The perfect Aloha!

Aloha!

We had a beautiful trip to Maui.  The day after we arrived we honored my Mom with an amazing catamaran sail off the coast of Lahaina.  We charted a boat and my cousin Todd Nolan lead the service with a wonderful eulogy about my Mom (his Auntie Kathy).  My Dad wanted to share the service with those of you who were interested... but I am having a hard time posting the video to this site.  I will keep trying, but it is 30 minutes long, and won't go on YouTube.  I can email it to anyone interested.  So if you would like to see it, please email me and I will send it to you.  In the meantime I will try and post a shorter version of it.

God blessed the day with a rainbow, calm waters, cousin Adam and his friend singing worship music...and whales, whales and more whales!  Yes...about 15 minutes into the service we were blessed with 3 guests.  A whale at the bow of the boat, the stern of the boat and one off the port side.  It was like the Holy Trinity.  And they were close, not 100 feet away.  It was like Mom orchestrated it with the help of God!

After Todd's eulogy, we laid Mom to rest in a beautiful shell urn adorned with a flower lei.  Everyone threw flower petals into the water.  One of her great granddaughters asked Todd why we were throwing the petals into the water and he told her to think of them as "hugs and kisses".  So she proceeded to grab handfuls of them and throw them into the water.  The whole sail was emotional and very memorable!  A perfect Aloha! 
Mahalo and Aloha to you all!
Mandy and Rick

Such love...

What an amazing day we had yesterday!  Celebrating my Mom.  Thank you to all who came to the service and to the many gatherings we had throughout the weekend.  It was such a pleasure to see friends and family gather together for one common reason...the love we share for Kathy/Mom.   For me, being with all of you was so helpful in my healing.  The kind and loving words, the hugs, and the tears all continue to help fill this void that looms in my soul.   
It was God who got us through the day, with Mom by His side...and who carried me through the Eulogy.  I was sure I was wasn't going to be able to stand up there and read it in front of all of you.  I even had Bryan ready as a back up. 
But seeing everyone there in the crowd:
-- faces I hadn't seen in years that warmed my heart.
-- friends that came to support all of us
-- Mom's dear friends that miss her so much
-- bible study friends of mom's and mine that prayed so diligently for months on end.
-- Tani's/Yamamura's that brought such love and support to my Dad and to Tony and I.
-- The many, many Nolans (and Auntie Pat's eyes!) that gathered at my house and made it feel just like my Mom's house.
-- my nieces that have supported me emotionally and physically throughout Mom's sickness
-- my brother and his wife who I love dearly
-- and my husband and children that I live for
all of you, gave me the courage and the strength to get through it (and the day!). 
So thank you again to all of you.  Thank you for reading this blog.  Thank you for praying for my Mom and for our family.  Thank you for you love and for your support. 

Some asked if I will keep this blog "open".  Yes, it will always be open.  I will post again when we get back from Maui to let you all know about the service there.  And then we will see where we go from there.
Aloha and Mahalo!
Mandy

Family trip to Maui

We look forward to seeing many of you this weekend at Mom's memorial service.  It will be a wonderful way to celebrate her life and the many memories we all share of her. 
After this weekend, we have planned a family trip to Maui.  Some of you may know, Mom's wish was to have her ashes spread over the ocean in Hawaii.  We have asked cousin Todd Nolan (and his family of course) to lead the service that will be held Sunday January 29 at sunset.  As always, we would appreciate any prayers lifted up on that day/time!

We hope you all travel safely.  God bless you all.
Mandy

More info for memorial service

We just wanted to let you all know that our family will be hosting a reception immediately following the Memorial Service, January 21st at Twin Oaks Valley Golf Course in the Garden Room. (1424 N. Twin Oaks Valley Rd, San Marcos)

Also, for those of you coming from out of town, you are welcome to come by an Open House at our home on Friday Afternoon (4pm-8pm) to say hello and share some food and fellowship! Our address is 7260 Circulo Papayo, Carlsbad.

We appreciate all the support and love we have been getting from all of you!

Obituary-- San Jose Mercury News

Just fyi for those of you in the Bay Area.  We will be running an obituary for Mom in tomorrow's San Jose Mercury News.
(We will not be running one in any local San Diego papers just because most everyone down here has been notified through this blog or word of mouth.)

On a side note, yesterday I overheard our daughter Bennett while she was playing after school with her friend.  They were in the toyroom together and I heard Bennett praying with this little friend, Caitlyn.  She said "Dear Jesus, please make sure Gramma gets a beautiful crown because she was very, very special to me.  Amen."  I am sure my Mom has a gorgeous crown!!  And I am so thankful my daughter has an amazing heart.

Hotel information

Many of you have asked for local hotel information.  There are many to choose from, but wanted to pass along these options. 

These two are very close to the Church:
Hampton Inn
123 E. Carmel Street, San Marcos
760-736-9249

Residence Inn Marriott
1245 Los Vallecitos Blvd, San Marcos
888-228-9290

Also, there are the Grand Pacific Palisades and the Sheraton Resort in Carlsbad near Legoland and of course the La Costa Resort, all of them are near our house. 

Message from Rick

Hello,
I would like to thank all of you for your prayers and encouragement that you gave Kathy and me with her battle against this terrible disease. Kathy was a real fighter for the past 10 months she battled each and everyday...poked, stuck, scanned and every other medical treatment you can imagine and each day ending with a positive attitude and the love of life. But in the end she lost her battle. I loved this lady so much and I will miss her dearly and when she left she took a large part of me with her but I will always remember her as a great lady and a model for all of us to follow. She loved everyone she met and never past judgement on them and called everyone her friend. Her bright smile always greeted you and made you feel special. She had that loving touch that I am sure all of you experienced. Our family will miss her greatly but not as much as I will. She was my partner in life, mother of my children and I will love her forever. I hope all of you will say a prayer for her and remember her as the great lady she was.
Thanks again,
Rick

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, January 21st at 10am.

Mission Hills Church, 400 Mission Hills Court, San Marcos, CA 92069. Reception to follow.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to either the San Diego Hospice (sdhospice.org) which was so valuable to our family during her final days. Or the American Cancer Society.
If you have any questions, you can contact Amanda Selby at amandaselby@roadrunner.com.