Spam and Uggs: There and Back Again

A Hawaii transplant that lived it up on the East Coast for 15 years (Boston and Stamford, CT) before finally moving back to paradise. I used to write about food, books, adventures in CT and NYC, products I love, and the oxford comma. Now I write mostly about my baby girl but am trying to become more well rounded again. Feel free to email me at [email protected].

[hawaiigurlinct]

I’ve moved!

I’ve moved! Come check out my new home at http://hawaiigirlstories.com

[hawaiigurlinct]

It took us 3 weeks to find a time when we both were free, the kids had no evening obligations and there were willing babysitters... but we finally got to celebrate our anniversary. #happylucky13 #2nddatenightsinceLiam #rollinghomenow (at Sushi Murayama) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1X9XerjFdiKAWfcgKh_PZMNrzC4kJOvyku_ro0/?igshid=1d4mddzi1vh3j

[hawaiigurlinct]

Ooh that was bad...

I really want to get back in the habit of posting on here because it is such a good way to have a family scrap book that we can look back on... but I haven’t really done that yet. So I was surprised when I received an email from Tumblr telling me a post had been flagged for adult content. Since that was news to me I went to investigate and appeal, which I did but not before releasing the post in question. It was an ode to my (still) favorite sushi restaurant. But omg what a boring post with probably about 20 pictures of blurry pieces of nigiri. I don’t actually know how this adult content finder works but if it is done by human complaints versus bots I feel it was probably the only way a person could complain about just how bad my post was. I do think I’ve gotten a lot better since those early days so I really should get back online to prove it (and I realize writing this equally boring post will not cut it).

But in closing... the post may have been crap but the sushi wasn’t, so if you are ever in New York, stop in at Sushi Yasuda (I mean make a reservation first, no shot you can be a walk in) for the best sushi ever!

[hawaiigurlinct]

Happiest 4 months to the happiest and chillest baby I know. We love you Li-Li.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1VT4Ypja1_IK_jOgHTTCycLQ9ZbtnczDPU0kE0/?igshid=1bdfplcj6sgpx

[hawaiigurlinct]

#ootd party at the top, casual on the bottom (and a friend to hug). Pretty much my go to outfit at night in college: get half dressed until the decision was made to stay in or go out. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1UaSvsDEJv_nCbzN6g7za9SYE9ta-cwCsHBss0/?igshid=2mp6rt2mw1iy

[hawaiigurlinct]

Happy 196 months of dating... And 13 years of marriage! Four homes, 3 cats, 2 kids and a literal cross the country move later, who would have guessed that a decision to be lazy and skip out on sightseeing with the group in order to nom fish and chips and enjoy the lower UK legal drinking age in a random hotel pub would eventually lead to this crazy, wonderful life. #herestoanother196months https://www.instagram.com/p/B0hJ0M5DtiUBdpB3ltfVcn1k6qyAOegz0Zdjko0/?igshid=1tephealknj1v

[hawaiigurlinct]

So thankful for Emma’s old preschool! A couple days after I got home from the hospital with a preemie that had lost a scary amount of weight and had to be fed by a syringe around the clock in hopes of bringing his weight around*, I realized that Liam’s early birth also meant I’d need to be back at work 5 weeks earlier than I planned... and right as Emma’s summer school was ending. The last thing I wanted to deal with at the time was to also figure out what to do with my rambunctious 5-year-old for a month.

So so so happy that Emma was able to go back to the school she had been at since she was 2 years old! I’m relieved that I can just fall back into our old routine for one more month and Emma is thrilled to be back with her friends and teachers she adores before having to face the scary world of Kindergarten. ♥️♥️♥️

*note: hilarious to think about now that his weight is 97th percentile adjusted and 75th percentile unadjusted

[hawaiigurlinct]

Life is better when a friend comes to do tummy time with you. In other news, who would have thought it would be the evil cat that would turn out to be a baby whisperer. #carpetstainscourtesyofcrappypreviousrenters https://www.instagram.com/p/B0e7OBqjrJynzdzASrLlFlEJkJKex2GQ8Zl2y80/?igshid=52efyrd8f7im

[hawaiigurlinct]

Freedom!!! https://www.instagram.com/p/BzJU82wDkgtuECRwEo2dVgaIDbK8jwgdCXFdF80/?igshid=f1n3khyzhe8q

[hawaiigurlinct]

Phew! The day I was both dreading and eagerly waiting for has come and gone and Liam’s inguinal hernia has been repaired! 😅 He has to stay overnight at the hospital since he’s under 50 weeks of gestational age but seems to be handling everything like a champ. So thankful for the amazing doctors and nurses at Kapiolani, my mom for taking care of Emma while we were here all day and Ryan who is still running around on the various errands I sent him on (like picking up a subway sandwich for my dinner! 😋) while I now just get to relax and make myself at home in Liam’s new digs for the next 12 hours. https://www.instagram.com/p/BzHos9EjtAZiK5l6FUsNSzI8zhNypr8nBNWITE0/?igshid=e2g3snd91jzy

[hawaiigurlinct]

Emma is notorious for making up stories (like the time her entire preschool class thought we were on our way to Japan for a 1 month vacation... which was news to me!) so when she told me she was one of only two kids speaking at graduation I was half super proud and half doubtful that the story was even true. But my girl rocked her introduction to the class’s rendition of “Do a Deer”! #proudmama #graduation2019

[hawaiigurlinct]

My dad half thought I was kidding when I invited him to Emma’s preschool graduation... but the whole thing was certainly no joke.... it was a months in the making program by the students and teachers and at least a couple days in the making by the parents who had to, in true aloha spirit, make sure that their kid had enough leis to give out to their 15 classmates and all the teachers in attendance.

