I feel so "blah" lately. I'm hoping it's just hormonal stuff.
I realized today that I have many amazing online friends. I've met a good number of them in person. It's funny, but some of my best friends are long distance. I miss them so much!!!
I'm watching "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman" right now. He's in the Philippines, sampling all of their funky foods. He's a brave/insane man.
I'm still researching/finalizing plans for our Kauai trip. I'm so indecisive. I am a bit worried about all the rain the island has been experiencing. I saw the flooding and damage done by the storm last week and I heard another storm was supposed to hit them tonight. Oh well. What can you do?
I recently reconnected with the chapel coordinator from our wedding. She was in Japan for a while after our wedding, but recently returned to Oahu and is working with Best Bridal once again. She said that they would like to include some of our wedding photos on their revamped website! I'll let you all know what happens.
We bought some throw pillows to match our new couch. Need to post some photos of them later.
A sink full of dirty dishes is calling my name....
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Been playing some video games
Brian started playing Lego Indiana Jones on the PlayStation 2. I thought it was so cute and fun-looking that he encouraged me to join him. We are hooked!!! It's fun because the characters go on missions together and there's a lot of problem solving involved. I like that it's not a competitive game.
We've also been playing Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy and Brian just got Lego Batman. I hope we can try that one out tomorrow!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
New Job and New Couch!
I'm so behind. Gee, I've been saying that a lot lately. I've been putting my online life on hold. I'm just so worn out when I get home from work and would rather spend my usual online time with Brian before he leaves for the graveyard shift.
Work has been a toughie. I broke down in tears twice today...with a couple of trusted, close co-workers...not in front of any bosses or anything. I feel so overwhelmed, hopeless, confused, frustrated. I know I shouldn't take things personally, but I do. I'm a perfectionist, in a new position, suddenly the manager of a high visibility program in the shipyard. How did this happen?! I think people have unrealistic expectations about what I'm capable of doing at this point, being new and all. One day at a time. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.
I've been staying at work later than I'd like. I'm kind of upset at myself for allowing it to get to that point. I told myself I'd never put work before family. My time with Brian before he leaves for work is precious. I need to stay true to my word.
Anyway, in light of us not being able to buy a house anytime soon, we opted for some retail therapy this past Saturday and bought this new sectional sofa for our living room.
We don't have it yet. It was supposed to arrive with a shipment on October 30th and still hadn't arrived by November 1st. It should be here any day now! After 4-1/2 years of living with hand-me-downs (which served us well, btw), I can't wait to relax in our townhouse with some "real" furniture!
I was told the color is "mocha". It's kind of tan, with what I interpret as a tinge of pink. But not too pink. When it arrives, I'll get a better photo of it.
Anyway, that's it for now. Need to shower and head off to bed. I think I need to get more sleep on a more consistent basis. I think my lack of sleep is affecting my ability to cope with things.
Tomorrow is another day. I'll be hitting the polls after work. Should be an interesting evening....
Work has been a toughie. I broke down in tears twice today...with a couple of trusted, close co-workers...not in front of any bosses or anything. I feel so overwhelmed, hopeless, confused, frustrated. I know I shouldn't take things personally, but I do. I'm a perfectionist, in a new position, suddenly the manager of a high visibility program in the shipyard. How did this happen?! I think people have unrealistic expectations about what I'm capable of doing at this point, being new and all. One day at a time. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.
I've been staying at work later than I'd like. I'm kind of upset at myself for allowing it to get to that point. I told myself I'd never put work before family. My time with Brian before he leaves for work is precious. I need to stay true to my word.
Anyway, in light of us not being able to buy a house anytime soon, we opted for some retail therapy this past Saturday and bought this new sectional sofa for our living room.
We don't have it yet. It was supposed to arrive with a shipment on October 30th and still hadn't arrived by November 1st. It should be here any day now! After 4-1/2 years of living with hand-me-downs (which served us well, btw), I can't wait to relax in our townhouse with some "real" furniture!
I was told the color is "mocha". It's kind of tan, with what I interpret as a tinge of pink. But not too pink. When it arrives, I'll get a better photo of it.
Anyway, that's it for now. Need to shower and head off to bed. I think I need to get more sleep on a more consistent basis. I think my lack of sleep is affecting my ability to cope with things.
Tomorrow is another day. I'll be hitting the polls after work. Should be an interesting evening....
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
I'm so behind....
I've been in a bit of a rut lately. I've spent the last couple of weeks adjusting back to reality after having way too much food and fun in Las Vegas. My appetite was voracious upon our return. I think my stomach had expanded from stuffing myself at the buffets. I'm trying to get it to shrink back to normal. :P I still need to upload pics & video, too.
I haven't been very connected. I've fallen behind on e-mail, Knotting, and Facebook. I owe replies to so many people!!!
Right before we left for Vegas, my Dad decided to buy himself a funeral plan. Yipee! I ended up buying him an urn plot at Mililani Memorial Park. It's much cheaper than a regular-sized plot, but it's literally footsteps away from his parents. I'm happy that he'll be nearby when that time comes.
I've been having dreams about my Grandma. She appeared in a few of my dreams and it didn't seem odd. What was kind of odd was that she looked like how I remember her from maybe 10 years ago. Strange. I don't recall talking to her in my dreams. She was just kind of there.
Work has been great. Wow, never thought I'd hear myself say that. Sadly, though, my awesome boss will be going on maternity leave starting next Friday. I think I'm going to kind of be "in charge" since she's our Program Manager and I'm the only other full time person working on the program. She's shielded me from a lot of the political B.S. I feel like it's too soon for me to be thrown to the wolves. I've only been on the job for 2 months and I feel like I'm still kind of "recovering" from my last job. I still feel a bit fragile, I suppose. My boss is such a strong person with iron-clad ideals. I'm not sure I can fill her shoes. I'm not sure if anyone is expecting me to while she's gone for 3 months.
I'll leave you all with a corny tid-bit: Brian proposed to me exactly 3 years ago today. Yes, I remember the date. I don't think he does, though. :P And tomorrow is our 18-month-a-versary. :) Time sure is flying by....
That's all I've got for now. Need to start heading off to bed....
I haven't been very connected. I've fallen behind on e-mail, Knotting, and Facebook. I owe replies to so many people!!!
Right before we left for Vegas, my Dad decided to buy himself a funeral plan. Yipee! I ended up buying him an urn plot at Mililani Memorial Park. It's much cheaper than a regular-sized plot, but it's literally footsteps away from his parents. I'm happy that he'll be nearby when that time comes.
I've been having dreams about my Grandma. She appeared in a few of my dreams and it didn't seem odd. What was kind of odd was that she looked like how I remember her from maybe 10 years ago. Strange. I don't recall talking to her in my dreams. She was just kind of there.
Work has been great. Wow, never thought I'd hear myself say that. Sadly, though, my awesome boss will be going on maternity leave starting next Friday. I think I'm going to kind of be "in charge" since she's our Program Manager and I'm the only other full time person working on the program. She's shielded me from a lot of the political B.S. I feel like it's too soon for me to be thrown to the wolves. I've only been on the job for 2 months and I feel like I'm still kind of "recovering" from my last job. I still feel a bit fragile, I suppose. My boss is such a strong person with iron-clad ideals. I'm not sure I can fill her shoes. I'm not sure if anyone is expecting me to while she's gone for 3 months.
I'll leave you all with a corny tid-bit: Brian proposed to me exactly 3 years ago today. Yes, I remember the date. I don't think he does, though. :P And tomorrow is our 18-month-a-versary. :) Time sure is flying by....
That's all I've got for now. Need to start heading off to bed....
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Interesting Days
It's been over a month since my Grandma's passing. We are still coping with the loss, but things are getting better. Yesterday, I visited her grave for the first time since the burial 3 weeks ago. I think I finally have the closure I was looking for.
It's been an interesting time for reflecting on my own life. To a certain extent, I've re-evaluated my priorities, relationships, and how I spend my energy. I've found that I can no longer expend effort maintaining relationships with certain people. For some, it is clear that I place a higher value on our relationship than they do. Given the extent of time I've known these people, it's been a tough pill to swallow.
Brian and I have also been planning for our final arrangements. It's a somewhat unpleasant, morbid topic to some, but after living through planning the final arrangements for my Grandma, I see the value in taking care of these things now.
To elaborate on what I mean, my Grandma bought a funeral plan for herself back in 1996 for just over $2,000. The exact same plan today would have cost my Grandpa nearly $10,000! That's probably $10,000 more than Grandpa would have been able to fork over. Yikes. Thank God Grandma had the foresight to plan ahead.
We sat down with Bernie Matsumura, a Family Service Counselor with the Mililani Memorial Park & Mortuary, to finalize the arrangements for Grandma's burial. Bernie really educated us on the ever-rising costs of final arrangements. I could see, first-hand, how much of a blessing planning ahead had been for Mom and Grandpa.
As a result, Brian and I (and my mom, too) have purchased funeral and burial plans for ourselves. I was shocked at how reasonable the monthly payments will be. We got a discount since we are still young. I'm glad that my survivors won't be burdened with the cost and decision-making associated with planning a funeral at such an emotionally-charged time.
We have also purchased 2 plots from a private seller. We were able to get both for about the same price we'd pay for 1 today if we had bought directly from the cemetery. And come to find out, the plots are just steps away from where most of the Kikuchis are buried, 1 row above where some of our Filipino relatives are buried, and across the road from where my Grandma and Great-Grandparents are buried. I think it was a sign.
I'm trying desperately to get my dad to start thinking about his final arrangements. Although he's a veteran, he doesn't realize that his only benefit is a burial at either Punchbowl or the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery. He would still need to pay for a funeral plan for cremation, staff services, and the actual memorial service. At today's rates, the most basic funeral plan at Mililani Memorial is about $4500. I can't imagine how much that will be in the next 10-20 years.
To be quite honest, I would like my dad to be buried at Mililani with the rest of us. It will also make visiting much easier. As such, I'm thinking of convincing him to buy an urn plot, which is much small and cheaper than a full-sized plot. Bernie did some research for me yesterday and there is actually 1 urn plot available right next to his parents' gravesite. Yet another sign. The urn plot would cost my dad just $9/month.
