Advents Corner

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Archive for August, 2008


Kokua Hawai’i Foundation

 
 

   

 

Volunteers Needed: ‘AINA In Schools Garden Building Waikiki Elementary, 9/6
Ala Wai Elementary, 9/13
Email volunteer@
kokuahawaiifoundation.org
to RSVP. Come visit the Kokua/’AINA IS booth at these community fairs. Both are FREE!Discover Recycling Fair
Neal Blaisdell Center Arena
Thurs., 9/25 & Fri., 9/26 – 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Sat., 9/27 – 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.HMSA Island Scene Festival 2008
Saturday, 9/27 – 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Kaka’ako Gateway Park
IslandScene.com


Have some fun, make new friends while supporting our partner organizations. Get your tickets today!

4TH Annual MA’O ma TOWN, MA’O Organic Farms Fundraising Event
Saturday, 9/20, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
Downtown @ The Hawai’i State Art Museum

Sierra Club Hawai’i Chapter 40th Anniversary Gala
Saturday, 9/27 at 5:30 – 9:00 pm
Location: Koolau Golf Club
Get your tickets now! Visit HI.SierraClub.org/40th or e-mail sierraclubhawaii@gmail.com

   
Proceeds to benefit ‘AINA In Schools

Purchase locally grown produce & products at the new WHOLE FOODS MARKET in Kahala Mall on WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 17! 5% of net sales will benefit Kokua Hawai’i Foundation’s ‘AINA In Schools Program.

‘AINA In Schools is a farm-to-school program dedicated to connecting children to their land, waters and food in order to grow a healthier future for Hawai’i. If you’d like to become an ‘AINA IS Volunteer, contact volunteer@kokuahawaiifoundation.org.

Building the Nature Gap during Take a Child Outside Week! “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder,” authored by Richard Louv, has stimulated an international conversation about the future relationship between children and nature, and has helped spawn a grassroots movement to reconnect children and nature.In 2006, under Louv’s leadership, the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) launched a nationwide campaign to encourage and support the people and organizations working to reconnect children with nature. The network provides a critical link between researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being. Going outside:

  • connects children to the natural world
  • helps kids focus in school
  • reduces chances of obesity

So take a child outside! Take a Child Outside Week is September 24-September 30, 2008. Visit TakeChildOutside.org. Check out a recent story Kokua put together. The list of simple activities is featured in the 2nd Annual Hawai’i Parent Guide, which was distributed in the 8.27.08 Honolulu Advertiser and at public libraries. The guide is also online; check out Kokua’s page here.

Stroller time

I think we need to get one more stroller. Right now we have two strollers, one in Matt’s car because that is what we take on the weekends and one in Michaela’s car for when she takes Lani somewhere but that is rare. Well the other day Lani and I ran out to get her a pair of shoes in the van and when we got to the mall and I opened the back of the van…..no stroller. I was not a happy camper because we had to get one of the strollers from the mall. I know that is not a bad thing but you have to walk half way through the mall to get to the center where the strollers  are and they were out of strollers. Oh well, I guess I will make sure I have one in the van next time.

My friend was pregnant

One of my friends at work found out she was pregnant and because had her tubes tied and then untied they started running test on her early and noticed her progesterone was dropping so the put her on the oral supplements. We had the same thing happen to us when we were trying to have Lani but with us after 3 miscarriages they decided to go that route. We were lucky that it worked with Lani and she was healthy and we carried her almost to term. Amy told me the other day that she was not so fortunate and lost the baby. She is going to call the USF Physicians Group where we had Lani so we will pray she has some positive results like we did. My heart goes out to her because I know how heart breaking it can be to lose a pregnancy.

Who has time to think about insurance?

I know that is the furthest thing from most of our minds but it is getting so easy to get an auto insurance online quote. You just punch in your information and before you know it you have a quote and most of the time you can sign up right there without talking to anyone if you chose not too. I like to find all of the information I need then confirm it with a live person but that is just me. I know a lot of people choose not to speak to anyone at all and that is fine too. So take a moment and find out if you can get insurance a little cheaper.

Shirts that say it all

As most of you know my Matty works with a lot of computers. One of the things he just did was write a widget for Vista that shows you all of the funny t-shirts that are currently on the market. It is too cool because if you know Vista and the widget they just sit on your sidebar as you work away. Well image, as you are working all of these shirts come up and you don’t have to scroll through all of them to find one you like. Just work away and when one strikes your funny bone just click on it.

Anniversary

Our 10th anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks and I on a mission to find Matt something special. I can’t believe we have been together for 10 years and it seems like it was just yesterday. I was looking at getting him a Zero Halliburton briefcase. With all of Matt’s trips to LA coming up I want it to be as quick as possible for him to get through security and get out of the airport. She is suppose to start traveling the second week in September and be gone for 2 weeks at a time. It is going to be tough especially on the girls but I am sure we will make it through and maybe I will get to make a trip out to LA for the weekend or something.

Another checking account

We decided to open a second Checking Account so we can have one to hopefully save some money for Christmas and hopefully a trip to Hawaii this summer. We try to go every other summer and because we were in Asia this past summer it is time to go back to Hawaii. Matt’s family leaves there so when we go we do not have the expense of a hotel and things like that. I love Hawaii, it is the only place I have been where my soul feels happy and if you have never experienced that, I hope one time if your life you feel the joy of it.

Finding a new job

It is so hard to decide to find a new job. You find yourself not wanting to leave friends you have made and in some cases you feel a sense of loyalty to the company you are currently at. If you are currently at a job and do not need to find a job right away why not send your resume out to places you never thought you would be. For instance send out some Boston resumes or another state you are not currently living in and see what comes of it. If you are in a position to move…why not try it? You never know what you will find until you start looking. I was living in Alabama when I found my job in Florida and packed up to move down here.

City guides

When we were preparing to go to Asia we looked on Amazon books and found two really good guides for Bangkok and Singapore. Now we are in search of some good guides for Los Angeles, you know the kind that tell you what locals like and not just tourist traps. We are looking to move in the Glendale or Sherman Oaks vicinity.  I know I have readers all over the place and if any of you live in LA and would like to share something with us please do, we would love to hear from you.

Going to Los Angeles

Matt is going to start going back and forth to Los Angeles and we are not looking forward to that. His company is moving out there so we will make the move out there eventually but Matt is going to go out there 2 weeks at a time until we move out there permanently. We are going to get him a Garmin GPS so that he does not get lost until he learns the city. It should be fun and it is just one more adventure in our lives.

Older pets

We all love our pets but the simple fact is they all get old just like us. Our Great Dane, Breeze, will be 12 in October which by all standards is very old for a Dane. She still has her moments were she plays like a puppy but the moments are few and they do not last as long as they did before. We are going to start her on pet supplements to hopefully raise her energy level so she is a little more active. We want the amount of time she has left to have quality to it, not her just laying around.