efforts "Eddie" was never seen again.

And to honor this legend on the North shore the Eddie Aikau Invitational was born.
The way it works is surfers are invited from around the world- there is a holding perioid of several weeks. If the conditions are right you are notified and you have 24 hours to arrive.
Here's more:
The surf has to be in the right condition for the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau invitational contest to be held at Waimea Bay. Organized every winter, the tournament has rarely been held because surf at Waimea Bay hasn't met its requirements: ridable 20-plus-foot waves measured Hawaiian-style — from the back of the wave — or about 40 feet from peak to trough. The meet was last held Dec. 15, 2004.

George Downing, contest director of the Eddie Aikau invitational, said there was a 50% chance of running the event Monday and an 80% chance Tuesday.

Peter Cole, a member of the grass-roots Surfrider Foundation, said he doesn't think there will be waves as massive as in 1969.

"I've been studying the charts, and my gut feeling is they'll be big, but not like the '69 surf," Cole said. "That was legitimate 50-foot surf."

The monster waves are powered by two storms north by northwest of Hawaii that will produce high surf through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The swell that is predicted is something that has not been seen since 1969.
The island of Oahu is buzzing...
Eddie can you hear me??????

Here's video of the winning wave from Bruce Irons the last time the Eddie was held:



Waiting for text message alert.......
Oh but tomorrow is an epic day in many Ways .
It's the boy's sweet sixteen......

TWO WORDS

Two Words Come To Mind after viewing this photo of our new family member:
BABY DOLL



We are so happy.
Words of advice:
smell her,
love her,
stare at her,
FORGET ABOUT THE HOUSE,
hold her,
treasure these special although often scary moments,
be present- that is the best gift a new baby gives you.
smell her,
love her,
repeat.

The Girl Effect

A Very Sad Day

From the New York Times:
Owning the War | 8:10 p.m. President Obama began with an explanation. And in seven simple words, he laid out why he had decided to escalate the war in Afghanistan, declaring: “We did not ask for this fight.”

With those words, Mr. Obama formally assumed ownership of the war that began eight years ago. With those words, the commander-in-chief began his attempt to explain to a war-weary nation why it is necessary, once again, to send more troops to Afghanistan.

“Afghanistan is not lost,” Mr. Obama said, “but for several years it has moved backwards.”

The president is standing against a backdrop of flags, speaking to a large audience of cadets. Before he outlined the strategy, he explained why his review of Afghanistan took more than 90 days, saying: “I owe you a mission that is clearly defined and worthy of your service.”

“I do not make this decision lightly,” he added.

I had hope that it would be different.
I'm sad because we live in Hawaii where there are many service men and women, my children have been witness to the profound impact a deployed family member has on a family, a community. They are brave and selfless that is for sure. When I heard the news of 30,000 more service members deployed within the new year it hurt me. I can't imagine how it would feel to have your Dad or Mom deployed for the second , third , fourth time.
My Dad was deployed to Vietnam when I was three and my Mom was pregnant with my brother. It forever changed her, and therefore me and our family.
My heart aches knowing how much that is happening in our country right now with no end in sight.

Here is why:


Arlington Cemetary
Need I Say More?
Both of my parents are here.
They earned it.

Cure For a Bad Mood

Because Thanksgiving Is The New Halloween

I'm thinking about Labor Day
The stores are ready for Halloween
I'm thinking about Halloween
The stores are ready for Thanksgiving
I'm thinking about Thanksgiving
The stores are so totally about Christmas.

Based on that logic isn't it appropriate I post Halloween pictures when it is almost Thanksgiving?
Enjoy and Happy Halloween , I mean Thanksgiving.

25 years of oprah introductions

Funny thing is she did NOT introduce Sarah Palin this way.

