Dedicated to my Aunty Aida

"Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider:  Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him." Ecc 7:13,14

The above versed was first shared with me when my youngest daughter went to be with the Lord, and though 3 years has passed from that painful day, I am again reminded that life is but a vapor.  My dear, sweet Aunty Aida, who had battled with breast cancer for awhile now finally went home to the Lord this past Friday.

One recent memory floods my heart and mind; it was mid-September and my heart began to feel a sense of urgency and burden to see my aunty - who was recently given only 2 months to live.  I attempted to contact her many times with no response.  So my family and I flew back to CA for the weekend, in hopes to see her.

I remember driving to church that Sunday morning and expressing the sense of needing to see her with my husband.  My parents, my friends at church had not seen her for a couple of weeks and there was no indication that she would even be at church that morning.  I was resolved in my heart to drive to her home after morning worship just to see her.

As we were lead to our seats for the service, Mike leaned over to me and whispered, "She's here!"  I looked towards the back of the sanctuary, and there she was - as beautiful as can be, with a colorful scarf around her head.  God had answered my prayers!  I then noticed an empty seat next to her - divinely reserved for me!

Mike kindly nodded for me to go sit next to her.  I sat down and she looked at me and with tears in her eyes said, "I thought I would never see you again."  Oh how my heart sank with both sadness and thankfulness.  For the next 45 mins, I had the privilege to hear her worship and sing with all her heart to a Lord that she would soon see face to face.  Oh how sweet her singing was; ceasing my own singing just to hear her sweet praise!  The hour and half long service seemed only but a few mins.  How fitting to that the sermon was on fixing our eyes on things above and remembering that this life is but a temporal one.

After service, one of the families at church opened up their homes for us to have lunch and to fellowship.  I sat with my aunt on the couch for 2 hours fellowshipping and listening to her testimony of how she has used her cancer as a mission field.  I remember gazing in her eyes, wanting to never forget that particular moment.  She was so real with her emotions - her expectations and plea to God to grant certain things before she departed this world.   It was the first time in all my visit to CA, that I didn't want to return to Hawaii.

She was such a blessing and encouragement to me - even before her own battle with cancer.  She was there along side with me as I dealt with my oldest daughter's health issue; she was there when I battle with my own cancer; she was there when my youngest passed away; she was there.  I will forever cherish that day, cherish that sweet fellowship and intimate conversation we had.  I thank my Lord for granting that special day for my anticipation of heaven has only grown so much more.  

It is a strange and difficult thing to explain how joy and sorrow can occupy one's heart at the same time, unless it is in the realm of the Most High. How the severe pain of losing a loved one can be overwhelmed by joy and peace that only Christ can bring. I am left with only one thought - God is still good!

This was taken in our second visit with her; we weren't able to talk much but still thankful we were able to see her again.  She had a special closeness with my daughter as you can tell in the picture.

And Then She was 6

Seems like Kaykay is taking after her parents when it comes to having month-long birthday celebrations.

First celebration took place a week before her actual birthday in California; she and her dad took a trip back to the mainland during their semester break.  Initially they were to only stay for a couple of days, however my sister asked if she and my mom could throw Kaykay a birthday party with her mainland friends.  Knowing how important it was to both my sister and mom, and with the agreement of Mike to stay longer, Kaykay celebrated with her family and friends in the mainland.

There was much food fit for a princess

And a huge princess cake

Then on her actual birthday, we make reservations at the new Disney resort here on the islands called Aulani.  They have a character breakfast buffet where guests can dine with Mickey, Minnie, etc.  We kept it a surprise and told Kaykay that we would be going to Denny's for breakfast.

Driving to "Denny's"  Kaykay was able to invite one of her friends to celebrate with her. 

Before breakfast, Kaykay and Zoe was able to meet Mickey and take pictures with him.

Inside, Minnie greeted Kaykay with a big smile

We were able to join in the fun.

Specially made to suit her allergies, the chef met with me to make sure her birthday was a special one.

One thing I commend Disney for is that they are so accommodating to children's food allergies.  The chef personally met with me and walked me thru each food item to let me know what she could and could not eat.  He went as far as created special waffles for her in the shape of Mickey's face.  She's not a pancake or waffle eater but these waffles she loved and has been asking for me to make them.

Another specially made treat for Kaykay - even the "Happy Birthday" sign was edible. 

Under the sea aquarium at Aulani

After breakfast and a little nap, we went to watch Wreck It Ralph.

Marking where to pierce

I'd like to pause here and give a little bit of a back story to her ears being pierced.  Zoey, her BFF (Best Funny Friend) had her ears pierced on her 6th birthday.  And during this time, Kaykay was going to do the same, but with much reluctance, she promised that on her 6th birthday party, she would get her ears pierced too.  And with Kaykay, she is faithful to keep her promise despite her fear.   One thing I appreciated with this place was that they pierced both her ears at the same time.

