I was born in Honolulu and grew up moving all over the mainland, as well as living in the Philippines for a short time. I graduated from Kalani High School and then earned a Master's degree in Social Work at the University of Hawaii. My mother was born and raised in Hawaii and grew up in a Hawaiian speaking family. My father was born in Texas.
My husband of 20 years, Paul, is a surfer, my personal handyman and the renovator of this unit. He is also a journalist working as a news reporter, weather reporter and TV anchor at our local TV station, KITV Channel 4.