25 Years of Oprah Screaming Celebrity Names - watch more funny videos

running on empty, life in the 3G world

I have a crazy game I play with myself.
I like to see if i can calculate to the very last mile,
how far I can go without getting gas
of course you see where this is going right?
But when the get gas light goes on, and then off ,
I say- hey no need to get gas
No matter how far below the EEE the indicator is.
Oh and when you are driving home and there is not gas on your route all the more reason to roll the dice.
and when a good part of your ride home is down hill
no problem right?
Except when you run out of gas just when the road is going uphill.
I'm so lucky to have good friends who are willing to bring me gas while my family is not seeing the humor in my gas roulette game.
I'm an island girl now , no need for stress.
So while we waited for gas I made use of my "my touch"
here's a little of what i did...
First I went to ALOQA , and saw that there were 10 gas stations very close by one only 1000 yards away, I was willing to walk there but nobody wanted me to.
also there were 4 starbucks locations , I was willing to get everyone coffee , but no.
I also checked out upcoming entertainment possibilites Gabriel Iglesias:


NOTE TO SELF: MUST BUY TICKETS AND GET GAS

i checked out nearby bars just in case I had to make a run for it and get away from my pissed off family
I tweeted,
href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35008532@N08/4130478860/" title="Picture 2 by growingupx2, on Flickr">
I facebooked

My saviour of a friend brought gas,
rather than fight with the hubs about how to start a car , with fuel injection after it is parched I googled it

It was not working so my friend , "phoned a friend" her sister who had been in this situation before.
Her advice was to rock the car because we had to get the ittly bitty bit of gas into the system so here we are,
my friend jumping up and down on the bumper, me rocking it side to side .
Still no luck, but we were lauging our AO!
The boy suggested we roll the car down the hill because we were on an incline
We did
and it worked.
Got to love the boy
and the friend
and the family for putting up with my game of
GAS ROULETTE!

Just Dance- It Will Be OK

Here is what I really want to do when I "grow up for the second time"
If I ever do
Grow up again that is....
Any sponsors?

Elf Yourself- It's that time of year again

The Picture Says it All

The girl is working on mastering the art of the self portrait, 3008 style.
Digital camera , frequently while we're driving somewhere.
It's good for the wind blown hair effect.




Her photogenic genes do not come from me.
I have problems keeping my eyes open when someone says cheese.
I've been know to eat pizza with my eyes closed that's how bad it is.


Taking pictures while in the car is also good for singing your favorite song just to get you in that rock star mood.





Photo booth on your Mac works well too, if your not in the car or your camera needs charging.



Here's her favorite look of late she calls it nerdy. She's a girl with many sides.


Here's what happens when I'm on the other side of the camera. Now that's not fair is it?


/>
Here's her wild side..."I'll eat you up."



Now this picture is priceless.. If you know the girl that is.



Here we are trying to figure it all out she's complicated,
But in the words of the monsters from "Where The Wild Things Are" I'm sure when it's time I'll say:
"Please don't go I'll eat you up, I love you so."

The Show Is About To ....Go On

Remember when I wrote about the boy and the girls audtion songs.?
Well the show, Cabaret Paradis,is opening next weekend. They both have challenging solos.
Can't wait to see it.
Here's what the boy is singing:


Here's what the girl is singing:

Dream of Swimming With Dolphins? We Don't Dream, We DO

The boy swimming with dolphins.
It doesn't suck,
Living in Hawaii.




Oh and by the way if you want to come to Hawaii in December our villa in Ko'Olina is not rented yet;)

So That's Why I Spend So Much Time On My Laptop - I'm Preparing For The Future

ch- ch- CHANGES

Why does life have to hurt so much sometimes?
or maybe it's just me
there is that pain that is just below the surface that has to poke it's pesky head up every now and then
it's ugly
it says you're not worthy
you're useless
what are you doing?
on your hands and knees washing the floor is that what you went to college for?
teenagers that say
Mom,
Really?
Now, what is now?
What is my role in now?
I fell in love with them on first glance,
it was my pleasure to nurture, guide, feed, transport, teach, comfort, encourage.
Changing roles
how do we negotiate that?
I want the boy and the girl to
WANT to come home
not run away and never come back
when they leave for
ahem
College.
I like them
I birthed them
and
most importantly,
I want them to get something out
of this parental relationship,
I want them to think in their most challenging moments,
I need to talk to
Mom
or Dad
I need some good advice.
That is the standard I hold myself to,
and I really don't want to fail.

