Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Hi Mama,

How are you today?  I'm so lazy today, but I did manage to get the kitchen cleaned, do a few load of laundry & vacuumed.  So it's not THAT lazy & at least I can say that I did something. 

I can't believe how fast the month flew by.  May is always hectic for halau & everything else as the kids are ending the school year too.  I need to find something for Nunu during the summer, whether it be summer school or the theater camp again.  She wants to go back to Boys & Girls Club, but it's just too expensive for us to keep her going all summer long. 

In a few weeks is Relay For Life again.  I'm sad that you won't be there with us.  But I fully intend on being there by 6pm to support the survivors & then the girls & I signed up to walk from 8-9pm & then again at 9am on Saturday.  I'm not sure what other times to sign up for on Saturday.  I wanted to give everyone a chance to sign up before I sign for more spots.  I registered for our team yesterday & am hoping to send out emails to all of our friends & family this week to raise money.  I know how much you enjoyed this event.

Well, I just wanted to stop in & let you know that I was thinking of you today...as I do everyday.

I love you.

**For those that come by & still read Mom's blog, Mahalo for doing so.  I see the numbers on the counter at the top right go up every week, so I know that there's still some that come by.  If you are interested in donating to our Relay team this year, please do so either HERE at our team page or HERE at my personal page.  Mahalo!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Dear Mama,

How you doing today? Anything exciting? Not much going on over here, just relaxing & recovering from our long day on Friday. (yes, it was 2 days ago & i'm still recovering! :))

On Friday was the 6th Annual Sounds of Hawaii concert at Green River. This year featured Augie T, Teresa Bright & Sean Na'auao. We had to be at the school at 2pm, we got our areas ready, had potluck & at 5pm, we began getting ready. Here we are all ready to go on stage....


I think we had a great show. We did all kahiko for our segment & of course had changes for each song. The changes were SO FAST. There was a point where Alaka'i was on stage & Uncle kahea'd "HA'INA" & he heard me say "OH S*#T!" from behind the curtain. OOPS! :) Earlier in the week, Uncle taught us to sign "Go My Son" while he sang. We ended our show with that. I got emotional during that part...just thinking about you not being there as you always are. After we were done with our segment, we danced Nani Kaua'i with Teresa Bright & Puamohala danced He Aloha No O Honolulu. During Sean Na'auao's part of the concert, he ended up singing Ka Pilina & Okekai got up to dance....



We ended the evening with dinner & dessert at Shari's & got home around 3am. It was a long day & night, but so much fun as always!!

Yesterday was such a lazy day & today is the same. However this evening we're going to Kapua's house for dinner. They've been gone all week in Disneyland!! Look how cute...


Anyway...i miss you....everything about you. I hope that you are thinking of me & missing me too. I always like to go back & look on this day last year....

So on this day, May 23, 2009, I was in Chicago & in the morning, you sent this picture to my cell phone...


i love you....

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Dear Mama,

How are you today? Anything exciting? Today, we're going to be driving out to Everett to meet up with the car club friends. I'm so excited to see them all. I believe it's the first time that they'll be meeting Ry. Poor thing is over a year & is only meeting these friends for the first time. She needs to get out more. :)

The past few days i've been reflecting a lot on what's happened in the past. The other day, I went digging on my blog to see what date last year was the Green River show. And found that on the day that I looked, May 12th...was the day that Marcel got into that accident at work, which put him out for 8 weeks. Ugh. I remember that. Turns out that on today's date last year, was the Green River performance. And immediately, I am taken back to you dancing "Waikiki."

I remember taking pictures from upstairs & tearing up as I watched you dance. I also remember being upset that you were even going to dance. Your breathing was not top notch & you would get winded even when walking up a set of stairs, so the thought of you dancing a full song made me nervous. But as always...you didn't let it stop you & you got up there & graced the stage as if nothing in the world mattered but that moment.

I'm working on that. On living in the moment.

Lately, I've been wanting to sit, gather my thoughts & write down the last day post that I've been meaning to finish up. I sometimes write & then stop & write again. I just want it to be accurate. And I want to write EVERYTHING about that day. It may not be relevent, but I remember the day SO well.

Anyway, I just wanted to write & let you know that I love you. And have been thinking of you alot lately. I miss you, your presence, your calls...even the silent moments when you would just sit & observe what was going on. I was watching you...taking it all in.

I love you.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Dear Mama,

We're baaaaaaaaaaack!! From Vegas that is. We had a good time, but Ry was sick or crybaby pretty much the entire time we were there. It was exhausting. I so badly wanted to just be with everybody, but it seemed like Ry was only content when we were walking around or when she could crawl around, which I only let her do in the hotel room. She wasn't feeling well either, just coughing a lot & ended up with a fever on Friday night. Looking back, I wished that I had bought my sister inlaw a ticket to come with us so that she could watch Ry for a few hours here & there, while I went to spend time with the family....even if it meant sitting at a machine for a few hours. I did manage to play here & there when Ry went down for a nap. I didn't win at all when I did play & lost a total of $160.00. Not bad really. But I came home with a new Coach purse & matching wristlet. That was fun!

