I am across the street if you need me

My MIL arrived a week ago….and she leaves tonight

I love my MIL. Her legal name is Judy….but the name she goes by is Traci…..

she grew up in Ohio {hence being named Judy} ….

then moved to Florida in her early 20′s {hence changing her name to Traci}.

Her oldest son {Bryan’s only brother} lives in NYC…..and and her youngest son {Bryan} lives as

far West as you can go in the U.S…..the island of Kauai.

These are a few thoughts about this last week.

{what i heard..} * The kids hair is so blond and growing like crazy.

{what she really said..} * I don’t mind taking them to get a haircut while i’m here.

…..

{what i heard…} I’m going to go upstairs and rest a bit.

{what she meant…} *My daughter in law just erupted like Chernobyl ….so i’m going to hide in my room for a week.

…….

Luckily for me she only hid for one night….and reappeared the next morning….

she was nice enough to try my freshly squeezed green juice only once…….

she really loved hanging out at the hotel where Bryan works……

she is hooked on Hershey kisses with macadamia nuts in the middle….

she got to see whales breach off the coast and they sounded a whole lot like her daughter in law

trying to bend down and wipe up the floor after a circuit training class.

{sorry….is that too much info}

Anyhoo……I believe she had a wonderful time with us….and i know for a fact….

that we thoroughly had a wonderful time with her here.

{even though a child might or might not have hidden her reading glasses}

Here are some photos taken in the last week…..

it’s not too often that you walk by a sign hanging on the front of a shop that states the way you feel….


This sign pretty much states everything.

the end

over and out

i’m having one made for my front door and back door…because you just never know who will knock 

at the back door….and i might even get one for the bathroom door.

We drove to the other side of the island last Thursday and drove up to Waimea Canyon….and as you can see….

a certain third child tagged along with us that day.

Does he look sick to you…..because he certainly does NOT look sick to me.

Third child …..no other words needed.

Mason had his 11th birthday party on Sunday….it was a fishing party on the Hanalei Pier. 

I was warned from one of my friends that RSVP’ing here in the middle of the Pacific isn’t a priority….

but i thought i was lucky when i got one parent calling me to RSVP.

Then three other boys showed up…..and that was the way we rolled this year.

1. Mason caught the biggest fish.

2. The boys at the party.

3. Mason fishing.

We found some swings hanging from a tree while out driving around.

{don’t hate me if i come back here in 2 weeks and shoot Fin’s turning 7 birthday photos….}

I promise i’ll change his clothes and style his hair.

It’s not Friday night if you don’t have a group of ladies that come up and want to pray for you.

{hey…..they offered a bbq of hot dogs and burgers on the beach …}


1.No…that is not a glob of KY Jelly on the beach….it’s a jelly fish on little bits of Sea Glass at Glass Beach.

2. Wailua Fall.

3. Kilauea Lighthouse.

We drove to the end of the road {northshore} on Saturday…….

1.Kalalau trail…..no…we did not hike it….but they sure looked good under the sign.

2. Fin’s footprints in the sand.

3. The Napali coast {which the Kalalau trail follows for 11 miles in}

Mason heading along the beach at sunset.


Mason and friends version of snowboarding. 

Lola and one of her besties Anya.

{Anya and her family came for vacation and ended up staying……yup….it happens}


This all happened in one evening:

2. It was a Monday evening….Bryan was working…..so i packed up dinner and we hit the beach.

3. I saw a girl walking on the pier in an ANTHRO dress….so i jumped up…and stalked her followed her.

{anyone that shows up on the pier in an Anthro dress…..well…..they deserve to be followed…..}

cough cough

1. As i was following girl in Anthro dress….a cute girl who was visiting from California

came up to me and introduced herself as a blog reader. 

{…i was still in my workout clothes …..had no make-up on and i might have been carrying a hidden margarita 

in my hand….so i’m pretty sure she flew home to her family and complained that i smelled like i looked…}

hey….she was in workout clothes as well…..so there….but what are the chances that fate brings a blog reader

and a blog writer together on a Monday night at the Hanalei pier.

{Thank you Anthro dress wearing Canadian independent film editor girl on her way around the world….}

1. Our very first Valentines night out in 11 years.

11 years ago {plus two days}……which was 2 days before Mason was born….

i put on my black PLEATHER maternity pants and we dined at Kincaids.{Bay Area…}

{I was cool back then……pregnant 26 year old sporting the pleather}

Seriously….didn’t we all wear black pleather pants back then?

I might have had to cut the pants off at the end of that night because if you did not know….

{but now you do…..}

sweat and black pleather {plastic leather} don’t mix very well.

