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Diva Salon in Honolulu

gayla — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:59:19 +0000

Diva Salon, located at 14000 Kapiolani Blvd Suite A28 right across of Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Owner/Headstylist Sean Nakama brings his hairstyling talents with his full service hair salon. This AVEDA hair salon provides clients with the ultimate salon experience in a very modern, chic yet relaxed environment. Call 808-947-2271 for an appointment. Open 6 days a week for your convenience.

Halloweening at Underwood Family Farms

gayla — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 22:59:59 +0000

So maybe Halloweening isn’t a real word, but it is how I describe going to Underwood Family Farms with the family to get into Halloween mood (one of my favorite “holidays”). We drove up to Moorpark for a day of family fun. Pig races, hay climbing, maze walking, farm touring, corn launching, pumpkin painting and of course picking pumpkins.

The farm is incredibly large. When we first got there, Malia and Maile were excited to see the pumpkins. And there were some amazing pumpkins. HUGE ones, small ones, skinny ones, green ones, squashy shaped ones and more. Pumpkins galore. There was a huge section of giant pumpkins that was taller than Maile, so of course I sat her on it and made it her pumpkin chair! We strolled around the grounds, went through a maze, did a trailer tour of the farms to see avacados, apples, pears, sunflowers, corn, boysenberries, blueberries, figs, walnuts and tons more. The sunflowers were over 10 feet tall! There was a pretty cool petting zoo that let the girls get some hands on with the animals. There were so many activities, but my favorite was the pig racing. By far. Four piglets racing around the track, jumping in water, over rails… uh, too cute. We spend the afternoon there and towards the end, we found a bean box. A huge box filled with beans for the kids to play in. Kinda like a sand box, but only better. And, I must tell you this was the highlight for the girls. They had so much fun in there. Well worth the 2 tickets to get them in there. Note: Be careful of blonde girls in purple dresses/black leggins with glasses!

Happy Halloween everyone

Medal of Honor Convention 2012 | Washington Place, Honolulu, Hawaii

gayla — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 10:25:56 +0000

I had the honor of photographing the 2012 Congressional Medal of Honor Convention in Hawaii this past week and what an experience it was! There was a full schedule planned for the 55 recipients who took part in the convention and I was there to document many of them. 10 events in all. Upon completion of each event, I would edit the session and upload to a site for CMOH and local news media to download. So, many of you may have seen a few of my images last week on the Hawaii News Now website, as they were hot off the press. I didn’t have time to blog them as my schedule was very tight so I’d like to take the time to post each event I photographed on the blog and share some of the amazing images I captured. Stay tuned for the other events to follow over the next few weeks.

This first post is for the Governor’s Dinner held at Washington Place in Honolulu, Hawaii held last Tuesday. Punahou’s JROTC unit, under command of Lt. Col Robert “Bob” Takao was preparing for the arrival of the recipients by standing at attention with their swords at their side. When the large buses arrived, I felt a few hairs stand up on my arms as I witnessed these heroes walk under the swords towards Washington Place. All men, family, friends and special guests were escorted through the home and then out to the back reception area for a few cocktails on a warm Hawaiian evening. Shortly after they were called for dinner, the Hawaii National Color Guard did the presentation of colors as the National Anthem of Hawaii (Hawaii Pono’i) was sung. Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie welcomed the recipients to Hawaii and there were a few acknowledgements and presentations. Manoa DNA performed music as the recipients ate dinner and socialized with friends, family and guests. It was a great way to welcome these men into the islands of Hawaii. The motto for the convention: Sharing the ‘Ohana Spirit. Aloha Medal of Honor Recipients. The photos are below followed by a short slideshow at the end. Enjoy!

Congressional Medal of Honor Convention 2012 Governor’s Dinner Hawaii from Gayla Elizabeth on Vimeo.

My attempt at running a marathon in 77 days

gayla — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 05:58:28 +0000

A few months ago, I decided I was going to challenge myself and do something I was horrible at. Running. While I have always been a pretty active person, running was never my thing. In fact, I considered myself to be in decent physical shape. I would be at 24 hour fitness religiously. Once, twice, sometimes 3 times a day if time allowed it. I was never good at running, so I avoided it like the plague. My cardio used to consist of interval sprints, stair steppers, spin bikes and elliptical machines. If I hoped on a treadmill, it would be for intervals of sprints, uphill walks and short jogs. I always thought those marathon runners were from a different planet. How on earth could one person run 26.2 miles? How? I can barely mustard up the energy to run 1 mile without stopping, so a whopping 26.2 just seemed impossible.

