Cinco de Mayo!

Today, after a very long flight and quick layover in Dallas, I made it HOME. It is the first time I’ve been home since moving to Hawaii and it was so wonderful to see my family and so many of my friends and Nola. My fantastic Mom and fantastic Tom threw a Cinco de Mayo themed cookout/get together so I could see as many people as possible in the short amount of time that I’m home. I seriously think Tom cooked for days…he wanted everything to be authentic and it was INCREDIBLE (see pictures below). We had margaritas, guacamole, enchiladas, tacos, rice and beans. My Mom also made my Grandma’s homemade sheet-cake brownies from scratch. As if the amazing food wasn’t enough, I got to see most of my family, high school friends, family friends and college friends. I feel so very loved and so thankful that I got to see so many people in one night! Hawaii is incredible, but I miss these people! 🙂

La Tour Cafe

This week, Josh and I were in the mood for Panera…but since they don’t exist in Hawaii we searched for something similar. We ended up at La Tour Cafe and it was fantastic! I had the Eggplant Parmesan Tartine and Josh had the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. We were completely stuffed after awhile…and so happy to have found a new quick and easy place to eat!

Eggplant Parmesan Tartine Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Fierce Lioness Jeopardy

Yesterday, Tia and I played jeopardy with the Fierce Lioness Pack. The jeopardy consisted of five categories: Friends & Parent/Guardian; Passive, Aggressive, Assertive or What?; Authority; Queen of Your Body; Violence, Drugs & STDs. The girls were divided into two teams and the most points won a coupons to our snack shop. The girls really got into the game and all ages participated and answered questions. It was amazing to see how even after the team that got the points answered the questions correctly, everyone else on the other team wanted to share their answers as well…especially when it came to the tough questions about families. Tia and I definitely were close to tears more than once! They are all so inspiring…I can’t even imagine some of the stuff that they have been through at such a young age!

 

The jeopardy board.

The jeopardy board.

Some of the girls playing jeopardy.

Some of the girls playing jeopardy.

Kayaking!

Today, Becca, Ben, Josh and I went kayaking off of Kailua Beach. Josh and I did this a few months ago and had a great time and this time the weather was much nicer. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time kayaking to two different islands. We all got plenty of sun and a great workout! Definitely a great way to spend our last full day with Becca and Ben!

Teddy Bear Round-Up!

Today, Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii hosted their 16th Annual Teddy Bear Round-Up! People from around the area were asked to donate a gently used or new teddy bear or stuffed animal. We collected over 9,100 stuffed animals to be donated to shelters, CFS and other organizations across the Hawaiian islands that support families in crisis and children in need in Hawaii. It was a great turnout and I’m so thankful to be able to help out with such a wonderful organization!