12 days of Christmas Blessing My Husband

December is a fun time around our house with school, church, birthdays and holiday parties but it can also feel crazy busy with all our family activities. This year I really wanted to bless my husband with his own special gift of 12 days of Christmas. It was so fun to plan. The tricky part was when he surprised me with a trip to New York in the middle of it. Luckily the days we traveled were things I could easily take on the airplane and continue his surprise each day in New York City. He loved singing his own version of the song everyday...and it was so cute because he didn't know what was coming next so he just kept singing the days he already knew.
Day 1: on the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...an awesome golf adventure~ I printed out a gift certificate for Pebble Beach Resort wrapped it up and put it by his toothbrush in our bathroom. 
Day 2: two movie tickets~ I bought a gift card for movie tickets at our local theatre.
Day3: three handwarmers~ for the snow
Day4: four wooly socks~ gotta love Target
Day5: FIVE CHRISTMAS COOKIES~ he shared these with one of our daughters and she put a request into Santa for more.
Day6: six sexy emails~ I sent these throughout the day not realizing his emails may or may not be read by corporate IT dept. insert blushing face here!
Day 7: seven mistletoe kisses~ this was fun as he collected his mistletoe kisses throughout New York City... carriage ride in Central Park, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Christmas Tree, drinks at The Plaza, Times Square, Russian Tea Room, rooftop lounge looking out at the city lights.
Day8: eight romantic candles~ packed these in my carry on and set them out in our hotel room.
Day9: nine holiday candies~ perfect for airplane treats
Day10: ten post-it love notes~ I arranged these in the shape of a Christmas tree on our bathroom mirror. 10 things I love and cherish about him.
Day11: eleven songs playlist~ this was fun, I hand picked 11 songs just for him
Day12: twelve lacy goodies~ the finale on Christmas Eve...lacy lingerie 

Marriage might be a noun but what keeps it special is love and that my friends is a verb...effort, planning, listening, communicating, participating, giving, sharing, compromising, forgiving, protecting, learning, growing...loving.

Christmas morning I woke up to a beautiful letter my husband wrote to me. I will share this part with you, "on the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...twelve lacy goodies,eleven songs playlist,ten post-it love notes, nine holiday candies, eight romantic candles, seven mistletoe kisses, six sexy emails, FIVE CHRISTMAS COOKIES, four wooly socks, three handwarmers, two movie tickets and an awesome golf adventure. BUT, what my true love really gave to me this Christmas was...mystery, excitement, something new in our relationship, romance, intrigue, sweets, love, understanding, time alone with my true love, anticipation, mind blowing effort to keep me guessing and eternal love that we can share forever because of our love for The Lord and a reminder of what Christmas really is about."
Leave it to my husband to turn my attempt at blessing him into him touching my heart deeply with this letter. After 16 Christmas' together this will be one of my favorites to remember.




Sent from my iPad

ThanksGIVEing

Each November I usually make a list of what I'm thankful for everyday. This year I've decided to focus on the "give" inside of "Thanksgiving" and do something each day for someone else to "give" my thanks away through actions and words. The beautiful thing is this little project is making me feel even more thankful. Here's my acronym:

G = Gratitude changes perspective~

I = Impact the life of someone else~

V = Validate others~

E = Encourage kindness~

Day1: gave up my livescan fingerprints appointment at the police station to a man who didn't have one so he could go on his child's fieldtrip.

Day2: sent a message to a dear friend just to say "I love you."

Day3: sponsored an 8 year old boy in OtinoWaa Children's Village in Africa. We can write to him, send him packages and email him. I know the directors of this orphanage from our church. Our daughter has already declared she will go there and meet him. She's working on a list of questions for him and details about our family to share with him. 

Day4: got out of my car to take back a costco cart for a mommy holding a baby and a toddler trying to get into the car alone. Having twins I remember those days very well.

Day5: thanked and prayed for the tow truck driver that came to help me when my transmission went out. Pretty sure that guy was an angel. He said something to me that I needed to hear. Didn't even make sense that he would say it. 

