Wind-Up Toys

When I was 5 years old and met my older siblings, Sammie and Brian, for the first time, I remember their dad, William "Bill" Howard Kearns, told them to take me to the "treasure chest." It was a drawer full of wind-up toys, and I could pick one out.  I was in awe when I saw the amount of toys in the drawer. It was a great ice-breaker to let me choose a toy.

I used to love visiting my great aunt Betty (Margaret Arcala née Ross) and great uncle Tony (Antonio Arribas Arcala) because aunt Betty had a collection of wind-up mice that would run across the table or hop along.

All my life I told myself, I'd collect wind-up toys for my future grandbabies and other small children to take as a parting gift.  Wind-up toys are hard to find these days, but I'm so glad my husband, Trevor Michael Dillard, loved that idea when I proposed it to him.  He's going to be a grandfather in a couple months and I can't wait to one day tell our grandbabies to go pick a toy.

Wedding Rings

These are our wedding rings.  I chose to not have a wedding band.  I love my stone and the simplicity and blood drop shape and color.  Both rings have meaning for us.

Trevor's ring is black and red tungsten carbide.  He chose his ring for it's simplicity and color.  In it, it says, "I love you." My ring is Sterling silver with a garnet.  I chose this particular shape because it reminded me of a blood drop.  I chose sterling silver because I have always loved silver better than gold.

The meaning behind our rings
Black - Trevor was in a dark place when we met
Silver - I am his light
Red - Our favorite colors
Blood - Connected to the heart, represents life.  It also represents fervent love and passion.

We promised to renew our vows with a new ring.  I would love a simple opal on silver with a Hawaiian koa wood ring with mother of Pearl for his next ring.

Things in Common

What is something you and your spouse or best friend have in common? (inspired by: The One-Minute Writer)

Trevor Dillard and I are total opposites in the way we grew up.  I was more sheltered than he was.  While he was pounding the streets and swimming in the sea, I was being taken care of by babysitters and nannies . While I had a mom and a dad rising me, he literally had a village raising him.  I lived on the vast Mainland.  He lived on an island smaller than my county.

What we do have in common is we both have birthdays that land on the 28th of a month.  I was born November 28 and he was born April 28, five months after me.  We are both the youngest sibling in our families. 

He has an eclectic taste in music, and I'd like to say I do, too, but he listens to more reggae and island music than I do.  I listen to more 80s and rock.  His nuance of music to my ears, now has me listening to more reggae and island music than I ever had.

We both love art.  He is a tattooist, and I just like to draw and paint, make things. 

Culturally, we were both out of place where we were from.  I'm primarily Asian with a dash of French-Canadian, and grew up more with a Eurocentric background.  He is primarily White with a dash of Wicocomico in him, and grew up with a Polynesian/Asian background.  This is where we bring balance to the table in our relationship.  We understand each other; where we didn't fit in to our environment, or didn't fit into the mold of what others identified in us. 

He was raised in Hawaii from infancy to about age 40.  I was born and raised in California.  When I got to Hawaii, I had already had ties and connections, which was excellent.  I fell in love with the indigenous and Aboriginal lifestyle that still remains, as well as the mixing of cultures and the linguistics that come along with it.  I love that Trevor speaks pidgin and if needed, he can understand and communicate with people who speak broken English.  I grew up speaking broken English with my mother, though, I speak proper standard English.

Both of us have children that are multicultural and multiethnic.  This was important to both of us.  We needed to know that neither of us have qualms about ethnicities and differences in other cultures.  Sensitivity to culture is important in both of our upbringings.

We both love to cook.  He went to culinary school, and I get most of my recipes from the internet.  We love to cook homemade and fresh meals and share our food with people. 

Both of us believe in Aloha.  Constantly giving love and respect to each other and to others, especially those that
show their love and respect.  It's a lifestyle we proudly live by.

20th High School Reunion

A little off-topic, but a piece of my life.  I graduated Ocean View High School in 1995.  Here I am, with gals (the former Shannon Donegan and the former Keri Lawson), I attended middle and high school with.  They planned and put together our high school reunion.  We reunited in August 2015.