Wheeler Middle School Graduation

Cael came home from school feeling frustrated— he was asked to give a talk for the graduation and wasn’t happy about it. I suppose he didn’t like the idea of giving a speech in front of all of his classmates and their parents-  and of course by procrastinating the job he only escalated his anxiety and frustrations.

After what felt like weeks of coaxing and encouraging (I even wrote my version of a graduation talk :) Cael came up with his own thoughts and ideas, as well as some jokes, to make a nice little 5 minute speech as the valedictorian for his class. 

We were pretty excited to hear the final presentation- but there was a problem. The sound system required whoever was talking to the microphone to speak clearly and loudly right into the microphone... and Cael was not doing that! And a few uncomfortable moments I finally yelled from the back where I was sitting “We can’t hear you!”... Cael didn’t miss a beat... “oh, what? Let me start over then...” and he sounded much better that second time around.

Lantern memorial festival

A special event that occurs every Memorial Day is the lantern festival in Ala Moana beach- I wondered what it would be like to join the thousands of other people downtown- it wasn’t as bad as you would think. But Ben and I both decided we should check it out without all of the kids this year and decide if we want to bring them along next time (which would be the last May before we move).

There is quite a lot of time and effort for the drum and dancing performances... very hard to see from where we were on the far/back side of the stage.

“The aim of Lantern Floating Hawaii is to give all a personal moment to remember, reflect, and offer gratitude to those who have gone before us. It is a chance to be surrounded by the love, understanding, and support of others – even strangers who are experiencing many of the same feelings and emotions. We are strengthened as a community as we reach out to support others and build understanding of our common human values and experiences.”

MAY- Malnar visit, May Day, hikes, beach, and sunsets

 Brecon has a rather important role for the schoolwork May Day Lei Day presentation at the narrator. He would introduce each class and have something important to say about their song. He did a fine job and we were very proud of him! 

Lei Day in Honolulu

I wanted to check out a statewide holiday celebration I had heard about- and I invited my new friend Lauren to join in on the fun. She had just moved to Hawaii and I thought it would be cool to check out. There was food, local hula dancing, a traditional band, and local vendors selling their wares. Another bonus was the aquarium was free for the day and we had a nice little stroll around the whole place!

Lei Day is a statewide celebration in all of Hawaii. The celebration begins in the morning of May first every year and continues throughout the entire day and even continues onto the next day. Lei day was established as a holiday in the year of 1929 and continues to this day. Each Hawaiian island has a different type of lei that is used for the celebration and for its people to wear. The festivities have consistently grown each year and the state of Hawaii has had to move the location of the event. Lei day was first held in the Courts and Town Halls but has since been moved to Kapi'olani park where it is still being held today.