When we arrived in Vegas, I planned on having a limo take us to the hotel as a surprise for Nunu. She LOVED it & was so shocked. When we finally got to the hotel, I saw Auntie Day & hugged her & started to cry.....she looks so much like you. After we checked in, I went to see Candice & cried with her too. I just miss everybody & wanted to see them so bad. That night we all met for dinner at the buffet.

On the 2nd day, we met for breakfast, went shopping at the outlet & then had the reunion dinner. Only 40-something of the family could make this trip, but it was still a fun time. We won a blanket in the silent auction & the food was ono. Right after dinner, a few people were presented with gifts & Gram was given a quilt that had everyone's last name on each square & the top square was of Tutu's house in Punalu'u. It was SOOOOO nice. When Gram opened it up, the dj played "The Prayer".....i cried. How fitting to have a song that reminds me of you....even if no one else knows. Later, after the silent auction was done, the dj played a few familiar songs that got me teary eyed too....which is funny, because it was "The Electric Slide" & "Cupid Shuffle." Typically songs that don't make people cry. But everyone knows that "The Electric Slide" was always your song & then I started to laugh about "The Cupid Shuffle" from Susan's wedding in Silverdale, when you & Uncle laughed about the foot work to that dance....

"kaholoholo....kaholoholo.....hela-hela-hela-hela......ami-ami-ami-ami" & then laughing up a storm about it.

That night, Dad & I took the kids to go look at the lights on Fremont. After the small show on the roof was done, it seemed to get more crowded with more drunkee's & I wasn't feeling to comfortable, so we went back to the hotel.

On Saturday, we all went to breakfast at the Golden Gate & then Auntie Day, Candice, Owen took Nunu & Kellan to New York, New York, M&M World, Coca-Cola & Gameworks & then to Claim Jumpers. I stayed back with Ry because she had a fever the night before & I wasn't sure how she'd hold up. We lazied around the hotel room ALL day. We only came out to eat some food, get something to drink & then went back to take a nap again.

On Sunday, was Mothers Day. We met at Aloha Specialties for breakfast & had planned to go to the M for early buffet dinner. When we got there, it was a 3 hour wait!! So we left, went back to Mainstreet & ate at their buffet. It was good!

Then on Monday, we came home.

Overall it was a good trip, but I wish that I had more time to spend with everyone. That & I wish that Ry wasn't sick, could walk (so that she could be let down & walk around) & that Nunu listened more. I know that I was hard on her, but maybe I just expect too much from her.

Anyway, I'll leave you with this picture of us on Mothers Day....i love you & miss you!

Happy Mothers Day!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Dear Mama,

Guess what today is?  We leave for Vegas today!!  For the reunion!!  I'm so excited, I can hardly contain myself.  Just to be around Gram, Auntie Day, Auntie Ray & Candice them....SO EXCITED!  And to even spend Mothers Day with them means the world to me.  I just want to be with them...doing anything, even if it means spending a few hours at the machines. LOL  I'll gamble for you ok.  Even though I'm not too good.

The week has flown by & I'm so glad to be getting out of town.  I'm excited to take the girls to Vegas & even if I can't gamble much, it'll be fun to take night strolls down the old strip & look at the lights & people watch.

I look forward to coming back & putting up some pictures.

Love you.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Dear Mom,

Are you proud?  I think yesterday's Mai Kahiki Mai went GREAT!!  Everything came together so beautifully & I really don't think there was many bumps throughout the day.  When I last counted the pre-sale tickets on Friday, we were just below 300 people.  I'm not sure how many came to the door, but we had a great crowd & it seems as though everyone had a great time & enjoyed everything.

Nunu sang so great for her first song.  Just before she went on stage, she started to cry & said that her stomach was sore.  I told her that she needed to wipe her face & get it together because she was going on stage already.  I wiped her eyes, adjusted her top, grabbed her hand & we walked over to the side of the stage to wait for Uncle to give her "the look."  When he looked over, he threw his head back & got teary.  He called her over & out she went.  Her first song was Pauoa Liko Ka Lehua & she even played her ukulele while she sang.  She did SO good.  Just before her second song, Uncle talked about how she was the first halau baby & that she didn't come alone...how Makana was born just a few months later & then called Makana out to dance.  He mentioned that he decided to "team them up"...it was funny.  So Makana danced to Ka Ua Nei while Nunu sang.  I was such a cry baby....i'm sure you were too. 

It's crazy to see how much they've grown up.  It's actually quite scary.

I hope to get a video of it soon, so that I can put it on here, along with a few other songs from the evening. 

I didn't take many pictures yesterday, as most of my time was consumed by decorations.  Here is the stage all ready to go...

I hope we did you proud yesterday.  Thank you for all of the notes that you left us, so that we could make sure that all went smoothly.

Love you.