Today I'm at work totally swamped. So much to do. So little time to get it all done.  Sigh. Thank goodness it's a Wordless Wednesday?  Are you "back to reality" yet?  My son goes back to school tomorrow and today he's with his grandma.  I'm strangely ready for him to go back to school.  Is that terrible of me?

I hope you all are having a fab Wednesday.  Gonna go link up on all the Wednesday blog hops during my lunch break.  Wanna know where I link up and party? On my sidebar I have every single blog hop button that I participate in. Check them out!! Oh and if you have a hop and want your button there, comment me and I'll come link up and add your button!!

So it's 2013 now... Can you believe it?  I seriously am having a hard time really grasping the fact that it's 2013.  To me it feels like I just graduated high school not long ago but turns out, that was thirteen years ago!!  I swear just a minute ago my son was a chubby baby in diapers and now he's eleven.  Where did the time go?

I don't know if it's just me, but it feels like as the years progress, time just flies by faster and faster. I remember my mother and even my grandma saying something similar when I was a kid.  Geesh, am I getting that old?  Growing up, time seemed to drag on and the school day took forever but now I barely get my work done and it's time to get about the rest of my day and prepare for picking up my son and cooking dinner.  Is time relative or is it really going by faster?  I read somewhere that the recent huge earthquakes like the one in Japan a couple years ago, caused the earth to slightly tilt on it's axis, shortening the day by milliseconds [interesting article about that here].  Is that why the days seem to fly by or is time just relative like everything else in life.

I could get all scientific and mention Einstein's theory of relativity but nah.... I'll skip that stuff, we all got enough of it in school.   I think all experiences in life are relative.  I laugh as I type this but I remember a funny quote from a rather cheesy movie called Deep Blue Sea where LL Cool J's character Preacher is talking to another character (Scoggins) about relativity...

Preacher: Einstein's theory of relativity. Grab hold of a hot pan, second can seem like an hour. Put your hands on a hot woman, an hour can seem like a second. It's all relative. 
Tom Scoggins: I spent four years at CalTech, and that's the best physics explanation I've ever heard. 

It's very true though.  Einstein was such a brilliant man. I have yet to find one experience in life where the general theory of relativity doesn't hold true.  If you really think about your life, didn't the painful, heartbreaking, difficult, and worrisome moments seem to take forever whereas the really enjoyable moments seemed to not last long enough?  Boy oh boy, the list of moments that dragged on seems to be longer than the moments that flew by as I reflect on it but I think I've had just about as much good in my life as I had bad.  I think most of us are this way.  It's just that the bad experiences suck so much, we reflect on them more and they take up more of our time and energy because we obsess or worry about it.

Imagine what life would be like if you spent as much time dwelling on the happy moments, the blessings, the joys as you do the struggles and the worries?  It really could change things so much in your life but man, it's hard to do!!  Sometimes I feel like an ingrate because I worry so much about the stresses and heart break, I forget how truly blessed I am.  I have had some nightmarish years that have passed and I am so happy to leave them behind.  2012 was not an easy year, it was full of heart break but in retrospect, it wasn't that bad.  I thought that New Years Eve would be a lonely and depressing day as the days before it were really hard days for me emotionally.  A friend came and surprised me and Alaka'i at the beach last night to watch the fireworks and presented me with an opportunity that I never even knew or guessed was possible.  I never thought he would ever be even the slightest bit interested in me but he loves my son (he's one of his coaches) and he was there for me through a difficult day on Sunday.  He presented me with the opportunity to be happy but to do so I had to leave the person from my past who was upsetting me so much recently in my past...easier said than done... I'm gonna blog more on this later after I have more time to really think about it and talk to both guys but yeah... decisions... now back to starting fresh.

I have an idea that I would like all of you to join me with.  It's a simple idea and probably easier said than done idea but a great one, at least I think it's great.  Look at that photo.  Look at how the cool aqua water is washing away 2012 as 2013 is now in the foreground.  Let's allow all the bad, all the negative, all the mistakes, all the embarrassments, all the shame, all the guilt, all the stress and all the agony of the 2012 and past years wash away and focus on the  year ahead and all the blessings we have in our lives right now.  Of course we will never forget the past and the bad, but let's stop dwelling on it and instead, focus on how lucky we all are to be alive and move forward.  Don't let past mistakes cripple you in the present or the future. We have to let go and move on.  I know not all of you have the same beliefs that I do but for me, it's a matter of "let go, let God".  I need to stop trying to outsmart God's plan for me and trust in Him and instead of worrying about all the bad that has past, focus on how truly blessed I am to be alive and with the ones I love.

I am truly thankful for every breath of life, for all my loved ones and for all of you. I know it sounds trite, but I really truly, to the depths of my soul, am thankful for each and every one of you who have followed this little blog of mine and I look forward to extending and growing my friendship with all of you as the year progresses.

Let's allow the bad of 2012 and all the years that have passed wash away and look forward to 2013 and all the opportunities ahead of us!! Let's make this the best year yet!!

Happy New Year my lovelies!!

Aloha,

I just wanted to wish all of you the very best in the new year.  I pray and hope for all of you to achieve all your goals and dreams or at least inch closer to them!!!   2012 was not the best year for me personally but I look forward to the year ahead and the exciting changes I have planned for my life.  I am so blessed to know you all and to be friends on this blogosphere and I look forward to growing friendships with all of you!!