Day6: let 2 cars cut in line in front of me during heavy traffic even though they cheated the traffic lane (they should have exited).

Day 7: ran after a bus waiving my arms and shouting "wait, wait" on behalf of a little gramma trying so hard to get to the bus stop before it left. 

Day8: thanked the staff at Stanford for always treating my daughter with kindness, gentleness and encouragement.

Day9: paid for the car behind me on the bridge.

Day10: took the time to teach my daughter the importance of paying tithing on money she earns. She had her first babysitting job this weekend. So proud of her!

Day11: donated 8 holiday meals to be delivered to elderly people so they can enjoy Thanksgiving Day in their home.

Day12: made cupcakes for the teachers lounge at our school. It's always hard to go back to work after a 3 day weekend. So thankful for the love they pour into our kids.

Day13: focused on "this moment" with my daughter without worry or distraction. 

Day14: donated $ to WorldVision Disaster Relief for Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.

Day15: gave food donation to SF CityTeams Ministries.

Day16: shopped for Operation Christmas Child and filled 2 shoeboxes to the brim. Wish I could deliver them in person.

Day17: bagged up food for Santa Cruz Hope "Feed The Community Thanksgiving Outreach." 

Day18: gave cold beverages to carpet cleaners who had a really long day. Prayed for 2 families I don't know that needed prayers. Sent an encouraging email to a friend.

Day19: complimented sales associates on giving such great customer service. Welcomed and encouraged a new worker at the hospital.

Day20: did a drive by flower drop off at a friend's front porch. 

Day21: gave grace to the not so patient freeway drivers on our 10 hour road trip to Portland. I drove while hubby worked. Gotta love a mobile wifi hot spot for long road trips and work deadlines.

Day22: thanked the students who shared their day at school with S and L and made their experience fun and welcoming.

Day23: sent a thank you note to our dry cleaners.

Day24: prayed for a friend who doesn't know Jesus.

Day25: took Nonna's car and filled up the gas tank.

Day26: took the time to fill out a survey from a local Safeway to give praise and recognition for the cashier/employee who checked us out. People in Oregon are so friendly.

Day27: participated in "Push The Bag Forward" to support Lane county food donations.

Day28: cooked Thanksgiving dinner and made a thankful tree for everyone to write what they are most thankful for.

Day29: helped an 80 year old man who stumbled down the stairs at the Football game. Wish he didn't have to deal with those stairs. Loved his spirit. 

Day30: wrote an encouraging letter, made a call to lend a listening ear and gave almost all the drivers on our road trip home, grace and space, expect for one which I felt bad about later. Pretty sure a few bad words came out of my mouth. Holiday traffic was a pickle. 

My November of ThanksGIVEing has come to an end. I liked giving my thanks away through helping others. 

Gratitude changes perspective

Impact the life of someone else

Validate others

Encourage kindness

I will do this again next year~ 

I'm so thankful for the people in my life that love me, inspire me and continually impact my life through their words and actions. I will gladly praise the one who made me and choose to be His hands and feet. Bless someone today~

 

Divine Appointments

If you look you will find appointments in your day that God planned for you in advance. Today while waiting in my daughter's hospital room (she is with the nurse in another room) I decided to act upon the urging of the Holy Spirit and started a friendly conversation with the hospital housecleaner who came into our room. Long story short I ended up asking her if I could pray for her and I wrapped my arms around her and prayed. The tears poured down her face and she kept thanking me. Her husband committed suicide 17 months ago and she is truly heartbroken and trying to take care of her 10 year old son. I'm glad I didn't ignore that prompting to engage her in a conversation. God did the rest.  Take the time and look around, step outside your comfort zone and connect with people in your path. Let God use you today! 

