hello again!
Aug 4 
many mahalos for your patience during my time away to tend to family matters. your notes of condolences brightened my days and i certainly missed sharing all the summer goodness that happened during my absence. btw, hello, hello! to everyone who is following me on twitter where it's all about last minute sale updates and other random tweets.
anyhoo, the entire process was quite the learning experience so a few helpful, if off topic, tidbits from me to you should you ever find yourself in similar circumstances:
- hospice rocks. if a loved one is ever in an end of life situation, find your way to the wonderful people of hospice who are quite simply the definition of tlc when your LO needs it most. (many many mahalos to the st. francis hospice west 'ohana who took good care of my mil!)
- funeral planning sucks. this was our first experience behind-the-scenes and early on we learned that funerals can be a pricey affair. the tab for your LO's final farewell can add up quite quickly (in just two weeks time, the funeral expenses ballooned to over half of our entire wedding budget which took years of planning to spend) so make your wishes known to avoid guessing games and unwelcome surprises.
- the selling strategy for caskets is not unlike a car dealership complete with a manager hiding in the shadows who must be consulted for the prices of goods not displayed on the showroom floor. internet dealers offer deep discounts (even after factoring in shipping to the islands), however a phone call to a local competitor shaved $500 off the list price of mortuary no. 1 for the exact same design.
in fact, the price tag of mortuary no. 2 ended up being a bit lower than the online price plus air freight to hawaii so it pays to shop around (fyi - the mortuary you hire must accept a casket purchased from another dealer and it is against the law to charge an additional fee for doing so). my sil also discovered that the top casket manufacturer has a distribution center on oahu so i suspect that the hefty price gap would have been pure profit for mortuary no. 1.
hopefully, an entrepreneurial soul with the demeanor of six feet under's fisher clan will consider setting up an alternative funeral service in hawaii to help guide the bereaved through what can be a stressful and confusing process for a fraction of the cost. or offer the chance to become part of an artificial reef in the pacific or return to the 'aina with an eco burial.
more helpful tips can be found on the funeral consumers alliance website.
p.s. big mahalos to irene & danielle of sweet blossoms who coaxed a variety of pretty petals into an adorable puppy basket that my mil would have loved.
p.p.s. remember to check back later today for a fun surprise!
