Alright alright, so this post was supposed to be posted long ago, but it somehow got lost in my shuffle. It was too good of an event to pass by, so I decided to come back to it and post it up!

I was invited by my fellow blogger, Chardonnay, to volunteer for Lemonade Alley, a huge lemonade stand competition for kids from elementary to high school. These were no ordinary lemonade stands. These were the best lemonade stands I had ever seen! The purpose of the event was to get kids familiar with business and entrepreneurship and teach them what it is like to have your own business. What better way to teach kids about business than to make and manage their own lemonade stands! The kids built their stands, concocted their own special recipes, managed their sales, and did everything else necessary to make their businesses successful!

It was truly a great event with a great cause. Along with the lemonade competition, there were plenty craft and food booths to visit. Though I helped work the Hogan Entrepreneurs’ booth, encouraging children to make their community “greener”, I had my chance to slip away and try some of the lemonades! They were all DELICIOUS and perfect for the blazing hot day. It was an enriching experience that I will never forget.

This is me cutting lemons for the Hogan Entrepreneurs’ booth! The club had children trace their hands on green paper and write down a commitment they would make to help make the planet “greener.” They, then, cut out their hands and glued their “leaf” hand to a barren tree. By the end of the day, our tree was lush and full of green hands! Appropriately, we decided the tree needed some lemons. =p

 ”Serenade Lemonade” was my favorite booth! You ordered your lemonade while one of the students played beautiful tunes on the piano. At one point, there was even a saxophone player! Very classy.

 I must admit that “Lemonade Lab” won my vote for most creative. The boys at this booth were all dressed as mad scientists and displayed their recipes in test tubes and beakers. Definitely the cutest!

 Along the way, we found this little guy! HEART IS MELTING!

I loved “The Treehouse,” where you could enjoy your lemonade and leave your mark at their booth! They provided markers for drinkers to write their names and even a little message on the walls and bench of their stand.

 Char and I found Lemon Boy all grown up!

It was such a great day. I cannot wait to attend and volunteer at next year’s Lemonade Alley!

For the past two years, for Halloween I have walked the crazy packed streets of Waikiki. If you live or are visiting Oahu on Halloween, I recommend everyone experience the hilarious crowd of people that flood the streets on this night. For my first two years of college, it was such a blast to walk the strip and see all of the creative and outrageous costumes.

However, this year I decided to take a calmer route. I wasn’t really in the Halloween spirit, so I was so pleased when my good friend Taylor (fellow CUH blogger) asked if I wanted to spend the holiday with her family. I had such a blast as a blast from the past ’80s girl! I hadn’t been trick-or-treating since I was probably about twelve. It was so nice to be a kid again and trade candy with all the kids at the end of our neighborhood journey.

Living away from family while going to college has really shown me the importance of family. Though I was not with my own blood family for the holiday, I felt like a part of Taylor’s. Being around people who truly love and care for each other is such a breath of fresh air. In the bustle of constant school and work, I tend to get too caught up in myself. That Halloween night really reminded me of what I value in life: family. Thanks to Taylor’s family, I had a safe and fun-filled night full of laughter and good times. It was a good break from crazy Waikiki!