Reflections (of a 30 year old!!!)

Oh man... June 17th finally came. While I always look forward to my birthday (breakfast in bed!), I was mentally dragging my feet this year. Until today, I spent the last ten years in my 20's. Man, the 20's were good to me!

Today I'm 30. I don't feel 30--does one ever?

It's been a beautiful day so far. Little B was happy to go to daycare and Timmy and I were happy to hit the waves together (at last). I have a few stolen moments right now before my love and I hit up Target sans baby. :)

I have just a few thoughts on turning 30 (today!!!).  Wanna hear them?! Tell me if you can relate:

• It feels like ripping off the band aid--the anticipation was worse that actually doing it.
• I had my major crisis of age when I was a quarter of a century--so I'm done with that!
• Mark Twain said it best: "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
• I'm so grateful for all the joy and love in my life (thank you, Jesus). An unknown author said this: "Do not regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many."
• Anybody a fan of the poet, Robert Browning? He said: "Grow old with me! The best is yet to be." I feel this way! 

Thank you to all the dear ones in my life. I've been blessed to have journeyed through an incredible God-given first 30 years. Now I'm stoked to watch Blakely grow up, grow "older" ;) with Timmy, continue loving my family and friends, and know my Jesus more.

The best is yet to be.   

The City of Volcano

I started two new communication classes with University of Phoenix this week. Somehow I stay busier than I mean to! It's still such a blessing that it's summer. B is under the weather again, but I'm glad to be home to cuddle her even when she's feisty.

On an even more trivial note, Tim and I have been watching Mad Men on Netflix. Do any of you watch Mad Men? We LOVE it. I'm always drawn to other time periods (in this case, the early 1960s).

Okay, before I take off for a trip to the Post Office (it's almost Father's Day), Target, and Tim's softball game, I wanted to share just a few more Big Island photos.

On our way to Volcano, we stopped at this fun black sand beach!

Blakely doesn't discriminate--she's a lover of all sandy beaches!

Unfortunately, we didn't see any lava--which often times flows slowly and visibly. We did see the awesome steam vents going off! The city of Volcano--known for well, the volcano...is pretty breathtaking.

The Volcano National Park--located in Volcano, HI (naturally)--has hikes through lava tubes! Tim and his nat-geo-lovin-self ate up these striking paths.

Volcano also has it's on winery and vineyard!

I know, this looks like a duplicate from our coffee-tasting day. This time we toured the Volcano grape vineyard right next to the volcano itself.

Just past Volcano, in Hilo, we took Blakely on her first trip to the zoo. Naturally, she slept through it. :)

Check out this drive! It's a narrow, winding road through Mango Trees! <3

After our day in Volcano (and Hilo), we drove around Puna and played in this hot pond (heated by the volcano).

These Kapoho tidepools are laced with lava rock and teeming with sea life.

Seriously! Come to Oahu. Then to Big Island we go!

Happy just-about-summer-vacation to all my friends and ohana on the Mainland!

Yummmm....Coffee... :)

Hi There,

Happy Sunday! I love Sundays. Mostly because I love going to church and I love spending time with my family. Currently, I'm working on setting up two new online classrooms for University of Phoenix while my love bbqs up some turkey burgers. Miss B is doing her dinosaur walk around the house--mostly chasing the dogs!

Anyway, I hit some technical issues with what I was doing for work, so I decided to take a quick break and share some blog love!

How's your weekend been?

This morning Tim made our Kona peaberry coffee first thing and brought me a hot mug of coffee with skim milk while I read up on The Bachelorette in my People magazine! Oh...the little things! (btw--yikes! Did you see The Bachelorette last Monday? Bentley? Oh my.)

Last weekend we went coffee tasting! Fun, right? We went to at least five different coffee plantations in Kona and took a few tours! We tasted ah-mazing coffee at each stop! Here are some fun pics!



As mentioned in the sign above, this coffee plantation grows their coffee beans like they would wine grapes--it's trellis grown. This is done to give the branches and beans maximum exposure to the elements! We went Father's Day shopping here--don't tell our dads ;).



Did you know that you can't just roast a green bean straight from the branch? Coffee beans are peeled back--several layers to get to the actual green bean that can be roast. Did you know that you can buy green beans and roast them at home? All the peeling of outer layers is previously done.

This was our second stop of the morning and my favorite coffee farm!

Can you think of a better way to get your morning cup? They even have reserve blends available to sample. The reserve blends are usually the best beans from only their farm.

I gave her my cup. She really wanted it. It was pretty much empty. I swear! :) I can't help it if she's a little coffee drinker in the making. She's her mother's daughter. :)

Every couple of years the coffee trees are stumped and they start fresh. Interesting, right? You probably know that a typical coffee bean has one rounded side and one flat side. That's because 95% of coffee beans split into two within a pod. However, the peaberries don't split. They are the 5% of "special" beans that have a smoother, bolder flavor because the entire bean stays rounded. Yum! Have you tired peaberry? 

