Is there a doctor in the house?

December was chock full of holiday fun but it also marked other momentous events. I met Chrystie when we were both in the Master's Program in Cell and Molecular Biology at University of Hawaii-Manoa. We both obtained our Master's Degree but she continued on in her graduate studies in the PhD Program while I joined the workforce. While watching her dissertation, this flood of pride welled up as I watched her explain her work with stunning clarity and unheard-of vocabulary. I was proud that I slightly understood the first third and then it went beyond my capabilities. It also reminded me how much I love my background in scientific research. I started to try to work out how I could get back into research...considering volunteering in the lab after work. Then I slapped myself awake. There I go thinking I have 36 hour long days to cram all this stuff in.

The morning of the UH graduation, I was a little rushed. We had to skip the flower shop so we drove into the parking garage lei-less. Scott slowed the car slightly so I could jump out and dash into the Stan Sheriff Center. I made it in time to watch Chrystie receive her diploma and join the faculty as a part of the doctorate community.


Here's Dr. Chrystie flashing a shaka.

Chrystie and Janice

Me, Dr. Janice, Dr. Haymer, and Dr. Chrystie
Hmmm, my name looks so unimpressive next to these academic wizards.

Chrystie and her sweet family

An intimate luncheon followed at a Chinese Restaurant in Hawaii Kai. It was 2 hours of music, touching speeches, tears, crying...and then more crying....and then, just a little more crying. Chrystie has an amazing support system, her family, her church, and us (her friends!!!). Her sister, Malia, had just gotten married a month before and she was constantly at her sister's side. She laughed and joked with everyone that she and Chrystie had traded off, Chrystie was her servant at her wedding and now she had to return the favor. I was really touched by how close these two sisters are and how supportive they are of each other. I saw Malia and her new husband standing up and eating their lunch to let others have seats. Then Malia danced hula for Chrystie and the endless tears were streaming down their cheeks. When the notes faded away, they ran to each other and embraced forever. My sweet husband leaned over and whispered in my ear "Maybe I should hug my brother more often." Huh, that would be a sight to see.






For these pictures and more, check out the photo album on facebook. If you're already on fb, add me as your friend!!!

Happy New Year 2010

I may be college educated but I, for the life of me, can never remember whether I should be wishing people "Happy New Year!" or "Happy New Years!" I promise to google it before the end of this post.

I am in love with 2010. I've read that 2009 was a tough year for most and I'm no exception. What a relief to have a fresh new page to write on!!! I'm a huge advocate for making resolutions, even those resolutions that dwindle to soft wishes most of the time. Making changes for the better and striving for self-improvement is an easy sell for me. I taught high school science straight out of college at Maryknoll Schools and their motto is "to whom much is given, much is expected." What a firm reminder that I am blessed and the best way to show my gratitude is to live my life giving everything I've got. So here are my resolutions...and if I fall of the wagon, I hope I remember that you get a fresh slate every morning on any given day. There's a Nicole Nordeman song "His mercies are new every morning." I cling to that as my saving grace.

• Be more thankful-spend a few moments every day thanking God for the little and big things that come my way. And thanking those around me, like my dependable hubby, Scott who always reminds me that my car's registration expired three months ago (oops) or when it's time for an oil change. Or asking to take my car on our Costco run because he notices it's low on gas and Costco's gas is the cheapest.
• Be more active and healthy- Hmmm, this one sounds so familiar. I'm not giving up. I weighed in 10 lbs heavier than my heaviest weight every. A new high for me. Ouch. Yet another reason why I am always the photographer, keep cameras pointed away from me. I want to at least feel stronger. So, I had a jumpstart on this one and have been back to the gym since Christmas. It's not as excruciating as I thought but, boy, it's just time consuming.
• Laugh more-And thanks to goofy friends...one who was trying to wave out the window at a group of us and totally tipped her and her chair over and then my athletic, uber-coordinated husband whiffing on a frisbee catch and kissing the frisbee up close....I have laughed and laughed and laughed. I mean, I hope all my laughter doesn't come at the expense of others...but I love them more for filling my life with joy and light.
• Use less and Give more-I grew up in a small town with where we, like most families there, struggled. We lived on welfare and survived on food stamps and housing assistance. I sometimes forget that I'm not poor anymore. It's such a hard mentality to shake. But I'm not poor....I have to repeat or I keep forgetting. I have all that I need. In fact, I have more than I need. So over the holidays, Scott and I went through our closets and pantry and cleared out boxes to donate to Goodwill and the Hawaii Food Bank. Cans and cans of soups and mixes that we bought months ago just to lie unused gathering dust. I need to stop buying stuff "just in case" I might find a use for it. Some credit will probably have to go to "Hoarders" which now has given me the opposite complex. I'm so scared of hoarding that we have empty closets and shelves after weekly purges. Hey, reality TV can be positive after all. We also give monthly support to an Ethiopian girl, Elilta, through Compassion. Then I got a newsletter from them with pictures of these children who have been waiting, some of them for over a year, to be adopted/supported through Compassion.

