A houseful of aloha.

Yesterday was a great day in our house!

It was my mom's birthday and I was able to be on the phone with her when she opened her present, a boxed set of Unsolved Mysteries. She loved it and told me, "You definitely know me!" That is wonderful praise, because my mom has always been tough to shop for. She doesn't have many hobbies, having devoted herself so wholly to her work most of her life. It absolutely made my heart light up to know that she was so pleased with her gift.

a beautiful protea arrangement straight from Hawaii

And speaking of my mother, a box of flowers arrived from my parents. A protea arrangement from Hawaii! They're in a beautiful woven palm basket that will dry and be something we can always keep. I remember dried palm baskets in my parents' house growing up, and it is so wonderful to have one to have in my home now. My dad is Hawaiian by blood, born and raised there, and my mom was raised there. We never lived there as a family, but often visited family still on the islands. I haven't been able to take my own family there... yet! Someday. Hawaii is such a wonderful part of my heritage and culture, and while I do what I can from where we are, I regret that I'm not able to pass along more of it to my children. I just hope the day comes before it's too late and it's lost on them!

The final aloha blessing in our house yesterday was being able to spend time with family and friends. Levi's brother and his wife were able to come for a short visit. It is always wonderful to see them! Her family is from North Carolina so they were able to move down here a few years ago, and while we don't get to see them very often, it is nice to have some family that we can see more than once a year or so. The rest of our immediate family is all located in the north east, a long 16+ hour drive away. In addition to the in-laws, some close family friends came over with their kids. We always have such a great time with them! They're also military and will be leaving the area later next year. It's been so hard to watch friends go over the years, but I will have a particularly tough time saying goodbye to this family. But enough of that now. They're not leaving yet so no point dwelling on it and ruining my good mood rolled over from yesterday's fun!