Remember me! Just wanted to tell the world what a great day I had today... I've been "off" all week and I've done absolutely NOTHING.... but spend quality time with Tyrone. We don't get to spend much time together while school is in, so this time is pretty fun for us. We've spent the week watching movies, sleeping in, going for walks with Hoku, hanging out with friends and visiting family and of course cooking. I have to admit, I don't miss setting the alarm clock. I did set it on Thanksgiving morning for the parade though. I love parades. There's just something so awesome about a large Kermit the Frog balloon going down the street in NYC. I do have a dream of watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in person. Maybe next year...
Ty and I went to Thanksgiving dinner at Betty and Sam's house in Vacaville. All the kids and Julie and Kainoa were there. Beck had to work. (Thank you California Highway Patrol) It was cool. Easy breezy.. The food was amazing and all I had to make was a broccoli salad. (the one with bacon, broccoli, pecans, red onions, etc..) Betty made a killer turkey and her mashed potatoes were awesome. She also made this pumpkin cheesecake that was crazy yummy. We all just hung out and looked at ads and dreamed about Christmas for a few hours. I also got new school pictures of the kids and they are awesome!! We played some video games, ate more and headed home in the fog. It was a great night.
Black Friday was awesome too. I don't like to head out with the shoppers, but I do love to watch movies. We saw the Muppet Movie and I loved it!! Oh the memories!! I love the muppets! Ty and I went to the downtown mall and watched it and then headed over to L&L to feed the missionaries. There's a group of local people that go there every Friday to play Hawaiian music. Sam came from Vacaville and we sang with them. We had a blast. Bishop and his family came too..Val also came. It was a wonderful evening.. It was pretty amazing... I got to sing some Na Leo...loved it!!
Well, I'm off to bed, but I just felt like I couldn't end the day without expressing how grateful I am to have such a great family and friends. I'm grateful for all of the tender mercies and great blessings God has granted me. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Update
Happy February everyone! Is it just me or does it feel like Christmas was yesterday? That was the fastest January I've seen in years. Must be this new modified school schedule I'm on. Well, much has happened this last month. I am currently in the process of planning "the trek." It's our summer youth conference activity. In just 6 months, 250 youth from the Sacramento Stake will be dressing up in their pioneer garb and spending three days out on the Mormon Immigrant Trail together. I'm a little nervous, but I know it'll be fun. If you've been on a trek, and have any great ideas, let me know.
Yesterday was a rough day at work. I think I broke a record. 5 suspensions. I would elaborate more but I don't think I can. We probably do a suspension a week, but 5 in a day is a bit much. After speaking with all of the parents, they were all upset with their children, but realized that they had some teaching to do when their little one arrived home that day. I dislike bullies and this was a bullying issue. Please remind your kids, if there's a bully, we can take care of it. If we don't know the bully is out there, we can't help. The only way to get rid of a bully, in my opinion, is to teach the other kids how to deal with a bully. They have to be willing to unite and stand up for the kid who is being bullied. The also have to talk to an adult. It's the only thing that works.
Yesterday was a rough day at work. I think I broke a record. 5 suspensions. I would elaborate more but I don't think I can. We probably do a suspension a week, but 5 in a day is a bit much. After speaking with all of the parents, they were all upset with their children, but realized that they had some teaching to do when their little one arrived home that day. I dislike bullies and this was a bullying issue. Please remind your kids, if there's a bully, we can take care of it. If we don't know the bully is out there, we can't help. The only way to get rid of a bully, in my opinion, is to teach the other kids how to deal with a bully. They have to be willing to unite and stand up for the kid who is being bullied. The also have to talk to an adult. It's the only thing that works.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Catchin' up!
No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. However, somedays it feels as though I have. :) I've been so comforted and inspired by your blogs, I thought I'd get my act together and start blogging again. I hope an entire year doesn't pass by before I blog again, but I'm going to try my best!
We had the boys for the long weekend. They came up on Friday and went home today. I can't believe how fast they're growing..literally. Little Ty told me he needed new church shoes. He's wearing a size 10 1/2. His basketball shoes are a 10. We bought the basketball shoes in December. I think he's going to be taller than his Dad. We'll see.
