Weekend In Review

Is it just me, or is anybody else in disbelief that tomorrow is March 1st? Where does the time go? I know the old adage that time picks up speed as you get older, but crimeny, this is ridiculous. With that in mind, it's no wonder that this past weekend was a total blur; no sooner had we welcomed the weekend than we found ourselves getting ready for bed on Sunday night.

Friday started out poorly and my "funk" had me anticipating that the rest of the weekend would follow suit. Sparing you all the boring details, I'd had a really disappointing day at work, ended up staying late and came home after Phil, which is a total rarity. However, when I walked through the front door, I was welcomed with this (and yes, I always have a camera at the ready!):

I have the best husband. Phil knew I'd had a crap day at work, so he had the candles lit, a glass of wine waiting and music from our wedding crooning from the speakers. And as if this weren't enough, he took my purse and keys from me, twirled me around and asked me to dance. And we did. :) LOVE him. If all bad days ended like this, I'm cool with that.

It's peak whale season here, so Saturday was the Great Whale Count throughout the island. For the fun of it, we decided to do a little whale watching of our own and make a day trip out of it; we packed up my trusty, economical Honda and drove around to the West Side of the island, up to Honolua Bay:

(That's Molokai in the background)

Seriously, friends. Get thee to Maui and come whale-watching with us. It's an amazing experience!

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We had hoped to drive all the way around the island, but by 1:00pm, I was famished and going a bit mental as a result, so we headed back down to Ka'anapali for lunch and then leisurely made our way back home upcountry.

Could I BE more annoying with the camera? Me thinks not.

Sunday was a lazy kind of day; we slept in until 8:30 (which is late for us) and lounged in bed drinking coffee, watching TV and playing around on our laptops. I finally rallied and got my butt in gear and headed to the gym for a good run and workout, which turned into Sob-Fest 2011. :( I ran my 3-miles and was halfway through my weights, when I saw him; an older guy who was the spitting image of my late brother, Tony. I was completely taken off guard, completely unprepared for this cruel trick my mind was playing on me. I had never seen him at the gym before, but when I laid eyes on him, it was all I could do not to walk over to him and wrap my arms around him. I kid you not. Everything about him just oozed Tony. His face, his height, his stature, his hands. I did three extra sets on the Hip Abduction machines just so that I could watch him (and I know how crazy-psycho this sounds, but cut me a little slack here). At that moment, I wanted to burst into tears; there was a brief window when I actually wondered if maybe, maybe my brother was still alive and this was all some really sick and twisted joke? But sanity surfaced...and with everything in me, I held myself back from walking over to him and throwing my arms around him.

Instead, I collected myself, went into the locker room and totally lost it. I called Phil, sobbing into the cell phone, my voice echo-ing throughout the locker room, while he consoled me as best as he could.

Death is so hard. It is haunting, the way it slinks around, undetected, only to spring itself upon you when you least expect it. And no matter how many years may pass from losing a loved one, the grief is always there. Waiting, quietly. Always ready to remind you that our lives are miniscule in the grand scheme of things.

Live, my friends. Live with reckless abandon.

The last photo I have of my older brother, Tony (and my nephew, Oakley). Miss you and love you, T.

Thanks for reading, friends.

Love & Aloha to all of you!

xoxo.

Blog Love...and 7 Random Facts About Me

Hello, friends...I am terribly late in posting about this, but I wanted to take some time to acknowledge a few of my lovely blog-buddies for passing along these awards and giving props to Living Aloha.

A big MAHALO! to Melissa @ Love & Life and Susan @ Five Great Kiddos who both awarded me with the Stylish Blogger Award. That anyone would consider me "stylish" is flattering, but I'll take it!

And my new friend, Angie @ Oh, How Delightful (she has a fabulous name, no?) gifted me with the Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you, Angie!

Please visit these lovely ladies' blogs and spread the love!

