Throwback Thursday...

March 1967

Doheny State Beach (before the harbor was completed)

first date with my very best friend and life partner...

my  Terry

even today he has the very same classy style he did so long ago.

he still had that same board, a Wardy, until we moved here.

Geoff had used it in vintage board contest.

I remember it was a little overcast.  We met two of his friends there and one of them

took this photo (finally developing it months later...Nov 1967)

Terry had a red, 1956 Porsche coup with surf racks (wish we still had THAT).

Years and years later, I would find those same blue/black Op trunks in the bus!

This first date was 

not long after asking me that faithful question while doing a surf check at

Newport Pier, "has it been like this all day?"

3 months later we were married.

A Beloved Living Treasure...

Treasure...

noun: a person who is greatly loved 

                                                  verb:to hold or keep as precious :  cherish

On Saturday I attended, with my hula sisters, and other guests,

the presenting of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai'i "Livng Treasures"

honor.  This year there were six honorees one of them being my beloved

kumu hula, Ms. Alama.

I loved the theme of the program.  

"Like a tree, these honorees

have sent roots deep into the community".

Ms. Alama was as beautiful and gracious as always.

there was a short video highlighting the accomplishments and

contributions of each honoree.

Ms. Alama has touched so many over the years with her hula.

During dinner Ms. Alama walked around to every table and posed for photos 

and thanked all of us for being there.

after the festivities ended, she had a few minutes to sit and rest with her

daughter, Pua.

(not the best picture, I know, but so much going on)

it wouldn't be a blog post for me without showing the table and food.

I'm usually the one taking pictures, so I'm thankful that I actually have one of me with her.

Yes, she truly is a treasure in so many ways.

President's Day...

 I remember when February was not only the shortest month (still is),

the month that was for Valentine's Day (still is) and two school

holidays (not anymore).

We always had George Washington's birthday off, February 12th

and then later in the month had Abraham Lincoln's birthday, February 22nd,

off.  Not anymore thanks to something called "the uniform holiday act".

President's Day is now a three or four day weekend that's 

full of sales, travel and a reason to sleep in.  

Not even a mention of the father of our country or one of the greatest

presidents this country has ever had.  I saw cartoon sketches of their

faces advertising a sale on cars not even cherry pie!

I'm afraid that the memory of these two great men will go 

away, like the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance has in 

most public schools.  

Parenthood...

Whenever hubby is gone for an extended time, I don't watch regular tv.

I will watch shows on my computer or streaming using Apple TV. I know that I'm spoiled because I get used to watching without any commercials (48 minutes goes fast instead of 60 with all those commercials).

That's how I got hooked on British television.

I've watched the whole 10 seasons of "Friends" (forgot what a really

great show that was).  

I'd read recently about a series ending, Parenthood.  A lot of people

were really sad that it was ending.  So I thought I'd give it a try.

It's interesting because one of the siblings has a child with Asperger Syndrome.

I've just started the first season, and I'm hooked.

Martin Luther King, Jr....

last week we talked a lot about Dr. King and what he stood for.

One of the kids actually said that they thought he was so important because

of all the things he did for other people.

What we can do for others is one of life's greatest gifts.

It's the small and simple things that mean the most.

Thank you Dr. King for all the things that you taught us...

Again?

while we were gone the topic of more windmills on the North Shore has

come up again.  Currently there are 2 wind farms out here, Kahuku and Haleiwa.

I understand the need for alternate forms of energy, but for something that

doesn't even serve the areas that it affects seems a little outrageous .

The Kahuku farm was closed for a very long time due to a fire.  

The Haleiwa farm is the biggest eyesore that has been put up.

Neither one of these actually generate electricity for the North Shore, yet

we're the ones that are impacted the greatest.  

It's pretty windy on Diamond Head, so why not put them there?

Exactly...

Out of Commission ...

I was trying to be a good grammy, and  

put "Minecraft" on my laptop for the boys

to play while they are here at the MH...

I know Mac's aren't supposed to get a virus, but mine got a type of one

on Safari.  Talk about panic...YIKES!

Luckily I found a place here in San Clemente that works on Mac's

and my beloved computer is good as new!

At home I have an external hard drive that automatically backs up my

computer weekly, but I haven't been able to here.  

It's actually was a problem with the program for the Mac version.  Traci had

the same thing happen, but since her computer was brand new, she took it

to the Apple store and had it fixed.  

So now I'm back in business and ready to blog all my holiday stories.

Thankful Thursday...

this has been a difficult year for her.

I'm thankful for the woman, mother, sister, friend and daughter that she is.

We know that she'll be fine.  She's already happier than she has been in a very long time.

for this and her, we're thankful.

A Vice

My friend Sara got this cute bag for her birthday...

we decided that we needed a t-shirt with this 

printed on it.

Sara's like me, a true appreciation of Diet Coke and

everything that goes into making the perfect cup.