I tried bringing up the subject of a funeral plan with him once already. He wasn't very open to the idea. He's the type that doesn't like to plan ahead. He keeps telling me there will be money in his IRA for me to pay for all this stuff when he passes. How does he know? How does he know it will be enough? I'm thinking Brian and I will have to pay some money, up front, out of our own pockets and then get reimbursed later. Most times, things like IRAs need to see the death certificate before they release funds and when they do release the funds, they are taxed. The difficult part is that Mililani's prices will be going up on September 14th so there is somewhat of a sense of urgency here. I'll keep working on him and keep you posted.
I have more things to update you all on: our upcoming trip to Las Vegas and my new point-and-shoot camera! Stay tuned....
It's been an interesting time for reflecting on my own life. To a certain extent, I've re-evaluated my priorities, relationships, and how I spend my energy. I've found that I can no longer expend effort maintaining relationships with certain people. For some, it is clear that I place a higher value on our relationship than they do. Given the extent of time I've known these people, it's been a tough pill to swallow.
Brian and I have also been planning for our final arrangements. It's a somewhat unpleasant, morbid topic to some, but after living through planning the final arrangements for my Grandma, I see the value in taking care of these things now.
To elaborate on what I mean, my Grandma bought a funeral plan for herself back in 1996 for just over $2,000. The exact same plan today would have cost my Grandpa nearly $10,000! That's probably $10,000 more than Grandpa would have been able to fork over. Yikes. Thank God Grandma had the foresight to plan ahead.
We sat down with Bernie Matsumura, a Family Service Counselor with the Mililani Memorial Park & Mortuary, to finalize the arrangements for Grandma's burial. Bernie really educated us on the ever-rising costs of final arrangements. I could see, first-hand, how much of a blessing planning ahead had been for Mom and Grandpa.
As a result, Brian and I (and my mom, too) have purchased funeral and burial plans for ourselves. I was shocked at how reasonable the monthly payments will be. We got a discount since we are still young. I'm glad that my survivors won't be burdened with the cost and decision-making associated with planning a funeral at such an emotionally-charged time.
We have also purchased 2 plots from a private seller. We were able to get both for about the same price we'd pay for 1 today if we had bought directly from the cemetery. And come to find out, the plots are just steps away from where most of the Kikuchis are buried, 1 row above where some of our Filipino relatives are buried, and across the road from where my Grandma and Great-Grandparents are buried. I think it was a sign.
I'm trying desperately to get my dad to start thinking about his final arrangements. Although he's a veteran, he doesn't realize that his only benefit is a burial at either Punchbowl or the Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery. He would still need to pay for a funeral plan for cremation, staff services, and the actual memorial service. At today's rates, the most basic funeral plan at Mililani Memorial is about $4500. I can't imagine how much that will be in the next 10-20 years.
To be quite honest, I would like my dad to be buried at Mililani with the rest of us. It will also make visiting much easier. As such, I'm thinking of convincing him to buy an urn plot, which is much small and cheaper than a full-sized plot. Bernie did some research for me yesterday and there is actually 1 urn plot available right next to his parents' gravesite. Yet another sign. The urn plot would cost my dad just $9/month.
I tried bringing up the subject of a funeral plan with him once already. He wasn't very open to the idea. He's the type that doesn't like to plan ahead. He keeps telling me there will be money in his IRA for me to pay for all this stuff when he passes. How does he know? How does he know it will be enough? I'm thinking Brian and I will have to pay some money, up front, out of our own pockets and then get reimbursed later. Most times, things like IRAs need to see the death certificate before they release funds and when they do release the funds, they are taxed. The difficult part is that Mililani's prices will be going up on September 14th so there is somewhat of a sense of urgency here. I'll keep working on him and keep you posted.
I have more things to update you all on: our upcoming trip to Las Vegas and my new point-and-shoot camera! Stay tuned....
Friday, July 25, 2008
Sad News
Grandma Ouchi suddenly and unexpectedly passed away yesterday. We are all in complete shock. Although she was diagnosed with breast cancer last July, she had successfully completed treatment and was given a clean bill of health. In fact, just last week, she had undergone some body scans to monitor her major organs. Everything was normal.
She was having dinner at home at around 6PM last night. My grandpa went outside to water the plants and when he came back in the house about 40 minutes later, he found her on the floor in the bathroom. We have no idea how long she was lying there.
My mom came home from work to find an ambulance, fire truck, and 2 police cars in front of the house. When grandma got to the ER, they worked on her for quite some time, but could not revive her. Grandpa described what happened at the house. I gather that she had already flat-lined in the bathroom. They think her heart just failed.
Grandma's 78th birthday is on Monday. They were all supposed to come over to my house tomorrow night for a birthday BBQ.
This is just one of those things. There really wasn't anything anyone could have done. Grandpa is not doing so well. I sense a lot of guilt in him. Plus, they've been married over 50 years. I can't imagine how he must feel.
The difficult part is that Grandma took care of all of the household financials. Grandpa and my mom need to figure out all that stuff...what bills they owed, what kind of accounts they have, etc.
I'm supposed to go over to the house today and help sort through stuff. I really don't want to. I'd like to just stay home and stay in bed. I have a headache and stuffy nose from all the crying. Brian had to go to work today. I wish he could have stayed home with me. I'll keep you all updated....
Some photos from our wedding:
She was having dinner at home at around 6PM last night. My grandpa went outside to water the plants and when he came back in the house about 40 minutes later, he found her on the floor in the bathroom. We have no idea how long she was lying there.
My mom came home from work to find an ambulance, fire truck, and 2 police cars in front of the house. When grandma got to the ER, they worked on her for quite some time, but could not revive her. Grandpa described what happened at the house. I gather that she had already flat-lined in the bathroom. They think her heart just failed.
Grandma's 78th birthday is on Monday. They were all supposed to come over to my house tomorrow night for a birthday BBQ.
This is just one of those things. There really wasn't anything anyone could have done. Grandpa is not doing so well. I sense a lot of guilt in him. Plus, they've been married over 50 years. I can't imagine how he must feel.
The difficult part is that Grandma took care of all of the household financials. Grandpa and my mom need to figure out all that stuff...what bills they owed, what kind of accounts they have, etc.
I'm supposed to go over to the house today and help sort through stuff. I really don't want to. I'd like to just stay home and stay in bed. I have a headache and stuffy nose from all the crying. Brian had to go to work today. I wish he could have stayed home with me. I'll keep you all updated....
Some photos from our wedding:
Monday, July 21, 2008
What's Wrong with this Picture?
No joke, this photo had to be pulled from The Honolulu Advertiser website after people got a bit rowdy with their reader comments. It's a photo of people making sandwiches. Do you see what they got all excited about (no pun intended)?
Okay, okay...it's a knife handle! Such a bad angle....
Handmade by Nicole | Dry Embossed Greeting Cards
I've finally uploaded more of my cards to a "secret" blog. I plan to keep adding designs as I make them. Click on the banner to see the site!
My buddy, and future attorney, Dior, suggested that I write to the company that makes the stencils I use. They explicitly state on their website that those who wish to use their stencils to make products for sale must obtain their written permission to do so.
I haven't "sold" anything yet. I make the cards as gifts and for my own personal use. But, you never know what may happen so I've been meaning to write to the company. I'll keep you all posted.
My buddy, and future attorney, Dior, suggested that I write to the company that makes the stencils I use. They explicitly state on their website that those who wish to use their stencils to make products for sale must obtain their written permission to do so.
I haven't "sold" anything yet. I make the cards as gifts and for my own personal use. But, you never know what may happen so I've been meaning to write to the company. I'll keep you all posted.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Wedding Photos
Here are some photos I took:
Local Hawaiian musician, Gaylord Glushenko, singing beautiful songs of love
The lovely bride, Wendy
The groom, Bobby, and his 2 sons approach
The ceremony
The Newlyweds with Diamond Head in the distance
Reception at The Willows
Jam session with Gaylord and Mike Barquez, another local Hawaiian musician
The gang. Brian's eyes are closed. :P
You can see more of the photos I took here.
Local Hawaiian musician, Gaylord Glushenko, singing beautiful songs of love
The lovely bride, Wendy
The groom, Bobby, and his 2 sons approach
The ceremony
The Newlyweds with Diamond Head in the distance
Reception at The Willows
Jam session with Gaylord and Mike Barquez, another local Hawaiian musician
The gang. Brian's eyes are closed. :PYou can see more of the photos I took here.
Magic Island Wedding
We had an awesome weekend. It began on Saturday morning by attending an intimate, impromptu wedding of which we had less than 24 hours notice. As nothing was really planned, I ended up being the wedding photographer and Brian was the videographer. Geez, talk about pressure!!!
The wedding was no-frills, but very moving. We met some really wonderful, down-to-earth, sincere people today. Brian and I left the wedding feeling very refreshed, blessed and uplifted. Here are some shots of the gorgeous scenery that day. I'll post some wedding photos in another post.
The wedding was no-frills, but very moving. We met some really wonderful, down-to-earth, sincere people today. Brian and I left the wedding feeling very refreshed, blessed and uplifted. Here are some shots of the gorgeous scenery that day. I'll post some wedding photos in another post.
I'm back!
Sorry it's been such a long time! Nearly 1 month...Yikes! Yes, we are alive and well. Things have been very busy. Thank you Kathy for giving me a little nudge. ;)
I have a new job!!!!!!!!! I start Monday. Much sunnier skies lie ahead. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes. It's still in the shipyard, just a different department.
I have some photos to share from the past few weekends. I'll blog about them separately....
I have so much to catch up on, but I'll blog about recent stuff first and then try to catch up on old stuff as I'm able to. Thanks for being so patient!
I have a new job!!!!!!!!! I start Monday. Much sunnier skies lie ahead. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes. It's still in the shipyard, just a different department.
I have some photos to share from the past few weekends. I'll blog about them separately....