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To accept these awards, I am supposed to list 7 Random Facts about myself. I am going to condense this and spare you all 21 random factoids about myself (because I'm thoughtful, like that) and just list 7 for all three. You're welcome. ;)

The 411 on Me:

(1) I am a Marketer's dream. I am totally, completely and unapologetically addicted to Carmex. I do not consider this a problem, but my husband does. Finding tubes and little jars of Carmex in my pockets when he's doing the laundry does not a happy husband make. My addiction has ruined many an article of clothing fresh out of the dryer. Woops. (And for the record, I am well aware of the "Carmex is addicting" articles plastered all over the internet, but my addiction is going on 10 years now and I think I'm ok...so no worries!)

(2) During my senior year in high-school, I received a full-paid scholarship to attend a university in Michigan and I didn't take it. (I know, right?!) Let's just say that a certain boy influenced my decision to NOT go away to school...and I listened to him. Not suprisingly, this boy and I didn't last; I have ZERO regrets, because had I gone to Michigan, Phil & I would not have pursued our relationship, and I would never have learned the valuable lesson of an education. I paid for every last cent of my college education, on my own, with NO student loans and NO financial aid (Yay! Go, me!)

(3) I don't do sushi. Period. (It's a texture thing)

(4) I spent two years working as a paraprofessional with autistic and special-needs children. It was one of the most rewarding and disheartening jobs I have ever held.

(5) Phil is 1/2 Japanese and 1/2 Russian (he speaks Russian, and ladies, it is intoxicating). At our wedding reception and without his knowledge, I prepared a toast to his parents (and my new in-laws) in Russian. I am sure I butchered the toast, but it was heartfelt and the sentiment was well-received. I made my otherwise stoic Father-in-Law, cry.

(6) I love, love, love the sound of tires on wet pavement (and now you are all trying to imagine this sound...go ahead, I'll wait...). I don't know what it is about this rhythmic pattern of sound, but I find it oddly soothing. Yes, I am weird.

(7) I could live on cheese. Literally. My heart goes out to those that are Lactose intolerant...cheese makes me happy. Specifically, Havarti and Brie.

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And there you have it. Seven random facts about yours, truly. :)

3-Day Weekend

Aloha Peeps! I wanted to take a quick minute to say hello and welcome my new followers friends. Thank you for reading along; I'm always up for new blogs to read, so please say hello and leave me a link so that I can return the favor (I'm not always able to find your blog through your profile alone). I also wanted to say a big Thank You to everyone for your positive thoughts about Phil's MRI. I am so grateful that we are able to breathe a sigh of relief. It's amazing how effective a health scare can be; you are suddenly thrust into an undiluted sense of awareness, resulting in an inevitable shift in perspective. So we're celebrating. And we're enjoying every little thing in our lives that bring us joy.

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I hope you all had a great 3-Day Weekend! Ours was just what we needed... a handful of days with absolutely NOTHING on the agenda; our plans consisted of picnic lunches, fresh fruit, cold beers (more for The Hubs than for me) and the warm, island sunshine.

Phil & I loaded the coolers and packed up the truck for hours of sweet, nothing-ness. We drove down to Makena on the South Side of the island to swim in the ocean and bask in the sun. This is no small feat for Phil, who is a definite do-er and has a difficult time relaxing. It's a good thing he's married to me, someone who is no stranger to the art of just..."being" (seriously, I've got it dialed). We set up the umbrella, cranked up the tunes and relaxed in a way that felt so sinfully self-indulgent. We swam, we played, we napped, we ate.

The obligatory self-portrait (while The Hubs checks email on his iPhone. See? He still has much to learn about relaxing).

Two Halves make a Whole.

And let's not forget that I immersed myself in current events absolute trash, which I thoroughly enjoyed (Ashley Simpson and Pete Wentz divorcing? Really?!) I sunned my bum and have a sun-kissed derriere to show for it.

