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The Aloha Friday Blog Hop is more than a "Friday" hop, it's a way to share aloha and friendship to our fellow bloggers all weekend long!!  I consider this particular blog hop to be more of a weekend hop because Fridays are so hectic that a lot of people function on what we like to call "Hawaiian Time" here in Hawai'i which means they link up on Saturday or sometimes even Sunday which is just fine and dandy with me!  That's why I keep it open from Friday through Monday because I sincerely believe, the more the merrier!! 
This week we wanted to add a little something extra special to our lovely hop. It's an oh-so-easy opportunity for you lovely participants of the Aloha Friday Blog hop to get some exposure to your blogs!!  What do  you have to do to enter?  Just link up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop Below!! It's that easy!!  No extra forms or hassle, just link up!  Each week we will pick a linker to featured at random and invite you all to say ...
Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ... Hannah from Thirsty World Designs. Hannah is a postcard enthusiast who occasionally allows her cat to take over the blog (so cute and adorable!). She blogs about recipes and restaurants, art and travel stories. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:

A Post from Einstein (the cat, not the scientist!) All the Fun of the Fair

If you're not already a follower than you definitely should be! Now, let's link up and start spreading that Aloha shall we?

On this busy, busy day I decided to share a simple photo of my son Alaka'i in his Iron Man costume at our church celebration for Hallow Him (on Halloween). This simple photo took forever to edit because I didn't have a real backdrop so I masked out his and 84 other people's photo background and added a digital background. Not easy but way easier on the eyes than the mess that was originally in the background!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Wednesday. I'm utterly swamped at my "day job" but I have lots of new and exciting posts that will be going up in the next couple of days!! Lots of photos, reviews and more!!

Happy Wednesday!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLWdntYejY8vx_4m4tgpMai4CyO3CbdoAKeEgDlJJoHPvRFTJlIDO6mMuMEetMa_MVA_zhyphenhyphenZFcAXCHJ2xHSGCJOFkyN3uqG5oG4gnWSgdDnp_w48ynSCbQF_LweHVOus6UFQoQpoRWXaM/s320/Aloha+Friday+Blog+Hopsmaller.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

This week we wanted to add a little something extra special to our lovely hop. It's an oh-so-easy opportunity for you lovely participants of the Aloha Friday Blog hop to get some exposure to your blogs!!  What do  you have to do to enter?  Just link up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop Below!! It's that easy!!  No extra forms or hassle, just link up!  Each week we will pick a linker to featured at random and invite you all to say ...
Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ... Katie from Life in the Simple Lane!! Katie's blog mission is to spread her message of simplicity to the far corners of the world. If something is worth doing at all it is worth doing simply :) Want a little taste of her ideas? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing: Simple Beauty Tips for Moms on the Run - invaluable, even if you're not a mom! Timesaving Tips - clever stuff here people. If you're not already a follower than you definitely should be! Now, let's link up and start spreading that Aloha shall we?

xoxo,

Aloha,

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling utterly drained of all energy lately.  I don't know if it's just because the holidays are approaching and preparing for it is both stressful and time consuming, or if it's the fact that I've been working the equivalent of 5 jobs pretty much every single day.  Let me switch gears here and go in reverse a bit to explain a bit..

Ok so I know all you moms out there (and dads too) can empathize with me on how exhausting it is to be a parent. I found the graphic above on Pinterest and found it both funny and true.  Children have this endless supply of energy that I wish I could tap in to.  As I sit here and yawn while I drink my second cup of coffee, just thinking about the plans for the day involving my son makes me want to run to my bed and curl up and sleep.


I've found there are several levels of being tired and drained and then you reach a level of utter exhaustion where you just feel completely wiped out.  That's where I'm at right now as I type this blog post.  Exhausted.  The dictionary defines it as:

ex·haus·tion

noun /igˈzôsCHən/  exhaustions, plural A state of extreme physical or mental fatigue - he was pale with exhaustion

Can I just say that I miss having all the energy I used to have?  I'm 30 now and I can feel the energy progressively becoming less and less available.  Perhaps it's because I don't get enough rest lately but I think with age, comes further energy depletion which is why it's so important to eat healthy and exercise to try to retain as much energy as possible.

So about the 5 jobs thing...whether you're a working parent or not, you have one main job...being a parent.  Job #1....parenthood, is the hardest and most important job you'll ever have.  How you parent your child greatly affects the outcome of a human beings life and the world so you wanna make sure you do your best.  Being a single mom is my #1 job because I do it alone with my boy and I wouldn't trade him for anything.  I think it's easier now that he's older because he can clean up after himself and he can help with chores.  He's almost 11 and he's been a great help to me.