This is a year of personal transformation. Lots of changes. This is the year I open up new chapters in my life and step beyond my boundaries I’ve been accustomed to. Pushing myself to be a better person, giving more to those that I can, tackling my fears and obstacles AND most importantly; living a life filled with gratitude & doing things that I was afraid of doing. No fears and living in the NOW. So, my first big challenge this year. Learn how to run. And, to make sure I had something to shoot for, I decided I was going to run the Honolulu Marathon in December 2012. Ha. Just the thought of running 26.2 miles sounded insanely crazy, I never mentioned it out loud to a soul. I would just have these mental conversations with myself. Should I? Could I? Would I? The answer to all three. YES.

Now that I told myself I would do it, I just didn’t know how I would go about training. Which book should I buy? When should I start training? So many questions. Remember, I could barely run 1 mile without a short break. Then, my baby cousin and I were chatting one day and she mentioned that we should start running with a group that helps train marathon runners. Say what??? It was so ironic since I was toying with those thoughts for a while. I never had the time to train for a marathon. Never. Working 16+ hours a day made it tough to get to the gym at 1:00am. So, this was a message from the universe. I took the message and said “let’s do it”. We agreed to join the group that upcoming weekend at 7:30am since they were just starting to meet for training. Really? That just seems too weird. But, I had to go with it. I was afraid, but I committed and that was it. I was in. I got up that Sunday anxiously awaiting my little cousin to join me, only to find out she had to cancel. Work called her in late the night before. What? How could she? I mean, it was her suggestion and where the heck is she? She texted me in the morning saying she would meet me the following week. Oh well, I had to forge ahead solo.

I psyched myself out all week about it, so I was gonna do it and I wasn’t gonna let my cousin’s absence stop me. I joined the group for beginners. This goal was to run for 3 miles. Oh boy. I was anxious. How am I gonna do this? I think I joined the 15:00 min / mile group. We started running and it was a very, very, very, slow jog. I thought, wow, this isn’t as bad as I thought, actually it’s pretty easy. I guess I was running too fast before! It was actually too easy and just felt like I could walk faster than that. I continued to run with them for about 1.5 miles. I wanted to go faster, so I hopped out of that group and jumped in the next group 13:00 min/mile at the next water stop. Ha. About 5 minutes in, I thought I was going to die. Literally. OMG, how did I get here? How do I get out? I felt like a brick wall was on top of my chest and I couldn’t breathe. I fell to the back of the group and was barely hanging on. This is for beginners? What the heck. I almost stopped and started walking, but I couldn’t quit. I just couldn’t. I kept on going and forged ahead. I thought about all the things that I need to do. Things that will make this seem like nothing. We turned the corner for the last mile and it seemed like an eternity. Eventually I finished. What a relief. I wasn’t sure if I was sold on this marathon thing, but I couldn’t quit. I just couldn’t.

My running coach told us to run 3x a week. Every week I waited for my baby cousin to show up. Every week, something came up. Eventually she told me she would not be able to train this year because of her new job and late hours. I reached out to my other cousins. They wouldn’t really officially commit but entertained the idea. Within a month, they were both out. So, that meant it was just gonna be me. The first couple weeks were the hardest. But, after a few weeks of running, it actually started to become easy. Three miles turned into four, then five, then six, then eight and before I knew it, I was running 10 miles. Whoa! I couldn’t believe I ran 10 miles. I started feeling pretty darn good. One morning I was on a nice long run and at mile 4, a pothole met my left foot and rolled my ankle pretty darn good. I could barely stand on it. But, I couldn’t stop. I needed to finish this run with my group. I gingerly ran putting very little weight on my left leg and eventually ate the pain and continued running full speed for another 5 miles. I felt great to finish that run. I was pleasantly surprised that the ankle pain went away. Temporarily. A few hours later, the left ankle ballooned up, turned purple and I couldn’t even stand on it. It was pretty painful. I iced it, elevated it and stayed off of it and it actually felt okay the next afternoon. I let it rest for 4 days and ran 8 miles on it. HUGE MISTAKE! That put my ankle out of commission.

I had to tell my running coach what I did and he told me to keep icing it and let it rest for a couple weeks and I should be fine. A couple weeks out wouldn’t hurt me. Well, it took about 8 weeks for it to start feeling better. That’s 2 months of no running! Then I got hit with asthmatic bronchitis. Physically out of commission for another few weeks. Now, here we are towards the end of September with 77 days left until marathon day. A little over 2 months left to train and I have to start from square one because I haven’t been running for the last few months. I did my first run last week of 3 miles and it felt like a marathon. Ugh. My family and friends tell me it’s too late to train for this year. They suggest to skip 2012 and do it next year. I can’t. I committed to running this marathon and I’m going to do it. It’s going to be hard, but I have to. A few months ago, I told myself that I am going to run for those that can not walk. And that is a commitment I can NOT break. I know my niece Maile would do anything to walk if she could use her legs, so I think about that when I want to give up. This one is for you Mai and for everyone that is wheelchair bound.