Days like these, when it's just me and The Hubs, outside and enjoying God's green earth,...they're the moments that will be etched in my brain forever. No obligations, no responsibilities, no itinerary. Just...US. Sometimes, the less complicated our plans are, the more memorable the moments become. I'm loving our life together here on Maui. We still have moments when we pinch ourselves, convinced that this life we're living, this...dream we're living, cannot possibly be our reality. But it is.

And we are grateful.

I love my husband!

Thank You, God.

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I hope you all had as wonderful a 3-day weekend as we did. Thanks for checking in on our side of the world.

Stay tuned for my next Giveaway; a celebration of 6-months of blogging and 100+ posts!

xoxo!

2/18/11: National Drink Wine Day?

I'm on it.

(says the girl who blogs and sips on her Cabernet Sauvignon)

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Happy Aloha Friday! We're looking forward to the 3-day weekend, spending time together outdoors and under the sun. 'Will check back with all of you lovely peeps later this weekend. Have fun and be safe!

xoxo!

It's a Beautiful Day.

We received the results from Phil's MRI and all is good. He has a follow-up MRI in six months so that they can monitor any changes, but for now, he's in the clear. And we are celebrating.

Today is a beautiful day.

LOVE.

Thank you all so much for your positive thoughts and prayers. Just...Thank You.

xoxo

Good Thoughts In, Bad Thoughts Out...

V-Day Flowers from The Hubs

I don't have much in me today by way of words, so please send positive thoughts.
Phil had his MRI this afternoon and we are anxiously awaiting results.

Thank you, friends.

(Video) Maui...How I Love Thee

Whale Watching.

If you ever visit Maui during the "winter" months (Dec - March), do yourselves a favor and book a whale watch cruise. Watching these amazing creatures from the shoreline is one thing, but in a boat and out on the water? The experience is indescribable. Trust me on this.

Yesterday, we met up with some friends for an afternoon out on the water in their Bayliner; it's been a relatively "quiet" whale season, so we would consider ourselves lucky if we were able to spot a few calves and their Mommas during our cruise. We launched right out of Ma'alaea Harbor and were not more than half a mile out when we spotted our first whales. The calves were breaching in their clumsy, still-not-completely-graceful ways, Mommas were gliding along fluidly next to their young, and escorts (the males) kept watch by bringing up the rear of the pods. It was beautiful.

To be out in the middle of the ocean in a small watercraft, surrounded by these gigantic creatures is exhilarating. To be close enough to hear the air spew from their blow-hole and watch the mist vaporize before your eyes is something to behold. It is a beautiful, surreal experience. Our first sighting made my pulse quicken and my heart flutter. God is GOOD.

This is a short video clip that officially made yesterday, February 13th, one of my best days on Maui...EVER. It was shot with my trusty little point-and-shoot so the quality isn't great but I think it captures the moment, don't you? (and you might want to turn your speakers down a bit...we're a rowdy bunch)

AMAZING, RIGHT?!

I have so many photos that I would love to share; as beautiful as they are, they pale in comparison to the video. Perhaps I'll do that in a separate post, as I'd still like to share Phil's video that he captured on his wide-angle camera.

In Sunday morning's post, where I wrote about being moody and cranky, I am quickly reminded that when I might feel challenged and anxious about...Life, God can wash those cares away in an instant. Sunday night's whale watch cruise was one such instance. When you immerse yourself in the amazement and wonder of God's playground, how can you possibly care about anything else?

Come to Maui. Let's go on a whale watch together. :)

Happy Hearts Day!

Love is Everywhere! In this case, it was in the parking lot at Costco. :)

Happy Valentines Day! I am loving all the emails and texts and blog posts filled with photos of friends and their cute kids, all sporting attire in reds and pinks and candy hearts galore. Although I do find the day to be slightly contrived and grossly commercialized, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like chocolates or flowers or sweet cards from my husband on this day (honestly, sugar in any form is welcome!).

But mostly, I just like that he's my Valentine and I am his.

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Happy Valentines Day, friends. May you be surrounded by love in abundance!