30 Year High School Reunion

Finally home from a fast paced week in Oregon. It was so great to see old friends at my reunion and catch up with many names I remembered but didn't know well. The benefit of outgrowing awkward social skills of high school is taking the opportunity to get to know those you didn't know well before. There is beauty in the discovery. I really enjoyed the evening and our girls night out slumber party in the hotel.  The highlight however of this trip was spending time with family members I don't get to see often and the time we spent with our adopted grandparents. These precious moments hold so much meaning in my heart.  Life is too short.  Learning to be present and truly engaged in each relationship and conversation is a gift that is received on both sides. Time should be listed on the endangered species list.  It's a valuable commodity that can either drain you or fill you up. Use your time wisely. You could be the blessing someone is waiting for.

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Teachable Moments

Teach your children the difference between right and wrong or someone else will teach them wrong is right.  It seems when our kids were young teachable moments were a constant daily necessity to achieve routine and harmony raising twins. Consequences were immediate and our umbrella as parents gave me a great sense of control for training up well behaved, respectful children who would one day be launched out into the world to conquer their dreams. Fast forward to today...our twins have been teenagers for 13 days and it seems we've jumped into that old familiar feeling of needing our umbrella again. Why you ask??? One word...Instagram! Many of their friends were allowed an Instagram account at a young age. We however chose the magical age of 13 to allow that privilege. After locking down their accounts on privacy settings and explaining this is the beginning of their social media footprint and comments they make and photos they post all send a message about who they are and what they stand for, they were off and running. Within 8 hours they had 60 friends and lots of likes on photos.  After searching through their activity and friends lists it became clear this was going to get out of control really fast! The years of building their self esteem through character and integrity seemed to be going right down the drain because of how many likes someone gets on a photo. This launched our dissertation about how if you allow your self worth to depend on how many likes you get that road to your future will take you down a very different path. 

We surfed through their friends pages and couldn't believe what we were seeing. Many are not on private settings and some have 500 plus followers and 2 had over 3000! Why on earth does a young teenager need that kind of false security of friendship.  After this discovery we all decided what our family boundaries will be with Instagram, friending, posting and comments. Our girls came to the decision that they will not be that girl that chases their acceptance through numbers.  Social media and technology are growing at such a fast pace and will continue to provide many opportunities for us as parents to help navigate our kids through the pros and cons. 

The Big Surprise!!

The Big Surprise!

After several months of planning this birthday surprise it finally came time for the big reveal.  After the twins were baptized in the ocean we hung around the beach playing in the waves then checked into the Kealani Hotel for a night of sleepover fun! I planned a scavenger hunt of sorts that any teen would love to do because it involved their phones! Lol

It couldn't have been any easier.

Simply took a paper plate and cut in between the letters A-Z that I placed around the rim in black sharpie. I then wrote the instructions in the middle of the plate. 

Basically they divided into two teams and had one hour to find something on hotel property that began with each letter. They had to take a photo of it to prove their findings. Since we were celebrating the twins 13th birthday Bonus points were given if they found 13 of one item.

They had a blast!

The next afternoon the girls came home to their surprise party at the house. They had no idea! The letters were a huge hit!! Although we had these letters and photos of their life made into a book for each daughter,   I also took each letter and collaged them on the wall for the party.

It was truly a spectacular 13th birthday celebration! 

The Letters

Here is the letter we sent out to our loved ones to participate in this special birthday surprise for our twin daughters 13th birthday.

Dear Family and Friends,

Our twins are turning 13 this summer and entering their teenage years. Soon they will be in high school facing significant changes in their lives. 

We are reaching out to all of you as significant role models/adults in their lives to provide words of wisdom that we will use to create a lasting keepsake for their 13th birthday.

This birthday traditionally is represented as a spiritual time when a young girl transitions into a young woman and your words of wisdom and guidance will be a wonderful blessing into their journey through their teenage years.

We will be in Hawaii for their birthday and this will feel like you are all there with us! 

We've selected a topic for each of you.  Please write what's on your heart about that topic in a letter addressed to the girls.

