Today was a great day!

Back yard irrigation map is laid out!

We finally broke ground on our irrigation project thanks to Duke and his brother Kalani.

Kalani works for a small landscaping company in Kihei so he was our project manager!

Double Checking The Measurments

After a nice big power breakfast at Koho’s,

we went to Home Depot one last time to get the rest of the supplies we needed:

1″ PVC

Shut off valves and box covers

1″ Elbows, T’s, and Cuplers

EZ L’s, a few pop ups

and station wire for the timer.

Back into the nice Waikapu breeze to work in the warm sun

digging the irrigation pipes’ trenches.

A Good Luck Sign!

Of course my dog Pono had to come and check it all out

as our official inspector and as you can see I think he approved!

Break Time!

L-U-N-C-H   B-R-E-A-K-!

Then Duke and Kalani dug up the irrigation system that came with our house

for our front yard landscaping.

Looking good.

They wanted it to be out of the ground and in gravel instead,

and to be in a larger valve box system.

Carefully digging so not to harm the pipes,

Kalani then went to work measuring, cutting, and glueing PVC.

Striking a pose!

Then before you know it, it was 4pm and Kalani’s kids

Noah and Talia (one of our flower girls) came over

from sleeping the night at the Waiehu Au Hoon ‘ohana.

So we played the rest of the afternoon away

as uncle Duke and their dad worked on the finishing touches of the day.

Noah showing shaka

Talia loves to sing and pretend she is a rockstar so she loved aunty’s recorder on the iphone.

She also loves to pose for photos.

We have an ascending actress on our hands!

Now that my skin is slightly

scorched by the sun,

and the good old garden muscles

feel the burn of the day,

I am thankful that step by step,

little by little,

we are starting to accomplish

this the last

of the major

new home projects!

Woo Hoo!

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: ‘uwa’a

(pronounced ooh-vah-ah)

OR

To dig or dredge a trench or furrow

Pau Hana!

Rachael’s Mana’o:  All great achievements require time!

It is always fun to spend time with the family.

Especially if you rarely get to see each other because you live so far apart.

Omaopio Glow

Or in some cases you are so busy and time goes by so quickly

that before you look up another year has come and gone.

Or in this case, you look up and see it is the 2rd of March already!

Time for Dad’s 75th birthday - and it happens to be Dr. Suess’ birthday too!

Me and my dad

Three quarters of a century...that is a long time!

So Duke, my mom, my nephew and I

drove up to celebrate the occasion with him at his

peaceful home in Oma’opio.

He has a nice little home on a working farm complete with egg laying chickens!

He grew up on a dairy farm in Ohio swimming in the lakes in the summer.

His stories and his memories are always a joy to hear…

remembering the days when he was younger.

We had a nice dinner with a few other family members

present before heading back down the mountain.

Oma'opio Fields Of Fire

I also spent some time with my

niece and nephew

earlier this week…

aunty made them dinner!

Having fun

Aunty Rachael Ray

put on her chef hat and apron

and cooked up some

yummy cheeseburger deluxe.

Breakdancing with Uncle Duke

But boy am I learning fast…

kids are picky eaters!

…one doesn’t like mushrooms,

the other doesn’t like tomatoes

and mayonaise.

I like everything on it!

Latai and I - Shaka!

My niece Latai is turning 14 this month

along with her brother Simione turning 9 this month too.

They are growing up so fast.

Latai will make a perfect baby sitter

in the near future as she can’t wait for a baby cousin to take care of.

We love taking photos!

I used to love babysitting when I was her age.

I remember I made some good money during high school doing it too.

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: ma’alahi

(pronounced mah-ah-lah-hee)

OR

contentment, simplicity, ease

Rachael’s Mana’o: You are truly wise when you recognize your insignificance.

My Mamo Lehua blooming in my front yard.

‘Ohi’a lehua flowers range in color from red, pink, salmon, yellow, or even white.

The flowers secrete abundant nectar which attracts the honeycreepers like the red ‘apapane,

whose red feathers were used extensively in feather-work,

and the mamo bird, whose yellow feathers were of the highest value in old Hawaii.

The yellow lehua mamo and the red lehua ‘apapane are named for these birds.

Unfolding Blooms

The lehua blossom is the subject of many songs and tales.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In another old story, the goddess Hina took the form of an ‘ohi’a tree

and kept watch over a small youth in Waipio Valley.

Perhaps for this reason, the flowers were used as an aid in childbirth

since Hina was a protector of childbearing women and babies.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My Creative Photo of it!

Lehua blossoms are considered sacred to Pele, goddess of fire and the volcanoes.

When Pele first arrived in Hawaii, she paced a lei lehua on the little island west of Ni’ihau, giving it its name.

