Life is for making memories....

I ate a Dove chocolate (my fave) mini-bar today. When I opened the wrapper the little message typed on in the inside said, "Life is for making memories". That got me thinking. I, actually, have been in a reflective mood of late. It seems since we moved to Hawaii I have been in this reflective mood. Probably because I am so homesick for the mainland and family and friends that I have been thinking of certain people and events over and over again. But this little morsel of truth has made me think all day about 'Memories'. I can't help but think of the line from one of my fave. songs by Barbara Streisand, Memory--memories light the corners of my mind. I feel that way exactly. Isn't it great that a song, or a smell, or a word or a smile can bring back so many memories. I am not just talking about the wonderful, special memories--but the ones that sometimes hurt. Our minds are amazing aren't they? How can all of these things we call memories stay in our minds? It boggles my mind of how our Heavenly Father created our brains to work. At a point in my life not too very long ago I was consumed with memories of a certain time of my life that was not a good time. I was so overwhelmed with re-living the memories that it prevented me from having fun and allowing happy memories into my memory bank. I was eventually able to put those "bad" memories on a shelf in the back of my mind so they aren't there all the time and occaisionally they come back, however through all that I have been through I can honestly appreciate the scripture 2 Nephi 2:11. You can't appreciate the good without some bad. I choose to remember the good. I love memories. I have a very special Aunt who I just adore. I always remind her that she is one of my top 10 memories. Let's just say it involves her, a lot of rain, no umbrella, a VERY busy street corner in San Jose and a diaper on her head. I laugh out loud every time I think of her and this memory. I have had some truly wonderful memories: in the temple being sealed to my hubby and children, 2 years ago; growing up with my hubby and getting my driver's license with him next to me; standing up as a Beehive Class president and making a decision the rest of the youth didn't like; having my oldest daughter hold my hair back while I am leaning over the toilet throwing up (pregnant) and her little 3 yr old hand patting my back saying, "It's ok, Mommy just get it all out"--and that same daughter now 14 lays next to me while I am taking nap and lovingly strokes my hair as I sleep and wake up to looking at her beautiful face; my little boy who is now 12, but when he was 4 told a beautiful lady at the Longs Drug store in Salinas that she was beautiful and she took me aside with tears in her eyes and said that was the nicest thing anyone said to her all day, and that same little boy and I had a discussion the other day about what makes a great husband; my 2nd son who at 3 and learned that his baby sister just passed away and saw me in such despair said "Mommy, I will be Superman and fly to heaven and bring her back to you" that same little boy who at 11 can melt my heart with his kind words and big hugs; my little Kawehi whose dimples can make me smile instantly and tells me all the time I am the best mommy she has ever had; my JAG who shakes his "groove thing" to make me laugh and then tells me I am his best friend; my sister who calls me out of the blue to ask me a question and then we start giggling--and I am at work and have to try to giggle quietly; my mom who makes every occaision one to remember; my brothers who make me laugh until I cry; a friend who taught me how to make french bread; a friend who showed up to surprise me after not seeing her for 10 years; a friend who refused to allow distance to ruin our friendship; friends who have made me laugh; who have allowed me into their world...so many memories that I cannot name them all. Life is for making memories. For memories and knowledge are the only things we can take with us to the other side. So I hope you all have a great time making MEMORIES.

You know you are in Hawaii when you see......

Signs like this.....Should I be nervous?

When you see foliage with "24 INCH" leaves...this picture doesn't do it justice but the leaves here are HUGE. I love looking at them. The foliage goes right to the roads you travel on, it is almost like you can put your hand out the window and touch them as you drive by. It is one of my favorite things to look at here in Hawaii.

You know you are DEFINITELY in Hawaii when McDonald's carries Taro pies....YUCK!! If anyone has ever heard of POI, this is what it is made of....Taro. I, personally, can't stand the stuff...neither can my HAWAIIAN husband. It is one of those things that you either love or hate. We hate. Hate is such a strong word, maybe I should tone it down a bit......No, hate is the right word.

And my personal favorite sign I have seen.......Isn't this hilarious? But you literally have to watch out for falling coconuts. Love it!!!

ALOHA. Come anytime. We miss you all. Wish you were here or I was there.