Letter Topics:

1.  Family

2. Promise maker promise keeper

3. Faith 

4.  Goals & Dreams

5.  Choices 

6.  Friendships and peer pressure

7.  Discernment and Decisions 

8.  Overcoming obstacles

9.  First impressions

10. Trusting God

11.  Learning from your mistakes

12. Standing up for the right thing

13. Truth and honesty

Thank you so much! We look forward to your words of blessing, wisdom and guidance. 

All our love,

Soon to be parents of teenagers

(Again)!

Our twins turn 13!!

This has been a special week at our house.  Our twin daughters turned 13 on Saturday. That’s the age we decided marks the first real transition from girl to young lady in our family. My husband’s family all celebrated Bar Mitzvah’s or Bat Mitzvah’s, a beautiful Jewish tradition at age 13.  Since we are Christians and believe in the Old Testament, New Testament and the Grace of Christ, we decided our daughters would celebrate becoming “daughters of Grace,” “Bat Chanan,” with the similar expectation that each begins to put away childish things, prepares herself for the responsibilities of being a young woman and pursues her relationship with God.  Last Saturday our twins celebrated their 13th birthday.  They both had asked to be baptized.  This took place in the ocean here on Maui by their youth pastor.  Down on the beach they had a blessing in Hawaiian and my husband blessed them in Hebrew in addition to a Father’s Blessing in English followed by their water baptism.  We are so grateful to have the influence of our family and friends to surround our daughters with love, laughter, insight, faith and character building throughout their lives.  We asked 13 loved ones to contribute to this milestone birthday by writing a letter to our daughters on specific topics that would speak blessing, wisdom and guidance into their lives.  These 13 letters were a huge surprise!  We’ve made the letters into a keepsake book for each daughter.  We are so thankful to all who’ve contributed to making this 13th birthday have deep meaning and help

 to create a beautiful memory for our daughters to cherish forever.  Our hearts are full. Mathew 28:19

Happy 4th of July

Family, food and fun on this Fourth of July! Wishing you all a blessed day~ 

Bday#27: 27 Dresses Love Notes Blessings

Brittany's 27th bday

It's hard to believe my daughter is 27 years old today. It seems not so long ago I was waiting around in L&D for her to make her arrival. She was after all 3 weeks late and we were eager to meet her. She's always been on her own time schedule a gift given to her from God himself. She has brought so much love, laughter and worry into my life and sculpted my path of motherhood with feelings that can't be placed into words. There's a feeling that can only be felt inside your spirit of that deep rooted kind of love for your child that God placed inside mothers. It's a blessing that never expires. I know this feeling because of her, my beautiful, smart, wonderful girl.  Happy Birthday Brittany! Today we celebrate you!!

A birthday surprise for my daughter who turned 27 today~

27 love notes and blessings given to her around the city. Each stop representing purpose and meaning for her future.  Stop#1 The Legion of Honor for "thinking, wisdom and knowledge is power." Stop#2 Golden Gate Bridge for remembering the importance of creating bridges in relationships. Stop#3 Kuletto's Restaurant for realizing that what you put into your life is what comes out. Making healthy choices gives you nourishment for life. Stop#4 The Palace of Fine Arts because the "finer" things in life are things you can not buy. It's the things you feel in your spirit that matter the most! God planned it that way~

The Legion of Honor~

Golden Gate Bridge~

Kuletto's~

The Palace of Fine Arts~

My first born daughter! What a blessing she has been in my life. I love you sweet girl~

Grace Trumps Frienemy

Teaching my girls about friendships I tell them to be the kind of friend you want to have... I'm so thankful for true friends in my life I can trust, that come alongside, cover me in prayer, share their time, speak the truth, blesses me with their encouragement, celebrates my joy, inspires me to move past my roadblocks, accepts my weaknesses, and live authentic lives. Truly touches my heart. True friends are there for the good, bad and sometimes ugly parts of life and always hold dear the value placed on trust. Thankful that I know Grace trumps a frienemy.