Perspective

I've been in a funk the last few days. Given the week we've had, I've been edgy and short tempered and uber-hormonal, so you can only imagine that I've been an absolute JOY to be around. It had been 4 days since I got a good workout in at the gym, so I was already losing it when I picked a fight with Phil yesterday morning. He was quick to retort: "Um, YEAH. You need to get to the gym already." Poor guy. It's amazing what a couple hours of exercise and sweat can do for your mood; I came home almost a different person.

But then I settle into the rhythm of my day, allowing myself to get swept up in the routine of it all, but still getting lost in my thoughts. And the thinking is what gets me; the sheer magnitude and power that negative and anxious thoughts can have...it's enough to render me useless.

Sometimes I feel like I am being tested; that God or the Universe is saying to me, "Okay, let's see you put all that talk into action. These are the cards you've been dealt - show me what you're made of." And I try my best to live the life I write about and feel deep down in my bones: a life of positivity and happiness and love; a life bearing the motto to freaking Carpe Diem. But I'm human, and sometimes I fall short. And when I have days like these, days when I just WANT to be cranky because there is a twisted and slightly disturbing satisfaction in being a brat, I have to take a moment to disconnect - to give myself permission to feel what I feel and let it run its course. The challenge, however, is having astute awareness of balance; too much of this freedom to wallow could then teeter on the cusp of something worse. And that's where I am thankful to have Phil, who keeps me grounded and who comforts me while still challenging me. He's actually used this line before: "You know, that's not 'Living Aloha'...". Blog, be damned! :)

The silver lining in having days like these is that it makes you appreciate what you have. It makes you grateful for every ounce of goodness in your life; things could always be worse, and right now, we've got it pretty darn good. I may be anxious and stressed about Phil's injury and his MRI next week, but I want to relish in the good, because it's everywhere.

And God confirms this when He graciously offers me this at the end of the day:

I chased the sun for these shots. Literally. Got in my car, headed further up the hill and witnessed God's blessing, firsthand.

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Now The Hubs and I are off to meet some friends on the Southside for an afternoon on the water and sunset Whale Watch cruise. Life is good.

72 Hours Ago...

It began like so: Tuesday morning, we get to work. Phil spends the first couple of hours in the office and then heads to the beach to get some "work" done (he works in the kiteboarding/surfing industry, so this is actually a requirement). The waves are HUGE on Tuesday. Shortly after noon, he calls me on the phone and asks me if I could swing by his office. My wife-ly instinct is at full-throttle, telling me that something is wrong, because normally, he just pops his head in to see me. I make my way to his office where he begins the conversation with: "Now don't freak out, o.k.?" NEVER a good sign.

Do you know what these are? Give up? Those would be bits of my husband's TWO FRONT TEETH.

I immediately start crying; not because his grill is now totally and completely jacked up, but because my sweet, adorable husband is (thankfully no longer bleeding) but still in immense pain. While out surfing in the crazy swell, he got caught in the "washing machine" and his surfboard cracked him right in the jaw. I will just gloss over the fact that despite being held underwater for two more waves, once he surfaced, he still had the wherewithal to spit the broken pieces of TEETH into the palm of his hand where he then pocketed them in his board shorts.

To make a long story short, we spent the remainder of the next four hours at not one, but TWO hospitals, because the Doctors wanted to run a CT Scan on him to rule out any head trauma (by this time, Phil was light-headed). The scan came back showing no signs of hemorrhaging (thank God), but something completely unrelated to his surf accident DID show up. While the Doctor said it wasn't something to necessarily be alarmed by, he did want to look into it further, so Phil has an MRI scheduled for next week. My poor husband.

Once we got clearance from the hospital, only then would the oral surgeon see Phil. The oral surgeon had to push two of the three teeth back into their sockets, because the impact of the board had hit his jaw so hard, what was left of the teeth were actually dropping. :::shudder:::: Imagine how good that must have felt!

