The Dawn of Spring

One of my favorite things about Spring is its promise of new life; a rebirth and renewal for the earth and her inhabitants and a foreshadow of good things to come.

It's feeling really Springish around these parts. We've had an unusually wet winter, with more gray days and heavy rain clouds than I am accustomed to, but it has also been a really cleansing time of year---the rain washing away the sleepiness of the season and on some days, awakening the child within. Heavy rains have meant more rain puddles and a soggy, wet lawn in our front yard that squishes and shifts under the weight of my feet. If it weren't for mornings where I am rushing out the door to work, I'd slip off my shoes and trudge through the mud for the pure and simple joy of it.

The cooler temperatures and cleansing rain have been lovely and purifying:

With drier days and bluer skies, I am suddenly more aware of the fresh, new blooms and bright colors all vying for my attention:

Happy Spring, to you. Be joyful. :)

Finding My Zen

What is the fastest way to find your Zen? Why, a trip to the Lavender Farm, of course.

The calming, soothing, stress-relieving and healing properties of Lavender is everything it is cracked up to be; all that was missing during our trip was classical music and a full-body massage.

* * *

The Hubs and I are enjoying these last few days of March; the parentals have left, we survived the busiest weekend of the month and we're loving the sense of normalcy that has returned to our schedules. I'm looking forward to catching up on sleep (and blogs!), getting back in the studio this week, throwing some paint around and spending more time writing.

Zen.

Found it!

Life Lately...in Bullets.

Is it April, yet? Because I'm seriously beat. Beat like, I-want-to-burrow-deep-under-the-covers-and-sleep-for-a-month, beat. Adding insult to injury, I totally woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, sooooo yyyyeeeaaaahhhhh...I was pure sunshine for my husband this morning (thank you for putting up with me, Phil).

Moving on. Life, lately? Busy. And full.

• I have a new favorite breakfast spot. It's a bit of a trek from where we live, but so many variables make the trip well worth it. The view, the ambiance, the food and the generous Kama'aina discount (25%, woot woot!), I'm thinking The Hubs and I need to have brunch in Napili more often!

 

• See that cup of coffee in that photo? I've officially converted to drinking my coffee black. It's definitely an acquired taste, but I can actually appreciate the flavor. It may have put hair on my chest, but I love me a mean cup of coffee now. And I am totally kidding about the chest hair part.

 

• Today is one month since I went on an alcohol and sugar fast (hence drinking my coffee black). The alcohol part isn't a problem (even while celebrating a friend's birthday last weekend...at a bar!), but the sugar has been a challenge. I am craving a piece of moist, chocolate cake right now. Or at the very least, a Thin Mint from one of the FOUR, unopened boxes of Girl Scout cookies I bought over a month ago. ::sob::

 

• The plus side to an alcohol and sugar fast? I'm down 8 pounds. Yay!

 

• I almost destroyed my laptop and desktop computer yesterday. I spilled an entire cup of hot tea at my desk (I watched with horror as the cup fell over in slow motion...has that ever happened to you?) and was almost too late in scooping the laptop up before the tea found its way into all the crevices. With my dripping laptop in my arms, I watched as a waterfall of tea then dripped down the face of my desktop hard-drive, below. Did I mention I had just bought the tea about five minutes before? Fortunately, both computers are ok, but there is a distinct scent of chai tea at my desk. Fun times.

 

• Spring is here! That doesn't really change anything for us since we have bright florals and sunshine all year 'round, but I like being able to say that: Spring is here!

 

• Tax refunds. LOVE.

 

• Some of you follow me on Instagram and know that I had a pedicure and had my toes painted blue the other day. Just so you know, it looks awful. I don't know what I was thinking. Now I want a pedicure do-over.

So there it is, a stream-of-consciousness snapshot of life, lately. Interesting and relevant blog material coming soon. :)

Happy Thursday, to you.

Back to our Regularly Scheduled Program...

The sunshine? It's on.

After almost a week and a half of skies the color of ash, angry thunderstorms and torrential downpours of rain that summoned blue jeans, sweaters and that cheap, black umbrella that always tests my patience, we're back to our regularly scheduled program: blue skies, high-temps and sunshine that leaves your bare skin sunkissed and warm. And as far as programs go, this is definitely my favorite channel.

The Hubs and I had Friday off work so we spent the afternoon at the beach, digging our toes in the sand, whale-watching from the shoreline and snorkeling with some new gear. Phil's parents are still in town so it was a nice change to be able to bring them to the beach with idyllic, sunshine-y weather.

