It’s that time of the year again!

Ugh.  I can’t believe the holidays are just around the corner.  My angst began last night with a call from an aunt about Thanksgiving lunch and what would I be bringing.  In recent years, I’ve been assigned pumpkin pies because my mom (who usually does the pie baking) has been spending the holiday in Sin City.  Yeah, I could buy pumpkin pies from Safeway or Chinatown but my inner Martha Stewart shudders at the thought of store-bought fare.  So begins my journey of holiday madness.

Tomorrow night, I’m planning to make pie crusts.  A trial run if you will to see if I can perfect mom’s recipe.  It’s not making the dough that’s hard, it’s rolling it out and getting it in the pie pan and then fluting it just right.  I have yet to master the technique and have been scouring the internet for how-to videos.  My mom’s cookbook features three versions of pie crust so I had to call her last night to figure out which is the best recipe and to write down all her tips for making the crust.  She’s the one who told me to practice first.  Thanks mom, I’m feeling so confident already.

Thanksgiving prep is just the beginning of my holiday madness.  I’m totally behind on my Christmas shopping and I need to replenish my Christmas tree lights since most of them died on the tree last year.  On top of that, there are several birthday gifts to be bought between now and December.  I am happy to report that I’ve updated my Christmas gift list and it’s uploaded to my iPhone (what a geek).  The Christmas card labels are also good to go but I’m warning everyone now on my list that our cards will be late this year.  That’s right, you heard me.  OUR CARDS WILL BE LATE, DEAL WITH IT!  It’s all Matt’s fault as he doesn’t get home until the second week of December.

Sigh.  I just love the holidays!

Happy Birthday Matt!

Matt

It’s hard to believe that my oldest son Matt is 18 years old today.  Seems like yesterday that we were tearfully sending him off to preschool for the first time.  Today, he’s a freshman at the University of Northern Colorado.  I guess he’s enjoying the freedom that comes with being a college student.  We found out that he recently went camping in Wyoming (during tornado weather no less) with his Cross Country teammates.  They took a chicken named Henry from a teammate’s farm and then proceeded to cook Henry for dinner (there are pictures of Henry’s untimely death on his Facebook page).  I feel a little better now that I know Henry wasn’t a wild chicken.  I was having nightmares about Matt contracting avian flu when I saw the photos!

This morning I was thinking back to the day he was born.  Eighteen years ago today, Matt was struggling to breathe at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.  Born at Queen’s Medical Center after a difficult labor and an emergency C-section, Matt was rushed to Kapiolani about an hour after he was born.  I didn’t even get to hold him or comprehend what the doctors and nurses were telling me.  After three days in the hospital, I was finally discharged and we headed for Kapiolani.  I remember thinking how odd it was to see him in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) because he was a whopping nine pounds at birth.  He was definitely the bruiser in the NICU until another baby girl came in a few days later topping out at 13-pounds!  That was such a difficult period for us.  As young parents, you never imagine that you’ll have a child born with medical problems and those “What to Expect When You’re Expecting”  books do not prepare you for these situations.  Despite his early struggles, Matt grew up to be a healthy boy and a terrific athlete.

So Matt, happy birthday baby!  You’ve come a long way since those scary days in the NICU and we’re so proud of your accomplishments.  We miss you and can’t wait to see you in December!  Not sure your brother Micah would agree though.  Love you!

Watching from afar…

Matt’s Cross Country season has started and I have to admit, it’s kind of weird not being able to watch him run in person. Now we have to wait for the boy to call us so we can find out how he finished.  Lots of new stuff to learn too since they run longer distances in colleges.  I was pretty good at predicting his high school time for 3 miles but now I have no clue what’s considered “good!”

Last week, he ran in his first college race at the University of Wyoming and finished 5th for his team.  Matt and two other freshman (one was his roommate Ben) were in the top five finishers for Northern Colorado.  That meant he qualified to travel with his team to the University of California Irvine Invitational today.  He had a great race today too, finishing third for his team with a time of 27:31.80 for an 8K run.

Today, Matt had a cheering squad at the race.  My cousin Tracey and her family live in Anaheim Hills so while she took their two younger sons to soccer, her husband Brian and oldest son Caleb came to Irvine to watch Matt run.  Brian took some great pictures that Tracey promptly posted on Facebook.  I was so happy to see pictures of Matt but I have to admit that we were all cracking up at his tan lines on his legs.