A lei lehua is a proper offering for Pele, but permission is necessary before picking the blossoms.

They make an offering at the mountaintop, and make a lei on the way down to show where they have been and their devotion to her.

The flower also remains a symbol for the Big Island, where Pele makes her home.

In later times, lehua blossoms were associated with love - a grand love for Nature - a binding love for family and friends - as well as sexual passion.

A poem written by Queen Liliuokalani in the 19th century says:

“Entranced with beauty
The lehua blossoms.
I come quickly to find
A flower to place upon my heart.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: Polena

(with kahako over the o, so hold it out)

(Pronounced poh-leh-nah)

OR

Yellowish, as bird feathers

(Note: In the song above it mentions ‘I‘iwi which are red honeycreepers….

How does an ‘I’iwi turn yellow (’I'iwi polena)?

From sipping from the mamo lehua… until it is satisfied and blushing with pollen!!!)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rachael’s Mana’o:  I like to think that a flower opens itself to outgrow its plantedness.

That it yearns to be carried away!

Today I got a first glimpse of the year 2011…

(Drum Roll Please………)

Introducing the Randy Jay Braun 2011 Calendar!

(Oooh, Aaaah, WoooW!)

A got a special delivery of the first 2011 Calendar by Randy Jay Braun today,

by none other than Randy Jay Braun himself!!!

Truly brought a B I G Smile to my face on my day off!

I am truly thrilled and honored that my hula portrait was chosen

to represent Randy’s collection like this.

Simply Beautiful!

2011 Randy Jay Braun Calendar Cover

We shot this image about 6 or 7 years ago, I think.

I recall that day….a beautiful day!

The day that Na Kumu Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes got married.

After their ceremony, there was a little time before the reception.

So Randy, ‘Eleu, and I stopped  at Po’olenalena Beach for a sunset hula photo shoot on the beach.

‘Eleu dances hula with the legendary Sonny Ching and she had her pa’u from Merrie Monarch that year.

I was honored to have her wrap me in her pa’u hula.

I wore a lei of Maile and Ni’ihau Shells for adornment along with palapalai fern for my head and wrists.

Using the ipu heke as an implement,

this image is entitled “Hula Ku’olo” or Sitting Chant Hula.

What A Nice Selection Of Images

Get your copy(s) of the 2011 Randy Jay Braun Calendar

…and of course I would LOVE to personalize it to you!

They are ON SALE NOW for only $12.00 (+$10 shipping/handling).

Or, Shop On Line for a GICLEE PRINT of this image too!

www.randyjaybraun.com

(Models’ Critique:  I believe this is Randy’s first “short hair hula shot”.

You know, in some halau, you gotta have long hair or else!!!  LOL!

I still love the photo but my only wish is that I put my hair all the way down…

Although… that is nothing that Photoshop can’t fix now!!!)

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: kuamo’o

(pronounced kooh-ah-moh-oh)

OR

Backbone, spine; road, trail, path; custom, way

Rachael’s Mana’o: Truth is eternal; it sustains the universe.

I was pleasantly surprised today when I had some repeat customers come in to visit the gallery

and they told me I was mentioned in their pastors sermon on Sunday!

I recall helping pastor Paul of Lahaina Methodist Church

upon occasion in the gallery so immediately I thought of him.

Sure enough…my intuition was right,

but I also thought that maybe he read the Hawaiian Marriage Blessing I composed

as I recall him asking permission to read it at wedding ceremonies he may perform.

My customers said,

that actually he was talking about Moses after he had had seen the tabernacles of God,

and what he may have looked like after seeing and being in the presence of God.

So he mentioned there were two people in mind who live this example on Maui and remind him of what that could be like…

and when he mentioned Rachael in Makawao at the Randy Jay Braun Gallery,

my customers knew right away who he was speaking of.

What an honor and a privilege to personalize everything that God is!!!

Later that day, I had yet another customer come in to find me after hearing the sermon

and his name was Bob Casey.

http://www.poeticaljourneys.com/

He then signed a copy of his book “Wisdom of the Journey”

to me which I can’t wait to check out!

He also couldn’t leave without buying one of my portraits by Randy Jay Braun!

Dad and I in the old papaya farm days...

Reflecting on this delightful surprise, I couldn’t help but remember what my father

Rev. Jim Kimmel

taught me, that the greatest compliment he could get is “you remind me of Jesus”

as Jesus truly lived an ultimate example of the human life.

My dad

Love - Aloha - is infectious and like my smile, it is contagious.

But only genuine and unselfish love is truly contagious and that is my secret weapon!

My dad told me once “If only mankind could focus on this dynamic affection,

this benign virus of love would soon pervade humanity to such an extent

that all civilization would be encompassed by love,

and that would be the realization of brotherhood of man”.