* * *

Patches of the shoreline are covered in a "crispy" layer from boiling temps that chase away the rain; a life-sized jigsaw puzzle, I cannot resist bending down to pick up the pieces, admiring the intricacies of design from Mother Nature, herself:

{sand chips, anyone?}

I walk along the stretch of beach, digging my feet into the cool, coarse sand and periodically looking over my shoulder to watch as my footprints are quickly erased by the ebb and flow of the tide. There. And gone. Quickly and quietly, the canvas is restored:

Sitting on a beach towel covered in sand, I watch with eyes shaded by the palms of my hands, as my husband and in-laws snorkel in the distance. They seem so happy here - a long overdue vacation and one where I'm pleased to see them finally learning how to relax. It's been a long and tiresome couple of weeks and most nights, Phil and I fall into bed from exhaustaion, but it's been such a blessing to have a significant amount of quality-time with the two of them.

Mindlessly, my hands rake through the sand and I come up with a collection of rocks that I display in a pile not so much as a trail-marking cairn, but more for the therapeutic effects the concentration brings. When my efforts produce two piles that balance precariously on a much larger stone that has been used as a foot rest until now, I sit back to admire my handiwork and think, I'm feelin' kinda Zen...:

Our afternoon winds down and we sit in the sunshine and then in the shade, savoring our snacks of chilled fruit from our coolers and bottled water whose beads of condensation fall and cool us like rain on a hot afternoon.

I lay back on my beach towel and stare up at the clouds, watching as they drift along quietly, moving and constantly changing shapes, dissolving into thin vapors before disappearing completely:

We're blessed with Summerlike weather again and this beach life, as regular as it may be, couldn't make me happier. Here's hoping your weekend was happy, too.

* * *

A BIG THANK YOU to all you new readers who commented on my last post and introduced yourselves! It's been so fun to read your comments and learn a little bit about you! I'm still replying to those of you whose emails are linked to your profiles; for those of you who don't have a blog or didn't provide an email address, I'll reply to you within the comment section, so be sure and check back. Thanks again for playing along!

New Around Here?

{via}

Aloha! Are you new to my blog? I've noticed some new faces (and uh...other body parts - darn anonymous spammers) over in the sidebar and wanted to extend a warm, Hawaiian welcome to my new readers. I'd love a chance to connect with you, so please don't be shy! Introduce yourself, say hello and let me know a few things:

• Who are you?
• Where in this world are you?
• Do you blog? (if so, link, please!)
• Ever been to Hawaii?  Which island(s)?
• What are you listening to?
• What are you reading?
• What inspires you?

Play along...make my day! Mahalo. :)

Joy for Free

It was a particularly trying day. A day spent at work putting out metaphorical fires, missing deadlines and wearing many hats. It was a day that lacked the pleasure and satisfaction of a To-Do list bearing check-marks in the margin but rather a day that left her feeling beaten, battered and bruised.

Tomorrow will be a better day, she told herself. But even as she spoke those words under her breath, she did not believe them; she could not feel the potential of renewal promised at the end of each day.

She got in her car and drove, her head in a cloud of white noise. Not too far from her home, the view to her left caught her attention and she gazed out at the horizon:

Pink Skies.

She pulled her car to the side of the road, got out and walked to the patch of graveled clearing that appeared, as if waiting for her. In that instant, her cares were washed away and she felt them drain out through her fingertips, leaving a feeling of peace and clarity behind. It was simply a bad day. A bad day in a very good life.

Pink skies.

Joy, for free.

Spring Threads

In my recent quest to expand my wardrobe horizons and hopefully feel cute in the process, I've been scouring the internet identifying elements of my own personal style that would address my desire to feel feminine without compromising comfort and function.

Enter Pinterest. It didn't take very long before I started to realize that my preferences and what I was drawn to visually were pieces I currently own or have owned in the past: fedoras, sandals, tank tops, shorts and scarves...it's my combination of these pieces and accessorizing that needs a little work.

The following collections were found on Pinterest; everything about them speaks to me. The easy, relaxed style and comfort and the key, go-to pieces woven somewhere into each outfit.

Repinned from style - outfits by Michelle Johnson

Originally pinned by Tammy Thompson onto Fashion

Repinned from Look book by Alexis

Repinned from style by sadina renfrow

Originally pinned by Katherine Waters onto fashion.

Cute, right? Seeing the fashion potential and possibilities simply by accessorizing makes me actually WANT to go shopping for some new items. Considering I purged my closet during a recent cleaning frenzy, I'm thinking a shopping spree is in order! In my excitement and enthusiasm last night, I shared my style board with Phil who agreed that yes, the above collections were very much "me", but with a little bit extra. Once I had piqued his interest, naturally I used it as an opportunity to warn him that I was going to do some major shopping damage this weekend. Woot woot!