They both passed the sacrament yesterday. It was pretty awesome. They looked so handsome in their suits. We had to "fill" a spot at the temple for baptisms and we were able to take the boys to the temple with us on Saturday evening with the Adams and Gibson families. It was supposed to be a special baptism session for the new members but none were able to make it. So... Bishop called, interviewed the boys, and next thing I know we're off to the temple. It was really fun. They loved it. Their dad got to do the baptisms too. They did ten baptisms each and five confirmations. It was a really special night. Bishop asked Little Ty to say the prayer in the temple. I could tell he was a little nervous, but he did a great job. I do love to hear my boys pray. :)
We went to Leatherby's too. It was Ty's birthday this week so it was a nice way to end the week.
It was really fun!!
Sunday we went to church. It was my first Sunday as a released "YW Pres." Kind've wierd. I missed my girls a ton. It's kind've hard to go to RS after two years of not going. However, I LOVE my sisters in the ward so I adjusted pretty quickly. Today I had to lead the music in sacrament meeting for Tiff, played the prelude in sacrament for Sister Stanger, filled in at the piano in RS, and then went to Sac 1st ward for a YW visit. Afterwards, I went to a presidency meeting with the new Sac 2nd YW presidency, and then left to Vallejo for the evening to celebrate Ty's birthday. I made him a chocolate and yellow cake with funfetti. It was fun! Julie, Becky, Kainoa, Fia, Leka, Ty, Little Ty, Cameron and I spent the evening eating hamburgers with the missionaries and talking about them. Vallejo 2nd has a missionary from Detroit, Michigan, Jefferson City, Missouri, Vanuatu, and Wales. WOW! Now that's some diversity. And the missionary from Detroit is Filipino. He couldn't understand why he was sent to Vallejo, but he loves it. I told him Vallejo has more Filipinos than Milpitas, and that's why the Lord sent him here. I don't think he got my joke!
Today, I spent the day with the Readfearns. Bishop, Sharon, and their daughter Sherrie. Sharon is improving every single day. She had a stroke in Sacramento last Tuesday. I know the prayers of many are really helping. She went from eating nothing, to drinking a small jamba juice in less that four days. We've got a long road ahead of us, but I know the Lord is watching over her.
Some of you might remember Sharon from my wedding reception. She and Paula Evans did my wedding luncheon in Oakland after Tyrone and I were married in the temple. I love her a ton. More than I can express in words. Thankfully, my home ward (Vallejo 2nd) has offered to take extra special care of her for me. A few members have offered to have family members stay in their homes and many have offered to bring by a meal. I don't know what I'd do without my Vallejo ward family. I just love'em. You can take the girl out of Vallejo, but you can never take the Vallejo out of the girl. :)
Tiff and Chris came by on their way home from Monterey to pick up Tyrone. They met us at the hospital and when Sharon saw them she recognized them immediately. It was pretty awesome. I can't wait to see what progress she'll make tomorrow. Thanks again Tiff and Chris for coming by. You're the best..
Lesson of the day- Nothing is a coincidence. God is watching over all of us and he puts special people in our lives to help us through this crazy journey we call life.
We had the boys for the long weekend. They came up on Friday and went home today. I can't believe how fast they're growing..literally. Little Ty told me he needed new church shoes. He's wearing a size 10 1/2. His basketball shoes are a 10. We bought the basketball shoes in December. I think he's going to be taller than his Dad. We'll see.
They both passed the sacrament yesterday. It was pretty awesome. They looked so handsome in their suits. We had to "fill" a spot at the temple for baptisms and we were able to take the boys to the temple with us on Saturday evening with the Adams and Gibson families. It was supposed to be a special baptism session for the new members but none were able to make it. So... Bishop called, interviewed the boys, and next thing I know we're off to the temple. It was really fun. They loved it. Their dad got to do the baptisms too. They did ten baptisms each and five confirmations. It was a really special night. Bishop asked Little Ty to say the prayer in the temple. I could tell he was a little nervous, but he did a great job. I do love to hear my boys pray. :)
We went to Leatherby's too. It was Ty's birthday this week so it was a nice way to end the week.
