AJs Celebrates First Anniversary!

Robert and I arrived in Atlanta promptly at 4:30pm after a long three segment flight from Hawaii on three separate airlines. (That's an adventure in and of itself) Our three mismatched (don't know why becuase we do have matching) pieces of luggage were coming right off of the carousel as we approached. We took our bags out to the off-site parking bus terminal, where the Prestige bus was waiting. Out of the parking lot, to the Kennesaw mall to pick up a special suprise for our friends and arrving by 5:30pm. I think the stars must have been aligned or something like that.



We met Tony and Andy during their first week of business and have loved their eating establishment ever since. They have authentic muffelatas and shrimp po' boys to die for! When the newspaper article about their restaurant came out last June, we bought two copies just because. We thought about having it framed for them, but never got around to it. A week or so before our vacation, while we were having a po' boy and chatting with Tony - he said they were having a big bash for their anniversary. Live music, free crawfish (for those of you who like it) and all around fun. It was then that we decided to actually get the article framed.

Back to the beginning of the post, the framing was done while we were on vacation and we had such a slim window of opportunity to pick it up in time for the party. All went well, we made the celebration, and Andy and Tony were so happy with the gift that Robert and I gave them.

So if you're ever in Marietta, Georgia, stop by AJ's Po Boys to have some great eats and say hey to Tony and Andy. I promise you will be glad you did.

The Most Amazing Footwear Ever!!!

I have to admit that I am the first one to tell you how UGLY I think these shoes are, but both Robert and I have a confession to make. On Saturday, our last day in Maui, we succumbed and joined the growing ranks of people wearing 'Crocs' footwear.

A pair of fushia and lime green sandals at a kiosk in the mall caught my attention, and before you know it, both of us were trying them on. Ha-ha! I know you're thinking that Robert tried on the pink and green, but they didn't have them in his size (or mine for that matter) so we both settled for black.

All I can tell you at this point is - you owe it to yourself to try a pair of these! And if you like the clogs and choose to wear them, I'll only make fun of your silly looking shoes for awhile because I know you are soooooo comfortable in them.

Oh yeah, the best part about these is that they are very, very reasonable. If we know you well enough or are related to you - watch out if I send an email asking for your shoe size. We promise only to send the cute sandals though!

"Hey Dad"

What a welcome break for Robert to get a call from Kawika on a Saturday between games. This Saturday also marks two firsts for Kawika:

• Yellow card (not a bad thing & can be used as means to 'fire up' or encourage team mates)
  
• Successful 'juggling'
  

Keep an eye on this young man, he may just be the next big soccer star!

Introducing....

two new grandsons! In the order of their arrival are Braydon, due to arrive in May to proud parents Noelani (Robert's daughter) and Dan



and Elijah Victor, due to arrive in late July to proud parents Angela and Mike (Sheri's son) and big brother Nathan.



Tutu Kane and Tutu Pink are sooooo anxious to meet both of you! Welcome to our world precious baby boys! Please see Nathan for references.

It's for a good cause....

and fun to boot! Last night, Robert and I attended the NFL Alumni Texas Hold'em Tournament at the ESPN Zone in Buckhead (Altanta). Bobby and Cheryl, who we met at Darwin's a couple of months ago, invited us to the event and it was a blast.

In addition to the Texas Hold'em Tournament, good food and drinks, retired NFL players and some of the Atlanta Falcon's cheerleaders were raffling off opportunities to have your picture taken with them. Both Robert and I had our pix taken with the cheerleaders, then I had one taken with all of the players.




Because we got there a little late, we missed out on the first two elimination rounds of the tourny, but one of the dealers let Robert sit in for a few hands. Lesson learned; good hand does not necessarily equate to winning. Oh well, it was fun anyway.

There were also several sports memorabilia items being auctioned off, such as Mohammed Ali's autographed trunks for $650. Robert and I perused the silent auction items, bid and won! Here is the pix of the Hank Aaron autographed baseball we took home last night. Yeah!

The entire benefit was held to raise funds for a local charity, the Cavaliers Childrens Home, so going home with a little less green in the pocket was well worth it! One can't put a price on the good times we had or a good cause!

Road Trip to Helen, Georgia

Sunday finds both Robert and I off for the day, which is a very unusual event lately. We decide to spend some quality time together and take a ride to Helen, Georgia, which is about two hours northeast of Marietta.

