Leslie's pics

Cherie and Casey

2012-01-15T23:11:00.001-10:00

Kailua, HI

Do you remember baby Emma? Well mommies Cherie and Casey participated in a civil union ceremony today at their house in Kailua. I was honored to have been asked to witness this event.

Mother nature was messing with us all day. I called my mom in the morning and she said that it was raining. I thought it would be ok since the ceremony wasn't until 4:30. When I got to the house it was overcasty and perfect. Perfect until...right before everyone was to walk down the aisle! At least it only rained for a few minutes. The rest of the evening was beautiful.

This is what it looked like before the ceremony...

Dexter was the well-behaved ring bearer

Then Mother Nature came along...

It's a good thing we put up the tent!!

They hired a taco truck to cater their food! It was awesome. If you're ever driving around and run into the Camille's on Wheels truck, you should stop and give her a try! She was even featured on Food Network's Eat Street!!

Did you know that you can apply for your marriage license online?? I guess I'm not getting the "signing of the license" shot!

Baby Max

2012-01-09T06:24:00.000-10:00

Sunday, January 8, 2012
Kaneohe

After gramma's luncheon I headed over to my cousin Kyle's house to meet his new baby Max. Max Ryle was born on January 6th at Kapiolani Hospital. You know mom was in labor for only about an hour?? Wow. Lucky! I didn't have Jalna to help me so I had to depend on my two cousins and my uncle during a football game....hahaha gee, that was hard! Note to self -- check the football schedule before volunteering to take pictures. Just kiddin guys, thanks for your help!!

While Max was being fed Wilbur had his time to shine...

My favorite pic of the day...

Big sister Stella woke up from her nap (or did Uncle Kevin wake her up??) so we tried to get some pictures of her too

Happy 99th Birthday Gramma!!

2012-01-08T18:05:00.000-10:00

Kin Wah Chop Suey
Kaneohe

Gramma turned 99 on January 4th. Instead of the usual Sunday lunch at the care home, we took her to Kin Wah Chop Suey. Family and friends gathered to celebrate her milestone. Please excuse some of the pictures, I had all of 6 inches to move around in there and stupid me forgot to adjust my settings. UGH! bluuuurrry!

I heart Edward Burns!!

2011-12-28T15:32:00.001-10:00

I've always been a big fan of Edward Burns, now I just love him even more!
For all you Canon fans out there...check this out...

Trailer for the movie:

Amazing!!

Y&M Christmas Ornament Contest 2011

2011-12-27T16:16:00.000-10:00

Today is the judging for our 1st annual Christmas ornament contest at work. We had to make a Christmas ornament out of a 3" styrofoam ball and attach it with a saying/poem about your submission. Of course, that was Dr. Muranaka's idea. What a way to ruin a contest! hahaha. Just kiddin. I was really impressed with all the entries. I feel sorry for the judges. They are really gonna have a difficult time choosing a winner. Oh yah, did I mention that there was money involved?? !st place - $75, 2nd place - $50, 3rd place - $25. So worth it! I know i'm not gonna win, but I had fun anyways. It was stressful though! Can you guess which one was mine??

This one actually lights up like Rudolph's nose!!

This one lights up too!! And the christmas tree spins! Amazing!

Kelli Ann and Tomiko 2011

2011-12-11T20:29:00.001-10:00

Lanikai Beach

Kelli Ann is back from college so mom Doreen called me the other day asking if I could take her annual Christmas picture. We decided on Lanikai because 1) They've never been there before (WHAT???!!) and 2) we wanted to stay away from the marathon madness (yah, I was supposed to run again this year but I was too lazy). As we were driving down to the beach I was asking Kelli what year she was in college...sophomore? She laughed and said she's graduating this summer!! HOLY COW! How time flies...

Lanikai was really windy today and I was worried that we wouldn't be able to get any good pics. We were lucky that it died down enough for us to catch a few.

Joanne, Greg and Nikola

2011-12-07T19:40:00.000-10:00

Makiki Valley Trail

This had to have been my fastest shoot ever. I think we were done in 20 minutes. The weather was junky (it started to drizzle...), Nikola wasn't happy (I think he was hungry...), and the darn mosquitoes were eating us alive! I think we got a couple keepers. Anyways, it's always fun with the Young Family!

The Osakis

2011-12-04T21:36:00.000-10:00

East West Center

I ran into Jessica at a mammo conference and she had asked me if I could take her family pics. I jumped at the chance, she has two ADORABLE little boys! We met at UH and Jalna tagged along so she could show me all of her secret spots...thanks Jalna!!