1.  The right ice, not big cubes.  Sonic ice is the best but we don't

have them here. Crunchy is the best

2.  The right mix of carbonation, you can tell by the first sip

3.  The right cup.  Like Sara says, we know that the styrofoam cups

are bad for the environment, but they really do keep things cold the longest.

4.  Fountain is preferred over cans/bottles

5.  lemon slice (like at In-N-Out)

Our little market up the street, Paalakai Market, pretty much has

the best Diet Coke going.  

Right mix, pretty good ice, styrofoam cups and on $1.50 for a 32oz...

the best part is that you get a discount on refills if you bring in

your same cup!

I don't really have any vices, but Diet Coke.

When I was sick, my taste buds were affected and Diet Coke tasted different

but it took about a week for my true appreciation to return.

Hubby only laughs when I tell him "I love you more than Diet Coke"

Aloha My Sweet Elsie...

Last night family and friends said aloha to my dear, sweet Elsie.

94 years young and still dancing hula!

She was taken from us suddenly but I know she was ready.

Elsie loved a good party,

fretted about not remembering her hula,

worried that when we'd take her home, we'd get lost in Manoa

she loved Burger King and lunch after hula

we celebrated her birthday at a really nice restaurant this year

and just loved being with her

she still climbed those darn 31 stairs every week to dance her beloved hula...

we will miss her cool hands, warm heart and her sweet spirit...

I visited her the day before she left us and I know that she could hear me when I told

her how much we loved her and would miss her...

aloha oe my sweet Elsie

Influenza...

the night of my last post (almost a month ago), I

got sick...

with everything in this cartoon.

It hit me that night and I laid in bed for 9 days suffering with it.

At the mid point, I drove myself to the ER early in the am, because

I was sure I had pneumonia (which I've had before).

I came away with a diagnosis...influenza.

They did ask me if I'd traveled outside the country (ebola?).

I was put on a strong antibiotic to prevent pneumonia, since I

was a prime candidate.  It was a case of the cure almost being worse

than the disease...nausea, etc.

I had a trip planned for the mainland and needed to get well.

I was finally released on the monday before and so while I've been here

I've tried to take it easy since apparently a relapse can happen.

Since hubby was gone for those 9 days, Arlette stopped by every morning to check on

me.  My dear neighbors brought diet coke (I couldn't drink it) and pho.

Ive always gotten a flu shot just to avoid this, but hadn't gotten it yet.

Both the hospital and dr told me it was early in the flu season to have such 

a bad case, but they'd been seeing some.

So I think I'm actually back to the living after this trip to SC and

the milder temps and cooler ocean breezes that have been 

gone at home.

Potholes...

I saw this on a car the other day and had to laugh...

I even asked the guy where he got it (on line)

Hubby tries to avoid them at all cost in the Audi,

so much so I told him once that people might think he was drunk.

Needless to say, they're really, really bad here.

On the freeway, I know what lanes to try and avoid the potholes (not always lucky).

Sometimes it seems like they get them fixed and before long they're back again.

Four!...

Miss Emerson Elle

turned 4!

this little lady is so sassy and sweet can't help but love her

to bits.

She's surprised her parents with suddenly becoming a really big girl.

She'll start 3-day-a-week pre-school next week.

As poppa says, "she'll talk their ear off!"

We love you to bits Miss Emme~

Never Forget...

I can still remember that horrible morning like it was yesterday ...

the first images, calling both kids, Terry and I watching in horror,

going to school, trying to hold back tears in front of the kids, being glued to the 

television for what seemed like days as it all unfolded and

finally promising that we'd never forget and make sure that generations

to come would know what happened to so many innocent, brave people.

9~11~2001

we will never forget...

Chatbooks, Moments In Time...

a couple of weeks ago Bri posted about these little gems...

Chatbooks

I'd never heard of them before, but figured that for $6.00/book it was

worth it.

They arrived today and I must say I love them.

They are all the photos I've had on Instagram since I started using IG.

What's super cool is that the company, Chatbooks, puts them into

volumes of 60 photos each.

they put the date, place and any hashtags/comments that you made

along with the photo.

they're the perfect size for stacking and just having them sitting out.

We've looked through several times already.

A perfect record of those precious "moments in time"

I'll See You Soon...

the last two trips I made to California I visited with a long time friend, Shan.

Shan has been battling breast cancer for 10 years.

A few months ago she was told that there wasn't anymore that could be done.

As I read her FB post, I was so sad...what a waste of a truly good lady.

In March, Shan told me that she had some things she really wanted to do...

attend the Brigham Young Granddaughters luncheon that she did every year

and see her oldest son married.

When I went to see her in June, she again told me about wanting to go to SLC

for Scott's wedding.

I stopped by and saw her a couple of weekends ago.  My darn back had kept me

down long enough.  I knew that her sweet husband Ron was now home full time.

