Sharing the light from every day life......

An inspirational, lifestyle blog

#42 Jeremy Denk – SD Symphony

Inspiration

Hi there & welcome to BdaKiNE.com 😁

We saw pianist Jeremy Denk perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations as part of the San Diego Symphony‘s Chamber Music Series. I know most people consider classical music a yawn but you don’t have to know or even like classical music to have appreciated Denk’s performance.

The piece he played was an Aria with Thirty Variations that Bach wrote in 1742. So, first off, I find it fascinating that music written almost 300 years ago is still not only relevant but also considered one of the greatest works ever written. Denk performed flawlessly for 45 minutes without any music;  he had the entire piece memorized! We watched in absolute awe – I knew I was witnessing a great talent who had obviously spent countless hours practicing. I truly admire people who have the passion and patience to accomplish such greatness.

If you have a chance to see a pianist in person, try to get seats with a view of their hands. I know you will appreciate and be inspired by the combination of God given talent and hard work of these musicians.

Thank you for taking the time to visit BdaKiNE.com & have a grateful day 😘

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#39 Top of the Market

imageHi there & welcome to Bdakine.com!

One of our favorite restaurants in San Diego is Top of the Market – they have some of the best & freshest seafood in town as well as fabulous views of San Diego Bay. Whenever we have friends visiting, this is where we take them. Even our picky friends from New York love it here!

So, you can imagine how bummed we were when we heard that there was a fire at Top of the Market; thankfully, no one was hurt. Instead of only repairing the damage from the smoke and water, the owners decided to completely remodel the 26 year old restaurant. They installed larger windows, changed the decor to softer colors and replaced the outdoor umbrellas with awnings. All in all, it took about seven months to complete the transformation.

Even though the restaurant was closed, the owners retained almost all of their 300 employees, several of whom have worked there since the restaurant opened in 1989! We’re lucky that San Diego has so many great restaurants with amazing views, food, wines and service. For us, what makes Top of the Market so special is the owners; they are the gold standard of how to use your success as a way to make the world a better place for everyone not just yourself and your peers. They don’t give money to charity as a way of self-promotion, in fact they give very quietly. You just know that their hearts are in the right place.

One example of their kindness is to donate a portion of the restaurant’s initial sales to the San Diego Fire Rescue Foundation as a way to thank them for saving Top of the Market/Fish Market. It makes me proud to know that some of the money we have spent at Top of the Market will go towards life-saving devices for the fire fighters.

I want to thank Top of the Market for embodying the spirit of Bdakine and I’d like to thank you for taking the time to visit BdaKiNE.com

Hugs, Lori

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#36 Spreading Joy, One Bracelet At A Time

Inspiration

Hi there & welcome to BdaKiNE.com!

I know I’m totally dating myself  but when I was a kid, we used to give each other “friendship bracelets” which were basically a piece of string that you tied to your wrist and never took off. Besides being a symbol of friendship, you were granted one wish upon making the commitment to wear this bracelet 24/7. When the string finally disintegrated and your bracelet fell off, your wish was supposed to come true.

Friendship bracelets have come a long way since I last wore one, I recently discovered some from a company called Puravida Bracelets.  I for the life of me can’t remember how I stumbled upon them but I am glad I did. I know that I’m about 30 years older than Puravida Bracelets‘ target market but when I give the bracelets to friends, they get so happy! And it doesn’t seem to matter if I give the bracelet to someone who is 20 or 50; they all get so excited at this simple gesture.

 Another reason I love Puravida Bracelets is that they have an awesome story behind their success. In 2010, Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman traveled to Costa Rica for a graduation trip. While there, they met two men named Jorge and Joaquin who were living in poverty and selling bracelets to try to put food on the table. Liking the bracelets and wanting to help out these men, Griffin and Paul asked them to make 400 bracelets. Upon returning to the states, Griffin and Paul put the bracelets in a bowl at a local store and within days, the bracelets had sold out! Griffin and Paul realized that they were onto something.

In a few short years, Puravida Bracelets has grown into a multi-million dollar company with bracelets sold around the world. Thanks to Puravida Bracelets, Jorge, Joaquin and more than a hundred of their friends now have full time jobs.

Puravida Bracelets also has a “Charity Collection” that they created as an outlet to give back to over 190 different charities with sales totally more than $667,000. They are also members of 1% for the Planet which means they donate 1% of their annual net revenue to environmental organizations.

