March 2, 2012

Work in Progress

Meh...this is what I get for logging on at bedtime--an ugly blog.  (And ugly frown lines, from glowering at an ugly blog.)  

Sorry. 

Come back in a few days; things may look better.  (I'm not making any promises, though.)  Before you leave, check out the Recaidos, over the years:

First, there was *me.*  And only *me.*  The whole world revolved around *me.* 
As you can imagine, this was a very dark and lonely period in my life;
having teddy bears with perpetually surprised looks on their faces
as your best friends ain't all it's cracked up to be.

I had to wait five years for this girl to show up. 
She then proceeded to show me up in, um, everything:
cuteness, intelligence, ambition, drive.
Love you, sis.

Along came Joshy the Wonder Boy, next great leader of the free world.
Keala looks less than thrilled; was it her newly-acquired sibling rivalry,
or the matching purple sailor dresses?

Oh, look--Kale showed up, and he's making denim overalls and an aloha shirt look good! 
This was only the beginning of a lifetime of being better than everybody
at everything; I think Josh was still trying to come to terms with that, at this point.


Apparently, it took us a few years to decide if we actually wanted a
family picture with Noah in it; I'm glad we decided to go ahead with it. :)
His arrival on this earth 15 years after my own spaceship landed was a welcome
surprise; he has kept us grounded through many experiences,
carrying a joy as infectious as his hilarious little girl giggles very deep, manly laugh.
Love you, baby brother! :D


::Made thankful again to have ended up in this bunch::


Remember to smile--it's Aloha Friday!

February 28, 2012

Bye, Bye, Bruddah

Here are some pics from Kale's last evening in Washington. 

As always, please accept apologies for my mediocre photography skills; unlike some overachievers I'm related to, I do not possess photographic genius that I keep well hidden.  Nuh-uh--I'm full of incompetence, and I let it all hang out. 

Now, on with the show:


The REAL reason everyone shows up to our parties.  Just joking. :D
This looks like Round 2 for the speedier eaters amongst us...
Kale has trained his friends well; note the quick drop of the shaka
when the cameras come out.  Chee! :D

Mr. & Mrs. Picha.



The teenagers....
The girls....
Wow...I just realized how closely they like to sit together.

Jamie, signing the banners the girls made for Uncle. 
I wonder what's going on with the phone.... :)

Kiana's perspective--generally, much more interesting than mine (and I'm
not just talking photography here...)

Group shot.  I had to laugh at this one; it looks like Mark is having a
hard time getting his shaka to work....

Ah--there it is! :-9
 
Mana and Noah wanted a shot of everyone Tebow-ing, but, hmm...yeah, it
didn't work out so well.  Still, a funny pic. :D

Time for us to go home: "Hurry up and take the picture before I start crying."

Still holding it together....
And he's done.
 
Love my family.

Miss you, Kale.


Thankful...

...to be part of such a loving family.

...for the examples of faith and willingness with which I'm surrounded.

(I'm also thankful that there are no pictures of me on this night; I take "the ugly cry" to a whole new level, and, trust me--nobody needs that memorialized.)

 

Now I have to go console a few little girls who were reminded again of how much they miss their uncles.  Which reminds them of how they constantly miss their cousins.  Thanks, Kale.  And you started this round, Josh, so a great big fat thanks to you, too. ;-9  Noah, come eat. (Bring Dad and Mana, too.) ;-9

Happy Tuesday!

February 25, 2012

The Post with Lots of "Quotation" Marks

This is another "small stuff" post.  I missed opportunities to write about a few "big" things; they seem kind of "old-newsish" now, despite the impact they continue to have on our little family.  I thought I'd wait for the next big thing before posting again, but I think this really is a "little moments" kind of a blog, and those moments are happening as I write, so let's begin:

Kale's Gone:

Not to be dramatic or anything, but...Kale has abandoned this Pacific northwest ship, in favor of a canoe.  (That's my very indirect, don't-really-want-to-think-about-it kind of way of saying Kale has returned home to the Big Island.)  He, too, is a half-and-half boy: love Hawaii, love Washington, happy to be here, while wishing to be there, yada yada.  But, as most grown-ups know, he needs to go where the work is, and right now, the work is in a warm and sunny tropical paradise, near 2 of 5 of the most precious girls in the world (love you, Cali and Benz <3). I can hardly hold it against him, eh? ;-D


Mission: Accomplished:

Kohala wrapped up its very first tour of the Pacific Northwest last week; thanks so much to all who came out to see them!  "Dad" has finally arrived, and we are glad to help him settle in as he revels in the post-tour afterglow. :)  The band was thrilled with both the turnout and response, which went far beyond expectation (thanks to all, again and again! :D).   They have already secured performance dates for June, with more to be added soon; I'll keep ya posted. ;-) 

(For some great pictures of the Bainbridge concert, take a look at Bethany's post.)