Now that the teeth were stabilized and cemented with wire (very much like having braces), our dentist was able to see him. We had hoped that they would be able to work their cosmetic magic all in one visit, but no such luck; it's going to be a much longer process than we expected. They completed the first of three Phases, so while my husband's grill and the adorable, boyish gap between his two-front teeth aren't yet 100%, fortunately, they no longer look like this:

(PRE oral surgeon and dental visits)

It's SO hard to see Phil in pain; he's been on a liquid diet for a few days, although he did manage to eat some pasta I made for him tonight. I'm sad for him, but I am also SO grateful that his accident resulted in only a few knocked-out teeth. Things could have been worse. SO MUCH worse. I cringe at the "what if's"...if the impact were only a few inches higher, he could have lost an eye or suffered a massive head injury.

Perspective.

And lest you all think I'm a horrible wife for posting these photos, they ARE Phil-approved. Apparently, getting your teeth knocked out all in the name of surfing is like a badge of honor or something (he has two friends who have similar stories).

So...yeah. It's been a stressful last few days...and I'm all kinds of cranky as a result. I am SO ready for the weekend.

Please say a prayer and think good thoughts for Phil's MRI next week. I won't lie, I'm worried. :(

29 Gifts: Giveaway Winner!

Aloha Friends and Happy Wednesday!

Thanks to all of you for entering my first giveaway! I appreciate your interest and hope that you'll stick around for Giveaway #2, in celebration of my 100th post!

A random drawing was conducted tonight on random.org:

Congratulations to Daniele of Mama Views (Daniele, aren't you glad for that second entry?!); I'm super excited to be able to share this gift with her since she loves Maui and dreams of the day that she and her family can move here. :) Daniele, please send me an email ( angieonmaui[at]gmail[dot]com ) with your mailing address so that I can get the necklace out to you ASAP!

Thanks again to all for making my first giveaway a success. Be sure to check back for information on Giveaway #2, coming soon!

xoxo

Kindness is Contagious...and Blog Lovin'

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As one can surmise from the title of this post, kindness really IS contagious. It has been such a joy for me to witness the kindness of others simply by sharing my 29-day challenge with them. My friend Janet joined the 29-day challenge shortly after I started, and Katie is in the midst of her month of giving. Please visit them to offer kind words and read about their gifts to others.

I also wanted to thank those of you who have sent me emails thanking me for inspiring YOU. It has been a gift for me to read how my posts have encouraged you to spread kindness and love to others. Two blog friends in particular sent me heart-warming emails that left me smiling and my heart feeling full:

Lenzi at Homemade Happiness writes:

I have been meaning to email you! I have just been so blown away by all of your acts of kindness. You are so so inspiring. And these things seem so simple to do, but we take them for granted so easily. So thank you for helping me realize that we must help each other whenever and however we can. What I didn't mention on my blog post was that while I was in the gas station and my sister's dog was using my car as a restroom (=\), was that an older lady came in and needed help putting air in her tire. The cashier told her that he couldn't leave the counter. And while this 30 second conversation was going on and I was listening, I swear I thought of you (someone I've never met but have been so inspired by) so I said "I can help you!" - so we went out there and put air in her tire.
Just wanted you to know you are inspiring and touching people all over the place :)

And Jan at Struck by Serendipity writes:

Your challenge has really struck a chord with me and I've been regularly thinking about what I can do. During the last snowstorm, I found myself up at an ungodly hour and went outside and cleared the snow from around my neighbors' cars in the street. I felt great being able to be a positive start to someone else's day and I got a great workout out of it as well. :) Thanks for being an inspiration to everyone reading this blog.

Seriously, it doesn't get any better than this! Thank you so much, Lenzi and Jan, for acting on your instincts and spreading a little love.

Friends, start spreading kindness now: Please visit Lenzi and Jan at their blogs and show them a little blog love!