It was really fun!!
Sunday we went to church. It was my first Sunday as a released "YW Pres." Kind've wierd. I missed my girls a ton. It's kind've hard to go to RS after two years of not going. However, I LOVE my sisters in the ward so I adjusted pretty quickly. Today I had to lead the music in sacrament meeting for Tiff, played the prelude in sacrament for Sister Stanger, filled in at the piano in RS, and then went to Sac 1st ward for a YW visit. Afterwards, I went to a presidency meeting with the new Sac 2nd YW presidency, and then left to Vallejo for the evening to celebrate Ty's birthday. I made him a chocolate and yellow cake with funfetti. It was fun! Julie, Becky, Kainoa, Fia, Leka, Ty, Little Ty, Cameron and I spent the evening eating hamburgers with the missionaries and talking about them. Vallejo 2nd has a missionary from Detroit, Michigan, Jefferson City, Missouri, Vanuatu, and Wales. WOW! Now that's some diversity. And the missionary from Detroit is Filipino. He couldn't understand why he was sent to Vallejo, but he loves it. I told him Vallejo has more Filipinos than Milpitas, and that's why the Lord sent him here. I don't think he got my joke!
Today, I spent the day with the Readfearns. Bishop, Sharon, and their daughter Sherrie. Sharon is improving every single day. She had a stroke in Sacramento last Tuesday. I know the prayers of many are really helping. She went from eating nothing, to drinking a small jamba juice in less that four days. We've got a long road ahead of us, but I know the Lord is watching over her.
Some of you might remember Sharon from my wedding reception. She and Paula Evans did my wedding luncheon in Oakland after Tyrone and I were married in the temple. I love her a ton. More than I can express in words. Thankfully, my home ward (Vallejo 2nd) has offered to take extra special care of her for me. A few members have offered to have family members stay in their homes and many have offered to bring by a meal. I don't know what I'd do without my Vallejo ward family. I just love'em. You can take the girl out of Vallejo, but you can never take the Vallejo out of the girl. :)
Tiff and Chris came by on their way home from Monterey to pick up Tyrone. They met us at the hospital and when Sharon saw them she recognized them immediately. It was pretty awesome. I can't wait to see what progress she'll make tomorrow. Thanks again Tiff and Chris for coming by. You're the best..
Lesson of the day- Nothing is a coincidence. God is watching over all of us and he puts special people in our lives to help us through this crazy journey we call life.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Chillin' with Daddy
So I've been hangin' out with Dad for the last five days while Becky and Julie are partying hard at Disneyland with Kainoa and friends. (yes, I'm a good sister..) It's funny. We Kaai kids have always been close to our parents. I don't know what it is, but it's a pretty unique love that's hard for some to understand. Anyways, more on that later. As you know, Dad has been sick since September. Recently, he's lost his short term memory skills. He can remember the day he graduated from high school, but he can't remember what he had for lunch. We kids get to make sure he takes his meds on time and that he's puffing on his two inhalers correctly. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night thinking it's time for breakfast. This morning I woke up and found the jar of peanut butter next to his bed with a butter knife and a few bread crumbs. Don't worry..it's low sodium peanut butter!
So, the point of this post it to share a few things about Dad that I just wanted to document for family history reasons....Here goes:
1. Dad attended Kaahumanhu Elementary School at the corner of Piikoi and Beretania. It has since been converted to a hospital.
2. Dad attended Iolani High School from 7th to 12 grade. He graduated on June 7, 1948.
3. Mrs. Tanaka was his favorite teacher. She told him.."Most Hawaiians are lazy and slow..you're not!"
4. He disliked Mrs. Webber who was a Hawaiian teacher. He remembers her saying that "you folks talk with a fat lip and mumble your words." Grandma Kaai threatened to beat her up.