I have so much to catch up on, but I'll blog about recent stuff first and then try to catch up on old stuff as I'm able to. Thanks for being so patient!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Big, Well-Balanced Breakfast Aids Weight Loss
An interesting article from the Washington Post. I didn't think a big, carb-heavy breakfast was scale-friendly.... I don't usually eat breakfast and if I do, it's normally just a little packet of instant oatmeal. I get up at 5AM and start work at 6:30AM. There's no time to eat before I leave for work. Looks like I should starting taking a more substantial breakfast to work with me.
Big, Well-Balanced Breakfast Aids Weight Loss
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
Thursday, June 19, 2008; 12:00 AM
THURSDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Starting your day with a large meal packed with both carbohydrates and lean protein, and even a small piece of chocolate, can help lessen cravings and hunger the rest of the day, which can lead to significant weight loss, new research suggests.
Presented at this week's Endocrine Society annual meeting, in San Francisco, the new research found that sedentary, obese women lost almost five times as much weight on the "big breakfast" diet as did women following a traditional, restrictive low-carbohydrate diet.
"We treat obese people by telling them to eat less and exercise more, but that does not take into account feelings of carb cravings and hunger. We have to change our approach and find a diet that can control cravings and hunger," said the study's lead author, Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, a clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and an endocrinologist at the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas in Venezuela.
Jakubowicz explained that when you wake in the morning, your body is primed to look for food. Your metabolism is revved up, and levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their highest. Your brain needs energy right away, and if you don't eat or you eat too little, the brain needs to find another fuel source. To do this, it activates an emergency system that pulls energy from muscle, destroying muscle tissue in the process. Then when you eat later, the body and brain are still in high-alert mode, so the body saves energy from the food as fat, she said.
Compounding the problem, your levels of the brain chemical serotonin are highest in the morning, which means your craving levels are at the lowest when you first wake up, and you may not feel much like eating, Jakubowicz said. But, as the day wears on, serotonin levels dip, and you get cravings for chocolate or cookies, and the like. If you eat these foods, your serotonin levels rise, and your body begins to associate good feelings with them, creating an addictive cycle, she said.
To combat both the addiction cycle and the hunger that inevitably seems to come with calorie reduction, Jakubowicz and her colleagues designed the "big breakfast" diet. In this eating plan, your breakfast accounts for roughly half of your daily calories, and breakfast includes milk, 3 ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and one ounce of milk chocolate or candy.
The high protein, carbohydrate mix gives the body the initial energy boost it needs in the morning. Throughout the rest of the day, the meals are made up of protein and complex carbohydrates, like vegetables. Because protein is digested slowly, Jakubowicz said, you won't feel hungry.
And, she said, by having a small piece of chocolate or candy when serotonin levels are high, it won't taste as good, and the brain won't feel the same serotonin boost, which will eventually help cut down on cravings.
In the study of 94 obese, sedentary women with metabolic syndrome, half were told to eat the big breakfast diet containing about 1,240 calories, while the other half ate a 1,085 calorie high-protein, low carbohydrate diet for eight months.
At the end of the eight months, those on the more restrictive low-carb diet lost an average of almost 9 pounds. But those on the big breakfast diet lost nearly40pounds. That translated to an average body mass loss of 4.5 percent for those on the low-carb diet and a 21.3 percent average loss for those on the big breakfast plan.
Additionally, those on the big breakfast plan reported feeling less hungry and had fewer carbohydrate cravings.
Nutritionist Geri Brewster, a wellness consultant at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y., said she already recommends a large, well-balanced breakfast to all of her clients, because it helps to keep blood sugar levels stable.
She said if you eat a traditional breakfast, something like cereal or a doughnut, your blood sugar and insulin levels spike. Once that blood sugar is used up, you'll still have excess insulin circulating, which makes you hungry and makes you crave carbohydrates.
A second study presented at the meeting reinforced the idea that biological changes occur when you carry excess weight, Brewster said. This study found that women who are overweight don't experience a drop in leptin levels after exercise like lean women do.
Leptin is a hormone that plays a role in appetite regulation and metabolism. Brewster said she wasn't surprised by these findings, because once the body is overweight, it tries to maintain that size. "Fat cells become mini-endocrine systems themselves to maintain obesity," she said, and keeping leptin levels elevated is likely one way the body does that.
More information
Learn more about weight loss from the U.S. National Women's Health Information Center.
SOURCES: Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D., clinical professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, and endocrinologist, Hospital de Clinicas Caracas, Venezuela; Geri Brewster, R.D., M.P.H., nutritionist and wellness consultant, Northern Westchester Hospital Center, Mount Kisco, N.Y.; June 17, 2008, presentations, The Endocrine Society annual meeting, San Francisco
Big, Well-Balanced Breakfast Aids Weight Loss
By Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter
Thursday, June 19, 2008; 12:00 AM
THURSDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) -- Starting your day with a large meal packed with both carbohydrates and lean protein, and even a small piece of chocolate, can help lessen cravings and hunger the rest of the day, which can lead to significant weight loss, new research suggests.
Presented at this week's Endocrine Society annual meeting, in San Francisco, the new research found that sedentary, obese women lost almost five times as much weight on the "big breakfast" diet as did women following a traditional, restrictive low-carbohydrate diet.
"We treat obese people by telling them to eat less and exercise more, but that does not take into account feelings of carb cravings and hunger. We have to change our approach and find a diet that can control cravings and hunger," said the study's lead author, Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, a clinical professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and an endocrinologist at the Hospital de Clinicas Caracas in Venezuela.
Jakubowicz explained that when you wake in the morning, your body is primed to look for food. Your metabolism is revved up, and levels of cortisol and adrenaline are at their highest. Your brain needs energy right away, and if you don't eat or you eat too little, the brain needs to find another fuel source. To do this, it activates an emergency system that pulls energy from muscle, destroying muscle tissue in the process. Then when you eat later, the body and brain are still in high-alert mode, so the body saves energy from the food as fat, she said.
Compounding the problem, your levels of the brain chemical serotonin are highest in the morning, which means your craving levels are at the lowest when you first wake up, and you may not feel much like eating, Jakubowicz said. But, as the day wears on, serotonin levels dip, and you get cravings for chocolate or cookies, and the like. If you eat these foods, your serotonin levels rise, and your body begins to associate good feelings with them, creating an addictive cycle, she said.
To combat both the addiction cycle and the hunger that inevitably seems to come with calorie reduction, Jakubowicz and her colleagues designed the "big breakfast" diet. In this eating plan, your breakfast accounts for roughly half of your daily calories, and breakfast includes milk, 3 ounces of lean meat, two slices of cheese, two whole grain servings, one fat serving and one ounce of milk chocolate or candy.
The high protein, carbohydrate mix gives the body the initial energy boost it needs in the morning. Throughout the rest of the day, the meals are made up of protein and complex carbohydrates, like vegetables. Because protein is digested slowly, Jakubowicz said, you won't feel hungry.
And, she said, by having a small piece of chocolate or candy when serotonin levels are high, it won't taste as good, and the brain won't feel the same serotonin boost, which will eventually help cut down on cravings.
In the study of 94 obese, sedentary women with metabolic syndrome, half were told to eat the big breakfast diet containing about 1,240 calories, while the other half ate a 1,085 calorie high-protein, low carbohydrate diet for eight months.
At the end of the eight months, those on the more restrictive low-carb diet lost an average of almost 9 pounds. But those on the big breakfast diet lost nearly40pounds. That translated to an average body mass loss of 4.5 percent for those on the low-carb diet and a 21.3 percent average loss for those on the big breakfast plan.
Additionally, those on the big breakfast plan reported feeling less hungry and had fewer carbohydrate cravings.
Nutritionist Geri Brewster, a wellness consultant at Northern Westchester Hospital Center in Mount Kisco, N.Y., said she already recommends a large, well-balanced breakfast to all of her clients, because it helps to keep blood sugar levels stable.
She said if you eat a traditional breakfast, something like cereal or a doughnut, your blood sugar and insulin levels spike. Once that blood sugar is used up, you'll still have excess insulin circulating, which makes you hungry and makes you crave carbohydrates.
A second study presented at the meeting reinforced the idea that biological changes occur when you carry excess weight, Brewster said. This study found that women who are overweight don't experience a drop in leptin levels after exercise like lean women do.
Leptin is a hormone that plays a role in appetite regulation and metabolism. Brewster said she wasn't surprised by these findings, because once the body is overweight, it tries to maintain that size. "Fat cells become mini-endocrine systems themselves to maintain obesity," she said, and keeping leptin levels elevated is likely one way the body does that.
More information
Learn more about weight loss from the U.S. National Women's Health Information Center.
SOURCES: Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D., clinical professor, Virginia Commonwealth University, and endocrinologist, Hospital de Clinicas Caracas, Venezuela; Geri Brewster, R.D., M.P.H., nutritionist and wellness consultant, Northern Westchester Hospital Center, Mount Kisco, N.Y.; June 17, 2008, presentations, The Endocrine Society annual meeting, San Francisco
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Ruffles Potato Chips & Ketchup...
...are delicious together!!! Don't knock it 'til you try it. It tastes just like french fries!
I need a vacation...
...and during that vacation, all I'd do is sleep. I'm so tired and haven't been sleeping very well. I've been averaging about 4 hours of sleep per night. It's not good. I'm sure sleep deprivation must be shortening my life span. :P My older brother also has trouble sleeping sometimes. I wonder if it's genetic?
Thursday, June 5, 2008
More Ghetto Dinners....
Last night, I had some frozen Stouffer's Meatloaf and a hot dog bun. The meatloaf was delish, especially since I made sure to slather on some Del Monte ketchup. Dior, I'm glad I opted for the 1 hour in the oven versus 18 minutes in the microwave.
I'm trying to cut back on the white rice. I'm a starch fiend and white rice with Kikkoman shoyu (a.k.a. "soy sauce") on it is like crack around here. So, instead of rice, I ended up with the hot dog bun. Is that any better? Hmm.... Anywho, since I didn't eat rice, I had a little more meatloaf than usual. Was it a wash? Maybe.
Tonight, I'm craving me some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. If I wasn't trying to stay away from the rice, I'd probably have a bowl of rice with a can of Vienna Sausage, an island staple.
