🫂 Sunshine and Smiles: Cherishing the Moments with Family in Hawaii
Letter 150
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Aloha fellow learn-it-all 👋
Greetings from the Honolulu, Hawaii!
It feels lovely to be back home on Oahu from the other island Kauai. I said farewell to my parents on Saturday and went into reminiscing about the time we had together that flew by like no other.
Now, let’s dive into letter 150 from a learn-it-all. Enjoy!
❓Question to think about
What were some moments from my trip with my parents that I am grateful for?
🖊️ Writing
This here photo below is of my parents joyously walking down a path after going whale watching.
They came to four of the Hawaiian islands on their honeymoon 33 years ago and this is the first time they were back on Oahu since. I was really excited to experience newness with them on Kauai and show them my home on Oahu.
Below I’ll walk you through 25 moments:
Walking in the rain and ‘sneaking’ on a golf cart path to see the mansions on the sea cliffs
Getting a free upgrade to a 4-door Jeep Wrangler and driving with the top down like I used to in the Jeep I learned to drive in during high school
Eating my favorite dutch cheese on buttered bread for lunch that my dad brought over as a belated birthday present
No matter how many requests for a firmer pillow, the Marriott does not have any
Making grilled cheeses for dinner
Being nearly the last ones at the Lihue Costco on our first night in
Watching videos of the Finnish comedian Ismo comedic together at night while giving back and foot massages
Being serenaded on Hanalei Bay by my friend Patrick’s original music on the ukulele
The Mahi Mahi fish and Hoola Pie at Duke’s for dinner
Seeing an old chicken on its way to meeting its maker as it barely could walk across the parking lot from where it was sitting under a car
Seeing a toddler chase around in a field of wild chickens outside of the Kokee lodge where I ate some delicious curry for lunch. I have never seen more chickens in my lifetime
Snorkeling at Lehau Crater next to the forbidden Niihau Island and seeing so many rainbow fish in the coral and hearing the whales underwater. Also, having my seasickness meltaway after swimming in the ocean
Seeing a HUGE pod of 100 unique-looking Fraser dolphins breach over the water in the channel from Kauai to Niihau during the sunrise. (Yes, we woke at 4:50 AM to make the 5:30 AM boat call on vacation).
Sailing by the Napali Coast and the swell finally calming down that I no longer was seasick
My first bite of food after my seasickness passed where the mustard magically made my bland turkey and swiss sandwich taste so much more decadent
Celebrating all the frogs jumping around each night and mourning the loss of the squashed ones in the morning that were killed by cars
Hearing the egret bird parties at sundown in the jungle tree over the creek procreating and making more egrets
Getting lost on a 5-mile run right next to the airport runway
Jacuzzi talks with strangers who were chatterboxes from all over the world from Utah to Portugal
Listening to my grandma’s favorite song Panis Angelicus on the drive home from Princeville
The shaka tour car tour app is on the way to Waimea Canyon (the Grand Canyon of the Pacific). Some interesting commentary on the Hawaiian language of Pidgin and the geography of Hawaii
Enjoying the Hawaiian delicacy of shave ice (bigger than my parent’s heads) for the first time and it melting over the edge
Whale watching for spouts on the way up the Makapu’u Lighthouse Trail
Introducing my new ohana to my existing ohana like my friends Emily and Sara and my client Bronson
Watching the red-headed cardinals that we named ‘Carol Burnett’ after the famous comedian come and join us for breakfast each morning while being fed bread from our plates
📸 Photos of the Week
☕️ Rhythm, Rhyme, Repeat 📖 Recap
This past week we went over some of the fundamentals of rhythm with syllable counts for fibs and haikus alongside learning about how Shakespeare was a poet-preneur.
🌟 Quotes to inspire
“Ohana means family and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.” –Stitch
“This is my family. I found it all on my own. It’s little, and broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good.” –Stitch
I appreciate you reading this!
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Never stop learning 😁
Mahalo 🌺
Jen
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👣Footnotes
On making decisions:
On the new spotlight newsletter I launched:
On going to the gym:
On one of my favorite problems I’ve been trying to solve:
On the importance of execution:
I love the photos with your parents. Looks like you had a lovely time bonding!