For those of you don’t follow running events, Cross Country uniforms consist of a tank top and shorts.  Not just any shorts, but super-duper short shorts.   Back in Hawaii, Matt would solve this wardrobe crisis by wearing compression pants under his shorts but he must not be allowed to do that in college.  So there he his, standing in his really short shorts with major tan lines showing!  LOL!  Why the shorts have to be that short (and they are super thin too) is beyond me.   Even if you’re fit like Matt, those shorts are not flattering at all.

So laugh if you must at Matt’s tan lines.  Everyone on Facebook is giving him a hard time anyway.  We all know what he’ll being doing during his winter vacation…trying to even out the color on his legs!  Although I can’t imagine how he’ll accomplish that with those long board shorts that he wears.  Uh never mind.  I don’t want to know.

Ben, Matt and Caleb. Ben and Matt are roommates at Northern Colorado.

Check out those legs!

Can I cry now?

Tonight was our last night with Matt.  We took him out to dinner (I’m actually surprised that he wanted to join us) at Texas Roadhouse.  This is a very popular steak house in Greeley.  There is a ton of U of Northern Colorado sports stuff all over the place.  Think the Applebee’s restaurant that’s featured in the TV show “Friday Night Lights” and you’ll get the picture.

After dinner, we drove him back to his school.  We got out of the car and gave him some last minute shopping purchases and said our goodbyes.  It was anti-climatic to say the least.  You see, Matt is a cave boy.  His usual form of communication is a grunt.  I don’t know why he’s like that because he was always such an outgoing child.  I suppose I can chalk it up to being a teenager.

So no, there wasn’t an emotional breakdown on my part.  Just a few tears as we got back in the car and a few more as I read comments from friends and family on my Facebook page.

I know he’ll be okay on his own.  I just wish I knew how he actually felt.  Is he scared?  Is he already homesick?  Is he happy to be away from us, particularly me?  (I’m guessing it’s the latter!)

All I can do at this point is hope and pray that he’ll make the right decisions and make the most of his college experience.  He knows how proud I am of him and how much I love him so I guess I’ll have to settle for the occasional long-distance grunt now and then when he calls me for money.

I’m ending this post right now.  Can’t seem to see the computer screen through my tears.

Colorado Updates

It’s been a crazy couple of days in Greeley, Colorado.  We arrived yesterday around lunch time and drove straight to Greeley, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Denver.  After checking into our hotel and resting for a bit, we headed to the University of Northern Colorado to check out his suite.  After dropping off some of his luggage, we drove to Target for dorm room shopping.  I think we were there for about an hour and left $250 poorer!  We then went to Best Buy to buy him a TV.  Yep, another $300 out the door.  That’s ok though…I didn’t have to pay for that purchase, Barry did!

This morning we went back to campus to get his ID card which is used for access to practicially everything on campus including his suite.  Then we opened his bank account and moved all the Target purchases and his TV to his room.  As we were helping him unpack and set up, his roommate Ben arrived with his parents in tow.  They brought the refrigerator and microwave.  I spent another $60 at the campus computer store to get Matt a printer and miscellaneous cables; another $70 for UNC apparel at the bookstore and we went back to Target yet again to buy more stuff that we didn’t remember to buy the first time around.  You guessed it…another $200 out of my wallet.  Granted, some of those items were not for Matt, but still!

So here’s a rundown on Matt’s fancy “suite.”  It’s a 2-bedroom suite that shares a bathroom and a living room.  The suite comes with free cable, free Internet and free phone service.  I’ve included some photos with this post.

Matt seems pretty happy with this living accommodations. He was even happier when he found that his roommate Ben has a car on campus!  I’m not sure when these kids are going to study because Matt brought his Xbox and he asked us to send up his Rock Band equipment.  Sigh.

Micah is enjoying the greenery on campus.  He picked a branch from the acorn tree to bring home.  He’s never seen an acorn (except on TV) and he was happy to see a few squirrels.  We’re also admiring the “Christmas” trees all around campus.  They look like Noble firs but they have a bluish color.  This campus must be beautiful in the fall when the leaves turn color.

More trip updates later!

This is the entry to the suite. Bedrooms across from the vanity.

This is the living room. Suite comes completely furnished.

The all important HDTV with a built-in DVD player. See the Xbox below? Unfortunately they have a ton of space in the living room so they can play Rock Band.

Matt’s bedroom. He also has a desk and a pretty good sized closet that has lots of storage.

I Can’t Believe It’s Here!