Love & Aloha to you all!
xoxo

*** Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! Giveaway ends at noon on Wednesday, 2/9/11. ***

29 Gifts: What have I learned?

I'm feeling a little guilty; now that I have completed my 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life project and not feeling the pressure to post, it seems I've been slacking in the posting department. Being that it is a quiet and leisurely Sunday afternoon here in our home (The Hubs and I aren't football people - GASP - so we aren't watching the Superbowl) I wanted to get on here to write a proper closure to this project because in many ways, I really feel like this challenge has changed me. And as such, it has changed my life...for the better.

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

- Gandhi

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When I first started this challenge, I did so with my little brother Nick in mind, and I dedicated my first gift on Day 1 to him. The timing of this project aided in my healing process; it helped me to find the positive in every day, when I could have otherwise easily wallowed in the negative. About halfway through the challenge, Phil and I had a thoughtful conversation about it; I realized that I was so involved in the act of giving to others and writing out my daily gratitude lists, that I didn't have time to think of my own sadness and pain. And when I spoke these words during our conversation, I kind of surprised myself, because it is 100% true. I have felt more joy and love in my life in the last 29 days than I did even before Nick's passing.

What I learned on this 29-day journey is that if you live fully, with your eyes, your ears and your heart open to the infinite blessings in each of our lives, you will find it. Everywhere. You will find the inherent goodness that resides in each of us. You will find simple pleasures in seemingly insignificant moments, and you will find yourself living each day with intent. And this, this act of being present in the moment makes all the difference. It is so easy to get caught up in the habitual routine of our days, so easy to live on auto-pilot, going through the motions because, well, that's just how our lives operate and by nature, we like order and predictability. But friends, trust me on this. Give yourself permission to dedicate FIVE minutes a day to doing something kind for someone else. Your gesture doesn't have to be huge or monumental; it can be something as simple as offering a genuine compliment to someone, or returning your empty shopping cart to the cart-return as opposed to ditching it somewhere in the parking lot (let's be honest...we've ALL done it). Your gift is personal because it comes from YOU and it is given with intent towards the greater good. Five minutes...that's all.

Are you in? Will you do that for me? You don't have to embark on a 29-day challenge...just promise me that tomorrow, you will carve out five minutes of your day to do something kind for someone else. Just five minutes. And please, come back here and share your gift with me - I would love to read about your random acts of kindness!

* * *Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! The giveaway ends at 12:00 noon on Wednesday, 2/9/11. The winner will be drawn via random.org.* * *

29 Gifts: Day 29 - A Gift for YOU!

My first Giveaway!

I have waited 28 days to deliver this particular gift in the 29 Gifts series. Almost a month ago, I knew that on the last day of this challenge, I wanted to give YOU - one of my readers - a gift of some kind. Back then, I didn't know exactly what this gift would be, but I knew that I wanted it to be something special.

A few days ago, I came up with this:

My friend Lisa of MauiDiveGirl Designs makes some of the most beautiful jewelry around. Her work is all handmade here on Maui and each piece is representative of this beautiful island I am lucky enough to call home. I'm pretty picky when it comes to jewelry, but I am a huge fan of hers and wear many of her necklaces and earrings with pride.

And so, my friends, my gift for Day 29 is a giveaway of the necklace pictured above. The necklace features a glass bottle with sparkling black sand from the shores of one of the many natural black sand beaches here in Hawaii. Bottled fine lava sand, corked and dangling from a 24" sterling silver ball chain with a white bubble shell and sterling silver starfish.

Sadly, I cannot afford to send each of you a necklace, so I only have one to give. Giveaways are pretty common around these parts, so the guidelines are the same. You don't have to be a follower of my blog to enter...but I would love it if you were!

Two Chances to Enter:

1) Leave a comment on this post. Share a joke, what your favorite color is, what you had for breakfast...or just say hello.

2) Spread the Love and mention my giveaway over on your blog. Come back here, leave a second comment and share the link to your blog post! Your second comment will double your chances in the random drawing.

This giveaway will run until Wednesday, 2/9/11 and the winner will be selected via random.org.

Good Luck and thanks for playing along!

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Thank you friends, for following along on my 29 Gifts project. I hope that I've inspired you to pay it forward someway, somehow!