My Best Day...Two Years Later

Today is the 2nd anniversary of the day I married Nicole. It was the happiest day of my life. I have had many great days since then, but on that day I was able to marry the woman I love so dearly and share it with my friends and family. The ceremony was at Churchill Manor in Napa, CA and it was hot! Luckily, there was plenty of Champagne to cool everyone off. Our family and friends made us feel so special and that feeling has lasted well past the wedding. My niece Emily even took her first steps at the reception! It was a truly magical day that I will never forget. To celebrate our two years together, we ate dinner at Greens at Fort Mason. We ate there the night we were engaged on August 30, 2003. The food was good and we had a spectacular view looking out at the sunset and the Golden Gate Bridge. We both marveled at how our wedding day seemed like it was a month ago, not two years. Nicole looked beautiful as always and I couldn't help but think what a lucky galoot I am.

For those of you reading this that attended the wedding or our second reception on Oahu, thank you for showering us with so much love. It really set us off on the right foot. Every time I think of all of our loved ones gathered together to celebrate our day, it makes me smile. I smile a lot these days.

Paradise Lost and Found Again

On Monday, July 10th, our final full day in Hawaii, Nicole and I went to Kaimana's to soak up some final rays. But first Mom, Nicole and I walked around Diamond Head Crater and pick up some lunch at Diamond Head Market before we hit the beach. After a couple hours at the beach we headed over to Waiola's Shave Ice for one final Shave Ice delight. We headed over to Kuakini Medical Center to say goodbye to Obaachan. While there, we saw Uncle Gordon and said "Aloha". That night we ate dinner with Uncle Ned and Auntie Kamaile at home. Delicious Salmon and of course, we ended the evening with the obligatory glass of scotch.

We woke with the sun and finished up any last minute packing. Mom and Tama accompanied us to Honolulu International and we said our farwells and flew back to California.

TAHOE
We arrived at Oakland International Airport at about 8:45 PM on Tuesday, July 11th. After catching a cab to our friend Marisa's house in Alameda (where we left the Oldsmobile)and then drove straight up to Lake Tahoe. We made it up in good time, and went straight to sleep.
On Wednesday morning we awoke refreshed and said hello to my dad Mike and my niece and nephew Emily and Evan. After my sister and my mother woke up, we had a quick breakfast and then Nicole and I headed to Stateline, NV, and walked the easy Lam Wa Tah meadow trail and chilled out at Sandy Beach. We headed back to the house and had a nice dinner ar Sunnyside Resort near Tahoe City. The view of the sunset from their deck was amazing.
On Thursday morning we woke up and played with the kids before heading out to Tahoe City to the Tahoe City Farmer's Market. The Farmer's Market is located at the Tahoe Commons Beach right across the street from the Cobblestones and Rosie's. We bought some organic lettuce from Grass Valley. Then we headed home and walked over to Meeks Bay and hiked up into Desolation Wilderness. We were checking out the trail conditions for our next day's hike up to Lake Genevieve. We only went on a 6 mile hike as opposed to the next day's hike up to Lake Genevieve that was about 10 miles. That night, Nicole and I made a salad with the greens we bought at the farmers market and some grilled chicken. We hit the hay early to rest up for our Desolation Wilderness hike.

Future Love Paradise

On Sunday Nicole and I sang at Micah and Namie's wedding in the Chapel at Kamehameha Schools. We sang some duets as a prelude and then Nicole sang "The Lord's Prayer" during the ring ceremony. She sang beautifully. The Bride looked beautiful and the Groom looked very happy. Everyone then headed over to the Prince Hotel at Waikiki for the reception. There were about 450 people at the reception! We sat at a table with Nicole's cousin Spencer Wong and his girlfriend Maile, his brother Everett Wong and his fiancee Kamomi, their c
ousin Danny Andrade, Nicole's cousin Keoni Shultz and his wife Sharyl, and Nicole's cousin Mahealani Richardson, who is a news anchor for a local T.V. station KITV 4 here in Honolulu. The food was great and Micah's brother Noah, the Best Man, gave a funny and heart-felt toast. A good time was had by all.

Since the ceremony was held at 9:30 am (?!) we still had half of the day left to us when the reception ended at about 2:30 PM. We headed over to West Oahu with Uncle Ned, Auntie Kamaile, Mom, and Nicole's friend Nalani Oda. Yokohama Beach is at the end of the road out past Waianai in West Oahu. The water was warm and the time at the beach was nice and relaxing. We ended the day at Uncle Ned and Auntie Kamaile's house and had some delicious Korean food with Uncle Ned, Auntie Kamaile, Mom, Nalani, Keoni, Sharyl, Kanekoa, Pohai and their children Kahikina'okala and Hoapili. Uncle Ned showed some pictures from his recent year-long sabatical in Korea. We also looked at some pictures from our France trip last summer. Ah, memories. We ended the evening with a smooth Kentucky Bourbon and headed back home.