And because I know that even the best intentions get nudged to the side by the busy-ness of life, someone help me remember to revisit these resolutions every four months. April 1st let's see how I'm doing.

Darn, google didn't help me. Scott and I would like to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

There's a chill in the air

December is my favorite month of the year, it's basically sandwiched with cheesy Hallmark movies and party feasts between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I just finished up editing a big session with my husband's working place. I took their staff Christmas picture and then a bunch for their website. Sorry, I never post the photos from the church, but I may provide links eventually.

I'm battling a little cold...cough cough sniffle sniffle. I'm such a wussy sick person. Scott gets sick and he just likes to be left alone. I get a tickle in my throat and I'm eating ice cream for breakfast and making sad eyes at Scott in hopes that he'll rub my feet. But there's a lot to do...Christmas cards to finish and get out...reports at work to get in...laundry to wash and fold. After watching a few episodes of Hoarders, there's also nothing better I like to do each day at home than throw three things away and scrub four things down with bleach. I am trying to plan ahead for the next three months. I have a few sessions lined up, and I'm also looking to take some much-anticipated vacation.

And because I love pictures: here's a few fun pictures taken on the sidewalks of Kailua.






[I think this one is a funky angle but I like!!!]

[Only I can get so excited by a picture that's mostly concrete]



[This one would make a gorgeous canvas wrap. She's beautiful]

God's teaching me to wakeboard

I've made no secret of it, this year has been brutal for me. I didn't have an idealic childhood and I've had to battle a lot in my life, but this year puts the rest to shame. Maybe it really is harder than the 30 years before it, or maybe I'm fatigued and losing strength in the third round. I just feel attacked on every angle possible...a big one being family, losing best friends, some health issues, pressure at work growing alarmingly fast. I've had to retreat at times and focus on regaining hope, because that's the critical ingredient. And I set back out with one foot forward saying "I'm going to do it...I'm going to survive." And I won't lie, I've gotten knocked down again. I have been praying for the year to turn around. Now with under two months left, I've changed to praying that this year just ends.

This past weekend, I fell back into the valleys and I thought "this is it, I can't get up again. Just leave me alone" But, the next morning brought renewed strength and glimmers of hope peeking through my fog of depression. Totally not of my own doing. Those embers of strength grew stronger and the glimmers glowed longer and brighter until I found myself back on my feet again. Ready to face life and still in the race. And God put something upon my heart. This year has been a battlefield. I no longer speak to my mother (which is not new) but now I have not spoken to my father in months. I've been on the phone hearing about my brother's (on the big island) attempt to hurt himself and threatening to commit suicide and sat in the hospital after another family member tried to end their life. And still not even the hardest situation we've had to face this year. I feel people turn to me for answers and I want to offer comfort but they may not get my answer. I have God. That's all I can really offer..

I have been complaining about just feeling battered and abused from every angle. But this past week, I had a image in my head. I'm riding out a storm but I'm not commanding a big boat with billowing sails. I'm in the water clinging to a rope and the reason I'm still moving is that God is pulling me. He's pulling me as fast and as quick as He can to get me out of this storm. I'm getting tossed about by the waves and the rain is cold darts on my skin, but He's pulling me through.

