My day off

This past weekend, I took a break. It doesn't sound very exciting, but trust me...it was monumental. I decided to put my mental health above all else - working, unpacking, cleaning, and feelings of guilt caused by not working, not unpacking and not cleaning.

This is where I went on my break:


It's just minutes away from my home and is always a peaceful oasis where I can escape EVERYTHING. Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden is tucked away in Kaneohe at the base of the Ko'olau mountains. It's perfect.

I went with my husband and my girlfriend's family for a morning of catch and release fishing. I was the designated photographer for the day and I was happily reunited with my DSLR camera - it hasn't seen the light of day in months!

First delightful photo of the day, this wild mushroom patch (they were HUGE):

The fish were calling and these helpful signs guided us to the lake:

The day was overcast so it was nice and cool but not so easy to see the fish! The fish could see the bait though, and that's all that mattered. The fish started off small:

But as the day progressed, and our skills were honed to perfection, the fish got bigger!

And prettier!

I had the most fun watching my friend's son and seeing his face light up every time his dad had a nibble.

So, I have a "blogging" confession. I was trying to come up with some clever fish title for this post and turned to the reliable Google search. What I found was not a funny fish pun, but this quote by Henry David Thoreau:

"Men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."

It definitely struck a chord with me and as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, it's become clearer to me what the "big prize" is in my life. Time. Quality time with my husband, my family, my friends and simply nurturing relationships that are important to me. This is what I'm fishing for and I'm so thankful for days like these that help to bring everything into perspective once again.

Girl talk

I'm taking a break from sharing my new invitation designs in order to pay a quick tribute to two dear friends.

A girlfriend of mine flew in from the great (COLD!) northwest over the weekend and we hit the town with another childhood friend for a fun girls' night out. It's been a long time since the three of us have had a chance to hang out (sans our significant others) and the hours of chatter and laughter seemed to fly by in a matter of seconds.

I've known these women for about 25 years and there's something so comforting about being around old friends. There's no pretentiousness when you're around people who remember every schoolgirl crush, every embarassing haircut, every trial and tribulation that molded and shaped your life. There are just lots of "remember whens" followed by endless giggles. At a certain point during the evening, I looked at my two friends and felt a rush of nostalgia so strong that it nearly took my breath away. It seemed like just yesterday we were making up code names for the boys we liked and passing notes to each other in class...yet here we are now wearing grown up clothes, working at grown up jobs, making grown up decisions, settling into our grown up lives with our grown up husbands (and soon-to-be husbands).

We've come a long way, baby...

Up on the housetop

When you're competing against a 4 1/2-year-old in a gingerbread house competition, and his parents are among the judges, expect to lose. So was the case when I competed head-to-head in a gingerbread showdown with my friends' son this past weekend. I did win one category: Most Competitive. Oh well, I tried. I don't blame my team (aka my husband) or the lack of planning. I blame my inexperience. In all my years of celebrating Christmas and indulging in every imaginable sweet treat possible, this was the FIRST time I ever built a gingerbread house. And it was more work than I thought it would be! But it was loads of fun and I can't wait for next year's rematch.

And because I'm a gracious loser, I've posted the photo of the winning house...I love the dog bones used to tile Snoopy's roof. And the entire design was artistic and creative with just the right amount of whimsy.

Ahh, I never had a chance. :)

Birthday wishes

I have to take time out to wish a dear friend of mine a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We've been friends for ages...I can no longer count on my fingers and toes how many years we've known each other. It's been THAT long.

What a wonderful thing it is to have celebrated so many of life's biggest milestones with a girlfriend who's known you since you were 12.

L, hope you have a fabulous day!

I'll smell you later

Confession: I love to visit my friend's bathroom.

Without fail, stepping into her guest bathroom always lifts my spirits. It's not the wall of family photos that greets you just outside the door, and it's not the whimsical little paper umbrellas that hang from the ceiling. It's the amazing soap bar that sits next to her sink.