Paradise Found...In A Cup

On Saturday morning Nicole and I went to Honolulu. First we went to Ward Center and Nicole got her eyebrows waxed, then we had a delicious lunch at the Kaka'Ako Kitchen. We split the Mochiko Chicken Salad. Needless to say, it was good. Next we headed over to Ala Moana to do some clothes shopping for me. I have lost some weight lately (although I don't feel it with all the eating I have been doing here), so most of my clothes are on the baggy side. We bought some stuff at Gap and Nicole bought some cute shoes at Nine West. We hit Honolulu Coffee Co. and they were brewing the Kona Peaberry. I have to say, Honolulu Coffee Co. may sell the best cup of straight up drip coffee that I have ever bought at a coffee house. I have had better coffee, but it was either at Alan Wong's or it was brewed at home. In my book, that is high praise.
We then headed over to Kuakini Medical Center to visit Obaachan and Uncle Gordon. After saying our goodbyes we headed back to Kane'ohe. After primping, Nicole, Mom and I drove to Kailua to eat at Uncle George and Auntie Elly's house. Their son Gavin and his wife Sheila were there, as was Auntie Elly's sister Auntie Barbara and her Husband Dr. David Tsunehiro, their daughter Dr. Cathy Uyehara and her husband Dr. Keith Uyehara and their children Kylie and Kean, Derek Tsunehiro, and Gavin's friend Rob. We had a grand old time. The food was delicious and the company was excellent. After sitting around drinking coffee, eating dessert and talking story, we headed home and and called it a day.

Paradise, Hawaiian Style

No trip to Hawaii would be complete without a good, old-fashioned teeth cleaning. Nicole and I went and got ours from my father-in-law yesterday. No cavities!

Later in the afternoon we headed back to Kamehameha Schools for a musical rehearsal for Micah and Nami's wedding.

The Bishop Memorial Chapel on the campus is one of the most beautiful churches I have ever been in. The floor, pews, ceilings, EVERYTHING is made out of the most beautiful koa wood. The huge pipe organ is totally encased in koa. The acoustics are a dream. Built in 1988 on the original 600-acre hillside Kapalama campus, the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Memorial Chapel is available for wedding ceremonies for alumni, trustees, faculty, staff and immediate families of all the above categories. The beautiful koa-constructed chapel accommodates 482 people. The rehearsal went well and then we headed back to Kaneohe to attend Nicole's Uncle George and Auntie Elly's surprise birthday party at the Bayview Golf Club. Uncle George's and Auntie Elly's birthdays are one year and two days apart. Nicole's cousin Gavin Hewitt and his wife Sheila made a surprise appearance. After the party ended, we went back home and hit the hay.

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

It hit me all at once this evening how unpredictable, wonderful, and interesting life can be. I was sitting on a deck over looking Pearl Harbor in view of the Arizona Memorial (well, I knew it was there, but it wasn't visible from my vantage point at night ) looking at the lights of a Honolulu evening with a glass of 15 year-old single Malt Scotch, sitting next to a gorgeous woman on an island about as far away from any other land mass as you can get on Earth. How about that? Not bad for a NorCal boy from Davis.

The day began with a beautiful sunrise and a relaxing morning of reading. Nicole and I vocalized and then Mom, Nicole and I drove into Honolulu. We had a delicious lunch at Mariposa at Nieman Marcus. I had a wonderful lobster club sandwich. Mariposa is famous for their delicious pop-overs and wonderful chicken consume. While at Mariposa, we ran into the Takesono's friend Lorna Mount. Lorna and her husband John are both very talented singers and are patients of Dr. T's. They are frequent performers with Honolulu Symphony and Hawaii Opera Theater.
We did some shopping at Ala Moana and I had a great cup of coffee at Honolulu Coffee Co. They brew 100% Kona for their regular brewed coffee and it was delicious. We headed back over the Pali and got ready for Unlce Ned's birthday/Kanekoa and his wife Pohai's 4th anniversary party at Uncle Ned and Auntie Kamaile's house in A'iea. Auntie Kamaile made a delicious Prime Rib and we all enjoyed Nicole's chocolate cake. The evening ended with the requisite glass of Laphroaig 15-year Single Malt and my beautiful bride in my arms. All is right with the world.

