My Grams was laid to rest

Posted on June 14, 2020 by tairaxo

Winona Joyce Moanikeala Wedemeyer Gaison
Sept 8, 1936- May 18, 2020

If you follow my blog you know that while my daughter was in the hospital, my grandma passed away. There have been so many emotions that I really wasn’t even going to post about it. But this is a sort of diary for me, and a lot of what I post is so that I have these memories to look back on.

My grandma was an amazing, strong woman who lived her life for her family. My cousins and I are so tight that we’ve never spent more than a month without a gathering. We all talk to each other all the time and make sure that we let each other know that we are always here for one another. That’s the family that she raised. Family first… period!

She left a really big family behind. In her life she was able to be a part of the lives for her 5 of her children, 13 grand children, 21 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren. Interestingly I am the oldest of the grands, my son is the oldest of the greats and my granddaughter is the oldest of the great-greats.

Back row: my dad, my dads gf, Maui (my oldest son), Kūha’o (my youngest son), Kahele,
Front: my oldest daughter tea, Tatum ( granddaughter), Kayla (my DIL), Me, Aria (my youngest in front of me)

My grandma lost her oldest son around 25 years ago and her husband (my grandfather) a little over 12 years ago. She lived a long life full of experiences and able to watch her family grow. But, the first thing that came to mind after the shock that she was gone was, now she’s with my uncle and papa… and it warms my heart to think that.

This is the wreath from the grand children, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. The 3 hearts represent us.

We were so blessed to be able to celebrate her life as a family with a full service during this pandemic. There are some who I’ve heard were not able to give their loved ones a proper service a month or so ago. The family on the mainland were able to fly in to Hawaii and do their 14 day mandatory quarantine in able to join the service. There still was social distancing, which we weren’t too worried about because everyone was really careful and followed the rules during quarantine.

Uncle led kaapana played his Slack-key during the viewing and long after for the family to enjoy.

The turn out was actually more than I thought it would be. This is how my family is… even our second, third and fourth cousins are all close and showed up. It was truly a day full of blessings. The weather was beautiful, the flower arrangements were beautiful, just the overall mood was bittersweet and BEAUTIFUL. The love that surrounded my family that day was present and we all knew it was grams and papa showering the love onto us.

After the burial we all headed to her home, a place where she’s lived all my life and where my family has built a lifetime of memories. We drank, shared stories, drank, laughed, cried, drank, sang and just had the best time together. Yesterday was another story… woke up with a headache, slept, ate, slept… I really paid for that good time I had!

Clockwise starting from front: cousins: Alohi, Kapu, Tiana, Kahiki, my sister Tasha and me far right.

These four are all the same age and the same grade so we refer to them as “the four”

The kids started falling asleep so we waited for our designated drivers and had to eventually end the most perfect day.

I’m going to link her favorite song here. It’s such a perfect song for her and her life so we played it during the service. Enjoy!

Grams favorite song

Beach and a good book! Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Posted on June 14, 2019 by tairaxo

When I’m at the beach I love to read a good book. I find me a nice space in the shade and get comfy with my book. This week the kids really wanted to go to the beach, so we took a little drive to the North Shore. The weather was perfect! I chose to start Nine Perfect Strangers. I’m a huge fan of Liane Moriarty and this book did not disappoint. If you enjoy her books… you will love this one. And I have to say, it was the perfect summer/ beach read.

No one better than daddy to go to the beach with. I’ll give him that one, Im not a fan of the beach and hate the sand, so daddy wins over mommy there! He will let her bury him for hours if she wanted.

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer! I know most of us are working during the summer, but I hope everyone can find some time to do something fun!

Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden

Posted on May 28, 2019 by tairaxo

Over the weekend we took our 3 year old to Ho’omaluhia in Kaneohe. She loves to go to the lake and feed the ducks and fish. Its a beautiful place and great for families to have a relaxing time without costing anything.

It’s a little bit of a walk to get down to the lake but along the way you’re shaded with trees and the chirping of birds. There’s something about being surrounded by nature and the sounds of nature that is an instantaneously calming on the spirit.

It was such a hot day! It’s been really hot and muggy here lately. We only spent about an hour before we couldn’t handle the heat any longer. On our way back we took our time and learned about some of the different plants. Aria was complaining about her legs being sore, so the lucky bugger got to ride on daddy’s shoulders.

