I love San Francisco

Last weekend we took a road trip up to San Francisco. Me, Anthony, Sina, and Mom braved the trek through the Lake Powell forest and survived the 12 hr trip each way. On our way there, we got stuck in a blizzard/snow storm in the mountains. That was probably one of the scariest things I've ever been through. Good thing I was driving because I would have been freaking out as a back seat driver.

My cousin Nu'u got married to her long time boyfriend and we were fortunate to celebrate with them. The last time we were in San Francisco was back in 2006 when we visited Stockton for another *uh hum* wedding. That was when Mani and Becky lived in Stockton and we saw them often. We rarely see them now since they moved to Missouri.

This trip around, Nephi and his family drove up from San Diego and met us in the city. We stayed at the Sheraton four seasons right near the airport. We all crammed in to one room - it was awesome! Just like old times. We arrived there friday morning and then headed over to Caeser Chavez to meet with the old folks so we could take our si'i. We planned on going to fisherman's warf afterward, which is a long time tradition for our family whenever we are in Frisco, but as Samoan traditions go - you can never put a time frame as to when they will end. We didn't get out of there until almost 10. So we headed back to the hotel and crashed for the night with the intent of waking early Saturday. So we got up as early as we possibly could - 11am. haha...some things never change. After the showers and the screams to get the kids ready, we finally made it out the door.

We parked in our usual spot right in front of the clam chowder stands. We started at the chocolate shop where we all shared a huge rocky road candy apple!! Yeah - how many Samoans does it take to eat a candy apple? - that day it was 3 Samoans and a Mexican. We took Sina and Alo in to the infamous Rainforest cafe where Sina freaked out at the mechanical elephants and gorillas. Now, if we want her to listen, all we have to say is "the elephant is coming" and she comes running. Who knows how long that will work. Sina and Alo had a blast playing together. Luckily, Alo will have a playmate soon as Irais is due with their 2nd baby in December. Sina will have to hold out a little longer!

We finally made it over to the chowder stands where we downed fresh fish n' chips and clam chowder bread bowls. SO GOOD! We only stayed about an hour and a half because the wedding started at 3 that day. The fisherman's wharf was definitely a highlight of the trip, as it always is. We missed Mani and Sulu this time around, but hopefully we'll do it again soon.

Nuu's wedding was beautiful. Her dress was gorgeous and I later found out, when I finally got a chance to chat with her, that they had planned it for over a year. They had their reception at this nice hall on Berkely campus. She had white satin draping from each corner of the hall to the center of the room. The band was amazing, though I have no clue what their name was. They came up from L.A. and apparently they are the best Samoan band in SoCal. They sang my favorite Samoan song "Taute". Anthony is the best dancer so we had a blast. My mom's side of the family is full of 'single ladies' so Anthony was the designated dancer, as always! Gotta love that.

Seeing Nu'u get married made me realize how old I'm getting. Nu'u is just a few years younger than me. When I was a kid, we spent a lot of summers in Daly City and I used to spend that time in Serramonte with Nu'u and her sister Susana. They lived in this ghetto house, the kind you only see in movies, that have the liquor store on the corner and where you hear gun shots and police sirens through the night. I didn't think of it at the time, but I can't belive my parents let me stay with them. haha. We did some crazy stuff, like being 9 yrs old and stealing Nuu's dad's cigarettes and climbing up on their roof to smoke them. ***Mental note - Serramonte is off limits for Sina*** We were dumb kids, but they were the best cousins I had and I have such fond memories of them. Now look at us - old married farts!

The band at the reception was so good that we stayed until 12:30 am until we got kicked out of the hall. We made that band play until they couldn't sing or play their instruments anymore. They were that good. They even sang the best rendition of "Sosefina" I've ever heard. If we ever take another trip to SoCal we have vowed to hunt them down.

