Friday, October 31, 2008

Hawaii Day 3

Today was a pretty kick back day, especially after everything we did the day before.

The guys (Dad, Chris, Uncle Dave, and Uncle Jamie) all went golfing in the morning. While Mom, Paige, Kaitlin, Aunt Cricket and I did some shopping around Waimea. It was fairly uneventful. I got one Christmas gift, for my uncle whom I am to get a gift for this year.
We went grocery shopping at the local KTA. The grocery stores in Hawaii are different than what I'm used to. There is a lot more Japanese influence. And a lot more seafood.

We went back to the house and had lunch. Relaxed. Napped. You know, the normal vacation kind of stuff. The guys eventually got back. Chris immediately went looking for chameleons. And he found one. We named her Lolo, which means crazy in Hawaiian.
While Chris played with Lolo, the girls and I went out to the backyard to play with the Parker Ranch horses that were in a neighboring pasture.
And that was a majority of our day. Pretty simple. Not busy. Just what was needed after the day before. We didn't want to overdo everything right at the beginning. That would be bad.

Hawaii Day 3 Album

It's Like Being a Pumpkin

A Christian, having recently been saved, was asked by a co-worker what it was like to be a Christian. The reply was, "It's like being a pumpkin: God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off you may have gotten from the other pumpkins. Then he cuts the top off and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.

Please share this with others that you know have been picked from the patch and washed clean.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Hawaii Day 2

Today we ventured to the east side of the island, to the Hilo side. Our day started early, being as we were all still on California time. It was 6am when we got out of bed. But really it was 9am to our bodies. We had a quick breakfast, discussed what we were going to do for the day, and loaded up. Our first stop was the Waipi'o Valley look out.
From there we drove to Akaka Falls...beautiful...
We made a couple other stops along the way. Rainbow Falls. Hilo's Farmer's Market. A ukulele shop. Lunch. The onward ho to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut factory. They had samples... Can I get an amen?!?
Then up the road, actually down the road, to the Akatsu Orchid farm. I've never seen so many different varieties and colors and shapes of orchids. Gorgeous! Mom actually bought a plant and brought it home. It started to bloom today.
A little further down the road we stopped at the most southern winery in the United States. Their wines are a little more on the sweet side. I got 2 bottles, their Volcano Red and Macadamia Nut Honey Wine. Here's to praying Paige get's extra credit for this stop.
Our 2nd to last destination of the day... the volcano. Might I add that this is an active volcano.
It was recommended that if we had proper attire and time to drive about an hour away to see the actual lava flowing. The night before there was quite a bit of activity. Heck, how often do you get to see hot magma? Onward ho! It was dark when we got there, flashlights were required, which luckily my aunt was smart and brought a bunch. We hiked about 1/2 mile to where you can see where the ocean and the lava meet. Stunning!
And our evening ended with a stop at Jack in the Crack for dinner in Hilo then driving back to Waimea...I slept in the van.

Hawaii Day 2 Album

I'm on the web!!!

So I have a friend that is unofficially engaged/planning a wedding. We were talking the other day about cool things we've seen at weddings that we've been to.

I've been to a lot. Not only as a caterer, but also as a guest. What was it in 2008? 5 or 6.

Well, last year I went to a wedding as a caterer with Hilmar Cheese. The couple had a photo booth. As the night wore on and guests were leaving, a group of us, 8 to be exact, snuck into booth to take some pictures.

Is snuck even a word? Sneaked? Whatever.

I digress. So, I found the website of this photo booth company and was checking it out. Telling my friend about it. Yada yada yada. I decided to look at the gallery of pictures, because I like looking at pictures. Low and behold there we were. In the gallery. Of the website. Second picture in.

How freakin' cool is that?!?

Fun Answering Machine Messages

"City Morgue, you kill 'em, we chill 'em; You stab 'em, we slab 'em!"

Quote of the Day

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.

— Flavia Weedn

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Shout Out!

Remember how a couple weeks ago my sister had a birthday? Well, she did. She's a whopping 22 years old now. But! Before her birthday my brother sent an e-mail to this Gary Vaynerchuk at The Wine Library to see if he'd do a shout out at the end of his episode on the 15th. Well, he did shout out, just a little late.

Check out Monday's issue for the shout out. If you don't want to watch and learn about the 3 merlot wines that Gary is tasting then feel free to scroll to about the 14:40 mark.

Yea, I know, he pronounced our last name wrong. I'll let it slide though.

Hawaii Day 1

Oi ve! Having to catch a flight at 8:30ish we decided to avoid the possible 4am traffic and just stay in San Francisco near the airport the night before. It wasn't that great of a place, hard mattresses and all. Maybe we should have just chanced it and stayed at home. Oh well.

