Thankgiving 2017

This year has flown by. It's been full of so many changes. I can't believe that I've kept up. I have had some bad days, some bad weeks but overall I am content where my life is right here and right now. I am still hungry to achieve the goals that I have set for myself. They are coming along slower than I expected but I am still on track. Inspiration still hits me in waves rather than a constant flow but I am working on that.

I can say nothing negative about my life here. My arrival in South Carolina has really been the path of least resistance. The hardest part was making the decision to leave Hawai'i. Once I did make the decision though, the path here opened so wide and easy that there was no other choice but to move out here. I am so grateful for all the support I have had with this move. Now that I'm here, I'm digging in and really building my own life and actively working on all the things that I wanted to but couldn't because of my commitment to my marriage and my family. This life now is ALL ABOUT ME and only me.


Thanksgiving weekend was a whirlwind with two of the three Sao sisters. I had my fun with sister number one (she's the oldest) before I left Hawai'i. It is always a "thing" when you grew up in the same neighborhood and find each other on the mainland. We hung out all week long and ate and ate and ate. I threw down in the kitchen even though all of us are light eaters. I'm still eating leftovers and am not sick of yet. We did Black Friday shopping at the Charlotte Premium Outlet mall in North Carolina. It was crowded and it took us a good ten minutes just to find parking. There were deals everywhere. Saturday - we drove out to Augusta, Georgia to partake of some Hawai'i grinds. It was really good especially being all the way out here - to be able to get poke and laulau - heavenly! And it was good too. A little fact - the owner and operator of Hawaiian Style BBQ is from my hood in Hawai'i. He is a graduate of Kahuku, Class of 2000. In fact, his dad and my mother worked together back in the 80's. Red Raider Nation ain't no joke.

The following photo collages are from Thanksgiving Weekend. I picked up the girls from Rock Hill, South Carolina on Wednesday. We had a blast. They are such good girls. Their parents should be extremely proud of them. The girls came to my office at the University of South Carolina to "house warm" my office. They wanted to decorate it for Christmas but I didn't have any. I took them to take a picture with "Cocky" the USC mascot. So cute. We shopped and explored Columbia. Main Street in Downtown Columbia has the cutest boutique shops. I really enjoyed walking around. Every shop was geared up for Christmas with the most beautiful decorations. It really put me in the holiday spirit. I was sad to drop them off early Monday morning but was happy to have been able to spoil them while they were here.

Southern Holiday : Family History

Since I stepped off the plane in this beautiful Southern city of Huntsville, Alabama, all I've been doing is EATING! I am so full! I been eating too much, fa real! I think I'll return to Hawai'i about 'fitty' pounds heavier! Other than eating, I also been doing a whole lotta family history. I knew I would be. On Monday, my husband found an old trunk that belonged to his grandfather. For those not familiar with the hobby of genealogy, an old trunk is a gold mine of information.



Whew... the trunk was full of old pictures and all sorts of legal paperwork. I was able to plug in all kind of information into my family tree. There were death certificates and birth certificates and military records, and tons of photo's and names. It was pretty amazing! Also, with the help of Ancestry.com, I was able to correspond the names I found with the United States Federal Census. It has been an AMAZING experience!



Prior to the 1880 United States Federal Census, it gets really tough to dig up information if your ancestral lines lead back to the U.S. slave trade. There are a number of reasons why that is:

1. Slaves were counted as possessions, like cattle, and were not enumerated as people. They were property, counted as assets for slave holders! What this means for genealogy researches like myself is that the slaves will not be "named" in the U.S. Census.

2. Slaves were thoroughly and effectively weaned from their culture in the most abrupt manner. They were severed from their culture and severed from other slaves that shared the same culture. I think we know what the implications of that would be. Effectively "colonizing" the African to be English-speaking American's!

3. Effectively "colonizing" Slaves meant they had to take on "Christian" names as ordered by the slave holder. This was to turn the slave from a heathen into a Christian. What this means for genealogy researchers is that we will have a tough time making the link to Africa.

4. Strong and burly men and women were breeded to produce strong and burly children then sold at top dollar to other slave holders to be able to breed them. This meant that the strongest slaves were sent from slave owner to slave owner to make babies. Do you see the similarities today? That's a whole 'nother blog that I'd have to visit sometime in the future. What this means for the genealogy researcher is that we may never know if the names we find are the actual biological parent. **sigh**

Well, thats what I've been doing with my extra time. I love it. I love making the connection to the past. It's pretty amazing what I've been able to find and then be able to share with my inlaws. They are thoroughly excited as well.

Southern Holiday : Day 02

Day 02 started out really slow. When the whole house was finally up and moving around, it had to be after 10am. I had already showered and felt fresh and clean but sluggish... I'm assuming its the jetlag.

We started talkin' family history. Genealogy is a serious hobby of mine. I shared with my in-laws what I have been able to gather about their families so far. My in-laws seem impressed with the progress I've made. We had a long discussion about family stories. It seems that every generation loses something from the past thinking we have it figured out.