I had someone try to teach me to wakeboard once. I couldn't stand up until my 12th try which was super frustrating for me. The guy teaching me kept yelling me "don't try to stand up, that's why you're falling." I thought it was pure foolery, don't you have to stand to wakeboard? He'd pull the boat forward again and the rope would jerk me and I would face plant...again. Same thing, he'd yell "don't try to stand up." Frustration. I was so confused because I was insistent that I was not trying to stand up. Each time I concentrated and was confident that I wasn't trying to stand up, but each time I fell. I was running out of time, so the last time, I actually fought the urge to stand up by relaxing everything, almost to the point where I felt like I was sinking beneath the water. The boat jerked and I was up and wakeboarding...for 23.4 seconds. I'm revisiting that lesson on the ocean. God's teaching me to wakeboard and I have to fight the urge to stand up by myself. It's when I sit back and let God take over that I find myself standing up above the waves.

I'm not preaching a happy ending. I haven't gotten there yet. I know most stories offer "this is the troubles and storms I faced and look at how perfect everything is now." This is "Hey there, friend, having a rough year. I'm there with you. But we'll get through it." Like that wakeboarding lesson, I'll faceplant often. I might forget everything I've learned. But I know that God will keep pulling that rope as long as we are holding on to it.

Sneak Peek: Mike and Beka's Family Session

Sneak Peek of a Halloween Morning Family Session

Where: Kakaako Park
When: Saturday, October 31st

New York New York (Pt 1 of 4)

I was really excited about this trip. I'm not a big traveler, I'm such a home body. I am, however, married to the traveling man...he loves it. We had a discussion and came up with compromises before we got married. But this trip. This trip, even I was excited to go. One of my friend from college days (go BC) is from New York and proposed to his girlfriend of nine years. He set his wedding date for my birthday!!! At first I thought it was sweet, then I realized he was trying to steal my thunder. Nah, it was wonderful. Work was getting crazy so Scott and I were excited to fly 5,000 miles to the northeast. We spent a few days in New York for the wedding and then spent a few days in Boston.

We stayed a few days at my friend's place in Queens. I'd been to NYC a few times while in college and Scott just went for the first time last year. So there wasn't much I hadn't seen. When asked what I wanted to do, the only thing I said was "I want to find Cake Boss!!!" Cake Boss is a TLC show centered around a real bakery "Carlos' Bakery" and it's owner, Buddy. The bakery is run by an Italian family and the show is hilarious. They thought I was kidding but I insisted on googling the location of the bakery (Hoboken, New Jersey) and directions on how to take the train there.

So, our friends drove us from Queens into Manhattan.

Which meant we had to drive over the 59th street Bridge which instantly caused Scott to break out into a song "Feeling Groovy." Too bad, no one in the car had any clue what he was singing.

They dropped us off near Central Park, which I will have to say was my first time there. It's pretty huge...and I'm a country girl so I loved it. There were saxophone players and ballon animal artists every twenty feet.

The architecture and neighborhoods are so different in the mainland. I loved it. Scott is such a patient and understanding husband...as I made him pose over and over again so I could get my photography kicks out.

We really had no clue where we were walking but we did find ourselves at the Museum of Natural History. Also someplace I've never been. It was pretty cool. I have to admit that I kind of went out of curiousity to see how similar it was to movie "Night in the Museum." I have to say that the answer is "minimal." The exhibit displays are amazing though. Epic.
We took the subway and then changed over to the PATH train which took us to Hoboken, New Jersey. It was a super short walk and we found ourselves at ... CAKE BOSS!!! And Buddy is awesome!!! He stood outside and talked to everyone who came up...he volunteered for pictures. He was in the middle of signing autographs when they were calling him from inside the bakery and made sure to finish up with everyone on the sidewalk. He was amazingly friendly and awesome!!! It's a gunner for the highlight of my trip.



Then we wandered back to the train station and I saw this cool train station waiting room.

My latest engagement session

can be found here

Mystic Pizza Party

I originally had to work on all Fridays. But we're a bit short-handed and there's only three of us on my shift. And then one of my coworkers had to take famlily leave suddenly because his wife gave birth to their daughter a few weeks early. So, the two of us left had to juggle days to make sure that all the days were covered. So, I found myself with a Friday night off.

It just so happened that Scottie left for Japan that morning for his mission trip in Sapporo. So, my roommie, Tricia, and I decided to have a last-minute girl's night dinner. I picked the theme.

