i am...mai

A Hui Hou Sweet Little Milo

After just over a week of holiday madness, Arwen and I had a nice day sleeping in until 10 a.m. and hanging out in our pajamas until noon.  We eventually made our way to Kahala to drop another Christmas shipment off at the post office.  (Yes.  I take my sweet time getting these packages and cards out and will likely still be dropping them off into the new year.)  We moved on to the mall to enjoy some Starbucks and light shopping.  It was a good day.

Unfortunately, it was a good day that ended on a very sad note.  Rob found our dear little Milo lying still in the backyard after we returned home tonight.  We're uncertain as to what exactly happened, but it appears he was either hit by a car or got into something that made him really sick, and he crawled into some tall plants out back to die.  Our whole family is completely heart broken to have lost our little buddy that has graced our family with his presence for 13 years.

This incredibly affectionate cat was unlike any we've ever met and brought so much joy into our lives.  Milo was quite the character, and we were convinced he thought he was a dog.  He preferred to be around people and took his job as the house greeter very seriously - always racing to the carport to welcome us home.  Milo supervised all gardening and yard work around the house and often found himself locked in the laundry room, tool shed, or car while making his watch dog rounds.  He befriended the neighbors and their dogs, as well as anyone else passing by the house to "walk the hill."  Milo was Arwen's playmate, enduring her clumsy pats and silly commands and waiting patiently each meal time for her to figure out how to open up the food container.  He loved us as much as we loved him and will be sorely missed.

'Tis the Season

Ahhh... Finally a morning with no alarms, appointments, or expectations.  It's 11 am, and Arwen and I are still in our pajamas.  We've enjoyed some quality quiet time this morning sipping coffee (decaf tea for her), painting nails, and watching Project Runway reruns.  The only thing on the agenda for today is a Tinkerbell birthday party later this afternoon.  She's now creating crowns for her otter out of hair clips while I take a moment to upload some pictures and update my blog.  We needed this.  The five year old's social/activity calendar, Christmas preparations, the photography biz, and life in general have made for a crazy couple of weeks.

We have such awesome friends that getting into the Christmas spirit this year has been unavoidable.  Train and trolley rides, gingerbread house making, cookie decorating, and informal Christmas gatherings.  We've done it all, and Christmas is still five days away.

Katie, Nash, Maddy, and Arwen had a great time on Ala Moana's Candy Cane Train.  More pictures from this adventure are on flickr.

The Gallaghers invited us to join them on Calvary By the Sea's coordinated trolley tour of the Honolulu City Lights.  We've always wanted to do this, but the trolley tours sell out so fast that, up until now, it's just never happened for us.  Thank you Gallagher family for a wonderful time!

More pictures from this excursion are available on flickr.  Click here.

We attended my friend Amie's Eine Kleine Keiki Christmas Music Concert at Calvary, which was lots of fun.  Especially when we ran into our old friends Blake and Hazel.

Yes.  There will be more pictures from this event on flickr soon, too.  As you can see, I am behind.

We assembled gingerbread houses with the Deise family and then followed that with cookie decorating at the Majors home with Gabe, Solomon, Mohamed, and Danya.

Arwen participated in a Secret Santa with a few of her Calvary friends, and our families all got together for a little barbeque in Hawaii Kai to celebrate Christmas before some departed on their holiday trips to the mainland.

And Arwen and Gabe enjoyed a fun day together last Friday with a matinee to see The Princess and the Frog - a fantastic old fashioned Disney movie that everyone needs to see.  Wonderful story, charming characters, and great music.  We followed this with another trip to Ala Moana to catch the Candy Cane Train.  Apparently once (a season) isn't enough.

There you have it.  Two weeks of the Christmas season have just blown right by.  Lots more pictures from all of these activities and events will be uploaded to flickr soon.

Christmas Trees & AGDs

We picked up our Christmas trees this Saturday.  I just love the smell of fresh pine trees - the scent of Christmas.

Arwen's all ready to pick out her trees.

A beautiful big noble fir to donate to Arwen's classroom.

Arwen carefully inspects this little douglas fir for home.

A wreath for Grandma.

