Washington Lovin'

Just a quick note:

After a 4.5 hour delay in SFO, we made it safely to SEA around 3am.  Kale and DoRe' were at the airport to pick us up, and we made it to Silverdale as the sun was rising.  The sun coming up made it a little difficult to get to sleep, but the tossing and turning quickly gave way to the utter exhaustion from traveling all day.

Flight from KOA to SFO, excited!  Not knowing a 4.5 hour delay awaited us...  :)

We are settling in nicely, and making more than full use of our temporary membership to the brand new Silverdale YMCA (complete with the most splendid indoor pool, slide, lazy river, child watch, adventure zone, and teen hang out room) - realizing I wouldn't mind if our vacation is spent primarily there.  Do they have Y vacations?  If so, we'd be the pioneers.  Funny last night when the two older girls (Kiana and Calista) had plans to spend teen night at the Y [which spells F-R-E-E-D-O-M for these 2] and came home deflated since the activity doesn't start until June 18.  Um no, you may NOT be concerned with Saturday night plans at this age!  ;-D  Goodness help us in 5 years, as Uncle Dan reminds me they will not be allowed out, period.

Anyways, just wanted to say HI!

Love,

Mrs. C

Oh, the sweetness of summer days.

It's June 1st!  Wow.  Seriously, time is flying.

Survival mode for the next week while we prep for our upcoming trip to WA [first mainland trip in almost 2 years, so we are, how would you say...?...oh yes - EXCITED beyond belief].  I unsuccessfully started packing a few times, before deciding what I need to do is try on EVERY item in my closet and sort it out before I could possibly consider putting anything in a suitcase.  Who on earth makes packing so complicated?  Yes, that would be moi, raising my hand.

Not even to mention that the house must be absolutely spotless [like eating off the floor sanitary] before we go.  Fridge emptied, storage organized, windows washed, cars washed, lawn mowed, bills paid, mail sorted...the list goes on and on.  Confession:  Sometimes I think I go on vacation just so that I can catch up on all the things I should be doing in the first place.  Teehee, sort of.

Anyways, Kawena's social calender has been quite full since, let's see...the Sunday after school got out, so we've (she's) been enjoying her play dates and sleepovers to the max.  How is it I spend much more time concerned with my children's social lives than my own?  Calista has been sleeping to her hearts content through it all, awakes when it gets too hot to be in bed anymore [Mom, is it time for lunch already!?], and stumbles around the house for the rest of the day.  OH, my sweet almost adolescent. 

So needless to say, we are enjoying the fruits of Summer (although forecast calls for thunderstorms and SNOW on Mauna Kea today, so somebody didn't get the "hello! it's summer" memo) and really looking forward to our time with 'ohana and friends in the 'Mainland'.  Hopefully I'll have time for another post before we go, but if not - see you later!  XOXO

Calista up at Kahua Ranch for a 2 1/2 hour tour on horseback.

Memorial Day 2011 - West Hawai'i Veterans Cemetery

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.