Get Active!

My gosh, this is funny. And not!

Top 5 Steps to Live to 100 Years Old

5. Floss daily.

4. Find a good doctor. Ask good questions.

3. Avoid diabetes (diet and exercise!)

2. Avoid risky sexual behavior.

1. Keep blood pressure under control.

(as reported on Martha Stewart today. Wanna see your life expectancy? Go to marthastewart.com and look for the link to take the test)

A Must See

Thanks to my brother, John, for the link.

A New Addition to the Honda Family

Because we don't have ENOUGH members of our family and because we have a daughter who works at the vet clinic, we now have a foster "child" tentatively nicknamed "Pumba" (that is another story).

Waimea Christmas Parade 2007

My favorite parade EVER!!! Even though it rained! Here are pics of the fun, including Liv and Napela (w/ Kala'i and Lali...Napela takes care of Hulali when Kala'i is at work) and the Lens (Ambrosia) and Higashi (Ivan) clan!!!

"Start Spreading the News"...

I spent 8 great days in the heart of New York City, one of best trips yet! Good location, great friends AND my sister-in-law made it an unforgettable event. Surely there will be more posts to come as a trip like this begs for more photos

My main reason for going was to attend the National Council for Teachers of English Annual Convention. This is one of my all time favorite authors ever--Amy Tan!!!


This was taken on my sister-in-law's iphone. We took all our pics on our iphones. We had a grand time shopping in Soho, eating our way through restaurants, drinking our way through...GREAT CONVERSATION! What a blessing it was having her there, two of us, all the way from Hawai'i, freezing our buns off in the Big Apple.


So Michelle and I went to this great bar and restaurant, mainly to rest our tired feet (shopping can be tiresome) and get a jolt of java. My restroom visit was greeted by a "hostess" who gracefully made sure that my restroom stay was enjoyable. While she said that pictures of HER were against restaurant policy, she had no problem with me photographing the wonderful wares she had available for our use.


Michelle sent me this picture, one day AFTER I left NY. The Annual Macy's Day Parade!!! The route took it RIGHT PAST THE HOTEL my dear friend, Nani, and I stayed at. TOO BAD! We missed a great parade but were able to spend Thanksgiving with our families, a blessing all unto itself.

Happy Holidays!

More Lalipop Shots

This is what we do when her mommy is at work :-)

GO BOWS!! Oops, I mean WARRIORS!

Thanksgiving Already?

I can't believe it. Halloween was just here and now Thanksgiving is a faint memory. Since I flew in from a week's worth of frolick and fun in NYC the night before Thanksgiving, we opted to have kalua turkey for our feast. What a stroke of brilliance!!! And despite a downpouring of rain that tore up our driveway (and ruined the tarp tent the night after) everything turned out just right!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Our Fairy in Residence


Our Hula Girl Lamp

ROOM FOR RENT

Actually we are LOOKING for a room/apt to rent for Kika. Till June (hopefully no longer than that). Her current roommates are moving back to Kona in December at which time there is no way in Denmark she can afford a place of her own. I mean really...how is any young adult supposed to pay rent, car insurance, food, phone bill, STUDENT LOANS, etc., when they are just starting out? It is insane. Really, HOW DO YOU DO IT? I have no idea. I went from my parents to my husband.

H E L P!!! If you have any leads, comment here! Or a spare bedroom. She loves kids :-) and since I have her Lali-pop, she may be willing to be of service at times!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTY KEEKS!

Happy birthday, Kika! Flowers for you :-)

The Evil Praying Mantis

It started out as a beautiful day working in the garden. And we happened upon a praying mantis. Praying. So I thought I would show Hulali her very first praying mantis and get her acquainted with, you know, the garden variety of bugs (of course this was after she tried to turn one earthworm into two). Well lo and behold if that little sucker (the praying mantis, that is) didn't bite my baby. Sure, she may have been trying to turn one into two again but geez, DON'T BITE THE BABY! Rest assured, she got over it and resumed her gardening duties.

The unsuspecting baby inspecting the creepy crawly..."Hmm, what is this cute little crawling thing?"


"Let's see if I can rip it in half! O U C H!!! MMOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM! PUUUUUUNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAA!"



"That sucker bit me!"

Surfer Girl

Photo Booth

I love Mac computers. Here is a photo Kaipo and I took using Photo Booth, a built in camera (still and video) on my iMac here at work. Do you have photo booth? Do you iChat? If so, let's chat!!! I am kamanu@mac.com (I THINK!).

More of Kaipo!

ALOHA WEEK 2007

Today was the Waimea Aloha Week Parade. I love a parade and this one was no exception, EXCEPT that THIS one had our one and only Kajla in a private mounted unit! Yes, our high schooler is branching out, joining Veterinary Associates on Mana Road in a unit representing Princess Ka'iulani. Good news...they won FIRST PLACE for a private mounted unit!!!!! Thanks go out to Aunty Lisa (a.k.a. Dr. Wood) and all the gang at V.A. and my good friends Nani and Scott for helping with lei! It was fun and Kaipo did GREAT!

Signs of Aging?

In my more mature years I find myself going for smaller purses, not wanting to lug around the bulk. I have been making do/due with a great small Coach bag that has short handles, just enough to sling up on my shoulder and it sits right below my pits. Or I just hold it in my hand. But even that is tiresome. So I bought a small black bag that has a long shoulder strap that I can just put around my neck, one arm and not even worry about "carrying", per se.
On the drive home, however, I started thinking that I remember having a very similar black bag once before. Long shoulder strap, kind of small, fold over front. Today I dug through the rubble of my closet and lo and behold, there it was. Yet another Coach. Black. Long strap. Almost exactly like the one I just bought. Damn. Elated that I would get my money back. Sad that I couldn't remember I already had one. The story goes on...
So I fish the bag out from my basket of bags and it's a bit heavy. There's something in it. Oh!! It's the camera that has been lost since Kaipo returned from her Moloka'i fieldtrip in 8th grade! MONTHS AGO! Last school year! And she has been guilt ridden ever since, me ANd her thinking she misplaced it. Once a gain, elated, this time that I now have my camera back and sad that I was the one that misplaced it all these months.
My mind is going. My body is gone. Thank goodness I have my humor! And Hulali!!! :-)

Welcome Home, Hulali!!!