We pre-purchase our trees each year through Arwen's school fundraiser, and the trees are sold by Habilitat, a non-profit supporting substance abuse treatment programs.  These guys have some of the most beautiful trees on the island, and their customer service is wonderful.  It makes the whole thing a winning experience.  We get a beautiful tree while helping support our daughter's school and another worthy non-profit.  Cool.

After our tree adventure, Rob and Arwen dropped me off at Waialae Country Club for the Alpha Gam's annual Christmas Brunch.  It was a nice time with a lovely group of women.

Solomon @ Starbucks

Tonight, I was looking through my pictures from this weekend and as I came to Friday's batch of Arwen and her friend Solomon getting silly at Starbucks, I was reminded that I had another set somewhere of these two hanging out at Starbucks this summer.  Both sets are so cute, I may have to create a series for a photo book.  Hmmm... Perhaps I've found a Christmas gift idea for next year.

Friday night fun at Kahala Mall:

Summer fun at Moanalua Shopping Center:

You can click here to see a slideshow of the full batch from both days.  Eventually, I'll have to add the rest of the pictures I've taken this year of our children at Starbucks.

Mr. and Mrs. for 14 years

Yesterday, Rob and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.  It's hard to believe so much time has passed.  I'll have to dig out some of our wedding photos to share.  Unfortunately, they were all taken before digital was the way to go, so I've got to get a new scanner first.

My day began with a dentist appointment.  What a way to celebrate a wedding anniversary, right?  It was the only spot they had available.  It was painless though - just a cleaning, and then I came out of the office to this:

Yea.  He's a keeper.

We enjoyed a mellow day together Christmas shopping at Target while Arwen was at school, which happens to be at the church where we were married - Calvary By the Sea Lutheran Church.

After picking Arwen up, we returned home to watch our Netflix arrival - Star Trek (2009.)  Oh my gosh I love this movie!  The cast, story, and special effects were wonderful.  I love the younger versions of our favorite Star Trek characters.  Simon Pegg as Scotty was hilarious.  Zachary Quinto was a fantastic young Spock.  While Rob and I are Star Trek fans, we are in no way Trekkies, but you don't have to be to enjoy this film.  You don't even have to be a fan of Sci-Fi.  It's just good.  We've had the dvd for three days, and we've watched it three times.  It's only going back to Netflix because we need to move along the queue.

Someone in this family is getting this dvd for Christmas because this, too, is a keeper.

After the movie, it was time for the highlight of the anniversary celebration - dinner at 3660 On the Rise.  After all of these years and of all the places we've dined out, this place remains my favorite restaurant.  Take a look at our feast, and you'll understand why.

First Course:

Their signature Ahi Katsu for him.

The signature Crab Cake for me.

Second Course:

Caesar Salad for him.

The Cream of Broccoli Soup topped with a little truffle oil and cheddar cheese for me.

Main Course:

The Applewood Smoked Bacon-Wrapped Beef Tenderloin for him.

The Grilled Mahi Mahi topped Pickled Red Onion Relish and a Orange and Ginger Cream Sauce for me.

And for Dessert!

The Banana Napolean for him.

The Symphony Trio which included mini servings of the Harlequin Creme Brulee, the Chocolate Souffle Cake, and the Cinnamon Bread Pudding for me!  Yum!

We don't always go for the full four course meal, but decided that we would for the special occasion.  Dinner was amazing and so was our day.

Stuffed and Shopping

It was just that kind of a weekend.  We did our usual nomadic holiday routine for Thanksgiving beginning with Rob's pick up from work at the pier to pick up our stuffing bread order from the Great Harvest Bread Co. Kailua to my mother's for lunch (the beef pho pictured above was fabulous) and then finally home to cook up our own Thanksgiving feast.  I made the turkey and all the sides and can hardly believe that the timing came out perfectly despite the late start because of lunch at Mom's.

Rob's mom made pumpkin crunch for dessert.  As much as we all looked forward to it, I think the majority of us were too full from dinner to fully enjoy it.  I will tell you that it tasted so much better for breakfast the next day with our morning coffee.

I retired from Black Friday Doorbuster sales two years ago.  I still scan the sales ads on Thanksgiving day, but unless something strikes me as a deal absolutely too good to miss, I've decided that a few extra hours of sleep is more valuable than anything I'd save in the bargain hunter frenzy. 