Simple Fun, Funny Sayings, Decorating Graves

One of my greatest joys as a mother is to watch and listen to my children. I love to hear them laugh. I love to see them at play. My kids are great at finding fun no matter where they are or what limited "things" are around them. They don't need lots of toys or entertainment to keep them occupied. I love that they are resourceful. This last week we have been busy with lots of different things. Last weekend we moved from the house upstairs to the apartment downstairs. While we were busy doing this, JAG discovered the always, fun, putting a tissue on top of the fan (while it is on) and watching it fly upward. He was laughing so hard and loud I heard him in the next room and had to come in and see what he was doing. I laughed so hard, just listening to him. It also made me think of my beloved, Dad. 'Grandpa' used to do this exact same thing with his mouth. He would put a tissue over his mouth and make like he was sneezing and the tissue would go flying upward. The kids would laugh HYSTERICALLY. Many memories of those sweet times with Grandpa. (those are the pictures below). Yesterday we spent the day in Hilo (on the other side of the island) doing many things. I will post more about all of those activites later. But we had to go to a fabric store. G'ma and Auntie needed some Hawaiian material for costumes. They were having a great sale, so long story short----we were there for a LONG time. Actually, according to my children we were there "FOREVER". Anyway, Kawehi and JAG found fun playing in the car together. I am not sure what you call it, but you all know what I am talking about...see above picture. Ya know, when you slap your hands together and do different motions. When I was a kid we sang "Miss Merrie Mack, dressed in black...".. They were singing a newer song. But they cracked each other up. Kalani and I were laughing, too. Kids find the sweetest joy in every day life. They are a great example to me. Find joy in the little things.

On the way to Hilo we stopped at a really pretty water fall off the side of the road. As we were walking to the falls, JAG was right in front of me and said.."Mom, look at this cool pinecone". I walked up to him and looked down. This is a coconut. He is my Idaho boy!!!! So funny. We were in lots of totally gorgeous places yesterday and I would scoop him up in my arms and say "JAG isn't this beautiful?", He said, "Not as pretty as my old home, Star Idaho". What are ya going to do? We are in paradise, but we miss our Star, Idaho.

(ok, I don't know what happened to my picture of the coconut, it was here and then it disappeared, and then re-appeared way up above....SORRY. And it copied another picture of JAG. I am still not sure what I am doing with this blog thing)

We went to a couple of cemetaries while in Hilo to put flowers and decorate some graves of my mother-in-law's relatives. It was a neat thing for my kids to experience. We bought some gorgeous flowers at a local farmer's market and then decorated #10 cans with tea leaves and made a really pretty arrangement. This is Kawehi and JAG making one of the arrangements. It is so important for my kids to be a part of certain traditions. While we are here on the island we want to make the most of our experience here. What better way to do that, than to honor ancestors? I taught the Beehives today in my ward and the lesson was on journal writing and family history. There is a quote from Pres. Spencer W. Kimball, that I love: " I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, your children, our grandchildren, and others, on through the generations. Each of us is important to those who are near and dear to us and as our posterity read of our life's experiences, they too, will come to know and love us. And in that glorious day when our families are together in the eternities, we will already be acquainted!". Isn't that a great promise? My beehives were in awe of that last part of the quote. They never thought about that before. What a blessing it is to know that we have loved ones waiting at the veil for us.

Have a happy, safe Memorial Day. Remember those gone on before us. Keep them close to your heart. I will be thinking of my dad. Jensen. Uncle Norm. Grandpa and Grandma. Great Grandma Elsie. They all impacted my life. I have empty spaces in my heart--my mortal--heart without all of these loved ones. But I am comforted to know that my eternal heart is being built with them on the other side of the veil.

Mean Girls...just make me want to spit nails!!!

I know I cannot be the only one to feel this way. But as a mother, when one of your babies is hurt don't you just feel like you are a mother bear with claws? When one of your cherished kiddos is hurt on PURPOSE because of MEAN GIRLS don't you just want to spit nails? I have been so upset this last week because of some stuff going on to my oldest, CS, that I could literally spit nails from here in Hawaii back to Idaho!!!. I won't get into too many details but it came to our attention that the group of so-called friends of CS back in Idaho have been and continue to spread rumors about her. Ok, #1--she hasn't been there for over 2+ months, #2-we are an ocean away--why does this stuff happen? What is the purpose of this nonsense. Of course with the miracle world of texting we find out about the rumors almost immediately. But some of the rumors are just plain stupid and require no response (i.e. "CS lied about her dad being Hawaiian--he really isn't"--uh, hello, "CS lied about her sister dying" etc.etc.) But the last one sent us over the edge and had to be dealt with. SO RIDICULOUS that we are dealing with this stuff. So much energy and attention spent on this that shouldn't be necessary. Anyway, we had to get the school and the police involved. Supposedly, it will stop. We will see. But, wow, was I ready to fight. I was ready to spit nails. I cannot stand Middle School. I wish there were no mean girls. I wish jealousy was wiped out. I hope that all of our daughters will just respect each other enough to love one another and bouy each other up instead of tear each other down. So, in view of my little girl getting hurt I wanted to spotlight her in a positive way in this blog entry. This is CS. Her nickname is Pineapple Princess. I love this goofy picture of her. For some strange reason she loves to write on herself. Drives me and Allan crazy, but one of her good friends was over and they went crazy. I love her strength. For she is strong. She has had some pretty hard things to deal with in her life. She has a strong testimony. She stands up for her morals. She is a true Saturday's Warrior. She has an amazing capacity to "get through" whatever road bump is in her way. I admire her.
Here is Pineapple Princess on the BSU campus after a game. One of the funnest times we shared was last October. We went to a BSU vs. Hawaii game--BSU won!! Yeah. After the game we walked around campus and found this bell. I introduced her to the song "Ring My Bell" and we sang it loud and silly. Good times.

