More August fun

The August weekend fun continues for our ohana on da Moku Nui! 

It started off on a somber note bidding an unexpected early farewell to Ryan's BFF, Sei...who is going to private school on another island. We've known Sei since he was 3, and have come to love his entire family, so this was a huge bummer in so many ways...but we're also filled with excitement and hope for him as well. He's a great kid and will undoubtedly do very well, we'll just miss him a lot.

My family got to enjoy some beach time at the Beach Cottages at Lava Lava Beach Club, where the nieces got to swim while visiting with their daddy. They also went crab hunting with their parents while staying overnight with grampy and grammy. We've given up last year and this year's cottage nights to extended family members because we've been fortunate to have left the rock a few times over the last year, and most of them have not yet made the trip across the ocean yet...so we are hoping a staycation helps bring them some respite.

Rich and his improv troupe, the Hi-Line had a two-night run at the Aloha Theatre. It looks more like WWE wrestling match than improv laughter, but I assure you, they had fun!

There are few things more exciting to someone with Jo-CD than organizing! I bought ever more more more plastic bins to better organize our pantry over the weekend, and I am...thrilled. Call me lame, but I had an epic weekend of hunkering down at home, cleaning, cooking and organizing.

There are few people whose company I enjoy more than my nieces and nephews, and this weekend we had all of them together, twice! Kenichi took Ryan and his cousins out for sushi, followed by a shopping spree! Ryan came home with a backpack for school from a surf shop that he said Keni insisted on buying for him...even though it was Keni's birthday! 

Having said that, Keni has had some recent incredible successes in his career, thanks to his hard work, and a company that truly appreciates him. He often works 12-hour days, 6-days a week. Mind you, no one at his family-owned company is requiring this, it's just always been his personal work ethic to be the first in, last out. So he's been financially rewarded very well, and he was generous enough to treat his younger cousins to a fun day out. I find that to be very kind/generous, and so appreciate both him and his brother, Riki (who has done the same for the younger cousins).

We celebrated Keni's birthday with what I call a 'Meatfest,' as he has always been pure carnivore- salmon, char siu, pineapple sausage, teriyaki chicken, NY steak, smoked meat, etc.

Bento lunches for the next day(s) at work...since he never gets time to eat!

My bounty from the garden...I think I've harvested about 50-60 eggplant this season so far!

Riki with this ROTC classmates at UH...yep, he's on campus!

We are not quite done with the month yet...today we have a few of Ryan's friends over to play with some borrowed lawn games from my company. And tonight we are attending a beer festival (Rich and I) and temaki sushi at a friend's house (Ryan). 

Tomorrow night Ryan performs in Mauna Lani with his taiko mates...

And in a little over two weeks, Rich undergoes some routine surgery (he has three hernias and needs to correct it all as it has continued to worsen over the years).

I am also a few weeks into wearing my night splits/boots and orthotics in my running/walking shoes....so I am hoping to see/feel even the tiniest improvement in a month...to make the nightly wake ups from the boots worth it!

Life is never, ever boring around here, despite living on a rock in the middle of no where...and I couldn't be more grateful for all that we have going on. The alternative is a COVID lockdown/sad kids/decimated economy...so I'm all for movin' and shakin' these days.

Toodles!