Thirty!

May 18, 1980 - Mt. St. Helens Erupts:
"Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. In a few moments this slab of rock and ice slammed into Spirit Lake, crossed a ridge 1,300 feet high, and roared 14 miles down the Toutle River.


The avalanche rapidly released pressurized gases within the volcano. A tremendous lateral explosion ripped through the avalanche and developed into a turbulent, stone-filled wind that swept over ridges and toppled trees. Nearly 150 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead and standing.

At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. Wet, cement-like slurries of rock and mud scoured all sides of the volcano. Searing flows of pumice poured from the crater. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments."

And exactly one year later my beautiful husband, Terry William, 'erupted' (oh geez, this is borderline, even for me) in to this world, born to Terry Eugene and Mona Sue.  Not quite as memorable for some, but nevertheless, a day for which I am eternally grateful.  ;-D

Terry Eugene and Mona Sue [Terry's parents]

He is my Husband, the father of my children, United States Marine, my lover and friend.  He served his country because he loves freedom, he raises a child whom not biologically related because he loves her more than life, and continues to support and love me despite, well...me.

Marine.

Saying good-bye as he left for Iraq.

Thank you sweetness, for loving and supporting our family, for being my partner in crime, and for laughing with me through it all.  Here's to always. 

Happy 30th Birthday! <3 <3 <3

Moving on, and up...literally.

Don't let his good looks fool you, he's smart too.  ;-D  My favorite middle brother graduated from nursing school last weekend, and here we are, celebrating 3 years of hard work, dedication, procrastination, a near drop-out, luck, and in the end, success.

I'm not going to embarrass him with all the fun childhood memories about the boy who let his sisters put him in a mu'umu'u on occasion, or the boy who teased a sister worker about how she pronounced his name and wouldn't quit until he got spanked.  [There seems to be an argument about exactly which boy obliged on the first matter anyways, so we'll let that one be.]  I would rather highlight his awesomeness - like the fact he was class president, an honor student, homecoming king, and can play pretty much any sport like it's no sweat [although I will note that I have watched him play volleyball maybe once - for some reason he doesn't like for us to watch, another testament to his humility].  And how he spent a whole year and a half as Kawena's 'Manny' while we were living in Washington, caring for her better than I expected, honestly.  Or how he undertook the immense task of nursing school with style and grace, pushing through obstacles and making it happen.  Yes, Kale!  YOU did it!
 

I'll end with this little gem:
We are in Target, I am pushing Kawena along in the wagon, and she accidentally spills an icee down her shirt.  She's panicked - crying, and has her arms extended to me.  I struggle down the aisle, one hand keeping her pinned in the wagon and the other steering rapidly toward the paper towels.  Kale stops me and picks her right up, obviously not concerned (as if it mattered) with the icee mess he consequently has all over his shirt.  As her cries soften in to whimpers and she settles her head into his shoulder, finally comforted, the thought occurs to me: "Ok, that's what I was supposed to do."

Go get 'em Kale.  The world (and patients) a'waiting.  I love you!

To you, Calista-Rae Makanalani Joanna and Edyn Kawena'okalani.

I've made a lot of mistakes as a Mom, sometimes more than I'd like to admit. But I will always be there for you - to hear you, to cheer for you, to laugh or cry with you, to protect you with my life.  No one (but God) will ever love you more than I do, because I am your Mom.  I will love you for eternity.

Mothers Day 2011

 

Home is where your Mother is.

One of the things I realize now that I am a "grown-up", is that my Mom is the smartest and most amazing person on the planet.  

 

1.  My Mom was thrifty, she was 'green' before 'green' was cool - case and point:  

-Old ketchup bottles became new water bottles.

-Old paper bags were new text book covers.

-We washed and re-used all disposable paper goods.

-This list could go on and on...but I'll spare myself the embarrassment.

2.  My Mom was honest, and realistic:

-"Silence is agreement."

-"If you need an answer NOW and I'm not ready to give you one, it's automatically NO."  (unfortunately we weren't creative enough to re-phrase our question from "Mom, can I sleep over at my friends house? TO "Mom, can I NOT sleep over at my friends house?"

-"If you really want to fight, come over here and duke it out.  The rest of us will watch."  Note:  that was generally a scary enough prospect to call immediate truce.

-"You're wearing THAT out?  Please, child.  At least take a jacket." :-D

3.  She knows just how to respond:

Noah:  MOM, I HATE YOU!

Mom:  I hate you too, Noah.

[Stunned silence and reflection ensues.]

...but knows just how to listen:

Me:  Mom, I'm pregnant.  What do I do?

Mom:  Love that baby.  What else would you do?

4.  She spent time teaching us the things that matter MOST in life:

-Walking in to her room, kneeled in prayer, is one of the most comforting memories of my childhood.  

-Meeting was never an option.

-And yes, bible studies every morning, even during [*gasp] summer!