This is Pineapple Princess with my mom. Pineapple and G'ma have been the best of friends forever. Pinepple is named after my sister and this beautiful lady. My mom has been so very special to my daughter. I am so grateful that we were able to live in Las Vegas together. They have a special song that any time either one hears it they try to call each other...."Truly, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden. I love that they call each other when they hear it. I love that my daughter has g'ma's #'s in her speed dial under Awesome G'ma. I love that we have families that can be eternal. I love that Heavenly Father gave us grandmothers.

These last two pictures are Pineapple in a "reflective" mood. She loves to experiment with her camera. And fortunately for us, we get some neat pictures.

Since I have been a teenage girl, I know how hard it is. I know that these years in a girls life are so confusing and can be difficult. I guess I thought I could be Super-Mom and shield her away from all of that "mean girl" stuff. I failed with that attempt. However, I am grateful that when she was hurting she was able to say, "Mom, can I talk to you?..." and she allowed me to help her. I am grateful that she and I can talk about anything and everything--and we do. I am grateful that this beautiful human being calls me MOM and is a part of my eternal life. I am grateful that after 8 years of trying to get pregnant I was blessed with perfection--so worth the wait. I am grateful that this young woman is who she is. I am grateful that she has had amazing examples in her life. I am grateful that she has a sense of humor, a heart as big as the world and empathy and compassion for others. I am grateful for her. I am grateful to call her daughter and friend.

Scout-O-Rama, Healthy Kids Fair,

Do you remember the Scout-O-Rama's? I grew up with three brothers and it seemed like they were always trying to sell tickets to the "Scout-O-Rama" at the local fair grounds. I remember going and spending a whole Saturday walking around looking at booths of Boy Scout stuff (that I really didn't care about) , looking at projects the boys did and me? not too impressed. I didn't care about wind tunnels, raising animals, marble collections, stamp collections, flags made by 8 yr old boys, etc. I was a girl. I dreaded those days of Scout-O-Rama. I was always ticked at my parents for "making me go". But we had to go and support my brothers...yadda yadda. Well, guess what...? I have become my parents!!! My oldest son had to sell tickets, we had to go and spend a Saturday (at least it wasn't all day) we had to look at booths, we had to participate. I found myself saying the EXACT same things to the rest of my kids that my parents said to me...."You will go and support your brother", "we are going as a family", "you'll enjoy it", "Be patient", "Just try to deal with it". All in all it was OK. TCIG earned his music merit badge and the two little ones loved the face painting. Then we walked across the street where a Healthy Kids Fair was being put on in conjunction with the Scout-O-Rama. They really enjoyed that. They had great booths to teach how to plant herbs, make and eat salads, McDonald's gave away choc. milk, apple dippers and carmel. And a whole lot more. It was fun for the kids. All in all the day was fun except for the big kids whining to go home...I'm hot, I'm bored, I'm hungry, I'm thirsty...Why do I torture myself and bring the kids along, knowing they will be all those things I just mentioned....WHY? Because my parents did it to me and dang it my kids will be blogging someday about their own kids doing this stuff and they will remember their mother made them go and support their brother/sister!!! Heehee. What goes around comes around.

TCIG learned to play the drum & had to perform a song on it to earn his Music Merit Badge.
Kawehi getting her face painted by what an 11 yr. old boy?

JAG making a leather necklace...

The kiddos at the Healthy Kids Fair. Learning about healthy snacks.


Good times. Good memories. Just like my parents said.

Just Another Day in Paradise....

I know you all think living in Hawaii must be "Paradise". It is. I am still learning to love it here only because I am still so homesick. However, I am not a "beach" person. I talk to so many of you and you all say how you would love to spend your day at the beach....ME...not so much. Let me explain: I have a major OCD fear of sharks. Like petrified to go into the water fear. Some of you know how deep my fear runs. I saw the movie JAWS when I was 9 on the big screen and it scared the livin' bejeebees out of me. To this day I HATE going into the ocean. I will put my foot in and stay on the shoreline. Allan and the kids will start the music to Jaws when they want to freak me out. They think it is funny--it isn't. I hate the sand all over the place and in everything. I burn. I do NOT have a beach body. So, you see the beach is not my most favorite place. I would rather be in Switzwerland, snowed in a cabin, by a nice roaring fire, in one of those big white sweaters. That is just me. However, last weekend we went to the Waikoloa Hilton Grand Vacation Hotel. My sis-in-law knows someone who works there and we went to their pool for the day. Now, that was fun. Paradise for me. No Sharks. No sand. The water was great, I could see my kids at all times. There was a slide they loved going down. Ok, so I still got sunburned. But I can handle that. We had a blast. It was a lot of fun. These pictures are a few from our day. This is paradise. Kids. Loved ones. Sun. Water. Fun. Wish you were all here.