I am totally inspired by these young guys who are living the dream with their entrepreneurial spirit, desire to help others and their contribution to our planet and other charitable organizations.

Thank you for visiting BdaKiNE.com & have a grateful day!

 

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#35 Flat Bread Company – Paia, Maui

imageHi there & welcome to BdaKiNE.com!

One of our favorite towns in Maui is Paia – founded in 1896 with the establishment of a company store for plantation workers. It’s a super cute, hippie area known for windsurfing but I love it for their shops, restaurants and galleries. My husband loves their bike shop, Maui Cyclery, which he thinks is the best on the island.

Everything in Paia is pretty darn cool including the Flat Bread Company. I have a special place in my heart for this restaurant because it’s responsible for me eating pizza again after a three year break. I don’t have celiac disease but eating gluten does give me a scratchy throat so I try to avoid it.

When we were in Paia five years ago, I didn’t even know that gluten free pizza existed until our friend Mischelle told  me about it. I will forever be grateful to her for turning me onto the Flat Bread Company. I cannot even begin to describe to you how delicious this pizza tasted – many of the ingredients are from local farms which adds to the freshness, flavor and aloha. I almost cried, I was so happy eating pizza again!

Another reason I totally love the Flat Bread Company is that they host fundraisers at their restaurant every Tuesday for local groups ranging from the Maui Humane Society to the Carden Academy to the Maui Mediation Services. The Flat Bread Company’s love of humanity, sense of caring, and nourishment of their community is an inspiration and a model that we should all aspire to be. Bon Appetit everyone!

Thank you for visiting BdaKiNE.com & have a grateful day! Hugs, Lori

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All photos are courtesy of the Flatbread Company, Maui Facebook Page

#6 Neiman Marcus & the San Diego Symphony BdaKiNE

 

imageHi there & welcome to BdaKiNE.com 😁

The Harmony Project is a Los Angeles based nonprofit that provides free music lessons to low-income students in gang-ridden neighborhoods.

Researchers at Northwestern University did a two year study of 44 children at the Harmony Project and concluded that the music lessons changed the children’s brains, making it easier to process sounds, which resulted in improved reading and speech skills.

90% of the Harmony Project’s students graduate from high school whereas 50% or more of the students who are not part of the classes, do not.

Like the Harmony Project, the Symphony Notables understand the correlation between music and academic success. The Symphony Notables is a group dedicated to building a strong foundation for the San Diego Symphony’s future by coordinating fundraising efforts and developing the potential of children in our community through promoting appreciation and participation in music education.

Because many schools are cutting music programs, the Symphony Notables are raising the funds necessary to provide children with the opportunity to experience music education where none currently exist. The Notables believe that music education should be available to all children, not just the ones who can afford it.

Yesterday, the Notables had the pleasure of being treated to a luncheon and fashion show at Neiman Marcus.  Neiman Marcus is an important supporter of the Arts in San Diego and the Notables are proud to partner with them to help children open their eyes, minds and hearts to the beauty, joy and possibilities for music to inspire and heal our souls.

I am INSPIRED by the mission of the Symphony Notables and the philanthropic spirit of Neiman Marcus, they BdaKiNE!

Thank you for visiting BdaKiNE.com & have a grateful day🌞 Hugs, Lori 😘

 

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The clothes were of course beautiful but it was difficult to imagine wearing any of them when it was 88 degrees outside!

 

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I don’t know how the models could keep from sweating, I was sweating just looking at all of those layers.

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I highly doubt I could get my foot let alone my leg into these leather pants!

 

I love the hippie look of this fringed purse and faux fur vest.

I need to start buying more red!

So beautiful but with a black cat & a bull mastiff that constantly drools, I never wear white

So beautiful but I have a black cat and a bull mastiff that constantly drools so I never wear white

Sneakers are hip for guys to wear, even with suits!

#4 Patrons of the Prado BdaKiNE

 

imageHi there & welcome to BdaKiNE.com 😁

On Sunday we had a really fun day celebrating Balboa Park’s 100th Anniversary with the “F Family.” We met the F Family’s Matriarch and Patriarch  at the Patron of the Prado’s Gala earlier this summer.

We go to a lot of fundraisers and I’m telling you that I will ALWAYS remember this one!!! As you probably know, San Diego is experiencing a severe drought right now. Our average rainfall is 10 inches; in 2007 we had 3.85 inches of rain and each year since then the numbers have improved slightly but we are still well below our average.

