Now welcoming dinner guests

Except for a few finishing touches our kitchen remodel is complete. Chris has worked really hard this past year on home improvements, and he's especially put in a lot of effort this past month since we tore out the old kitchen.
Jordie Braugh with Original Craft built the cabinets using African mahogany with a clear finish. We are really impressed with the quality. Chris and my dad did the rest of the work, including tiling the floor, installing granite tile counter tops, painting, installing track light and the list goes on.
It doesn't quite feel like our kitchen yet because it's just so darn nice, but I'm sure it won't take long to get used to! It reminds me of the fancy houses I visit when I do write-ups for our newspaper's real estate publication. Now I should learn how to cook fancy food!

This is what the kitchen looked like when we moved in.
It's hard to tell from the photo how worn out the cabinets were or how the smelled.

One month ago today we removed the old cabinets and started smashing up the old tile.

Celebrating our Independence

What a great fourth of July.  Despite rising surf, Chris and I went diving and shot three fish that we brought home and cleaned. Then it was on to a picnic at Duane's where we had good fish, not just reef fish. He served us ono, ahi (cooked or seared), mahi mahi and swordfish, which is Chris' favorite. We ended the day by sitting at the water's edge and watching fireworks that were launched from a barge in Kailua Bay.

Eating raw tuna may not sound as American as hot dogs and apple pie but that in itself demonstrates some of the things I like about this country: the freedom to do (or eat) whatever we want, and diverse cultures and backgrounds. Sometimes it's easier to dwell on where our country has gone wrong rather than celebrate advantages of being American. Recently, I read a book about a woman who survived six years in a North Korean prison camp. That made me appreciate the freedoms and due process we have in American and made me extra proud to fly Old Glory this July 4th.

My mom took this photo of fireworks over Kailua Bay from her house up the moutain.