And thennnnn, he saw this photo on my style board:

Repinned from My Style Love by Kirby Cooper

Before I could even say anything about the outfit, he pointed to it and declared: "absolutely not". Really? Personally, I love everything about the outfit: minimal pieces, soft and draping cotton, neutral colors and a slight bohemian flair. According to my husband, it is wrong on multiple levels. It is unflattering, looks like curtains and the maxi length is "aging".

Thoughts?

Aloha 101

One of the nice things about having visitors throughout the year is the opportunity it provides for us to see the island through the eyes of a tourist. The fun starts once you step foot off the plane; we'll meet you at the airport to greet you with leis, we'll step out of our Kama'aina shoes and introduce you to some of the best-kept secrets of the island and we'll dine at restaurants listed on the pages of every travel magazine. We will answer all your questions, like Why does everyone here drive so slowly? (because this ain't the mainland!), Does poi taste good? (it's an acquired taste...or you can add a little milk and sugar) and Are these gas prices for real? (unfortunately, yes). We'll show you what the island lifestyle is like and share with you some of our greatest joys.

{Meet your tour guides}

We'll take you to beaches along the North Shore and to the fine, sandy beaches on the South and West sides, where you can always seek the shade of a palm tree:

During whale season, we'll take you to new heights, where you can whale-watch from a different vantage point:

If you want to learn how to surf or stand-up paddle, we'll hook you up with a board and the best location. Seriously. Don't rent until you talk to us, first: ;)

We'll share fresh fruits with you and give you a taste of the sweetest pineapple around (Maui Gold, hands down):

We'll take you to a barefoot bar where you can listen to live, ukulele music and eat awesome fish tacos with an ocean view and warm sand between your toes:

We'll remind you that while we have sunshine and blue skies 95% of the time, we're also a tropical island and we need the rain. You might experience rain while you're here, but the rainbows, lush, green vegetation and fresh blooms more than make up for it:

And that's just scratching the surface of where we'll take you, what we'll do and how you'll feel in this paradise we are lucky enough to call home. We'll make sure your time here is filled with laughter and the aloha spirit.

Live Aloha. Come visit.

* * *

It's been a busy week/weekend! Phil and I have played tour guides, driving the parentals all over the island and maximizing the time between rain showers. We've been getting rain for a solid week now and we are really feeling its effect; a section of the Road to Hana is now closed after the road literaly washed away and flash flood warnings are in abundance. Despite all this, we're still having a good time. We're with family and it's Maui afterall...how could we not?

Love is...

...watching my husband teach my Father-in-Law how to use the computer again.

{via}

Last night after dinner, I had the privilege of witnessing another example of love I wasn't quite prepared for. I watched from across the room as my husband pulled up a second chair to his desk and spent an hour patiently teaching my father-in-law how to use the computer and navigate around the internet. Did I mention that prior to my father-in-law's stroke he worked in the computer industry as an IT technician?

It was a sight that made my heart soar. My husband, the teacher, my father-in-law, the student; an illustration of the unmistakeable love between family--MY family.

Last night, I fell in love with my husband all over again.

Life, Lately...in Bullets.

The past few days have been filled with family time, work and play, and as much as I like (and prefer) the
Full Plate=Productivity mode of operation, we're only five days into the month and I'm already pretty tired. But tired in a good way. As such, today's post is going to be an update, bullet-style:

• This little princess senses the change in our routine and has been extra clingy and needy lately, but it's all good, because I love that she's so darn loving.

• Did I mention that I'm now two weeks deep in another detox and sugar-fast? It started out with me giving up alcohol for Lent but at the last second I decided to throw sugar into the mix, because you know, I'm all about pushing the envelope. The first few days were painful (it's amazing how our bodies can become addicted to refined sugar), but I'm powering through...and I've dropped 7 pounds, so that's a bonus.

• I'm going on a juice-fast; I've been doing a little research over the past few weeks and to my surprise, I've got Phil on board with me. We've researched a few different brands of juicers and are ready to pull the trigger, but I'd love your feedback! Do you own a juicer? Anyone own a Breville? Have any of you ever done a juice fast or a cleanse? Which one did you do? Any insight would be appreciated!  

• Project Cute: In my quest to feel "cute", I'm expanding my wardrobe horizons! I've purchased a few girl-ier pieces, sandals/shoes in lieu of slippers and crazy-inexpensive jewelry (F21, anyone?) to mix things up a bit. And amazingly enough, it's actually working. Next goal? Learn how to put on makeup without looking like a clown.

• I'm slowly Spring Cleaning our home and it feels good; purging the closets and drawers of clutter is so liberating! I haven't yet tackled the art studio (and that's where it gets pretty scary), but it's on my list.

