Snow Ice

Last night Dave and I went on a date to commemorate our first date three years ago (see the post below). We went to this small Italian restaurant (since we went to an Italian restaurant on the first date) and it was tasty -- and kind of odd because we were the ONLY ones in there. It was Wednesday evening, so I guess that's not a very busy night...

For dessert we ventured to Cloud 9 in Lakeview. They specialize in Taiwanese "snow ice" which is the closest thing in Chicago to shave ice. It's fluffier than Hawaiian stuff and made with real pureed fruit rather than syrup. Imagine eating frozen cotton candy and you're probably getting the right picture. It was definitely no Island Snow, but I'll take what I can get here! I got the mango and Dave got green tea. We both got sweeetened condensed milk drizzled on top. In Hawaii we call that a snowcap. And it's delicious no matter where you are.

Snow ice. It's going to be the big summer thing.

Good things

Reunions and beach days and trips to the North Shore. I love Hawaii in Christmas-time.

If I don't end up with a tan...

This is why. Rain, rain go away!

Check it out

Mondays are...

Mondays are Mondays. Fortunately, I have a few things that bring me cheer when I begin the inevitable Sunday night mourning of the end of the weekend... 


New podcasts! I adore "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" (the NPR news quiz show) and "This American Life" (an hour of interesting stories). They play in real time on the radio Saturday, so when I show up to work on Monday I've got new episodes waiting for me. They're the best to listen to when I have administrative tasks for an hour or so.

My new Monday perk is the return of Hawaii Five O! The classic is back on TV as a new show. I watched the pilot and was totally won over. Good character chemistry + amazing shots of my homeland = a good thing. It airs Monday nights, so that's something to look forward to. :)

Heirloom Tomatoes

Let's be clear on something: I love tomatoes. I love, love tomatoes. I grew up on what I call "Hawaii tomatoes." These would be the ones that are barged in to the islands and don't quite measure up to their mainland peers. On moving to the North American continent, I discovered the joy of non-barged tomatoes and my love for the little buggers has swelled. My new favorites are heirloom tomatoes. Paige and I bought a gorgeous yellow one the other weekend and it was exquisitely delicious. I got even luckier this week when last night Dave brought me a little bucket of small ones from the community garden next door to his office. (He's so nice, isn't he?)

I love tomatoes!

(picture from here)

Flashback!

I just found this video of my high school graduating class singing 'Hawai'i Aloha' at our baccalaureate in May 2005. Five years ago! You can even spot me twice. This makes me miss Hawai'i nei... I'm sitting at my computer at work singing along (ever so quietly).

Fourth of July

I've been testing a new website at work and my eyes are killing me! And my brain is fizzling into nothingness. (Exaggeration? Yes.) In any event, I thought I'd share some more photos from the Fourth of July.

We went to the Kailua parade (OF COURSE). It was my objective to 1) enjoy myself and 2) collect as much candy as possible. I will tell you that I succeeded at both. And in the midst of yelling things at the parade (yes, AT the parade) everyone else around me was amused, too. (to a horse: "Oh wow, you're SO SPARKLY!") Marissa even came to the parade JUST FOR ME.


I also won (slash was handed) a gecko fan/mask. Dave really liked it.


All in all, it was quite the success. Since it's election year in Hawaii EVERYBODY and their MOTHERS were there campaigning. Everyone who gave out icy pops is going to get my vote for sure. (Kidding. Mostly.) I think the Keizer tent might even be taking up a collection for me to fly back for the parade again next year. Apparently, I'm THAT funny. (Point Ashley.)

At home we (i.e. Dad because I FAIL at pouring them right) whipped up some moscato sunrises and had a backyard bbq. Aren't the drinks pretty?

It's just moscato on the bottom and pinot noir on top. So classy.

Real America

"In the midst of yet another Facebook endorsement of a "mama grizzly bear" yesterday, Sarah Palin wrote that Alaska's Kodiak Island is "America's largest island." But it is not — the island of Hawaii is over 400 square miles larger. Unless she was only referring to the "real America," in which case, she would be absolutely correct. [AP via Google]"

This quote... I love. Haha. "Real America." My friends love to give me a hard time about that one. Apparently Ms. Palin does, too. And the AP.

from here. Thanks Amy!

