All Ways Maui'd Weddings, Ceremonies & Photography

23/08/2024

Dear Facebook friends, my account has been cloned. Please do not accept a new friend request if we are already friends. Sorry.

05/08/2024

Vintage Kolleen, ca. 1998 or'99. (Photo courtesy of her "bride," M.a. Thomas.)

04/08/2024

"Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow."

- Mary Anne Radmacher

01/08/2024

☉ Aug 1: First Day of the Month Rabbit Rabbit Day
"Rabbit rabbit rabbit" is one variant of a superstition found in Britain and North America that states that a person should say or repeat the word "rabbit" or "rabbits", or "white rabbits", or some combination of these elements, out loud upon waking on the first day of the month, because doing so will ensure good luck ...

13/07/2024

Aloha dear 'Ohana, friends & followers, a summer update for you: As most of you well know, we - Kolleen and I - have been very challenged in many ways since the wildfires of last August. Fortunately, business has picked up some, but it's still nowhere close to covering all of our monthly expenditures. We're still exploring every option available to try and stay on top of our money needs, and a whole lot of truly wonderful and kind people have come to our aid, and kept us afloat, but the need for additional help continues on. Again, if any of you can be of any new or further assistance, we would be forever grateful. If you can, please consider the following options. Thank You Very Much! With love and appreciation from us, may God bless us all. ❤

Donations may be sent a number of ways:
1.Bruce or Kolleen Wheeler, PO Box 817, Puunene, HI 96784
2.givebutter.com/mDZCm5
3 venmo.com/Bruce-Wheeler-5
4 paypal.me/BWheeler117
5.Zelle: Robert Bruce Wheeler

11/07/2024

Three from Mahatma Gandhi ~

" The future depends on what we do in the present. "

" Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. "

" Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony. "

02/07/2024

☆★☆ July 1: First Day of the Month Rabbit Rabbit Day
"Rabbit rabbit rabbit" is one variant of a superstition found in Britain and North America that states that a person should say or repeat the word "rabbit" or "rabbits", or "white rabbits", or some combination of these elements, out loud upon waking on the first day of the month, because doing so will ensure good luck ...

31/05/2024

🤙

27/05/2024

❀Memorial Day and Labor Day are bookend holidays, marking the beginning and end of the summer holidays in the United States. These three-day weekends traditionally are times for celebration and family outings. Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May, in honor of those who lost their lives while in the service of our country. It became a federal holiday in 1971 and originated in 1868, when Union General John A. Logan designated a day in which the graves of Civil War soldiers would be decorated. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was changed to Memorial Day within 20 years, becoming a holiday dedicated to the memory of all war dead.

26/05/2024

In memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation and the free world. May God bless you all! ✌

(CBS Sunday graphic.)

14/05/2024

Aloha dear 'Ohana, Friends & Followers. As many of you well know, we - Kolleen and I - have been very challenged in many ways since the wildfires of last August. It's now been exactly one year since I was diagnosed with throat cancer, and after a six-weeks-long series of radiation therapy treatments last October and November, the cancer was overcome, but the post-treatment ordeal has been the most horrible experience of my life. I can't eat solid food of any kind, my diet strictly one of liquid nourishment taken via a tube in my belly. My mouth is is often bone-dry, especially at night, and nothing I've tried yet has had any impact on that. My taste buds were fried, so anything I put in my mouth tastes terrible, even plane water. The default taste in my mouth that I can detect has a horrible "metallic" quality to it, and it can't be "washed away," it's omnipresent 24/7. My energy level stinks long-term I can do some things for a very short while, and then I just have to say "enough." I've lost 55 lbs since a year ago, and tend to often get dizzy upon standing. So, that's the medical side of my situation. The financial side is worse. We had four wedding bookings total during March and April, two each month, and none so far this month. There are a few coming up, but two of them are this week, with heavy rain expected until Tuesday, May 21. Good luck. We've been exploring every option available to try and stay on top of our money needs, and via direct emails and social media posts, a whole lot of truly wonderful and kind people have come to our aid, but the need for additional help continues on. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but if any of you can be of any new or further assistance, we would truly be ever grateful. If you can, please consider the following options. Thank You Very Much! With love and appreciation from us, may God bless us all.

02/05/2024

✿ May 1 • International Workers' Day
- Holiday in 119 nations of the world
- The “Real Labor Day”, May 1st, International Workers' Day, commemorates the historic struggle of working people throughout the world, and is recognized in every country except the United States, Canada, and South Africa. This despite the fact that the holiday began in the 1880s in the United States, with the fight for an eight-hour work day.