At first I was a little concerned, the day had started off like this...

But then everything turned out ok...

The outtakes...

2011-12-01T23:09:00.000-10:00

Sunday, November 27, 2011

For those of you who thought little Quentin was the most adorable thing...this is how most of the morning went...

Karie was ready for a nap after this.

Baby Emma

2011-12-01T06:04:00.001-10:00

Sunday, November 27, 2011
Enchanted Lakes, Kailua

#3 Shoot, and #3 baby that hates me. Baby Emma was not happy with me....I think I made some enemies today. That's ok, she's still adorable. Emma Reece Kickertz Nakamoto was born on Aug 9 to proud parents Cherie and Casey. Hmmm, that was about 4 months ago...I was hoping to get some newborn pics but I guess they were a bit busy (hahaha, just kiddin Cherie!)

Emma had just woke up when I got to Cherie's house. So while she was getting dolled up I kept the doggies company. Meet Quincy and Dexter, these are the two most loveable and fun dogs! I wish I could take them home with me!

Don't you just love those cheeks??!!

Just love the shoes!

Uhh, most babies giggle and squeal when we do this....

Kyle, Rezene, Stella and Wilbur

2011-11-28T21:21:00.001-10:00

Sunday, Nov. 28, 2011
Aikahi playground

#2 shoot for today, and #2 baby that doesn't like to smile for the camera. Kyle is my cousin, and he and his wife Rezene recently bought a big beautiful house. We celebrated Thanksgiving at their house this year and I noticed a lot of empty frames on the wall...well not really empty. She kept the stock photos that came with the frame and hung it! Sooo funny! I practically begged them to take their pictures so they can hang some real relatives on the wall :)

Stella wasn't in a picture taking mood, she was happier eating her milk balls. We came to the conclusion that Wilbur was looking at the camera more than she was...maybe we can try again when the baby is born early next year.

Only George would pose for me!

Dylan and Quentin...

2011-11-27T18:32:00.000-10:00

Aikahi Elementary School

Oh boy, I had 3 photo shoots today, and it was the day of the non-smiley children! No matter what we did we couldn't get those kids to look at me and smile. Don't let these pictures fool you, I'll be posting the outtakes later...

First up, Dylan and Quentin 8:00 am...

Welcome baby Tia!!

2011-11-20T14:44:00.001-10:00

Tia Hokulani Tomiko Kalawe was born on November 12, 2011 to happy and proud parents Tysha and TK. She was a healthy 6lbs, 13 oz and 19" long. I told Tysha the moment she got pregnant that I had first dibs on photographing her baby. It just so happened that the hospital photographer got sick and Jalna had other plans so I was on my own today....boy, it's hard work! Once we got her comfortable she was adorable :)

Tia absolutely HATED this football...maybe we can try again when she's a little older

Happy Birthday Emma!

2011-11-19T19:33:00.003-10:00

Wahiawa Hongwanji

Emma is Brady's little sister. I shot Bradyn's 1st birthday party here back in 2008. It's Emma's turn to celebrate, she just turned one on October 29. She's such a cutie and she and big brother get along so well!

They also hired Snappy Shots Hawaii. They were a lot of fun. We got to dress up in boas, hats and sunglasses and got our picture taken. They then printed the pictures and put it in a folder for you (the kind you get with your prom pictures). So cute yah?

Bradyn and Emma

Chris Da Clown was also here making balloon stuff for all the kiddies (and some adults!). This guy was HILARIOUS. He made some pretty neat stuff, although I asked him to make me a camera and I think he forgot :(

He made a ball...

An octopus...

A baby octopus, since no one goes away a loser...

A dragon...

And even a truck!!

Jump Bradyn, jump!!

He didn't make a baby truck but he made a motorcycle! So neat yah?

Happy Birthday Kris!

2011-11-13T00:03:00.000-10:00

Saturday Nov 12, 2011
Aina Haina

Co-worker Kris celebrated her 30th birthday Greco-Roman style....she asked everyone to dress up accordingly, or at least wear green or blue. We had a house full of togas!! Everyone had a blast :)

Xayden 2011

2011-11-06T19:58:00.000-10:00

Sunday, November 6, 2011
Kapolei, HI

It's that time of the year again for Christmas card pics...Kathy and I decided on the train tracks out in Kapolei. It was fun until Xayden tripped over the tracks and got an oweee on his knee :(

Halloween at Y&M...

2011-11-01T21:36:00.000-10:00

October 31, 2011

Only a few people dressed up this year, I guess everyone was too lazy like me!

And my favorite costume of the day...

Here she is in action!