This is the essence of my spirituality

and Hawai’i is a very spiritual place…in the tabernacles of nature!

All of this from my smile!

———————————————————————-

We had a visitor at our hale last night!

I haven’t see Duke’s grand niece Braizlyn Au Hoon for a few months.

Braizy on aunty's Hawaiian Quilt

She lives all the way in Hana so it is a treat to see her when she comes out for a visit.

I love it when she calls me “aunty”…she says it over and over.

We read books together and her vocabulary is growing.

I really enjoyed visiting her last April in Hana

for her first birthday lu’au.

The whole Au Hoon ‘ohana went together

to celebrate with her.

Braizy will also be one of our flower girls

in our wedding.

She is so pretty and I can’t wait to see her in her cute little Sig Zane Dress.

Beautiful Braizlyn

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is:  minoaka

(pronounced mee-know-ah-kah)

OR

Smile!

Rachael’s Mana’o:

The foundation of the universe is material, but the essence of life is spirit.

Photo with my Power Shot SD 790 IS, edited on my iphone app Dash of Color

I consider myself a romantic person, and I love roses,

but not when they cost $75 or more for a dozen to be delivered to your sweetheart!

Honestly, I would rather have an orchid that would bloom a lot longer and then re-bloom too!

Photo taken on my iphone and edited on iphone app

Heck, for that price I would rather have a new Sig Zane Dress that I can enjoy continuously!

Speaking of which, I wonder if Cupid will hit me late with that gift!

I have certainly had my share of romantic dinners on Valentines Day,

but if I am going to dine on one of the most expensive nights out, it better be at

Mama’s Fish House

or

Lahaina Grill!

This year, a home cooked crab stuffed salmon dinner with seared asparagus, and a nice bottle of 2005 Merlot will do just fine.

Dinner and a movie!

Even though I didn’t actually get flowers for Valentines Day specifically,

I always have flowers in our hale.

I call this my  “Valentine / New Year” orchid

that just opened up in time for the dual occasion!

Taken with my Power Shot SD 790 IS & edited on my iphone in HDR app.

It is Chinese New Year after all and it falls on Valentines Day too

– which must be part of the reason for nearly 7 people I know getting married this year.

Happy 2010 - Year Of The Tiger!

Macro shot is nice too!

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Natasha Conn in Vancouver, B.C.!

I hope she had a wonderful day…maybe she went to the Olympics!

I can’t wait to see her and her family when she comes out for our wedding in October.

She is one of my beautiful bridesmaids.

It is going to be so beautiful…I can’t wait!

Oops there I go again….wedding side tracked!

A rustic look, edited on my iphone

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: pilina

(pronounced pee-lee-nah)

OR

Relationship, union, connection, joining...

HDR shows its true colors!

And now for SOMETHING NEW

Rachael’s Mana’o: A good man seeks not to retain truth for himself but rather attempts to bestow these riches upon his fellows, for that is the realization of truth!

My classic Randy Jay Braun Portrait

I have two excuses for not blogging lately and they are both not good excuses!

#1. I have not been able to log in at my home computer which is my favorite time to blog along with a nice glass of red.  But ah hah!  Today I was destined to crack the code and I figured it out so thus I am blogging on my 24″ imac in the comfort of my Waikapu hale!!!

#2. The gallery has kept me at a maximum potential for one person!  I am so thankful that the gallery has been very busy, and the year is rolling by right before our eyes!

SOOOOOO, please forgive me!

What can I say…life has kept me busy and life is maika’i!!!

The reservoir above our house on a morning walk.

Scary though, because that means that October 10th will be here in no time at all!

And for the record, I love writing out the year 2010!

It is so much fun dating all of my sales invoices and writing checks with 2010!

Every time I write the number, I smile and savor the moment…anticipating our wedding day to be.

I am getting married at Kahakuloa on Maui at Mile 10!

http://www.birdsinparadisemaui10mile.com/

Their grand opening is this year so if you know someone looking for

a location to get married at on Maui,

I would highly recommend it!

My wedding website by the way is:

http://www.mywedding.com/dukeandrachaelauhoon/

Sunset Squall over Kahakuloa, Maui

————————————————————————–

One of the most beautiful new things I am enjoying in my life this year, that I just can’t help and blog about already even though it has only been a month now, is the fact that I am blessed in my life to be a part of a wonderful halau hula.  I told myself that this year I was going to try to make the time to study hula if I could find the right halau hula (hula school).

My yellow blooming lehua.

So of course while I can only dream and aspire to one day dance under the instruction of a Kumu Hula (hula teacher) like Keali’i Reichel, I opted for one of his own students and a student of O’Brien Eselu as well.  My new kumu are a beautiful couple of whom I have admired for a long time.

