~full hash hawaiians~

testing testing

2010-07-09T00:25:00.001-07:00

on the move...

2010-06-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

ok...i have a new blog. i'm not sure what I want it to become, but i'm looking into blogging as a WAHM (work at home mom) option, and maybe selling on etsy (still trying to figure out what...maybe diapers if I CAN GET THEM TO STOP LEAKING!!!! I hate buying crap and would never sell crap) and I didn't want to maintain two blogs which I had previously been doing.

Soooooo, I combined this blog with another family blog and called it pupukababy, which I think sounds much cuter, like it could be a brand name or something. It even has its' own domain so simply go over to www.pupukababy.com if you wanna keep reading about what's going on in our little family. You can subscribe to the rss feed or you can sign up to get email updates, which I think is a whole lot easier than logging into the blogger dashboard every time I want to check other people's blog updates.

And while you're there, PLEASE click on the "top baby blogs" link to the right and vote for my blog. I will love you forever if you do. Well, maybe love is a strong word, but I definitely like you all regardless.

Feel free to follow me on twitter @pupukababy. I never really got the point of twitter, but lately i've been getting into it.

See you all at www.pupukababy.com :)

ode to exercise balls

2010-05-27T00:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we rediscovered the benefits of the exercise ball. We first bought it because it's nice to have during pregnancy. There are several exercises you can do to relieve back pain (especially during labor...so I hear. I didn't have time to use it), and help move the baby down the birth canal. I loved hanging out on this thing during the last weeks of pregnancy, but be careful because it can make your butt hurt after a while.

Until yesterday, we had it deflated because we figured we weren't going to use it for a while, but I remembered hearing that it's really calming to bounce on it while holding your baby. I liked the idea of letting the ball bounce the baby and me not having to exert extra energy to bounce her with my arms. Yes I know there are products that will bounce your baby for you without having to hold the baby, but I enjoy holding her and have the luxury of time to do so, so I don't mind.

ANYWAY, I just want to say, that it pretty much works like a charm. Nōweo was pretty fussy yesterday and this ball knocked her out.

Soooooo, I'm adding baby-putter-to-sleeper to the rather long list of benefits to the exercise ball.

P.S. I DO plan to exercise with it...eventually...

conversations with an infant

2010-05-21T12:21:00.000-07:00

Me: Good morning Noweo!Noweo: WaaaaaahMe: Are you hungry?Noweo: Waaaahhh....eat eat eat eat eat yum!....waaaaaahhhhhMe: You wanna go in your wrap? (put her in the wrap)Noweo: waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Me: Ok...i guess not. Are you still hungry?Noweo: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh eat eat eat eat yum! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhMe: ok...yes and no? How's your diaper? (change diaper)Noweo: waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!Noweo: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNNNNME: ok your tired...(try to rock her to sleep....she falls asleep, I try putting her down)Noweo: waaah....waaah....waaah....waaahMe: Ok how about your wrap again...(put her in the wrap)Noweo: I'm sorry...she didn't actually say anything because SHE'S SLEEPING!!!!Me: Silent *YES!* Now to return to my cold breakfast....

a NaMe and a BlEsSiNg

2010-05-20T17:26:00.001-07:00

Since Keola's family was here from Maui to see him graduate,

(which isn't easy for them to do),

we decided to bless Nōweo the next day.

Naturally, Keola was nervous because he's never blessed a baby before,

but on Sunday I was reminded that blessings come from God, not people.

He blessed her with all the things I hope for her. Some of the highlights are...

That she would be a good person.

That she would stand up for what's right.

and MOST importantly

That she would know how INCREDIBLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED SHE IS.

We tell her every day. several times a day. I hope she's getting the message.

mAsTeR BiRaNo...can you say that? like dOctor?

2010-05-20T16:48:00.001-07:00

Well, a chapter in our lives has once again come to a close.

Isn't that what life is?

Things ending and other things beginning?

This weekend Keola's time a student as come to an end...for now.

He graduated with a Master's in Counseling Psychology.

For a guy who statistically isn't supposed to make it to college, that's pretty dang good.

that makes me EXTRA proud.

What makes me even happier is that HE knows he deserves it,

HE knows that people value his opinion

HE knows that he can make valuable contributions to our world.

THAT education is truly priceless.

He used to think he wasn't worth anything.

So...it was a happy day.

a very happy day.

I don't know where Nōweo is at this point...getting passed around between the tutu's and the kupuna...

yeah yeah...I'm a horrible mother.

my life

2010-05-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here covered in spit, regurgitated breast milk and a thin layer of sweat, but somehow looking at my daughter snuggling up against me and giving me half-awake sleepy smiles makes it all worth it.

I think I've learned more about love in the last 3 weeks than in the last 24 years.

the only thing predictable about a baby is...

2010-05-04T19:14:00.001-07:00

NOTHING IS PREDICTABLE!

Yesterday: Honeybee (which is what I call her...don't ask me how I got that nickname...it just sorta popped out) and I go for her two week doctor's appointment. I have some other errands I want to run, but I'm cautious about keeping her out too long. She's in a good mood after her appointment so I pay the rent, buy some diaper rash cream (which isn't working...boo) and then decide to pay a surprise visit to Keola at work, which he LOVED! All in all, we were gone from the house for almost 4 WHOLE HOURS! She slept almost the entire time. Suffice it to say, yesterday was a great experience for a new mom venturing out of the house.

Today: I JUST WANT TO LOCK MY DOORS, SHUT MY WINDOWS AND NEVER LEAVE HOME AGAIN!

Well...maybe I'm overreacting a little...

This week is the week of appointments. Pediatrician, midwife, wic, foodstamps (yeah...we're poor. donations welcome :) blah blah blah. And to each of these appointments, I must drag my poor honeybee.

So today was WIC. I get there on time...wait for 15 minutes (go figure). Bee's doing fine. I'm seen by this one lady who updates all our health info, then she sends me back out to the waiting room to wait for the nutritionist. So I'm waiting, chatting with this cute lady with this cute baby, when Bee starts to fuss, and when she fusses, she's either gassy, or about to blow her bottom off. It was the latter. An atomic bomb, that got ALL OVER her wrap and her clothes, but fortunately not on me. I'm sitting there praying that it doesn't leak, but I can smell it, so I rush to the bathroom, and sure enough, it's everywhere. I change her as quickly as I can, and even though she's on her blanket, she HATES the changing table. She starts screaming. There are only a few times where she's screamed like that, and all of them have been in unfamiliar places (like when she left my womb, her first car ride, her first doctor's appt, etc.) I think it's her way of christening new places because she only cries the first time. Anyway, when she screams like that, she usually finds solace in food. So after I got her all cleaned up, she starts crying because she's hungry. This isn't the same scream but I certainly know what it means. I'm not completely comfortable breast feeding in public, but Bee's even less comfortable than I am plus I have my nursing cover, but I wait, hoping that the nutritionist calls me soon and we can get out of there. FINALLY he calls me, but he moves soooooo slow! I keep thinking...can't he see my baby is upset and move this along a little faster? But no. So I decide Bee can't wait any longer and needs to eat. Fussed around with my clothes (*gag*) and got her latched on. Silence. Being able to calm your baby after being so upset is like God patting you on the back. It feels sooooo good! Rather than pull her off after seeing the nutritionist, I just hold her still attached and walk her out of the office. I retreat as quickly as I can to the car, where we hop into the back seat and breathe a sigh of relief. Bee won't let me go until she's good an ready, so we sit and cuddle and I call Keola and blab to him about my morning. We were only gone for about an hour or so, but it felt like AGES.