Homemade marshmallows!

2011-10-30T00:54:00.000-10:00

Saturday, October 29, 2011

*YAWN* It's about a quarter till one and I'm finally done with my marshmallows. I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa and I thought it would be fun to make. It was fun, sorta. Really messy though. The marshmallows tasted pretty good, but when I dipped them in chocolate...OHMYGAWWWWWD. YUMMMMM!!!

I forgot to take pictures when I first cut them, so here's only the ending part of my batch...

This is where the magic happens...

It kinda made a helluva lot of marshmallows so I guess my CPR peeps are getting goodies tomorrow!

Blog candy giveaway!

2011-10-25T19:48:00.000-10:00

My girlfriend Jenny is having a drawing for their new sister stamps set! It's adorable!!

Click here to find out how to enter....

Happy Birthday Quentin!

2011-10-25T19:34:00.001-10:00

Sunday, October 23, 2011
Chuck E. Cheese Pizza

Quentin turned 2 on October 11 so we went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate! This place actually sucks to take pictures, there's absolutely no room to sneak in to get good shots. We had a fun time anyways. Especially Dylan....

Here's daddy trying to irritate Chuck

Quentin looked sooo cute in this wind machine thingy! Karie just looks like Rudolph.

She said it's harder than it looks...

Jared

2011-10-22T21:42:00.001-10:00

Diamond Head

Jared is a senior at Hawaii Baptist Academy so mom, Cindy called me and asked if I could take his senior pictures. I can't believe he's a senior already! I remember when he was 5 years old...yikes. How time flies!

Thank you soooo much Jalna for all of your help! It's great having another set of eyes there...be sure to check out her blog too!

Tysha's Football Baby Shower

2011-10-18T20:55:00.001-10:00

Monday, October 17, 2011

Sports FanAddicts Bar, Honolulu

My co-worker Tysha is expecting and when asked what she wanted to do for her baby shower, she said "MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!!" So, you can imagine this wasn't your typical baby shower. This one included beer, bar food, a bunch of dollar bills...even some of the guys from work participated!

I made her some football pops...

Winner of the pigskin picks...Joslyn!

Bingo winners, Tysha and Sean...

Bingo winner, Sean...again...

Bingo winner, Sean...do you see a pattern here?? Geez, how much money did you win anyways??

Newlyweds Haunani and Austin

Shape a football helmet out of play-doh...mines didn't even make it to the table.

Winners Austin and Lo. Neat yah?

I think Haunani shoulda won.

Yippeee! I won first quarter blocks!

Anne won second quarter. It just wouldn't be right if she didn't go home with some winnings. I swear she ALWAYS ends up with something. Lucky buggah.

3rd quarter: Daddy to be T.K.

4th quarter -- Thomas (Joslyn's husband)

Yaay! Mark finally won a prize! Too bad it wasn't money though...

Master of the hot potato

Mark finally won some cash!! Wooohooo!!

Children and Youth day 2011

2011-10-02T18:17:00.000-10:00

State Capitol

It's time for Children and Youth day again! This is a great event where thousands of children and their families gather at the state capitol to take part in tons of activities, games, workshops and just a whole bunch of fun!

Chocolate day...continued

2011-09-27T01:08:00.000-10:00

Sorry, this new blog format is giving me a headache. Anyways, before the concert we had a little bit of time so we walked around the Grand Central Station area and we ran into a little cupcake shop called "Baked by Melissa." This was really cute. She sells mini (I mean really mini) cupcakes in all different flavors. I bought 6 for $5.50. Kinda expensive yah? They were good though!

top left to right: I forget what this was but it was good, mint choc chip, choc peanut butter
bottom: choc chip pancake, smores, choc peanut butter

Outside Grand Central Station

We're leaving today so I gotta finish packing. See you all soon!

Chocolate day!!

2011-09-27T01:02:00.000-10:00

Monday, September 26, 2011

We didn't have anything planned today so I got to check out some of the chocolate stores of some famous chefs. Man, thank god I don't live here. It would be dangerous!

Later on in the evening we caught a bus to the Izod center in NJ for a Foo Fighters concert. This was a long concert! They played for 2 hours and 40 mins! We didn't get back to the apartment until almost 2am. Yawn.....

I tried a hot chocolate from here, it was ok, I think I ordered the wrong one. It wasn't as sweet as I had liked.

This guy is supposed to have killer chocolate chip cookies...

I bought a chocolate chip cookie for me and a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie for Randy. I liked mines waaay better. I would've liked it even more if it was crunchy :)

Mine...all mine....