Mystic Pizza Party

We made our own little mini-pizzas and then watched Julia Roberts in "Mystic Pizza." The only thing our dinner guests had to bring was a pizza topping of their choice. Tricia did all the prep work. She researched possible toppings combination by scouring popular menus like California Pizza Kitchen. She laid out a spread of baked chicken, pears, cheeses, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, fresh spinach, sliced red onions, and she even toasted pine nuts. She had a variety of sauces to go on the pizza crusts; your regular but favored pizza sauce, a pesto, an alfredo, and this yummy BBQ sauce. We're still not done. She even has a little basil plant that we could pick from for our pizza masterpieces.

I don't really trust my cooking skills so I was prepared to buy pre-made pizza crusts from the store but that had the roommate aghast. Instead, she made dough from scratch following this recipe for Whole Wheat and Honey Pizza Crust and we even got to roll out our own crusts. This is an awesome idea for a get-together. it's fun and hands-on like an Arts-n-Crafts project, but then you get to eat it. Followed by a desert of thick brownies covered with rasberries, whip cream and chocolate sauce and we were ready to rest our full tummies while watching "Mystic Pizza." Ah, 80's movies...always a sure thing for a good laugh.

(Just some of the ingredient layout, place cards made by the roomie)

(my favorite, shredded baked chicken)

(I think girls were just snacking on the pears. I don't think they actually made it to any pizza)


(some of our pizza masterpieces pre-baking)

Field trip to the Discovery Center

Sometimes I'll bore you with details of my thrilling life. But, on top of my full-time job and my photography business, I also babysit a few hours every week. She's a darling 19 month old who charms everyone. Our house is pretty toy-less, but thankfully, she loves our piano, my photography props, and she's been known to carry around Scott's golf clubs. To break the boredom, my sister and I have organized combined field trips where I bring baby HB and my sister brings her three youngest girls, all 2 years old and younger. Last week, we went to the Discovery Center in Honolulu. I thought I would blog about it for anyone who hasn't been there yet.

Discovery Center Hawaii

Two big downfalls that we immediately encountered were operating hours and prices. They are open only for very limited hours. They are closed Monday (which we found out a few months ago when we tried to show up without checking out the website...oops). Tuesdays through Fridays, the center is open 9 am to 1 pm. That was hard for us considering my sister had to feed, clothe, and pack up three toddlers by herself. We didn't meet up at the center until 11 am. They are open later on weekends (until 3 pm).

The fee is $8 for anyone over the age of 1. We did eye my sister's twins and HB. Totally tempted to try to knock off 7 months off their ages. Darn, they can pretty much run already so we just had to pay full price. And the $8 is the kama'aina rate and military rate so bring your ID. Once we paid, we were instructed to leave all strollers in the lobby before proceeding into the play area. Yikes. That threw us for a loops. Together, my sister and I had brought

2 year old girl
one 19 month old girl
two 17 month old twin girls
two backpacks
a camera bag

Next time, pack light.

The price was a little high but I think it's comparable to other attractions and we got to escape the hot summer heat. That's the biggest plus I can think of. Once we were inside the Discovery Center, the fun really began. There was an area for the younger toddlers immediately after you enter. We let the kids loose and frankly, they could have played in there the whole time. There was a sailboat that the kids could clamber in. There was a little play fishing pool that the 2 year old used a fishing rod to catch fake, colorful plastic fishes while the babies chose to just roll around on the floor.

All the kids would have been thrilled just to play in the baby play area, but we definitely wanted to explore the rest of the floor and get the most out of our day. There were all these displays set up to convert real world habitats into pint-sized worlds fit for humans under 3 feet tall. I dont' have pictures because I had to abandon the camera to keep up with our little bundles of speed. There was a little hospital room with mini-scrubs hanging on the door hook. Fire truck and a bus. A small theatre with a cool panel where pressing buttons changed the lighting or added sound effects. I got a litttle crazy with the lightning sound effect and my 2 year old niece jumped in my arms saying "skeri, skeri."

The babies, 19 month old HB and 17 month old twins, 2 year old not pictured (running amuck)



Fishing is fun, and plastic fishes smell way better

One twin was trying to scale the picket fence gate and look who came to help

Shopping at the pint-sized grocery store





I think the Discovery Center is more geared for kids 2 years and up. Although HB and the twins loved the grocery store, the rest of the displays and scenes didn't hold any appeal. They took more enjoyment climbing up on the snack table. But the 2 year old loved it. It was perfect for her. And all the kids just loved the freedom of running around. I wish they had more props. I went to the children's museum in Boston and they had a 3 foot tall chess set, hula hoops to blow bubbles. I would have liked to have seen that here, especially since they make such cute photo opportunities.