And here she is with her pink flowery earrings. 

Another year has gone by and the more I realize how blessed I am with such a daughter as she.  I am thankful to God for her compassion, kind, and obedient spirit.  Happy Birthday to our little Princess!

First Day of School

Well, this was her second - first day of school, and unlike last year, I was much more prepared - emotionally.  I can't say the same for Kk as she didn't seem so enthusiastic to get up and get ready for school.  She politely asked for a couple of more days before she went to school..What?!!  Okay...it doesn't work that way sweet heart.  Jet-lag was probably a factor in her willingness to stay home; she just arrive a couple of days prior from visiting her grandparents and aunts and uncles on the mainland.  But I think the more influential factor was my parents and sister spoiling her rotten while she was there. Who would want to go back to school after a whirlwind week of visiting Fairyland, playing at the park and shopping til one's heart was content.

So how did I get her to get up and get ready??  Sheer bribery...Oh yeah, I'm not a shame!! I coxed her by allowing her to pick out her uniform that she wanted to wear - she naturally selected the uniform dress she picked out herself from the catalog.  This is somewhat sentimental as the same time last year, because of her eczema, she couldn't wear any dress or skirts to school.  Praise God she can this year, and this is the dress she picked out..

Good Day Mate

My father has had a life dream to visit Australia and thru the blessings of my job, this year, we were able to fulfill that life dream.  The timing was perfect as we were celebrating his birthday and my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

I do need to preface as we almost didn't make the trip; I didn't realize that we needed visas to enter Australia.  I thought passports were sufficient.  But praise God for the excellent customer services of Hawaiian Airlines; a very patient customer service rep took all of our info (7 passengers to be exact) and applied for our visas on our behalf.  By the time she was done, passed thru security and rushed to our gate, they were calling our name to board.  Whew!!!  There are benefits to arriving way in advance before your flight.

After our uneventful flight, we arrived in our apartment on the 74th floor of the World Tower in the heart of Sydney.  The views were spectacular!!

Our 3bd, 2ba with full kitchen and dining room.

View from the 74th floor

Our first full day, we took a short stroll down to Chinatown where we met up with my cousin Gen and her family; they moved to Australia several years ago.

Papa, Mama and Kk in Chinatown

Reunited after 20 years!

Our kids finally meet; so adorable!

After lunch they took us to Darling Harbor; this has got to be one of my favorite places to go.  Australia is big on family, and in Darling Harbor, they constructed this elaborate playground filled with apparatuses, slides, water toys, etc.  We could have spent the whole day there.  Within this area, the "world's largest IMAX" theater is there for family entertainment.  A small nominal fee of $30 per person is required to enjoy this luxury.

These girls are brave!

Called these birds Aussie pigeons, although you can't tell from this pic, these birds were huge!

At Darling Harbor

In the afternoon, we were joined by Gen's husband Mike and he took us to his former employer to; Mike was one of the chef's at the W and treated us to an aussie tradition: high tea.

Mike, meet Mike :)

Delicious

Back Track! Special Visitors

Better late than never!! I've been wanting to blog again but it seems that life's necessary moments have overshadowed my attempts, okay, a bit of laziness did have a part :)  Our planned trip to CA this weekend was thwarted by a devious fever bug that took down my precious child and father; so I find myself playing both nurse and care taker as my husband jet-setted back to Cali, without us...in First Class...no I'm not bitter ;)

I checked the last entry of our family blog only to find the latest date to be January - and we're in July...Epic fail!! So with everyone fast asleep, I'm attempting to back track and highlight the main events these past 6 months.  

One unforgettable event was a special visit from our dear friends the Tols.

Best Friends...Best Brothers

Visiting China Man's Hat

Spending time at Pokai Bay

Teaching the girls how to paddle board

Glamour Shot!  Adorable!

The big kids having fun!

International Day Performance

On Dec 1st, Kk's class performed at International Day at their school; they performed to a disney song (sorry forgot the title).  Each child was asked to dress up in an international costume and for weeks, I tried to look for a filipino costume for her with no avail.  We ended up going with a japanese costume.  Here's a couple of pics from her performance:

Keaolani Turns 5!

Oh my, how times flies! Our little girl is 5 years old and to celebrate this special birthday, we threw her a picnic with a jump house, games, lots of food, and lots of family and friends.  An extra special treat for her was that my sister, mom, and dad flew in for the special occasion.

Birthday cakes made out of rice crispy

My sister made, not one, or two, or even three, BUT FOUR cakes.

Her special request - a jump house, a princess jump house

She invited all her knew friends from school. Adorable kids!

Duck, duck, goose!  One of the fun games her dad prepared for her.

Mummy Mommy - another fun game.

She has the best daddy in the whole world!

Cake time!