We went back kinda early to rest before the concert so I went down the street to try the oxtail with noodles. It was only ok. I would only recommend the cumin lamb sandwich.

My legs hurt and I'm tired...

2011-09-25T18:05:00.000-10:00

Sunday, September 25, 2011
The Highline and Rockaway

We weren't quite sure what we were gonna do today so we just started walking. And walking. And walking. It was sunny and humid so I was quite uncomfortable in jeans. I didn't bring shorts with me cause I thought it was gonna be cooler. Luckily there was a cool breeze every once in awhile to cool me off. We ended up at The Highline, we went to see if anything changed since the last time we went. Not much changed but it's still very nice.

View from the Highline

We stopped by the New Amsterdam Market, an open organic marketplace that they have every Sunday in South Manhattan. It was kinda dark there cause it was under an overpass. This is an organic chocolate company....yummmmm...

View from the marketplace

There was a grilled cheese truck there and I couldn't resist. It was really good. Two of my favorites, sourdough bread and cheddar cheese!

For someone who hates cell phones, he sure is on it a lot!

It was still pretty early so we took a trip out to Rockaway way out in East Brooklyn. Supposedly there's a surf spot out there that Randy wanted to check out

Call me spoiled but this beach was ugly. Randy was thinking of jumping in but since everyone was in wetsuits he figured it must've been freezing out there. He changed his mind

When we got back we were exhausted and hungry. Randy read about a restuarant called DBGB Kitchen and Bar, it was walking distance and got good reviews. This place was EXCELLENT. Fairly inexpensive too. If you're ever in the area you should check it out. I have no idea what kind of sausage Randy ordered but it was really good. They took kinda long to serve us our meal so they apologized and sent us another sausage (that I have no idea which one it was cause I couldn't understand a word our server said) that was almost as good as the first one, and also a free dessert. I was in heaven! Sorry, no pictures, Randy would've flipped out if I brought my camera there.

We have one more day in the city and we're unsure what we're gonna do. Stay tuned! Oh, yah, we're going to a Foo Fighters concert in Jersey tomorrow night! :)

It didn't rain, but....

2011-09-24T18:40:00.001-10:00

Saturday, September 24, 2011
Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Ok, so thank you to all of you who prayed to the rain gods and told them to take a break today. It was a beautiful (but very cloudy!) day out in the Bronx. Perfect day for a ballgame. Not too hot, not too cold. Except one thing. My beloved Red Sox lost a must-win game to the Yankees 9-1. It was very disappointing but we had a great time anyways. We didn't get beat up, so that's a plus!

Before we headed out to the Bronx, we woke up early and trekked over to Doughnut Plant (it's only a mile from our place so we decided to walk so we didn't feel too guilty eating it) to get our fix on their awesome doughnuts. We both had a blackout and Randy got a carrot cake doughnut to go...

At noon we took the subway out to Yankee stadium, as as we stepped off the subway, this is what we saw: ugh. Here we go...

I've been having a dilemma the last few weeks, debating whether or not I should wear my jersey to the game. I wanted to take a few pictures of Randy and I in front of Yankee stadium, me with my jersey, and Randy with my "Jesus hates the Yankees" t-shirt. We were worried that some Yankee fan would beat the crap out of us if they saw us in our Boston gear. As we got closer to the entrance we noticed that there was a good number of Red Sox fans in the house. So, the jersey stays on!

Here's the only Yankee worth mentioning...

Don't we make a lovely couple?

Randy refused to wear the shirt for longer than 5 minutes!

Chicken.

Man this place was packed!

Yaaay! Canon!

I got a little worried when we got to our seats...

They were honoring Roger Maris today and they introduced a whole bunch of people. Yogi Berra was one of them.

Funny yah?

Despite all the clouds, we had a beautiful Bronx sunset...

Michael Jordan was there!

It was almost a full house

Bummer. We got another couple of chances tomorrow. They play a double header, but we don't have tickets :( Go Red Sox!

Rain, rain, go away....

2011-09-23T16:16:00.003-10:00

Friday, September 23, 2011
Coney Island, Brighton Beach

When we woke up this morning it was significantly cooler than the past couple of days. We looked up in the sky and just knew that it was gonna pour. I guess we can't complain because it's been raining everywhere else but here, so we've been lucky. Not a good day to go to Coney Island and Brighton Beach. The rain isn't supposed to stop anytime soon so we said "what the hell..." and went anyways.

So this is what happens when two dorks on the subway get the whole car to themselves...

First stop: Coney Island to eat a Nathan's hot dog. It was a ghost town. No one in their right mind would go down there during an ugly rainy day like today. Kinda expensive too yah? $3.49 for a hot dog??