I just got a new pair of new mizuno running shoes and I’m gonna hit it as hard as I can. I got 2 months to do this and I’m doing it! My original goal was to finish under 5hr 30min. But, given the circumstances, the time goal is out the window and I just want to finish. No matter how long it takes. If I’m the last girl crossing the finish line, at least I can say I ran, walked or crawled for my baby niece. Love you Mai.

Ashley’s bridal shower at Mermaid Bar

gayla — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 21:22:29 +0000

A cute quaint little bridal shower for Ashley at The Mermaid Bar in Neiman Marcus, Ala Moana. Food, games, family and fun. Family gathered to celebrate Ashley and Abe’s wedding that is coming right around the corner. The restaurant is actually closed on Sundays, so this little shower was a perfect private affair. Cheese and fruit platters surrounded a table full of gifts and cornered by some uber moist guava cupcakes, lilikoi cupcakes and snickerdoodle cupcakes. Yummers! The warm chowder was amazingly delicious and sherbet was delightfully refreshing. Where there is games, there is winners. There was a friendly game of bridal scattergories that went on throughout the afternoon (before, during and after the meal service). 1st place winner got first dibs on the center pieces of kitchen utensils, accessories, and goodies. And… yes, yours truly was the winner! FIRST PLACE rules. LOL. I’m excited for Ashley and Abe’s big day. Be sure to catch their wedding pics here. [if the blogging angels are in place]

Be a warrior and do yoga!

gayla — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 02:06:21 +0000

I used to think yoga was for those that liked to stretch and wanted an easy workout. I was always a 24 hour fitness junkie, but this year I started running so I decided to opt for a yoga class to help with my tight hamstrings. I always heard great things about yoga, but never had the time to do it. After all, there were no yoga studios open at 1:00am, which is when I was hitting the gym. I finally took my very first yoga class at CorePower Yoga and my life has never been the same. Yes, yoga is life changing! haha. My first class was a Hot Power Fusion class, which is one hour of Power Yoga in a heated room of 103 degrees set to music. Wooooooo hoooooo. I came out of that class drenched, exhausted, wiped out, yet exhilarated and high on endorphins. It was so damn awesome. I would say it was one of the best workouts I’ve had, (judging by the amount of sweat that came out of me!) I instantly became hooked, took advantage of the ONE WEEK FREE that CorePower offers and the rest is history. I am now a member and love everyone at CorePower. The studio awesome, locker room and showers are spa like, great ambiance and amazing instructors…(especially Marissa ) For all of you thinking about yoga, do it. It’s the best thing you can do for your body, mind and soul. Namaste.

Check out some of the yoga poses done by Ashley below:

Leis at Iolani Field and Party at the Cupola Theater

gayla — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:30:33 +0000

Iolani School, Hawaii’s private college prep school had their high school graduation on a perfect day amongst a large crowd on campus next to St. Alban’s Chapel. Class of 2012 excitedly walked down the aisle with diplomas in hand and made their way to Iolani Field to be greeted by friends and family for Hawaii’s traditional lei ceremony and greeting from friends and family. Iolani’s faculty greeted the graduates with a warm steady applause as they entered the field, making for a special moment. Once I stepped on the field, I was in awe of the large crowd and was anxiously weaving my way to the G section, looking for Austin Goo and family. There was a crazy amount of people on the field! I mean C*R*A*Z*Y. Austin had a very cool GOOBER sign, (like that of the Nestle Goober candy) that was held proudly by his older brother. He was buried in leis and had to have some removed a couple times since they were above his head at one point. I followed him around the field and captured Austin and his classmates congratulating each other. It was pretty awesome. His parents must be so proud.

A few weeks later, Austin had his graduation party at The Cupola Theatre in The Honolulu Design Center. This was not your traditional high school graduation party. Decorated with bold red roses, cozy lounge chairs, a live 7 piece band and a very cool flip book photo station. Flipbooks Hawaii was present allowing guests to take a series of photos that would be then put together in a very cool old school animation book for guests to keep. It’s kinda like when you would draw in the corner of your composition book back in grade school, only waaaaay cooler! The party was filled with friends and family, lots of smiles and big laughs. Good food, good friends and good family equal GOOd fun! Congratulations Austin. I wish you all the success in your future endeavors.