Have I Mentioned How Much I Love Babies?

I'm going to be a Grand Mere and I am so excited, I love babies and can't wait to meet this one .
We're all excited, especially the girl, who can't stop thinking about the clothes.
She is taking her opportunity to introduce the new baby girl to the world of fashion and all girlish things very seriously.




Kiss the baby.

First Day of School Ever!

The only people that wear ties on a daily basis in Hawaii are:
Lawyers, Politicians, Mormon missionaries and
My Men.
Here they are on the boy's first full day of school ever:

A Little Grey's (Fan) Anatomy

so this is the first five minutes of the Grey's Anatomy season opener.
I was needing a Grey's fix so I watched.
It's up to you.
But when I watched it the first time I had full body chicken skin ( goose bumps)
so there.


comments?

drama is our life

as much as I try to live in a drama free zone,
drama is our life.
#1 reason is because the boy and the girl are into musical theatre and all things
performing
but as Madonna said, most performers are shy
and that brings me to the audition
they have tomorrow.
school
audition
swimming
packing
leaving on a jet plane (don't even think about it we have a house sitter, two furr oucios dogs and a friend with a Mastiff)
and the girl can't
decide what she wants to sing
and she has to be prepared with sheet music
222
mar
ooooooo
that is a recipe for crazy
for the whole house
oh no
the whole neighborhood,
no
the whole ISLAND
I don't like to fly so...
from the Moment I wake up just before I put on my make up
say a little prayer for you (ME)
forever, forever you'll stay in my heart
because I love you
(sorry having a little Dermot Mulroney moment)
I'm missing having a gay boyfriend like that about now, someone that can appreciate the DRAMA
and make me laugh about it instead of stress.
and then there is a wedding , the youngest bonus child getting married.
ahh weddings ,that's where I met my husband , and he was with a date.
hopefully that won't come back to haunt me.
Oh and I'm going to be a (bonus) grand mere.
Yay.
Lots going on here
Pray for us.
and here are the choices for the girls audition.
vote if you choose.




or this:


or this:


I'm voting for the last one.
The boy is singing this:

Ever See 21,000 People Dance to the Same Song?

It sure doesn't suck to be Oprah or Fergie.

Let me explain, Oprah tweeted about this and since I'm one of her ...
ahem... Tweeple I, of course clicked on the link to see this massive dance staged for one of the new episode of Oprah. I wanted to post the original, good quality video of it but you know copgright and all. So off to You Tube I Went and found this from someone filming from a building overlooling the venue.
Check out the original on oprah.com if you are a black eyed peas fan or just want to be a voyeur to what must have been a BLAST! I actually direct twittered Oprah, It doesn't suck to be you does it? and , Why wasn't I invited I missed most of a Black Eyed Peas concert in Honolulu, due to a huge traffic jam....sniff....snifff.



Here's a link for a better view.
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/20090908-tows-flash-mob-dance

I Love Ellen and So You Think You Can Dance

A new season of So You Think You Can Dance starts tomorrow night!!!!

Deal With It

Thanks to Mark for great information, and inspiration, for me to be bold.

Most of my readers ( yes there is an "s" to that) know what they're getting themselves into. As a homeschool MOM ( I deserve that capitalization) , my kids often come to me when they are working on their own and ask...
Do I really have to do this?
It's stupid
or I already get it can't I explain it to you?
or how will I ever use this?


what do you think? should teachers be subjected to this type of inquisition?
don't get me wrong I love teachers.
NEVER would I attempt to take on 20 kids , with different learning styles, and..... the list goes on.
Teachers, especially the ones that are not compensated so well, thank you!!!
wait all teachers,
thank you!!!
As a homeschool mom I celebrate what you do, it's hard for me with 2, TWO,
students, we share something though. Our love of learning and our deep concern for the next generation, equipping them, making sure they are stewards of ...All. Maybe that's too ambitious but you get the point

Why would we want to tie kids down when they can discover,reinvent, teach, connect, self instruct (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism love that word).....and on and on..
The answer is , we as non-digital-natives can't always wrap our mind around that reality.
The point being, who knows what is going to be relevant for our kids in the next 5,10, 15 years?
If they can make a good argument , I listen, and evaluate and then we decide if it's worth the time.