Job #2 is my "day job" in which I work as the Assistant Vice President to a corporation and though it is both stressful and time consuming, it pays my bills and my awesome bosses allow me the flexibility to still be there for my son and retazin gainful employment. The fact that I can leave the office at 2 pm to pick up my son and continue my reports and paperwork from my home office is such a blessing. The only downside to that is because I leave work at that time, I have a ton of catch up work to do at my home office which keeps me up late but it's so worth it.

Job #3 is being an aunt/babysitter to my two nieces, 2 years old and 5 years old, respectively. I pick the 5 year old up from school before I get my son and I watch all three of them until around 7 pm when my brother and his wife get off of work. I've been doing that for about a month now and boy oh boy did I forget how high maintenance a toddler is!!  They are like walking tornadoes creating messes as they go and she and her big sister are always taking each other's toys so I have to diplomatically help them resolve their issues all while cleaning up after them, helping my son and oldest niece do homework, taking them out for some fresh air, feeding them dinner and bathing them.  Man, even writing about it exhausts me!! Keep in mind all this is done while getting work calls and doing emails and sending proposals on my laptop.

Job #4 is running this wonderful website.  For quite awhile, jobs #1-3 monopolized so much of my time that I was neglecting What Jean Likes and just doing the Aloha Friday Blog Hop.  I've been working super hard and not only redesigning my page (to speed up loading time and make it look pretty) but also to provide content and share all the things I like, love and enjoy with all of you!!

Job #5 is kind of like two additional jobs in one but I'll just list it in the same category.  That's being a photographer. I spend my weekends when I'm not doing the "day job" stuff taking photos and then editing them.  Keep in mind that I primarily am a landscape photographer so I "chase the light" and drive all over the beautiful island of O'ahu to find something new and gorgeous to photograph.  I'm so lucky to live in a place with summer year round because there's always something to photograph.  I must confess that I sometimes long for cold winters or the rich reds and oranges that fall leaves bring.  So with photography comes the taking photos and the editing photos. I think though taking photos is challenging because you want to get it right in camera, the editing is much more time consuming.  I have to admit that I should be photographing my son and nieces more although when I watch them I get so caught up in everything else that photographing them slips my mind.

You know what though? I wouldn't trade the stress, multi-tasking and exhaustion for all the money or quiet time in the world.  I am so blessed and thankful for all that I do have.  It's wonderful to have the job, opportunity and family to cause my exhaustion. My life would be dreadful and dull without all those little energy suckers.  So if you wondered what I am most thankful for this Thanksgiving, it's all the blessings that God has given me in the forms of the jobs, people and tasks that leave me utterly exhausted. :)

About Andreane Fraser

Background and Vision

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<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="What Jean Likes Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdSFhyMq7Y-mHwrM4z6RCzOHiJ3vrxWXlzbrLhZfFaMyzDKFW45lALRjK4VzGFBAEKiFFlYBnHtc8HXe18Fo0Blxm0kPN32qPZrxfzM_jAAIQgbzK3jb2G6eLetbBNSzKn6FkffRbUBxA/s400/Aloha+Friday+Blog+Hop.jpg" alt="What Jean Likes Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I love this photo, it's not my own but I'm not sure exactly who took it other than it's called "Tree of Life".  Just wanted to share something lovely with all of you on this cloudy Thursday.

What Jean Likes is undergoing some website changes.  None of them drastic, but all of them necessary.  Please excuse the mess my page may appear to be from time to time in the next few days as we undergo these changes and transition.  I've simplified my page a lot to allow it to load more quickly.  Certain things like my header and sidebar are still undergoing changes.  It takes time as it's just lil' ol' me running this website on my own. :)

Are you guys looking forward to this weekend as much as I am?  I can't wait to be officially off the clock even though I unofficially have a TON of paperwork to get caught up on.  Oh the joys of being a single mother.

A few weeks ago I ventured out to two opposite ends of the island of O'ahu where I live to try my hand at photographing the starry night sky.  It wasn't as easy as taking my camera, pointing it to the sky and shooting, however.  There were a few challenges I had to work out so that I could capture the incredibly beautiful night sky.