I remember my father telling me stories about his childhood and life without electricity. I find it almost unbelievable to hear them. I remember my mother telling me about outhouses (eeew!) and working to eat, as there were no grocery stores in Samoa. And I think to myself how so far removed am I from a life of physical struggle. Yet, I have a desire to know that hard life to feel and experience the contrast between my life here and now and the life of my parents 50 years ago.

In those 50 years, the clear and definite lines between good and evil have been blurred beyond recognition. The state of the family now includes "blending" and alternative lifestyles. And the world almost seems so screwed up, without a clear direction toward happiness. The gender roles have been squashed and I sometimes think that it hasn't been for the advancement of humanity. I think the Creator made us to carry out different roles and to have different characteristics based on gender.

The past 50 years since my mothers day and mine has seen much technological advancement but I wonder -- what have we advanced from? Has more computers meant a better standard of living or has it created an even wider gap between the rich and the poor? Has the combustible engine helped humanity in any way? We get to places a lot quicker yet have surrendered to oil dependence. We've stopped growing our own food and now have to wait to hear on the news if the produce we've consumed has been recalled. We have become so dependant on others for our basic necessities, from food to fuel, that if the grocery store closed its doors, America would starve. Can you imagine the people in the highly populated metro area's? **sigh**

My discussion with my in-laws prompted all these thoughts about their life, about my life, my parents lives and how much progress have we really made? And then, as if to spit upon all the ideals we had just spoke about, we carted ourselves off in a big, gas-guzzling SUV to a mall that's a hundred miles away, to shop for the commercial-driven Christmas presents that our family is waiting for. **sigh** Ironic, isn't it? We ate at Dave's BBQ in Franklin, Tennessee... not having to lift a finger to get fed. (Notice my plate, BEFORE and AFTER)


Don't get me wrong, I am truly grateful for what I have. The Creator has placed me here at this time, in this very special place, and I am humbled that he chose me to have so much abundance. Just imagine, you or I could have been born in much different circumstances. Yet the Creator has placed us right where we are.

A Southern Holiday : Day 01

Husband and I made it to Alabama, all perky and bright eyed. I'm so excited to be here. I don't know if it's because I've been suffering from a slight case of island fever or if I needed to take a real vacation. The last time I went on vacation was this past July for a Family Reunion. That wasn't a real vacation at all because I worked my tail off. Needless to say, I'm glad to be here with my in-laws lounging in the lap of luxury. I don't have to be anywhere or see anyone. I can just relax, unwind, and maybe even get some writing done. I've been working on a novel. I wrote the prologue for it and am hoping to lay down chapter 1 one while I'm here.

I've always said that my dream job is to be a writer. Specifically, a published writer. I'm moving in that direction and allowing the story to come out of me. I'm not sure how other authors and creative writers write their stories, whether they sit in front of the computer and just start writing or whether they meticulously plan each character or series of events in their story. Me, I'm approaching this project as though the story itself lives inside me and I'm allowing it to come out. Does that make sense or sound spooky? **shrugs** All I know is that I have been in a writers funk for the past couple of years and have finally crawled out of it. I required a muse before and now the story is just unfolding on its own. Funny how it all works out.

So my southern holiday, day 01, here in Huntsville, Alabama is my opportunity to allow the story inside of me to be told. Perhaps I will email a copy of my prologue to you for a serious review on what works for you, as a reader, and what doesn't. I really want honest truth so if you're game, leave me an email address to forward the material to you. If I don't chicken out... I'll send it. LOL.

It took 9-hours or so of straight flying time from Honolulu International Airport to Atlanta-Hartsfield (?). We chose this route, even though it cost $1200 per ticket because we didn't want too many lay overs with the possibility of flight cancellation due to inclement weather. Routing through Denver would have been half price but we opted to fly directly to Atlanta. Just thinking of all the flight cancellations across the midwest makes me happy I chose this route! Lay over was nearly 3 hours in Atlanta then a short 40 minute flight to Huntsville. The in-laws were waiting at the gate with a video camera. They all look so good! I'm so glad to be here with them. My little niece, Olivia is just absolutely adorable. We headed to Cracker Barrel in Madison for breakfast, on the way back to the house. I had a country fried steak, biscuits and gravy, grits, hash brown casserole, and some sweet tea. It was all so delicious!

When we finally made it to the house, I showered up then took a three hour nap. It was much needed. Husband and I conked out. What woke me is the aroma of food, wafting in from the kitchen. My father-in-law made a dish called Low Country Boil. He had all the regular fixings in it: Shrimp, Sausage, Corn, Potatoes, Carrots, and he added some hard boiled eggs and some chicken wings. My, my, my... it was exactly what I wanted! This is why I love it here! The food is always so good and I rarely have to lift a finger to get it. **smiling**

I wonder what's in store for tomorrow!