I'm trying to cut back on the white rice. I'm a starch fiend and white rice with Kikkoman shoyu (a.k.a. "soy sauce") on it is like crack around here. So, instead of rice, I ended up with the hot dog bun. Is that any better? Hmm.... Anywho, since I didn't eat rice, I had a little more meatloaf than usual. Was it a wash? Maybe.
Tonight, I'm craving me some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. If I wasn't trying to stay away from the rice, I'd probably have a bowl of rice with a can of Vienna Sausage, an island staple.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Son of a Bee-otch!
So I'm sitting at my desk today, happily typing an e-mail, when I saw something moving in the corner of my eye. I thought it might be a fly. Nope. It was a honeybee! I work in an air conditioned building so I wasn't expecting to see that! The bee hit my computer screen, ricocheted off towards ME, flew away, only to return to my desk a few minutes later! Very weird. I've never been stung before (knock on wood), so I'm not even sure if I'd be allergic to a bee sting.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
New License Plates
Yay! I got the license plates for my new car today! Not bad, they arrived in just 2 weeks. I was wondering what my number would be (silly, but this is my 1st new car so I was all giddy about it). I knew we were in the "P"s, so I was definitely hoping it wouldn't be something like "PRV" or "PUS"...thankfully, it turned out to be neither.
Ghetto Dinner & Ketchup
Brian unexpectedly had to work last night so I just couldn't get motivated to cook a decent dinner. So, what did I end up eating? I found a 1/2 empty bag of tater tots (leftover from sometime last year, I believe) and had a craving for creamed corn. So, yep, dinner consisted of a tray of tater tots, ketchup, and a can of creamed corn.
On another note, ketchup is my absolute most favorite condiment. I joke to Brian that I could probably cut out a lot of calories if he just let me eat ketchup right out of the bottle--forget the french fries. They are merely a vehicle for me to eat ketchup. Disgusting, huh? What can I say. :) Oh, and for economic reasons, I only buy Del Monte, but I also like Hunt's. I refuse to buy Heinz for political reasons. :P
On another note, ketchup is my absolute most favorite condiment. I joke to Brian that I could probably cut out a lot of calories if he just let me eat ketchup right out of the bottle--forget the french fries. They are merely a vehicle for me to eat ketchup. Disgusting, huh? What can I say. :) Oh, and for economic reasons, I only buy Del Monte, but I also like Hunt's. I refuse to buy Heinz for political reasons. :P
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
In Memory of Grandma Nakanishi
We just got back from the hospital a little while ago. Brian's Grandma, Chieko (Furubayashi) Nakanishi passed away at 7PM tonight. Although this is a sad time, the mood at the hospital was quite light-hearted. I think we all knew Grandma was in pain and it was just her time. She was 94 years old! She's in a much better place and looked so peaceful. Here are some photos of her from our wedding, which I'm so thankful she was able to attend.
Oh yeah, and I changed the color of the blog background this afternoon. While dark blue is my favorite color, it was a bit too melancholy and was totally bringing me down today. So, it's a little brighter now. :)
Oh yeah, and I changed the color of the blog background this afternoon. While dark blue is my favorite color, it was a bit too melancholy and was totally bringing me down today. So, it's a little brighter now. :)
My New Favorite Blog
Here's my new fave blog that I plan to check daily: "Dispatches from the Island"
It's by Jorge Garcia a.k.a. Hurley "Hugo" Reyes from LOST. It's cool to read about his life with some insight into island life, in particular.
I wish I had random, yet cool, things to blog about everyday. My life is, seemingly, mundane. Either that, or...I can't believe I'm going to say this...I need to get me a nifty little point-and-shoot to make picture-taking & photo processing much quicker. I think I see some random interesting things from time-to-time, but I don't have the Rebel with me or the situation wouldn't warrant me bringing it out.
It's by Jorge Garcia a.k.a. Hurley "Hugo" Reyes from LOST. It's cool to read about his life with some insight into island life, in particular.
I wish I had random, yet cool, things to blog about everyday. My life is, seemingly, mundane. Either that, or...I can't believe I'm going to say this...I need to get me a nifty little point-and-shoot to make picture-taking & photo processing much quicker. I think I see some random interesting things from time-to-time, but I don't have the Rebel with me or the situation wouldn't warrant me bringing it out.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Happy Anniversary, Keith & Dior!!!
My very great friends, Dior and Keith, celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary on Sunday, May 25th! I'm so happy for both of you!!!! I'm so sorry, but I meant to send you two a card and a little something from Brian and me, but with all that was going on last week, I never got around to it. I hope the day was a great celebration of your life and love together. :)
Updates Galore
It's been a crazy few weeks and I apologize for allowing communication with many of you to lapse.
Benny had it pretty rough for about 5 weeks. He had corrective surgery on every toe on his 2 front toes to fix a botched declaw procedure he had 8 years ago. Just as he was recovering from that, I noticed a tiny little bump on his neck, which soon grew and became purple. After the vet removed it (requiring him to undergo anesthesia 2 times in 2 weeks), she sent it for a biopsy. It was malignant, but we caught it early enough such that it probably didn't metastasize. The prognosis is good. We spent about $850 on that kitty in just a few weeks. Oh well.
Tuesday, May 20
Just as things were beginning to calm down, Brian's grandma ended up in the hospital this past Tuesday with a bedsore, blood clot, and infection, which will likely spread to the rest of her body, causing her to become septic. She's too old and frail for surgery and other treatments. The doctors have given her 1 week. Yes, to live....
Update: We saw Grandma on Tuesay, at which time the doctor told our family that she had 1 day to 1 week to live. She was still holding on strong when we saw her this past Saturday. Today (Monday) we got a call from my sister-in-law, saying the doctor told the family she would pass today. We rushed over to the hospital and stayed for about 3 hours. She was still holding on when we left at 6PM. She will likely pass tomorrow. The infection has become worse, spreading to her kidneys. She isn't on life support or anything...she had a steady morphine drip for the pain. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers....
Wednesday & Thursday, May 21 &22
Long story short, I ended up buying a 2008 VW Rabbit on Wednesday. Little bro works for a VW dealership and got me all the hook-ups. My trusty, rusty (literally) ol' 2001 Corolla was at that point--run it into the ground or trade it in while it's still worth something decent. It all happened so fast...not my usual M.O. of reasearching, analyzing, thinking it over, etc. But, I think we made the right decision and I haven't had "Buyer's Remorse" yet.
Friday, May 23
Friay, all was going well until about 2PM. My mom called me from work and asked me to pick her up. She was suddenly hit with severe dizziness and nausea. She has high blood pressure so I was thinking heart attack or stroke. Steven and I got her to the ER. Turns out it's vertigo and they're not sure what the onset was. She just needs to rest and has some anti-nausea and vertigo meds.
Saturday, May 24
We had to go back to the VW dealership for a couple more signatures and for them to do a little reprogramming for my VW. The DRL (daytime running lights) weren't working. After we were done a VW, we had to go to Waialua High & Intermideiate School to help my father-in-law out with some computer stuff for this classroom. As Brian helped out Dad, I shot some photos around the campus. I'll post a few later on. We took the Rabbit out there and I must say that it handled the drive quite nicely. I'm also pleased to report that I did all the driving on Saturday. I can't believe I made it to and from Waialua in one piece. :P Of course, Brian was with me to make sure I was safe. :)
Sunday, May 25
We bummed around on Sunday. We were super tired, probably from all the excitement from the week. We caught up on all of our DVR'd Conan O'Brien shows.
Benny had it pretty rough for about 5 weeks. He had corrective surgery on every toe on his 2 front toes to fix a botched declaw procedure he had 8 years ago. Just as he was recovering from that, I noticed a tiny little bump on his neck, which soon grew and became purple. After the vet removed it (requiring him to undergo anesthesia 2 times in 2 weeks), she sent it for a biopsy. It was malignant, but we caught it early enough such that it probably didn't metastasize. The prognosis is good. We spent about $850 on that kitty in just a few weeks. Oh well.
Tuesday, May 20
Just as things were beginning to calm down, Brian's grandma ended up in the hospital this past Tuesday with a bedsore, blood clot, and infection, which will likely spread to the rest of her body, causing her to become septic. She's too old and frail for surgery and other treatments. The doctors have given her 1 week. Yes, to live....
Update: We saw Grandma on Tuesay, at which time the doctor told our family that she had 1 day to 1 week to live. She was still holding on strong when we saw her this past Saturday. Today (Monday) we got a call from my sister-in-law, saying the doctor told the family she would pass today. We rushed over to the hospital and stayed for about 3 hours. She was still holding on when we left at 6PM. She will likely pass tomorrow. The infection has become worse, spreading to her kidneys. She isn't on life support or anything...she had a steady morphine drip for the pain. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers....
Wednesday & Thursday, May 21 &22
Long story short, I ended up buying a 2008 VW Rabbit on Wednesday. Little bro works for a VW dealership and got me all the hook-ups. My trusty, rusty (literally) ol' 2001 Corolla was at that point--run it into the ground or trade it in while it's still worth something decent. It all happened so fast...not my usual M.O. of reasearching, analyzing, thinking it over, etc. But, I think we made the right decision and I haven't had "Buyer's Remorse" yet.
Friday, May 23
Friay, all was going well until about 2PM. My mom called me from work and asked me to pick her up. She was suddenly hit with severe dizziness and nausea. She has high blood pressure so I was thinking heart attack or stroke. Steven and I got her to the ER. Turns out it's vertigo and they're not sure what the onset was. She just needs to rest and has some anti-nausea and vertigo meds.