Peanut-Butter Pie with Golden Oreo Crust

Peanut-Butter Pie with Golden Oreo Crust:
Trying to fatten our daughter up is not an easy task. At age 12 she's growing taller at warp speed and her Grace Kelly neck accentuates her much too thin frame. Anorexia is not our problem but rather a rare form of a variant migraine attacking her stomach...Abdominal Migraine. Certain foods trigger gut wrenching vomiting anywhere from 2-9 hours! Thankfully we are close to Children's Hospital where the head of Neurology has experience with this rare condition. He has been such a gift to us through this journey the last 3 years. Thankfully we haven't had an episode since August! Thank you Jesus. However she is looking too thin and my goal to keep her healthy is front and center every day! So trying to work with what she can eat and make it something she wants to eat I tried something new and it was a huge hit for our entire family! Can I get a whoop whoop?!
Peanut-Butter Pie with Golden Oreo Crust!
25 Golden Oreo Cookies pulsed in food processor
Melt 1/2 stick butter pulse into cookie mixture
Press into pie dish
Bake 7 minutes @ 375
Let cool completely
Meanwhile mix together
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 8oz cream cheese
1 large tub Cool Whip
Spoon into pie dish and chill 30 minutes
Crumble a few Oreos on top for some added prettiness!
(We actually didn't wait and ate it right out of the bowl!) So good!
Note: it is pretty rich if you use 2 cups of peanut butter. Maybe a dollop of additional cool whip on top would be nice too! Enjoy~

Baked French Toast

Weekend breakfast made easy~
{Baked French toast}
2 small loaves French bread cubed up
8 eggs, beaten
2 cups Half and Half
1 cup of milk
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 generous teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
salt~just a dash

Topping:
1 cup butter, softened, 1 cup light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup chopped pecans, 2 tablespoons corn syrup and ½ teaspoon nutmeg

Butter a 9×13 pan lightly. Arrange bread in pan. Beat all other ingredients together and pour over top of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Mix together all topping ingredients (these can set in refrigerator over night as well...note...topping will firm up from fridge...spoon it out like shavings or let it come to room temp to drizzle). When ready to bake, crumble, drizzle or spoon out the topping ingredients over the soaked bread. Bake in a 350° oven for about 45 minutes until topping is browned and knife inserted in center is clean. Enjoy~

Hello Twenty Thirteen

Showing love with actions and words are some of life's greatest gifts to give and receive. Two thousand twelve brought many unexpected treasured moments that touched my heart deeply. It also brought a few unpleasant situations that taught me valuable lessons. As I make my New Years resolutions with the excitement of a brand new year, I'd like to start off twenty thirteen by wishing you all a very happy and healthy new year!

My Birthday Project: Kindness Inspires Kindness

My 47th birthday~ Kindness Inspires Kindness, 47 random acts of kindness

8:45 AM

Left gift for our postman in mail box (he'll get it tomorrow).

Fire Station: Dropped off 2 Toys for Tots, 1 Blanket for One warm Coat/Blanket Drive, Cookies for firefighters kitchen.

Nursing Home: Wrote 16 Christmas cards to be handed out to grandma’s and grampa’s on Christmas morning by the nursing staff

for people they know wouldn’t have anyone visiting them.

Post Office: mailed box of 10 beanie babies and webkinz for soldiers to give to local kids in exchange for information on IED locations. Mailed 5 thank you cards to soldiers. Mailed $15 for shipping to Operation Gratitude. Mailed 1 check to buy a camp t-shirt for a physically challenged child to attend equestrian camp. Left 2 boxes of hope and joy in random places inside the post office.

Rising Loafer: bought breakfast for 2 people

San Ramon Regional Medical Center Hospital: Delivered fresh flowers to ER Staff. Gave cookie basket to ER admitting staff. Left 18 magazines in different waiting rooms throughout hospital. Left 2 children’s gifts on table inside family waiting room of labor and delivery. Taped dollar bills on 4 vending machines near cafeteria. Placed 3 boxes of Hope and Joy on Christmas tree in cafeteria. A nurse chased us down to tell us how remarkable she thought we were for leaving the gifts for the kids in Labor & Delivery.