Well, it’s a little past 8 p.m. and we’re going to board our plane soon.  The first leg of our trip to Colorado.  Matt finally packed today but he still kept his grandpa waiting when he arrived to take us to the airport.  After checking in, Barry, Micah and I made our way through security while Matt hung around outside to say goodbye to his friends.  Glad I didn’t stick around to see that!

I’m doing ok so far.  I’m starting to feel a bit “ferclemped” as Mike Meyers would say (I don’t even know how to spell that word, if such a word exists) but no tears yet.

I’ll try to post an update tomorrow after we get settled in Greeley.  Wish me luck!

Counting down until the big day

It’s hard to believe but we’re taking Matt to Colorado next weekend!  Where did the summer go?  Matt has been enjoying his summer of unemployment.  How could he not when he has two walking ATMs in the house and no responsibilities other then his cross country training?  I think I can count on one hand how many times he’s actually spent time with us this summer.  Micah swears he hasn’t seen his brother in weeks!

I can’t tell if Matt’s excited about college or not.  He hasn’t done any pre-packing planning (like his OCD mother would) and the only things he’s decided to take so far are his i-Home system and his X-Box.  Never mind giving any thought to clothes and other necessities.  He hasn’t even purchased a laptop backpack yet.  I guess I should be thankful that he registered for his classes.

I’m going out on a limb here but I think I might actually survive the college drop-off without any tears (or at least minimal tears).  I haven’t seen my son all summer and frankly, he’s been driving me crazy with the all day/all night outings with friends, hitting me up for money and breaking curfew.  I’m actually looking forward to uninterrupted nights of sleep!

All kidding aside, I do expect the waterworks to flow on August 19th when we actually leave Colorado.  It’s not that I’m sad that he’s all grown up, it’s more the worries that come with letting go.  I worry that he’ll get caught up in the party scene or that he’ll do something really stupid that could end his college running career.  I know I can’t anticipate every situation that he’ll be faced with and I know that I have to trust him to make the right decisions.  Easier said then done!

Sigh.  What would Martha do?

Local Business Reinvents Itself

After running errands today in the Ward area, I stopped to pick up lunch at Haili’s Backyard Luau lunch wagon.  Haili’s is a favorite of locals with their ono Hawaiian plates and catering.  Haili’s recently lost the lease to their space in the Ward Farmer’s Market but instead of closing shop, they embarked on a mini-reinvention of their family business.

The lunch wagon, vibrantly decorated in a tropical theme, is located “under the Hala tree” in the parking lot across form Ward Theaters.  They continue to offer their standard plates but have added some additional menu items including wraps and salads. And yes, they still do catering.

I was ono for laulau so I opted for their chicken laulau plate.  It comes with laulau (perfectly sized), lomi salmon, poke, haupia and poi or rice (I chose poi, of course).  All for $8.50.  Quite a deal considering how much food they give.  Trust me, I immediately fell into a food coma after inhaling my lunch!  As a bonus, I received a bag of their shrimp chips to sample.  The catch?  I have to give them feedback on the chips.  Can do!  I love free food samples!

My chicken laulau plate. Delicious!

I’m thrilled to see Haili’s using social media to get the word out about their new lunch wagon.  Not to mention all the great publicity they received recently.  With assistance from branding guru Brooke Gramann, Haili’s is now on Twitter (@HailisLuau) and they have a snazzy new website:  www.mybackyardluau.ning.com.   Haili’s also plans to make the most of their outdoor digs by instituting “backyard jams” on the weekends featuring local musicians and hula halau.  What a great way to stay in touch with long-time customers while building a new customer base.

So the next time you’re ono for Hawaiian food, pay a visit to Haili’s Backyard Luau “under the Hala tree” across Ward Theaters.  You won’t be disappointed!

Haili’s Hawaiian Food
808-728-8079
Hours of Operation:
Monday/Wednesday/Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Five bars, maybe. Five stars for service? Hardly!

As some of you know, AT&T had a major wireless network outage in Hawaii that started yesterday morning and lasted until mid-morning today.  It was kind of weird because some AT&T customers had service, others had intermittent service and some had no service whatsoever.  It seem to really affect iPhone customers the most.

A lot of iPhone users are on Twitter and Facebook and boy, was there a lot of complaining going on in the past 24 hours.  My PR diva friend Melissa (@melissa808) had several shouting matches with AT&T customer service representatives before finally taking her case to the airwaves.  She was featured tonight in a news story on KITV.  End result, she got a $17 credit.  She seemed happy until we found out that another one of our friends got $70 for two phones with hardly a nasty word exchanged!  I can’t repeat what Melissa said to me…it’s not suitable for blogging!

