Who is Champuru? 
Aloha, I'm Donna, known everywhere on the Internet as "Champuru." I'm a Christian, blissfully wedded to my perfect match (the yang to my yin) of 15 years and a stay-at-home mom to my miracle baby, born in October 2008. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from my hometown, seeking balance in her pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest. Read more on the About page.
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Dot-Com Days
In the days before dot-net.
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The holiday season is in full swing and edible temptations seem all the more formidable. For some reason, I always pick this time of year to wage a futile battle against the bulge. I don’t know why I do it since it’s akin to setting myself up for failure, but I seem to have annual epiphanies around this time of year, horrified about how much weight I’ve gained since the last and decide that I must do something about it. It’s the stuff New Year’s resolutions are made of.
Since I’m rarely one to deprive myself, especially when it comes to matters of the palate, I’ve vowed to start by exercising regularly. I was doing so well while Hubby was away during his tour of duty in Iraq, but that’s mainly because I had to keep myself busy lest I worry myself to death. Also, the absence of my favorite dining out partner didn’t present me with many opportunities to indulge myself during our year apart. As a result of this (and my tonsillectomy), I lost nearly 15 pounds.
Now that Hubby is back, we’re eating out quite a bit and I’ve packed the pounds back on. If only it were as easy to lose weight as it is to gain it.
Needless to say, I’m starting the with the exercise. Maybe after the holidays, I’ll have the healthy eating follow suit. For now, let the chocolate fountain flow!
 Time flies scary fast. I still can’t believe that it’s been 14 years since we met. I was barely out of high school at the time and not so interested in a relationship — that is, until he came along and swept me off my feet. He was friendly with a disarming smile and a charming disposition. Not long after our first meeting outside the church, we found ourselves attending the same Bible Study. I remember one of our first conversations about his “dawn patrol” escapades at Sandy Beach and his habit of sleeping in his truck overnight so that he would be on the beach right at the crack of dawn to go bodysurfing. I looked at him, with his great hair and pumped up pecs, with my mouth agape. I’m sure I said something goofy, probably revealing that I couldn’t swim to save my life and that I would never think about spending the night anywhere else except in a warm, cozy bed behind a securely locked door. Immediately following that, I kicked myself for pointing out how different we were when I should have been looking for some common ground. At that moment, I didn’t realize how different we really were.
Polar opposites, to be exact. But you know what they say about opposites.
Fast-forward several years. Being opposites didn’t always make for smooth sailing in our marriage. The early years brought some storms along with the sun, but as we weathered the tumultuous times together, we found that it made our relationship stronger and helped us to see that our differences actually allowed us to complement each other.
Think: Ying and Yang.
On November 27, we celebrated our 12th anniversary. I am looking forward to many more decades ahead with this wonderful man that I am so blessed to call “Hubby.”
A note about the photo: I had to twist Hubby’s arm to get him to agree to take this photo with me. “How unromantic!” he protested, when I told him of my idea after several failed attempts to take a picture of our intertwined fingers. But I explained that I wanted to take this “thumb wrestling” photo because it was very indicative of our relationship and our playful nature, which is integral to our marriage. We are best friends as well as lovers. He’ll always be my playmate and I’ll never tire of making him laugh.
Thanksgiving, like Christmas, has lost much of its meaning to this generation. Far removed from the days of the pilgrims, Thanksgiving has become synonymous with turkey and football to many. It is my hope that Thanksgiving will bring you more than a full stomach and a day off from work, but it will bring a true spirit of thankfulness and contentment to your heart.
Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!
I realize that this picture looks like little turds, but what you’re looking at are “Hawaiian Da Kines” — chocolate dipped li hing mui seeds.
My boss, who returned from a business trip in Hilo, stopped by the delightful Big Island Candies store and bought these for the office. Always interested in something novel, he picked this up. Needless to say, there are weirder offerings, such as the chocolate dipped ika — so I’m glad he went for something unique, but not gross. (Okay, I shouldn’t knock it before I try it. Sounds pretty strange to me, though.)
The chocolate dipped li hing mui is an interesting blend of sweet and salty. The sweetness melts away pretty quickly and you’re left with the li hing mui, tasting pretty much like it normally does. It was good, but not something I’d get all nuts over. On the other hand, the Macadamia Nut Crunchies are to die for! (Chocolate covered potato chips and macadamia nuts for those who haven’t tried it.)
As I exited the facility after work, I noticed that it seemed darker than usual. Checking my watch, it was indeed 4:30, but it sure looked like it was closer to 6:00. The skies overhead were gray and patches of pavement were still wet from an earlier rain.
I got in my car and drove alongside the rest of the rush hour commuters cruising at 15 mph on the H-1 to our destinations. The commute was slow going and I had switched into drone mode. However, as I approached my off-ramp, the most stunning rainbow caught my eye. Admittedly, rainbows are quite commonplace here in Hawaii, but this one was so large and pronounced that it took my breath away. I could see each color in the spectrum distinctly. Of course, I was wearing my polarized Ray-Bans which intensified the color, so I removed them just to gaze at the rainbow with my naked eye to confirm that it was indeed more brilliant than others I’ve seen.
I gawked at it as I drove, trying not to be a road hazard. I was so tempted to fish through my purse for my camera to capture it, but caution told me that it would probably be unwise to do so at 65 mph. I took my off-ramp and enjoyed the view until it disappeared behind the trees.
Seeing this rainbow reminded me of the other entries written about Hawaiian rainbows recently. Seeing rainbows always make me feel blessed, grateful to be alive, and just plain happy. It’s like a smile from God.
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