Randy is disappointed cause of the rain :(

Brighton Beach was worse! We had the whole place to ourselves...that's it. Camera goes in back in the bag after this.

After all that rain, Randy was craving a beer, or two, or three...so we hopped back on the subway back to the city to Eataly, Mario Batali's new food market. This place was awesome. It was really crowded so I didn't want to take pictures of the marketplace. I took pictures at Birreria instead...the bar on the 15th floor

Our cheese platter - Asiago, Provolone, and Gorgonzola...yummmm

The second of three cask ales. I would show you all three but you'd get bored. He said all three were good though

All gone!

We stopped for a snack at A Salt and Battery, a fish and chips place (I saw this on Throwdown with Bobby Flay and they beat him!) This was yummy!

For dinner we went down the block to a Peruvian restaurant called Mancora. I was still full from our snack so I just had a Chicken/cilantro/vegetable and rice soup, and a salad with avocado. I loved the salad dressing and the soup was ok. I didn't bring my camera cause it's still raining (DAMNIT!) and it's very cramped in there. Randy had some kind of cod dish and that was pretty good. What we really liked was some kind of deep fried plantain appetizer with a spicy green sauce to your table when you get there. That was yummy!!

Cross your fingers for tomorrow. I'm supposed to go to the Bronx to see my beloved Red Sox play the Yankees. Tonight's game got rained out. That would really suck if tomorrow gets cancelled too.

**UPDATE** Hey, do you remember that little Chinese place that we went ALL THE WAY to Flushing for? As we were walking back to the apartment, I noticed that there was the same restaurant 200 YARDS FROM OUR DOORSTEP. !!!!! Go figure. Maybe I'll get to try the oxtail noodle dish after all...

Omiyage day...

2011-09-22T16:55:00.001-10:00

Thursday, September 22, 2011
A whole bunch of places!

Today we decided to hit our favorite places to get them out of the way. After exercising in the morning (yah, since we're eating so much we gotta work some of it off), we headed off to 2nd Ave Deli for some pastrami and corned beef sandwiches. Yah, I blogged about this before but it's worth another post....

this dog was on the subway with us...cute yah?

I don't know if you can tell but the corned beef is on the left and the pastrami is on the right

Next stop: Dylan's Candy Bar!! Geez, I spent $135 dollars in there! No, not all on candy, I bought a few shirts for the family :)

Peanut Butter & Co!! I love their dark chocolate dreams peanut butter...

We had to walk home and drop off all of our loot so we took a stroll through Washington Square

Then we headed off to Ground Zero. I'm such an idiot. I really wanted to go to the memorial but I didn't realize that you needed reservations until it was too late. I guess I'll have to return again another time...These are pictures of the new buildings in progress

hey is this legal?

I tried twice to take this picture. Twice he blinked. I give up.

This place looked different. The last time we were here this mural was in a covered walkway. I can't remember what was actually there.

Back in the village in Little Italy an Italian festival was going on. LOTS of food and crafts

For Jalna....

Look at the size of those sausages!

I think these are marshmallows

Yummm...this is a couple a blocks away from our apartment. I ordered a salty pimp...Soft serve ice cream with dulce de leche, sea salt, and dipped in chocolate. I just wish the weather was cooler, the damn thing was melting on me so fast!

Down the street from the big gay ice cream place is Luke's Lobster. Randy wanted to give it a try. He said it was good.

We ended early today cause we were beat. My feet and legs are sore so we have to rest up for tomorrow. If the weather cooperates we're planning on visiting Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. See you tomorrow!

NYC day two...so far, so good, no rain! Well, maybe a little...

2011-09-21T18:34:00.009-10:00

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Flushing, Queens & Bryant Park

Anthony Bourdain once ate a cumin lamb sandwich in Flushing on his show No Reservations. He made it look so damn good Randy had to go over there and try it. For those of you who don't know, Flushing is the Chinatown of Queens. It's about a 45 min train ride from where we're staying, we practicallly got off the subway, headed to the restaurant, went back to the subway and back into Manhattan. Hahaha, yah, it was that good, and worth the trip.

Before we got to the restaurant, I stopped by this window by the train station. They were selling a bunch of food for really cheap. I bought a green onion pancake for only $1!! It wasn't that good though, it needs some kind of sauce. But hey, if you're hungry it's only a buck!

Down the street was the food court where the restaurant was. Don't blink cause you're gonna miss it! We almost did...