So what are some of the signs that you are in the country?

1. Piggly Wiggly - when is the last time you saw one of these?
2. Ewes and shetland ponies on the side of the road
3. 9 out of every 10 vehicles is a pickup
4. Abundance of RV dealerships, as well as churches and tanning salons
5. S & H Trading stamps accepted here!
6. Boats worth three times the mobile home they are parked in front of
7. Hot Tubs and Billiards Sold Here!

To fit in with the locals, Robert and I decided to dress the part. He with his Tony Stewart t-shirt and I with my redneck t-shirt that says, 'Ever so slightly spolied' in little psuedo rhinestones. And tennies, which I never wear.

Our finds of the day? Chocolate, t-shirt with basses and a walking cane (for the Living Room decor.)

Fun stuff includes the guy who played a ???????? (check out the pix) and getting out pix as local beer drinkers!

We took a little trip to try out some of the fishing, but to no avail. Don't fret though, I did get some good pix! (You can even see the worms that we set free. It's so clear - you can't even tell it is water!)

You'll have to take a look at our new blog, Robert and Sheri on the Road for more pix.

Introducing.............

Fireball Pope

R. Kawika Pope, of the KC Comets, set records this Saturday, scoring an unprecedented 17 points in a three game run, amounting to 27% of the team's total points today. Few players such as young Kawika have the endurance to play three games, much less score at such high rates. Powered by by Guava Juice, which is very close to the power drink POG from Hawaii, this guy just keep goin' for the goal.




This just in - straight from Kansas City - in the field reporter Kawika's very own Mom, Chris.

Game One:
The final score of this game was..... ummmm 24-11. Kawika lead the win with 6 goals. Toward the end of the game though, their keeper was grabbing and pushing, playing dirty, most of it directed to Kawika. Well, he got so angry, he spent all his energy in about 15 seconds. Running as hard as I've ever seen him run, kicking the crap out of the ball... just... wow, playing awesome soccer.

Game Two:

Final score: 26-12. Kawika again lead the win scoring a total of 6 more goals. He's just a monster out there. He'll play keeper, and guard his goal but then he just charges the dude bringing the ball and wins the tackle, other guy falls down and Kawika takes off. It's amazing to watch. 2 kids, 1 ball between them, other kid is taller, Kawika goes in for the ball, other guy trips, their legs are tangled, Kawika comes out with the ball... fakes out other kids ... GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.........

I'm like that guy on TV with the iPod... his shadow dancing to the music, but he's just walking down the street. I'm standing there watching the game (I don't understand how parents can sit during soccer) but my shadow is jumping and banging on the glass and screaming for Kawika.

Game Three:
Final score: 13 - 19 them....... but this is the first place team and we made a huge come back too. Kawika scored 5 goals. The game was a tough one, lots of shoving - fingers in noses and ears.... it was ugly. Once I worried Kawika was hurt, but he never flinched. Parents though were doing the "oohhhhhhhhhhhhhh Kawika are you ok????" He was playing keeper and slid and hugged the ball and a kid came right up and kicked it full on into his stomach. My heart stopped at the sound of it and I could have thrown up ... that's how scared I was. but Kawika was in that soccer zone he gets into, and never even blinked...... weird, sometimes it's like he's Superman.

Some parents standing next to me (other team) toward the end, after Kawika had scored two goals in real quick succession, said to each other "that #16 is a real ball of fire" ------ okay I couldn't keep my mouth shut. "He tried out for your team last summer, but didnt' get called back." "Oh? wow... " then very excitedly "do you think he'll try out again this year?" "I think he likes this team, but it's his decision" My mommy head was VERY VERY big at that point.


Kawika read the first of this email and said.... "17??? Wow, I just amaze myself" then he says.... "Mom! that's almost six hat tricks in one day!!" and then he ran upstairs to shower.

Back to Atlanta -
Kawika - ahem, I mean Fireball Pope - We are very PROUD of you!

Check out tonight's gameball!

Parents we admire and why

Robert and I, during a recent discussion, came to the conclusion that we have a mutual admiration for a few parents, other than our own, in our lives.