Chasing the sun

Hawaii, first full day. We wake up to rain and clouds and grey. Undaunted, we roll out of bed and head for smoothies. I am confident that it being Hawaii - and Kailua - the sky will clear and we will have a beach day.

A few hours later, still raining and grey. There are a few patches of blue but these keep getting rolled over by big grey clouds. These grey clouds bring rain. Steadily. I am feeling less confident. We decide to wait an hour and see if we can salvage a beach trip out of the day. (Insert applying for jobs and napping here.)

I see blue! Over by Lanikai beach! We quickly don our swimsuits and zip out the door, racing over to Lanikai loop. This usually busy beach isn't very full - bonus for us, thanks to the weather. It's not raining. But it looks pretty nasty over on our left:


We weather a few quick rain spells, hoping that we'll luck out. Half an hour later, this:


Yes, that's the same exact shot, just a half hour later. Incredible right?? We chased the sun and WE WON! To add to all of this, the family who sat next to us on the plane the day before sat RIGHT NEXT TO US on the beach. Small world? Small world. What are the chances?


Hey, we're in Hawaii!

I miss this...

But more so, I miss you people. You know who you are...

More photos and stories to come... In the meantime, I'm going to try to stay cool in this hot land of Chicago.

Paradise!

Just a quick note to say Hawaii is lovely (as always), we have not (yet) turned into lobsters, and vacation is awesome.

One Week!

Til this:

And this:

And this:

Oh, and THIS:


Eeee, I can't wait!

Where Americans Are Moving

"More than 10 million Americans moved from one county to another during 2008." This map visualizes the movement to and from Chicago. Black lines represent net inward movement and red lines net outward movement. (Only a few moving between Honolulu and Chicago... I'm one of them!) Check out the whole map and all the counties on Forbes.com here.

[via swissmiss]

Pretty Swell Garlands

I think this fabric flower garland is pretty gorgeous. (I couldn't decide if I should use "pretty" or "gorgeous" to describe it, so I went with both. Ha.) Also, it's made in Hawaii. SWEET.

(You can see all of Pretty Swell's garlands and other goods here.) [via you are my fave]

We've got our tickets!

6 weeks til sun and sand and SO MUCH FUN!

A Hawaiian Aesthetic?

I've been told a couple of times that my design has a certain Hawaiian aesthetic. (At least by mainlander standards.) It usually takes me by surprise and then I look closer at the piece in question and I think, "Huh, you're right!" I realized this again today as I was coming up with some ideas for mini-cards for church. An idea I'm exploring looks like this:

Something about the colors I choose, the abstractions I make, and the general shape of my lines calls to mind a certain collection of islands in the Pacific Ocean.

A more obvious Hawaii reference is today's "Happy Friday" right below this post. See? The mainlanders might be right afterall.

Happy Friday!

Reason #351 Hawaii is Awesome

So, Hawaii was rated as having the highest well-being of any state in the U.S. That's right. The fiftieth state beat out everybody. Nine of the top ten states are in the West and Midwest. (I like to call the West the "BestWest.") Gallup, who conducted the poll, describes the index this way, "The Well-Being Index score for the nation and for each state is an average of six sub-indexes, which individually examine life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities." Hawaii topped the nation in three sub-indexes: life evaluation, emotional health, and physical health.

The question is this: is anyone surprised that the paradise state is great for living in? And another question... why do I live in Illinois? Oh right, so I can establish my career and move back to Hawaii.

You can see the full list and read Gallup's article here.

Happy New Year!

How much do I miss sunny, warm Hawaii on days like today? On WEEKS like this week? Oh so very much. Especially when getting warm to your toes means you have to take a shower. The highest temperature we're getting in Chicago this week is 21 degrees. And that's before windchill. Thank goodness for warm clothes and radiators and hot showers!

Oh, and Happy New Year! Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!