A field trip to the Honolulu Zoo

Posted on May 24, 2019 by tairaxo

Yesterday we took our class on a field trip to the Honolulu Zoo. It was probably the hottest it’s been all school year (just our luck), but it was a fun time. Our zoo is nothing like those of San Diego or the Bronx. It’s pretty small but for kids who were born and raised here, just to see a real life elephant is pretty amazing.

We made these cute books for the kids. In the book we’re pictures and fun facts of the animals and a little box for them to check off each animal they’d seen.

Around the half way point we were all pretty tired and drained, so we took a little snack and beverage break and saw these cute little birds. Not too sure what they’re called though?

We finally got to the Keiki zoo where the kids were able to get up close and personal with some of the farm animals. This was the perfect ending to our day.

It’s like this goat was posing for a photo. So cute!

SOME WEEKEND PICS

Posted on March 28, 2017 by tairaxo

On Sunday we celebrated 2 of our nephews (Kanaloa and Kahaku) birthdays at Kailua beach followed by a BBQ at Kahele’s parents house. I was able to capture just a few pics at the beach. It was so hot and crowded that while everyone was swimming I stayed in my nice breezy spot under a huge tree where I was able to read my book.

Rock Island Cafe Waikiki

Posted on March 24, 2017 by tairaxo

For years I’ve walked by this cafe and I’ve never tried it. Today Kahele picked me up for lunch and I told him that I really wanted to try it out, so without knowing what to expect we headed over. The minute I walked in I loved the place. I didn’t even know how the food or the service was, but the decor and feel of the restaurant totally won me over.

I mean how cool is this place! It’s like walking into a time machine and heading right back to mid-century. All of the Elvis, Audrey, Marilyn, I love Lucy… amazing! And they played the Grease soundtrack while we ate. Now I think that all my meals should be eaten with the Grease soundtrack playing in the background 😉

Everywhere you turn there’s just some random piece of furniture, stuffed animal, quote, picture that you can’t help to smile at. I mean, this chair right next to the popcorn machine?

This cute little bar that sits about 5 is located at the very back of the restaurant, sort of like… “hey we need a bar, but don’t have any room for one so let’s just stick baby in the corner”.

Not too sure if this stage is just for show or if they actually have live entertainment. OMG if I find out that they have Karaoke and you’re able to perform on this stage I’m going back!

Another random bar/podium. Not sure what it’s purpose is but it oddly fits right in with the restaurant.

All of the vintage posters made me want to watch some oldies. I think this weekend I may have to make some time for Audrey or Marilyn. Maybe, Seven Year Itch? That sound good to me!

Our table had the retro decor and even had Trivial Pursuit cards to keep us busy while waiting for our food. I wish we had more than an hour but I had to get back to work.

The food was really good. Nothing fancy but really tasty. I had the Pizza with a Plantation Iced Tea and Kahele just had to have the Diner food- Bacon burger, french fries and a chocolate malt.

Be prepared that this restaurant is a little pricey for the simplicity of the food. We ended up spending $43 on just what’s pictured above. But for the experience, I feel like it was worth it.

Rock Island Cafe

131 Kaiulani Ave

Honolulu, HI 96815

Tsujita- Yokocho Gourmet Alley

Posted on March 23, 2017 by tairaxo

A few months ago the bottom floor to the Waikiki Shopping Plaza was turned into a food court decorated to replicate the alleys of Yokota, a lot of locals are referring to it as Ramen Road. I’ll be doing a post of the entire floor a little later because it really is a cool looking place that offers so many different Japanese dishes. But for now, I must focus on one of the restaurants that I’ve tried there. Tsujita, known for their long lines in their L.A. and Japan locations and frequented by many celebrities, has gained popularity because of their thick broths simmered down for hours. I don’t know what they put in their broth but from the first taste I was hooked. I love the style of the “dip” noodle, the noodles presented separately from the broth and dipping, slurping, chewing and savoring every flavor. So yummy!

I love the earthy, woodsy feel of this restaurant. It definitely transports you to Japan for the duration of your meal, which it nice when you’re eating there on your lunch break from work.

I was pretty hungry so I went for the Ajitama Tsukemen (Tsukemen with soft boiled egg) as well as their Spicy Tuna Bowl. I enjoyed both! If you ever get around to visiting this Ramen Road it’ll probably be hard to decide between their 16 vendors, but I can honestly say that this place is good and worth a try.