Setting Boundaries
Mike & Angela (my son & daughter in law) are quite amazing when it comes to raising Nathan. They 'get' what many, or even most, parents do not. They are the adults and Nathan is the child. Seems pretty simple huh? It's really not as easy as they make it look. I watch as they raise Nathan without letting his emotions trigger theirs. For example, when Nathan is upset, they don't get upset back at him, but rather try to evaluate the cause of the situation. They set boundaries with consequences and stick with it. If Nathan continues to try the same thing over and over, they do not give in. The results, so far, are that Nathan is well behaved and is learning his limits every day. He is allowed to BE a child.

Setting Realistic Expectations
Chris, Kawika's Mom, is also another parent we are so grateful for and proud of. Kawika is Robert and Chris's son who lives in another state. Kawika came to stay with us for a week at Thanksgiving after not having seen his Dad (Robert) for a long time. Chris did such a wonderful job of preparing both Kawika and us for the visit. What to expect from Kawika, his likes & dislikes, what his normal routine was, etc. She also did the same for Kawika, preparing him to expect lots of pictures to be taken, telling him little stories about him and his Dad when he was younger, that it is OK to like me and so on. Although I have never met Chris in person, I will tell you that she is a wonderful parent. She gives Kawika a realistic view of what to expect in different situations, also sets boundaries with consequences, and makes many sacrifices to ensure that Kawika knows he is special.

Unconditional Trust
Calvin & Van, our friends from New Orleans are yet another example of great parents. Last year, they were in the midst of the devastation and destruction in NOLA with their three children. After the hurricane had passed, the family remained at the Hyatt, where Calvin worked, for a few days until they had to make a decision to leave. Both Calvin and Van drove their vehicles, with what little they were able to take with them in a rush, to Atlanta. When they arrived at our place, the children acted as if they were on vacation. They were not distraught nor traumitized as one might imagine. This family is so grounded in their faith and providing for their children, that the kids were spared experiences that would potentially scar them. Within a week, Van had sought assistance, leased an apartment, enrolled the kids in school and was adopted by a family providing them with the necessities to get back on their feet. Calvin had also obtained a transfer to the Atlanta Hyatt within the week. The children are well adjusted, never losing any trust through this experience and are happy in their new home all because of their wonderful parents.

Leading by Example / Instilling Work Ethic
Finally Kawehi, Robert's sister is an amazing example of good parenting and acheiving her dreams at the same time. Kawehi turned her dream of flying into reality. Taking lessons, buying her first plane, establishing Mokulele Flight Services (island hopping in Hawaii) and being awarded Business Woman of the Year in Hawaii. All of this, while she and her husband are raising three children, sending them to Hawaiin based schools which focus on their heritage and supporting their extra curricular activities. Kawehi not only leads by example showing their children that the sky's the limit, but is also instilling a work ethic that will prove beneficial throughout their lives.

I live with an .......

honorary Savage! Robert, that is. We met a wonderful group of friends, Totally Savage, a few months back at an open jam and have been following them since.

They asked Robert to play Stormy Monday with them on Friday night at Brewsters Grille, one of their regular gigs, which was also the same night they were recording a live CD!

It was so funny when Larry was introducing the band and said, "and Jonathan on bass" only to look right in front of him where Jonathan was sitting at the table with me! Too funny! He didn't realize that Robert was playing, guess that means he's pretty good, huh? (I certainly think so!) Good music, friends and fun! Lucky for everyone I just happened to have my camera with me!


Then last night we went to our favorite neighborhood bar, Crystal's on the Square, and they were there! Robert played with them again, fun stuff!!!!!

Doh!!!

What was I thinkin'???

Monkey'n Around!

Mike and Chris decided to play monkeys on New Years Day with Nathan... Remind me again who are the kids in this story?

Mwaaaaa-aaa!!!

Nathan just blew you a kiss!

Setting the table

When I was a little girl, it was my and Sara's 'job' to set the table. Who would've thought that it would turn into something I really like to do? Robert and I collect different dishes and really like having a beautiful table set all of the time. The first two pix here are of our Christmas table.

A little mix and match, and here we are with a brand new table setting. Take special notice of the black tablecloth with the gold monkeys. Dinner's ready!!!

Mike is such a good Grandson!

So here's the deal.... During the Christmas holiday, Mike & Co. visit Indiana/Illinois to spend time with the family and they stay at Grandma & Grandpa Lugo's house.