Leftover spaghetti, a tall glass of milk and a good nap later, and I feel much better. Nōweo's as happy as can be, curled up asleep on my lap as I type this. What a crazy morning.

Moral of the story: Take life as it comes. minute. by. minute. and love it.

My Labor and Delivery Story

2010-04-27T19:52:00.001-07:00

It all started on Tuesday, April 13 2010 when I told Keola that I wanted to get a new set of ipod speakers to take to the hospital with us. I love music and I know that it is an excellent pain coping mechanism for me. Plus my old ipod speakers had died a long time ago (they weren't that great to begin with...). So off to Walmart we go, coming home with brand-spanking new sounds.

On Wednesday morning, I was inspired by this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS_zkvTMdUM. You need to at least watch some of it before you continue reading this.

Did you watch it? Ok. Good. So I decided since I had this awesome new way to enjoy my music that I would follow suit and maybe I would be as lucky as this girl. So I went about my day dancing around the living room. I was quite proud of how well I could still move being 40 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

Wednesday came and went, and by evening my morale had dropped. I had lived another day being pregnant. I was sure that Nōweo wasn't coming and that my dancing did not work. At 9:30, I was pouring myself a bowl of Peanut Butter Crunch and complaining to Keola about how much I hate it when people tell you to just go about your day as normal. There is NOTHING normal about waiting to go into labor. NOTHING. You spend your days wondering if every little ache and pain is labor, you try to keep busy to take your mind off of the fact that you're STILL PREGNANT, you're in a constant effort to keep the house clean so that you have a nice place to come home to should you go into labor. LABOR LABOR LABOR. Everything is about labor. I was sick of it and wasn't ashamed of voicing my opinion to my patient husband who looked helplessly at me wishing he could somehow put me out of my misery but knowing there was nothing he could do. So he listened. That was all I needed.

No sooner had I plopped down on the couch, dejected and moody with my crunchy bowl of comfort food, that I felt a "POP" and a trickle of liquid. My eyes grew wide, my mouth shut, and I waited for a few seconds. More fluid. Uncontrollable. Keola stared at me, waiting for me to say something. Finally the words: "I think my water just broke." Walked to the bathroom, sat on the toilet, more fluid, but no gush. I knew it was my waters, and I was immediately grateful that it wasn't a gush and that I was at home and not at the mall or some other embarassingly public place. . I called the hospital, explained what happened, and that I was group B strep + (which meant that if my water broke I had to go in right away for antibiotics as the strep bacteria can be harmful to the baby). The nurse didn't seem to believe me because I said it was a trickle. She thought I peed my pants. I told her this wasn't urine and I was sure that my water had broken. So she gave me the ok to come in.

We quickly loaded our things in the car and were on our way. From the minute we left I felt like this whole event was blessed. The weather was PERFECT. It had been storming off and on for several weeks up and down the Hāmākua coast, and I was worried that we would be caught in a storm, but there was no rain to speak of until we hit Waimea, and even then, it was a light drizzle. A good sign. My contractions had started in Hilo, but were very mild. They grew in strength as we neared our destination, but were still very bearable. I remember thinking to myself, "So this is what a contraction feels like." Yeah...all those Braxton hicks I had been timing...I was so way off.

So I made it to Waimea with a smile on my face, got checked in, got changed and hooked up to the monitor. Nōweo was fine and my contractions were not yet regular. The nurse didn't even bother to check my cervix because she figured I'd be there for at least 12 hours and she didn't want to introduce bacteria to the uterus unecessarily. It is now around 11:30 pm on Wednesday.

She gets me hooked up to the IV and tells me she needs to give me two bags of antibiotics. The first is bigger than the second, and it should take an hour to get through it, but I am free to move around as I please. So we turn up the music and I spend each contraction dancing with Keola, then sitting on the bed between contractions to conserve energy. Can I just say now that he was AMAZING through this whole process? I love him.

Not long after I was hooked up to the IV, my contractions started coming longer, stronger, and closer together. I finish the first back of antibiotics. I feel the urge to push. The nurse checks me, and I'm 6 centimeters dialted. Turns out I really just needed to use the bathroom. After taking care of that, the nurse said she'll hold off on the second bag to see if my labor progresses. Contractions are strong and I'm not sure I can make it. I tell my brain to shut up and let my body take over. I'm still feeling an urge to push - it feels like a lot of pressure on my lower back and rectum. The nurse explains that it's the baby's head, and it's not quite facing the way we want it to. She suggests I get in the shower, put my leg up on a stool and rock back and forth. She says to call when I had a contraction that really made want to bear down. So we do that. Keola shoots warm water on my back. HEAVEN. The great thing about contractions is they have a start and an end and time in between. So while I'm resting between them I'm still in quite a good mood, talking and joking, and whatnot. I think it's about 2:00.

Then IT HITS. I have a unbelievable urge to push. I nearly fall over. I brace myself on the stool, on my knees and tell Keola to GET THE NURSE! I didn't make it through that one very gracefully, mostly because I was so surprised. I wasn't expecting that. It basically jumped from a 5 to a 10 in intensity over one contraction. I was prepared for the others though. And there would be others.

The nurse comes in and quickly helps me to the bed. She checks me. 8, almost 9 centimeters. She needs to monitor the baby some more. I desperately want to push, but she tells me it's not time yet. The hardest thing about labor is NEEDING to push and having to hold back. That's what hurts. I labor on my knees on the bed, rocking back and forth. My belly gets so tight with each contraction that the elastic bands holding the monitors fall off. This is serious now. Between contractions, I take a sip of water, prop myself up with my hands to keep from falling backwards, lean my head on my shoulder and go to sleep for a minute at a time while still on my knees. I wake up when I feel the next contraction coming over my body and rock through it. I yell. Not because it hurts, but because the energy needs to go somewhere, and since I can't push with my body, I push with my voice. It helps.

I'm now dilated to a 9. The nurse lets me try some practice pushes. I get on my back and hold my legs up. Pushing is WONDERFUL. I felt absolutely no pain while I was pushing. Like I said, I just needed to release the energy. The contractions were painful because I was fighting my body's natural urge. I know this isn't a pretty analogy, but it's like needing to vomit, and trying to hold it in. It feels SOOO MUCH BETTER to just let yourself throw up.

By about 3:15, and the nurse says those sweet words: "You're a 10 and ready to push." I was happy, but hit with the gravity of the situation. I'm going to be a mother in a matter of minutes. My baby is coming. NOW.

Well, not exactly. I'm all ready to start pushing when she tells me that she's going to call the midwife now. My eyes grow wide as I ask where she is. "She's staying in town. She'll be here in 10-15 minutes. You'll have to hold off pushing until she gets here." You all know by now how much I LOVE not pushing when everything in my body was telling me to PUSH. I was desperate. I told the nurse I can't wait that long. I looked at the clock (which was right in front of me. Mocking me.) My husband (bless him) quickly stepped in and said "Nevermind the clock. Don't look at it. Just concentrate on the contraction." Those were magic words. Time flew by and the midwife arrived in what seemed like seconds. Keola saved me in that moment.