Saturday, May 24
We had to go back to the VW dealership for a couple more signatures and for them to do a little reprogramming for my VW. The DRL (daytime running lights) weren't working. After we were done a VW, we had to go to Waialua High & Intermideiate School to help my father-in-law out with some computer stuff for this classroom. As Brian helped out Dad, I shot some photos around the campus. I'll post a few later on. We took the Rabbit out there and I must say that it handled the drive quite nicely. I'm also pleased to report that I did all the driving on Saturday. I can't believe I made it to and from Waialua in one piece. :P Of course, Brian was with me to make sure I was safe. :)
Sunday, May 25
We bummed around on Sunday. We were super tired, probably from all the excitement from the week. We caught up on all of our DVR'd Conan O'Brien shows.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Benny: Biopsy Results
The vet called yesterday afternoon. It was a blur, which is why I hate discussing important things over the phone. It always takes a while to process the info and I've already hung up by the time the real questions start to form.
Basically, she said the growth was a "skin cancer with low grade malignancy" and that the amount of skin they excised is "likely curative". She said Benny may develop more growths since he's white. She didn't sound too concerned and didn't offer any other next steps.
Benny has another appointment this Thursday (his 5th visit in 6 weeks) to have his sutures removed (he's got a bald patch on his neck with an incision about 1" long). I'm developing a list of questions for her:
- Can she tell if the cancer has spread to other parts of his body besides just the skin?
- Is there anything we can do to prevent the spread?
- Are there any signs to watch out for?
- Should we try to keep them out of the sun (they're indoors, but they love to sit on the window sill)?
- Would tinted windows help? We thought about tinting our windows when we bought our townhouse 2 years ago, but never did it due to cost and being lazy. :P We were quoted $870 to do a tint/security film for all of our windows 2 years ago. This may be the prime time to do it.
Anyway, just thought I'd give an update to all who may be wondering. It's definitely not the news I wanted to hear (i.e. "cancer" and "malignant"), but it could have been a lot worse. Benny and I thank you all for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Basically, she said the growth was a "skin cancer with low grade malignancy" and that the amount of skin they excised is "likely curative". She said Benny may develop more growths since he's white. She didn't sound too concerned and didn't offer any other next steps.
Benny has another appointment this Thursday (his 5th visit in 6 weeks) to have his sutures removed (he's got a bald patch on his neck with an incision about 1" long). I'm developing a list of questions for her:
- Can she tell if the cancer has spread to other parts of his body besides just the skin?
- Is there anything we can do to prevent the spread?
- Are there any signs to watch out for?
- Should we try to keep them out of the sun (they're indoors, but they love to sit on the window sill)?
- Would tinted windows help? We thought about tinting our windows when we bought our townhouse 2 years ago, but never did it due to cost and being lazy. :P We were quoted $870 to do a tint/security film for all of our windows 2 years ago. This may be the prime time to do it.
Anyway, just thought I'd give an update to all who may be wondering. It's definitely not the news I wanted to hear (i.e. "cancer" and "malignant"), but it could have been a lot worse. Benny and I thank you all for all of your thoughts and prayers.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Check out Dirty Thunder!!!
We went to another Dirty Thunder concert last night. It was awesome and we had a great time. They're playing Don Ho's @ Aloha Tower Marketplace next Saturday. Come out if you can. :)
Monday, May 5, 2008
Benny: Surgery Round 2
Benny ended up back in surgery today. :( Here's what happened....
1-1/2 weeks ago, Benny went back to the vet for his declaw surgery follow-up visit. He was finally given the all clear and rejoined society on April 25th. He was so happy to be out of our bedroom. He was getting cabin fever and confining a cat in our tiny bedroom was beginning to take its toll on us, as well.
During his follow-up, I asked the vet to take a look at a tiny growth I noticed on his neck. She said it didn't look like anything to be concerned about, but to bring him back if it got bigger. Okay, so I should also mention that she poked it with a small needle while we were there, thinking it may have been a whitehead that she could take care of it on the spot. Well, after she poked it, nothing came out. She put some antibiotic ointment on it and we were on our merry way. I'm now wondering if we'd be here today if she had just left it alone....
Well, over the course of 1-1/2 weeks, I would say it doubled in size and this past Friday, I noticed it was purple and crusty. The vet couldn't see Benny again until today. Brian took Benny in this morning and the vet decided to keep Benny for the day and perform surgery to remove the growth. Poor Benny had to undergo anesthesia for the 2nd time in just over 2 weeks!
I feel terrible because Benny doesn't have a clue what's going on or why he keeps having to go under the knife. :( He also has a couple of toes that are still trying to heal. The vet thinks he's over-grooming them and not allowing them to fully heal. Luckily, she sent him home with antibiotics, which should help the rest of his toes and his latest incision heal.
Benny is back home now, but I'm nervously awaiting the biopsy results. In 72 hours, we should know whether the growth is benign or the "other" kind...I can't bring myself to even mention that "other" kind. :( The vet said she wouldn't normally be too concerned, but because Benny is an older cat (8 years old) and because he's white (to quote Super Knottie & veterinarian mrspresley, "white cats have a higher incidence of squamous cell carcinomas...") she really wants to be sure everything is normal.
Lol, you should have seen my reaction when I was told how much today's surgery cost. To sum it up, we've spent about $850 on Benny's surgeries in the past 2 weeks. Thank God for the economic stimulus act and for our tax refunds this year!
I'll keep you all posted on the biopsy results. It's gonna be a long 3 days....
1-1/2 weeks ago, Benny went back to the vet for his declaw surgery follow-up visit. He was finally given the all clear and rejoined society on April 25th. He was so happy to be out of our bedroom. He was getting cabin fever and confining a cat in our tiny bedroom was beginning to take its toll on us, as well.
During his follow-up, I asked the vet to take a look at a tiny growth I noticed on his neck. She said it didn't look like anything to be concerned about, but to bring him back if it got bigger. Okay, so I should also mention that she poked it with a small needle while we were there, thinking it may have been a whitehead that she could take care of it on the spot. Well, after she poked it, nothing came out. She put some antibiotic ointment on it and we were on our merry way. I'm now wondering if we'd be here today if she had just left it alone....
Well, over the course of 1-1/2 weeks, I would say it doubled in size and this past Friday, I noticed it was purple and crusty. The vet couldn't see Benny again until today. Brian took Benny in this morning and the vet decided to keep Benny for the day and perform surgery to remove the growth. Poor Benny had to undergo anesthesia for the 2nd time in just over 2 weeks!
I feel terrible because Benny doesn't have a clue what's going on or why he keeps having to go under the knife. :( He also has a couple of toes that are still trying to heal. The vet thinks he's over-grooming them and not allowing them to fully heal. Luckily, she sent him home with antibiotics, which should help the rest of his toes and his latest incision heal.
Benny is back home now, but I'm nervously awaiting the biopsy results. In 72 hours, we should know whether the growth is benign or the "other" kind...I can't bring myself to even mention that "other" kind. :( The vet said she wouldn't normally be too concerned, but because Benny is an older cat (8 years old) and because he's white (to quote Super Knottie & veterinarian mrspresley, "white cats have a higher incidence of squamous cell carcinomas...") she really wants to be sure everything is normal.
Lol, you should have seen my reaction when I was told how much today's surgery cost. To sum it up, we've spent about $850 on Benny's surgeries in the past 2 weeks. Thank God for the economic stimulus act and for our tax refunds this year!
I'll keep you all posted on the biopsy results. It's gonna be a long 3 days....
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Weekend Update!
Gosh, I still need to finish my Ihilani Recap! I promise I'll get on that soon....
Friday, April 11
(Warning: Some of this may be TMI and somewhat of a buzzkill....)
I can't believe it, but I've found some fellow eczema-sufferers on The Knot! I don't know any other such people in "real" life, but I managed to meet TWO of them on a wedding planning site. Who'd have thought?!? Chika and Mel have been awesome. I've really enjoyed chatting and exchanging war stories with them.
During one of our chats, I mentioned that while we were at the Ihilani, Brian and I walked along the beach and waded in the ocean. I had some eczema patches on my feet and calves. The salt water "stung like a mother" (as I so eloquently put it to them), but I noticed the next day that it really dried out the eczema patches I had! After bringing this up with Chika and Mel, Chika mentioned that her sister periodically soaks in a warm epsom salt bath. After doing a lot of Google-ing on the subject, I read about many of the benefits of epsom salt baths, thought it made sense, and decided to try it out.
On Friday, I gave my tub a good scrubbing (we never take tub baths, only showers), bought a carton on epsom salt and tried it out. It was an interesting experience. I used 2 cups of epsom salts in a bathtub full of warm water and soaked for about 15 minutes. It kind of dried out some of the eczema patches I had and reduced some redness and bumpiness I had. I think I was expecting more dramatic results and tried it again on Sunday with slightly warmer water and more salt. The results were worse than Friday. I think I'll keep trying, though, until I find the right combo of salt concentration and water temperature. It seems promising.
So, why am I bothering with this epsom salt business? I've decided to try and find more natural ways to deal with this eczema problem I've had since I was a toddler. Reflecting back on the years, I think it has become progressively worse since I was in high school. The usual "remedy" I get from the dermotologist is topical corticosteroids, which usually work in the short term. However, I would like to get the eczema under control without these harmful and expensive drugs. We're thinking about starting a family in few years and I can't be on these steroids when that time comes. Also, over the years, I've noticed my skin has become thinner because of the steroids. Recently, I was appalled at the discovery of stretch marks on both inner-thighs. I freaked out, thinking I had gained weight, which made me feel terrible. I hadn't had any major weight fluctuations so it had to be something else. I came to the realization that it was the powerful steroids I was using to treat eczema flare-ups on my legs! I was shocked and actually felt devastated that this had happened. I was only trying to help myself get better, but in the process, I now have these permanent reminders of this horrible affliction.
Friday was my father-in-law's 58th Birthday! "Happy Birthday" to the other Mr. T!
Saturday, April 12
(BTW, "Congratulations!" if you're still with me after that sordid tale. :P)
On Saturday morning, I woke up with my skin feeling pretty good. :) Then, I met up with Jenn (a.k.a. Knottie kinibruin) and her FI (that's "fiancè" to all of you non-Knotties out there :P) at Pearlridge Starbuck's to give her some vases and marbles I had leftover from the wedding. Yes, over 1 year after the wedding, I still had 6 vases and 9 bags of marble cluttering up our place. I was so happy to pass it along to such a sweet, super cool Knottie like Jenn.