5. Dad wanted to go to Kamehameha, but they wouldn't let the "real locals" go. Outer island students had priority. He attended Iolani.
6. Richard Pa'paa was his best friend in elementary school.
7. He attended the Long Island Merchant Marine Academy on Mare Island. He was in the navy from 1953-June 30, 1964. He came to San Mateo after he graduated.
8. Ice cream was 5 cents and hamburgers were 10 cents. A McDonald's hamburger was 18 cents.
9. He was a paper boy as a child and his route consisted of City Hall to Alapai, up to Punchbowl ,up to Lusitania and part of King St. The daily paper was 5 cents and the Sunday paper was 10 cents.
10. After the war, his first "real" job was taking down the "black" in the windows. It was made of denim material and was used to hide out all light from the enemy.
11. He also worked at Hawaiian Pine. He was a tray boy and had to line up 5 rings of pineapple and put it in each can. He was a trucker, supervisory, and eventually left to play football.
12. As a child, he had a white "poi" dog called Prince.
13. He worked at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo for the rest of his career.
I'm sure there are more bits of information that I'll be adding to my list. Stay tuned.
Thanks for listenin'
So, the point of this post it to share a few things about Dad that I just wanted to document for family history reasons....Here goes:
1. Dad attended Kaahumanhu Elementary School at the corner of Piikoi and Beretania. It has since been converted to a hospital.
2. Dad attended Iolani High School from 7th to 12 grade. He graduated on June 7, 1948.
3. Mrs. Tanaka was his favorite teacher. She told him.."Most Hawaiians are lazy and slow..you're not!"
4. He disliked Mrs. Webber who was a Hawaiian teacher. He remembers her saying that "you folks talk with a fat lip and mumble your words." Grandma Kaai threatened to beat her up.
5. Dad wanted to go to Kamehameha, but they wouldn't let the "real locals" go. Outer island students had priority. He attended Iolani.
6. Richard Pa'paa was his best friend in elementary school.
7. He attended the Long Island Merchant Marine Academy on Mare Island. He was in the navy from 1953-June 30, 1964. He came to San Mateo after he graduated.
8. Ice cream was 5 cents and hamburgers were 10 cents. A McDonald's hamburger was 18 cents.
9. He was a paper boy as a child and his route consisted of City Hall to Alapai, up to Punchbowl ,up to Lusitania and part of King St. The daily paper was 5 cents and the Sunday paper was 10 cents.
10. After the war, his first "real" job was taking down the "black" in the windows. It was made of denim material and was used to hide out all light from the enemy.
11. He also worked at Hawaiian Pine. He was a tray boy and had to line up 5 rings of pineapple and put it in each can. He was a trucker, supervisory, and eventually left to play football.
12. As a child, he had a white "poi" dog called Prince.
13. He worked at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo for the rest of his career.
I'm sure there are more bits of information that I'll be adding to my list. Stay tuned.
Thanks for listenin'
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The Perfect Pancake
My friend Paula just came to California for the Festival of Trees and Lights. About two weeks ago, she invited Tyrone and I over for dinner at Val's house. She made her father's famous pancakes. Below is the recipe that was printed in the Honolulu Star Bulletin. Try them. They're truly the best pancakes ever! I've decided to add them to our Christmas morning agenda.
Paul Chun's Pancakes
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
Dash of salt
3 or 4 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, separated
1-1/4 cup milk
1/3 block melted butter, cooled
Combine dry ingredients. Beat yolks slightly and add, along with a little milk. Stir. Beat egg whites and add, along with a little more milk. Add melted butter. Stir and gradually add enough of the remaining milk so batter is of the right consistency (this is a judgment call -- it shouldn't be too thin and should still have lumps, but needs to be loose enough to scoop easily). Batter will get very fluffy as baking soda activates; do not be alarmed. Do not overmix. Let sit 10 to 15 minutes to settle.
Preheat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Turn when edge are dry and bottom is golden. Makes about 12 pancakes.
Here's the rest of the article....