And after months of practicing (they sang 4 songs and had a dress change into their robes), a slide show presentation (which unfortunately went down half way through as Vimeo crashed nationwide... real nice Vimeo!), parent speakers, etc. it was all over and I was left holding a bag full of leis and attempting not to cry at leaving the school that had been a home away from home for Emma for the last three years. Emma’s been at her daycare/preschool since May 2016 right before she turned 2. During that time she made great friends (whose parents became my friends) and learned so much academically as well as about herself (as this is really where she started developing her hilarious, overly self-confident, smart-alecky self). Boy, if I’m a sap now for a 4-year-old graduation, I’ll be completely crazy in 13 years when she graduates high school.

So for all you 2019 Graduates (and parents!) whether it is college, high school or even preschool... just remember:

You’re off to great places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So... Get on your way!

[hawaiigurlinct]

And with that, Emma’s first hula performance is in the books… and yes, she is the only child that waved… 🤦‍♀️🤣🤷‍♀️ (at Royal Hawaiian Center)

[hawaiigurlinct]

Helpful resume tips

If you are applying for a job in Hawaii, do not have the background of your resume be a big script font that reads “Aloha!”... in pink font no less.

I felt I was in Legally Blond with Elle Woods giving me a pink and scented resume.

Don’t. Just don’t.

I also don’t need a resume that looks like a headshot. I would make fun of you for applying for an accounting job with that resume if you were good looking. But when your picture looks like every bad stereotype of an accountant I’m just left wondering.... why???

[hawaiigurlinct]

It was a rough morning for Emma as she had to decide which princess she wanted to be for Prince and Princess day at school today before finally settling on the one that came with a musical instrument. 😳😬 #sorryteachers!

[hawaiigurlinct]

Hello world!

I’ve wondered from time to time what to do with this space, because I love being able to look back on my time on the East Coast, young, no kids, living up the newly(ish) married life with Ryan without worries like Children and a crippling Hawai’i house mortgage. But I never seem to get back in the swing of things. I guess we’ll give it another go and see how long I stick to it this time around.

So what’s up with me?

1) I’m pregnant. I guess it only took us 8 months to make that happen, which isn’t long in the big scheme of things but man was it heartbreaking (I had three miscarriages before this little nugget stuck around). Baby boy is coming at the end of May and I’m both beyond thrilled and terrified about juggling one more obstacle/schedule/person.

2) It’s kindergarten admissions times. This is the worst thing ever. Public schools are really bad here, causing a vicious cycle of everyone scrimping and saving whatever money they can afford to send their kids to a private school. But before you can do that, your 4 year old has to impress a series of educators and admissions heads by being the smartest, cutest, most articulate kid ever. And it’s not just the kid, Ryan and I have had to write essay questions and go to our own interviews as well. It’s the worst. The application process starts in October and you don’t get acceptance or rejection letters until April. Have I mentioned it’s the worst?

3) I got selected to be a part of this leadership program at work. It’s super impressive and people would kill to be in my shoes. The reason I bring this up is not to brag on here but because before you can “graduate” at the end of the program you have to work on, turn in and present a huge capstone project over the summer. And you know how I’m giving birth in May... guess when my maternity leave is? Yup, over the summer. Work was super accommodating and gave me three options: 1) I could drop out with no hard feelings - ummm no! As I said people would kill to be in my shoes. 2) I could drop out of this year’s program and automatically get a spot saved on next year’s program - not horrible but the program started in August so I already have put in 6 months of the program and juggling my regular job on top of it. It has been exhausting and I really don’t want to do it again. Or 3) continue as planned... aka maternity leave will also be capstone project time. That’s the one I decided to go with. Scary (especially since Emma will be home a lot during this time too) but I guess working on the project will help my mind not turn to mush at the end of this. And how did I find myself in this predicament? Like why didn’t I just wait a few more months before trying to get knocked up? Well, after 8 months of tears and either negative pregnancy tests or miscarriages, we were ready to get fertility help. My appointment was already scheduled when I found myself sitting in my boss’s office as he told me the amazing news about getting selected for the program. I sat there barely listening because in my mind I was changing priorities... telling myself that this would be good, I could take a break from all the stress of getting pregnant and just focus on my career for a little bit. Geesh, that line people tell you, how you get pregnant when you stop trying... it’s infuriating but it’s true.... found out I was pregnant the day of my first program meeting.

4) Emma’s teacher told us that Emma is one of the best negotiators she’s ever met... heads above her peers. When we asked what she meant by this it turns out Emma was negotiating with the teacher what type of school work to do that day. Great, can’t wait for her teenage years. So there’s that.

5) I’m really obsessed with eating at hot pot restaurants right now. Yum!

Lastly, as an anecdote... what is up with Tumblr flagging random posts as adult content posts and hiding them? Does this happen to a lot of people? They flagged 3 of my posts from forever ago. One was a “catch up on my summer of 2015” post that had crazy content such as... I went to my grandma’s birthday party, my baby took swimming lessons and I made the newspaper for doing community service. Gasp! Another showed my sister eating food in Epcot and the last one was a picture of a guy making me a sub and the whites house sub shop (oh I miss those subs). Anyway, just figured I would have been flagged for something a little more risky like a political post or being in a swimsuit.

[hawaiigurlinct]

That kid, man... most of the time drives me crazy but then does something out of the blue like this morning when she asked me to send a letter to the North Pole. I rolled my eyes thinking it was an advance on next years’ Christmas list but it turns out she had written some additional thank you letters that we hadn’t asked her to do. She’s apparently now working on thank you letters to my co-workers (which sorry friends... I wasn’t even going to do 😳🤣). #lovethiskid https://www.instagram.com/p/BsLxslMgNybFymtqtdQaotHk59XISzoE8lJgGA0/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=okihpd8zmd0k