FINALLY. IT'S TIME TO PUSH. I was soooo happy! It's about 3:30. I spend some time pushing on my back, holding my legs up. Things are progressing nicely, but I decide I want to be on all fours. I feel much more productive that way. I have a distinct memory of everyone stepping back and letting me do what I need to do. They were so patient and calm and constantly encouraging. I fed off their energy and my confidence grew in my ability to birth. I pushed and pushed. I felt the "ring of fire" - the burning sensation you feel when the baby's head begins to emerge. I remember in my natural birth class, our teacher told us that many women shy away from the pain, prolonging the delivery process. Her advice to us was to push through it. So I did. It hurt, but I was progressing. I could feel her head moving down, then sliding back up, moving down, then back up. They told me they could see her hair. I reached down and felt her head. It felt like hairy mush. I know that sounds gross, but it's true. That was all the motivation I needed. I bore down, unwilling to let this back and forth thing with her head continue any longer. 2 more pushes, and I felt a huge release of pressure. "Her head's out! Her head's out! One more push and you're done!" Ecstatic, I gave it one last push and the 3 seconds it took to get her body out felt like an eternity. I could see in my mind her body leaving mine in slow motion, inch by glorious inch. I felt EVERYTHING; her shoulders, arms, legs all sliding out. I remember thinking "Wow she's long!" Keola caught her, then passed her through my legs. Next thing I know, I'm on my back, she's on my chest, and I'm just exclaiming "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" I was in disbelief. Nōweo was finally here, in my arms, releasing a beautiful throaty cry. The nurse toweled her off on my chest and we laid there for at least an hour. I couldn't stop staring at her. 40 minutes later she had calmed down and was nursing contentedly. I had done it.

The minute-by-minute details of my labor are fuzzy, but the feelings are not. I felt total support from everyone around me, but I wasn't stifled. I remember the nurses and the midwife just standing back and letting me work on my own, respecting the process that my body was going through. I remember the midwife leaning on a counter, arms crossed, watching me with full confidence. Between contractions I would hear her encouraging words, and I knew that I was doing ok. She didn't step in until the baby began crowning. I felt like she was there to help guide the baby out, not to tell me what to do. It was quite empowering that a woman who had had so much experience with birth had complete faith in me, someone who had never witnessed a live birth or given birth, to simply do what I needed to do.

In short I learned some things about myself that day. I learned that I know more than I thought I did, that I am capable of more than I thought I was, that labor hurts but it is sooo worth it to FEEL everything, That things that don't seem so great at first (being GBS+) can turn out to be a blessing in disguise (going to the hospital early and having a painless drive to Waimea.) I learned that if you spend enough time visualizing and preparing for what you want, you CAN have it. I got EXACTLY what I was hoping for. I didn't miss anything and I'm so glad I had this experience.

tHe WaItInG gAmE

2010-03-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm now 38 weeks and 2 days pregnant and ready to POP. Everyone in R.S. thinks I'm gonna go into labor any day now because I'm carrying so low, but I'm not so sure. This girl I follow on Youtube just had her baby and she was due April 7. That's promising since I'm due April 9, but everyone's different and if it's one thing I've learned about pregnancy, it's that the weeks go by so fast. April 9th will be here and gone before long. I have no impressions on when my girl will be here, and my body seems perfectly content to let this pregnancy go on forever.

Being preggo (especially this far along) is like having a battle between the mind and the body. My mind expects my body to do what it used to be able to do, and my body disagrees. For example...trying to run away from Keola during a tickle fight involves a really fast duck waddle. I get mercy points for being cute :)

In short, even though I walk like a penguin and might be excited to have my little girl in my arms and my flat tummy back, I will miss her little (or big) kicks and rolls no matter how bruised my ribs get. I'll miss how she sticks her butt out when I put my hand on my belly. I'll miss how she dances when I blast the radio in the car. I'll miss her hiccups that make little earthquakes in my belly. I'll miss being this close to her.

Pregnancy is an amazing adventure that I will miss, but I have a feeling that motherhood will be even more amazing and it will never end.

Waiting to Hear

2010-02-22T16:38:00.000-08:00

Waiting to hear from colleges is like being on a restless sea. Unaware of where I'm headed I've decided to enjoy the ride that is my life. With my baby girl on the way and looking only as far as her birth, I've been able to enjoy my time with my sweetheart by living in the moment. Observing the world around me, the restless sea has offered up its beauty as I realize life is good. I notice the stars breaking through the clouds and scent of the ocean, which fills my lungs. I'm alive, which is always a good reason to be happy. My relationship with my wife serves as my life vest from the dangerous sea. Waiting for my future hasn't been so easy but at least I've been able to enjoy the moments when life shows its beauty.

AlOhA 'oE ElDeR mEyErS

2010-02-14T21:38:00.000-08:00

Tonight I hugged my little brother good-bye and watched him walk into the airport terminal to leave for his two year mission to Oregon. For the first time, I'm not the one always leaving my family behind and home, and it was a weird feeling to watch him go. I was proud, sad, scared, and ecstatic all at the same time, to know that my kid brother isn't a boy anymore. When did that happen???!!!

Because we were so many years apart, we couldn't relate that well to each other until recently, and I am so impressed with the person he's become. My love for him has grown. I can't wait to see who he will be when he returns.

what to do?

2010-01-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today I actually had my first feelings of terror about survival.

I went to the dentist because of a toothache that's been coming and going over the last several months.

I was hoping that I would hear that it's "just a cavity and we can take care of that no problem..."

But no.

Instead he uttered those dreaded words:

ROOT CANAL.

Cost: $1,540

Insurance? Zilch

Lesson: Get insurance. Be active in PREVENTATIVE CARE. It will save your butt in the long run.

Now I need to fix my tooth (in the 3rd trimester), have my baby, figure out where we're going to grad school, where we're going to live, fly there (because it's 99% guaranteed that we'll be flying to our next place of residence), and set up the nest all over again.

How much money do we have?

not enough...I'll just leave it at that.

I feel like such a useless bump on a log, like a financial burden. can't get a job, can't make money...

so it's time to turn inward, re-evaluate, and find a solution.

"When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window."

I just have to look around and find it.

affirmations

2010-01-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Keola and I went to Waimea for part 1 of our 2 part natural childbirth class. It's taught all day for two Saturdays so we'll go back again next week. I wouldn't say I learned anything REALLY new, because let's face it, I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about pregnancy, labor, birth, and the becoming a new mom. What I DID get from this first day of classes was an affirmation that I am gaining the right PERSPECTIVE, that my body was designed to birth and feed babies, that it knows how to grow a baby and therefore knows how to push a baby out, that the hormones involved with birthing and bonding with a baby are miraculous and cannot be duplicated by science, that my baby is a person who can sense my emotions; therefore if I am fearful, she will be fearful and her first lessons will be lessons of mistrust because fear is the opposite of trust. In labor, we learned that fear creates tension, tension creates pain, and pain creates more fear. The body closes up at a time when it needs to open. Conversely, trust allows you to relax, give up control and allow your body to do its' work. The body begins to open, and as it does, we learn to trust the process more, continuing the cycle of relaxing and opening. I trust myself. I trust my body. I trust my husband to be there for me as he has always been. I trust my baby that she will move exactly as she needs to, and I trust that she trusts me.

As I near 30 weeks, and begin my 10 week countdown, I feel a surprising sense of peace and closeness to her and Keola. Neither of us can wait to hold her and give her all of our love.

the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010

2010-01-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

Well, Christmas and New Years are over, we're back in Hilo and life is in full swing. We had a wonderful and memorable vacation with our family and friends. I've been lazy to blog about it so here's what we did in a nutshell:

Went to Zippy's and got my fav: Portuguese bean soup

window shopped at Ala Moana...

bought a video camera because we'll actually have something cute to film in the next couple months...

...watched Stomp at the Hawaii Theater with our friends Shannon and Maria

Watched Avatar, 3D, Imax might I add, which was SOOOO worth it

visited our old stomping grounds...

went to the beach...

watched my little brother open his mission call *tear*

got fat...

...and took lots of amateur pictures...