So you know, in my ripe age of 28 and a mother of 2 sweet thangs, while most dread the thought -  I think of "turning in to my Mother" and swell with pride to imagine one day living up to all the greatness she IS.

I love you Mama.  For all you are, and all you will be.

Mama on Prom Day.

Thunder, Lightning, and In Between

Oh yeah, did I mention we did a 5K?  SO fun!

My fellow runnin' Mama's.

And we went to go watch Calista's favorite band [Kolohe Kai] perform in concert.  (That's my local girl!)

She's my sweetheart.

Love this dude.

Dad's 57th Birthday - family photo op.

Sweetie pie.

Terry's U-16 state champions.

Leap of faith.

Will take the opportunity to shirk my responsibilities ;) in light of the impending storm, to update my blog and hopefully hit the 'publish post' button before the power goes out [x fingers crossed x].  ;P

Found myself struggling through a proper explanation about news of Osama Bin Laden's death to my almost-12 and almost-7 year old - which began with the question: "So Mom, this man is dead.  Is that a good thing?"  My bottom line?  Trust God, he looks after everything.

Humble pie, 'a la mode... ;-)

I went to O'ahu for an interview with Hawaiian Airlines [as a Flight Attendant] on Monday; 3 weeks of nerves awaiting the fateful day meant a lot of carb over-indulgence on my part...which admittedly, does not make one feel better, only worse.  ;-9  Fast forward to today, which finds me at home on the Big Island coming down from that major adrenaline high and reflecting on 'what just happened?'  Dare I say, I was convinced and borderline cocky:  I had this one IN the bag.  So, interview day comes and even though our group interviewer tells us they received 6000 applications in all, I'm still convinced I'm SO great they'll see me, love me, hire me, and *POOF* I'm Hawaiian Airlines newest F.A.  Imagine my surprise, when even being so presumptuous to change my flight home for an "unknown date", I receive the "thanks, but NO thanks" e-mail.  So sets in the shock: "wha..?!  How could they NOT love me?  How could they NOT invite me back for the second & third interviews I was so convinced were mine?"  And then, the reasons about why this is just as it should be come FLOODING in:  #1 Being away from my kids for days a time, no thank you.  #2 Being away from my Husband for days at a time, no thank you.  #3 Dealing with ignorant people all the time, NO thank YOU!  #4 Missing meeting occasionally, NO, and  #5 This list could go on and on.  Don't get me wrong - the benefits would have been great, but would the rest have been worth it?  So, when I have any doubt in my mind that things worked out JUST the way they should, I remember this night a couple weeks ago:  while sitting in Jade Palace restaurant eating a 'celebatory' dinner with my family, we discuss the +'s and -'s to my being a Flight Attendant, and I sum it up simply, "I'll be gone ALL the time!"  The family sits quietly for a second to ponder the statement, and as it sets in, I look up at Kawena, who is sitting directly across me at the table, with her head bowed and tears streaming silently down her face.  And I realize, yes, some things are meant to be, and home caring for my family is ALL for me.

<3 and hugs,
Mrs. C

I have always done things backwards...

...you know what I'm talking 'bout, and I'll spare the details.  ;-P


Nike Free 5.0

 I started running a couple years ago, realizing the risk I took in either loving or hating the prospect.  I was quite surprised to find myself getting lost in the miles - pounding the pavement as it stretched further behind me, sweat dripping down my face, thighs burning, and "thinking away" the occasional cramp.  After gearing up with basic necessities:  a proper pair of running shoes (my current Nike Free 5.0's in black, which I chose since they mimic barefoot movement - the bottoms are separated more like a tire than a plank), a few Under Armour shirts for the COLD weather ;-P, MUSIC on the iPod, and determination in my heart, I relied on positive thinking and hit the ground running, literally.  I have always wanted to race - 5K, 10K, half marathon, and eventually a full marathon.  With the first two races worn in the soles of my running shoes (did a 10K last month and a 5K this past Friday), I have fallen in love.  Yes, part of it is my nature of loving with ALL or NOTHING - admittedly, moderation has never been one of my strengths.  ;-P

Now on to other, more interesting things.  My brother Kale is in his last semester of Nursing School, diligently cramming his brain with absolutely everything he's learned the past three years.  For him this means little sleep during the week, a little more sleep on the weekends, and school work up to his elbows 24/7.  SO proud of him - and we ALL know he's going to make it, don't we folks?

Dad has moved back to Campbell Hale - plans are to split the year between here with us, and Washington to be with my 'ohana there.  Naturally, he has chosen the Summer to be there, the Winter here.  What's the Hawaiian word for snowbird? 

On another note, for those who don't already know, he finally released his first solo album - a project that has been a lifetime in the making.  "Life Among The Hills" is the title track, which happens to be a song he wrote in my honor.  The track "Too Bright Eyes" was written for my sister DoRe', and there are two songs my girls are featured on - "Little Ones" and "Papa's Heart Sings". I feel so fortunate to have this to pass on to our future generations.

I'll wrap it up here - see you again soon.

Love,

Mrs. C