Strangers In Paradise

Wednesday greeted us with a beautiful sunrise. Nicole and I woke up and vocalized and worked on music. I made a trip to the store to pick up some more cooking supplies for a cake that Nicole is baking for Uncle Ned's birthday. While there, I walked over to the Starbucks. Now, I know what you all are thinking, "Adam, at STARBUCKS?" I go there for one very specific drink, and it is one that Starbucks doesn't have on the mainland, not to mention that there are no Peets' or good independent roasteries in the immediate vicinity of the supermarket. The drink I get is a Thai esspresso Latte, and it is basically a latte with a little condensed milk, which helps to mask Starbucks burnt espresso beans. Anyway, shortly after I made it back, we headed over the Pali to the Hilton Resort to pick up my good friend Ian's fiancee Lisa and her friend Karen. Lisa had scheduled this little vacation before Ian proposed to her, but since they are planning on getting married here on Oahu, it has morphed into a fact-finding mission. We took them back over to the Windward side of the island and showed them a potential wedding site, the Aloha Ke Akua Fishpond just a short drive (or walk) from the Takesono's house. It features a cute chapel and a view of "Chinaman's Hat" or "Mokilii" (the Little Lizard).
Lisa loved the site and decided it would be the perfect place to get married. We picked up some Vietnamese sandwiches at Ba Le in Kaneohe and headed back over to the Leeward side of the island. After dropping of Karen back at the hotel, we took Lisa over to check out the Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel. We then dropped off Lisa for her pedicure appointment and we drove back over to Kamaina's, parked the car and walked the 3 plus miles around the base of Diamond Head Crater. That took us about an hour, and then we plunged strait into the water at Kaimana's. After soaking up some rays, we went back to Lisa and Karen's hotel room and got ready for dinner at The Willows. After a nice dinner we dropped the ladies off at their hotel and said our goodbyes. Nicole and I headed over the Pali and it was off to bed.

Patriotic Paradise

July Fourth began with frantic work in the kitchen. Nicole was finishing up her numerous pies and Mom was finishing up her baked beans. I made some linguisa and scrambled eggs with pesto and parmegiano. Mom also made amazing pop-overs and we slathered them with some left over lemon curd from Nicole's Lemon-Raspberry tart. It was a great breakfast.
Nicole and I then kayaked out to the Sand Bar about a mile out into the middle of Kaneohe Bay. It took a while to get out there due to some intense chop, but the two-man sea kayak served us well. When we finally made it out to the sand bar, we happened to run into Nicole's family friends Dr. Dave and Karin Brown along with some friends of theirs in their sailboat, the Ho'onanea. They welcomed us aboard and we ate some sandwiches and drank some beer. A good time was had by all.

After saying our goodbyes we headed back, much faster this time as we were aided by the wind and tide. We gathered up the pies and beans and headed over to Uncle Ned and Aunty Kamaile folk's house in A'eia for the annual July 4th celebration. The Shultz's back deck offers a view of 4 major fireworks celebrations: Magic Island, Pearl Harbor, Ala Moana and Hickam AFB. It was a sight to behold. I also got to sing "John Brown's Body", "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", "It's A Long Way to Tipperary" and other patriotic (?) songs with noted silver throat and crooner extraordinaire, Uncle Dan Boylan. Nicole's cousin Kanekoa Shultz was the grillmaster and his burgers and sausages were delicious. The pies were a hit, and we all basked in the glow of family, fireworks and fellowship. A good time was had by all.

O, Paradis!

3 July 2006
Nicole and I feel much better this morning. Last night we ate dinner at Roy's in Hawaii Kai. We went Waimanolo way, instead of going on the Pali, which took us by a sacred spot on the island. This spot of which I speak is of course the Robin's Nest, or the so called Robin Master's Estate from Television's Magnum P.I. Anyway, dinner at Roy's was delicious, despite the fact that we are recovering from our quick stomach illness. We started off with a delicious Spanish Sparkling White and a wonderful Waimanalo Micro Greens salad. I had an amazing pan seared Ahi and we shared a delicious "Strawberry Shortcake Deconstructed". It was a wonderful end to the day.

Nicole and I began today grateful for regular and healthy bodily functions, in light of our succinct bout with Mr. Montezuma and his infamous and unfortunate need for revenge. We both did our requisite vocal warm-ups and worked on some arias and our selections for Micah and Nami's wedding on Sunday. Next it was off to Kamehameha Schools in Kalihi for a rehearsal with the organist for the wedding. For those of you that aren't familiar with Kamehameha Schools, it was founded by Bernice Pauahi Bishop in the latter half of the 19th Century to serve the educational needs of the islands' indigenous population. The campus is perched on an overlook with amazing vistas from Diamond Head to Ewa Beach. We met Nami at Uncle Bruce and Auntie Charmain's house on the Kamehameha campus (Auntie Charmain works for the school) and got to say hello to Noah, the new High School grad. Nami took us up to the Music Building to meet the accompanist. Unfortunately, the accompanist had an emergency on the other side of the island, so there was no rehearsal. It was, however, a good excuse to visit with the impending bride and talk with Auntie Charmain and Noah.

