Hawaiian Girl

Thursday, August 31, 2006

REALITY

Free Time.....Nothing like it, I'm sure EVERY MOM could agree! My Dear husband came home from work ( sick ) I told him I was meeting my girlfriend at the "Roxy" store. He handed me some money and said " buy YOURSELF SOMETHING NICE.." My eyes got big.....he added ( cuz he knows me all too well ) " Don't buy Tiki ONE thing!"

I have such a hard time with that agreement. I agree ( with my fingers crossed behind me ). I'm off to see the wizard....I mean Tami. My dearest friend, who wants to buy Tiki a backpack for her school!! She's sooo loving to my daughter, as though its her OWN. She gets Just as excited as I do everytime Tiki does something funny, new, a milestone. Auntie Tami is THERE!!!

So there I am FREE BIRD...Tami picked a backpack... then she TRIED to buy her a $ 40 Roxy sweatwhirt that was toooo cool. but my rule of thumb is IF I WONT SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR SOMETHING, I SURE DON'T WANT TAMI SPENDING IT!!! At least if I saw how much it was! went to Pier 1 to shop around then Ross only to run straight to the "kids" department. ( hmmm my promise to Alika didn't last long, I hadn't even looked for me yet.)


Got a couple of things for her of course....thought I BETTER come home with SOMETHING!
Tami left, I'm on my OWN....

I find a store that has sooo many things...NEXT THING I KNOW Alika calling me like are you okay??!! I look in my hand, I have at least 20 hangers. I said " I will BE HERE ALL NIGHT!" He laughed.... I never shop for myself, now I'm like the junkie who has been sober for years and got a "taste" of it again.. I cant stop myself!!!

THEN " IT" COMES.....the store MIRROR....eeewwwww.....what tha??
I felt so hip and on it....until I realized I LOST IT!!!! Everything I tried on was suddenly not my size anymore....every blemish, bump, dimple...WAS HORRIFYING!!!!

My bubble just burst. NOW I KNOW why I don't shop for myself....I'd actually have to come out of BODY DENIAL.
All I could think to myself is WHY would they make the lighting, mirrors as such to MAGNIFY everything that wanted me to put all the clothes away and use that money towards a GYM!!
Out of all those clothes I unhapply came home with 4 shirts and a badley bruised ego.. I try on the first shirt to model for my husband, and Tiki ( who sooo missed me ) said " Mommy, you look BEAUTIFUL!!!" I cried..gave her a big, big hug, and asked Alika " Do we still have Ice Cream?"

Today , I know the ice cream HAS to stop...or errr slow down anyway.

Monday, August 28, 2006

1st Music Video

She looked soo cute singing it, I HAD to bust out the camera & tell her start over....then she got the giggles...

Sunday, August 27, 2006

on her own!

I know you've all seen this before, but she is getting soo good on her own!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

MY BABY WILL BE IN SCHOOL SOON...: (

Well, My family is still visiting, but I received the news that my baby girl will begin the MANY years of Education. I have had ENDLESS phone calls, schools ( pre ) to tour, and a DEADLINE to make by THURS!!! so my blogging has been a snail trail, but will resume in day or so.
NOT ONLY do I have a DEADLINE, but DADDY wants her to attend a ALL GIRL SCHOOL.
It's PRESCHOOL!!! Oh he's going to be WATCHING her....poor fellas...Good Night & Good Luck to Tiki's FUTURE Dates!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

SHARKS COVE......SOOO CLEAR!!!!

Shane, Sione (with mask) Marissa, Hakau & Tiki....it was such a perfect day to snorkle and one of the BEST snorkling spots!! Playing at the shoreline....
Dad took her waaaaayyyy out there...she has NOOO idea whats below her....No Sharks....but PLENTY of BEAUTIFUL Parrott fish ( some, very huge ones too) Turtles, etc...When shes with Daddy, shes not scared of anything...as I used to feel with my DADDY :) Tianna pushing Tiki around on the boogieboard.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Monorail ride to uptown Mall...

Marissa thought this was cool, she said even in ALL the malls in Cali, none had monorail rides to another mall.
Shane didn't want to sit down, he wanted to get the full view of Pearl Harbor...someone wanted to copy him....
This is Doreen...Shane & Marissa's Mom's sister ( Aunt ). She too is here but to work on "LOST".
She is the new Hairdresser, and was trying on hats......
kinda dark, but she saw Auntie Doreen and tried one on too....I tried to make sure I got it before she took it off and I guess the flash didn't work...

Hawaiian singing

walked in on her singing a song " KULI HALA " that does not exist...where did she learn those words??!!!! but they ARE HAWAIIAN WORDS!!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Full Moon Nights in Honolulu...