The Day After Christmas

2009-12-26T21:58:00.000-08:00

Walking down Hukilau beach shoreline with my t-shirt protecting my fragile ego. I glance at the ocean and hoped no eyes would observe the dark lines of my stretch marks and the shape of my pear like body. It's amazing what a few dozen pounds can do to ones self-esteem. There is no need for me to worry about finding my future love because that ship had already sailed. So why do I worry about strangers whose opinion is worth less than the penny on the bottom of my backpack pocket. On lookers probably don't care whether or not I'm fit or that I hang over my surf shorts. The only person that cares is me. My wife, serving as my white knight, protects me with her self assuring smile. With her comfort, I dive into the cool ocean water with my shirt off and engulf myself in the utter joy of swimming in mother nature. Oh, how I love to swim and lose all my senses to the taste, touch and smell of Hukilau. This is one of many reasons why I would love to live in Laie, my place of solace.

Christmas Morning

2009-12-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas started off like any other. Basketball on the tube and Portuguese sausage fumes filling the kitchen. No presents were touched as everyone anticipated the main event of the day. Like the rising tide, you could feel the excitement fill grandpa's house. Once I took the last bites of my breakfast, we all headed up to the chapel. While we waited for skype and relatives to arrive, I worried that my filming skills wouldn't be up to par with the importance of opening a mission call. While I waited, I observed dad and every other person who were computer literate accept the mission to create an open portal to relatives afar. After blood, sweat and tears, "serendipity", everyone arrived and the world grew smaller by the power of technology. After Bruce's mission was made known, I realized that this Christmas wasn't like any other. It would be a special day. For an Angel just received his wings and in a few months he will answer the prayers of open hearts.

For those who care, we'll be posting a special video of this event for family and close friends soon. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year.

2009-12-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting at the kitchen table watching a Christmas classic. No, it isn't Scrooge or Miracle on 34th Street or even It's A Wonderful Life. You tired of guessing yet? Well, if you haven't figured it out, a Christmas classic since I can remember that brings the family together with a barrels of laughs, Home Alone. Nothings says Christmas like two grown men getting beaten up by an 8 year old kid. Laughter is the gift that keeps on giving and Home Alone keeps delivering the belly aching presents.

Thoughts of a Future Father

2009-12-20T18:25:00.000-08:00

Laying in bed, I look across and as peaceful as can be, my wife snoozes away. It's amazing to think a child is growing inside of her. Our child. I wonder how she will look like or the type of personality she will have. Will she be active and playful or cautious and reserved? Will she understand how much her parents love her and will I be able to show her all the love I have inside? These questions constantly barrage my mind as I worry about my adequacy as a father. Did my father have these same questions? If he did, he didn't treat his children the way I want to treat mine. This brings me anxiety, as I contemplate how far the apple has fallen from the tree. Do I know what it takes to be a father? No one taught me the right way. All I know is what I saw and what I saw isn't good enough for me. This desire is what drives me to work hard in school and pushes me to follow a different path from the one my father had chosen. Instead of finding relief from everyday worries through drugs, I find peace through church activities, movies and other things that aren't as self destructive. I know I won't be a perfect father but I do know what I can do to be a better one. That's all I can do, is be better than my father and hopefully my children will be better than me. The circle of life, I guess. These are the thoughts of a future father.

20 wEeK uLtRaSoUnD uPdAtE

2009-11-29T20:59:00.001-08:00

Since my last entry was getting kinda long I decided to split it up and talk about the ultrasound here. We were very fortunate go to during a slow afternoon, so we were able to get some 3D shots for free :)

We also discovered what everyone wants to know: We're having a...

GIRL!

I thought it was gonna be a boy and Keola didn't have an opinion, but we're very happy to be having a girl and already have part of her name picked out (besides Birano). Her name is going to start with Nōweo. It means bright or shiny in Hawaiian. As soon as we found out we were pregnant I found this word and fell in love with it. I could not think of any other name (boy or girl) and I know that if we had a girl that would be her name. I told Keola about it after the ultrasound and he really loved it. I do need to add more to her name to complete the meaning (so it'll be Nōweosomethingsomethingsomething), and then we'll also give her a Japanese name. But for now, we call her Nōweo and it really helps us bond with her. She moves quite frequently now and kicks quite furiously for a 21 week old fetus and I love it. Keola's also been able to feel her moving. To have all of this good news right around Thanksgiving makes the holiday even more poignant for us. She is already the brightest part of our lives and we can't wait to meet her!

p.s. Click here to see the rest of the ultrasound pics! xoxo

gIvInG tHaNkS

2009-11-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

This year there we have been blessed with so much! Where do I start? Keola and I have reached 3 years of a deliriously happy marriage, we were able to find a nice place close to campus so we could easily walk to school, he finished his first year in the counseling psych program successfully at UHH with a 4.0, we've been given the awesome calling of working with the YSA in our ward, Keola was able to stand in his best friend's wedding line and watch him marry an AMAZING girl, and a couple weeks later we find out that we're gonna be parents! A couple weeks after that, we find out that BOTH of our tuitions are fully covered, and ON TOP OF THAT, he received a $15,000 scholarship and several smaller scholarships for this year. I suspect he'll finish this semester with a 4.0 as well, although that remains to be seen. He has had great classmates, great internships, and great faculty to work with. This is his last semester of classes. Next semester, he is going to focus solely on getting the 300 hours of internship required to graduate. Yes. GRADUATE May 15!

As I reflect on all of these things, especially in the latter half of this year, I can't help but marvel at the timing of it all. We've been in grad school for two years now, and never have we received the kind of financial aid that we did this year. The only difference this year is that we are welcoming a child into the world. I cannot help but think that we are receiving divine aid as we prepare for the journey of parenthood. I have often heard that parents receive special help from Heavenly Father because children are so precious to Him. I cannot help but feel that now. I know that although this is a scary step to take, Keola and I are not alone. We are truly blessed!

tOo eArLy fOr ChRiStMaS??

2009-11-17T18:55:00.001-08:00

So if you're reading this you've seen my Christmas themed blog background. Maybe you're rolling your eyes thinking that it's too early for Christmas stuff. I am certainly usually the first the criticize the commercialization of Christmas, especially when I walk into Walmart and see Christmas stuff before Halloween, but this year...

I'M SO EXCITED....AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT!!!

We booked our tickets for O'ahu and we're having a baby moon at the Ala Moana hotel for a couple nights. We stayed there once and it was SUPER nice plus close to everything, and there's a special Kamaʻāina rate of $79 a night! That's dirt cheap for a hotel like that. Then we're heading up to Lāʻie to spend Christmas with the family. I get to meet a new little cousin who should be born while we're there. In a way, I'm looking at this Christmas as baby's first even though baby won't really be experiencing anything. At least it exists...in my belly....

In other news, we're going in for our 20 week ultrasound TOMORROW! That is Wednesday, November 18. I can't believe how fast this month has flown by, but it really has and I'm so glad because I thought this day would never come. I am now half way done (phew!) and we'll hopefully find out the sex. Some people say wait till it's born, but I NEED TO KNOW. We're looking forward to what is sure to be a great bonding experience for Mommy, Daddy and Twix.

Yesterday Keola felt the baby move for the most time. It was a little kick, and then I'm pretty sure the baby started hiccuping. It felt just like what I've been reading online the hiccups should feel like, so I'm pretty sure that's what it was. We could feel that too from the outside.... sooo cute!

