Reflection on our Family Time

Aloha Everyone,

J.J. and I were glad that we were able to spend 12-days at my Mother’s. That was followed by a fabulous week in Hawaii seeing our son Jeff and his wife, Jenny. We continued with our family visits by spending an incredible week in La Jolla with our older son, his wife and our granddaughter. Among so many varied interesting and memorable activities, the highlight was celebrating our granddaughter’s 12th birthday.

Our granddaughter now clearly towers over me. She still has a little girl’s figure, but her hands and shoe size promises more growth spurts. Her daily activities during our stay were far from ordinary. It included flute practice; Tang So Do; table tennis; swimming; boogie boarding at the beach; and roller blading, plus an evening musical ensemble at home. She tackled them all with poise, confidence and self assurance. I wonder if I had her aplomb when I was her age.

Always an avid and voracious reader, our granddaughter has her nose in one book or another. I relish the times when the two of us just “hanged-out” and drew pictures together or laid on a bed with each of us reading a book. A funny instance was when our granddaughter chose a  book for me to read but found that mine was more interesting so she came next to me and we read from the same book together.

Our family’s love gives us positive energy and spiritual high. Hugs we give and receive from one another are a powerful healing and protective tool.

With gratitude for these visits and promises of future get together, J.J. and I are starting our new RV adventure.

Aloha -- Cathi

Reflections

Aloha Everyone,

This was an eventful one week. The start of our trip began when our UAL flight had a mechanical problem. The solution was for everyone to deplane and wait for a replacement plane to arrive from Chicago. Two plus hours delay at LAX, but the rest of our flight went smoothly.

This morning we woke up at 5:30 am allowing more than sufficient time to finish packing and get ready for departure. There is no good timing when your hotel elevators are not working. The front desk clerk informed us that there is a district wide power outage due to the heavy thunder and lightning. The result was we had to take the fire stairwell from the 32nd floor to ground level  Fortunately a maintenance man joined our climb down and he came to our assistance by carrying our suitcase.

Our airport shuttle service claimed that we were no show when they phoned. Perhaps we could not hear our phone ring as we were navigating the narrow, musty stairs.

Quick decision to take a taxi to the airport saved our morning. There was a 30 minutes departure delay due to the baggage conveyor system not working. Again, the culprit was the weather.

But then when we look at our Hawaiian album, all that would be embedded in our memories would be happy smiling faces, beautiful scenery and great food.

Aloha -- Cathi

Renewing Our Friendships

Aloha Everyone,

Joett is one of our oldest and dearest friends in Hawaii. Our auspicious friendship began at a campground in Pompeii, Italy when she and her husband, J.J. and I with our young sons were traveling through Europe in an RV (recreational vehicle) almost 35 years ago.

Joett is a foster care volunteer with Hawaii Fido and she is currently taking care of a 4 1/2 months old Labdoodle (cross of Labrador and poodle) named Josie.   

Curiosity and passion for travel has taken Joett to many exotic locations. Traveling with Road Scholar, a not-for-profit organization primarily offering educational travel tours to older adults, she has visited Burma, India, Africa to name just a few destinations.

Kumu Keahi teaches Hawaiian language, history and religion at Chaminade University. He is also the chief of staff for Senator Shimabukuro. His understanding and sensitivity to Native Hawaiian issues would certainly be a huge asset to the Senator in working with her West Oahu constituents.  

Gordon and Linda were also our neighbors and they are a wonderful loving couple. Our topics of conversation covered many Hawaii issues including current Hawaii political climate, now defunct Super Ferry project, Rapid Rail Transit System, Ala Moana and Kakaako area hyper development and their positive and adverse impact on local residents.  

Sharon is a gentle lady with a steely “can do” spirit. She was first to join my yoga class when I began my volunteer teaching. A mainland transplant from years past, she now studies Hawaiian with Kumu Keahi. She loves learning but even more is her ability to interact with her fellow classmates who could be her grandchildren’s age. Keahi with admiration and affection in his eyes and voice told us Sharon brings snacks for her younger classmates. Now that is one kind grandma!

Aloha -- Cathi

Ala Moana Beach Park

Aloha Everyone,

Located just across from the hotel on the other side of Ala Moana Blvd is Ala Moana Beach Park. The adjacent reclaimed land area, Magic Island, is an ideal place to get your walking or running exercise.  The late June weather can get hot, humid and muggy, but I couldn’t resist when Jeff and Jenny invited us to join them for their morning workout.

Jenny is in a great shape. Jenny is a runner and she is fit. While she ran her 6 miles, Jeff and I went on our brisk walk. 86 degrees with high humidity means we were drenched by the end of our walk. J.J. was clever as he opted to enjoy watching fishermen and beach goers.

11 years ago, Jeff and Jenny got married at the western edge of Magic Island. Reminiscing the happy, celebratory occasion, I joked that perhaps we should plant a tree to commemorate that special day.

Aloha -- Cathi

Wonderful Evening With George & Lena and Jeff & Jenny

Aloha Everyone,

What more can one ask for than spending an evening with one’s children and dear friends over a sumptuous dinner.

The choice of La Mer at Halekulani Hotel as our venue for this reunion was absolutely perfect. Each of us savored  every precious moment as we immersed in lively conversations and enjoyed the dishes that were laid before us.

Aloha -- Cathi