Podmore

 

 

It's Friday morning and Podmore is open for brunch. At 10:15am there are plenty of open seats so I take the last bar stool on the left. I like the decor and all the natural light. This place is balanced blend of retro, bistro and swank. 

I had not planned to hit up a bar that early but it was just a few steps from the last of my errands. And it is Friday...

A coffee cocktail - you know coffee - acceptable everywhere in the morning but with a little extra something something. 

One of my favorite things to do is to learn more about a place that is new to me. 

 I did not know for example that at night they close the drapes for intimacy or that the bar is owned by the Senia team or that they offer duck on the dinner menu. 

I will be back for the duck and another drink because my brunch preview enticed. 

New Beginnings

The end of 2023 coincided with the end of Aloha Holoholo, LLC. 

The Articles of Termination for Aloha Holoholo, LLC were filed today at the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Business Registration Division on Merchant Street. 

Aloha Holoholo was a lifestyle blog about enjoying Hawaii. It was a good ride while it lasted. Taking a moment to mark the end of a passion project and partnership felt right. Call it serendipity or fate but a bar that I had been meaning to try was nearby.

That is how and why I found myself seated at Podmore this morning with a Deja Brew a coffee cocktail. Perched on the last stool on the left hand side of the bar, I had an epiphany. This was not the end of exploring and documenting - just the end of Aloha Holoholo's. 

As I experienced the rush of trying a new place, I realized that I had already been making mental notes for a post. Taking in the decor, checking out the menu, talking story with the waitstaff, tasting new stuff and smiling.

My first post under Parasol Events as a resurrected lifestyle blogger will be about Podmore...naturally.

Adieu 2022, Aloha 2023

The COVID pandemic safety measures effectively shut the Oahu wedding industry down beginning in March 2020. By April of that year, every event was impacted. Moving from the total shut down to a return to “normal” over the last few years has been quite the journey.  The silver lining from the forced hiatus was the gift of time. Time to redirect, reflect, reevaluate, reinvent. 

Over the last few years,  I was involved with planning and executing my nephew's, my niece's and my son's weddings on the mainland. Being intimately involved on that side of the planning was revelational. It was the 180 degree view from the client's side of the process. With these new insights, I gained both knowledge and empathy about the dynamics and challenges my clients and their families navigate on their side of making it happen. 

The next few blogs will be focused on lessons learned from each of these weddings and how it has helped me be a more effective planner and given me the ability to be a consultant with a 360 degree view on the entire process. 

October 2021-  my nephew Tim and Caroline 

July 2022 - my niece Grace and Kyle 

October 2022 - my son William and Tori 

Coming soon - The Incomparable Package

Exciting news! Parasol Events is responding to the current needs of couples by offering a fresh alternative to our "full wedding planning" package and our "day of" coordination service called the "Incomparable" package. 

Stay tuned for details about the "Incomparable" package!

 February 29, 2020 - August 20, 2021 

The last wedding I attended was on February 29, 2020 in Washington State. My role was not as a wedding planner but as the step-mother to the groom. Dancing into the night, we were all blissfully unaware that it was to be our last dance for a while.

The wedding industry has been decimated for over a year now. There are signs of a slow resurrection but the rules are different.  Today for example, I received a call asking if I was able to be a COVID coordinator.  

Huge events with 100+ guests will be replaced by small intimate affairs. With a reduction in the guest list there will a myriad of opportunities that were not logistically feasible. That is the sweet spot. Weddings have the potential to be even more fun, more memorable, more unique. That is where my head is at. Busy thinking before doing.

A Couple that got the Ceremony Song Right!

Nadine & Liam nailed it!  They chose this song which they heard at Jon Bellion's concert they attended. It has the right feel, the right pace, and the right meaning for a ceremony processional. In addition to that - it's highly personal. Perfection!

Put thought into your playlist - it makes a difference. 

Have a listen here...

"Blu"

Messing with my pride, thinking anytime
You could just get up and go
Then I realize what the hell is love
If you're in complete control?

Hey ma, hey ma, hey, hey ma, hey ma
Hey, come to my house and take me home
Sucked up by the wave, shot to outer space
Stranded, but I'm not alone

Fall into your blu
Fall into your blu
Fighting it is hopeless, sinking in your ocean
Just like He designed me to do
Fall into your blu

Sunrise in your bed, purple, yellow, red
Only when it's you and me
Take me to the edge, drag me through your lens
Show me what I need to see

Hey ma, hey ma, hey, hey ma, hey ma
Hey, come to my house and take me home
Avenues and lanes, parachutes and planes
Push me out, away we go

Fall into your blu
Fall into your blu
Fighting it is hopeless, sinking in your ocean
Just like He designed me to do
Fall into your blu

Come to my house and take me home
Come to my house and take me home
(Come to my house and take me home)
Come to my house and take me home
Come to my house and take me home
(Come to my house and take me home)

Fall into your blu
(Come to my house and take me home)
Fall into your blu
(Come to my house and take me home)
Fighting it is hopeless, sinking in your ocean
Just like He designed me to do
Fall into your blu

A Hawai‘i Wedding Wish List for 2020

I have been thinking about what I'd like to see this year in weddings.

More 

Individuality -"paint by number" weddings lack personality. I want to continue to encourage couples to use this opportunity to express their unique hosting style.
Signature Drinks - remember that the goal is to create a enjoyable experience. Let's explore the myriad of tasty & creative options that will enhance your menu and theme. A full bar is not the only choice.
Aloha.

Less

Waste - being a good host/hostess does not require having an excess. While you never want to run out of food or drinks - too much is simply too much. For example: bottled water costs $6++ (not including the environmental expense) wouldn't serving from water pitchers be a better choice?
Competition - when couples attend a circuit of weddings it often makes them wonder if they are "keeping up". My goal is to keep them on track and remind them that everything but the kitchen sink does not make for a better time.