currents

eating : ruffles ridges
drinking : monster instead of coffee today
listening : to other people's conference calls through cubicle walls
reading : ridiculous emails from clients
thinking : it's time to take out christmas decorations
wanting : to make time for christmas crafting and baking this year
feeling : like procrastinating
needing : to kill off inbox before the holidays

What is current for you today?

Californification

UrbanDictionary.com definition of Californification: the act of becoming Californian.

In 2003, after moving to the mainland, it was time for new beginnings. Nani girl left Hawaii behind only 2 months after she was born. But now she has grandparents and uncles and aunties to shower attention on her chubby little baby self. We lived with my parents while trying to decide what part of Southern California we wanted to call home next.

We also spent many weekends visiting family in San Diego that year. Adventures in Legoland, Sea World and Wild Animal Park began. Lots of good times hanging out, grubbing and laughing late at night at the Filipino subtitles. All the more reason I'm sure we eventually decided to settle here.

In memory of

Right after Kaila was born, we took her on her first trip to the mainland. We visited family in California and did the typical tourist attractions ... Hollywood, Disneyland, Santa Monica and Rainforest Cafe was a highlight.

That same year, mom and dad came to do some island hopping with us. Kauai, Big Island, Maui. The Pacific's Grand Canyon was a sight to see for sure.

It was the first time we met Lauren. Sharing our love of island life ... surfing, luaus, bbqs and lots of eating out. Lots of beach time equals really tanned skin ... Moi and Kaila were the darkest ever that summer.

The year 2002 was also a time of remembrance. Grandma will always be in our hearts. That year, we spent some good times visiting every other weekend or so. It was quite joyful for Kaila and her great grandma to spend quality time together.

It was the year 2001

Turning back the clock 10 whole years ... Baby's First Luau, Sears Portrait Studios and Oceans! Memories are a definite bonus from my work in cleaning out and organizing my scrapbook layouts. Some of these friends we are still close to, some we are not. Living in a different place. Working at different jobs. Being a family of just 3. It's great how our lives are built in chapters. These chapters are worth rereading from time to time. Grateful for these chapters, for these memories and for those that have been a part of our lives as we lived out chapter 2001.

What were you doing in the year 2001? Want to take a walk down memory lane too?

Taking LESS to the scrapbooks

A couple of months left of the year, a couple months left to focus on LESS. I finally went through all the layouts completed for the last ... oh ... 10 years or so. Can you believe I've been scrapbooking for more than 10 years?!? Me neither.

Taking them all out, sorting them by year, finally putting on the final touches on a few unfinished layouts. Talk about procrastinating ... waiting years to journal, to glue on the final touches and to put them into an actual album. LESS means tossing one here and there that were never going to get finished. Never meant to be.

I also realized there were some years that I scrapbooked way more than others. Was there more life to live in 2007 than any other year? Over 80 pages versus other years where 10 or 20 was all I got done. I think I used to scrap anything and everything and now I'm more focused on scrapping only the ones that really inspire me. LESS in scrapbooking means what matters most, enjoying the process and just caring less about the rest that I may never get to.

What does scrapbooking mean to you?

I just want to create something!

source

With the holidays around the corner, I am seeing way too much inspiration. (Even the blog is ready. hah.) Oh what fun it would be to just create beautiful things ... just have to remember that everything I've saved in my phone, starred in my blogreader or pinned on pinterest is not a to-do item. Fun ideas are fun! I guess this is one time where LESS need not apply.

It was a happy Halloween!

Kids had so much fun this year. Even Lena who was sick came out of her funk and enjoyed a little bit of trick or treating. But ... she did not want to pose for pics though. Perfect segue to the story of her funk ... Sunday as we were shopping for costumes, we had the most embarassing mommy moment ever!!!! In Joann's at the cash register with a line full of people, my poor baby got sick all over herself, me, my aunt and the floor. Not just a little sick ... a lot sick, gushing. I could not get out of there fast enough! Probably will avoid Joann's for a while. So so embarassing!!!!

Ekolu Kai Mini Take Two!

The mini album continues with more favorite pics of the girls. I might be biased but I feel pretty lucky to have such great models for testing out my amateur photography skills.

My reason for scrapbooking

Ekolu Kai. Ekolu meaning 3 and Kai is the beginning of their names ... they make me happy.

Every year for the past 5 years now we have been participating in Ever After's Survivor Crop. We stay up for 24 hours to raise money for Susan G Komen's Breast Cancer Foundation. Make n takes are part of the event and this is my twist on the minibook we created there. Breast cancer can and probably has touched us all in one way or another. It's a good reminder to get our mammograms and live life fully as we never know what surprises life may bring us.

What better way to remind myself to live life to the fullest than these 3?

The 3 C's ...

... of life speaks to me. You're probably wondering why I chose to start over with this blog. In the year of less, I felt it appropriate to have less in my digital life. Would like to focus on real life now, scrapbooking it more and enjoying it more.

I'm making a choice to take a chance in order to change.
What change means to me right now ...
*less emotional (do I really have to act so tough to avoid hurt?)
*less fearful (try to avoid insecurities about what others think)
*less busy (if I'm spending quality time with the kids, does anything else matter?)
*less productive (things will not be better after my work is done, things are good right now!)

This might take me right out of my comfort zone ... but isn't that what taking chances is all about?