• The first of those challenges is light pollution. Any and all lights from the moon, planes, cars, street lights, etc. can cause light pollution that makes it more difficult to see the stars as well as causes light flares in the corners of the frame where the light is closest too.  It definitely decreases the quality of the image so it's wise to find a dark, secluded place to shoot stars from.  Be warned: Dark, secluded places may often mean there is an increase of the criminal element so it's always wise to go with at least one friend because there's safety in numbers. 
• The second challenge I faced was the sand and wind.  I'm lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Hawai'i.  With that comes the warm tropical climate, aqua ocean water and white sandy beaches.  The cool breeze that blows gently over the shoreline is often welcome when you're spending the day in the hot sun and water.  When you're trying to shoot photos, it's not as welcome.  The wind blows the sand up and around where you're shooting and if you're not careful, may damage your camera or get stuck in your camera housing or lenses.  It's very important that you practice the utmost caution when shooting at locations where you're exposed to the elements because they can all cause camera wear, tear and breakage.  Getting one of those cheap plastic rain sleeves for your DSLR may be a wise decision because it will help to protect your camera and lens as you snap photos. They run relatively cheap on Amazon, click here to see the DSLR rain sleeves Amazon has available. 
• The salty sea breeze was the bane to my existence the night I was shooting these photos. I would have a perfectly clean lens one second and in a few minutes, there were specks of salty air and mist covering my lens.  It was quite tedious cleaning it over and over so I suggest getting a good lens pen or cleaning rag so that you can make sure your lens is clean so the shots you get are sharp and there's no decrease in image quality. 

I traveled to three different locations to shoot. The first was at Mokuleia Beach on O'ahu's north shore, the second was Halona Blowhole lookout in O'ahu's southeast shore and the third was between Sandy Beach and Allen Davis on O'ahu's southeast shore.  All three locations had beautiful views of stars and all three had their fair share of challenges but I managed to get a few lovely shots of the twinkling shots of the starry night sky.


Depending on where you shoot, the sky may have a range of purple, red or blue tones. I try to go in the opposite direction of the moon since it's the largest light source that causes light pollution.  If you plan on shooting somewhere that is farther east, you may want to wait until late at night or close to dawn because the moon moves towards the west as it sets.  If you're shooting somewhere closer to the west, shooting right when the sky gets dark may render you the best quality shots because the moon is still rising in the east.  Does this mean west coasters shoot in the early night and east coasters shoot closer to dawn? Not necessarily.  In fact, I live on a small island and depending on the geography where you live and where you plan to shoot, keep in mind where the moon rises and sets in relation to your location so that you can plan accordingly and get the most out of your shots.

Here are a few helpful tips:

• Use a tripod. It's a MUST have because you need to have a long exposure to capture the full beauty of the starry night sky.  Make sure it's a sturdy one so that if there is wind, it won't fall down and cause your camera to break. 
• Having a remote (I prefer the kind you plug in), may be quite helpful.  You do not need a remote, however as you can use the timer start so that after you click the shutter and let go there are a few seconds for your camera to stabilize before it takes the shot.  
• You may want to put your DSLR on mirror lock up mode (if your camera has the option to do so). It further eliminates any possible camera shake that may decrease the quality of your images. 
• Have a CF or SD card with a lot of memory. I prefer a 16gb or higher card just because these files take a lot of memory and you don't want to be out of memory when the perfect shot presents itself. 
• Try to wait for any clouds to pass before you snap your shot.  Clouds look like pink or yellow blobs that hide the beautiful starry night sky. In some cases they actually could make a cool effect like it's framing the stars, but I prefer a clear cloudless sky if possible. 
• Bring a few flashlights.  You may be thinking "ummm I thought you said light pollution ruins the image?" Yeah I said that.  The flashlights can be used to "light paint" any foreground objects/plants, rocks that may look interesting in your shot.  You click the shutter and just take the flashlight or have a friend help you and shine it on the rock or foreground interest and move it to cover any areas you want to show up in your photo.  It can make a really lovely effect if you do it right. 
• Remember the 600 rule may be helpful to you.  When you're taking photos of the starry night sky you're going to need to have a long exposure to capture the beauty of the stars.  The rule of 600 is basically that whatever focal length your lens is, divide 600 by that length and you have the maximum shutter time for your camera to capture the shot without the stars looking like they're moving and creating star trails. For example, if I'm using a 16-35mm lens at the 16mm end, you will want to take 600/16=37.5 seconds.  This means that the longest I should leave my shutter open is 37.5 seconds. 
• Depending on your DSLR and it's ISO performance you may need to tweak your settings that work best for your camera.  I have a Canon 5d Mark III that I use for these shots with my 16-35mm f/2.8 L II.  The settings that typically work best for me at 16mm are f/2.8, ISO 1600-2000 depending on the location, and a 30 second shutter speed.  I do this in manual mode but you can also use TV (shutter priority) mode or B (bulb) mode.  

This recipe is courtesy of my lovely cousin Malia from Yesterday on Tuesday.  If you haven't checked out her blog yet, she's got hundreds of DIY ideas, crafting ideas, recipes and more!! She is so amazing and a constant source of inspiration for me as a mommy.

This recipe looks so delicious and tasty and the perfect small portion for kids and adults like me who are watching how much they eat!! I am definitely going to try this recipe out!