I sat with her for an hour while we talked about our kids, the wedding and

the upcoming reception the next weekend.

We laughed about our trips to Hawaii when the kids were young

and just about so many things.  I could tell that she was getting tired.

I got up and bent to kiss her, I really didn't want to say good-bye...

so I just said "I'll see you soon" and told her how much I loved her.

The following Saturday, instead of a wedding reception we were attending 

her memorial service.

It was sad, but also a time for remembering this really special, sweet spirit.

(thanks Kitty Bingham for remembering to take a photo and for letting me use them)

A few months earlier, I'd been asked to write a letter to Shan and include 

any photos I had for a book the RS sisters were putting together.

I found some from this trip.  Maybe 30 years ago.

We had such a good time.

It was a wonderful service honoring Shan and her grace.

It was a joyous time knowing that she wasn't suffering any longer and was out of pain.

It was a time to see old friends and reminisce about our old Capo Ward and all the years that

had passed.

Shan, until we meet again...

A Literal Pain In The...

for the last four days I've been suffering with sciatica.

I had it once before and it's a real pain.  

It felt ok when I went swimming but afterwards didn't think I was going to

be able to get home.

I've been icing it and doing some leg stretches I saw on you tube, hope they help.

I couldn't even sit in the chair to use my lap top.  Arrrrgh!

I've decided I'm getting better.  I'm done with it. 

Yup that's what I've decided.

24...

we were talking to our friend Steve about summer tv watching and he 

asked if we were watching "24-Live Another Day".  We hadn't heard of

it and since Steve has given us some really good tips (Black List) we thought

we'd watch it.

Just watching once and we were hooked.

except for an hour of news, we've only been watching "24".

After watching one episode of "Live Another Day", we went back and got caught up on that.

then I found all the seasons on Amazon Prime.  We watch it through Apple Tv on the

big screen or at the MH on the smart TV.

So we don't have any commercials and can watch the whole thing in 48 minutes. so we

watch about 3 episodes a night and really can't wait for the next one.

Each episode is 1 hour of a 24 hour day.  

it's nice now to know the back story on the characters.

There have been some surprises that's for sure.

We both understand how this show won so many awards in the years it was on, it's that good.

We just finished "Day 5" but will have to wait until hubby gets home to start "Day6".

Can't wait.

"What would Jack Bauer do?"

Since Being Home...

flying in on a sunny day is probably the best.

I usually fly in at night, but since we changed our tickets

we got to see home from the air.

we went to one of our favorites...

Kakaako Kitchen

for a mahi sandwich on a taro bun...yum

all of the shower trees are in full bloom, so theres lots 

of places to park in the shade

ate Kahuku corn and watermelon two nights

in a row for dinner.

had to finally go to the market

and had to go to Lowe's and buy a new dishwasher...

yes, we've been busy

47 Years...

Sunday was not only Father's Day, but also our 47th anniversary.

June 15, 1967 I married this wonderful guy...

After breakfast with all the family we drove down to Newport for an early dinner

at the Crab Cooker (we love that place).

We decided to drive by some places from that time in our marriage.

I met Terry the first time directly across from Blackie's

on the beach

at the Newport Pier.

He asked me about the surf..."has it been like this all day?"

We talked about that for a few minutes before he left in his little '56 red porsche.

I didn't see him again for a few weeks, but once again saw him at the beach...

Our first date was a surf/beach date to Doheny (before the harbor)

We were married 3 months later in San Bernardino and lived for a few

months in West Covina next to that round theater where we saw Don Ho.

We both wanted to move to the beach, so we started looking.

Our first place we lived was 331 Poinsettia...

We lived in a little back house that at the time it was a converted garage.  

Back then the garage doors were still there.  Now they've finished off the whole thing.

a little German lady lived in the front house.  She used to make

home-made sauerkraut that you could smell all over the neighborhood.

our little house was sold and we had found another place, but it wouldn't be ready for a 

few months, so we rented an apt on Coast Hiway (this is where Terry nailed

the Christmas tree to the floor after the kittens tipped it over 3 times).

Our little house with a yard finally was vacant...

128 Poinsettia...

Terry had a yard he could putz in (and he did).

We had a cat and our dog George here.

After Terry had his knee surgery, he sat in this front yard and talked to

the waitresses as they came to work.

We brought Traci home from the hospital to this house and lived here until

she was about 18 months old.

We lived just 2 blocks from the 5 Crowns.  We were talking about how surprised we were 

that this great restaurant is still around and seems busy.

Years pass, ups and downs, good and bad...

I have to say that I love my husband more today than I did on that day 47 years ago.

We only knew each other for 3 months, but we knew.

He's still my boyfriend and my best friend.

He makes me laugh and shake my head.

The last 8 years years I've seen him hurt and madder than ever, but he just keeps going.

I just love this big bear...