over the rainbow

Happy Birthday Analei!

I can hardly believe that Ana is 11 today! It amazes me that she has grown so much and is SO OLD! Where has the time gone? I'm so grateful for this beautiful girl who has blessed my life so much. She is so kind, tender, and genuine in all that she does. Her name was truly inspired, as she lives up to it daily! Leipumehanamae'ole...beloved, never-fading lei... Or Analei...gracious flower. What an amazing young lady.

Thank you for blessing our lives, sweetheart! We are truly better because of you!

Keola "Waiting For Life" from "Once On This Island"

Keola singing Forever Yours

Opening NIGHT!!!

I can't believe how fast time has flown by! The end of summer is fast approaching and opening night of the show is this Friday! WOW! Where has all of the time gone?

For anyone interested..."Once On This Island" is showing on July 30th and 31st at 7:30 and on August 1st at 2:00. The cast has been working so hard and the kids are SO excited to perform! I have to say, I'm a little nervous about that on stage kiss, but otherwise we are good! Yes, my daughter has had her first official kiss from a boy... I am thankful that the boy is a very nice young man, who is a great friend to her and that there are zero romantic ties between them. I guess we'll see just how awkward the kiss is on opening night! So if for nothing else, come for the comic relief of seeing my daughter kiss her friend! Oh goodness!

Okay, love to all! Someday I'll actually use this blog as it was intended, but for now, my lame posts will have to do!

Leading lady won't say she loves the storyteller somewhere over the rainbow...

How's that for a title that encompasses everything?! (Yeah, yeah, ? followed by ! is a no-no, but oh well!)

BIG NEWS:  Holt girls audition for 7th Street Kids production of "Once On This Island" and Keola lands...the lead! She'll be Ti Moune! Miss Analei lands the role of...Storyteller! We are over the moon in this house!

I have to confess...it's a funny story about how we heard... We were outside tying water-balloons onto flip-flops  ('cause we that's how we roll) while avoiding sitting by the phone, when I decided to go inside and check for messages. Lo and behold...there was one! I started listening and then proceeded to jump up and down screaming ('cause I'm loony-tunes)! Robert thought I was dying and the girls rushed in...I was like...she got it, she got it...then started balling! The girls put the message on speaker-phone and then Keola proceeded to jump up and down screaming (she's loony-tunes, too!) and so did Ana (Less loony, more tuney!). I'm pretty sure that KO broke the sound barrier...quite the vocal range on that girl! Anyway, we are over the moon!

The reason why it was such big news is because we (mostly I) thought there was NO way she would land the lead this year. The play is kind of a little mermaid story, where Ti Moune comes from one world and falls in love with the wealthy Daniel. Forbidden love...kinda. Anyway, KO is about 5'9 and the only guy who auditioned who was over 4'7" was about the same height. So we thought they'd cast a shorter girl for the lead. Add that to the fact that there were about 7 really strong girls that the directors got to choose from for the lead, not to mention the countless other semi-strong girls that they could have chosen... I just didn't think she'd have a chance and even questioned if she would get a minor-lead because the auditions had such a depth this year for the girls. Well Mom was wrong and KO rocked the audition! What a cool thing for her and Ana's role is amazing as well! She gets to narrate the story in song! We were going over the song/cast list and it looks like she'll be on stage just as much as Keola and gets to sing about the same, too...not so many solos, but what an amazing feat for a 10 year old who is in just her second 7th Street production! SO SOSOSO proud of these angels...and so pleased that they were blessed musically!

After a fun Saturday, we prepared for Sunday's voice recital. Can I just say that I love my daughters? I am blessed to have them in my life in so many ways! Awestruck for sure! So I'm going to try and post a couple of videos of voice recital because well...videos speak louder than text? Uh yeah... When you listen to the videos, you'll understand why the "leading lady won't say she loves the storyteller somewhere over the rainbow" Although I know she really does! Love to all...enjoy the videos...if they work!

Family Photoshoot

Just thought I'd share some more pics from our day at Salt Creek. It was so much fun watching the cousins play in the tide pools. Old hat for some..new experience for three little ones. Family truly is the greatest. I just wish Maile didn't live so far away or that we all lived closer. I have such fond memories of spending time with my cousins. It's sad when one family gets left out, but such a blast when we can all be together! I'm so grateful for such an amazing family!

Just for Aunt Karen...

Okay, so I am officially a lame blogger...as pointed out to me by my dear Aunt Karen about a million times yesterday! ;o) I thought that Maile was the only one to ever read my blog and since we talk on almost a daily basis, I became a lazy blogger... I was mistaken and apologize to all of those "ghost-followers" out there who are disappointed by my degree of blog-laziness! (Yes, I know that is probably not a word, but if people can turn google into a verb, I can use blog-laziness!)

So here is a post, just for my sweet Aunt! Love you!

I am so happy to report that after a very lazy day on my part, the girls came home from school, did their homework, and then we took off to the Y for swim team and a workout. The girls have been out of the pool since August and it was so great to see them dive back in with enthusiasm. Sometimes we need a break from the things we do just to increase the appreciation we have for them! I love seeing them glide through the water and marvel that they have the stamina to make it more than 100 yards...I think they swim 1000+ each workout. I'm lucky if I make it 25 (the length of the pool)!

Perhaps even more impressive is that I got back on the treadmill and bike while they swam. WOW...I know, I know, don't fall over in shock! I think it's time to get on the healthy train and this is just the first step. It was a small one, but a step nonetheless.

Thanks for reading my ramblings...I was actually just filling space before I posted what my sweet Aunt really wants...PICTURES! Love to all and I promise to do better~!

One Word

This is from my sister Maile, answer the following questions with only one word.

Your Cell Phone? disappointing
Your Hair? curly
Your Mother? Loving
Your Father? Tender
Your Favorite Food? Hawaiian
Your Dream Last Night? Hmm
Your Favorite Drink? Redcremesoda
Your Dream/Goal? Shalom
What Room Are You In? Living
Your Hobby? Photography
Your Fear? Many
Where Do You See Yourself In Six Years? Moved
Where Were You Last Night? Sleeping
Something That You Aren't? Serious
Muffins? Cranberry
Wish List Item? Baby
Where Did You Grow Up? AllOver
Last Thing You Did? Talked
What Are You Wearing? Sweats
Your TV? Mute
Your Pets? Gone
Friends? Companionship
Your Life? Busy
Your Mood? Tired
Missing Someone? Family
Vehicle? Overrated
Something You Aren't Wearing? shoes
Your Favorite Store? Ross
Your Favorite Color? Purple
When Was The Last Time You Laughed? Seconds
Last Time You Cried? Days
Your Best Friend? True
One Place You Go To Over And Over Again? SouthSide
Favorite Place To Eat? Cafe Rio

If you read this, you are automatically charged with the task of answering these questions yourself. But only if you want to.