Laundry Mat: gave a little girl an activity coloring book and color crayons while she was waiting with her dad for their laundry to finish. Taped $10 on washing machine and said “this load’s on me.” Left a big container of laundry detergent on counter.

Dollar Store: Scattered dollar bills randomly throughout the dollar store with note attached.

Babies R US: Returned carts to store from back of parking lot. Gave a toddler in a stroller a gift.

Borders Book Store: Hid dollar bills inside books throughout store. Read a book to children in the kids section. Donated $10 to Young Life group at exit door of store.

Toll Bridge: Paid for the car behind us on the Bay Bridge and left a candycane and note for the toll worker to give him. Gave a candycane to toll worker.

Golden Gate Bridge: Took photos of couples on the bridge. Spoke French to a grampa visiting from Vietnam who wanted to take a picture of us. Handed out 8 Hope and Joy boxes to people on the bridge. Gave candy canes to people waiting for bus in the rain. Gave our paid parking space to people with Michigan sticker on the back of their car. Let people take pictures with my homemade “kindness inspires kindness” sign.

Didn’t honk my horn at crazy woman who almost caused an accident with her driving. Yes I’m counting this as an act of kindness.

The Buena Vista: gave cookie basket to people visiting from Austrailia who gave us their table so twins didn’t need to pony up to the bar so mommy could have a famous Irish Coffee and take a break from the rain. Invited 2 couples to share our table (they were visiting from Sacramento and loved what we were doing with our day).

Gave cookie basket to parking garage attendant. His birthday is on the 21st. He couldn’t believe I was giving him cookies.

 Downtown San Francisco: Handed out 22 gifts to age specific people. Kids, moms, teenagers. People couldn’t believe we were giving them a gift. I wish I could have taken photos of every ones reactions. Some of them were just way out there in disbelief. Two people said no thank you and that was weird. Most people were thrilled. One person chased us down after she read the card to tell us what a wonderful thing we were doing and how it really made her day. I spoke Spanish to one lady because she was really leery and didn’t understand English then she was over the top happy. Held doors open. Gave out compliments. Let cars cut in front of us.

Gave a giant box of diapers and babywipes to a mommy carrying a baby in a front pack. She was visiting from England and she said she needed nappies because they were almost out. We gave cookie baskets to her older children. She was in shock I think.

Left giant size hand sanitizer on changing table in women’s restroom.

Ran up the suddenly broken escalator to the middle where a frail old grandma was stopped holding her cane and edge of rail wondering how she was going to get down while the herds of people also stuck behind her stood there and did nothing. I ran up the escalator and helped her stair by stair down. She squeezed me so tight on each step. It reminded me of when I worked in a nursing home. She was so grateful when we got to the bottom. I’m pretty sure God planned that one for me.

All in all it was 135 single random acts of kindness~ A lifetime memory that will permanently be etched in our hearts forever. Best birthday ever!

9:30 PM: Back home happily exhausted and feeling pretty blessed to have experienced this day

Monday Meatballs Made Easy

Good friends, bottle of Italian wine, garlic bread and Caesar salad. Great way to start off the week! These meatballs are the base to add to any sauce, any pasta or just freeze and have on hand. I prefer to add to my 24hour slow cook homemade sauce but you can add to any store bought sauce and your good to go! Enjoy~
Monday Meatballs
1 pound hamburger
2 eggs, beaten with 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup panko or bread crumbs
1 small onion, minced or grated (1/2 a large onion)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley or basil

Mix all ingredients with hands. Form into golfball sized meatballs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Ancient Ali'i Fishpond

It's a kakou thing! There's a saying in Hawaii that means "to help" just another expression of the aloha spirit that brings many visitors to experience paradise. For those looking for a free cultural experience visit the ali'i (royal) fishpond known by it's ancient name, Ko'ie'ie fishpond. Swim up to the rock wall, snorkel, help with the ongoing revitalization or simply soak up all the history of this ancient Hawaiian spot.