All in all, I feel like pregnancy is really picking up now. I've got an ultrasound tomorrow, a midwife appointment on Wednesday, and then we'll have family over for Thanksgiving so they'll get to see my progress. I'm starting to show more. Someone actually told me "I didn't know you were pregnant!" And I said "How did you know?" And she said "Cuz I can see!" That made me feel good. Let's hope the second half goes faster than the first half!

a DaY wItH a CoOl oLd LaDy

2009-11-16T20:47:00.000-08:00

One bright sunny day this past summer, we decided to take Grandma out for a trip to Lahaina.

We took a walk on the boardwalk and let the wind blow through our hair

Went to lush and looked at lotion that looked more like food...I was surprised and delighted. if you live on O'ahu it's at ala moana by the foodcourt. Check it out. it's one of my fav places and I am so jealous of you!) Their stuff ROCKS! especially the bath bombs. seriously. your skin has never felt so soft!

...and we exfoliated...yes, all of us (grandma needed a little nudge but she was pleasantly surprised at how soft it made her hands)....

....then we went to a burger joint for lunch. Seriously. whose mouth is THAT big?

...guess that answers that question! (just joking...that was my onion ring burger, but I've never seen grandma open her mouth that wide before)

It was a lovely day in a lovely place with lovely people!

hApPy BdAy bRaNdOn "sIx-PaCk" MeYeRs

2009-11-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

This past Friday (yes, Friday the 13th) my littlest brother Brandon hit 14 years old. For those of you who haven't seen him in a while...well...let's just say he's growing up too fast! But he's still my little bro.

Wait...is that 14 or 41?

oh that's better....

So he didn't want to look at the camera smile (he just woke up...go figure) but at least he smiled.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON!

2009-11-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. I'll now be adding to the content of this blog so that you can have a better perspective on our family. Through the eyes of a Martian (men are from mars). Hopefully through reading my blog you may gain a better perspective on Martians such as I. I know my wife is still trying to figure me out. Martian out.

sLaCkeR

2009-11-10T21:16:00.000-08:00

Hey everbody! Sorry I've kind of dropped of the face of the planet. I've just been SOOOOO busy lately with school and when I'm not busy with school, I'm busy being tired and hungry :) Plus I've been doing weekly youtube video blogs, so it's kinda pointless to say the same thing over again so check those out for updates.

BUT, I do have a fun bit of news that merits its' own blog entry. This morning, as I was just waking up, Twix decided to give me a nice little "good morning mom" by kicking so hard that I could feel it on the OUTSIDE :) This is a milestone that all mommies can't wait for - the moment where daddy can also feel the baby moving. I've been feeling Twix for a couple weeks now, here and there, but NEVER from the outside. I put my hand where Twix was kicking and hoped for another kick. I got no less than 3 kicks that went right into my hand!!! I was so excited I freaked and shook Keola awake. He thought something was wrong but I just said "Hurry up! Feel my belly!" So I put his hand where I felt the kicks coming from but I think I freaked out so much that I scared Twix away because Keola didn't feel a thing. I don't think I'll be feeling Twix that strongly again anytime soon. It was probably a really rare moment, but it won't be long before I'll be complaining about getting kicked in the ribs. Half way mark next week baby! Stay tuned for 20 week ultrasound pics!

Vlog #1 12 WeEkS 4 dAyS

2009-10-01T19:42:00.001-07:00

fInaLlY oN YoUtUbE + bAbY UpDaTeS

2009-10-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

So if you're on Facebook, you probably already know that I had my first ultrasound last Friday and got to hear the baby's hearbeat. It was MARVELOUS. Words can't describe the feeling of hearing another little heartbeat inside of you and you just know that there's a life in there that's depending on you and you alone. It's mind-boggling to think that this little heart is going to beat throughout this person's life, and that this person is going to be born and have experiences and do things and that I'm going to have the closest of relationships with this person. It's amazing. Like I mentioned we had an ultrasound, and these are the pics we got:

The second one of Twix is my fav. You can really see the whole body really well. It was waving its' arms and squirming around. Beautiful! I can't wait to meet him/her.

I need to comment on my experience so far in Waimea. After finding out I was pregnant and having it confirmed, the nurse told me about the options that I had being on Quest (which is the government insurance). Everything is free which is nice, but there aren't a whole lot of OBs that are practicing in Hilo. 3 to be exact, so ALL the Quest patience see them. One of them is REALLY good (he delivered my brothers), but the wait to see him is REALLY long. One is really junk, and the other is so so. She also told me about Waimea, that the women's center is run by a team of midwives that are all really knowledgeable. They have all the technology and medications that would normally be available in any other hospital, plus their birthing center is top knotch. They have whirlpool tubs, large rooms to walk around in while you're in labor and so on plus they're very supportive of natural birth, which is what I want for the baby. The only problem is that it's an hour away. Well, we weighed the pros and cons, and figured out that our schedules could handle the drive, so we decided to go with Waimea. I LOVE IT THERE. Everyone is so nice, it's all women (which makes me more comfortable. All the Hilo OBs were men) and we didn't have to wait at all for our appointment. So far so good. I'm really so relieved that we've finally seen a midwife and we can finally get the ball rolling on appointments and preparing for the baby.

Finally, I started a Youtube vlog. I thought it'd be cool to record myself talking about Twix so we could look back on it later. Check out my channel if you're bored: pregnantinparadise. I'll post them up on the blog too.

aDdiCtEd tO YoU TuBe

2009-09-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Well this week I've been kind of under the weather. My sore throat has developed into a cough, so I've been trying to drink a lot of fluid and eat oranges and stuff and rest, but it's still persisting and it's Thursday now...but I don't think a cough is anything to really start worrying about, especially because I think it's starting to get better. I've been having these gagging coughs that are annoying but luckily I have Keola to take care of me. He's been so wonderful as usual.

This week, since I've been home a lot wasting time instead of doing homework, I've started to watch youtube vlogs (video blogs) of pregnant women. They usually update once a week and it's a nice way to keep a visual record of your pregnancy, so I think I might start doing that. I have this idea that it'll make the time go by faster. Plus I think it'll be cool for baby to see what I was like at this time, and also to remind myself what I was like at this time. I think it's in some ways more effective than writing because there's just so much more you can learn about someone by watching them. So look out for that. We'll see if I can be consistent with it.

So Keola and I had a big discussion about what to name the baby while we're waiting to find out what it's gonna be, and Keola likes Twix...like the candy bar (which sounds eerily like twins but I just try to block it out). It also reminds me of the word "betwixt" which means "neither being one nor the other". Of course the baby's sex is already determined, but we don't know what it is right? So Twix it is!

i sWeAr iT's BiGgEr tHaN ThAt

2009-09-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

Ok so you mommies are gonna laugh at me, but it's just amazing how something so TINY can be so DISRUPTIVE! I swear it's bigger than what it is. I've had a pretty smooth first 9 weeks, but just in the last couple days I've noticed my digestive system slow WAAAAY DOOOOWWWN. I swear I've still got last night's dinner in my stomach, and it's almost lunch time the next day. Gross. I feel so heavy and weighed down. Plus this morning I work up with a sore throat, and I think because my throat is swollen it's really hard to take my pre-natals. I managed to get one pill down, but the other one I take is large jelly-ish pill and it's just not happening. I keep throwing it up. So I was cruising online trying to find an image of what a 9 week old fetus looks like, and yeah....it's itty bitty but man it's throwing me out of whack! It's so exciting though to see how quickly it's developing.

I read a blog the other day where the mom decided to give her baby a name until she figured out the gender so she could actually call it something besides "baby." I'm thinking of doing the same thing...she named hers "Nugget." I don' t know about nugget...i associate that with bowel movements....and baby is definitely not a bowel movement. Any suggestions?

tHe MoMmy BaNdwAgoN

2009-08-24T00:56:00.000-07:00

Wow what a crazy roller-coaster week this has been. I found out on Tuesday that I am PREGNANT! It's a really funny story so I need to write it down so I remember. What better place than Blogger right?