Goodnight, Moon:

On our way home tonight, we spotted the moon: a tiny sliver, hanging low in the sky, surrounded by glittering stars.  It seems that we go months around here without seeing stars, and I had to wonder: is it because we always have a good little cloud-cover, or is it because I just forget to look up and enjoy?  A little bit of both, I think.  My thoughts turned toward one of our recent trips home, and driving up the mountain to watch the moon rise on Mauna Kea; just the memory of it still takes my breath away.  Brandon shared at Olympia this past year about how God didn't just make this earth habitable for us, but he went so far as to make it beautiful, a place we could enjoy; it is so true, and I don't appreciate this enough.  It was amazing, being up on that mountain in the cool, crisp air (cold enough that Malia thought we'd been magically transported back to Washington! :D), the moon looking close enough to reach out and touch, and getting a very clear picture of the tinyness of humanity.  We have so much to be thankful for. 

20 Years:

Today marks either the passing of or funeral day of my grandmother 20 years ago; I'm embarrassed that I don't remember exactly. I also can't believe it's been 20 years. I'm grateful for time spent and memories made with her, and love seeing the best of her live on in my dad and his siblings. Love you, Grandma.

(Here's a funny little aside:  While trying to figure out how long it's been since Grandma's passing, I discovered I'm actually a year older than I keep claiming to be.  Simple math, DoRe'--simple math. :D)


Wow...that took up more brain power than it should have; can I blame it on the fact that it's bedtime?  I was hoping if I dragged out the writing, my computer would start cooperating and let me upload some pics, but no dice.  Oh, well.  Time to ho'i i ka hiamoe. :)  Good night!

{ Happy Saturday! }




February 20, 2012

Weekend Update

Another great weekend. :)  

We headed down to Portland on Friday:  Daddy and girls, to explore the city; I, to hang with my homies, my "ONWGs (Original NorthWest Girls, duh ;-D),"  my "peeps" from my early days here in Washington. 

(Let me know if I'm trying too hard.... ;-9) 

Truly, though, these girls were the first friends I made after moving here: they embraced me in all my shy, ignorant, timid 18-year-oldness, and have never let go; for this, I am thankful. 

Just chillaxin' on Friday night. 

The party spread on Saturday.
Liev got to be man of the house for the weekend.  (I know it's blurry, but I
just couldn't resist posting this.)

This is what he looks like with clothes on. :-D  CUTE.
The Rallier-of-the-Troops, Party Planner Extraordinaire, and Mommy of Liev.
To her right, Homemaker Extraordinaire, in the only pic I have of her
on this day; she was always working diligently behind the scenes, making sure
things were running smoothly.  A quiet reminder to me of having the
heart of a servant.
Mama of the Mama. :)

Big sister, proud sister.
Mylene's oldest. :)
Mylene's youngest. :)
She has always been stunning...
Glow on wit' yo' bad self, girl..... :)
The "We *Heart* iPhones" club.
Duty calls.  I mean, husbands.  Yeah... husbands. :)

Sisters....

More sisters, on Sunday morning. :)


Kiana calls these "texture shots."  (What do *I* know?)

Yum...

After meeting on Sunday.
(Why, yes, I am standing on a step; why do you ask?) :D

I wish we had pictures of dinner with Aunty Karen and Koral on Sunday night, but I forgot the camera at the hotel. :(

I'll close with a couple pics from Valentine's Day:

The Valentines the girls made for each of their classes. 
I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to cut out 120 tiny little paper leaves.

Pretty in pink... :)
It's good to be home. 

Now in the throes of putting a goodbye dinner together; thanks, Kale. :-S

Happy Monday!

February 10, 2012

It's Friday, folks--otherwise known as the start of the musician's work week.  :)  Not surprisingly, my brain is operating in a slightly different mode this week, as we watch/help Dad prepare for the start of this mini-tour; he's excited, and so are we. :)  Kohala's kicking off with their first show tonight in Seattle, and then back to this side of the water tomorrow night, on Bainbridge Island.  Let's look at this one more time; apparently, I'm too lazy to type up details:


Looking forward to seeing many of you, and tickets are still available for the rest of you feet-draggers. ;-D  Click on the link in my sidebar to your right.  For those of you in the Portland and Eugene areas, Kohala will be coming to you; you can click here  for a full list of this tour's performances. 
 
For tonight, though, all bets are off; I have cleared the calendar, and we are going to sit around and do nothing.  (But how does "doing nothing" translate into an early evening playdate and trip to the mall for Youngest Daughter; a long-overdue Daddy/Daughter date for Middle Daughter; and Oldest Daughter hanging out at the uncles' house, doing cool tween-agerish things?  Odd....)

I think this will be all for now; it feels like there's been much to write about, but for some reason, I'm at a loss.  Kinda anxious to start doing nothing, I think. ;-)  Enjoy your evening, and remember to smile:
It's Aloha Friday!