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May 15, 2026

It's a Nail Story

One happy birthday girl

For my daughter's birthday she wanted to get her nails done. For weeks, she scoured the internet for inspo pics and decided on a sunrise shell design. I looked for a nail salon located close to the UH Manoa campus and came upon Nail Story.

Nail Story had great reviews on Yelp and I liked that I could make an appointment online. The prices of the services was also available when you make your appointment. We arrived a little before 5pm and had to wait awhile before a parking spot opened up in the lot.

My daughter showed her technician the design and she was quoted an additional amount of $46. The technician then went to work and when it was time to do the design, there was a lot of back and forth as the technician had not done a sunrise shell design before. My daughter wanted it just right and asked her to redo it several times. I was surprised her technician didn't take offense, but also happy that my daughter was making sure she was getting what she wanted. 

The technician was great and stayed patient as she tried to replicate the design as best as she could. Finally, after what seemed like the fifth time, my daughter gave a big smile of approval. Thank goodness! | was getting hungry! My daughter loves her nails and I also had a great experience with my pedicure.



Nail Story
931 University Ave Ste 102 
Honolulu, HI 96826




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Bozu Japanese Restaurant

I recently met up with some friends for a great meal at Bozu Japanese Restaurant.

Bozu Style Fried Chicken & Eggplant

Toro Takuan

Burdock Tempura

Hot Kake Udon

Beef Tongue

Seared Stingray Fin

Mentaiko Butter Pasta

Unagi Avocado

French Fries with Anchovy & Butter

What a feast! I had so many faves!  The Burdock Tempura and French Fries were so addicting (I made sure to sop up all the remaining anchovy paste with the remaining fries).  The Beef Tongue was tender and delish - I loved all the green onions!

The Pasta was another fave, and the Udon was just what I needed.  

Definitely come with a big group so you can try all sorts of izakaya dishes!

Bozu Japanese Restaurant
McCully Shopping Center 2nd Floor #209
1960 Kapiolani Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96826

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May 14, 2026

Edible Hawaii

Edible Hawaii cookies are some of my fave cookies on the island, so if I'm at the McCully Shopping Center, I will be sure to stop in for some cookies.



I bought a 6-pack of cookies which included:

•Nutter Butter Peanut Butter
•Caramel Sea Salt Biscoff
•Cinnamon Crunch
•Chocolate Chip
•Smores
•Milk & Cereal

And of course I had to buy a bag of the Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies!


No matter if regular-sized or mini, the cookies are chewy with a nice crisp around the edges.  So good!

Edible Hawaii
1960 Kapiolani Blvd Suite 115
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 947-7263

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May 13, 2026

Disney Wonder 4-Night Baja Cruise — Activities

In addition to the food, we also loved how there was no shortage of activities aboard the Disney Wonder.

We participated in all sorts of activities like trivia, crafts, and bingo (nearly all activities were free; certain activities, like bingo, costs $ to participate).  





There was dancing, karaoke, games . . . it seemed like there were endless activities 


We watched movies on the pool deck (or you can watch them in the theatre), shows, and even fireworks!



We were told that Disney is the only cruise line to be able to do fireworks at sea because they are made from materials that end up as fish food.

And of course there are the pools, the slide, a sports area with ping pong tables, football, and basketball court. 



The Disney Cruise Line Navigator app gives you the daily schedule so you can see what's going on and plan out your days (you can also find the activities on the in-room TV). 

There are activities for all ages, all throughout the day!
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May 12, 2026

Dinner at Thirty Eight

We had a really great media dinner at Thirty Eight

Shrimp Toast
Spanish Octopus

Black Cod

Fried Whole Moi

Braised Short Rib
Furikake King Salmon


Desserts currently include ice cream from Please Come Again.

Shiso Mint Chocolate

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

The miso butterfish (black cod) was one of the best, if not the best, miso butterfish dishes I've ever had.  The miso flavor was just amazing, and the tender fish was complemented nicely with the fried leeks and squid ink rice.

Our table raved about the Shrimp Toast and the fragrant makrut lime chili sauce.

The Short Rib was so tender, and the Octopus was cooked perfectly.

The Fried Whole Moi is a must, accompanied by an aliʻi mushroom and lup cheong stuffing.

I love that there is such a great new dinner option that I don't need to go all the way into town for!


Thirty Eight
1135 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817

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May 11, 2026

Visit Mexico: La Bufadora

 

While in Ensenada, we went on a tour that took us to La Bufadora, which is said to be one of the largest marine geysers in the world.

The water erupts regularly, so you don't need to be waiting a long while to capture the water spouting (it would regularly erupt every minute or so).

Don't stand too close, or else you will get wet!


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May 8, 2026

House of Intention by Aloha Elixir

Aloha Elixir is celebrating 11 years!

To celebrate, you can visit their House of Intention shop this month for a few new limited products - the Blockbuster Candle, Sunshine Spray, Spell Breaker Oil.

Note: Owner Keoki sprayed the Sunshine Spray on me, and he immediately asked if I had pain in a certain area because of the way the spray dispersed - and he was spot on! 

I am no stranger to Aloha Elixir's products, and I really find that the products help in bringing me guidance and insight.  My faves are the candles and sprays.


The Releasing spray is a go-to, and I choose candles based on the intent.

In addition to a few candles and sprays, I also got some stones as well as a few gifts (thank you to Aloha Elixir for the discount!).


In my opinion, a little extra otherworldly help is always welcomed!

House of Intention by Aloha Elixir
1126 12th Ave Suite 105
Honolulu, HI 96816

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