Aloha,

So I am bored and up and was playing on Pinterest a lot getting some amazing inspiration for cooking, crafting and style.  I love Pinterest so much, it's such a wealth of great ideas and photos.  So many of you lovely bloggers I read create truly amazing things and pin it.  Actually, I found myself pinning a ton of items from several of the blogs I now follow as I was following everyone back from last week's Aloha Friday Blog Hop.  I wish I had the talent for creativity that you guys have.  I always get so inspired and I try a few crafts that I see and it usually ends up as a fail.

Anyhow, I decided to go to another one of my favorite sites that starts with a "P"- Polyvore- to make a board and browse around.  I haven't done a style or fashion post in what seems like forever.  Truth be told, I absolutely HATE taking photos of myself.  I think the web would be much better off without photos of me on it haha.  There's a reason I'm behind the camera taking photos!!  I miss the fashion/style aspect of posting though.  I used to run a fashion/style/beauty blog/web magazine back several years ago and then I got my current "day job" which pays my bills and provides me with financial security so I had to leave the blog/web magazine behind because I didn't have the time.  Le sigh...

So yeah... back to the board....

Lately I've been really into creamy colored dresses and shirts and when I saw the Alice + Olivia dress and decided to make a peachy inspired board.  For the record, most of the items here are things that are way overpriced and something I never could own..but still, isn't it pretty?  I could never pull off head to toe peach though but I thought all the items were so lovely I had to share.  I was going to put in a cute leather jacket to rough the look up a little and give it some edge but I decided to keep it girly and delicate.  I made a "Look For Less" option as well and to be honest, I rather like dare I say prefer some of the more affordable items!

I know quite a few lovely gals who would put this ensemble on and make it look completely effortlessly chic and cool.  I wish I had the talent or the body to pull off such a look.  I think head to toe peach would make my plus size frame look much larger than it already is though.  Time to get back to the gym! (More on that later)... You know what though?  I'm not all that stylish in person.... I often opt for comfortable tshirt and shorts for my day-to-day wear when I'm not working.  Rather boring.  I'm more of a makeup junkie than a fashion junkie although I do keep up on the trends and indulge in some cute items here and there.  My favorites lately have been Jeffrey Campbell shoes....blew a little too much of my "mad" money on a few pairs of JC shoes but I worked so hard, I wanted to reward myself.  But yeah... excuse my ramblings.

Want some effortlessly chic style inspiration?  Check out one of my favorite Hawaii style blogs, Tiff Heart Fashion.  Tiffany is so effortlessly cool and her boutiques carry some ahhh mayyyzing cute items.  She has an online shop too you can check out called Bamboo Sky {Link Here}.

So many of the blogs I follow have such amazing style though.  I think I'm going to make a list and share it one of these days because there are quite a few talented and chic ladies in my blogger feed!!

I hope you all have the loveliest of weekends and a wonderful New Years.

Aloha,

Grab our button!!

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div&gt>

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 Wednesday because I sincerely believe, the more the merrier!! 
Can you believe it's the 36th Aloha Friday Blog Hop?!  My how time flies!! 

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ...

Mama Harris blogs all about yummy recipes and her love for her slow cooker. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing: Hearty and Comforting Shepherd's Pie. Pull-Apart Sticky Buns. Sweet Beef and Broccoli. If you're not already a follower than you definitely should be! Now, let's link up and start spreading that Aloha shall we? get the InLinkz code

Am I the only one going through headaches after over eating sugary treats during Christmas?  Oh, the agony...  It hasn't seemed to affect my son Alaka'i or my nieces much... although... they were quite rowdy yesterday after all the sweets they consumed from Alaka'i's birthday and Christmas.

It's been a crazy, fun couple of days here in our home though... I didn't take many photos because I was so busy prepping for the birthday and for Christmas.  I literally stayed up 24 hours straight wrapping everything and putting together all of the bikes for the kids and a Disney car I bought my nieces to drive around in.  Perhaps that contributed to my "holiday hangover" more than anything else.  I was lucky enough to catch some sleep after the morning presents were all opened and boy oh boy did I need it!!


I miss the days where I had an endless supply of energy like my silly son and nieces do.  Up and down the run and fall and recover so quickly.  Meanwhile, merely watching them play seems exhausting to me! haha.  


Here are some photos from Alaka'i's birthday celebration at home.  He got to spend the day at Dave & Buster's with some friends playing games but we had a quiet family night at home with cake and ice cream.  What a wonderful day.  My boy is growing up before my eyes so quickly I can barely keep up!

One of my favorite blogs, Simply Heavenly Food, shared her recipe for the yummiest Stollen which is a bread that is full of fruits and other yummy ingredients.  It's utterly delicious and I thought I'd share it with all of you. 



Martha Stewart said:

Stollen's richness is similar to that of brioche, but dried fruit makes it sweeter and gives it a more interesting texture. Serve this rich holiday treat in thin slices as breakfast bread or with afternoon tea. Like fruitcake, stollen improves with age and can be made up to three weeks in advance.

Here is the recipe: .... To read the rest of this recipe, click HERE!