Only 3 bucks for the sandwich! If you like cumin, you're gonna love this sandwich. It was a little spicy I could only take a couple of bites before my mouth was on fire. A guy on Yelp recommended the noodles, they were ok. They were fresh noodles though, so that was nice. After we ordered them we saw another picture with oxtail and the noodles. We shoulda got that instead.

Back on the subway...

We stopped by Bryant Park and I noticed these old Jewish men were playing what I thought was Bacci ball (cause I'm such an expert, I've photographed an event before...hahahaha!) but I was wrong!

They were playing something called Petanque. Whatever. I think it's Bocci ball in a different language.

NY Public Library...I heard it's beautiful inside. Couldn't go in. They were closed today :(

Took some long exposure shots in Grand Central Station. I thought they came out kinda neat. The people look like ghosts!

Regular shot

We also went to see Avenue Q tonight. If you haven't seen it, you should! It's hilarious!
We did get caught in a little rain storm walking to the theatre, but when we came out, it was dry. Hope it stays that way :)

**Sorry, this stupid blog is driving me bonkers tonight. The settings just don't wanna cooperate and I'm too tired to figure it out. ugh!

NYC here I come!!

2011-09-20T19:20:00.001-10:00

Tuesdsay, September 20, 2011
Brooklyn Bridge, Greenwich Village

Ok, so we're back in New York City...one of my all time favorite places to visit....Marvin found awesome fares back in December so we both jumped at the chance to head back east (Marvin is coming up right after I fly home!)

We're renting an apartment in the village, great location but TEENY-TINY!! Oh my gawwd, I knew it was gonna be small, but not this small!!

We didn't wanna stay in the apartment too long, we'd get claustrophobic. After we settled in, we went to Lombardi's pizza for lunch...YUMMMMMM! But I didn't bring my camera with me. I was too tired to drag it along. We came back to nap then headed out again, this time to get some night shots of the Brooklyn Bridge.

It was a cloudy night so I kinda like the way these came out. It kinda sucked that I didn't have a tripod and I was on a bridge that was shaking!

We looked at the time and noticed that it was 9:30 already and we haven't eaten dinner yet. We went back to the village to Employees Only (This is a great bar that my co-worker Stoja recommends, they have awesome Pisco Sours!) to grab a drink before dinner then headed across the street to Cowgirl. It was a cute restaurant, they serve a lot of comfort food. I ate the mac and cheese, and Randy had the chicken fried chicken. I didn't take any pics of the food, sorry, but I did get a picture of my yummmmy prickly pear margarita! Aren't those little cows the cutest??

Ok, it's 1:00 in the morning, time for me to get some sleep. It's supposed to thunderstorm tomorrow :( Wish me luck!

Poor doggy...

2011-09-16T16:01:00.005-10:00

I don't normally post you tube videos two days in a row but I thought this was really cute...this dog really wanted this "man" to throw the stick for him!

Bosox fans are the best!

2011-09-14T20:54:00.004-10:00

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook...so cute. It was Disability Awareness Day at Fenway Park and the awesome fans at Fenway helped out this one boy as he struggled through the national anthem...

Kohailani

2011-09-12T15:00:00.000-10:00

Sunday, September 11, 2011
Kalihi Valley

Kohailani was born on June 23 to proud parents Fredee and La'anui. When Fredee asked me to take her baby pics I jumped at the chance cause it was another opportunity for Jalna and I to bus' out her beanies and headbands! Poor Kohailani, she was a trooper, even when Jalna shoved the beanies on her head that didn't quite fit right...

She looks just like her daddy!!

She realllly didn't like this one! hahaha!

Here she is with big brothers Brody and Brayton. And, no, I still can't tell them apart.

Remembering 9/11...

2011-09-11T18:50:00.000-10:00

September 19, 2001
New York City

I had flew into New Jersey from Boston on September 8, 2001 and I wasn't scheduled to start work until that following Friday, the 14th. Since I had some time on my hands I made plans to meet up with a friend of mine in Washington DC to do some shopping and hang out. So I left early Tuesday morning and headed off to Washington DC. I was listening to CDs since I didn't wanna bother looking for a good radio station. A few hours into my drive my sister had called me and asked me if I was still planning on my road trip. I said yeah, and that I was half way there. She said "I think you should turn around, the World Trade Center is on fire..." then I said "but that's in the opposite direction." "But the pentagon is on fire too..." I hung up with her and drove back to New Jersey.

I started work that Friday and it was really somber. My shifts were Fri-Mon so I had Tues-Thurs off. I had made some friends early and I asked them if they wanted to go with me to the city to check it out. Here's what I saw:

Union Square -- memorial for the victims

Ironically, I'm flying out on September 19 back to NYC...