02/05/2024

✿ Happy May Day • Hau'oli Lā Ka Me
✿ May Day has its roots in the ancient Greek and Roman springtime festivals which celebrated nature's bounty. It's also believed that May Day was derived from the Pagan sabbat Beltane, and it's easy to see why: Both holidays feature maypole dances (in which people weave ribbons around a decorated pole) and celebrate summer's approach.
In the calendar of the ancient Celts it is easy to understand the importance of the first day of summer. The ‘fire of Bel’, or Beltane as it was called, was celebrated with bonfires to welcome the new season. Known today as May Day, it has through the ages remained the most important day of the folklore year.
Despite being opposed through the centuries by both Church and State many May Day Celebrations survive today. Maypole dancing, with its sinister hints of tree worship, was described by the Puritans as ‘a heathenish vanity’ and was accordingly banned. Dancing did not start again until after the restoration of Charles II.
Other ways to welcome the summer include the crowning of the May Queen, the mad antics of Jack-in-the-Green and the rampaging of the Hobby Horses.

29/04/2024

👍

23/04/2024

Happy Earth Day!

APRIL / ‘APELILA is Poetry Month, so here is a poem in honor of April's Earth Day:

❀ A poem for Earth Day
by Jane Yolen

I am the Earth
And the Earth is me.
Each blade of grass,
Each honey tree,
Each bit of mud,
And stick and ston
Is blood and muscle,
Skin and bone.
And just as I
Need every bit
Of me to make
My body fit,
So Earth needs
Grass and stone and tree
And things that grow here
Naturally.
That’s why we
Celebrate this day.
That’s why across
The world we say:
As long as life,
As dear, as free,
I am the Earth
And the Earth is me.

20/04/2024

The following was riginally posted by our dear friend Robin Pilus last month. Apparently some folks have been unable to see it, so I'm re-posting it as the need is still great

Maui resident Bruce Wheeler has been diagnosed with Stage 1 throat cancer. Please help with his medical expenses and day-to-day needs. (On top of that, the recent Maui wildfiers have also led to the cancellation of all his 2023 photography bookings.)

18/04/2024

Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.

-John Wesley, 1703-1791
English Evangelist, founder of Methodism

02/04/2024

☿ Mercury Retrograde Alert! Mon. April 1 thru Thurs. April 25
~☛ What is “Mercury Retrograde”? Several times a year, it appears as if Mercury is going backwards due to the way our own orbit interacts with those of the other planets. Even though it might sometimes appear to be traveling backward through the night sky with respect to the zodiac, this is, in fact, an illusion, which we call apparent retrograde motion.
~☛ We are all influenced when Mercury is in retrograde. Some people blame Mercury retrograde for “bad” things that happen in their lives. These times, in particular, are traditionally associated with confusions, delay, and frustration.
~☛ The planet Mercury rules communication, travel, contracts, automobiles, and such. So, when Mercury is retrograde, remain flexible, allow time for extra travel, and avoid signing contracts. Review projects and plans at these times, but wait until Mercury is direct again to make any final decisions.
~☛ About a week or two before Mercury retrogrades, finish any tasks or projects at hand. You can’t stop your life, but plan ahead, have back-up plans, and be prepared for angrier people and miscommunication.
~☛ The type of influence you feel depends on which of the 12 zodiac signs Earth is in when Mercury goes retrograde. Perhaps Mercury’s retrograde periods can cause our plans to go awry. However, this is an excellent time to reflect on the past. It’s said that intuition is high during these periods, and coincidences can be extraordinary.

Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac

28/03/2024

Living with cancer during my Happy Birthday month has not been without its separate challenges. A few days ago I was at Kaiser to have minor surgery to remove "a spot" of cancer from my right temple -- that I discovered. Bruce, right now, is at Kaiser having "a spot" removed from the top of his right ear -- that our dermatologist discovered. Originally we were going to go to Kaiser in Honolulu where they perform the Mohs surgery, as this is the most thorough treatment, but this became impractical for us as Bruce has to have regular "feedings" throughout the day of his nourishment formula via his feeding tube. After what he has gone through with the radiation treatments for his throat cancer, having the skin cancer removed, for both of us, is something we can easily take in stride -- no drama here! We are just glad to have it taken care of -- and recommend that all you friends do as we do and self check for anything unusual on your skin and have a yearly dermo check. Always good to nick cancer in the bud whenever you can!
As always, we are go grateful for the kokua (help) so many of you have given us -- especially with the gifts that have shown up in the last week in birthday cards to me! Mahalo, Mahalo, Mahalo!
And, I am "famous" for celebrating not only my birthday (March 30th), but for celebrating a whole birthday season, which lasts as long as I can go! One year I had a friend who carried around a present for me until we hooked up in November. She apologized profusely for being so late. "No, no," I said. "Thank you for the longest birthday season I have had to date!" I loved it.
And, like Bruce, I, too love getting cards, even "Birthday Season Cards"! Thanks to you all for your love and support of us!
Kolleen Wheeler, POB 817, Puunene, HI 96784
Venmo: venmo.com/Bruce-Wheeler-5
Pal: paypal.me/BWheeler1173
GiveButter: givebutter.com/mDZCm5

20/03/2024

Spring Equinox FAQs

ஐ Q: Does Spring Begin on March 1 or on the Equinox?
A: Both. The answer depends on your definition of “spring.” Both dates are accurate; they’re just from different perspectives.
Astronomically speaking, the first day of spring is marked by the spring equinox, which falls on March 19, 20, or 21 every year. The equinox happens at the same moment worldwide, though our clock times reflect a different time zone. And, as mentioned above, this date only signals spring’s beginning in the Northern Hemisphere; it announces fall’s arrival in the Southern Hemisphere.