Watch this:
the old school days are just that.
And think about it
OLD
and
SCHOOL
what feelings does that conjure up?

On a "you're awfully ambitious" note

supper club
Theme
Top Chef Recipes
do you know how long it took me to cull through the recipes and find something (s) that , for me, were do able?
probably longer than it will take me to
cook
shop
clean
host
etc.....
but good food will be had by all
and if all else fails
there will be wine.
The menu:
Asparagus Salad With Wild Mushrooms, Arugula and Bacon Vinaigrette
Coconut and Oat Custard Shrimp, Nectarine Salsa and Avacado Creme Freiche
Roasted Rack of Lamb With Toasted Cumin and Coriander Seed.

Wish me luck
That's Awfully Ambitious!!!!

I Should Be Crying But I Just Can't Let It Show Baby

when a friend told me how much this performance affected her emotionally and that she thought of me
I said, "oh I've already cried all those tears."
I was lying.
The tears are always
right
around
the corner.
All The Things We Should've Said That I Never Said,
Make it go away.




Pray God You Can Cope
I'll Stand Outside
This Woman's Work
This Woman's Worth
Ooh, It's Hard On A Man
Now His Part Is Over
Now Starts The Craft... Of The Father

[Bridge]
I Know You've Got A Litte Life In You Yet
I Know You've Got A Lot Of Strength Left
I Know You've Got A Little Life In You Yet
I Know You've Got A Lot Of Strength Left

[Course]
I Should Be Crying But I Just Can't Let It Show,
I Should Hoping But I Can't Thinking,
All The Things We Should've Said That I Never Said,
All The Things We Should Have Done That We Never Did,
All The Things We Should've Given But I Didn't,
Oh Darling Make It Go,
Make It Go Away...

Give Me These Moments,
Give Them Back To Me,
Give Me A Little Kiss,
Give Me Your...


(I Know You've Got A Little Life In You Yet)
Give Me Your Hand Baby,
(I Know You've Got A Lot Of Strength Left)
Give Me Your Pretty Hand,
(I Know You've Got A Little Life In You Yet)
Ooh My,
(I Know You've Got Alot Of Strength Left)
Your Love Child,
(I Know You've Got A Little Life In You Yet)
Whatever You Need,
(I Know You've Got A Lot Of Strength Left)
Give Me Your Hand,
(I Know You've Got A Little Life In You Yet)
Give Me Your Hand Babe
(I Know You've Got A Lot Of Strength Left)


I Should Be Crying But I Just Can't Let It Show Baby,
I Should Hoping But I Can't Thinking,
Of All The Things We Should've Said That We Never Said,
All The Things We Should Have Done That We Never Did,
All The Things That You Wanted From Me,
All The Things That You Needed From Me,
All The Things We Should Have Given But I Didn't,
Oh Darling Make It Go Away Now,
Just Make It Go Away..

That's Awfully Ambitious of You

"That's awfully ambitious of you."
That is a phrase my Mother became fond of in my early married life.
you're catering your own baptism party x2?
that's awfully ambitious of you
you're running a home business with a baby?
that's awfully ambiitous of you
you're going camping with a six month old?
that's awfully ambitious of you
you're homeschooling,when you're husband is an educator?
that's awfully ambitious of you.
I know this sounds very snarky,
My Mother taught me a lot about working hard when you know it's the right thing.
In the end it served her very well,
and I say this with love.
Caring for your Mom with inflammatory breast cancer,
That's very ambitous.
See Mom,
it was all worth it.