Mr. and Mrs. Austin Yoshino...

2011-09-04T12:48:00.003-10:00

Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Waikiki Edition Hotel (or is it the Modern?? who knows!?!)
Honolulu

Today was finally the big day for Haunani and Austin's wedding. Considering all the fiasco that went on this week, the wedding was a big success. If you haven't heard about the hostile takeover of The Edition hotel, you can read about it here. Think of this while you're reading...this all happened ABOUT 5 DAYS BEFORE HER WEDDING...can you imagine the stress?? Poor Haunani. I wouldn't wish that on anybody!

Since I had to work that morning I wasn't able to assist Jalna in the getting ready pics. Be sure to check out her blog to see the behind the scenes shots!

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Yoshino!!!

We rented a suite at the Ilikai next door so we didn't have to drive home...what a beautiful view from our lanai!!!

The early arrivers...

The mommies to be!

Our infamous "Yeoh Girls" shot...too bad Haunani and Kris couldn't be in the picture :(

Our first ever "Yeoh Boys" pic!!

I love this picture...

What we woke up to this morning...

Blackberries!

2011-08-29T07:08:00.000-10:00

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Blackberries grow wild around the neighborhood where Debbie lives. The family was coming over dinner tonight so Debbie wanted to make some blackberry cobbler thingy, so off to blackberry picking we go!!

We picked two containers of these!

Even lavender grows wild!

It was a foggy day in Seattle...

We thought we were done picking, but apparently not...Debbie kept finding more and more berries to pick!

Brian picked his share

Her blackberry cobbler thingy!

Viola!

Frito gets a spa day

2011-08-28T12:27:00.001-10:00

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Meet Frito. He is Debbie and Brian's "terrier and somethin mix" (he was adopted from the pet rescue center so who knows what else he is??). It was bath and brush teeth day and he was so cute I had to snatch some pics...

I Heart Josh Groban...

2011-08-27T22:01:00.000-10:00

Saturday, August 27, 2011
Key Arena, Seattle

So tonight was the big night. The reason why I flew up to Seattle in the first place. I came to see my future husband Josh Groban play at the Key Arena. I joined the fan club so I could get pre-sale tickets, luckily I scored the 6th row!! I was so excited. One problem, they don't allow flash photography or "professional" cameras. I took a chance. I put on a big baggy jacket and hid my camera underneath. I breezed through gate and got to my seat, but there were security guards everywhere! I was freaking out for most of the concert, but once the lights went out and everyone started taking pictures I snuck out my baby and started shooting. I'm so glad I did. I was only able to bring my 85mm, it's one of smallest lenses I have. My pictures didn't come out as close as I had liked but luckily the 5D is AWESOME when it comes to cropping. Thanks to all of you who talked me into buying this!!!

This is Elew. Have you heard of him? I haven't. He is an INCREDIBLE piano player, and also Josh's opening act.

Ichiro!

2011-08-26T21:08:00.005-10:00

Friday, August 27, 2011
Safeco Field, Seattle

Aloha from Seattle! I'm here for a quick trip, Josh Groban is playing at Key Arena tomorrow night...and the groupie that I am decided to fly up for the concert :) We're staying with Randy's cousin Debbie and her husband Brian. They're big Mariners fans, and since the White Sox were in town it was a perfect chance to catch a game. Lucky us, we scored fleece blankets since we were one of the first so-many-thousands of fans that made it to the game!

Here's Randy with his free blanket :)

This place was kinda neat. It was a bar underneath the scoreboard, looking over the field. You're allowed to sit her for an hour during the game and then you gotta move to let someone else get a chance to watch from there

We got seats in the "Ichiro" section, out in right field. I finally had a chance to try out my new 1.4 extender. Not bad!

Stolen base!

Haunani & Austin's engagement party

2011-08-21T09:29:00.004-10:00

Saturday, Aug 20, 2011

Kris' place...

Haunani and Austin are getting married in a couple of weeks so a few of my co-workers planned an 80's themed engagement party for them. I can't believe everyone could actually find stuff out there to wear! (or are they just can't let go of their wardrobes of the past??) Everyone had a blast, can't wait for the wedding!!

Don't forget to check out Jalna's blog later on tonight for more party pics!

Jay is such a good sport, can you believe he actually walked into Foodland looking like this?!?!

Jalna didn't come dressed up so Haunani had something ready for her to wear...

HAHAHAHAAA!!

party'd out...

