Love this family!!!!

 

These guys are soooo funny, and soooo loving, and soooo genuine. I'm always happy to see them when I can. We met up on my first day in Hawaii and went and had some Thai food. Such a good time to hang out with them. Thanks Akamines.

Me & my new friend, Lokahi

 

After seeing this guys picture and posts plastered on FB pages, I finally got to meet him! What a sweetie. I felt like we were twins separated at birth...except that he's Puerto-Rican/Korean and I'm Japanese, and he sings really well and I just sing, and he's 20 years younger than me...ok, we both watch what we eat and he makes me laugh. That's like being twins.

Welcome to Hawaii

 

So I did some work during spring break for a group from the university. I did logistics which is an easy way to say that I gave them maps and then went and had fun with my friend, Cherie (whose husband was with the group). The group was part of a scuba diving class (which I don't do because I have a healthy fear of sharks) and they were here for 1 week. So take a look at the pics from the week.

We got a little sidetracked...

 

On the way to the hotel, Cherie and I took the long way and stopped at Leondard's. It was a good decision. See Cherie below doing quality assurance on the goods. I think they passed.

 

Because this is how she rolls...

 

Cherie is the ultimate planner, I've decided. She packed an iron and a hot pot to bring with her to Hawaii. I can't imagine how heavy the bags were, but she had delicious tea everyday.

First night in Waikiki

 

After dinner we headed for a walk on the beach. It really was a beautiful night although just a tad bit chilly. Still, it was better than being in Washington. Here are Jim and Cherie with Diamond Head in the background.

 

 

Matsumoto's

 

The group became very familiar with Matsumoto's. I don't know how many trips Jim and Cherie made out there, but I'm guessing 4. And notice the condensed milk on top? The shave ice isn't sweet enough without it.

Lu'au at the Akamines

 

The Akamines hosted us again this year!!!! They were such generous hosts, opening their home, putting together a lu'au, and then talking story with us. I always learn so much when I'm with these two. Thanks for doing this (again). Can't wait until next year. :)

Hmmm...whose plate is whose?

 

One of these plates belongs to a local, and the other plate belongs to a mainland visitor. I wonder...

 

Dinner at Big City Diner (I think)

 

One of the first nights in Hawaii we headed out to a restaurant. Jim and Eric wanted Loco Moco so I called my brother for a recommendation. He told us to head to Big City Diner and that's what we did. The guys, to my surprise, cleaned up their loco moco. You gotta do a lot of diving to burn off a loco moco.

Heugel's with their food

 

Coconut Island Field Trip

 

One of the field trips I participated in was the Coconut Island excursion. I had never been, and it was a nice boat ride. The island was quite large, at least from what I had imagined. And I've always wanted to go to Gilligan's Island. Here's a shot of the group on the boat as we're approaching the island.

Leaving He'eia Kea Pier

 

This was actually a nice 30 minute ride from the pier to Coconut Island. The water was perfect, although a bit rough so we didn't get to see many turtles. :(

 

High Tea at the Moana

 

Cherie and I spent the afternoon at the Moana having high tea. Very nice - although I felt weirdly underdressed, even though we were on the beach. Lots of teas to choose from, and the scenery was fantastic.

Our Elegant Food

 

I like high tea...every so often. Really, I more of a messy-finger-food type of gal (think ribs, nachos, and juicy burgers), but this was very tasty and filling. We had an assortment of sandwiches and desserts - all very good. Although I wish the sandwiches were bigger. Guess I'm not a dainty eater. Don't tell my mom - not like she'd be surprised anyway.

Cream of Mushroom Soupt

 

I didn't think I'd like it (thoughts of casseroles went through my head) but it turned out to be a mild flavored soup.

 

 

Work. Blog Neglect. Work. Sleep. More Work.

So sorry I have neglected this blog! Ugh. I realize that I haven't even uploaded all of the Hawaii pics. Double ugh. OK...I'll try to get on that this week. Just so you know, I've had a lot of work. The kind of work with deadlines. I don't like this kind of work. Stresses me to no end. The kind of stress that makes me want to jump into a vat of ice cream - any kind, but not the sugar-free kind. But enough of that.

I'll get some things going but until then know that I've had some things keeping me busy. For one, I'm reading two books:

Lamb by Christopher Moore. The book is funny, but sometimes I think that God will smite me for laughing.

The Interpreter of Maladies. Not as funny as Lamb. Well, not funny, really, but still a fantastic book. It's a collection of short stories by Jhumpa Lahiri. All the stories are tinged with melancholy yet I cannot help but read more.

I also watch reruns of Criminal Minds, but I have to stop it - it's too depressing to imagine what humans can do to each other.

I've started running again. Have I mentioned how much I don't like running? I think it's good for character building. We'll see how long this cycle lasts.

And I guess that's it. OK...will get pics ready to post.