ghetto luxury bathroom

we're always happy to create
less is more
or the husband grew up in a really
large catholic family
here's our version of luxury master suite
I like to watch episodes of
Gilmore
Girls
in the tub
on the laptop
laptop on the toilet cover
WORD

allireallywantisforyoutofeelme

oh and the title , I'm not drunk, Firefox on blogger is changing what I type to
Farsi? Sanskrit? the moment I type a space it becomes an entertaining game of cat and mouse or firefox vs. safari or PC vs. MAC , or the girl needs to return my computer already, or forget it we're both TOO hormonal for THAT or it really does make a nice sobriety test.
enough about me.

this clip is all about what I'm longing for, what moves me
beautiful music
creative expression
physical fitness
acknowledgment
beauty
music
the perfect words
haunting melodies

oh and last but not least Jason Mraz's musical talent
put that on the top of the list

About Anniversaries Happy and Sad

Two big anniversaries in our house recently.....
Saturday was the anniversary of my Father's death, which was more than surreal for me as I watched the funeral of Ted Kennedy. My parents were both from Boston came from immigrant families, Irish Catholic. To them and to me the Kennedy's were definitely American royalty. So on the anniversary of my Father's death to see Ted Kennedy laid to rest at Arlington Cemetary , where both my parents are together, in the same plot, somehow felt like a full circle moment. I imagine them , with Irish Eyes Smiling at the good company, up in heaven.
How about these Irish Eyes? They are smiling on my wedding day.




And today,
Eighteen years ago I married my husband . At the end of the ceremony we left on a sailboat, out to sea on the adventure that is our married life. The best decision I ever made.

What Price To Be A Good Neighbor?

I need help. We are living in a new neighborhood and I really want to have good relationships with our neighbors. They ahem, might not share that sentiment.
Let me paint the picture.
One of the first days we were here the husband parked his car in a space that made it difficult for the across the street neighbors to get out of the garage. Our bad for sure, but instead of introducing themselves and politely asking if we could move the car, uhmm they sere not so polite in telling us why the car did not belong there.

Moving along, these neighbors also run a dog sitting business that is pretty much illegal. Their idea of walking dogs is letting the small ones, chihuahua, out their gate onto our front yard were they are none too happy to take a dump on our front yard. At first I thought; "oh no the dogs got out I should go let the owners know." WRONG! day after day they let them out knowing they run across the street and , you know . So now I'm faced with some choices. Lure those little punk dogs into my house with meat and if the owners come looking for them act confused, because after all they were pooping on my yard every day so surely they belonged to me. Pick said dogs up and stuff them in all the mail boxes on the cul de sac or get our the air soft gun.
I really am an animal lover but for real???




Oh and that's not all - the neighbor on the side of us also lets their dog out to run free down our adjacent slope and poop in our back yard. WTF? can somebody help me understand this , and give me some suggestions? Right now I'm considering collecting poop and knocking on the neighbors doors, and saying "oh, this belongs to you."
what do you think?
If you have any suggestions leave them in the comments section you don't have to sign in you can do it anonymously.
Oh and I live in Canada.

Ted Kennedy Rest In Peace

Light a candle in your window tonight to memorialize an amazing public servant.

This is the cause of my life. It is a key reason that I defied my illness last summer to speak at the Democratic convention in Denver—to support Barack Obama, but also to make sure, as I said, "that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American...will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege." For four decades I have carried this cause—from the floor of the United States Senate to every part of this country. It has never been merely a question of policy; it goes to the heart of my belief in a just society. Now the issue has more meaning for me—and more urgency—than ever before. But it's always been deeply personal, because the importance of health care has been a recurrent lesson throughout most of my 77 years.

— Ted Kennedy

Show THIS To Your Teen!!

Not that teens are the only ones that text and drive.... and to think that Hawaii was unable to pass a no texting while driving law?

Fire Poi

If someone were to tell me 15 years ago that I would LET my son PLAY WITH FIRE I would have told them to lay off the crack.
Never say never .
It's hard to fight the influence the island has had on the boy.
Here's some great pictures Mike took of him doing a fire poi show.
Check out Mike's website at colelleaphoto.com

RIP John Hughes

If you were a teen in the eighties this will bring back memories!!!
Complete with my favorite quote from Ferris Bueller:
"Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while.....You could miss it."