CHUN, president and chief executive officer of Chun Kim Chow Ltd., died June 21 at age 84. His company had extensive real estate and retail holdings, including the Robins shoe stores and the Waikiki Circle Hotel. But his hobby was cooking. "Every Sunday was an extravagant nine-course meal," Chun-Ganske says.
During the West Coast dock strike in 1971, the hotel ran out of pancake mix, so Chun put his skills to work and developed a scratch pancake recipe by studying cookbooks in bookstores (he didn't actually buy one, his daughter says).
The recipe became the hotel restaurant's signature; people would line up for the 99-cent plate of two pancakes, eggs and breakfast meat. At his funeral, the family passed out the recipe. A nice way to remember someone, isn't it?
His daughter says she still makes them every Sunday. "I tear up every time."
THANKS PAULA!
p.s. They're amazing with coconut syrup!
Paul Chun's Pancakes
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons baking powder
Dash of salt
3 or 4 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, separated
1-1/4 cup milk
1/3 block melted butter, cooled
Combine dry ingredients. Beat yolks slightly and add, along with a little milk. Stir. Beat egg whites and add, along with a little more milk. Add melted butter. Stir and gradually add enough of the remaining milk so batter is of the right consistency (this is a judgment call -- it shouldn't be too thin and should still have lumps, but needs to be loose enough to scoop easily). Batter will get very fluffy as baking soda activates; do not be alarmed. Do not overmix. Let sit 10 to 15 minutes to settle.
Preheat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Turn when edge are dry and bottom is golden. Makes about 12 pancakes.
Here's the rest of the article....
CHUN, president and chief executive officer of Chun Kim Chow Ltd., died June 21 at age 84. His company had extensive real estate and retail holdings, including the Robins shoe stores and the Waikiki Circle Hotel. But his hobby was cooking. "Every Sunday was an extravagant nine-course meal," Chun-Ganske says.
During the West Coast dock strike in 1971, the hotel ran out of pancake mix, so Chun put his skills to work and developed a scratch pancake recipe by studying cookbooks in bookstores (he didn't actually buy one, his daughter says).
The recipe became the hotel restaurant's signature; people would line up for the 99-cent plate of two pancakes, eggs and breakfast meat. At his funeral, the family passed out the recipe. A nice way to remember someone, isn't it?
His daughter says she still makes them every Sunday. "I tear up every time."
THANKS PAULA!
p.s. They're amazing with coconut syrup!
The Perfect Gift!
This is my boss, Bob. The other night at our work party he jokingly asked for a Sham Wow and I couldn't find one. Sooo..I bought a snuggie. I had no idea how comfortable these things really are!
Do you have a snuggie? Would you like a snuggie? or do you think they're lame? Well, I love snuggies and I think they're awesome!
3rd week of December- Sacramento's Homeless
The highlight of the week was visiting the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. I went shopping on Tuesday night to get food to make "lunches." On Wednesday night, the youth from our ward made 50 ham and cheese sandwiches, and then we filled the bags with oranges, granola bars, chips, water bottles, and Kit Kats. (Don't ask me why I chose the Kit Kats. I was just in a Kit Kat mood.) I bought the "good" ham and the "good" cheese. We made all the sandwiches in the kitchen and the boys got the non-perishable food in the lunch bags. Rancho Cordova Stake has been making these lunches for months. However, this was the first time that an LDS youth group would pariticipate with the delivery.
We then drove down to the Cathedral. We met Deacon Jorge Usi. I have worked closely with him during the Festival of Trees and Lights and thought it would be a great service project for our youth to help him deliver the food. He's responsible for the Cathdral Homeless Square Program. He introduced us to his Catholic youth group and then took us on a tour of the Cathedral. The youth loved the beauty and reverence of the Cathedral. Deacon Jorge then split us up into three groups. We spent the rest of the evening walking the streets of Sacramento delivering sack lunches. We finished around 9:30 p.m. Deacon Jorge does this about twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays. My dear friend Evie also helps. It's an experience I'll never forget. In my opinion, it was sacred. I know we all left feeling very grateful for everything that we have..especially our family and friends.
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