Life Rolls On 2nd annual Hawaii TWSA | White Plains Beach, Hi

gayla — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 06:55:22 +0000

The 2nd annual They Will Surf Again Hawaii took place today at White Plains Beach, Hawaii and it was another huge success. We had another beautiful day, despite original forecasts of rain. It was gorgeous. Pro surfers Roy Powers and Leila Hurst were on hand, along with a ton of awesome volunteers to assist with our adaptive surfers. The day started with the sounds of the conch shell blown by Kahu; Manu Mook and followed by a beautiful prayer which set the mood for the day. Everyone was excited to hit the waves and surprised to see an endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal who decided to roll up and take a front row seat in front of the ocean as we all hit the water. And this seal was totally soaking up the rays and rolling in the sand. So cute!

The local news station; KHON 2 came out and covered the amazing event and did a story on a local boy, Tusi from Kahuku. He was on his way to college when he dove into water at Seal Beach, CA and became a quadriplegic. He has since returned to the islands and today was the first day he hit the water since his accident 11 years ago. It is such a touching story and so touching to see the support of his friends family. Incredible.

We had some great food from Lulu’s, Duke’s Waikiki and homemade chili from my mom’s kitchen. Yup, chili and rice are always a big hit at the beach. Thanks mom and Aunty Paulyne. Ono stuff

Our fundraiser was held on Friday at Wahoo’s and a huge success. We had a great drawing and our grand prize was the autographed Hawaii Five-O surfboard. Our lucky winner was Lesley Wilmoth who purchased tickets online … Congratulations Lesley!

Our fundraiser and They Will Surf Again Hawaii program was a huge success and wouldn’t be possible with the amazing volunteers and a few key sponsors:

Hawaii 5-0

Tanioka’s Fish Market

Samuel L. Jackson

Frank Darabont

Hawaiian Island Creations

Carosuel Candyland

Shutterbooth Hawaii

Ezekiel Hawaii

See more photos online by clicking here:

Carousel Candyland | Kahala Mall Shopping Center

gayla — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:53:32 +0000

In my planning of Life Rolls On and They Will Surf Again – Hawaii, I reached out to one of my high school classmates at Carousel Candyland in Kahala Mall Shopping Center, hoping to get a gift for our fundraiser tonight at Wahoo’s Fish Taco. I was excited when they donated two $25 gift certificates to be included in our opportunity drawing. I picked up the certificates and returned to take a few pics to show everyone where to go for your sugar fix. Upon entering, the line was out the door and the entire store had a glorious scent of popcorn and butter. OMG. I browsed around and was amazed at the variety of goodies they have, so I grabbed a bag and filled up with some great sugar free goodies. I spent over $10 in snacks myself .

It is only through the generosity of friends like Carousel Candyland that Life Rolls On is able to provide this program at no-cost to participants living with spinal cord injuries. For all you goody lovers… If you ever want some chocolate, li hing snacks, M&Ms, licorice, popcorn, Icee, or even some cute novelties… head on over the Carousel Candyland in Kahala Mall!

P.S. If you make a nominal donation of $5.00, you get three chances to win one of those $25 gift certificates! Come to Wahoo’s Kahala tonight, Friday 3/23/12 between 6:30- 10:00pm.

Win a surfboard autographed by Hawaii 5-0 cast!

gayla — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:47:41 +0000

Life Rolls On returns for the 2nd annual They Will Surf Again in Hawaii on 3/24/12 and to kickoff our fundraiser, I have a surfboard autographed by the Hawaii 5-0 cast up for grabs. Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park signed the brand new Super Fish 7s surfboard by Global Surf Industries last week in hopes to raise money for a great program and organization. Life Rolls On is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilizes action sports as a platform to demonstrate the infinite possibilities beyond paralysis.

The surfboard will be given away at our fundraiser Friday 3/23/12 at Wahoo’s Kahala which starts at 6:30PM. If you would like to participate in the drawing ahead of time, simply go to http://twsa-hawaii-2012.eventbrite.com/ or click here to get your chance to win the autographed surfboard. You do NOT need to be present to win; however, the winner will be responsible for any shipping costs. This is open to EVERYONE! Help a great cause and get a chance for an awesome drawing!

If you would like to participate or volunteer for They Will Surf Again, be sure to register online by going to www.liferollson.org/hawaii or click here.

Note: Alex O’Loughlin was not on set and available for the photo, but he did sign it!

Check out the video at the end of the post to see photos of Life Rolls On They Will Surf Again signature program. Or click here to view.