My red blooming lehua blossoms

And the coolest thing really is that my new kumu hula is the famous dancer in many of Randy Jay Braun’s classic photography of the hula.  You probably have her hula photograph in your home if you are a Randy Jay Braun collector.  And if you don’t, you should!  Her hula is (to me) flawless as she is one of the most beautiful hula dancers I have ever watched dance hula.

A transformation is beginning and it comes from within.  This is culminated in the expression - the dance - the hula.

It is a presence in my life that is much needed.  A discipline too.  It requires a commitment that I am ready to immerse myself into.  And a friendship with new hula sisters.

Lucky for me I am in the “easy” class - the “serious but really for fun” class! *:)

So if you like buy kalua pig, we get fundraiser at the end of this month!!!  Ha ha!!!!

Don’t worry, I will give you lots of opportunities for halau fundraisers this year!

My first portrait by Randy Jay Braun

The art of hula has always surrounded me. Hula is life.

Now the experience of learning hula brings new joy and meaning of life. Life is hula.

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: ho’omakaukau

(with kahako over the first “a” so hold it out)

(pronounced hoe-oh-maah-cow-cow)

OR

To prepare or make ready -

The reply is always ‘ae (ah-ee) or Yes!

Well, it is nice and cool out today in Makawao Town!

Thanks to my iPhone I knew it was 69 degrees in UpCountry today

which means I get to pull out my warmest Sig Zane dress from the closet

that I dare not wear on a warm Maui day!

I got this dress years ago when they had their Wailuku Store.

Today in the gallery....Here's Rachael!

It is still one of my favorites because it is made out of super soft and warm

“t-shirt” material - for lack of a better description!

The lei I am wearing today was made by a friend Erika out of silk ribbon.

It reminds me of pikake, ilima, and pakalana!

If only it were a fresh flower lei, for those scents can soothe the soul!

Well if it is snowy and colder than 69 degrees where you live,

I hope this warms you up a little!!!

MUCH ALOHA!

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: pakalana

(pronounced pah-kah-lah-nah)

OR

Chinese Violet which has yellowish-green flowers and a very sweet fragrance

AKA:  Rachael’s Favorite Flower!

My days are always filled with sharing and receiving aloha….

and lately my happy meter has been off the charts!

I am increasingly happy as days become increasingly perfect!

I have no problem with striving for perfection!

I have always been a perfectionist

because I have come to realize that I get to personalize everything that God is,

which is the spirit within me…and YOU!

Rachael today at the Randy Jay Braun Gallery!

If I made an app for my new iphone, it would be a happy meter!

So far this month, my happy meter has been powered by many things like:

Knowing that my hula portrait will finally be in the 2011 Randy Jay Braun Calendar!!!!

Having Komoda’s guava filled malasada’s delivered by Jasmine unexpectedly

Getting calls from customers who just want to hear my voice

Getting the hard to find book “The Hawaiian Calabash” to read and study

Knowing that I will be married this year!

Helping wonderful and nice customers in the gallery

Getting back into studying hula and buying a pau hula!

Buying the revolutionary iPhone!

Getting a new arrival of Ni’ihau Shell Jewelry in the gallery!

…and the happy meter will continue to go off

as the forecast is for happiness throughout the year!

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: ‘Ano ‘eke’eke

(pronounced ah-know eh-kay-eh-kay)

OR

Perfectionist!

‘Ano ‘eke’eke au!

“He La’au Ku Ho’okahi, He Lehua No Ka’ala”

-’Olelo Noe’au, Hawaiian Proverb

A Lone Tree, A Lehua Blossom of Ka’ala.

This proverb was recorded in Mary Kawena Puku’i’s Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings.

It is an expression of admiration for an outstanding person,

unequaled in beauty, wisdom, or skill.

Another great timer shot!

So you can imagine that I feel pretty sassy with my red lehua blossom

in my hair as an adornment today.

I wanted to start off the new year wearing my favorite blossom,

with hopes that it will also be in bloom for my wedding bouquet in October!

I couldn’t help but show it off and point it out to people today

who may appreciate its unequaled beauty.

A big smile for you!

I have to admit,

it took a lot of courage to cut it off my shrub this morning

as it is officially the first red bloom that I have cut to wear

since they started flowering on Thanksgiving weekend.

My blooming lehua!

A lehua tree covered with birds….is like an attractive person!

A lehua tree in bloom attracts birds as an attractive person draws the attention of others.

Just having this little but powerful red flower in my hair today

reminds me of a glimpse of the beauty to come in this year!

The Hawaiian Word Of The Day Is: Ka pua i milia

(pronounced kah pooh-ah ee mee-lee-ah)

OR

The beloved blossom