I did not ask for a credit as I seemed to have service for the most part.  I am however, royally pissed at AT&T because of their stupid, stupid policies about upgrading to the iPhone.  Matt wants to get an iPhone and now that the “old” iPhone 3G is only $99, I agreed to buy him one.  Let me summarize my beef with AT&T.

AT&T Hawaii tells me that Matt can upgrade to any phone right now except the iPhone.  He qualifies for the $99 price on October 2.  So I complain further to national customer service and they tell me the same thing.  Not one to give up, I call customer service two weeks later and am told that “as a valued customer, you can upgrade your son to the iPhone for $99.”  Happiness!

Well Matt took forever and a day to find time to go to the Apple store to get his phone.  We go there last night and find out that he doesn’t qualify after all.  We hoof it to the AT&T kiosk and are told the same thing.  I come home, mad as hell, and get into a pissing match with the idiot from customer service who tells me that the previous representative I spoke to gave me the wrong information!  He then proceeds to tell me that we could, of course, upgrade right now to the old 3G for $299 (8 gig).  Uh, excuse me but I bought my 3G (8 gig) in March of this year and paid $199.  And you want me to pay $100 more for the exact same phone?  I don’t think so!  For another $100, Matt can get the new 3GS phone!

I know the only recourse I have is to pay $299 for the old iPhone (or $399 for the new one) but I’m not going to do it. It’s just wrong, plain and simple.  Instead of rewarding me for being a loyal customer, they are punishing me by asking me to pay more money for an old device.  Geez, in these tough economic times where people are questioning every expense, you’d think AT&T would try harder to keep their customers happy.  Here I am, willing to “re-up” for another two year contract and pay an additional $30 per month for the data plan and they give me a hard time about the iPhone price.

And it gets worse.  Matt’s phone is pretty much on its last legs and the warranty expires at the end of July.  I asked what would happen if the phone crapped out before October 2.  The customer service guy said that we can purchase a replacement phone but that would extend his contract renewal date by another 11 months!  So instead of being able to purchase the old iPhone at $99 on October 2, he would have to wait until September 2010 to buy the iPhone.  Unless of course, I cough up the $299 right now to buy him an old iPhone.

Are you confused?  Yeah, me too and I’m really, really angry with this company.  I hope that irate customers in Hawaii and around the world tell AT&T how they really feel, and cc Apple while you’re at it.  Maybe if there’s a worldwide wave of anger directed at AT&T, we’ll see improvement in their overall service and perhaps some logic in their sales strategy.

Not holding my breath though.  So son, you’ll need to be gentle with your existing phone until October 2.  Mom is not buying you an iPhone for $299 when your college tuition is due in three weeks!

What the heck is going on?

What a crazy couple of weeks!  First we hear of Ed McMahon passing.  Then Farrah Fawcett, the Hollywood starlet that inspired young girls everywhere to “feather” their bangs.  And then Michael Jackson.  While I wouldn’t call myself a fan of Ed or Farrah, I did grow up watching both of them on TV and what teenage girl didn’t dream of becoming a Charlie’s angel or emulating her famous hairstyle?   I admire Farrah for her courageous battle with a rare cancer.  She handled it with grace and dignity.

But when it comes to Michael Jackson, it’s a completely different story.  I have been a big fan of MJ’s music since he was a little kid with the Jackson Five.  He was such a talented man, despite his overall weirdness in recent years.  His music transcends all generations and no one can top the caliber of his music videos such as “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” and of course, “Thriller.”  I think Michael Jackson is to my generation what Elvis was to my parents’ generation.

The media coverage of MJ has been unbelievable at times.  A little much in my book but I can understand the fascination, especially in recent years with his legal troubles.  I admit I was creeped out by his affinity for little boys but I always took the media coverage with a grain of salt.  Was he guilty of child molestation?  I don’t know and I doubt that we’ll ever know the truth.

That said, I’m feeling a bit sad that one of my all-time favorite musicians has passed away.  Today’s so-called musicians should take a lesson from MJ.  Yeah he was weird and creepy but you gotta admit, the man had talent and showmanship and most of all, compassion.  Something that I find lacking in a lot of today’s entertainers.

As for his televised memorial service, I was impressed.  It was tastefully done and truly celebrated his life as a musician and humanitarian.  Today’s memorial reminded me that despite the chaos in his life, he was just a man.  A man who truly loved his kids, his family and his fans.  May he rest in peace.