I hope you enjoyed my brief virtual Kona coffee tour. They say the beans are extra special because of the volcanic soil. I believe them! Why not?! :) My morning cup today was pretty fabulous!

Here's to a virtual coffee date. Love to you!

Reorganizing {My favorite Summer-time project}

With my few days set aside for re-organizing...I've been doing the following...

• Changing Blakely's nursery from perfect-for-a-new-mom into perfect-for-a-new-walker (where everything fun and plush in within arm's reach).

• Going through my under-bed boxes--yikes those are crammed--I apparently kept every handbag since 1998. How do you part with the perfect-purse-for-the-season when each one brings back a distinct memory?
• Finding new homes for my scarves and mittens (the attic seems appropriate here). Again, if I didn't find sentimental value in each scarf, I'd part with 'em. I've got lots of newborn and maternity clothes boxed up for the attic (more appropriately, the tiny-newly-discovered crawl space) too--finally!

• Rediscovering my dogs' clothes! Wow...I forgot how trendy my dogs used to be! Peacoat, Irie, here we come!

• Jamming--I just found a CD entitled (in Yas's writing) Katie's Music for Bachelorette Limo. Hey! Not only is it on-point for a limo full of girls, but it's just right for deep cleaning!
• Filing till my death! Man, is it just me or does anyone else feel compelled to re-do their files every few years? And, yes, I totally left the 80's Time Life infomercial on by choice!



• Stripping my cloth diapers!!! If you use cloth, you probably know what I mean...after a solid year plus--my cloth diapers needed some TLC. This what I did to remedy the situation: wash diapers per usual, boil hot water in my biggest pot, boil diapers 4-5 at a time for 5-10 minutes, machine rinse in apple cider vinegar, machine wash with very little Rockin' Green soap and very little Borax, rinse one more time with nothing. It did the trick--we are back in cloth diaper business!

 What's left?

• Well, I designate baskets for Tim--for dumping his pockets and finding homes for his trinkets ;). It's time for someone to go through those now-overflowing baskets--and I'm thinking it's not on Tim's list... :)
• Wrapping! I carved out some space under my bed so that I can reorganize gift bags, wrapping paper, ribbon, and tissue paper. I have no complaints about living in Hawaii--but if you've seen my house (or if you live on island too), then you know that space and storage is hard to come by!

While I work-away--here's what little miss is doing. Did you also have a Fisher Price record player as a kid? I did! :) I'm glad Blakely has one too!



Are you also Spring cleaning or doing any Summer-time reorganizing? Any tips for me?! Good luck to you--whether you are working or relaxing! XOXO

Happy National Best Friends Day

Who knew?! Today is National Best Friends Day! Well, hey, why not celebrate! Here are just a few pics--my way of raising my glass to my besties (of course--not all dear friends are pictured...it's just a sampling.) :)

I've been so richly blessed by having the dearest of girlfriends throughout my life! Some are old and some are new...some cruise Oahu with me and others visit with me in Ptown. But no matter, I praise God for these girls and so many more...

Some quotes and verses:

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad. ~Arnold H. Glasgow

A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails. ~Donna Roberts (this one is for you, Em)

Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~Author Unknown (Yas--our daily phone dates...what what...)

A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out. ~Grace Pulpit

The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had. ~Author Unknown (Hey--TCG--it's like a pile)

I like her because she smiles at me and means it. ~Anonymous

Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." ~A.A. Milne

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. ~Oprah Winfrey

Friends are relatives you make for yourself. ~Eustache Deschamps

You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job. ~Laurence J. Peter

The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart. ~Elisabeth Foley (Chellie--talk about my longest-time friend--I love that we are still together!)

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship. ~William Blake

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Better is open rebuke

than hidden love.

Wounds from a friend can be trusted,

but an enemy multiplies kisses."

Proverbs 27:5-6 New American Standard

"Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 New King James Version

"After David had finished talking with Saul,

Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself."

1 Sam 18:1 New International Version

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep."

Rom 12:15 New King James Version

Happy day to you! Love on your friends today!

 

Why Can't We Be Friends?

Happy Wednesday--Mid Week--already!

I think you might get a kick out of this...

Blakes soooooooo wants to break into the little-dog-clique. Life is hard. ;)

And on another note, Blakely wants to say

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE RICKY!!!

We all love Ricker so very much. We hope you have a blessed day, Rick! We are so proud of you for graduating with your engineering degree. Keep rockin'. Aloha!

Love to you all, my friends!