aloha every day

aloha every day

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Mis cosas favoritas

Oh glorious day!
Thoughts freely flowing,
Candle scent evoking a myriad of memories,
Espresso buzzing through my veins,
Inspired to share some of my favorite things!

Let's start with the candle burning by my side:
My favorite scent is Coconut Milk
It smells of every good thing in Hawaii...creamy and wonderful!

Well-made stationary.  My current favorite comes from Eggpress in Portland, OR
http://eggpress.com/ 
I just picked these up from a quaint store in Encinitas:


I'm not one to collect body products (or much else for that matter), and I typically buy the most cost-efficient product (keeping in mind quality and environmental effects).
However, I do enjoy a few nice lotions:
1- Maile Mango
2- Lanikai Bath and Body, Gardenia Body Butter

Next up?
COFFEE
Bird Rock Coffee Roasters...heaven on earth.

The Damnwells- Easily my favorite music of the moment

 
The ocean- Not a material possession, but a favorite, nonetheless
 

My Guitar


And with that, I leave you with this:
Any so-called material thing that you want is merely a symbol: you want it not for itself, but because it will content your spirit for the moment.

- Mark Twain (1835-1910)

Forced Family Time

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.  ~Jane Howard


I am up early this morning reflecting on the events of the last few days and mostly on FAMILY.
What events, you say?
Thursday.  I had invited Mom up to Encinitas (I work about 30 minutes from where we live) to have dinner with me after work.  Nick had an open house at his new, fabulous school and because we drive one car to work (woot!), I had oodles of time to spare.  Hence my invite to mom.
We had the makings of a brilliant evening...lots of time, beautiful weather, the beach nearby, a good friend to meet up with, a town we had not yet explored together...

Cue power outage.

We figured it was local...a few blocks at most.  There was some traffic, but nothing that would sideline our plans. As plans normally go, though, Plan B was initiated.
We didn't have much gas in the car, but we decided to pick up our friend and go to dinner anyway.  Restaurants weren't open by the ocean, but Subway was.  Hahaha.  I'm not a fan of fast food, but I can handle Subway once in a while.
So we took our Subway to the beach as the sun sunk towards the horizon.  The power would be on again soon, right?  We could gas up and head home in a few hours.
Plan B had become more enchanting than Plan A ever had the potential to be...

Cue news that power outage stretched from Arizona, to Mexico, to Orange County.
Oh.
This is going to take a while.
People are becoming increasingly hysterical.  What is it about sudden change that encourages nonsensical behavior?  Rumors were swirling...terrorist attack...booms under the ocean...3-5 days without power...
Resilience, America.  We can do it.  Try again next time.

Cue Plan C.

What does this all have to do with reflections on family?  Hold tight.  I'll get there.
In my typically over-concerned brain, I decided we had better leave before sunset to try to catch Nick before he left school.  We could ride home with him and leave the gasless car in Encinitas.
Pulling into Nick's school, we saw the other car still in the parking lot.  Phew.  He's still there.
Only he wasn't.  Hahaha.
After the Open House he had gone to hang with the other teachers at a nearby house to wait out the traffic jam, says the Dean who was locking up the building.
Okay.

Cue Plan D.

Dean calls Nick...no answer.  Dean texts Nick....no answer.  Nick's phone doesn't get service either...Oh.  Dean calls and texts people who may be with Nick...no answer.  Dean needs to go...needs to get home to his family.

Cue Plan E.

Revert to the 1980's...no cell phones, no internet.  We write a note and leave it on Nick's car.  Coasting on fumes back to our friend's apartment, we hope Nick will get the note and come to our rescue.  Until then, it's martinis and candles on the lanai, and great company! 
About an hour later, Nick came.  The sun had set, car had plenty of gas, and we were exhausted.
Now imagine three full-grown adults in a 2-seater Mazda Miata driving the California freeways...hahaha.
We made it home to find Kev and Brandon safe and sound, surrounded by candles and board games.
Power was restored around midnight and we found out that there was no terrorist attack...only a mistake made by a worker at the power plant.  Forgiven.
What a night!

So...what does this ALL have to do with FAMILY?
Well, for one, thank God mom decided to join me for dinner.  Had she not, Nick and I would have only had the gasless car.  We are so thankful to be living close to family, not only for resources like cars with gas, but also to have people with whom to share our life.
In the past few months, we have shared laughs, tears, moves, dinners, baseball games, important decisions, parties, engagements, new jobs, etc, etc.
It is much more meaningful to share in these moments than it is to recount them over the phone.

We have said it every day.  There is nothing like having family around.