Long before the big hotels and restaurants, Maui was a sustainable island utilizing fishponds as a way to unite community and feed villages.

Ko'ie'ie fish pond, the best preserved royal fishpond on Maui, dates back to 1400-1500AD. Throughout Polynesia, fishponds were commonly used as an early type of aquaculture. Hawaiians studied the tides, moon, and sun and realized that they could harvest fish within a confined area.

Loko Kuapa were the most common type of fishpond in ancient Hawaii. Approximately 127 of these ponds were built throughout the islands. This ancient fishpond consists of a wall and a sluice gate built in shallow waters. The loko kuapa (walled pond) are formed by a rock wall that encloses a portion of the ocean. The wall was made of boulders and stones of all sizes. They were constructed of coral and permeable rock such as basalt (volcanic rock) to allow the wall to absorb the pounding action of the water. These materials also allowed water to flow into the pond to reduce stagnation. The walls were designed to curve so prevailing currents pushed sand and debris around the wall rather than collecting it at one side. Stones on the outer wall angled downwards so wave action worked to pull them tighter. A sluice gate or makaha was placed at precise locations where currents occurred. The building of these fishponds took into account many factors, social, environmental, cultural and geological criteria in order to create a fully functioning fishpond where entire villages were built around their existence.

Today, off Maui's south shore you will find this ancient fishpond (almost 3 acres large) is being revitalized in order to teach future generations about how fishponds used to work, provide an area for teaching of biology, history, geology and most importantly culture to residents and visitors alike.

Located on the south shore of Maui in Kihei next to Menehune Shores and Kaleolepo Park is the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary office overlooking the ancient Ko'ie'ie fish pond, the best preserved royal fishpond on Maui.

Visitors can get free information about Maui's Humpback Whales here and read about the area's historic past on the signs at the park. Free parking.

For more information on ways you can "kakou" (help), please visit www.mauifishpond.com.

Happy Anniversary

Everything changed when he held out his hand and took mine. So happy to share my life with this man who makes me laugh and makes me cry who unselfishly gives more then he takes. Marriage isnt always easy some days it's pretty hard but when you play for the same team, victory over hard times feels like sweet triumph. Celebrating our anniversary every year isn't about what we ate or where we went its about stopping to recognize the journey. We joke about giving our marriage a grade. I'm thinking it's an A, he gives it a B+. Wait what?! He says "always need room to grow together and never sit back and take it all for granted" ok that's good. So here's to our B+ marriage and 13 years of a wonderfully messy truly loved life together!

Christmas Cupcakes

Nothing says Merry Christmas better then creating holiday cheer together with friends. Raising twins usually means where there is one there is usually the other. It's not often they are separated but Saturday was deliciously fun! One daughter was invited to a "hang out" (I've been told I can no longer refer to this as a play date) at a friends house without her twin; that meant I new what was coming... "what about me" feelings. Trying to ease her separation anxiety we decided to host an afternoon date at our house for one of her friends. It was an afternoon of candy cane cocktails(non-alcoholic of course) and making Christmas cupcakes while Christmas music streamed in the background. It was a fun way to spend a December Saturday.

Candy Cane Cocktails for kids:
Ingredients:
Clear glass tumbler
3 large candy canes
1 mortar and pestle
1 small bowl of hot water
1 bottle of ginger ale
Ice

Crush candy canes with mortar &pestle and place on small plate.
Dip rim of glass tumbler in hot water then into plate of crushed candy canes.
Fill glass with ice and pour in ginger ale.
Festive Fun for kids! Cheers~

Celebrating Her Life

Farewell to Donna, a tribute to who she was, what she stood for and how she made a giant impact in my life. Like many things she did, she started with a theme, like giving all her kids a name that started with the same letter. In her honor my selected theme is the letter F because these words best define her true spirit. Faith- Family-Friends-Fellowship-Food-Fashion- Fun and Forgiveness.

