Christmas | lariyasui

2022: What a year! The world slowly came off Covid restrictions and people could get back to their “normal” life.
Cliff and I took several trips this year. In Feb to Tasmania and Sydney Australia. In May to Arizona to visit friends. In June to NYC for Noakai’s graduation. In Sept we cruised the islands of Croatia. In Oct and Nov we flew to Japan.
High school students were lucky to go back to traditional activities such as proms and graduations. In May Madisen Yasui graduated from Moanalua HS with high honors, Azlyn Hernandez graduated from Punahou in early June. In late June, Cliff and I flew to New York for Noakai Aronesty’s graduation from Stuyvesant HS at the Arthur Ashe tennis stadium. In the fall, Madi went to San Diego State, Azlyn went to UCLA and Noakai went to UCIrvine.
As for myself, I continue my taiko (Japanese drum) lessons, took UH zoom classes, serve as president of our Wilder Tower board, took taichi and zumba classes, go dancing with my brother Bruce, went to Kaimana beach every week to get some vitamin sea, and generally keep busy with friends and family. I don’t know if this is a new career, but I was on YouTube, on KITV, and in a BOH commercial. I leased another blue Audi Q5 which happens to be a plug-in hybrid, which doesn’t use much gas. I am retiring from my part time job at Chinen&Arinaga Financial Group at the end of this year.
Besides our trips together, Cliff and I enjoy beach sunsets, going to theater plays, movies, art museums, jazz concerts and out to dinner/lunch with friends and family. This year we went up to the remote Ossipoff cabin twice. It is high up in the Makakilo mountains where the views are breathtaking and the architecture is amazing.
We wish you an enjoyable holiday season with loved ones and a most wonderful and healthy New Year!
Love & aloha,
Lari

2020 Holiday Greetings from Lari

Who knew? That we would be stuck at home for months? We are living in unprecedented times and will never go back to the old “normal”. Hopefully, the “new normal” will be much better. I love how Mother Earth has been rejuvenated since we all stayed home… we need to keep caring for Her with less abuse. Traffic has been so easy. We have many blessings during this pandemic.

Who knew? That I would cancel 4 trips: to Australia with Madi in March during spring break, to Myanmar to visit friends in April, to Fukuoka with 3 girlfriends in May and to Switzerland with 3 Pohakea teacher friends in June. Side benefit: saving money!

Who knew? That I would find a new romance in this pandemic? Cliff Kimura and I met on Match in September and are in a happy and loving relationship. We both enjoy travel, wine, jazz, photography and more. In fact, he is an avid photographer with a big camera and belongs to 3 photo clubs. We go on photo expeditions to Kewalos, Sandy Beach, Diamond Head, Pipeline and more for surfing & sunset photos. He gets some nice sunset photos from my lanai. Because we are not traveling, we are spending most of our days and nights together, meeting each other’s families/friends and watching Netflix and Prime Video. His son Jordan has a daughter Easton and his daughter Dayna is married to Cayce.

Who knew? That my new boyfriend would cook for me? And because Cliff retired from United Airlines, that he would share his flying privileges with me? We can’t wait to travel together! We walk to Kaimana beach from his home in Kapahulu, so we get our exercise and enjoy the ocean getting some vitamin sea.
I invited 7 grandkids to sleep over for 5 days for Grandma Lari’s Spring camp during spring break in March. The “Bigs” are 3 high school girls, the 3 “Littles” are girls in elementary school and 1 boy in middle school. We had many fun activities: daily play in my condo pool, playing in Makiki District park across the street, board games & movie nights in the evenings. I taught them to sew their own pillowcases on my sewing machine. They wrote in their journals each evening.

In July, I had them over again for Grandma Lari’s Summer Camp for 5 days in July. More fun activities and this time, they each sewed their own masks. They loved it so much, they requested a Winter Camp in December. End of July, Kazu & Claudine invited me to a camping trip at Malaekahana for the weekend. The 7 kids spent all day in the ocean, we ate delicious food cooked by Kazu and Claudine, crab hunts at night and slept in tents.

I miss my daughter Yvette’s family in New York/New Jersey. They are fine and doing well there. Noakai is a Junior in NY and Marlowe is a 1st grader.

Both Cliff’s family and my family are safe and healthy. We are thankful for our many blessings. Here’s wishing you a wonderful holiday season filled with love!
Love and aloha,

Lari

Slide show has many photos including many friends, families, visitors and activities during the past year.