So, for us to have rain in July is unheard of to say the least. Well, on July 18, the day of the Patrons’ OUTDOOR Gala, we had a storm like no other – rain, thunder, lightning and crazy humidity!!!! The storm brought 1.03 inches of rain which shatters the previous record for this date in 1922 of .01 inches of rain!!!

I’ve chaired big fundraisers before and we normally start setting up several days beforehand and the day of the event, we start working in the early morning. The day of the Patrons’ Gala, it rained ALL day until 3:30pm. I kept checking the Patrons‘ Facebook page waiting for the official announcement that they were cancelling the party.

To the credit of the organizers, they decided to proceed with the gala. I still cannot fathom how it was physically possible for them to set up tables for 600 people as well as decorate the venue in 2-1/2 hours.  I was even more surprised that everyone actually showed up!

Back to the F Family, it’s so heart warming to see a multi-generational family that seem to actually like each other! The grandchildren showed genuine love, respect, and admiration for their grandparents.

And the grandfather was very proud to have his children and grandchildren involved in the business he started. I love that Mr & Mrs F are being such wonderful role models for their children and grandchildren on the importance of giving back to your community and being of service.

I am INSPIRED by the “F Family” and the Patrons of the Prado; they BdaKiNE.

www.patronsoftheprado.org

Thank you for visiting BdaKiNE.com & have a grateful day 🌞 Hugs, Lori 😘

 

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#3 Barrio Logan College Institute BdaKiNE

 

imageHi there & welcome to BdaKiNE.com 😁

Last night we had the pleasure of sharing an evening filled with great conversation, yummy food, bottomless drinks and plenty of laughs with our new friends the “O Family.” How can you not like a family who are tequila connoisseurs?!

We came together due to our mutual respect and love for the amazing work that the Barrio Logan College Institute (BLCI) does. BLCI is located in Barrio Logan, a part of the San Diego community that is rich in both culture and pride but is grossly under served. Located in a traditionally low-income community, BLCI promotes higher education as a ticket out of poverty.

BLCI believes that every child should have access to higher education, not limited by culture or status, resulting in a thriving community and a better world. BLCI breaks the cycle of poverty by preparing disadvantaged students to be among the first in their families to attend and succeed in college.

Studies show that if a child is behind in their education at age 8, it is virtually impossible for them to catch up. With that mind, BLCI starts children in their program when they are in the third grade. And when the time comes, they help the students navigate the college application process as well as financial aid forms. They also take the students on tours of college campuses.

What I also love about BLCI, is they require the parents to participate by volunteering 30 hours a year by attending workshops and regular meetings with the BLCI program staff which helps to educate parents and strengthen the family dynamics through improved communication skills, financial literacy and career advancement.

BLCI even encourages the parents to go back to school themselves! BLCI is unique in that they continue to mentor their students while they are in college to make sure they are receiving the support necessary to be successful. Once the students get into college, the large majority will come back during their breaks to mentor the younger children. And everything BLCI is doing is working; they have a 100% graduation rate!

According to UC Berkeley’s Institute for the Study of Societal Issues, “For every dollar we invest in preparing a student to graduate from college, we get a $4.80 return on our investment over their lifetime”.

I am INSPIRED by the “O Family” and the Barrio Logan College Institute; thank you for being the change that I wish to see in our community. they BdaKiNE.

Thank you for visiting BdaKiNE.com & have a grateful day 🌞 Hugs, Lori 😘

www.blci.org

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#1 Welcome to BdaKiNE.com

Hi there & welcome to BdaKiNE.com 😁 

Every time I watch the news or read the paper, I always end up feeling sad, angry, stressed and scared so I decided to create this blog because I firmly believe that there is more good than evil in our world.

I am not from Hawaii but I have always loved and admired the essence of “aloha”.  Like “aloha”, “daKiNE” is one of those Hawaiian catch all phrases that is most likely derived from “the kind”.  It can be used as a noun, verb, adjective or adverb.

Even though “daKiNE” can refer to pretty much anything, it is almost always associated with something really great, exceptional, genuine, the real deal……. It is in this spirit that I write my posts and share the light that can be found in every day life if we look at it right.

Thank you for taking the time to visit BdaKiNE.com – You’re awesome and I  appreciate you 🌞 Hugs, Lori 😘

 

Besties

Besties

Bon Appetit

Bon Appetit

 

Inspiration

Inspiration

 

Joy

Joy