The flight across the Pacific was fine. No big deal. I watched Get Smart and read People magazine. And occasionally poked my brother who was one seat in front of me. After a quick stop on Maui, we took a quick flight to the Big Island, Hawaii. We were up in the air, they served us Passion Orange juice, they took the trash, we landed.

We were greated by my Aunt Cricket (dad's youngest sister) the traditional Hawaiian way, we were lei'd. Mom decided that she was going to wait at the airport for Uncle Dave and Kaitlin to arrive, their flights were scheduled to land only 30 minutes apart. So Dad, Paige, Chris and I headed to the beach.

Plumeria, they smell so good! This was my lei.

The sand was hot, like California beaches, but the water was warm. And really salty. Maybe I've just forgotten how salty the ocean is because it's been so long since I've gone in it. But the water burned my eyes, so I made my dip a quick one. Chris got us some fries to munch on from the snack shop, we were hungry.

What you can't see are the salt granules drying on me as I sit in the sun.

Eventually everyone else made it. After we all had our fill of the beach, we headed up the road to Waimea, where my Aunt and her family live.

Hawaii Day 1 Album

Quote of the Day

The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

— Allan K. Chalmers

Hawaii

I'm back! I've survived! And I didn't burn at all! Ok, I burned a little, I just didn't peel.

So here's how it's going to work. For the next 7 days I'll posted each day of Hawaii. I'll only put a couple pictures, BUT I'll put a link at the end so you can go to the album in Picasa and see them all yourself. Be warned...I took 1,300 pictures. I will take some out, you know, the ones where you're trying to get the perfect shot and it takes 20 shots? Yea, I'll take a lot of those out.

And maybe I'll even share some of the pictures that my family took too!

Are you ready?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Quote of the Day

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away."
— Raymond Hull

Monday, October 27, 2008

Quote of the Day

I have to just concentrate on concentrating.

— Martina Navritilova


Yep, sometimes that how I feel.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Quote of the Day

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep."
-Scott Adams

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Quote of the Day

Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.

— Albert Einstein

Friday, October 24, 2008

Quote of the Day

"Modesty is the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it."
-Oliver Herford

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Quote of the Day

The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.

Bertrand Russell

I'm a slacker!

So I came onto my blog so I could show my aunt some pictures of the house. Only to realize that I don't have any recent ones.

Nothing of the back room all put together. Or of the dining area. Or, ah, well, just none that are up to date.

I'll take care of that when I get home.

Every Woman Should…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

enough money within her control to move out

and rent a place of her own,

even if she never wants to or needs to…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

something perfect to wear if the employer,

or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a youth she's content to leave behind…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to

retelling it in her old age…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill,

and a black lace bra…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

one friend who always makes her laugh…

and one who lets her cry…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a good piece of furniture not previously

owned by anyone else in her family…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,

and a recipe for a meal,

that will make her guests feel honored…


A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a feeling of control over her destiny…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

how to fall in love without losing herself…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

how to quit a job,

break up with a lover,

and confront a friend without;

ruining the friendship…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

when to try harder… and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

that she can't change the length of her calves,

the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

that her childhood may not have been perfect…

but it's over…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

what she would and wouldn't do for love or more…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

how to live alone…

even if she doesn't like it…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

whom she can trust,

whom she can't,

and why she shouldn't take it personally…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

where to go…

be it to her best friend's kitchen table…

or a charming Inn in the woods…

when her soul needs soothing…


EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

What she can and can't accomplish in a day…

a month…and a year…

Don't worry...

I wasn't sacrificed as a young virgin into the volcano! We almost threw Kaitlin in though.

Just kidding!

The trip is going great. Hawaii is beautiful. And I'm taking LOTS of pictures! Lots.

I mean a lot!

That's it for now. I'll give you a recap on everything when I get back to the mainland.

Signing off.
-Howlie for a week

Howlie = a non-native Hawaiian, someone that doesn't live on the island, a tourist.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Quote of the Day

"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time."
-Anna Freud

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Why did the Chicken cross the road?

  • Barack Obama:
    The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change!
    The chicken wanted change!

  • John McCain:
    My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

  • Hillary Clinton:
    When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure - right from Day one - that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

  • George W. Bush:
    We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

  • Dick Cheney:
    Where's my gun?

  • Colin Powell:
    Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

  • Bill Clinton:
    I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

  • John Kerry:
    Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chickens intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

  • Al Sharpton:
    Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens!

  • Dr. Phil:
    The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

  • Oprah:
    Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of us chickens.