There was a time when Black Friday doorbusting was fun for me -- almost a sport!  I'd study the ads, make up my shopping list, create a plan for how we'd tackle each store, recruit some help to cover more territory, and come home with everything I set out to get.  My process never failed me.  We'd get there a few hours early with coffee in hand and build up a bit of a comradery with other early shoppers.  It was a tiring, but pleasant experience.  But now people are willing to give up their entire Thanksgiving celebration to camp out the whole day (sometimes even two or three days) for a chance at a cheap TV or a video game system.  Seriously? 

Perhaps there will come a day when I'll find the ad for that special something on sale for an amazing price - so good that I'd be willing to give up my entire holiday of quality time to be spent with family and friends in order to get a shot of purchasing one. For now, I'll just enjoy the extra zzz's.

We did still get up and out to the stores eventually on Friday, but it was at a very relaxed pace.  No problems with parking.  No massive crowds.  No insane lines.  We enjoyed a stop at Jamba Juice and took Arwen's annual picture by the Kahala Mall poinsettia tree.  Then we headed over to see Santa for the annual picture with her Santa - the same Santa she's been visiting since she was 9 months old.

We strolled the mall, browsed the shops, and picked up a few gifts along the way.  Then Arwen stumbled upon a Cinderella performance by the Hawaii Opera Theatre at Kahala Mall's Centerstage, and we were pretty much bound to that spot until the show was over.

Our next stop was Ala Moana Sears to find Arwen a Hello Kitty scooter that Rob came across in the ads.  We found it, but it took us about 30 minutes to work out what can only be described as a dance routine so that one of us could purchase and hide it, while the other entertained (distracted) her.  Boy was that hard work.

After ballet on Saturday, we took the girls to MAC 24-7 for lunch and quickly found ourselves back to being stuffed.  Man v. Food's Adam Richman couldn't finish an order of the Mac Daddy Pancakes, so I'm not sure why I thought I might.  Even with the help of Arwen, Staci, and Rob, we were defeated by three 14" inch pancakes covered in blueberries.  I had to take home my leftovers in a cakebox.  They were good though.

We decided to catch a movie next and saw Fantastic Mr. Fox.  We thoroughly enjoyed this animated film of the children's book by Roald Dahl.  The story, the characters, the filming, and the music were absolutely delightful offering loads of fun for both children and adults.  I'm tempted to go see it again in the theaters, and I'm certain we'll be taking this one home when it comes out on DVD.  Go see it!

Our Saturday was wrapped up with more shopping at Ala Moana, and then we had a full day of strolling and shopping at Pearlridge Shopping Center on Sunday.  I'm enjoying this fairly new (to me) approach to Christmas shopping.  The relaxed pace with lots of breaks for food and fun is quite nice.  All the joy of the season with a little less of the crazy.

A Feast with the 5-Year-Old

Arwen's school held their annual Thanksgiving Feast for lunch today.  The parents potluck all of the food and supplies.  The children make decorations, place mats, and centerpieces.  The staff take care of the set up.  We all gather to give thanks among our school friends and family.  It's wonderful. 

A November Week in Review

As I pulled into the carport tonight, I glanced down at the fuel gauge to find it was down to one bar.  Crap.  How long's it been that way, and more importantly, is there enough to get Arwen to school tomorrow morning?  Few things frustrate me more than beginning my day with a near empty tank of gas.  It's definitely an ingredient in the recipe for a bad day, but then I remembered that last Monday my day began exactly as it will for me tomorrow - with only one bar showing on the fuel gauge.  I had a good week last week.  Hoping this means that a good holiday weekend is to come.

My week in review:

After walking Kapi'olani Park with Cara and Larisa on Monday, we went to Nordstrom to check out their New Moon merchandise and to get a close up of the life-sized Edward cutout.  I was the dork willing to ask the sales girl to bring the cutout down from the shelf.  Larisa was the dork willing to pose with it.  Too funny.  They had some cute stuff - bracelets, makeup, etc...  I'm amazed we didn't buy a thing.

We followed the photo session with lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe.  I finally ordered their delicious herb-roasted chicken and the absolutely sinful Chocolate Turtle Cake.  We must come here more often.

