Linda/Mapuana
Family
Fun
Work
Kids are grown and have left the nest; made families and homes of their own. Three beautiful granddaughters are welcome addition - keeping it lively! Daughter Melaney and grand daughter Rachel are planning their first visit to the islands next month - look for a full report with pictures!
Parents are doing well - camping in warm months and pursuing part-time work and computer hobbies during cold winter months.
Siblings have managed to carve out interesting lives for themselves - some have moved far from the nest while others are hovering nearby....
We're all in touch via email and telephones, and we've recently tapped into Classmates.com where we found a ton of our old friends from way back when!
Hula continues to be inspiring; all Hawaiian & Polynesian cultural issues are most interesting and still provide boundless areas to pursue. Hawaiiana and Polynesian library continues to grow, as do our music and video libraries. Settling in to our new home in Hawaii has also meant another opportunity to decorate! Lauhala mats, masks, Hawaiian prints and mother's precious needlework all adorn the walls of our beloved "paradise palace."*
Great neighbors and new friends keep us hopping from event to event - we don't have time to get bored with all this socializing!
Weekends we're found hiking, riding our bikes, barbecuing on the beach or out there just flying the proverbial kites! Otherwise, just getting brown and staying warm.
*Update: tired of renting, we purchased a new home and it's been a labor of love decorating island style, and creating a wonderful garden retreat for fabulous nights under the Hawaiian stars!
Upon relocating to O'ahu, had to leave behind the career with ExecuTrain as a desktop applications instructor. Managed to secure a nice position with the Kamehameha Schools as a systems analyst. Met some terrific folks there, who made a match with the Ohana Foundation...
Got a wonderful offer from O. F., just prior to K.S. contract's end, so gainful employment continues in Honolulu as a Production Manager for one of the 3 main pipelines into the Ohana Collection of interactive educational DVDs. Certainly challenging but definitely a growth spurt for me.
Update: after 9/11, Ohana's doors closed, just days before we were to close on our new home. After considering our options, we decided to stay on Oahu, and I found new work as the Office Manager at a small company specializing in sales and service of wheelchairs, scooters, power chairs, and adaptive equipment for vehicles.
Very interesting work, and we're loving our life and our new home in paradise!
Dwayne/Kuane
Family
Fun
Work
Parents are doing fine - dad is looking forward to retirement soon; plans to do some traveling and enjoy life for a change! Mom's doing well - has become very active in her church; hobbies include new friends, computer dabbling and sticking to her non-smoking campaign.
Siblings - brother in far off land has done well - his girls are both looking at college and he's looking for new work challenges. Sister #1 still lives in the south and works for/with her church full time. Sister#2 just broke her arm - poor thing! Sister #3 is pretty busy with the boys.
We hear from them often with email and phone calls.
Fun is living in Hawaii with my beautiful wife! After 3 years of working 3 jobs, we're finally "livinit" in paradise (got a license plate now that reads "LIVINIT" too). Fun is hanging out on the beach on a warm October day and playing "UNO" with my wife and getting my butt beat every game! (She must be cheating!)
Our first Christmas holidays were pretty amazing - a huge social event here in our neighborhood where everyone got into the spirit with a ga-zillion lights - even decorating the grass with lights! We were stunned, but delighted when all neighbors spent much time outside every evening admiring their handiwork - much Aloha evident there.
Finally found a job I'm really suited for - challenging and fast paced - fitting customers to the lumber of their dreams. Honsador Lumber is one of the largest lumber sales companies in the islands - and I feel right at home with them. Even learning new computer tricks and studying my wife's notes from her teaching days...huge help with keeping all of my contracts up and running. Great prospects on the horizon keep me pretty busy...
Love not having to get up early on weekends - balancing work and play makes working a lot more meaningful and being able to live in Hawaii makes it all very gratifying.