So anyway, I was feeling kinda sick while we were on Maui. Plus I was late, but just a few days. I'm known to be as much as 2 weeks late so I didn't really think anything of it but my body was doing funky things and I didn't quite feel like myself. So when we got back to Hilo, my plan was to wait at least a couple more weeks before I tested, but Keola couldn't wait. He actually wanted to go get a pregnancy test on Sunday because he didn't want to wait all day Monday while he was at work. I told him he could wait one more day, so I went and bought a pregnancy test on Monday and took it when he came home from work. Two lines means you're pregnant, and there was one dark line, and one really super light line that I didn't even notice at first. So I thought I wasn't pregnant and that my period was just being weird again. Seriously, the line was SOOO LIGHT. Keola noticed it first and for the longest time we were both just staring at it, trying to compare it to the other test to see if it was one of those things where you can see a line anyway but if you're pregnant it's darker. I was feeling kinda down at first, but when Keola saw that second line I had a glimmer of hope. (Not that we were trying or anything but I always get a little disappointed every month when AF comes along). I told Keola that I would wait a week and see what happened.

Well that didn't happen. I read online later that day that if you take a urine test in the middle of the day, especially after you eat or drink something, the food can dilute your urine, making it difficult or impossible to read the result. It's better to take it in the morning when you pee is "untainted. "So Tuesday morning, Keola made me take the second test. That line was MUCH darker. I guess the website I read was right.

So bottom line is, Keola and I are going to become parents this April and I just have so much on my mind but nothing at the same time. It's so hard to explain and I'm sure you mommies know exactly how I feel. There are just so many things to learn but this week I've gotten a glimpse of how much Heavenly Father is ready and willing to help. This year, school is paid for ENTIRELY. Keola got really good scholarships, PLUS a full tuition waiver so we're actually pocketing all our scholarship money. We have more money this year than we've ever had. I just can't help but think that the extra help is coming at just the right time. The Lord really does give you just when you need just when you need it. I feel grateful, nervous, happy, scared, and everything in between all at once. But mostly I'm tired (I've been sleeping quite a lot lately) so this is gonna have to be it for now. Good night!

'EkOlU

2009-07-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! Sorry I've been MIA for just about all of summer. I've been SOOOO INCREDIBLY BUSY. It really hasn't felt like summer for me, besides the ton of summer movies I've had to watch (not complaining) because of my husband the movie buff. Needless to say, I have a little catching up to do.

This summer appears to be the summer of BRUCE (aka 'Ekolu because he's Bruce III...and 'ekolu means 3....), my oldest brother who likes to remind me that I'm older than him. As you all know, he just graduated from high school and on June 10, we had his Eagle Scout ceremony. I think this can describes him well. I can't say how proud I am of him. He's so cool and I'm proud to be his big sis.

Our family:

if you don't remember what his project was from a few posts back, here are some pics:

He installed these benches:

He had to drill into the concrete and weld the bolts down. It was quite a job, but he had a lot of people helping.

And he installed these bike racks. For that he had to dig a hole, set the bike racks (making sure they're straight) and pour concrete in the hole with the bike racks. And look! Someone put a bike there! (It wasn't staged I swear)

Aren't my cousins cute??!!

So congrats again Bruce! Our family is growing up so fast! Bruce will be leaving on his mission early next year so I'm really excited for that too. We only have one minor left in the house and he's growing like a weed. Brandon will be a FROSH at Kamehameha and all the girls are crazy about him which is so weird because he's my little bro. I guess it's only natural...only when I was going through my boy crazy phase, I more or less kept it to myself.

mIsS AlOhA hUlA

2009-06-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite Miss Aloha Hula Kahiko performance. SO AWESOME! I've never seen anything like it.

SYTYCD fAvEs

2009-06-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

If you guys don't watch So You Think You Can Dance you are MISSING OUT. The season's just started, the auditions are over, and the choreography segment (where we get to vote) is just beginning. Dancing with the Stars has nothing on this show. If you wanna see amazing dancing, turn on your TV to Fox THIS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY from 7-9pm (if you're in Hawai'i). In the meantime, here are some of my faves from last season:

I cry every time I see this one...

And laugh every time I see this one...

tHe DuCk PoNd

2009-06-09T20:33:00.001-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago, we decided to have a picnic at my FAVORITE park after church because it was SO HOT (yay! summer's here!) and since we couldn't swim, at least we could be outside. When I was growing up, I remember calling it "The Duck Park." Mom used to take us here for picnics all the time and we would feed the ducks old bread from Loves. I discovered that they really like salt and vinegar chips too (hmmm....that sounds good right now) Well it's real name is Wailoa it's only in recent years that I realize how truly BEAUTIFUL and unique this place is.

Here's some of our duck friends. I think I almost made one of them choke on a soda cracker...but he managed to get it down. The dark one was the really bold one. He walks right up to you if he thinks your eating and are feeling generous. The white one just kinda follows the other one around like he's embarrassed that his buddy is begging for food. Eh, no shame!

There were A LOT of people fishing that day. Looked like fun...although I have no idea what kind of fish are swimming in there. I personally have never seen anyone catch a fish from that river.

Stepping onto the sky

I used to love riding up and down these bridges on my bike...slightly dangerous, but sooo fun!

I love trees! I want big shady trees at my house one day...house first...trees later...

One of my favorite things about Hilo is how many pretty parks it has. I think that's a prerequisite for wherever I end up living.

GrAdUaTiOn TiMe

2009-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

Starting last Sunday, and ending with this Saturday, I watched my little brother graduate from seminary, then high school. I am so proud of how much he's grown up and who he's become. Check out our activities:

ʻōLeLo HaWaIʻī WaLe Nō

2009-05-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

I kēia lā, ua hoʻomaka ʻia ka papa 201 ʻōlelo hawaiʻi. PAʻAKĪKĪ LOA! Makemake ke kumu iā mākou ke ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi wale nō. He mea maikaʻi loa kēia akā, paʻakiki. Nui nā haumāna akamai loa ma ka papa, a makemake au a aʻo mai lākou. No koʻu kumu, ʻaʻole maopopo ʻo ia iaʻu i ka manawa a pau. Liʻiliʻi kona leo a ʻāwīwī ka puana ʻana. No laila, e holo mua au, a hiki paha iaʻu ke ʻōlelo hawaiʻi wale nō ma ka pau ʻana o ka papa. Hauʻoli au!

Ok for those of you who didn't understand what I just wrote, here's what I said:

Today Hawaiian 201 started. It's REALLY HARD. Our teacher only wants us to speak Hawaiian. It's a good thing, but he's really not letting us off the hook even on our first day. There's a lot of smart kids in the class and I want to learn from them. I don't understand everything our teacher says because he speaks kind of softly and quickly. But, I have to move forward. Perhaps by the end of the semester I will be able to speak only in Hawaiian. That makes me happy.

mAd PrINtEr

2009-05-06T01:47:00.000-07:00

We just thought this was funny. Normally our printer is pretty calm, but we discovered this new setting that we could use if we wanted to print something REALLY fast. We call this the mad printer mode.

uPdAtE

2009-05-06T01:36:00.000-07:00

ok...so i don't think i'm gonna do that other website thingy. At least not right now...it turned out to be more work than I'm willing to do so now I have to update you guys on what's been going on the last week or so.

