what rhymes with teeth?!

okay, so i was going to title this one "loose teeth sink (insert something that rhymes with teeth)", but i can't think of anything that rhymes with teeth! fleets? james suggested wreaths, but that doesn't make any sense. anyhoo, kalei has two loose teeth!!! first she starts kindergarten, then her teeth get loose, next thing you know, she'll have her driver's license and want to borrow my car! (hopefully, by then, i'll have ditched the minivan and will drive something worth noticing.) :)!

autumn splendor

it's been an odd year for fall colors, but we took a picnic to mammoth cave national park a few weeks ago to peep at the trees. the kids had fun collecting leaves of different shapes and colors. well... kalei had fun collecting leaves of different shapes and colors - koa had fun climbing on logs and shaking trees and running through the crunchy leaf piles. boys. :)

Re-Tagged

#1. I am cheap. I'm not ashamed to say it, but do not like spending money on silly things (it also may have something to do with the fact that when I open up my wallet there's no green ... thanks, Bess). I'll try to wear clothes for as long as possible before giving them over to the rag pile (I have a pair of jeans now that are threadbare in the crotch, but I'm going to get as much use out of them as I can ... the neighbors shouldn't care if I'm mowing the lawn in them right?)

#2. This kind of goes along with number one, but I don't buy any clothes. Pretty much everything I own has been given to me as a gift, or picked up by Bess (thanks to Malia for the Quicksilver apparel, to Dad for the Adidas gear, and the Bess for everything else). I can't remember the last item of clothing I bought fo my self

#3. I have been to a couple of different Bowl games: Holiday bowl (with the pride of the North Shore band), Hula Bowl with Kaulana one year (the Beach Boys were the post-game entertainment), Pro Bowls (courtesy of Jenny and Steve ... I know they were on Sunday, but since Steve Young was playing it's OK, right?), and Aloha Bowl to watch BYU. In addition, I have seen a number of college running backs that went on to make it big in the NFL ... saw Marshall Faulk when he was at San Diego State, LaDanian Tomlinson when he was at TCU, and watched Ricky Williams run all over UH as a freshman when Texas came to the islands.

#4. Along the lines of number three, I have been to a professional game in every one of the major sports. It started when Dad took me to see a Phoenix Suns exhibition game in Flagstaff against the Golden State Warriors (another NBA game was in Indianapolis to see the Pacers). I went with Steve to a Niners game (also an exhibition) at the old Candlestick to watch them play the Broncos in seats that were right up close to the top ... and can verify that all of the stories are true about the wind swirling around that ballpark. I went to a hockey game in Chicago where a fight broke out in the first 5 seconds of the game (a feud that had started in a previous game). My all time favorite however, is going to Wrigley for Bess' birthday and watching Sammy Sosa hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Marlins.

#5. I think that exercise is the cure for just about everything. At least when it concerns the workings of the human body, exercise in a proper amount can be very beneficial. With that said, it is ironic that I don't practice what I preach enough (especially when it comes down to taking a hour or so to work out or get some more done on a manuscript, lecture, or some other work-related project). I guess that's what resolutions are for.

#6. Even though I may complain from time to time, I really enjoy what I do for a living. Not many people can say that about their profession, and I am thankful to be able to do so. The teaching, the research, and the service are all part of the job description, but it makes it all worth it when you see a student have success after school. I am truely blessed to have a job I love, and to be able to go home to a family I love. I can't think of anything better (except maybe to be doing it in Hawaii...)

tagged! (updated #6)

malia tagged us to write 6 little-known things about ourselves. unfortunately, i am apparently an open book and can only think of 4 things. maybe james can fill in some more (or maybe i don't want him to......?). here goes:

1. i LOVE auctions!!! i love going to auctions and being there and bidding, even if i don't actually get what i'm bidding on. (that's auction rule #1: know your price limit!) ebay will do in a pinch, but it doesn't compare with being at an actual auction - they're so exciting!

2. i'm a cryer (crier?), and i don't like it. i still read the ensign even though i usually need the tissue box next to me, but i refuse to watch movies that i think will make me cry. the previews to "pursuit of happyness" made me cry, so i will not watch the movie.

3. i love to start projects, but finishing them is another matter. i can think of at least six projects that i have started that still need finishing. i have great ideas and intentions, but once something is started, i will lose interest and put it down for a few days, weeks, or months. i usually finish what i start.... it just takes a while.

4. i am definitely ocd about locking doors and windows. all doors must be locked at all times whether we are home or not. all windows must be locked if they are shut. if i even introduce the thought into my head that a door might be unlocked after i've already gone to bed, i will not sleep until i go and check that door... and all the others.

5. james has just reminded me of another trait: i LOVE being cold! i would so rather be cold than hot. you can always get warmer - getting cooler is another story. poor james will be huddled in the blankets and i'll be sleeping with no covers at all. could i live in hawaii? i survived arkansas, so i think i would acclimate.

6. i remembered the other one i was trying to remember! (it took a while, but it came to me.) i have to sleep facing away from james. if i am facing him, i feel like he's sucking up all my oxygen and i get a little claustrophobic. he's very handsome, and i love looking at him at any other time, just not while i'm trying to breathe and sleep at the same time.

well, i found 6 things after all! i am tagging james to see what he comes up with, and i have really enjoyed reading everyone else's answers. thanks, malia! :)

halloween

last night was trunk or treat at the church and the kids had a blast. i was bummed to get to take the kids by myself (james has an evening class on wednesdays), but glad that koa wore his school bus and kawelo was content with his stroller confinement. kalei was her usual perfect self. they were pleased with their haul and i was pleased with their behavior, so we had a candy tasting picnic when we got home. ahhhhh.....halloween.

mama's boy?

i am secretly hoping that kawelo will like me best. i understand why kalei likes james best - with her, i wasn't quite to the point of not caring if i looked like a complete goofball to get a laugh, so james was the fun one. and with koa, i was already in the role of disciplinarian, so james was again the favored parent. i will understand if kawelo chooses james. james is my favorite, why shouldn't he be theirs? but way deep down, i'm hoping at least one of my offspring will pick me.

scooter-ific!

kalei and koa had a fabulous time on their scooters today.

kawelo and james were an appreciative audience for the silliness.