"

Friends

I'm lucky I have some really great, caring, there for you in good times and bad, friends.
I've been wanting to write about two in particular who recently visited us from the East Coast.
Mike and Soozie.
Here they are:


Don't they look happy? They just mastered the stand up paddle board
And
They're in Hawaii, who wouldn't be happy?


Back to the friend part. These are real , in the realest sense of real, friends.
They were our neighbors in Maryland in the first house my husband and I bought together.
Mike photographed our wedding.
After I had the boy and the girl I came home to balloons and a home cooked meal courtesy of Mike and Soozie.
They treat my kids like they are their kids.
When the boy was little his favorite activity was going over to Mike's pond with earth worms to feed his Koi .
He would just walk into their backyard like it was his own and it was no problem for Mike and Soozie.
We use to share Christmas Eve cocktails late at night and when they smelled the garlic wafitng from my kitchen they knew it was an invitation to dinner.
And now it gets really serious....
Mike and his daughter drove our U-Haul van across the country from Maryland to California.
Yes you read that right DROVE A U_HAUL VAN ACROSS THE COUNTRY!!!!
That was a serious lapse in judgement on Mike's part but we LOVE HIM for it.
They photographed our older daughters wedding, beautiful , beautiful pictures with a personal touch that can only be added by someone who knows the people getting married.
When I told Mike that my kids were going to the Lego Robotics World Festival, he called and volunteered to be a photographer.
I was at the festival taking pictures and someone said, "shouldn't you let a professional take that picture?"
I turned around and there was Mike , surprising us .
In the closing ceremonies for the festival the boy and the girl's face were plastered up on the jumbotron for all to see, because Mike was one of the official photographers.
When I called to tell them about the surprise birthday party I was having for the hubs, they said, "we'll be there."
Get this, they flew from Maryland to Hawaii for the WEEKEND to be at that party.
They like to do stuff like that,
incredibly kind things because in this day and age it's shocking, to find such kindness.
Today when so many people don't even know their neighbors, we were so lucky to end up next door to Mike and Soozie.
Mike and Soozie you're the best, we love you and treasure your friendship all these years.
And now some pictures from their visit:

shave ice of course!!!!

He's got wasabi coming out of his ears, lots of ahi sashimi was consumed.



Sunset beach warning signs. In the winter this is where the 20 foot + waves can be found. In the summer it's glassy



No trip to the North Shore is complete without a trip to Ted's bakery



Honu basking in the sun, bliss.

Gilmore Girls

best moment in season one of Gilmore Girls.
A thousand yellow daisies.
The girl loves it (me too) .

Julie and Julia

WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS?????
IT'S ME.
loved the movie made me cry,
a big dream I didn't know I had, until this movie.
Must figure it out.
I have the cookbooks ,
I watched Julia Child,
I cook,
I like to eat,
I blog.

what makes you cry?

Standing ovations always make me cry.
Friends and family standing up
for you, strangers,
applauding.

The Mormons Want To Suck Your Blood

some sights from my run:

The mormons want your blood:



These people are tired of being dumped on:




but it comes with a price the sign should say no dumping or pilfering


While we're talking about pilfering,
People are serious about their mangoes here:



And finally,
this sign at the top of a long hill.


I see it and it says Pain In You!!!

Dissolving Bikini

I happen to know someone who could use one of these.
A German company has created what is being called the ultimate revenge gift.
A bikini that dissolves after a few seconds in the water .

Weight Loss Secret

Are you ready?
Here's my weight loss secret.....
When the excuses start roaming around my head about why I shouldn't , or don't need to run.
I weigh myself.
Yup, that wakes me right the hell up.
Off to run.

Life is Good

sometimes
it just
doesn't get better than this:

Bra Tooth

Hawaii now has a hands free while driving law.
My bluetooth won't sync with my ghetto phone so now we have:


Bra Tooth!!!!!
(The girl would like credit for naming it)