Keola got an internship at Kamehameha last Wednesday which is AWESOME. He's really excited to work over there. It seems like there's a really good support system there, and he'll make some really good connections. He's gonna be working with the high school students in the counseling center over there. Here's a pic of his snazy outfit that we bought for him on Saturday from Macy's. Ok so it's not the best picture...trust me. He looked awesome in person.

We were lucky enough to meet a friend of mine who works in the men's department who hooked him up with all the right measurements and stuff which I have NO idea how to do. Gotta look your best right? I guess it worked cuz they LOVED him. I was really worried because he was gone for 3 hours. Who has an interview for 3 hours? I guess if you want to work at Kamehameha you better be prepared for a long haul. I figured he got the gig though because if you don't like someone, it shouldn't take you 3 hours to figure that out right? So in my mind, he either got the internship or he totaled the car and couldn't call to tell me. Luckily it was the former.

So tonight and tomorrow night we're staying with my parents because our house is getting fumigated. Boo. I'm so sad. We had to bag up ALL our food into these non-gas permeable bags that the pest control company gave us. Whatever didn't fight in the bags we had to put in the car and take to Mom and Dad's. Again. Boo. We'll be here until Thursday afternoon...hopefully. It may take longer to get back home which would really suck. It's the last week of school too, so we're kinda BUSY. This is like..the WORST week for our place to get fumigated. Oh well. It'll all be over soon.

cOrRecTiOn

2009-04-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ok so i realized I posted the wrong link to my iweb site which is no corrected, and in case you don't want to scroll down, it's right here: http://web.me.com/ihi.n.keola/biranobuggas/e_komo_mai.html

iWeB wEbSiTe

2009-04-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ok so I decided to do a trial period of mobileme which has some cool features I forgot about. For example, it keeps my calendars, contacts and internet bookmarks in sync with my ipod touch, my mac, and the internet...so that's another benefit of the subscription that let's me create this cool website. So I was fooling around and decided to build a website and put my blog there. Check it out here: http://web.me.com/ihi.n.keola/biranobuggas/e_komo_mai.html . I have a 2 month trial, so we'll see in the end if I decide to keep it or not.

RaNdoM mIdNiGhT tHoUgTs

2009-04-25T04:41:00.001-07:00

> So it's about 1:00am and I can't sleep because I fell asleep around
> 9:30 and then Keola woke me up when he came to bed so I'm just
> sitting here twiddling my thumbs wondering what I could do that
> might make me fall asleep. so I decided to blog from my iPod since
> I'm too lazy to lug out the computer. this entry's probably gonna be
> boring for you all because it's late and I just feel like venting
> about a few things.
>
> first of all, I have a stye! you know that ugly, swollen mosquito
> bite looking thing that you sometimes get on your eye lid? yeah. I
> could feel that my eye was a little tender this morning and it
> stayed small all day at school (luckily) but when I got home for
> some reason it just exploded. I hope it doesn't last too long. at
> least it's the weekend and I'm married so I don't have to impress
> anyone. I love being ugly and still being loved.
>
> so I'm contemplating creating my own website and moving my blog
> there. I know there aren't many of you who read this thing, but one
> of the benefits of blogger is that we're all connected online and
> can find each other. the only reason I want to move my blog is
> because a friend of mine gave me a free copy if ilife '09. If you
> don't use a mac, you're missing out on iLife's awesome features.
> It's basically a suite of software that manages all your multi-media
> stuff for example, iPhoto (manages your photo collection by events,
> places, and faces.) it actually detects faces, you put a name to the
> face and then it recognizes that person in other pictures. so if i
> wanted to find all the pictures of say...my neice Anela, I just go
> to faces and click on her face and all the pictures I tagged as her
> will appear. WONDERFUL!
>
> so anyway, iLife has another application called iWeb that allows you
> to create awesome looking websites and I really love it because it
> looks AMAZING and it's EASY. adding pics and movies is as simple a
> drag and drop. plus I don't have to be online to blog. the only
> thing is that it costs money to launch it. If you know me well, you
> know I don't like to spend money. I'm debating to see if it would be
> worth my while. The biggest perk is online storage but that's about
> it...if I really knew a lot of people were gonna look at it then
> maybe... what do you guys think?
>
> anyway, it's been fun rambling. thanks for humoring me and reading
> this far. night night sleep tight!

dRaB tO fAb

2009-04-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

If you're a poor apartment dweller like me, you live in a bland white box with blinds. Ugghhh! :( I watch too much HGTV to allow myself to live in such a dull place. Of course, we're also on a budget, so there's not a whole lot we can do to spruce the place up. The place we're living now is SOOO MUCH NICER than an any other apartment we've had in Hawai'i.

Minus the happy football player (I got this jersey for Keola on our first christmas together after we got married) this is pretty much what our first apartment looked like. It was a small matchbox of a place and boy was it GHETTO! Seriously...nowhere to go but up

Well, we moved up in the world - up to Provo, Utah to be exact, where we enjoyed such simple things like carpet, a stove and oven, a dishwasher (never had that EVER in my whole life. We didn't even know how to use it) and a living room. We thought we were living the high life in our one-bedroom apartment. Here's what it looked like on a messy day...(unfortunately that's the only picture I have of it)

Then we moved to what we affectionately call "The Cave" in Hilo. It was partially underground...sort of. Anyway, it was always dark in there because light just couldn't get in. So we were freezing our butts off for the 7 months that we lived there. Apparently I have pics of everything BUT the living room. Hmmm...

I think I took these when we moved in, but it didn't get much better than that.

Now we're in a new place closer to UHH which is EXACTLY what we wanted. The best part about this apartment (besides the fact that it has carpet again...yay!) is that we have our own washer and dryer IN our closet. Can we say heaven??? No more cashing 20s for rolls of quarters. This is bliss. However, it's still a white box with blinds (that can't be removed...grrr). So anyway, I was feeling a little depressed about our color-less situation last week and decided to add a dash of color to our ugly black walmart bookshelves by gluing fabric to the back like so:

So here it is before...obviously nothing special but Keola liked it.

So I took everything off the shelves - which made my living room a MESS, but it was a short mess because then I took this fabric:

and put it on the back of my bookshelf so it looked like this:

Then I put everything back on the shelf so it looked like this:

Then I did the whole thing to my other shelf, but you get the idea. Now every time I look at my shelves, I'm just happy. Sure Keola didn't catch my vision, but even he admits it looks better now.

bAd hAiR DaYs UPDATE

2009-03-27T21:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I FINALLY got the hair I love! My aunty (who lives in Utah) flew over for Grandma's wedding bearing gifts of my favorite hair serum which I mentioned in an earlier blog. I was so happy! As soon as I could I straightened my hair, which made it look great, but my hair had gotten too long and damaged. Time for a trim. Thus I went to my local Mastercuts

for a new 'do. After a wash and some snip snip and layering and I have have a head free of split ends and other damage. I was so excited to go home and reveal these awesome layers with my straightening iron. Here are my results:

Those of you who suffer from poofy hair syndrome can definitely understand my sheer joy at finally having a style I don't have to worry about. EEEEE!

dRiVinG tO WiNteR

2009-03-27T17:37:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday, while our family was still visiting from Grandma's wedding weekend, we decided to take a drive up to Mauna Kea. This was a PERFECT excuse to wear my winter clothes, which interestingly enough I had been missing. There is nothing MORE fun than dressing up in winter clothes. We didn't make it up to the snow because it was too high, but it was still PLENTY cold. My poor cousins were FREEZING, but I was nice and toasty thanks to our winter experiences in Utah last year.

Here's me and Aunty Melissa. Note my cute toasty jacket that Keola got me for Christmas last year. It was on sale at the Gap. He has good taste when it comes to buying me stuff.

