Life is Good

Trader Joe's has Mochi Ice Cream! Yay!

I think the baby really likes the strawberry flavor. Or it could just be me.

My new favorite music

Holy cow. How could I have missed Raiatea Helm?

We were on our way back from a hula performance in the country, and my kumu put in her "Sweet and Lovely" cd. I fell in love immediately!

Her voice is so smooth and beautiful. It's the kind of thing that you just stop what you're doing and are mesmerized by it.









Also, I heard this song on the radio just before we left Hawai'i, and it makes me laugh! Go to Green Light Go's myspace page, and choose the song "Grumpy" on the top right. Poor dh. Last night I was definitely grumpy!

Hau'oli La Kamehameha!

Happy Kamehameha Day!

Statue in Kapa'a

Statue in Honolulu

Statue in Hilo

May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i Nei!

Oh, how I miss my ku'u home.

Rip my heart out...

This week I have been missing moku o Keawe more than usual.

Me ke aloha ku'u home o Hilo.

A huli aku au ia 'oe.



HWotD:
manakā - bored, tiresome, dull
"mah-nah-kaaaah"

Wordless Wednesday : Kumu Hula Emery Li'ili'iokalani Aceret at Halema'uma'u Crater

I got this idea from An Island Life - but for more WW participants, visit the official WW Hub or 5 Minutes for Mom.

'Auhea la 'oe?

E ku`u aloha e
`Auhea la `oe
A huli aku au ia `oe

I found them!

Just in case you were curious, these are the songs I was looking for -

Chevy by Baba B from the album Squeeze Me, Tease Me

Sweet Cherry Bomb by Nuff Sedd

Goodness, I miss Hawaiian music. If anyone wants to listen, KAPA radio streams online, and is from the Big Island.

Aloha! Pehea 'oe?

Maika'i au :)

One of the parents of a girl who goes to my halau here in Tennessee told me about Kamehameha School's Distance Learning Program. I checked it out, and found they have Hawaiian language classes online! For free! (What fits better with a grad school budget?)

So far, I've just done the first lesson and am letting it sink in. DH thinks it's funny hearing me say the same phrases over and over, asking myself questions and then replying back to myself. It's so good to "be around" Hawaiian things again! Hau'oli au.

Homesick

Yup, I think it'd be fair to say that DH and I are both homesick for Hawai'i. I know we didn't live there long (but then again , we don't live anywhere for too long), but it certainly had a hold on our hearts that I'm not sure we'll ever let go of.

There's so much to miss - Elevate, my halau (and hula sisters), friends, the scenery, the weather (I miss the rain a lot now), the ocean, the food (Spam musubi and fruit especially!)... I could go on.

I have the cd from hula in our car and I almost can't listen to it sometimes because it makes me want to cry. We were so blessed by people there. I can't wait to go back.

Excitement in the Music City

I've been really excited three times this week.

1. When I found the silverware in the box marked "book's." Clearly, I should have known that "book's" also meant "general kitchen stuff" like cookbooks, tea, and all of the silverware you own. I found it on Wednesday. That's not too bad...

2. When we finally got internet in the house and I can finally stream KAPA radio on my computer. I love KAPA. Its wonderful Hawaiian music and horrible jawaiian music make me feel I'm back on "my island."

3. Today, when I realized I get to go to hula. Yes, it is far from being the Halau I so dearly love, Halau Na Pua O Uluhaimalama, but still. For some reason, hula makes me feel like I'm home, even in a room of complete strangers. Yes, the steps they do are just slightly different from how Em taught us. Yes, I know Debbie, Shirley, Diane, and Shelly aren't going to be there. Or Mrs. Woo, or anyone familiar. But just practicing hula makes me happy. I get to connect once again with the Hawaiian culture.

Less than an hour 'til hula :)