• My calendar for the next few months is filled with so many people I love! I'm feeling giddy and excited and SO looking forward to spending time with family on Oahu later this month, meeting Becki (my blog friend of ten years) for the first time in April, and my Momma and stepdad coming to visit us again in the Spring! ::happy dance::

• We have had a few days of rain and it really feels like winter. Me like.

• The Bachelor.  Oh, the drama.

* * *

Happy Tuesday, to you!

My Heart Swells

On Friday afternoon, Phil and I waited at the airport with leis in hand, anticipating the arrival of his parents. Their trip out here to the islands has been a longtime in the making and one that almost didn't happen, so finally meeting up with them at baggage claim was a happy, joyful moment.

Last June, I wrote this post in honor of Father's Day and mentioned that my Father-in-Law (FIL) was recovering from a recent stroke; it has taken a year and half before it was decided he was finally well enough to travel, so this trip is a pretty big, celebratory deal.

However. In the seventy-two hours since they've been here, I have wanted to cry more times than I can count. My FIL suffered a major stroke which affected not just his mobility, but language and memory as well. It's been an arduous year and a half of therapy visits and hard work on his part, and the progress he has made during this time is nothing short of amazing. I'm happy to have them here and feel incredibly blessed that we are still able to enjoy this special time together; when I look at my FIL and see his kind eyes smiling back at me, my heart swells...but I miss him. I miss hearing his voice and listening to his wise words and sage advice. Having him here and hugging him is the same, but it is also very different.

Phil and I have had a number of age-related revelations, one of the glaringly obvious being our parents' mortality. We are now at a point in our lives where we see our parents through different eyes; no longer do we see them as the authoritative figures we were anxious to separate ourselves from, but instead, as vulnerable beings we find ourselves worrying about. This role-reversal and fear? It's consuming, but there is a comfort in knowing that it is also a rite of passage in each of our journeys. Today, I am feeling so blessed that we still have this time together. Call or visit your parent(s); make their day today.

* * *

Regarding my last post; I didn't realize the tone might have led you to believe I was planning on shutting down the blog (not a chance), so I wanted to clarify that I am only looking to change my own expectations here. I needed to re-evaluate the direction and my desire for this blog without compromising its original purpose and intent. So, for those of you who commented or sent me kind emails letting me know your thoughts, thank you...thank you for reading along! I'm still here, and I'm still writing. xo

Blogging: New Month, New Vision

I always find it interesting how the Universe teaches you things you need to know in the time you need to know them. February was kind of a blur for us and I found myself lamenting over the days/evenings I have not been able to spend online blogging, networking and connecting with all of you. This, coupled with the fact that I've been re-thinking certain elements about my own blog in general, has me really questioning both my desire and direction on here. If you're anything like me, this feeling of disconnect is not only frustrating, but a little bit stressful, even. I'm a "planner" by nature, so when things don't go according to my timeline, it's not pretty.

Case in point: Yesterday, after a morning of running errands, I had grand plans to come home, enjoy lunch, catch up on email and blogs and then spend the remainder of my afternoon writing. Guess how much of that I was able to accomplish? Nada. Turns out there was a widespread power outage on the island yesterday and it took hours before our power was restored. All was well by the time The Hubs got home from work, so although my afternoon plans were thwarted, I figured I'd still have time after dinner. Aaaaannnnnnd that's when we discovered that something is now wrong with our internet connection, because our connection speed is atrocious and reminiscent of the dial-up days. I stayed up until 11:15 pm making one futile attempt after another to get a post published before cursing one last time and finally giving up.

::finding my happy place, finding my happy place, finding my happy place::

* * *

Today is a new day, and I'm simply going to bloom where I'm planted.

I never want this blogging thing to lose its appeal; I don't want the act of writing, producing and sharing to ever feel like a chore or something that I cannot keep up with, because this outlet is supposed to bring JOY. I want to get back to the early days of my blogging experience, when there was little stress and even less pressure. My blog has grown and evolved a bit since then, but my purpose and motivation has always stayed the same. Sometimes I just need to be reminded of that...and I have the Universe to thank for it.

This is going to be a crazy month for us; Phil's parents fly in today and will be visiting for a few weeks and then later this month Phil and I are hoping to island hop and spend some time with my extended family on Oahu. Under normal circumstances, I'd be apologizing right about now for my anticipated absence from the blog community, but I'm going to try and practice what I preach for a change. So, no apologies. I just want to enjoy my experience(s) here in the blog world...and the real world.

Happy Aloha Friday, friends - have a beautiful weekend!
Sending you sunshine wherever you are in this world.
Love, and be loved.