  • Nancy Grace:
    That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

  • Pat Buchanan:
    To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

  • Dr. Seuss:
    Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

  • Ernest Hemingway:
    To die in the rain, alone.

  • Jerry Falwell:
    Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the 'other side'. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the other side.' That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

  • Grandpa:
    In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

  • Barbara Walters:
    Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious scare of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

  • Aristotle:
    It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

  • John Lennon:
    Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

  • Albert Einstein:
    Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

  • Colonel Sanders:
    Did I miss one???

Monday, October 20, 2008

Quote of the Day

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

— Thich Nhat Hanh

Time to Check in…

Remember this chart…

Yep, it's updated.

I didn't think to put what the total lost so far for the year is, but as you can see it's on a downward trend. The tracked numbers are based off of Weight Watchers weekly weigh ins.

And I'm happy to report that I didn't weigh in a couple weeks (ok, that's not the happy part) due to Oktoberfest and Dennis being here. Monday when I weighed in I learned that I only gained .4 pounds. That's big being as I ate out almost every meal with Dennis.

I know. Go me!

Holidays are coming up though, so I've really got to watch it.

And I need to exercise.

Plane leaves in the Morning!

Tomorrow morning I'll be boarding a plane and fly (as a passenger) over the vast blue Pacific Ocean.

In about an hour we head out to San Francisco to be that much close to the airport. No one wants to leave at the ungodly hour of 3:30 am to get stuck in traffic and catch a plane by 8:30 am. So for a small fee, we're staying near the airport that has a free shuttle and no charge for parking. Amen!

I believe I'll have access to the internet while I'm gone. So I'll try to post occasionally. With pictures!

Aloha!

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Random Fact

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."

Saturday, October 18, 2008

The Diaries of a Dog and a Cat

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary
* 8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
* 9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
* 9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
* 10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
* 12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
* 1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
* 3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
* 5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
* 7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
* 8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
* 11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!



Excerpts from a Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow --but at the top o f the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.

The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now . . .

Quote of the Day

To love abundantly is to live abundantly, and to love forever is to live forever.

Henry Drummond

Friday, October 17, 2008

The Plight of the Older Sibling

An interesting article for all you first borns...

First-born kids really do have it tougher, new research finds
By Melissa Dahl
Health writer
Mon., May. 5, 2008

There are two Jones brothers, Joshua and Justin. But when something breaks — like the time a soccer ball crashed through a garage window — it’s usually Joshua who gets the lecture: You’re the oldest, his parents remind him. You need to set an example. Your younger brother is watching.

Now, a new study has confirmed what first-borns like Joshua have always suspected: The oldest kid in the family really does bear the brunt of parental strictness, while the younger brothers and sisters generally coast on through.

“The folklore is that parents punish the older child more than the younger ones,” says Lingxin Hao, a sociology professor at Johns Hopkins University and an author of the study, published in the latest issue of the Economic Journal. “But it isn’t just folklore — this is a national pattern.”

First-borns who dropped out of school were 20 percent less likely to be getting most of their annual income from their parents than younger siblings in the same situation, Hao and her team found after reviewing annual surveys, involving more than 7,000 kids each year, conducted from 1979 to 1994 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition, the researchers found, first-born daughters who got pregnant as teenagers were 30 percent less likely to be getting most of their money from their parents than younger female siblings.

“Parents have an incentive to play tough with their kids, especially the older ones, to try to establish this signal to the other children that they’re not a pushover,” says Joseph Hotz, an economics professor at Duke University and a co-author of the study.

It’s all for the sake of setting an example, a refrain first-borns know all too well. By punishing the oldest kid more severely, Hotz says, parents are hoping to essentially scare the younger brothers and sisters straight, keeping them from making a similar mistake.

Parenting a perfectionist
“We did become stricter with Joshua after Justin was born,” says Ken Jones, father to the Jones boys — Joshua is 13, and Justin is 11. “I think I was a bit rougher on Joshua. He had to do things more perfectly.”

As the Jones family, who lives in Corona, Calif., has found, and the new research confirms, being a little tougher on the oldest kid in the family often turns out a kid like Joshua — the stereotypical rule-abiding, responsible first-born.

The study showed that older siblings were much less likely to drop out of school or, in the case of girls, get pregnant, than the youngest in the family, perhaps because they’ve had a lifetime of being held to higher standards.

That stricter parenting style often shapes the first-born kid into a play-by-the rules perfectionist, so parents tend to rely more on their oldest child than the younger kids, says Kevin Leman, a Tucson, Ariz., psychologist and author of “The Birth Order Book.”