Later that evening we met up at the Big City Diner in Kailua with the Majors family, Jayme, Solomon, and Jayme's mom, who was visiting from Missouri.  This became a full day of good food, friends, and fun!

I drove out to Mililani to walk with Larisa on Tuesday.  It's a long way to travel for a walk partner, but the company and change of scenery keep up my motivation to walk, so it's worth it.  Especially when you happen by the Mililani Starbucks to find the Christmas stuff is here!!!!!  I also discovered my new favorite drink - caramel brulee latte.

Arwen also finished her fall session of swim lessons in the Advanced Beginner 1 1/2 class.  The fish was delighted to get another medal for her collection.  The mom was relieved that we have a break from lessons until February.  One less stop for Mom's Taxi - for now.

Wednesday, I met Larisa in Kailua to walk the Lanikai Loop.  A great walk on a beautiful day.  We were even greeted by a friendly little kitty.

On Thursday, Larisa and I enjoyed a Twilight double feature.  While 1000s of Twilight freaks lined up outside to wait hours for the midnight showing of New Moon, Larisa and I sat in the comfort of an air-conditioned theater watching the re-release of Twilight.  We were pleased to learn that we'd be able to stay in the theater for the New Moon show and keep our prime seats.  Score!  With no parking issues, no lines, no waiting, and a wonderful goody bag from Larisa, I was feeling like a celebrity.

The movies weren't all that bad either.  This was the third time I'd seen Twilight, but the first time in a theater.  Hated the movie the first time I saw it on DVD right after finishing the book, but it's been growing on me.  Seeing it on the big screen and putting some distance between finishing the book and watching the movie helped.  After this experience, I can almost admit I kind of like the movie now - still a bigger fan of the books though.  New Moon was definitely better than the first film, but Edward still looks as if he lost a battle with a tub of glitter glue.  It's okay.  He's beautiful, and I had fun.

On Friday, we met up with Malia and the Majors family for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen in Pearlridge Shopping Center.  Malia had just returned from visiting her twin in Kalama, WA and wanted to deliver some treats to us!  I was so glad to be able to restock my Bath & Body Works supply.  It was also great to just hang out with some friends and revisit an old favorite on the CPK menu - Garlic Cream Fettuccine with Shrimp and Sauteed Mushrooms.  

The week finished up with Arwen attending Maddy's 4th birthday party at 808Bounce in Windward Mall.  The kids had a blast and, after the party, went down to visit Santa and check out the "snow" falling by the Christmas tree.

Sadly, I overbooked myself for Saturday and ended up missing the Feast of Roses luncheon with my Alpha Gam sisters.  We ran so late from the party, and I was completely wiped out.  Wonder why.

A Baby Shower for Katie

I had the pleasure of spending time with some Alpha Gam sisters yesterday, as we celebrated the upcoming birth of Katie's first child due in January.  The theme was an Alpha Gammy combination of pastel pinks, yellows, and greens since Katie and Ben have chosen to keep the sex of the baby a surprise and the majority of the guest list was made up of Alpha Gamma Deltas. 

Larisa was kind enough to host at her house and served up some of her facebook famous cupcakes.  Mary Lou made some adorable favors that tied in "Baby B"'s Mickey & Minnie nursery theme and the shower colors. 

Katie received some beautiful, as well as very useful gifts - lots of washcloths.  We also enjoyed delicious pupus, fun games, and each others great company.  It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

The full set of pics are available on flickr.

A Wet Day in Wahiawa

Arwen and I went out to Wahiawa to watch our friend Gabe walk with his Tiger Cub Scout pack in the Wahiawa Lions Club Veterans Day Parade today.  After the downpour last night and weather forecast for the rest of the week, we were a little unsure of what this adventure would bring, but we woke to sunny skies and decided it was going to be a beautiful day for a parade. 


Apparently the clearing was Mother Nature's teaser for the day because just as the parade began so did the rain.  Thankfully, a couple of nice women standing nearby offered us some cover under their big umbrella, which Arwen gladly accepted.  I opted to keep watching out for Gabe and taking pictures, which left me soaked by the end of the event.  

However, it was all well worth it, as the Wahiawa Lions Club organized an enjoyable celebration of our veterans, and we loved seeing Gabe march down California Avenue in his handsome little uniform.