You know how the Bath and Body Works shops line up their tester bottles of moisturizers all in a row for you to sniff your heart out? Swap out moisturizers for hand soaps and that's my friend's bathroom. I admit that my bathroom visits are extra long because I can never decide which of the dozen(?) soaps I'd like to try. There's only one thing that keeps me from being overcome with bathroom envy...and that's my own bathroom.

About nine months ago, my life changed when I discovered the Archipelago Botanicals Pomegranate Collection. It was love at first smell when I picked up the dry oil body spray at Chemistry Bath and Body at Pearlridge Uptown. Then this past Christmas, my you-can't-top-this-bathroom-friend gifted me with a 32 oz. bottle of the Pomegranate Body Wash. I need to repeat that this bottle is 32 ounces. It's going to last me all year...and I couldn't be happier! After years of experimenting and building up my collection of Bath and Body Works soaps and shower gels, my bathroom has unexpectedly become a one-scent wonder. Who would've guessed??

Pah Ke's = Good Food

My regular readers already know what big foodies my husband and I are, but this post is dedicated to our dear friends who share our love of "ono grindz." It's no accident that we've formed friendships with people who have highly developed palettes of all types -- the sushi lovers, the Greek-food lovers, the deep-dish pizza lovers, etc. These are strategically built friendships that serve to nurture our obsession with good food...and this past Saturday, we dined in style with the Chinese-food lovers and the wine lovers. A match made in heaven!

We headed to Pah Ke's restaurant in Kaneohe with excited anticipation. The owner/chef, Raymond Siu, had prepared a special 5-course meal for us and personally gave us a detailed description of each dish as it was presented to our table. Nothing we ate was offered on the regular menu so we eagerly awaited each dish with wonder and excitement. Pictured above is course number 3, Raymond's take on the traditional won ton soup with seafood encased in a light egg-white wrapper. Delish!

I regret not taking more photos (and taking notes!) during dinner, because while I can still taste the wonderful flavors of each dish in my mouth, I've forgotten the charming descriptions that went along with it. Perhaps too much time has passed since our dinner, or perhaps too much wine passed my lips during dinner. But if you find yourself on the Windward side and craving great Chinese food, head to Pah Ke's for a meal you won't soon forget!

To our friends who shared this gastronomic delight with us, your company was the only thing that could compare to the great food! Thank you!

Birthday soufflé

About 24 years ago, there was a girl who used to sit behind me in health class. She had this habit of kicking my school bag that was hanging off the back of my chair. I'd go home, take my books out of my bag, and see the brown scuff marks that her shoes had left behind. It happened every single day for a whole year. It wasn't like she was stealing my lunch money or bullying me in the halls, but her dirty little habit (aka her wayward feet) definitely left a lasting impression on me...so much so that we've been best friends ever since.

Fast forward two and a half decades, and Crazy Legs and I (with our husbands in tow) headed to Roy's Restaurant in Hawaii Kai for a fabulous birthday celebration. The appetizers were to-die-for, the entrees were delicioso, but the dessert...oh, the dessert! There are good soufflés and then there are GOOD soufflés. What we indulged in were GOOD soufflés, the kind that bring tears to your eyes when you scrape up the last bit of chocolate from your plate. We definitely fell off the healthy diet wagon that night, but I would have done a swan dive for a dessert that good.

To my best friend, Crazy Legs, we had a blast celebrating your birthday and I wish you much happiness and chocolatey soufflés in the year ahead!

Fallin' for Colin

Imagine yourself at an elegant black-tie affair attended by high society's elite inner circle and being introduced to wedding/event planner extraordinaire, Colin Cowie. That, in a nutshell, was my experience last night.

Sort of.

Swap out the black-tie affair with a potluck dinner party, replace the elite inner circle with a group of friends from the wedding biz, and substitute the living and breathing Colin Cowie with the next best thing (a DVR of Mr. Cowie's appearance on Oprah)...that, in a more realistic nutshell, was my experience.