The moon was just coming through all the hotels...cant tell from this shot, but it was BEAUTIFUL!!! The only thing missing was KING KONG climbing the hotel.
Tiki standing on top of a TIKI. she has her arms out as though shes surfing...she always associates any kind of balancing with surfing...

At McDonalds...for ice cream. I said enough nice poses...... GIVE ME A GOOFY FACE.....

So here it is...

I tried my different shooting modes from my camera....
The family portrait behind a plumeria tree.
Marissa & Tiki hangin on to the Torches.
Marissa with the lights of Waikiki and a amatuer camera taker...me.

Crusin Waikiki @ night...something I haven't done in years!!!! Its like walking down Venice (CA.)
a bunch of odds n' ends doing ANYTHING for a buck!! Here's Marissa with Tiki Man...
Watching a Polynesian firedance show.
This is before the street got soo packed you couldn't even move the stroller..

Marissa, Tiki, Alika & Me in front of a huge fish tank that you could walk through..

Monday, August 07, 2006

MARISSA & SHANE ARE HERE !!!!!

In the back ( Alika & Hakau ) and in front (Shane & Marissa ) hanging by the poolside.
Sione & tiki swimming. she went from NOT being able to hold her breath to doing MAJOR bellyflops ( just to make everybody laugh) and holding her breath for a pretty long time, just watching her cousins!
The beach was cold & windy...Marissa & Shane didn't think so...

The "Little Lei Greeter".

Marissa & Tiki showing how beautiful they look with the traditional Plumeria in the ear....( However, the flower is SUPPOSE to be worn as though it's a " Wedding Ring" ..Left ear means "married or taken", right ear means "Available". So in this picture it would actually say that they are SPOKEN for....but that only applies to older people!! hee hee.)
Shane exhausted, TRYING TO SLEEP....Tiki pretending to be sleeping...( she was just jumping all around him seconds ago).

As they hang their leis, head for the beach for some bodysurfing ( the shorebreak waves are BIG), they are in for a pretty memorable time, and I'm glad to be a part of it! :)

Friday, August 04, 2006

IT'S ALOHA FRIDAY !!!! NO WORK TILL MONDAY...

Well, that doesn't apply to me, since I don't "work". But I need NOT remind any stay at home Mom that what she doesn't do is WORK!!! Men, save yourselves.....Do NOT EVER tell your wife that staying home with baby is a CRUISE JOB!!!! If so, have a helmet on and prepare to RUN....and dont get caught!!!

We have teenagers coming Sunday to stay with us for a MONTH!!! I shouldn't say teenagers, they belong to someone......they are my Niece & Nephew ( 16, 15 ) from L.A. Tiki couldn't be more excited to see her cousins!! We got to see them in Feb. so she knows who they are. Yesterday was filled with cleaning screens....windows ( yes, I do windows!) and if I'm really lucky today, maybe I can shampoo the carpet!!! As all my thoughts of what I have to do today mix around...I suddenly FANTASIZE of Tiki in PRESCHOOL!!! and me getting a new job and actually having intelligent conversations with people....drinking coffee....making "grown-up"
decisions , missing her sooo much I smile all the way to her school to pick her up! I also know the flip side to "wishing" for all of this, is I'll wish she was "little" again and getting on top of the vacuum while I'm trying to get things done.

So, today, Aloha Friday, I will be Grateful, Thankful, that I have a little "helper".

Just I finished my last line, she woke up comes out of the bedroom, hair all tassled and says " Mom! Where is Marissa & Shane?" I tell her " a couple more days they'll be here, I still have to clean" She gets all excited and says " I wanna help!!"

I smile, realizing , I better take it while I can.




Tuesday, August 01, 2006


My " Brother " Dino..... Life taken away sooo quick @ 52 yrs old.... He is the closest person
I've lost since I've lived in Hawaii. The "Beachboy" Ceremony is truly unique. Canoes, Boats, and all the surfers paddling out to release his ashes is more of a " happy" celebration instead of the funeral I grew up with. Not depressing....sad, but not depressing.












A picture of Dino ( on the Right ) as a young beachboy....What a cutie he was!

The fireboat blew its horn, and make a big splash!!
This picture ( his girlfriend Kay, sitting in Canoe, middle ) with Diamond Head in backdrop shows a SMALL fraction of all the canoes, boats & surfers!!!

WHO KNEW....

....That your " boss " would hire a helicopter to drop 500 hundred flowers to celebrate your life!
....That the canoe they got " Just for you" would take you to your final resting place.
.... In 1970 my Dad did a Movie " Bloody Mama" & I have a picture of me sitting on Veteran Actor Don Stroud's lap ( I secretly had a crush on @ 7yrs old ) and 36 years later he would be here, to say goodbye to a dear friend we both knew & loved.
That one of your Best Friends ( Alika ) would be doing the HONOR of paddling out with your family & Ashes....


Life has many twist & turns..... hang on and be sure to hold on to those you love tightly!