As I am out and about more since restrictions and concerns regarding covid have lessened... I am noticing folks asking me the same questions all the time. So, I figured it would be a good idea to write about a Frequently Asked Questions Blog. Hopefully, you find it informative and it keeps us all the same page. Overall, I would say the top 2 questions I receive are about #1 Being on TV and #2 my Mastectomy.

Let's dive into the questions with the one that people seem to get wrong first.

1. How is your cancer and how are you recovering from breast cancer? This is a bit jarring and uncomfortable, because I never had cancer. I did not have cancer but I did have a preventative surgery aimed at preventing cancer... so with that a lot of people can't seem to wrap their heads around it or can't comprehend how they got that wrong. 
In 2018 I had a prophylactic surgery and had both of my natural breasts removed with the hopes of preventing breast cancer in my lifetime. No matter how many times I say it was a preventative surgery, I would say about 50% of the people don't really understand what that means and they just associate me with having had cancer. Plus people don't read so no matter how many times I post about how I did not have cancer I still get the questions about it. 
2. Do you miss being on the news?
No, I honestly am so happy doing my own thing and not working 5-6 days a week and waking up at 3am. I left back in 2014 and I am so happy I did. I was a great opportunity and involved a ton of work, long days and thankless hours... but I am stronger and more experienced because of it. You may not realize it it, but back then it was more than just being on tv, you were writing, researching, going out interviewing people, posting for the website and social media and so much more. You didn't just show up and look pretty on tv and then leave. 
3. Are you still on TV?
Yes, I moonlight here and there for special projects and I am currently in a rotation of hosts for PBS Hawaii's live Insights show held Thursday nights. This is perfect for me because the live tv show averages about one a month and I think that is absolutely the right amount for me. I also don't really care about putting on makeup, being on television and as I get older I am more comfortable just staying home and not really doing anything. 
4. What are you doing now?
I started my own marketing and communications firm. This is my real job and keeps me busy 365 days out of the year. I freelance as a writer, tv host, voice-over actor, producer and podcast host as well. But my business is actually digital marketing, PR and content creation. 
5. How are your kids?
This has potential to be very awkward as the only kids I have are a dog and a cat. As you know Rico is 14 years-old and a cat and Roxy is about to turn 2 and is a dog, so we just have furry kids. 

Hi friends and family. As you may recall last summer we got ourselves a pandemic puppy. Roxy was found roaming Palolo and rescued by the Hawaiian Humane Society. We adopted her at the age of 3 months-old and she will turn 2 in May. Roxy is our dog and Rico is our 14 year-old cat BTW. Roxy was born with nystagmus but the eye condition went away, however she turned out to be blind, which doesn't seem to affect her at all. If you know us, Roxy has truly been a shining ray of light and sparkling rainbow in every day since we got her. I do have a health update that is a bit of a bummer but not life threatening, we hope. 

In January we noticed Roxy (the dog) was holding her right rear leg and paw up. She was kind of tripoding around and wouldn't put weight on her leg. We took her to the doctor and x-rays showed things to be normal, but that she had a thickening of the joints and knee and it appeared that she may have ruptured a ligament. The doctor gave us an anti-inflammatory and pain medication and told us to crate her. They recommend she have a surgery to fix the ligament. I wanted the best doctor for her and reached out the board certified number one surgeon on the island who didn't have any openings for just a consult until May. Remember this is January. I made the appointment and then opted to reach out to her local vet where they had another surgeon who specializes in this kind of thing as well. 

At her consult with the second surgeon he heard a light heart murmur. Then they triple confirmed that she did have a heart murmur and before moving forward would need to have a echocardiogram done to determine what was going on with her heart. Today, the echocardiogram was conducted 3 weeks ago and we have not yet gotten the results. Mind you this doctor is the only cardiologist for animals on the island. 

So we are still waiting to hear back about her heart. At this rate we may opt for the all-star board certified surgeon to give us his two cents when she has her original consult in May. Anyway, she is doing well and we limit her activity. She can walk, use the restroom and hang out like she usually does.. just no running and mainly a lot of sleeping. 

My heart is so full from all the love we have for her. She is so sweet, loving and tender with everyone she meets. She is a brilliant shining star that illuminates our world. We love her so much! 

Oh and Rico is doing well. Last year he was diagnosed with kidney disease, but after giving him a special prescription wet food kidney diet he is really thriving and doing great. His energy, spirit and fur coat are the best they've ever been. =) 

As if we needed more of a reason to eat out... say hello to Food-A-Go-Go Restaurant Week (which actually 2 weeks). 

​FOOD-A-GO-GO WEEK LAUNCHES ON MARCH 23
The event will support Hawai‘i’s businesses and K-12 agricultural education programs
HONOLULU, HI – Hawaiʻi Agricultural Foundation (HAF) will host the second Food-AGo-Go Week presented by Hawaiian Airlines® Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard® from March 23 – April 6.
​Food-A-Go-Go Week will join a year-long public awareness campaign called Localicious® Hawai‘i that highlights restaurants and businesses that use locally sourced ingredients or products in their offerings. Local businesses and restaurants participating in Food-A-Go-Go Week will have a special menu or local products available for customers to purchase/order for dine-in or takeout. Proceeds of this campaign will benefit HAF’s K-12 ag education programs, which have served over 18,000 students since 2014.

Through these programs, HAF addresses agricultural workforce development as the average age of a farmer in Hawaiʻi is 60 years old. All HAF’s educational programs spark an interest in agriculture among the children at an early age and encourages careers in the field. “As the hometown airline, we are always delighted to join causes that promote local food sourcing and sustainability in our community,” says Bryan Kapeckas, Managing Director of Loyalty and Travel Products. “Food-A-Go-Go Week is a great way for our visitors and kama‘āina to enjoy Hawaii’s restaurants while supporting businesses and the next generation of farmers.” “We’re excited to bring back Food-A-Go-Go Week to promote our businesses and restaurants that support our local agriculture and fishing industries,” says Toby Tamaye, President of AT Marketing and Co-Chair of Food-A-Go-Go Week. “We’ve seen the hardships that our farmers, ranchers, and fishermen have faced, and we’re ready to support our local business community as we move toward economic resilience and recovery together.”

To promote the campaign, Food-A-Go-Go Week participants are encouraged to enter in the #FoodAGoGo Week Sweepstakes. The Sweepstakes will begin on March 23 and run through April 6. Two winners will be selected daily to win a $100 gift card from participating FoodA-Go-Go Week businesses. There are two ways to win: Enter the Instagram Sweepstakes: 1. Post a photo of a dish from Food-A-Go-Go Week (March 23 - April 6, 2022) 2. Follow @Foodagogo_HI and @HawaiianAirlines 3. Tag @Foodagogo_HI and participating restaurant/business 4. Mention #FoodAGoGo in your post Visit Foodagogo.org: 1. Go to Foodagogo.org and click on the Sweepstakes tab on the top right corner 2. Fill out the form with your name, email, and phone number for your chance to win View Terms & Conditions for the #FoodAGoGoWeek Instagram Sweepstakes at https://foodagogo.org/2022-food-a-go-go-restaurant-week-sweepstakes/