The day after the blackout, the news reported that families had "forced family time" and that they didn't have access to their "devices"...you know, Blackberries, Ipads, Computers...
They continued to say that people reportedly enjoyed this forced family time.
Wow.
Really?
They enjoyed looking each other in the eye?
They enjoyed talking to each other?
They enjoyed playing games that didn't require electricity?

Our society, and specifically our family structure (on the majority) is increasingly complex anymore.
We are fueled by these "devices".  We wake up early, only to check-out of consciousness and check-in online.
Meanwhile, our children are following that model, yet still require the attention that any child needs to be balanced and appropriately nourished.
Attention in the form of computerized, non-social interaction replaces social skills and positive social reinforcement.  Our children go to school without social skills...and the domino effect continues.  I could write on this topic forever because I see it every day.  If you don't know what I speak of, volunteer for a day on the playground at an elementary school.

It is unfortunate that it took a widespread power outage for the realization of "forced family time" to occur.
Why isn't this family time forced by choice, instead?



Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family.  Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.  ~Paul Pearshall


Perhaps this post is long enough.
Enough, already!
Uncle!
I'm off to have some forced family time.  Only, it's my choice to force it, not a position I've found myself in unwillingly. 
I pray the same for my family and yours, current and future.

'Ohana means family - no one gets left behind, and no one is ever forgotten.  ~Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, Lilo & Stitch

Saturday, September 3, 2011

A Few Hawai'ian Memories on a Lovely Saturday Morning in San Diego

I've been very sentimental the last 24 hours or so...
Remembering my home of the last 6 years.
Thought I'd blog about it...
usually feel more "at peace" post-blogging
:)

This pic was taken of my brothers and me by KT the night before my wedding.  Sitting by the beach in the evening as the sun sets is the best time for reflection.
Today is actually KT's wedding day!   Had I been in Hawaii, it would have been difficult to share this day with her.  Although I miss Hawaii like a drought misses the rain, I am very thankful to be closer to friends and family...especially on days like today.

 Hanalei Town Center.  One of my favorite places to be...especially on a rainy day.  There is a smell in Hawaii when it rains...must, flowers, old dirt, ocean...there's nothing like it.

 One of my favorite bloggers just moved to Kauai.  She moved there as I was moving away, and I am so thankful to have her stories and pictures to connect me to the place that I love so dearly. 

 We used to love when mom would come to visit.  We always acted like tourists and ran around to the touristy sites.

I love this picture of Kauai.  Inside the Hanalei Town Center there is a big wooden hanging-thing.  I love the wood-work in Hawaii.  It feels ancient, historic, real.  In fact, the woodwork in Hawaii was the inspiration behind our wooden wedding rings

Our favorite restaurant in downtown Honolulu- Du Vin
Feels like a European cafe...and looks like one, too!

 Gardenias!  The ultimate "Lindsay" experience!  The creamy smell, the creamy feel, the creamy color...oh, how I love the creaminess of it all! 

 One of my favorite hikes: Makapu'u Lighthouse...with one of my favorite people: My little brother.  He and I have so many wonderful memories on the island together.  He is my ultimate adventure partner.

I love the music of Keali'i Reichel.  One of his songs is reminiscent of this view:
Puana `ia ke aloha
Ku`u lei aloha mae `ole
Pili hemo `ole,
Pili pa`a pono
Ke pono ho`i käua
E Kawaipunahele 
 
Although this is not Wailuku, I relate to the line: "Never separated, firmly united, When it's right, We'll go back...O Kawaipunahele"

Brandon and Nick's favorite beach: Waimea bay.  Once, Nick was snorkeling here and found the most BEAUTIFUL shell.  Usually, we wouldn't think of taking the shell from the water (read our thoughts on this here), but this shell felt like a Gift from the Sea.  We made sure that it was abandoned, and then claimed the gift.

 
Jack Johnson!  Although he RARELY played concerts in Hawai'i (how funny, right?), when he did, it was incredible!  I love acoustic music, and his is awesome!
(I've somehow lost my picture of him)

My drive to work.  Over the Pali highway I would go.  Through the tunnels, stricken by the sunrise as it crested the Mokulua Islands.  Fog clinging the to Kailua marsh...it was breathtaking. Every morning.  Ahhh.


As I move forward in my new home, knowing that I'll be making a million new memories and loving tons of new places, I am ever-slowly finding peace in letting go of Hawai'i.  It's going to take some time to cut the cord...Hawai'i has been in my heart for most of my life.  Not the Hawai'i of the tour books, but the Hawai'i that chants through my pictures and my memories...
Aloha `oe, aloha `oe
E ke onaona noho i ka lipo
One fond embrace,
A ho`i a`e au
Until we meet again
aloha.