Kala'i and Hulali have moved in!!! Just a temporary thing in an effort to save some money to buy property. Today's the first day and we wanted to capture the moments on camera. Here's a sneak peak at life at the Hondarosa Ranch!

Hulali exercising with her Puna!


Yum-o! Puna's fruit smoothies are 'ono!


Check out the size of this kalo from one of my poifriends! hmmm...poi smoothies coming up?


Oh-oh...Tigger's on the lookout! This house isn't safe for him anymore!

Weekend Photos--ala iPhone

Just wanted to share with you the quality of photos from my iPhone. And here are the pluses and minuses of the camera component of the iPhone:
+great pictures in a flash
-no flash
+downloads to iphoto when you plug it into your computer
-can't send photos via text message mode on phone.
+you can email them straight from your phone
-no zoom (at least I dont think you can)
+it's an iPhone :-)

Classic Moment at Hilo Airport

This spotted at Hilo Airport (gives credence to the unique features of our neighbor islands): three construction workers (although you can only see the body of one since the other two are sitting inside (if you look carefully you might see their faces on the tv screen that they DID NOT KNOW was on the outside of the booth allowing all viewers to see exactly what they were doing in there...) taking photos while waiting for their Honolulu flight.

Moment of Fame

All this talk about Hurrican Flossie has gotten the Deputy Chief his moment of fame, as evidenced by the pic which appeared in today's Star Bulletin.

What's A Woman to Do?

A.K.A. Big Island vs. Hurricane Flossie

Just got the call here at home (yes, at home...we got the day off!). No school tomorrow! WOW! Now that's hard core. And I suppose that's preparedness. There is some concern that some students will have difficulty coming to school because of the unforeseen weather so the school is taking a proactive decision, being safe rather than sorry.

That's some SMART leaders!!!!

One to Go

It's been a productive puppy selling day. Everyone says, "It must be so hard to get rid of them." Yes. and No. Yes, because they are so darn cute. No because it is quite the chore to care for lots of puppies. Heck, it's hard to care for ONE puppy. Thank goodness I had lots of help from Glen and Kaipo. Before they start eating puppy food it isn't too bad but by 4 weeks you have to start weaning them. It's at that point the mom stops cleaning up after them. So it's pee and poop ALL over. and they always want to poop and then back up into it and go sliding in someone else's poop. I know. It's not pretty. Try going in their box to grab the newspaper covered in pee and poop and have the munchkins come racing towards you nibbling on your crocs, jumping on your leg (and you just KNOW their paws have been stepping in pee and poop) and wanting to play while all you wanna do is get their pen clean just so they can pee and poop. Again. That has been my life for the past few weeks.
All I do is hope that the new owners will never tie them up. Will shower them with the love they crave and deserve. Will care for them like I care for mine. Will love them even when they wander into the next pasture and drag home a stinkie turkey carcass. Or find rotten eggs from who knows what kind of nest and consume them. The breath is horrendous. Or walk through the garden stepping right on top of the new plants. Or bark at 3 am to get out of the kennel to run. Despite all the room in the kennel.
I love my dogs. Am I going to miss the puppies? Yes. A resounding yes. It was a great experience. I shan't experience it again for a few years (famous last words). Many lessons learned.

One male puppy left...going once, going twice...

Too Cute to Not Post

It seems as if they are getting cuter and cuter by the day...four left and counting. We will be transporting at least one to O'ahu on Saturday...any other buyers out there?????

Buh Bye Puppies!

Yesterday, we took one puppy into Hilo to his new owner, then this fine couple drove all the way from Kona to choose a male puppy. One female is headed for O'ahu soon. Four to go! The mommy and daddy are going to be relieved once they have their freedom back! They had a chance to relax in the yard today since it is SUCH a beautiful day.
iphone, are you ready for me?

The Secret Life of Bees

Just finished reading this fine book by Sue Monk Kidd (also author of The Mermaid Chair) thanks to my good friend Kathy Wurdeman who lent me her copy. The Secret Life of Bees is about 14 year old Lily Owen, raised on a peach farm and neglected by her father. She ends up running away (after a bout with the law) and finds solace at the home of three black women, one who is a beekeeper. The author is gifted in her way with words and in interweaving the life of bees with the life of humankind. This quick read is a must for all my g-friends out there!

Five Weeks and Counting

Tomorrow marks the official 5 week old date. One more week until the sale begins! I'm going to miss them (if anyone even wants to buy them) but I know that we will find good homes for them. No-no to the "tie them up all day long" families. These dogs are meant for good lovin' and lots of walks, toys to play with and plenty of play with people time.

Puppy Update - Officially Brats

The puppies, now 23 days old, are officially BRATS. They have mastered the art of climbing out of their box, thus Glen is outside at this moment fashioning more wood pieces to increase the height of their box. I have visions of them climbing out and falling from the patio (their new home, moved out from the garage) onto the grass to meet their match with Kalena's much bigger puppy roaming the premises.

When their mommy is eating they proceed to yelp and cry and climb and whine until she gives them the proper attention they think they deserve. Never mind that she endures their SUCKING like mad babies on her titties (?) til they milk her dry. Three more weeks and they are OUT OF HERE!

And I am going to miss them terribly. They are funny, loving, cute, and everything a puppy is...