I don't normally go to Pearlridge because I'm an old fut and don't like traffic or crowds. I've been meaning to return a couple of things to Ann Taylor ever since the holidays and seized the opportunity to finally get my store credit! I walked in, intent on getting my store credit and then getting the heck out of there! As I was walking out, I realized that I was surrounded by chrysanthemums! Yep, Ann Taylor had so many cute items with chrysanthemum prints! I nearly passed out from excitement. So, I moseyed my way back into the depths of the store, just to admire all the "kiku" prints. Then, I thought I'd try on a few pieces, just for fun. Here's what I tried on and walked out with:
I got the cute blue jacket :)
On Saturday night, we went to Onstage Drinks & Grinds to see some band play 80s rock. One of Brian's co-workers knows one of the band members and invited us to come out. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. I had no clue what to expect. Come to find out, the band is called Dirty Thunder and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen! Well, Onstage is a super tiny place in Kapahulu, but the band rocked! I really got into it and had a blast. Another coincidence is that 3 of the 5 band members went to Waialua High School and either had or know my father-in-law, who is a Science teacher there. Dirty Thunder plays at Onstage the 2nd Saturday of every month. You better believe we'll be back there next month!
I really had no clue what kind of place this was. Brian told me to wear my new blouse and jacket. Needless to say, I was a bit overdressed. :P
Sunday, April 13
Hmm, I can't even remember what we did on Sunday morning. I think we just bummed around for a bit and then headed out to Pet's Discount (something really bugs me about this place's management, but I've been going back there for years because they always carry what we're looking for) to buy some special recycled newspaper pellet cat litter for Benny. After that, we picked up some Leonard's Malasadas (Yumm...I hadn't had one in years!) and Kentucky Fried Chicken. We took it over to the in-laws for dinner to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. It was fun, as usual. :)
Friday, April 11
(Warning: Some of this may be TMI and somewhat of a buzzkill....)
I can't believe it, but I've found some fellow eczema-sufferers on The Knot! I don't know any other such people in "real" life, but I managed to meet TWO of them on a wedding planning site. Who'd have thought?!? Chika and Mel have been awesome. I've really enjoyed chatting and exchanging war stories with them.
During one of our chats, I mentioned that while we were at the Ihilani, Brian and I walked along the beach and waded in the ocean. I had some eczema patches on my feet and calves. The salt water "stung like a mother" (as I so eloquently put it to them), but I noticed the next day that it really dried out the eczema patches I had! After bringing this up with Chika and Mel, Chika mentioned that her sister periodically soaks in a warm epsom salt bath. After doing a lot of Google-ing on the subject, I read about many of the benefits of epsom salt baths, thought it made sense, and decided to try it out.
On Friday, I gave my tub a good scrubbing (we never take tub baths, only showers), bought a carton on epsom salt and tried it out. It was an interesting experience. I used 2 cups of epsom salts in a bathtub full of warm water and soaked for about 15 minutes. It kind of dried out some of the eczema patches I had and reduced some redness and bumpiness I had. I think I was expecting more dramatic results and tried it again on Sunday with slightly warmer water and more salt. The results were worse than Friday. I think I'll keep trying, though, until I find the right combo of salt concentration and water temperature. It seems promising.
So, why am I bothering with this epsom salt business? I've decided to try and find more natural ways to deal with this eczema problem I've had since I was a toddler. Reflecting back on the years, I think it has become progressively worse since I was in high school. The usual "remedy" I get from the dermotologist is topical corticosteroids, which usually work in the short term. However, I would like to get the eczema under control without these harmful and expensive drugs. We're thinking about starting a family in few years and I can't be on these steroids when that time comes. Also, over the years, I've noticed my skin has become thinner because of the steroids. Recently, I was appalled at the discovery of stretch marks on both inner-thighs. I freaked out, thinking I had gained weight, which made me feel terrible. I hadn't had any major weight fluctuations so it had to be something else. I came to the realization that it was the powerful steroids I was using to treat eczema flare-ups on my legs! I was shocked and actually felt devastated that this had happened. I was only trying to help myself get better, but in the process, I now have these permanent reminders of this horrible affliction.
Friday was my father-in-law's 58th Birthday! "Happy Birthday" to the other Mr. T!
Saturday, April 12
(BTW, "Congratulations!" if you're still with me after that sordid tale. :P)
On Saturday morning, I woke up with my skin feeling pretty good. :) Then, I met up with Jenn (a.k.a. Knottie kinibruin) and her FI (that's "fiancè" to all of you non-Knotties out there :P) at Pearlridge Starbuck's to give her some vases and marbles I had leftover from the wedding. Yes, over 1 year after the wedding, I still had 6 vases and 9 bags of marble cluttering up our place. I was so happy to pass it along to such a sweet, super cool Knottie like Jenn.
I don't normally go to Pearlridge because I'm an old fut and don't like traffic or crowds. I've been meaning to return a couple of things to Ann Taylor ever since the holidays and seized the opportunity to finally get my store credit! I walked in, intent on getting my store credit and then getting the heck out of there! As I was walking out, I realized that I was surrounded by chrysanthemums! Yep, Ann Taylor had so many cute items with chrysanthemum prints! I nearly passed out from excitement. So, I moseyed my way back into the depths of the store, just to admire all the "kiku" prints. Then, I thought I'd try on a few pieces, just for fun. Here's what I tried on and walked out with:
I got the cute blue jacket :)On Saturday night, we went to Onstage Drinks & Grinds to see some band play 80s rock. One of Brian's co-workers knows one of the band members and invited us to come out. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. I had no clue what to expect. Come to find out, the band is called Dirty Thunder and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen! Well, Onstage is a super tiny place in Kapahulu, but the band rocked! I really got into it and had a blast. Another coincidence is that 3 of the 5 band members went to Waialua High School and either had or know my father-in-law, who is a Science teacher there. Dirty Thunder plays at Onstage the 2nd Saturday of every month. You better believe we'll be back there next month!
I really had no clue what kind of place this was. Brian told me to wear my new blouse and jacket. Needless to say, I was a bit overdressed. :P
Sunday, April 13
Hmm, I can't even remember what we did on Sunday morning. I think we just bummed around for a bit and then headed out to Pet's Discount (something really bugs me about this place's management, but I've been going back there for years because they always carry what we're looking for) to buy some special recycled newspaper pellet cat litter for Benny. After that, we picked up some Leonard's Malasadas (Yumm...I hadn't had one in years!) and Kentucky Fried Chicken. We took it over to the in-laws for dinner to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. It was fun, as usual. :)
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Custom Rubber Stamp?
I'm thinking of getting a custom rubber stamp that looks like this from Design your own card.com:
It would measure 1-1/2" long by 1/2" tall. It's $6.50 for the custom stamp and $4.60 USPS Priority Mail shipping.
I'm thinking of using it to stamp the backs of some of the dry embossed cards I make. I want to leave my "mark", but I also want it to be subtle. Creations Unlimited sells these VersaMark watermark ink pads.
I think this would be perfect as it will be subtle, yet visible even on some of the darker cardstocks I use.
If I actually had a company, I'd get one with my company name on it. However, since this is still just a hobby for now, I think I'll just stick with this.
It would measure 1-1/2" long by 1/2" tall. It's $6.50 for the custom stamp and $4.60 USPS Priority Mail shipping.
I'm thinking of using it to stamp the backs of some of the dry embossed cards I make. I want to leave my "mark", but I also want it to be subtle. Creations Unlimited sells these VersaMark watermark ink pads.
I think this would be perfect as it will be subtle, yet visible even on some of the darker cardstocks I use.
If I actually had a company, I'd get one with my company name on it. However, since this is still just a hobby for now, I think I'll just stick with this.
UPDATE: Benny
The vet contacted me today to schedule Benny's surgery for next Wednesday, April 16th. Thankfully, the antibiotics seem to be working. I took a look at his toe today and, although it still looks a little red, it looks like it's drying out and beginning to heal.
The estimated charges total $351.37! It includes the surgery, anesthesia, cardiac monitor, radiograph, pain meds, and overnight stay. Man, when it rains, it pours! We need to pay off our Ihilani weekend and our car insurance premiums are also due early next month! Sheesh! I wish we had pet health insurance or something. :P
Here's the "schedule":
- Tuesday, April 15th: No food after 6PM, no water after Midnight. Cats sometimes get sick if they don't have an empty stomach while under anesthesia. Since we can't really separate Benny and Chester, looks like Chester will be fasting, too. He is not going to be happy. :P
- Wednesday, April 16th: Drop Benny off at the vet at 7AM. Since Brian will be sleeping by then, I'll take Benny and go in to work a couple hours late. I wonder if "Care of a furbaby" (versus "Care of a Family Member") qualifies as sick leave? Benny will stay overnight so he can get some much-needed post-surgery rest without Chester terrorizing him. :P
(Dr. Furutani is so cool. She said they normally send declaw patients home the day of surgery, but she's going to let him stay overnight. According to our estimate, she's only charging us for "Cage Occupancy". Cage Occupancy is what they charge for the cage they keep the animals in, post-surgery, until their owners pick them up on the same day. When my dad had his stroke in 2006, it happened to coincide with the very same day we had to pick Chester up from the vet after having some procedures done for his urinary tract problems. When she called to let us know that Chester was ready to be picked up, I told her about my dad and she said not to worry about Chester and that they would keep him overnight. She didn't charge us for the stay.)
- Thursday, April 17th: Pick Benny up after 1PM.
In preparation for Benny's post-surgery recovery, we need to make some changes to their litter box situation. Benny can't use clay litter until his incisions heal. So, I need to find some Yesterday's News cat litter and replace their old litter with it. I'm going to hit up K-mart and Pet's Discount tomorrow after work. I'm not sure how they'll adjust to the new litter.
