Aloha Kakou!
I just wanted to thank everyone for their hard work, commitment, dedication and most of all support for this year's Keiki Hula.
The girls were marvelous on and off the stage. Our girls were young women wherever they went and represented the halau and the Big Island in a very positive way. Wherever we went people were impressed with the girls as a group and individually.
Special thanks to Aunty Bonnie who treated us all to lunch at Forty Niner's and ice cream at Nestle's Toll House. And to Uncles Keoni, Carl and Dale who drove us through the chaotic Oahu traffic and always got us to where we were going on time! (And Uncle Dale who went searching thru Honolulu for additional green ti leaves). And to Aunties Lucy, Des, Nobi, and Kanoe for cooking, chaperoning and hanalima-ing (which sounds easier than it actually is), surviving on caffeine and a few hours of sleep a nite. The girls and adults enjoyed ALL the meals... and the all the girls had hearty appetites! .... And a special aloha to Bianca Soriano for doing the beautiful makeup on the girls, sacrificing herself to stay with the girls on the last nite, for making Kumu's ipuheke lei, trimming and adjusting kupe'es and lei ai's .... And Dason for his magical recovery from his high fever and flu symptoms to sing beautifully at the Blaisdell.
We know that as parents you are proud of your daughter, but we (chaperones/hanalima) want you to know that we also are very very proud of them. They worked together, played together, sang, ate, slept, danced and grew together as a family. Thank you for allowing us this special time together with your daughter. Ask them about their special memories ... hehe ... Emily and Meagan have special memories in the bathroom near the swimming pool... Jordan and Lahela have a special "link" with their red pa'u tops ... Teiala and Malia may be overwhelmed with the whole experience ... and Marissa - congratulations on receiving the scholarship award! ... Oh, and just to let you know, Jordan received a letter from the awards committee with a special presentation in the dressing room at the Blaisdell in the presence of her hula sisters as runner up for the award... and Janie's special memory may not be remembered by her, but by her hula sisters who carried her from bed to bed to make sure she wasn't "squished" when she was sleeping. Thank you parents for allowing your daughter to be a part of this marvelous event. Your hard work sewing, picking ti leaves, fundraising, practicing was all worth it! ... But most of all, thank you to Kumu Em - his loving energy, his aloha for the girls, his constant sharing of his mana'o ... WE LOVE YOU KUMU~~YOU ROCK!!
I apologize that we didn't have time to let the girls shop or swim this trip, but we did get to see some very special cultural sites and meet special people. Our visit to Io'lani Palace was moving. Our visit to Uluhaimalama Gardens was enlightening and our private visit to Mauna 'Ala, the Royal Mausoleum was awesome. Uncle Billy, the Kahu of Mauna Ala opened the gates for our private tour of the only known place in the United States that the flag of the Kingdom of Hawaii is permitted to fly unaccompanied by the American Flag. We all grew from this experience.
Thank you!! We'll see you at KMC!!
ALO-----HA!!!
Aunty Debbie
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