Faith: John 3:16 For God so loved the world He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have ever lasting life. She was the most beautiful Christian wife, mother and friend. She cared about living her life in a way that was pleasing to God. She cared about sharing her faith with others. When life had its struggles she stood by her faith, leaned on the Lord and persevered with praise. When life brought joy and accomplishments she made sure the Glory went to God.

Family: Donna had her life prioritized in the right way. God first then Family. Maybe it was because of this priority God choose to have our paths meet. I was a single mom to a then 8 year old daughter, having a hard time accepting my divorce, working two jobs and feeling very much alone. My prayers at that time in my life were all about my daughter; her happiness, her wellbeing. Sometimes our prayers are answered in unexpected ways. For the answer I received, came in the form of a Mother’s influence, exactly what I was missing and what I so desperately needed. She loved on me, guided me, influenced me and took me right under her wing like an adopted child. She shared her family with me and I gained a sister. Her relationship with her daughter was the single most beautiful relationship I had ever seen for a mother and a daughter. And just like the blooming of a beautiful peony there I was woven into her life and the tapestry of God’s plan for me. The amount of love that was poured into me from someone who was choosing me will forever impact my life.

Friends: Two years ago Donna threw herself a 60th birthday party at her house. The guest list was big. She wanted all her close friends with her to celebrate. She said, “ you can never have too many friends. It’s not a competition, each one holds a different gift and makes that specific friendship unique. You may have childhood history with one, girlfriends you would call to shop with, a few to travel with, some that love cooking, some that need comfort and counseling and some that just make you laugh.” She said her friends were like flowers in a garden coming together to create unduplicated beauty. She was a friend down to the end making sure that her unsaved friends knew in order for her to see them again in Heaven, they needed to accept the Lord.

Fellowship: This word best exemplifies Donna’s dedication to helping others by giving of her time. In today’s hurried up lifestyle and frustrations waiting for a page to load on the computer, Donna believed her time was best spent being there for others. She had the capability to find humor in the midst of trying times. She wasn’t afraid to get into the guts of a problem and find a solution. She loved throwing parties and cooking food for family and friends. Time was a noun that we all wish we had more of, but she made sure that she always had time available for you.

Food: Where there is food there is loved ones. She was an amazing cook! She understood the concept of pouring love into her recipes. She loved to cook and she loved to try new things. Food Network was an inspiration and she had her favorites. A beautifully set table (themed of course), the anticipation of expected guests, the blessing on the food and conversation that’s shared created such a joy for her.

Fashion: Oh my, how she loved fashion! She would spend hours perusing through Marshalls like it was shopping therapy and sometimes it was. She could put together complete outfits for the fraction of the cost at Mall stores. She was always put together and new when to dress to the nines and when to just show up as is. Although she loved it all, the hair, the make-up, the clothes and the accessories, she knew her self-worth was based on her character, integrity and God’s love for her. Her beauty shined through from the inside out.

Fun: Donna had a sense of adventure. These adventures took her on amazing experiences and travel destinations. Her most favorite spot was Maui, Hawaii. She felt at home there. Hawaii has a sense of rest, relaxation and healing and this rang true for Donna. This was her go to destination and many years were spent with family and girlfriends with toes in the sand.

Forgiveness: This perhaps was one of her greatest gifts. She had the ability to speak the truth in love and spirit and to forgive. Her counsel to me on this subject was grand in size. Forgiveness sets you free and boundaries protect you. We will be judged according to the measure of how we judge others. She had the understanding to go deeper in relationships and get to the real issue. Recognizing flaws in others and choosing to move past them whether you get an apology for being wronged or not, will free you to accept the love that waits for you on the other side of holding a grudge. It’s a leap of faith, remember Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you...”

God knew what I needed. We had a common denominator when we met, an unconditional love for God and for our daughters. Through the years I’ve learned from her life and her example. She taught me how to be a better wife, mother and friend. I am grateful for having known her, having felt her love and spending the time that I did have with her. Cancer is an ugly word but it did not define her. God had her in His hands the whole time. His love reflected through her words, her actions and her trials. I will forever be changed by loving her and I will miss her deeply every day of my life.