I'm wondering if we may need to lock Benny in our bedroom. The last time he had this surgery, the vet recommended he be confined so Chester doesn't bother him and also wanted to limit his physical activity, such as running and leaping, so that the incisions could heal. He was miserable being locked up in our room. :(
The estimated charges total $351.37! It includes the surgery, anesthesia, cardiac monitor, radiograph, pain meds, and overnight stay. Man, when it rains, it pours! We need to pay off our Ihilani weekend and our car insurance premiums are also due early next month! Sheesh! I wish we had pet health insurance or something. :P
Here's the "schedule":
- Tuesday, April 15th: No food after 6PM, no water after Midnight. Cats sometimes get sick if they don't have an empty stomach while under anesthesia. Since we can't really separate Benny and Chester, looks like Chester will be fasting, too. He is not going to be happy. :P
- Wednesday, April 16th: Drop Benny off at the vet at 7AM. Since Brian will be sleeping by then, I'll take Benny and go in to work a couple hours late. I wonder if "Care of a furbaby" (versus "Care of a Family Member") qualifies as sick leave? Benny will stay overnight so he can get some much-needed post-surgery rest without Chester terrorizing him. :P
(Dr. Furutani is so cool. She said they normally send declaw patients home the day of surgery, but she's going to let him stay overnight. According to our estimate, she's only charging us for "Cage Occupancy". Cage Occupancy is what they charge for the cage they keep the animals in, post-surgery, until their owners pick them up on the same day. When my dad had his stroke in 2006, it happened to coincide with the very same day we had to pick Chester up from the vet after having some procedures done for his urinary tract problems. When she called to let us know that Chester was ready to be picked up, I told her about my dad and she said not to worry about Chester and that they would keep him overnight. She didn't charge us for the stay.)
- Thursday, April 17th: Pick Benny up after 1PM.
In preparation for Benny's post-surgery recovery, we need to make some changes to their litter box situation. Benny can't use clay litter until his incisions heal. So, I need to find some Yesterday's News cat litter and replace their old litter with it. I'm going to hit up K-mart and Pet's Discount tomorrow after work. I'm not sure how they'll adjust to the new litter.
I'm wondering if we may need to lock Benny in our bedroom. The last time he had this surgery, the vet recommended he be confined so Chester doesn't bother him and also wanted to limit his physical activity, such as running and leaping, so that the incisions could heal. He was miserable being locked up in our room. :(
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Benny needs surgery :(
I'm so sad. Benny will need to have surgery to fix the front paw declawing he had 8 years ago.
4 years ago, he had to have surgery on a few of his toes on both front paws. Apparently, when the vet declawed him 8 years ago, she used the Resco Clipper Declaw Method. This entails using a guillotine-type nail trimmer to cut through the bone of the 3rd digit of the toe, from which the claw grows. Since the part of the bone from which the claw grows is removed, the idea is that the cat's claws no longer grow back (in most cases).
However, complications can arise from this method. In Benny's case, he had bone spurs in his toes as a result of the amputation of his 3rd digits. The bone spurs can cause quite a bit of discomfort and we later learned that Benny was licking, biting, and chewing at the affected toes in an effort to find relief. At the time, the solution was surgery on the infected toes to remove any bone spurs or debris. The vet didn't mention just performing a Disarticulation of all of his toes to completely remove the 3rd digit so there would be no recurrence of the bone spur problem. Had I known this was an option at the time, we would have done this.
Fast forward 4 years to today, Benny is having this problem again! On Sunday night, I noticed Benny was limping a little and would sit with his right paw in the air. I thought he was trying to be cute, but I noticed his paw looked funny. Brian grabbed him and I got a closer look. One of his toes was red, swollen and kind of purple and bruised looking. I knew exactly what was going on and called our new vet--not the same one from 4 years ago--first thing yesterday morning. Unfortunately, she was booked and couldn't see Benny until this afternoon.
We took Benny in and Dr. Furutani confirmed my suspicions. She got a close look at his toe and said it was infected and abscessed. She prescribed Benny some antibiotics to clear up the infection. She said we could either let it go and hope for the best once the infection cleared up, or go ahead and do the disarticulation on all of his toes to avoid another recurrence in the future. Benny is 8 years old now and I fear that if this problem comes up again in another 4 years, he'll just be too old and not recover as well from surgery. I really wish we had been presented with this option 4 years ago. We could have been done with all of this and Benny wouldn't have to suffer.
So, the plan is to wait until Benny's infection clears up and then go ahead with the disarticulation surgery for the rest of his toes.
I really feel terrible. Due to circumstances, I really had no control over the decision to declaw Benny and Chester 8 years ago. (BTW, Chester has never had problems with his toes...knock on wood. He was "blessed" with other problems--deafness and chronic urinary tract problems. I pray that Chester doesn't end up with this problem down the line. *sigh*) If we ever have another cat in the future, I REFUSE to declaw. We will find alternative ways to control unwanted scratching.
*** stepping down from my soap box ***
4 years ago, he had to have surgery on a few of his toes on both front paws. Apparently, when the vet declawed him 8 years ago, she used the Resco Clipper Declaw Method. This entails using a guillotine-type nail trimmer to cut through the bone of the 3rd digit of the toe, from which the claw grows. Since the part of the bone from which the claw grows is removed, the idea is that the cat's claws no longer grow back (in most cases).
However, complications can arise from this method. In Benny's case, he had bone spurs in his toes as a result of the amputation of his 3rd digits. The bone spurs can cause quite a bit of discomfort and we later learned that Benny was licking, biting, and chewing at the affected toes in an effort to find relief. At the time, the solution was surgery on the infected toes to remove any bone spurs or debris. The vet didn't mention just performing a Disarticulation of all of his toes to completely remove the 3rd digit so there would be no recurrence of the bone spur problem. Had I known this was an option at the time, we would have done this.
Fast forward 4 years to today, Benny is having this problem again! On Sunday night, I noticed Benny was limping a little and would sit with his right paw in the air. I thought he was trying to be cute, but I noticed his paw looked funny. Brian grabbed him and I got a closer look. One of his toes was red, swollen and kind of purple and bruised looking. I knew exactly what was going on and called our new vet--not the same one from 4 years ago--first thing yesterday morning. Unfortunately, she was booked and couldn't see Benny until this afternoon.
We took Benny in and Dr. Furutani confirmed my suspicions. She got a close look at his toe and said it was infected and abscessed. She prescribed Benny some antibiotics to clear up the infection. She said we could either let it go and hope for the best once the infection cleared up, or go ahead and do the disarticulation on all of his toes to avoid another recurrence in the future. Benny is 8 years old now and I fear that if this problem comes up again in another 4 years, he'll just be too old and not recover as well from surgery. I really wish we had been presented with this option 4 years ago. We could have been done with all of this and Benny wouldn't have to suffer.
So, the plan is to wait until Benny's infection clears up and then go ahead with the disarticulation surgery for the rest of his toes.
I really feel terrible. Due to circumstances, I really had no control over the decision to declaw Benny and Chester 8 years ago. (BTW, Chester has never had problems with his toes...knock on wood. He was "blessed" with other problems--deafness and chronic urinary tract problems. I pray that Chester doesn't end up with this problem down the line. *sigh*) If we ever have another cat in the future, I REFUSE to declaw. We will find alternative ways to control unwanted scratching.
*** stepping down from my soap box ***
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Recap of Our Weekend of "Heavenly Splendor"
Ihilani translates to "Heavenly Splendor". It certainly lives up to its name every time we go there.
Friday, March 28th
I was still feeling under the weather on Friday night, but we agreed that we should tidy up so that we return to a (somewhat) clean house come Monday. I somehow managed to do some chores, a bunch of laundry, and began packing before finally heading off to bed after midnight. I was dead tired and really should have gone to bed earlier.
Saturday, March 29th
Brian didn't get home until almost 5:30AM. When he got home, I woke up and had that darn sore throat/post-nasal drip thing again! Gaaah! Brian gave me some Benadryl and I knocked out until about 11:30AM. I had planned to wake up early to finish packing and put away the laundry. Oh well. I woke up feeling a little groggy, but my sore throat was better. Brian didn't wake up until 1PM and we still needed to pack all of his stuff! But, he really didn't feel the same sense of urgency that I did and he instead watched TV and played with this Pachinko machine (yes, a Pachinko machine) he brought home from work that morning. Silly boys. :P We finally left after 2:00 and headed to Ko Olina.
We arrived at the Ihilani shortly before our 3PM check-in. We pulled up to the lobby and I waited for the valet to approach our car, which is what normally happens, right? Well, there were no other cars around and the valet was schmoozing with this chick who was waiting with a bunch of other people. After a few seconds, it was clear he was on a different planet so I opened my door and got out. He finally snapped out of it and saw us. He didn't even skip a beat. I think he thought we spontaneously materialized out of nowhere and appeared right at the second he snapped out of it. I was a little annoyed, but that quickly passed as we entered the Ihilani lobby. Is it silly that I hear angels sing when I enter the Ihilani's grand foyer/atrium? :P
As always, the front desk was very friendly. We were given little, cold, moist towels (real towels, not wet naps or something :P) to freshen up with while the front desk guy checked us in. When he was ready to give us our room keys, he came out from behind the front desk to hand us our keys, confirm our room rate, and tell us how to get to our room. I opened the little pocketfold thingy to see what our room number was and saw "1710". Holy smokes! That's the top floor. I was so excited!
When we arrived at our room, we noticed that all of the rooms on the floor were marked as "PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms".
Since we had the Ihilani Suite during our last stay, I didn't quite know what to expect from our Deluxe Ocean View Room. I knew the rooms were over-sized and I had seen photos, but I just couldn't picture what it would be like.
Upon entering the room, we opened the glass sliding doors to the lanai. Although it was a bit cloudy and gray that afternoon, we were still greeted by these amazing views!!!
Strangely enough, although we were on the top floor of the hotel, we could still hear the water sloshing and waves crashing, loud and clear, as if we were right there standing on the beach! It was really neat.
After checking out the view, Brian made a bee-line for the TV and found a tennis ball behind the TV.
Brian, tossing that tennis ball in the air while watching TV
I, on the other hand, was eager to check out the rest of the room. It had a small foyer with a nice bar and mirrors. I opened up the bar and found a little refrigerator, snacks, and a little safe.
