Blakely's First Surf Video

It's definitely our goal to teach Blakers how to surf as soon as possible! Here's the progress thus far!

Happy Sunday!!


*Song by my favorite Maui artist, Anuhea.

Life, till my work is done

Happy Labor Day,

I hope you all, my family and friends, had a chance to rest, relax, and refresh!

I like this:
God give me work, till my life shall end
And life, till my work is done.
~Epitaph of Winifred Holtby

It's all about making a life, isn't it? Thank you, Jesus!

One of the shared qualities of my ohana here in Hawaii is that we all like to work hard (whatever our life's work may be) and play hard!

This seems like a fitting time to share our ever-so-serious and always goofy Tandemonium pics from last month!

Cheesecake, My Girls, and a Doctor

It's almost 3:00 in the afternoon.

Creamy cheese cake is my late lunch of choice today. Mostly because I can. Every once in awhile I feel the urge to rebel. Nothing big. But, something. Today, it's cheese cake for lunch!

I haven't been to my blog in soooo long. I've missed this slice of cyber-space. Aloha!

I'm grateful for the technology that invites me to keep in touch with you all, my loved ones, via this blog. But, I'm always thrilled when we get to be face-to-face rather than face-to-computer.

My dear friend Amber just journeyed back to her home in Okinawa, but what fun it was to have her and her ohana in such close space! And, right now, Tim and I are blessed to have a couple more Washingtonians with us currently (hence, the little--to none--blogging I've been doing lately... :)).

Amber... we loved our time with you!
My Hawaii Girls... I love each of you!



Last night I was blessed to listen to the dynamic speaker and Christian Success Coach, Dr. Dave Martin. He walked on stage joking about the discomfort of his skinny jeans and the description of himself being a cross between Joel Osteen and Larry the Cable Guy. Dr. Dave Martin was refreshing and hysterical from the start.

If you have the chance, check him out at davemartin.org; you'll love him.

Some of his specific lines are still reverberating within me today. I wanted to share.

He encouraged us to, "stop making a living and start making a life."

He cheered us on with. "the rest of your life is the best of your life."

He reminded us that the bible says, "this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."

Cleverly, and intentionally, the scripture doesn't read that yesterday was the day and hopefully I rejoiced. It also doesn't say that tomorrow is the day and I will plan to rejoice. No, clearly--today is the day! The current. The present. The now.

What's done is done and we don't have any guarantees for tomorrow. We can't let Satan rob us of our joy. Today is our day! Be glad! I know I am!

And, if you want, check out this clip (below) I found of Dr. Dave Martin on YouTube. It's not from last night, but it's a brief three minutes of inspiration and humor!

Aloha! I'll be back soon. I still want to share the goofiness and intensity from Tandemonium 2011.

Cheers to gladness!

30, 60, 90 (today is 60)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Papa!

Yup. Today is my dad's day! Not only is it his once-a-year celebration, but today marks 60 years exactly.

AND--get this--this past summer marked 3 special milestones.

My dear grandpa turned 90
my dad turned 60
and I turned 30.

30-60-90 Fun, right? And we were all together in California last month to celebrate!

Now, since my mom threw my dad a surprise ice-cream sundae open house tonight, I figured Blakely and I should partake from a distance. ;) And that we did.

She may have eaten most of her ice cream off the grass--with her hands, but hey, at least she can hang onto that spoon. It's all about the show. :)

Dad--on a sappier note,

For my entire 30 years, you have modeled what it means to be the same person in all circumstances. Your integrity, patience, and joy has not wavered. Thank you for loving God in such a tangible way. You've passed that on to all of us kids and we now get to pass it along to your grandkids. 

Our hearts are full of love! Happy Russ Blake day! xoxo

Aloha!

I'm so happy today. I hope you are too.

Yesterday was full of waves, friends, sunshine, and surf boards. More about Tandemonium later... check out the video my buddy Nick posted on my Facebook wall! :)

But, what I really want to share today is a very special birthday shout-out!

My beautiful niece Olivia made one today!

Happy First Birthday Sweet Olivia!

A very well-deserving Olivia is celebrating with two birthday parties, a new play structure, lots of love from her mom and dad, and a visit from grandpa and grandma!

We love you, Olivia! You are already growing up so quickly (*tell your parents you want to move to Hawaii).

It's Almost Here....

Hello my family and friends!

I have a handful of very favorite days out of the year--any year... and this coming Sunday is quickly becoming one of the annual dates I treasure.

Our very talented and creative friends, Nick and Rachel, are the masterminds behind....
*They organize, plan, design...everything! They're awesome!

Tandemonium!!!

This is a serious competition. And I know you are probably laughing at the mental picture of Tim and I trying to do lifts and tricks on the tandem board. Well, Don't.

Just kidding!!! You can.

We do look pretty silly. And we don't win. But, we can compete--somewhat. :)

I like to complain about our height ratio. I mean, what if I were a petite person? Right? The weight ratio would go more in our favor! Hmmmm....maybe I can sub Blakely in for me on a few rounds?! A daddy daughter team.

And guess who is in town to add their fierce competition (seriously, they are good)?

 Well, I don't mean Amber and Luke. Although.... ?! Naw, Amber and Chris! I'm pretty sure Luke will just be cheering them on this year. He's a cutie, right?

Speaking of Luke, that sweet one is being dedicated tonight. I'd better get out of my blogging world and back to my work world so I can be free in a couple hours!

Here's my favorite thumb sucker:

Have a blessed weekend! Love.

Let the Games Begin

It's a new week!

I love Mondays...no matter what they hold. It's a fresh start.

Currently, my Mondays are super duper long. I teach all day at the high school, come home and jump online to teach some more. No complaints. I have a supportive husband and little one and this is just how the cards fell... but, man, Mondays last for-ever.

Do you have a day in your week like that?

I'd be working right now, but there are some technical issues...sooooo instead, I think I'll share some pics from turning the big 3-0. Which, really, did that happen?

If Hawaii wasn't such a remote island, I'm sure I woulda seen more of you on that day!

Tim--world's greatest hubby--put on an Ohana Olympics of low-key games. He mastered an Excel bracket and set up two player games all over our house and yard. We played Jenga, Just Dance, Bocce Ball, Badminton, Frisbee Golf, Speed, Name that Tune, and a few more...

We wrapped up the night with Tim's grilled pizzas and sliders! I'm super happy I could enjoy the afternoon with my Hawaii loved ones!

Thanks to Lindsay, my dear friend, for the terrific pictures. Check her out at Aisle to Aloha!

Oh, and the second to last picture? How about that for flashin' a sign? Thank you very much class of 1999!