All posts filed under: HI Life

Queen Liliuokalani: The heart of a leader

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One cannot consider Hawai’i and it’s fallen kingdom without thinking almost right away of Queen Liliuokalani, the last recognized royal of the Kingdom of Hawai’i.  In the late 19th century Hawai’i was a nation on the verge of collapse.  The greedy haole (Hawaiian for “the white man”) businessmen looked to take whatever they could from the soil and sea.[1]  Queen Liliuokalani could not have been prepared for the disrespect, humiliation, and abuse that she would endure at their will.  There are three sources that I have assessed in order to get more information on the circumstances surrounding the downfall of Hawai’i’s Kingdom.  Each is connected to the other by the Queen yet offers unique details and insight that have helped shape my own interpretation more clearly.  The first source is a letter by the Queen herself dated January 18th, 1893 and addressed to the President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, pleading her case for the preservation of her kingdom.  The second is an article by an extensively educated artist, Paul X. Rutz, who enjoys …

Its just stuff…

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Today, I am taking time to sit down, and reflect on the last week since my husband has returned home from his work trip.  He was gone for four weeks.  In some ways, it seemed like much longer, yet in others, it’s like he never left.  We have been quite busy since his return, one of the primary reasons being that our stuff has arrived. Bring out the champagne, put up the banners!!! This is a moment to celebrate!!! You see, when one makes a move such as New England to Hawaii, one has many choices to make.  Sell, or not sell?  Pack, or give away?  Does one attempt to pack, pallet, move, and ship on one’s own, or hire a moving company to take care of everything start to finish? We chose the latter, which seemed to be the easiest, yet definitely the most expensive option. We chose a company called Hawaii Moving and Storage.  Google them.  Because as I share this story you’re going to wonder if we did.  I swear, they had …

Missiles and Waimea Valley

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So this morning was, for a few minutes, possibly the most scared I have ever been. We had big plans today, the kids and me.  We were heading to beautiful Waimea Valley for a walk to the waterfall, and then going to do lunch in Hale’iwa and some beach time.  After getting dressed I came down to my kitchen to finish getting ready and checked my phone to see an Emergency Alert about a ballistic missile headed straight for Hawaii.  I was told to take shelter immediately. My toddler was whining and on the verge of throwing one of his ever-so-popular tantrums because I wasn’t responding right away; my five-year-old was playing with his Legos on the counter right next to the kitchen window; and my daughter was upstairs getting ready to leave. What.  The.  [insert four letter word of your choosing here]. I had text messages going with about five different people, mostly military friends, a couple here on the island, a couple not, and my husband who wasn’t home at the time, or …

Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center Review

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The Discovery Center is three stories of life-size, pretend play for children.  Life size doctor’s office, life size “super market”, and one of the kiddos favourites – a life size airplane interior, including cockpit. There are many other stations, way too many to list them all but my kiddos loved every single one of them. At each station, there are uniforms that the children can don to pretend they are driving the bus or cooking in the diner, etc. My personal favourite is the third floor, which has a little village feel, with house facades representing several different countries.  You can enter the houses and the interiors are authentically decorated and furnished for more pretend play for the children. For example, the Japanese house has a table and cushions to sit at, with authentic looking Japanese dishes to enjoy a [make believe] meal. My two sons really enjoyed this place. There is a lot for the children to see and do in here.  I would say if you’re interested, save this for a rainy day, …