Meteorologically speaking, the official first day of spring is March 1 (and the last is May 31). Weather scientists divide the year into quarters to make it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics from one year to the next. The meteorological seasons are based on annual temperature cycles rather than on the position of Earth in relation to the Sun, and they more closely follow the Gregorian calendar. Using the dates of the astronomical equinoxes and solstices for the seasons would present a statistical problem, as these dates can vary slightly each year.

In many cultures, the March Equinox is associated with a time of transition and new beginnings. People in the Northern Hemisphere consider it as the first day of spring while those in the Southern Hemisphere see it as the first day of Fall.

ஐ Q: What does the term “Equinox” mean?
A: The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”—aequus (equal) and nox (night). An equinox occurs when the tilt of the Earth's axis is neither inclined away from nor towards the Sun. On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world.

08/03/2024

🤙🌈🌺

04/03/2024

❀ March 3: Girls Day in Japan and Hawaii. Celebration of little girls and their dolls. Also called the Peach Blossom Festival, as the peach blossom symbolizes to the Japanese the attributes of little girls. Girl’s Day festivals came to the United States with Japanese immigrants who left Japan in the late 1800s. Although days are celebrated differently than they are in Japan, it easy to see their Japanese origins. Girls usually start setting up their doll collections a couple weeks before Girl’s Day on March 3rd. People in Hawaii believe the doll collection must be taken down on March 3rd if their daughter is to marry. A special three-colored diamond-shaped rice cake, called hishi mochi, is eaten on this day

29/02/2024

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

"Animals cannot speak, but can you and I not speak for them and represent them? Let us all feel their silent cry of agony and let us all help that cry to be heard in the world."

-Rukmini Devi Arundale, dancer and choreographer (29 Feb 1904-1986)

29/02/2024

Aloha kakou! (Aloha everyone!) A February 29 update on our present situation. As many of you know, we've been struggling on several fronts for the past 8 months. Unfortunately, the struggle goes on. After a dismal January, business wise, February was even worse. Between us, just two jobs all month long. Expenses are growing, and while do have some bookings for March, it's nearly impossible to get a leg up on things. For me, nothing has changed in my post radiation treatment life; I still can't eat solid food, and I'm continually confronted with a bone-dry mouth condition. My energy level has picked up some, and that's a big plus. That about sums it up for now. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but we are still seeking help with funding., to cover the rent and the important stuff. Mahalo nui for any further help you may provide. Bless you all for the consideration! Mahalo ke Akua!

23/02/2024

✌ ❤

14/02/2024

ღ February 14 ~ Happy Valentine's Day to you!
ღ Hau’oli Lā Aloha! A day set aside to honor and celebrate Love. It is most famous for being a time of celebrating "romantic love" and to exchange of valentines and other tokens of affection.
ღ The earliest Valentine cards were written on parchment and appeared in the fourteenth century.
ღ Observed in honor of St. Valentine, originally a pagan priest in third century Rome, St Valentine became a Christian convert. Despite being noted for his chastity, he became the patron saint of lovers. It became an old country custom to choose sweethearts on his feast day.
ღ It was thought that birds chose their mate for the year on February 14. Doves and pigeons mate for life and therefore were used as a symbol of "fidelity."
ღ Cupid, another symbol of the holiday, became associated with it because he was the son of Venus, the Roman god of love and beauty. Cupid often appears on Valentine cards.
ღ The holiday's roots are in an ancient Roman fertility festival. Circa 496, Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day in honor of St. Valentine, but there are at least three different early saints by that name. How the day became associated with romance remains obscure, and is further clouded by various fanciful legends.
ღ It may have originated with Lupercalia, a Roman celebration honoring the wolves Romulus and Remus. During this festival, young men struck women with a goatskin hide called a februa. Receiving the blows was thought to make women more fertile and to ease childbirth. At Lupercalia, the names of all the young women in the city were placed in a box. Young men drew a name from the box and the couple would be paired until the next Lupercalia. Christians replaced Lupercalia with Valentine’s Day.
ღ Others trace Valentine's Day back to the rule of the Roman emperor Claudius II. In the 200's C. E., Claudius become frustrated when he had trouble recruiting soldiers into his army. Believing that the young men did not want to leave their wives and children, Claudius banned all marriages of single young men. However, a priest named Valentine disobeyed Claudius and performed secret marriages. Claudius found out about the marriages and sentenced Valentine to prison until his death on February 14, 270 C. E.

14/02/2024