The bathroom was to the left of the entrance. It was very spacious and luxurious, with a private water closet, 2 vanities, a European soaking tub, and separate glass shower.
The bedroom itself was quite large. Larger than I was expecting. We had a king-sized bed, sofa, chair, coffee table and desk. Very nice.
After getting settled, one of the staff members came by to drop off some chocolate covered strawberries for us to enjoy, along with a little note.
Note: There were 6 strawberries, but Brian snagged one before I had a chance to grab my camera
This other note from our wedding event manager, Terri Hyden, also got delivered later in the evening.
We bummed around for a bit and headed down to Ushio-Tei for our 5:30PM dinner reservation. (For the Knotties: I'm happy to report that I wore my wedding day shoes to dinner--last time I wore them was on my wedding day--with a nice pair of dark blue jeans, Aqua-ish floral-print Cinnamon Girl blouse and cream-colored cardigan. I'm definitely no fashionista, but I was quite impressed that I was able to throw together a pretty decent look with stuff I already had. Sadly, I have no photos to show for it as it didn't occur to me to get Brian to take one.)
When we arrived, I was thrilled to see a familiar face. Cheyeanne, whom we first met last year at our rehearsal dinner, was working that night and took good care of us, as always. After our rehearsal dinner, we returned to Ushio-Tei 2 or 3 more times, but had not seen her since last June so it was so wonderful to catch up with her. We even exchanged e-mail addresses. I'm not sure what the heck it was, but we just hit it off the very first time we met and seem to be able to pick up right where we left off every time we see each other. (Note to self: Take a photo with her next time. Duh!) We found out that Cheyeanne's own wedding anniversary is only 5 days before ours!
Brian and I both had our usual, the Tabehodai (all-you-can-eat) buffet. Here's the buffet menu for Saturdays:
COLD ITEMS
Seafood Salad
Rice Paper Roll with Tuna
Oriental Soba
Tsukemono (Japanese Pickles)
Ahi Poke
Assorted Sashimi
Assorted Maki and Inari Sushi
HOT ITEMS
Chicken Miso Yaki
Seafood Steamer Basket
Salmon Teriyaki
Wafu Steak
Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
Tonkatsu (Breaded Pork Loin)
Steamed Rice
Miso Soup
Included in the buffet is an amazing selection of petite desserts--too many to list here, but I could only manage to eat a honeydew melon panna cotta and creme brulee.
We didn't do too well with the buffet this time. Cheyeanne told Brian that they had a new beer in called Koshihikari Echigo, which is made from a premium Japanese rice. Brian was interested and Cheyeanne returned with a 17 oz. bottle of the stuff, which Brian really ended up enjoying. I think, perhaps, he should have stuck with water. I think the Koshihikari, oh, and the Kirin he chased it with, were just too filling for him and he was done with the buffet after 1-1/2 visits.
I also chose poorly and had 2 Samurai Sodas (I think that's what they were called), which was made with soda water and tropical juices. I had the Pineapple and Banana flavors, but probably should have stuck with water myself. I think we were just so happy to be there that we felt especially indulgent and made some choices we wouldn't have normally made. Cheyeanne really wanted to bring out a complimentary anniversary dessert for us, but we just couldn't do it. Brian started to look not-so-good. I really was afraid he would yarf right there at the table. He really just needed to lie down. I was so bummed. I was really looking forward to the same tempura fried ice cream Cheyeanne gave us at our rehearsal dinner. :( Here's a photo of it from last time:
But, I was stuffed and declared that I didn't want to see another shrimp tempura for a while. Geez, I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining. Believe me, we had a lot of fun, good food, and great company.
Wow, sorry this was so long! That wraps it up for Saturday. Stay tuned for the recap of Sunday and Monday! Thanks for reading!
Friday, March 28th
I was still feeling under the weather on Friday night, but we agreed that we should tidy up so that we return to a (somewhat) clean house come Monday. I somehow managed to do some chores, a bunch of laundry, and began packing before finally heading off to bed after midnight. I was dead tired and really should have gone to bed earlier.
Saturday, March 29th
Brian didn't get home until almost 5:30AM. When he got home, I woke up and had that darn sore throat/post-nasal drip thing again! Gaaah! Brian gave me some Benadryl and I knocked out until about 11:30AM. I had planned to wake up early to finish packing and put away the laundry. Oh well. I woke up feeling a little groggy, but my sore throat was better. Brian didn't wake up until 1PM and we still needed to pack all of his stuff! But, he really didn't feel the same sense of urgency that I did and he instead watched TV and played with this Pachinko machine (yes, a Pachinko machine) he brought home from work that morning. Silly boys. :P We finally left after 2:00 and headed to Ko Olina.
We arrived at the Ihilani shortly before our 3PM check-in. We pulled up to the lobby and I waited for the valet to approach our car, which is what normally happens, right? Well, there were no other cars around and the valet was schmoozing with this chick who was waiting with a bunch of other people. After a few seconds, it was clear he was on a different planet so I opened my door and got out. He finally snapped out of it and saw us. He didn't even skip a beat. I think he thought we spontaneously materialized out of nowhere and appeared right at the second he snapped out of it. I was a little annoyed, but that quickly passed as we entered the Ihilani lobby. Is it silly that I hear angels sing when I enter the Ihilani's grand foyer/atrium? :P
As always, the front desk was very friendly. We were given little, cold, moist towels (real towels, not wet naps or something :P) to freshen up with while the front desk guy checked us in. When he was ready to give us our room keys, he came out from behind the front desk to hand us our keys, confirm our room rate, and tell us how to get to our room. I opened the little pocketfold thingy to see what our room number was and saw "1710". Holy smokes! That's the top floor. I was so excited!
When we arrived at our room, we noticed that all of the rooms on the floor were marked as "PURE Allergy Friendly Rooms".
Since we had the Ihilani Suite during our last stay, I didn't quite know what to expect from our Deluxe Ocean View Room. I knew the rooms were over-sized and I had seen photos, but I just couldn't picture what it would be like.
Upon entering the room, we opened the glass sliding doors to the lanai. Although it was a bit cloudy and gray that afternoon, we were still greeted by these amazing views!!!
Strangely enough, although we were on the top floor of the hotel, we could still hear the water sloshing and waves crashing, loud and clear, as if we were right there standing on the beach! It was really neat.
After checking out the view, Brian made a bee-line for the TV and found a tennis ball behind the TV.
Brian, tossing that tennis ball in the air while watching TVI, on the other hand, was eager to check out the rest of the room. It had a small foyer with a nice bar and mirrors. I opened up the bar and found a little refrigerator, snacks, and a little safe.
The bathroom was to the left of the entrance. It was very spacious and luxurious, with a private water closet, 2 vanities, a European soaking tub, and separate glass shower.
The bedroom itself was quite large. Larger than I was expecting. We had a king-sized bed, sofa, chair, coffee table and desk. Very nice.
After getting settled, one of the staff members came by to drop off some chocolate covered strawberries for us to enjoy, along with a little note.
This other note from our wedding event manager, Terri Hyden, also got delivered later in the evening.
We bummed around for a bit and headed down to Ushio-Tei for our 5:30PM dinner reservation. (For the Knotties: I'm happy to report that I wore my wedding day shoes to dinner--last time I wore them was on my wedding day--with a nice pair of dark blue jeans, Aqua-ish floral-print Cinnamon Girl blouse and cream-colored cardigan. I'm definitely no fashionista, but I was quite impressed that I was able to throw together a pretty decent look with stuff I already had. Sadly, I have no photos to show for it as it didn't occur to me to get Brian to take one.)
When we arrived, I was thrilled to see a familiar face. Cheyeanne, whom we first met last year at our rehearsal dinner, was working that night and took good care of us, as always. After our rehearsal dinner, we returned to Ushio-Tei 2 or 3 more times, but had not seen her since last June so it was so wonderful to catch up with her. We even exchanged e-mail addresses. I'm not sure what the heck it was, but we just hit it off the very first time we met and seem to be able to pick up right where we left off every time we see each other. (Note to self: Take a photo with her next time. Duh!) We found out that Cheyeanne's own wedding anniversary is only 5 days before ours!
Brian and I both had our usual, the Tabehodai (all-you-can-eat) buffet. Here's the buffet menu for Saturdays:
Seafood Salad
Rice Paper Roll with Tuna
Oriental Soba
Tsukemono (Japanese Pickles)
Ahi Poke
Assorted Sashimi
Assorted Maki and Inari Sushi
HOT ITEMS
Chicken Miso Yaki
Seafood Steamer Basket
Salmon Teriyaki
Wafu Steak
Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura
Tonkatsu (Breaded Pork Loin)
Steamed Rice
Miso Soup
Included in the buffet is an amazing selection of petite desserts--too many to list here, but I could only manage to eat a honeydew melon panna cotta and creme brulee.
We didn't do too well with the buffet this time. Cheyeanne told Brian that they had a new beer in called Koshihikari Echigo, which is made from a premium Japanese rice. Brian was interested and Cheyeanne returned with a 17 oz. bottle of the stuff, which Brian really ended up enjoying. I think, perhaps, he should have stuck with water. I think the Koshihikari, oh, and the Kirin he chased it with, were just too filling for him and he was done with the buffet after 1-1/2 visits.
I also chose poorly and had 2 Samurai Sodas (I think that's what they were called), which was made with soda water and tropical juices. I had the Pineapple and Banana flavors, but probably should have stuck with water myself. I think we were just so happy to be there that we felt especially indulgent and made some choices we wouldn't have normally made. Cheyeanne really wanted to bring out a complimentary anniversary dessert for us, but we just couldn't do it. Brian started to look not-so-good. I really was afraid he would yarf right there at the table. He really just needed to lie down. I was so bummed. I was really looking forward to the same tempura fried ice cream Cheyeanne gave us at our rehearsal dinner. :( Here's a photo of it from last time:
But, I was stuffed and declared that I didn't want to see another shrimp tempura for a while. Geez, I hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining. Believe me, we had a lot of fun, good food, and great company.
Wow, sorry this was so long! That wraps it up for Saturday. Stay tuned for the recap of Sunday and Monday! Thanks for reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
