Donna is a 30-something Christian girl, blissfully wedded to her perfect match (the yang to her yin) of 14 years. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from her hometown, a slave to her mortgage payment, but seeking balance in her pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest.

She started her journey toward parenthood two years ago in January 2006, which included a laparoscopy, 2 D&C’s, a major surgery to remove both fallopian tubes, and months of in vitro fertilization treatments. On January 4, 2008, four frozen embryos were transferred and on January 14 and 16, it was confirmed by HCG blood tests that she is pregnant. Her first ultrasound is scheduled for February 1, 2008, when she finds out whether she will be a mother to one, two, three, or…?

Interests include: Shotokan karate, Okinawan & Japanese culture and performing arts (currently an Okinawan dancer on hiatus), photography, writing, videography and video editing, discovering new restaurants and reviewing them on champuru.net.

“Champuru” is an Okinawan stir fry dish, literally meaning a “mixture.” In a figurative sense, it’s similar to what locals would call “chop suey.” A whole bunch of stuff, tossed in, mixed up to create a unique flavor. She selected this pseudonym years ago, mainly to relate to her Okinawan culture, but also felt that it was an appropriate way to describe her appreciation of many different cultures and interests.

Ingredients:
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large goya
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, minced
1 block of tofu
1 can of tuna
3 eggs, beaten
dash of soy sauce
dash of black pepper
dash of Tobasco
1 tbsp salt

To prepare goya, slice lengthways and remove seeds; gently scraping the inside with a spoon to remove all of the core. Chop thinly and place goya into a bowl. Add salt to the chopped goya and gently massage until thoroughly coated (this will temper the bitterness). Add cold water and let sit for 15-30 minutes. After soaking, rinse off salt completely and set goya aside.

Using high heat, saute oil, garlic, and onions. Cook until onions become semi-translucent, then add goya and tuna. After goya is tender, crumble tofu into the mix and infuse with soy sauce, pepper and Tabasco until it reaches the desired flavor. Add eggs and toss mixture until thoroughly coated - taking care not to overcook.

Banner graphic:
Credit to DesignFruit for the awesome “Japanese foilage” Photoshop brush used to create the banner graphic design.