Then it was back to Ala Moana to pick up a tart pan at William Sonoma. You see, this is the exciting lifestyle that constantly surrounds us as Opera singers. After that, we headed over to Kaimana's, our favorite beach. It is technically part of Waikiki, but beause it is on the Diamond Head side of the old War Memorial Natatorium (incidentally, the very same swimming pool where Duke Kahanamoku came to prominence as a world-class swimmer), it is mostly a local hang out. We soaked up some sun and read our books. Nicole is reading a historical novel about Catherine of Aragon and I am reading Paris: The Biography of a City by Colin Jones. They just torched Joan of Arc!

After our sun-soaking session, we headed to one of our favorite spots on the whole island, Waiola Shave Ice on Kapahulu St. Waiola Shave Ice, in my opinion, is far superior to any I have ever had, including the more famous Matsumoto's on the North Shore. Their ice is so fine and their syrups and flavorings are delicious. This is NOT your mainland "snow cone" with its coarse ice chunks and fructose-laden generic flavorings. I hade a large with vanilla ice cream and azuki beans on the bottom and Mango and Lychee syrup with Sweet Li Hing Mui sauce on the top. DELICIOUS!

Our next item on the agenda was a trip back over the Pali and a short stop at Safeway to get some molasses for some molasses ginger cookies that Nicole was making for our dinner at Uncle Johnny and Auntie Paula Wong's house in Kailua. Nicole has been very busy baking for that and for our big 4th of July blow out at Uncle Ned and Auntie Kamaile's house in A'eia tomorrow. She has made two apple pies, a lemon-raspberry tart and a delicious looking and smelling blueberry pie. She is an amazing baker!
Uncle Johnny and Auntie Paula are such wonderful people. Nicole and I had our Hawaii wedding reception in their back yard in 2004. Aunty Paula prepared a delicious Chinese chicken salad (Chinese chicken salad is one of my favorites, and her's is the best I have ever had), Uncle Johnny prepared an amazing beef tomato and a mouth-watering baked uhu, a delicious, buttery fish that was garnished with ginger, onions and various yummies. Dessert was Nicole's molasses ginger cookies and some San Franciso's own Bud's Creamy Vanilla Ice Cream. It was a great way to finish the meal. Then, Uncle Johnny brought out a trio of Scotches to sample as an aperitif. MacCallan 12 year single malt, Laphroaig 15 year single malt and a deliciously smoky 16 year single malt Islay scotch of which the name escapes me. It was a delightful evening.

Trouble in Paradise

Nicole and I arrived in Hawaii to find amazing weather awaiting us. We got in at about 8 PM (11 PM Pacific Time), so my mother-in-law Betsy drove us home to Kaneohe. We stayed up up awhile talking to Mom and Dad (Betsy and Jerry) and playing with the Takesono's Pomeranian, Tama, then we called it a night.

Friday was another gorgeous day (of course) and we headed to Kaneohe for our traditional provisioning trip to Longs that we make at the begining of any stay here. For those of you that are not familiar with Hawaii, I should say that the Longs Drugstores here on the islands have a much greater selection than the ones on the mainland. It is a veritable cornucopia of delights. We then headed up (and then back down) the Pali Highway and into Honolulu. We stopped at Ala Moana Shopping Center because I had to pick up some new board shorts. Even though I just purchased a new pair of board shorts for Christmas, I had to get new ones because I have lost some weight and didn't want to give the tourists at the beach a free show. After Ala Moana, we headed over to Rainbow Drive-In and picked up a Mixed Plate Lunch for Nicole and I to share. We then headed back over to Ala Moana Beach Park and met up with our friend Mindy Yamamoto. We lazed on the beach for a couple of hours and then Nicole and I headed over to visit Obaachan, Nicole's grandmother at the Kuakini Medical Center where she is being cared for. While we were there, we also saw Nicole's uncles Clifford and Gordon. After saying our farewells, we headed back to Kaneohe and showered. We then picked up Mom and Dad at the office and headed back over the Pali to Diamond Head. We swung by the Diamond Head Market for some dinner to go (the Diamond Head Market is wonderful!) and went to Diamond Head and sat on the sea wall and ate dinner. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

On Saturday we woke with the sun and had some great coffee and croissant. At 10 AM I had a great massage with Marcie and came home. At this point, I started feeling a little off. Long story short, I got sick. It seems to have been a 12 hour thing, because it is about 9 AM on Sunday and other than feeling a little weak, I feel so much better. Nicole got it too, but didn't seem to get it as badly as I did.

Sunday, July 2,3:30 PM: We just got back from Ka'a'awa Beach. We both feel much better our appetites have come back with a vengance. We are going to Roy's for dinner tonight in Hawai'i Kai. We hope our stomachs can take it!