First of all, thank you EVERYONE for sending me birthday wishes. For you to take time out of your day to call, text, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram me really means a lot and I’m very humbled by it. Even though I don’t have my own Facebook page, I still got all your messages and it was really awesome!
So, what did I do to celebrate my old age?! Well, let’s start with Wednesday night, because the whole day was about rest and relaxation. My family and friends threw me a surprise 30th birthday party at Tokkuri-Tei Restaurant. I had NO idea they were throwing me a party, and though that I was just going to dinner with a few family members! It was a great night, with awesome food and drink, but the best part was the yukatas (Japanese robes, pictured below). My Mom had decided to give everyone a robe, and it made for an awesome party and an even better picture!
As you can imagine, the food & drink was plentiful that night, and I didn’t get to sleep till pretty late. Luckily (he says sarcastically), I had to get up early the next morning to shoot the host segments for HI*Sessions. We are starting season two of the show in March, so Skyler Kamaka came in to film the host segments. Needless to say, after a couple of hours of shooting and a magical hotdog (inside joke), we were able to get episode one & two done for the March broadcast (stay tuned for details)!
As the week went on, we performed at our usual Friday night gig at Lulus, but took Saturday off to perform at the Hawai’i basketball game. Since we had just learned Alex’s arrangement of the national anthem & Hawai’i Ponoi that week, I was really nervous to perform it in front of thousands of people. It went off great, and actually turned out to be a really cool experience! The theme for the rest of the game was “Star Wars” night, so they had characters from the movie running around the arena. Luckily, Alex & I caught “Boba Fett” as he was enjoying a cold beverage, and took this photo!
If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you know about the final BIG piece of my birthday! SKYDIVING! Here’s the story. Before I turned 29, I told my friends, “for my 30th birthday, I need to do something big! How about skydiving?!” Little did I know, a year later, that they would collect on my promise! So Alex and a couple of friends joined me out on the north shore yesterday to do this amazing adventure. I had an awesome instructor nicknamed “Peg-Leg” who guided me through all the necessary instructions and got me safely up into the sky and back down again. It was indescribably amazing and the physical and emotional things you go through are something that was very rewarding. If you get a chance, and have the courage, I definitely recommend you try it.
On a final note, I have to say “WHAT THE?!” to the University of Hawai’i baseball team. I know, usually it’s Dad’s job to criticize and analyze, but I feel the need for a swift kick in the digital butt. Granted, they have played REALLY awesome teams to start the season, but a win or two in each series is needed for a little confidence throughout the season. So #TeamDNA, let’s give a collected “GO WARRIORS” and see if Hawai’i can pull off a win tonight vs. Rice.
That’s all for me folks! Thanks again for all the well wishes and birthday shout outs! It was an amazing week, like SUPER amazing, and I have the best friends and family to thank for that. You all mean infinitely more to me than I will ever mean to you, and I owe you big time for all the support and love.
ALOHA!
Nick