Poor Miya smiling through the cold. The cousins kept asking me how cold it would be. I didn't really know how to explain to them how cold it would be. They sure found out on their own.

I forgot how spectacular the drive up to Mauna Kea is. Of course, this is Mauna Loa taken FROM Mauna Kea. Naturally, I didn't actually get pics of Mauna Kea....

pOp CoRn poPpIng (aTteMpt #1)

2009-03-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

Since Keola and I have been married, one of our favorite activities is just crashing on the couch with a good movie and some kettlecorn. When first got married, Costco sold these HUGE boxes of kettlecorn and we had a seemingly endless supply of the sweet treat. HOWEVER, somebody from the kettlecorn-making company decided not to sell them in bulk anymore, and lately (to our dismay) kettlecorn has become harder and harder to find. Thus last night, I went online to see if there was a way we could make kettlecorn at home. Luckily, it's pretty easy to make, although we haven't gotten the hang of it yet. So this is what we did (btw, this is OLD SCHOOL pop corn popping...it's actually super fun and WAY cheaper than buying microwave popcorn):

1) Melt some oil and butter in a pot

2) Put the kernels in, just enough to cover the bottom of the pot in one layer and start shaking the pot continuously to keep the kernels from burning.

3) Put the cover on the pot: VERY IMPORTANT. You don't want the popcorn to go flying everywhere, which it will if you don't put the cover on

4) When it starts to smell like popcorn but before the kernels start popping, sprinkle in 1/4 cup of sugar.

5) The kernels will start to pop. Keep shaking the pot continuously until you don't hear anymore popping.

6) Quickly empty the contents into a bowl, wait for it to cool and enjoy!

*Note* This didn't turn out exactly the way we planed. The kernels weren't evenly coated with sugar, and we left it on the stove just a tad too long. Tonight we'll try to add the sugar at the same time we melt the oil and butter. That way each kernel will get the sugar coating it deserves. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our homemade kettle corn and Hollywood made movie!

tRasH FasHiOn

2009-03-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

This one's for the artist formerly known as Kaili K. Auna. We totally should've got a patent. I took this pic a Big Island Candies of all places. The place was covered in weird wire mannequins with ribbons tied to them. Totally glorified junk! We could've been rich...maybe...

hOloHolo

2009-03-25T22:14:00.001-07:00

Monday and Tuesday was a TON of fun cruizin' with my awesome cousins. Check out our adventures:

Miya, Liam and Teylon in mid-air in front of Bruce's bike racks at Wailoa

We all got DUMPED on at Rainbow falls. Didn't dampen our spirits!

Sister sister in Thurston lava tube

Checking out Pele at Kilauea Iki

Riding in the car

wEdDinG WeEkEnD

2009-03-25T21:34:00.000-07:00

Wow I've been soooo lazy to blog but so much stuff has happened this weekend I figure I have a lot of material so why not? This weekend my grandma got married in Kona, so we drove down and stayed in a hotel Friday night, picked up the family flying in from Laie on Saturday morning and went to the wedding at this super nice place called the Kona Village resort for grandma's wedding. After that it was PLAY PLAY PLAY! Here are some pics of our activities:

From left to right: Grandma's brother Uncle Mel, his wife Aunty Marge, Kahea (the groom), Grandma and her sister Aunty Napua

Me and Aunty Kylie before the wedding

Hanging out with a honu

Me and Brandon in the jacuzzi

Kona sunset

bAd hAiR DaYs

2009-03-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

I have been DYING to cut and flat iron my hair for the longest time, but for some reason, my hair is thinning out so I'm scared to do anything extreme to it. I've been "natural" for several months now (pretty much ever since we left Utah because let's face it - humidity is a style killer) and there is only ONE product I trust to straighten my hair. It's called Beyond the Zone Turn up the Heat. I discovered this at Sally's in Utah. It's SUPER cheap - like $6 and it works WONDERS on my hair. Problem is, there is no Sally's in Hawaii and as far as I know, no other salons in Hawaii carry it, and if I wanted to order it online, shipping is a whopping $15!!! That totally ruins my excitement over the cheap $6 price and the Pākē in me comes out. I refuse to pay that much even to have the hair style I love. If anyone sees this in the islands, PLEASE let me know so I can pick some up and safely revert back to my sleeker self.

bAnD gEek

2009-03-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ok I'll admit it, but this is anything but geeky.

sUgAr n SpIce

2009-03-14T11:10:00.001-07:00

So all my little cousins are starting to call me aunty (a name I despise because I'm NOT actually their aunty...I'm just old). BUT I am aunty to two cutie patooties named Hi'ilei and Anela. They are the only ones who have dibbs on "Aunty"

Hi'ilei and Mommy Angel

~"um....I was not ready for that"~

~"But I'm totally read for this"~

~"Trying out my new Christmas present"~

~"Au natural"~

~so photogenic~

CeU

2009-03-13T23:52:00.000-07:00

One of the things I secretly like about geography is the music our teach plays at the beginning o class. Some of it is weird, but this Brazilian chica is a gem! I don't know if it's Brazilians, or if Portuguese is just a melodic language, but I can't get enough of it!

WoUlD u lEt YoUr dOg EaT yOuR iCe CrEaM?

2009-03-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

Well apparently some people would. Buggs and I went to Blanes for dinner tonight, and when we left we were parked right next to this lady who was sitting in her car with a ice cream cone and she had a little chihuahua sitting in the passengers' seat LICKING her ice cream. I heard once that dog's mouths are actually cleaner than humans....I don't quite agree with that...my mouth is never anywhere near my butt...or anyone else's... I only wish I could've taken a picture of this classic moment for all to see, but that would've been a little too obvious. I think the lady already saw us staring.

On a side note, today my car received a gift from the heavens that was NOT rain. It must've happened in the morning because at 1:50 pm when I got in my car to go to class, it was CAKED ON. I should've taken a picture of that too, but my immediate thought was to douse it with washer fluid because it was green and gross and right in front of me. Of course it's not raining the day some bird decides to turn my car into a toilet. YUCK!

rAiN rAiN gO aWAy

2009-03-13T02:47:00.000-07:00

So all of you Hawaii people know that we have been suffering through winter rain for quite a while now, and of course, Hilo is famous for its' rain. Sure it can look like this:

(luckily it's not THIS bad right now)

but sometimes we forget that Hilo can be GORGEOUS. Check out these pics from last summers' fun at 4miles:

~why there's a guard shack and no guard...i'll never know...~

~ turtle catching some rays~

~a picture of me taking a picture~

~sky so blue it's purple~

I guess without the rain we wouldn't appreciate the sun

iF At fIrSt u DoN't SucCeEd

2009-03-13T02:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to my blog attempt #2. I tried starting one like....a long long time ago, but it never really got off the ground. I haven't decided what I want this to be about, which means it'll be about EVERYTHING and ANYTHING relating to DA BUGGAS namely, my wonderful hubby Keola aka Buggs and me aka Buggs.

We met in Laie at BYUH (don't we all???) and got married the day before we graduated. We've now been married for 2.5 years, going on 3 and loving it. I guess you could say we're still in the honeymoon phase. We are each other's fav person to be around, and I am SUPER lucky to be able to say that I'm married to my best friend.

Right now, we are two peas in a pod living in beautiful, lush, green WET Hilo and going to UH - him for a Master's in Counseling Psych and me for Hawaiian Studies. We just moved back home after living in Utah for a little while while Keola was going to school at BYU Provo. You know that phrase "absence makes the heart grow fonder"? TOTALLY TRUE. I love Hawaiʻi and can't think of a better place to be.