“When a job needs to get done, it’s the habit of the parent to call on the first-born, because they’re the most reliable and conscientious,” Leman says. But it's no accident that the oldest has become a responsible wonder child; it's the parenting strategy that made them that way.

That’s how Ed Newman, a first-born, describes himself as a kid. As a teenager in New Jersey in the ’60s, he would never consider breaking his 11 p.m. curfew. He even remembers ignoring a group of buddies who repeatedly rapped on his window one night, trying to get him to come out. “It just seemed … wrong,” says Newman, now 55 and living in Duluth, Minn.

Flash forward 30-odd years later, and Newman’s youngest brother, eight years his junior, hits him with this piece of information: Baby brother Robert didn’t even have a curfew growing up.

“I knew my parents had loosened up some, but I didn’t know they had loosened up completely!” says Newman.

This is the same brother, Newman adds, who once singed off his eyelashes and eyebrows after making an explosive that blew up in his face.

Younger siblings, the researchers found, really are more likely to take more risks than the oldest kid in the family. In the data Hao and her team reviewed, younger siblings were especially more likely to drop out of school — and get financial support from their parents.

When it comes to parenting the first-born, there’s always a set of younger eyes watching the parents’ every move. But with the youngest, nobody younger is watching the consequences play out, making it harder for parents to stick to all that “tough love” talk. For the youngest kids who get into trouble, “parents are more likely to go in and bail them out,” says Hotz.

'Exhaustion takes over'
By the time the second and third kids come around, many parents lighten up, and realize that they probably overreacted a little with setting rules for their first kid, Leman says. “The first-born’s a guinea pig; we practice on ‘em,” he says. “Once the other kids come in, we lighten up. Or exhaustion takes over.”

With her oldest daughter, Lisa Russell set down very specific rules about sweets and TV watching, and kept her little girl, Emily, to a strict schedule. Dinner was always at 6, bedtime always at 8.

“When Emily was little, she was just always my perfect little robot who did everything I wanted her to do,” Russell says. “I thought, God, I must be really good at this.”

Fourteen years and four more kids later, dinner happens when it happens, and bedtime “isn’t so much of a time, it’s more like when a meltdown occurs,” says Russell, who lives in Yakima, Wash. Her five girls range in age from 5 months to 14 years.

“I don’t make an issue of things anymore,” Russell says. “You learn to choose your battles, and you learn what matters and what doesn't matter.”

© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

Fun Answering Machine Messages

Hello, this is Death. I am not in right now, but if you leave your name and number, I'll be right with you.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Did someone say birthday...?

No!

But someone just had one!

And that someone is my little sis Paige.

Paige turned 22 years old...yesterday. I know, I'm a day late and a dollar short.

I hope you cut a rug last night!

Tagged!

Remember the game "tag", well I've been tagged...blog style. My friend Allie tagged me! So here are the rules, go to your 6th picture folder and then to your 6th picture. Post the picture. Then tag 5 others to do the same. So here goes...

My folders are broken down by year, then by event. So I'm going 6th, 6th, then 6th picture. And...
2006/2006.03 Hooka
My brother is going to kill me! He looks stoned. Or drunk. And maybe he was drunk (notice the beer), but not stoned.

So here's who I'm tagging next...

Krista
Kaitlin
Paige
Mel
Stacey (I know, I cheat. Mel and Stacey were already tagged by Allie.)

Quote of the Day

Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.
-Maya Angelou

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Flowers

Remember how I told you that Dennis got me flowers the night before he left. He was a brave guy and ventured out on his own to the grocery store. And this was a big thing being as he doesn't have a very good sense of direction. I was worried. I admit it. But I had total faith.

That is until he phone wasn't getting service and he had been gone for 30 minutes. But he got home just before I called 911.

So here are the flowers.
Oh and the cards. The cards that made me tear up. Ok, fine, I more than just teared up. I cried. Like a baby.

He's such a romantic!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Quote of the Day

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Sausage, Strudel, and Sauerkraut

The tradition of the Oktoberfest. This is how is works. Every year for the past 6 years my family, along with friends, have thrown and annual Oktoberfest. Every year for the past 6 years, the Friday night before the party we've made the sausage and the strudel.

That's right folks. Homemade sausage. And homemade (premade dough) strudel.

Here's the sausage making. It's primarily a guy thing.And, well, I hate to say it, but the women stay in the kitchen and assemble the strudels.
Then we take a little break for dinner and samplings of sausage, strudel, wine and beer.
And then it's back to licking the chocolate off the spoon. I mean, finishing up the strudel and drinking more wine.
And that's a typical pre-Oktoberfet Friday.