April 2026

 

We still continue to go to White Plains every Monday for Family Surf Night. It is always fun to see a monk seal lounging on the beach.

Kristi and Jesse wanted to host an Easter event at their place for Kate and Jane. They made yummy circus foods like corn dogs, popcorn, and pretzels with cheese. They got to dye eggs and then hunted for over 100 eggs scattered around their large yard. I'm pretty sure we were missing about 6 eggs!

Easter Hunt at Kristi and Jesse's House.

Easter egg hunt at our Leko Place.

Look at my beautiful succulent garden!

Howie always loves when the girls go searching around the house for Easter eggs!

Lots of good stuff.

A beautiful Easter Sunday at Duke Kahanmoku Beach Park. 

Kristi and Jesse joined us...

...and so did Sami!

Jane with her friend Jordana.

Spring Ukulele Concert at the Windward Mall.

Meanwhile, I flew all the way to Minnesota to travel with Jennifer to Philadelphia for the Atlantic City Half Marathon. It was so nice to hang out in cooler weather and see where she lives. Wish it could have been longer!

We met up with her mother, Fran, in Philadelphia and visited the Rocky Balboa statue before making the drive to New Jersey. 

The Atlantic Ocean

Fran and Jennifer deciding which Slurpee they needed.

I hadn't really trained well for the run, but it really didn't seem too difficult. I loved running on the boardwalk and the weather was incredible!

Check me out in Jennifer's glasses!

1/2 Marathon Finishers!

Bryan also completed the Hapalua 1/2 Marathon in Honolulu during the same time. He also did a great job holding the fort down while I was gone. In the past, I've been a little worried; however, Kate and Jane are pretty self sufficient now. 

Another cute creation by Kate.

Cynthia ,Nadine, Rebekah, Suzie, Sheila, Del (Not pictured Marta)

My last day working at Minimally Invasion Surgery (MIS) Hawaii with my friends. It has been wonderful working with them and I will truly miss each one of them. The video below is a great representation of the impact I had on them. 

Heading up to Pearl Ridge High School to drop Jane off at her Choir Concert.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the whole performance because Kate had a piano performance in Mililani the same time. Bryan was out of town, per usual, but was able to Uber from the airport to her piano performance just in time. This was a hard performance for Kate. She had the music perfectly memorized, but her nerves got the better of her that night. Her piano teacher commended on her pushing through to the end. Sometimes we mess up. Kate was able to take a breath, reset, and continue until the end.

I have found a lot of selfies and ASMR videos of this cute girl this month!

Kate looking cute and eating Kristi's passionfruit (lilikoi) whip.

Finished up my last Ukulele class. It has been so fun playing with this group. Cassidy was a great instructor. Pat was my partner in crime at the Ukulele performances twice a year. Diane and Henry were the cute couple that always wore matching shirts to class. 

Rachel and her family came to visit at the end of the month. Although our house was partly packed up, the kitchen is a great place to feed lots of people, play video games, and relax on the couch.

At the top of Olomana (Three peaks). Bryan and I did this hike years ago, but it was a fun one to do again with Rachel, Jon, and Alynn.

January 2026

We brought in the New Year with some friends in Wahiawa. Unfortunately, I was still having phone issues and do not have many pictures from our midnight happenings. My parents flew in right at midnight too!

Grandma and Grandpa Koplin enjoying Bellows Beach Park.

Bryan promoted to LTC Ahlborn on a thunderous morning at White Plains Beach Park. The plans were to surf, but the electrical storm and the flat surf conditions said no way. It was a beautiful ceremony. Bryan might have even shed a few tears with all the support he had from his friends, family, and co-workers. This promotion was well deserved. Bryan is such a dedicated worker.

Bryan's Friday morning work surf group

Bryan just looks so happy in this picture! I love it.

On Monday, we had another celebration for his promotion to LTC at Desmond Doss Health Clinic. This event was super stressful because the company I ordered from forgot about our order when I cam to pick up the food. They were able to finish about 45 minutes after our original pick up time, but I was really stressed and grateful all turned out in the end. Yay to promotion parties!

An eventful moment: shaving my dad's beard off

Kate made this cute crochet duck for Christmas. So cute!

Grandma and Grandpa Koplin at Lanikai Beach Park. It was such a beautiful day. No wind and clear water. The kids played on the paddle board most of the morning. Only wishing Kristi and Jesse could have joined us.

Surfing has gotten a little easier these days. I have noticed if I go out at least 1-2 times a week, I am more successful and confident. White Plains Beach park for the win!

We took my dad scuba diving at Point Panic. We had a hard time keeping him down in the water. The picture below shows how Bryan and Liz held him down most of the dive. 

Hiking to Pele's Chair.

Jane with her best friend.

Kate isn't seen in the water very often. She likes to read a book and stay dry. 

Jane was the MC for Rainbow of the Quarter. Grandma and Grandpa were able to attend in my place. One of my friends recorded the event and told me she did an excellent job. I am so very proud of Jane. She is fearless.

Another crochet creation by Kate.

Dave's Ice Cream

December 2025

Jane spent months trying to lure Fancy Pants into being her own cat. She was finally able to pick the cat up and walked home, but unfortunately, she didn't like that and wriggled away. This made Jane very sad. I told her that when we move, she can get 2 cats. That made her day. 

Kate started doing crochet animal orders for my work as well. 

Jane singing their Christmas Performance in Waikele. She and Liana had a solo part and they did so well! I'm so proud of her bravery!

Jennifer came into town for the Honolulu 10K/marathon. First things first, a yummy breakfast with kimchi fried rice, spam, and eggs!

Beautiful sunset at Kahanamoku Beach Park.

Picking up our packets at the Convention Center.

Laying wreaths at Punchbowl National Cemetery for Wreaths Across America.

The boys traveled to Lanai and were able to bring home some deer meat.

The wettest race we have ever participated in! We stood in line for the bathroom at mile 2 for about 30 minutes. It started raining buckets about 30 minutes before the race began and just kept coming. Jennifer's friends completed the marathon, while we just did the 10K. It was a nice little jog through town.

Hanging out with friends while we waited for our marathoner to finish.

The next day, we were supposed to go to the sandbar in Kaneohe. However, with the storm and rain they canceled our excursion about 20 minutes before our arrival time. So Bryan and I did an island tour with our new friends to some of our favorite spots. Apparently we did a pretty good job- we got tipped!

Anne Miller- a favorite of ours.

We traveled to Maui over winter break for a Christmas Party with the eye clinic Bryan moonlights. They always put on a great work Christmas party and we usually end up taking a prize home.

 This is a pretty cool spot on the west side of the island.

Watching the sunset at Haleakala. Quite the crowd for the winter solstice. We made sure to dress appropriately and hydrate!

Above the clouds. 

Also, this is Bryan and mine's 20th anniversary! We will have to plan something later... without the kids, of course! 

I took the girls on a short hike up Iao Valley. I'm not sure if they were impressed...

Howie protecting our Christmas tree. 

This year the girls received gifts that were a little more practical. I feel like they are at an age where toys and games are not something they immediately choose. Books, clothes, electronics, and self care items are more appropriate choices. I can't believe I don't have any more pictures!

I remember why I don't have many pictures- I was having issues with my cellphones storage. I was deleting pictures/apps/messages to try to increase my space. It was quite the nightmare!

Howie loving on his favorite human, Miles.