June 27, 2012

ʻIʻo puaʻa uahi - Bacon

For Father's Day, I wanted to honor Kyle with something special... and what's more special than the rare Bacon Flower!?

Thanks to Our Best Bites, one of my favorite food blogs, for providing the inspiration and instructions for this delicious treat!


It was enjoyed by all!

Notes:
1. Bacon does not grow on flowers in Hawai‘i. If it did, you can be assured that we would never leave.
2. ʻIʻo puaʻa uahi translates to "smoked flesh of pig". This is not a phrase that is carried over to English, so you can just order bacon :)

June 20, 2012

Yokohama Bay

The Wai‘anae Coast is on the western side of the island, so we decided to take a trip out as far as we could go. Although you can technically hike another 2.5 miles to Ka‘ena Point, we decided to park where the road ends and enjoy the beach for the day. The waves were a little strong, but it was a beautiful sunny day to play in the sand and the tide pools.

I realized that I'm not posting as often because I write too much and edit too much and it takes too long. So for most of our outings, I'll let the scenery do the talking, which is probably better!








If you missed them, you can see a body boarder catching a wave and Lucas hiding. It's so hard not to label pictures!

June 10, 2012

Hoapili - Friend (MI part 3)

Everyone has friends that have moved far away. However, I think the difference in Hawaii is that those friends are REALLY far away. Even locals who have never lived on the mainland still know someone who lives there. A visit means you have to get on an airplane. Even a phone call is complicated by multiple time zones.

In Michigan, I have a wonderful group of friends that I've known since high school. And most of us moved around for a while and then ended up in Michigan. Moving to Hawaii I knew it would be hard to give up seeing them so often. And I knew it would take a while to replace those quality friendships. But something funny happened on my trip back:

Toddlers obey well if you tell them "make a silly face"
The friendships picked right back up where we left off. We had a lot of fun reconnecting and had a lot more to talk about since there was a longer time apart. It's comforting to realize that I don't need to "replace" those friends. Of course we are building new friendships in Hawaii, but it doesn't mean that we have to get rid of the other ones.

I was reminded of the Girl Scout Song:
"Make new friends, but keep the old.
One is silver and the other gold."

Also, I was surprised to hear that there hadn't been a girls' night since I'd left. Not that I'm the party catalyst, but that getting a group of moms together isn't an easy task. It helped me realize that even if I lived in Michigan, I wouldn't be seeing these people every day. The reason I was able to spend so much time with these friends in one week was due to my lack of a schedule. And that they had to clear their calendars because it was a "special occasion" for me to be in town.

What really touched my heart was how well our children got along as well. It was like they were reconnecting with their friends too.


It might be blurry, but it's so cute!

Just like the extended time with our families, I realized that how we spend time now is different, but it doesn't change that they are my friends. 

When my best friend went to college a year before me, I was devastated at not having her around. But, thanks to the new technology called "electronic mail," I could head to the library after school and it was just like she was passing me a note between classes. Now we have so much more to keep in contact: free long distance, texting, Facebook and Skype.

It may not be the same as a face-to-face conversation, but it does the trick. And when we are able to see each other in person, I'm so thankful that we can continue along just as we were.

June 3, 2012

ʻOhana - Family (MI Part 2)

If you've seen the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch, then you already know that "ʻOhana  means family." We actually didn't watch it until after we arrived, although it was a travel present on our roadtrip.


One of the hardest things about moving far away is being further from family. However, our trip to Michigan surprised me in the quality of family time that you get by being in close quarters. Previous to moving, our time with either side of the family was a few times a month for a meal or to celebrate a birthday. It was always a quick flurry of activity, usually spent watching the kids playing and a short time to catch up. Pretty exhausting!


In spending these longer times together, I'm coming to appreciate the depth of relationship it brings. The kids calm down after a day or two of seeing cousins. The adults get past superficial catch up and can enjoy real conversation. Grandparents get a true slice of the kids' lives as they go through their daily schedules. And there is time to hang out after the kids go to bed.


Here are some fun things you can do with your cousins:
Play dress up
 


Watch movies in your pjs
 


And just be silly!



It reminded me of the week I would spend with my maternal grandparents every summer. Since they lived further away, I didn't see them as often. But I looked forward to the week at the cottage every year. It was a relaxed time, swimming in the lake, picking fruit at local farms and reading on the porch.


That extended time allowed me to get to know my grandparents in a different way than my paternal grandparents, whom I saw every week. And because of that time, both sets were just as close in my heart.



No matter where we live, I hope that my children have the same feelings for their ʻohana.


Tea time!