Seeing Cowie's amazing designs prompted me to squeeze in a quick peek at his web site this morning. There are times in life when you see something so beautiful that there are just no words to describe it. Check out some of the images on the site and you'll be speechless.

All that jazz

At a mere three months into the game, my husband and I are the quintessential newlyweds. We still talk about about our fabulous wedding day, we still love looking at our photos, and we still have wedding paraphernalia sitting in (not-so-neat) piles in the corners of our house. However, as newbies to the game of marriage, what we're enjoying above all else is the return of that wonderful thing called FREE TIME.

For all of you brides that are knee-deep in wedding magazines and suffering from headaches brought on by out-of-control wedding budgets, there WILL come a day when you have FREE TIME again. For now, my dear brides-to-be, keep your chins up and I'll remind you of all the fun things that are waiting for you on the other side!

Last night, we met some friends over at Jazz Minds Art & Cafe. This cool little hangout tucked away on bustling Kapiolani Boulevard is the perfect spot to watch some of Hawaii's best young jazz musicians. We got to hear the Randy Wheeler Quartet blasting some "live groove underground New York jazz" last night while we ate and drank and bopped our heads to the music. Though a little pricey, the bar food was tasty - we opted for steak strips and black and blue ahi. And if you're not into stuffy jazz clubs with tiny little cocktail tables, Jazz Minds is the exact opposite. Weekends bring more of an urban, funk vibe to the place and in lieu of hard wooden chairs, you'll find cushy loveseats and overstuffed chairs that swivel round and round. Get comfortable and settle in for the night!

Sawing the log

Imagine a beautiful bride in a Cinderella-esque wedding gown. The crinoline beneath her dress is so full that she appears to be gliding, no, floating down the aisle. The groom is decked out in a crisp, tailored suit and fills the role of Prince Charming to a "T". The ceremony begins and is filled with personal touches to reflect their love for each other (they choose to sing their vows to each other) and honor the bride's German heritage (they perform a double-ring exchange so that they will have a set of rings to wear on both their left and right hands). After the ceremony is sealed with a sweet kiss, the groom takes the bride's hand and leads her down the aisle and out of the church. It is at this special place, just steps away from the chapel doors, that the groom hands his beautiful bride the giant 4-foot saw that will be needed to cut through the wooden log that lays before them. Wait...what?

I got a firsthand lesson in German wedding traditions on Saturday and was able to witness the symbolic "sawing of the log." This is traditionally the first task that the bride and groom must accomplish together as a married couple and is supposed to be an indicator of how well they will face challenges in their future. As a first-time log-sawing viewer, I thoroughly enjoyed watching our friends dressed to the nines and sawing away at the log. I don't think they broke any speed records, but they managed to get the job done in style.

Mission possible

The mission: Locate and purchase bridesmaids' shoes

The players: Me (the bride), Lady L (the matron of honor), Agent T (bridesmaid #1), Agent F (bridesmaid #2 -- MIA but with us in spirit!)

The obstacles: Shoes must be black, shoe style should complement the dress, and above all else, shoes are required to be comfortable!

Time allowed: 3 hours (and 2 of those hours have been designated for lunch)

I took a "real" break from work on Saturday afternoon and invited two of my girlfriends out for an afternoon of shopping. None of us had the stamina for a long power-shopping trip as we would have in our younger days, so I drove them straight to Nordstrom. One store...hundreds of shoes...minimal walking.

We looked at everything on display from the 4" Jessica Simpson pumps (I think these shoes would be perfect...for Barbie) to the $400+ crystal-encrusted Stuart Weitzman sandals. One of my friends even had fuzzy bedroom slippers on her feet at one point - I think we were suffering from shoe overload at that point! They ended up settling on a pair of black suede strappy slip-on sandals that had a nice heel (not too high, not too low, not too skinny, not too fat) and came in well under $50.

It was surprisingly easy to find the shoes and we celebrated with a well-deserved, two-hour victory lunch.

Mission accomplished. Thanks, girls!