2. Playing tourists at Waimea Canyon lookout with the oops baby next to us.

1. I took my very first ever yoga class in the history of the life of kasey.

2. Green Juice. What i drink every single morning in lieu of breakfast.

{and down 15 pounds since November}

well…..the exercise helps too…..all 6 days a week of it.


what a beautiful winter evening looks like…

and the only organizational sport that the kids are playing at the moment…

and it included water.

well…..that and writing 200 times that they will not ride a bike without a helmet.

Real life.

If you need me…..i’ll be across the street.

what eleven looks like today

For three days i had been planning on today.

In my world it takes three days to beg and plead any child of mine to please put on a nice shirt….

some clean shorts…..and run a comb though their hair so that maybe…..just maybe…..

we could head out and get some photos done.

It’s not easy anymore……and the older they get….the harder it is.

Today was different though.

We came home from the beach….where we spent the afternoon with my MIL who is visiting from Florida…..

and Mason showered….

he put on some decent clothes….

ran a comb through his hair….and we headed to a little quiet beach where he did his thing .

{no you can’t have him Abercrombie and Fitch}


My MIL keeps whispering in his ear that she misses his short hair…..

and he keeps reminding her that we don’t live in Illinois anymore.


Last year he played the cello at school….this year he plays the ukulele…..

he loves to be barefoot….he wears his swim trunks to school….

he plays a mean game of scrabble.

He received all A’s in Social Studies and Science…..but i did get a phone call home from his teacher 

this week saying he’s been slacking off on turning in his homework.

{obviously…..that is not due to my lack of good parenting….}

Today Mason turns eleven years old.

He is tender hearted…..he is kind….he is patient….and mature. He loves life as much as we do…..

and still loves when i lay with him  at bedtime.

{i credit all of this to the beautiful soundtrack of SADE playing when he entered the world}

{and no….there was no birthing ball in the room…..just plenty of good old fashioned legal drugs..}
Everyone always says to me…..

{for some reason it’s always grandmothers at the supermarket}

“enjoy this time while you can…..they grow so fast”.

How right they are……but you know what….i wouldn’t change a thing.

I think i even told someone the other day how easy it was when they were little…..

of course they slept through the night by 12 weeks of age….

and weren’t they all potty trained by age 2…..

and now that i think about it….i probably even made my own baby food and taught them sign language.

errrrr….

nope….that wasn’t me. I just reconfirmed it with my MIL and i was all wrong.

No one still sleeps through the night….

there is the occasional peeing in the yard but they claim it’s an accident….

and the only sign language they know is a middle finger that will put them into a closet for a year with no food.

So yes….the little years were good….but the big years are better.




I loved them when they were little…..but i love who they are now….

and yes…it does go by so fast.

lightening speed

but the best is yet to come.

what time has taught me

*stepping out of your comfort zone will not only make you stronger….it will make you a better person.

*red wine is good for your heart.

*if you keep saying “what if” then you’ll never get to say “i did”.

*sheltering your children does not prepare them for the future.

*once you get your first grey hair…it’s all downhill from there.

*carrying your camera around with you is important.

*nothing compares to a Hawaiian avocado.

*i spend way too much time on Pinterest …..pinning pretty clothes that i can’t afford……

styling for a house i don’t live in anymore….and food that i can never get to look that good when i make it.

*a house doesn’t make a home.

*if you don’t breastfeed…..it’s not the end of the world. 

*turning the clocks forward on some nights and putting the kids to bed early is not a bad idea….

it’s pure genius.

*values and views vary from person to person…..hold onto what you believe.

*if your third child does not wear underwear…….the occasional shart will make you think

you just weren’t strict enough.

*being closed minded only hurts yourself.

*you have to live life moving forward not back {courtesy of Spy Kids 3}.

*making minimum wage humbles your character

*your spouse should always come first.

*it’s okay to have “me” time.

*it’s not okay for your cleaning lady to find your vibrator.

{just kidding mom}

*communication is the best asset.

*not everything will go according to plan.

*there is something magical about not knowing what comes next.

*a good hair cut by a good stylist is worth every penny.

*there is nothing more deflating then to have to do the walk of shame out of a cheap hair place.

*a temperature of 99.2 does not constitute a phone call home from the school nurse.

*being on the beach in the middle of February is good for your soul.

*it really isn’t about what “school district* you are in.

*you can’t rewind time…but you can help shape the future.

*i don’t really like grapefruit juice without the vodka in it.

*don’t make a list of things you want to do…make a list of things you are going to do.

*always keep a journal next to your bed.

*just make sure that you don’t look in that journal a few years later to find the pages filled with

get milk. sign permissions slip. make pap smear appointment in morning.

*there really is something to be said about drinking 8 glasses of water a day.

*with the right attitude…..a jump in the pool can also be the kids bath for the day.

*you can wash a shirt…you can wash your socks….but you never have to wash your jeans

*kids grow up.

*time flies.

*life is what you make of it.