Mike & Angela are now in the home improvement business and have alot of experience in refinishing floors, sooooo......... Mike decided that they needed a new floor for the bathroom. He removed the vanity, sink and toilet - then scrapped up the old floor tiles and replaced them with a nice 6x6 brown tile.

Fabulous job Mike!

Chillin' on a Sunday afternoon......

So Robert and I are sittin' here on a Sunday afternoon - our one day off together this week - watching the NFL playoff game between the Steelers and Colts, and I thought that I would catch y'all up on life here in Marietta, Georgia. I haven't broke the camera out in nearly a week, and missed some truly memorable moments.... darn!

We have both been working alot this week, but Robert has me beat. 84 hours in one week, yikes!!!! So, on Friday evening we decided to celebrate his upcoming day off on Sunday and went to Ralph's Tavern to see our friends Totally Savage play. Now this was one of their regular gigs, but they asked Robert to come up and play Stormy Monday with them. Larry said that Robert's an honorary Savage, that's pretty impressive in my book. Needless to say, Robert did not get much sleep (about four hours) until he had to get up and do it all over again at 5:00am. Order up! Breakfast for 1300 please.... eggs over easy.....

Sooooo.... it's 9:00pm and Robert calls to say he is on his way home from work. Yes, that made it a 16 hour work day. We decided to go to Crystal's on the Square, where everyone knows your name! Yup, it's alot like the setting of Cheer's and we love it because of the familiarity, in addition to the fact the crowd is more of our generation than not. A band named Big Biscuit was playing hits from the 60's and had the audience constantly on their feet dancing and having fun. We closed the place down at 1:30a.m. and made our way over to Nik's Back Porch to find more music and found The Mike Beal Band to close the last half hour of our night out with more oldies.

Sleeping in today was our goal and I am happy to let y'all know that we achieved it! Brunch at 2:00pm - yes! Now to decide whether to go to Open Jam tonight at The Firehouse.

I am also going through pix from the holidays and will be sharing some of my favorites with you. Nathan is exercising with his Daddy Mike. How cute is that?!

We ate a boatload.......

of sushi and sashimi on Friday at Fuji Hana Sushi and Steakhouse! I don't know that I have ever seen such an impressive display before.

So here's the deal for those of you who may not know this..... don't worry - I didn't prior to meeting Robert. Sashimi is the raw fish variety and sushi is either vegetables only/and cooked fish or meat. Soooooo.... the sushi is easy - I really do like it. Sashimi on the other hand is a little harder to 'like' if you haven't grown up eating it. You all would be proud of me that I tried something new.... sashimi! Now the truth is that I don't like all of it, but thoroughly enjoyed the tuna. This could be the start of something new!

The picture posted here is not the actual dinner we ate, but is very representative of it.

I can see clearly now.....

the flash is off! I've got a little story to tell about a girl who can't keep her eyes open! It's my sister Sara. Try as she may, I think it is next to impossible for her to keep her eyes open in a picture involving a flash. After trying many, many times, I finally turned off the flash and here are the results.

Happy New Year!!!

Even though Robert and I spent the New Year apart, it was so very memorable for me. For those of you who weren't there - I spent the past week in Chicago and Hammond, Indiana with family. Chris lives in Chicago, Mike & Angela were visiting along with Nathan and the rest of the family lives in Hammond.

Even though we just saw Nathan in November, he has changed so much. I never cease to be amazed by his development. He is verbalizing his wants and feelings very clearly, and is very well behaved to top it off! Even if I wasn't his Tutu (Grandma) I would be proud. Oh, and did I mention this is one of the cutest kids ever?

Vinyl Heaven

That's what Robert is in ever since we received Mike and Angela's Christmas gift, a functional turn table. This is no ordinary turntable, but one that is a replica of an old time radio/turntable complete with a record stand. It is perfect for the living room decor and has already accumlulated its' share of Beatles albums - as they are timeless.

Thanks Mike and Angela for the perfect gift!

Merry Christmas!

Robert and I would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. It is at this time of year we all should take a moment to pause, contemplate and celebrate the richness in friends, family and memories over the past year.

Doing so brings many wonderful thoughts to mind, such as the reunion of Robert (Kenui) and his son Kawika, Nathan's first birthday, Chris's graduation from UF and subsequent employment with IBM, the announcement of two more grandchildren on the way; Noelani and Dan, Michael and Angela, helping friends from NOLA, and the list goes on and on.

Cheers to all!