I cannot say enough about the staff at Discovery Center. Everyone was completely kind-hearted, from the woman who sold us our tickets, the young helpers watching the floors who sweetly played with the kids as well, to the friendly staff in the lunch counter who didn't bat an eye when my sister (not the kids) spilled an entire container of macaroni and cheese on the floor. If you have kids who are between 2 and 6, I would recommend it. And you can bring your own lunch, you just have to eat it outside. Just remember to bring your camera!!!

Lacie's Newborn Session

For pictures of little Lacie, go to my other blog

See family session

For a family session I did at Waimanalo Beach, go here

Where have I been?

I want to blog. I wish there was more time...Here's a list of the stuff that I need/want to devote more time

-reading Bible and journaling daily (this maybe happens once a week)
-practicing the bass guitar (haven't done this in a month)
-practicing the regular guitar (I did spend some time this past two weeks practicing)
-learning how to use my new camera finally
-emailing people back!!!
-starting to jog again regularly

Here's the high hopes list
-go surfing again and wash the cobwebs off my board
-revise my photography website
-paint our kitchen
-save the world

Not only am I behind in this blog, but now my roommie, Tricia, has roped me into this getting fit and healthy and I'm supposed to blog that every day. That will make blog #4 for me. Oh geez louise.

Sneak Peek: John, Whitni and Baby "G"

Here's a sneak peek from our last-minute session with John and his family. He's being deployed next week and asked if I could create some memories of his family before he left. Introducing John, Whitni, and baby "G..."

Pancakes and Sand-Castles

We're such procrastinators. Joy, of our "Joy and Light" production, had her birthday last week but it took us over a week before we all went out to celebrate. Party animals that we are, we settled on a girl's breakfast at Cinnamon's of Kailua. We just love their yummy eggs benedict. And I have vague recollection of Krystal saying "we should stop by the beach afterward and build a sand castle." Wow, that sounds like such a cute idea. I thought of tossing on some swim clothes but I figured it would be a brief and carefree jaunt to the beach.

The girls (Tricia, Krystal and "birthday girl" Joy) and I headed over to Cinnamon's. I had the veggie eggs benedict with a poached egg perched on a chair of spinach leaves and tomatoes. Yum Yum. The ordering process was slightly complicated by Tricia who seems to have inherited a little "Sally" from "When Harry Met Sally." We stuffed ourselves full of Portuguese sweet bread french toast covered with drizzled maple syrups and benedicts.

The real adventure started on the sandy shores of Kailua Beach. I think the critical turning point was when someone started digging a hole in the sand and Tricia and I kind of stalled with the infamous question "Do you think that's high enough above the waterline?" Remember that question, it became critical. Thus ensued what was about 75 minutes of hauling endless buckets of sand under the hot sun...75 minutes that felt like 5 hours. It was so much fun...I just don't remember sandcastles being such a workout. I think I'm going to have to fill my plastic blue bucket with wet sand and see how much it weighs.

Krystal was the castle foreman and I focused on the protective moat and property wall. Very quickly we realized the tide was rising and waves were battering across our moat and washing up against our castle walls. Then it became a frantic rescue mission and all four of us had to abandon the castle and dig fervently to keep the water away. It was a total losing battle. We decided our castle would be a duplex so we just extended it up the beach. Despite our red faces, we must have made it look like fun because we had a sibling pair on vacation here from Hawaii join in on the fun. It was perfect timing because I think we were all about to pass out on the sand and they were little balls of energy. They actually were born and raised in New Zealand.

(You can't see me but I'm wearing a bright neon blue T-shirt. I somehow missed the memo to wear a black shirt.)

(Krystal, it's supposed to be fun, remember? There, that's better...there's a laugh)

(Tricia and her minions, she worked those two little New Zealand kiddies)

(Can you believe that Tricia actually thought she was going to go straight to work from the beach?)

(Our sand castle taking shape...it was a mansion)

(I can't tell who is having more fun)

(towers and castle doors)

(she was getting a little worked up over the battle between the wall and the waves)

(her brother was building a pond nearby for the castle royalty)

(then he took a little surf break)



(the stellar castle company)