6 random facts

i NEVER get tagged, so thanks, leis, for giving me a real excuse for this... lol!

1. Link this post to the person who tagged you: leise
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. List 6 random things about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up

1. if i am sitting (or even standing) in one place for a long period of time, i'll fall asleep. it doesn't matter where or how awkward i may look - i can't help it and it's pretty much inevitable. it has happened STANDING on the bus, shopping at walmart, driving (i KNOW!!), in meetings, in front of very important people, and many, MANY more places. it's not cool, it's a disease.

2. i like looking around grocery stores...but mostly only if they have a wide selection of food items. whenever i go food shopping, i usually end up buying more than what we need, so our food storage area has become quite full for our little family. i enjoy watching food network so when i see something in the store that i recognize from the tv shows, i get some sort of excitement from it. it's not like i'm a great cook or anything - but i do enjoy cooking. wierd...

3. the countertops in my kitchen need to be clean & dry at all times. if i notice that there's puddles or even drops of water or whatever, i quickly grab a paper towel and wipe up whatever is there. this type of behavior would probably be labeled as obsessive compulsive...i won't deny it.

4. i make lists of "things to do" every day. this bugs the heck out of brandon, but it gives me a sense of accomplishment and comfort. i picked up this habit from my mom, and i think it really helps me get our family's tasks & errands done. if i don't have a list written down, then i feel like i have nothing to do, so i'll end up just watching tv and wasting my time...which is never good for anybody.

5. i suck at sports and most physical activities. when i was younger, my dad, brothers, cousins, and brothers friends all played basketball together at the chapel cultural hall while i just sat on the side and watched. when i go to the beach, i sit on the sand to soak up some sun, and if i do go in the water it's usually just to splash around in the waves. hehehe. i probably inherited this trait from my mom, but i've definitely come to accept it.

6. i have a darn good memory. when students come to my office to see me, and i remember their name or situation, they feel special - so that's always a good feeling. since my gramps is 97 years old and still talks about his kamehameha schools class of 1932 classmates, i'm guessing i was blessed with this characteristic from him. you know what they say...elephants never forget!

i tag... ange, brie, karen, channy, lizzie, and melby.

before and after

before the buzz...

and after...




it's funny how a little haircut (well, it was a long overdue haircut so it was LOT of hair that came off of his head...he's got my thick hair, what can i say?) can make such a difference on our little man. he is looking more and more grown up every day.

he is beginning to speak a little more, and brandon & i are beginning to understand the things that come out of his mouth, too! i'm enjoying this stage in ahonui's life because he's not quite at his "terrible twos", and he can't quite speak so his words come out as a cute, jibberish sound. it's adorable.


it's been a busy & stressful time for our family lately, and i'm trying to stay afloat with all the goings-on in our hectic lives. i'm hoping once this fall semester is done and the holiday season is past us we can take a little breather (didn't we JUST have an anniversary vacation? gosh...) and enjoy our little one before the above mentioned stage hits in january.

cousin love

i was chatting with my sister, nue, at a sunday night family gathering when she stopped me all of a sudden and said, "harm - look!"

i turned my head only to see our little boy mashed up against his cousin, azure. he'll probably be quite embarrassed to see this when he grows up - but i love that i was able to capture the playful childhood innocence in this shot. i think he was just so excited to have someone other than older people to run around and frolick (that's right, i said it) with. he wouldn't let her go, and if he did - he would just run back and give her a huge hug again. such a precious moment!

trick...or treat?

i realize that this post comes a little late, but yada yada yada - i'm posting, right? right. so happy belated halloween from our little skeleton!!!

for the first time in a long time, i left work at 5:00pm on halloween night. although brandon had to work that night and missed out on the fun, i was eager to take ahonui to meet up at marcus & nue's house to go trick or treating with my family. however, since i usually don't pick up the little guy until 6 or 7pm, my mother in law didn't expect my earlier-than-usual arrival in kahuku. ahonui was covered in dirt from the day's play outside. so i packed up the little dirt monster and bathed & scrubbed him clean at home. while i made him a quick dinner, i put on his favorite movie of the moment, "hairspray" (i know, i know...but he asks for it everyday. what's a mom to do?), fed the boy, put on his skeleton costume, and off we went to trick or treat around laie.

it has seriously been years since i've been trick or treating (last year was too rainy & wet to go out and ahonui was a non-walking HEAVY baby), but i don't recall there ever being as many people as there were that night! it was a beautiful hawaiian autumn night and the streets were swarmed with trick or treaters! we started on iosepa street and made our way down moana street. the interesting thing was that we didn't knock on a single door...most people sat outside at the edge of their driveway with their big candy bowls, which made the process so much easier for all us candy pirates.

as you can see, ahonui didn't quite comprehend the whole "free stuff giveaway" concept from each home. and although he clung like an opihi to my leg when he was afraid of most of the costumes around town, he seemed to enjoy himself. unfortunately, after about an hour of walking, he began tripping over his own feet and going in circles. i assumed that he was getting tired - and i was right. i picked him up and he plopped his head down on my shoulder and knocked out! thankfully, my brother, jared, took the heavy load off of me for awhile as we headed home. (i think he's just preparing for his first little one coming next month!)

it was so much more fun to go trick or treating with my nieces & nephew: azure ("princess jasmine"), little royal ("jj the airplane"), and karly (as she put it, a "spa lady").

although the little skeleton was fast asleep during half of the candy trek, it was a memorable halloween experience.

makahiki ekolu

three years ago today brandon & i were married and sealed in the laie, hawaii temple.

we really treated ourselves this past weekend in waikiki. even though it was only two days of a vacation, i don't think i've been that relaxed in a loooong, long time. we spent our days getting our money's worth from the hotel room (get your mind right...) - watching tv, sleeping, and surfing the web. i slept and slept and slept...and sure enjoyed our humongous plasma flat screen tv from the bed. we spent our nights eating out in nearby restaurants like cheesecake factory, charthouse (which i loved, but brandon did not due to the small portions), and mac 24-7 (a cute, hip restaurant conveniently located in our very own lobby that served the most enormous pancakes i've ever seen!). we also planned on going to the movies, but we were so clever to figure out that our in-room movies were cheaper (and waaay easier to get to)! so we were able to catch up on a few flicks AND save money at the same time in the comfort of our hotel room. we are so economical.

i know it may sound strange, but honestly, all i wanted to do was just lay around and do nothing. i didn't want to have to think about which one-way waikiki street we couldn't drive down, or which expensive polynesian show (that we most likely have already seen) to catch, or how much money i couldn't spend on a coach bag. those things were not on my agenda, and i'm so happy that brandon concurred with my lazy request.

it was a wonderful way to celebrate three wonderful years together.