Brittney's Graduation Party

2011-08-09T20:58:00.002-10:00

Sunday, August 7, 2011
Aloha Tower

Brittney is my co-worker Greg's step-daughter...she recently graduated from Castle High School and soon she'll be off to UH Hilo to study pharmacy. Congratulations Brittney!

Check out her middle name!! Holy Moly!!

Baby Eden

2011-08-01T19:30:00.000-10:00

Sunday, July 31, 2011
Mililani

My co-worker Lorene's friend Aimee recently gave birth to baby Eden. She's gonna be 5 months soon, and she asked Jalna and I if we could take some pictures for her. We jumped at the chance since it's another excuse try out Jalna's new hats! Make sure you check out Jalna's blog for her pics...

Thanks for the wonderful umbrella (hey, we're getting better at this!) and your awesome beanies Jalna!!

Dylan goes to the Pali Lookout...

2011-07-31T10:08:00.000-10:00

Thursday, July 28, 2011
Pali Lookout

Ok, so here's how the story went..."Eh, Aunty Leslie, can you take me to the Pali Lookout?" "Sure Dylan, when do you want to go?" "Oh, you can take me tomorrow." "Ok, I'll come and get you after work..."

So, I drove from town to Kailua to pick up Dylan, drove back to town to go to the Pali Lookout...drove back to Kailua to drop him off, then drove back to town to go home. WE STAYED THERE FOR ALL OF 15 MINUTES. Damn kid.

Here he is with his bag of toys. Who knows why he insisted on bringing this with him. He never even opened it. Aunty Leslie had to carry it for 10 of the 15 minutes that we were there.

As usual, it was pretty windy when we got there

Happy Birthday Nikola!!

2011-07-25T20:22:00.000-10:00

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Waimanalo

Nikola turned one yesterday! Friends and family celebrated in HOT Waimanalo...thank goodness for the pavilion and the slight breeze!

Kaden and all his relatives!

2011-07-17T23:18:00.010-10:00

Sunday, July 17, 2011
Baby Makapuu

Ok, try to keep up with me....this can get pretty confusing...

This is Laura and her husband Greg. Laura is the cousin of my friend Jenny (Sister Stamps, see previous post!). I've known Laura since elementary school, she used to live a few houses down the street from my parents when we were little. We'd always go over to her house after school to play around....thank goodness for Facebook, I haven't seen her since high school I think!!
This is Laura's baby sister Michelle, her husband Zaid, and their son Kaden. Kaden will be turning one on Tuesday and they flew down from California to celebrate his birthday.
Grandma Nasreen, Grandpa Syed and Uncle Asad also flew down for the celebration, along with Aunty Lucylle, Uncle Brian and Uncle David (Laura's younger brother). Grampa Larry and Gramma Arleen still live in Kailua...

Ok now to meet the family:

I thought these pictures were adorable!!

Okay, here's your test: name all the members of the family and how they are related. :)

Sister Stamps Release!!

2011-06-22T17:46:00.004-10:00

Jenny, my girlfriend for about a hundred years is starting up a new company with her very talented sister Denise selling stamps!! These are the cutest things...Jenny has been blogging about Denise's drawings for awhile now and she got such fantastic feedback they decided to market it. You can check out Jenny's blog or the new Sister Stamps blog to find out more information. If you go to the Sister Stamps blog, you can also try your luck at winning some blog candy!!

CONGRATULATIONS JENNY AND DENISE!!! :)

Congratulations Justin!

2011-06-20T19:39:00.021-10:00

Sunday, June 19, 2011
Hawaii Okinawan Center

Justin is my co-worker Iris' nephew. He just graduated from Mid-Pacific Institute and will be heading off to Kansas in the fall to start his freshman year at college. This was one HA-UGE graduation party. I think there were about 500 people there (yikes! I don't even know 500 people!!) to help him celebrate. Here he is with his hard working mom Renee...I have no idea how she pulled this one off!

Justin was selected to an unheard of 3 years All-State baseball team (supposedly the first 3-year recipient from Mid-Pac!). For being such an accomplished athlete, and still a teenager, I was VERY impressed how humble and polite he was. I've met him before but only in passing, so I never really talked to him. When I showed up to the party he approached me to thank me and give me a hug. So cute yah? I had to take pictures of him with all of his guests and he never complained once nor did he seem like he was bored or annoyed. His mom and dad must be very proud...

Renee and her crew made 600 cake pops!! Geez, I guess I can't complain anymore about having to make too many pops!

There was also a candy "bar"

Plus all the favors and centerpieces...

Da Bruddahs

Let's hear it for the bartenders!!

There were waay too many pictures to post so if you want to see the rest of the pics (or look for your own), go here.