We headed back Sunday afternoon to try and make it over the mountains before nightfall. We made a stop in Elko and then in Wendover before making it home. We slept 12 hours straight after that so we could recoup for the rest of the week. What's next? St. George in June for Nathan's wedding... not as far, thanks goodness, but we're looking forward to spending time together again!

Motown rocks!

Last night was motown night on American Idol. I had been looking forward to it because it is my absolute favorite genre of music. Smokey Robinson was their mentor. I was obsessed with Smokey Robinson when I was a kid, along with Marvin Gaye and Lionel Ritchie. There was a time when they were all I would listen to and I knew every word of every song. So naturally, I was very excited about motown night.

I have watched almost every season of American Idol and I just have to say that this year seems to be by far the best talent they have had. To further illustrate this claim, I have to mention that out of all the years I've watched, this is the first year I have ever felt compelled to pick up my phone and vote. I have voted the last 3 weeks because that is how much I want my favorite guy to win. Even when David Archuletta who is from Utah was on last season it wasn't enough to spark my votes. There is just something about this year's talents that totally blow me away.

My favorite singer since the auditions has been Matt Giraud. What is it about this guy? He's an amazing piano player and can sing...riff...with a range out of this world. His rendition of Marvin Gaye's "Let's get it on" last night was off the hook! Moving from the piano to the stage was genius. He is my definite favorite to win!

Aside from Matt though, who has always been my favorite, I have to comment on Adam's rendition of Smokey Robinson's classic "tracks of my tears". All I can say is ..."What the ....???"
I was speechless through his performance. His falsetto was on point. I mean, he sang in that range almost the entire song. Amazing! It's one of my all time favorite motown songs and I'm just blown away by his arrangement and performance. Hands down my favorite performance last night...next to Matt.

things that make me go "hmmm..."

I figure once a month updates are as good as I'm going to get on this thing. So much has happened it's hard to find a starting point. Okay, well, mom is in Hawaii. We received word the Wednesday before last that Aunty Luse passed away there. Luse was my mom's only sister. She had been diagnosed with cancer and wasn't given much time to live, but it still came as a surprise. We thought she had a few months left, at least. Mom rushed to Hawaii after only being out of surgery a little less than 2 weeks. So of course, we were concerned about mom's health, but in these situations, we couldn't not have her go. Gratefully, she is fine, though she has been bumped twice already in her attempts to fly back to Utah on her buddy pass. We're praying she makes it back by the weekend. We all miss her terribly and Sina still asks every night - "gramma?"

Well, spring came with a bang - the flu bang that is. Sulu has been sick for the last 2 weeks. We finally took her to the doctor and she was told she has bronchitis. Sina then started to get a fever last Thursday. We took her to the doctor on Friday and found that she had a throat infection. Our little apt was rapidly becoming a germ fest. I started feeling symptoms of a cold coming on yesterday, but i'm steadily trying to fight it off with Sudafed and lots of juice. Anthony is holding strong and hasn't shown any signs of sickness yet (knock on wood). Heaven forbid that happen because he's worse than Sina when he's sick. I'm beginning to think it's a 'man' thang. My dad was the same way. So why is it when we women are sick we can still take on the world, take care of the kids, make dinner, clean the house, and deal with our own sickness without even the dog knowing we are sick? It's just one of those things that always made me go "hmmm...."

Last Friday "Twilight" was released and there were release parties all over the country. Sulu and I went to the Blockbuster in Bountiful where luckily there were only about 30 people in the store and we didn't have to wait in the cold!! We bought the 2 disc deluxe version. haha! We watched that thing til 4 in the morning, it was so much fun. It's funny how easily entertained and amused I've become over the years. Another one of those things that makes me go "hmmm..."

Well, it's about time to head home. Tonight is 'motown' night on American Idol and I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. I'll probably blog about it tomorrow...."hmmm...."

p.s. Congratulations to Shawny and her cute little munchkin!

DOWN TIME

I brought my mom to Lakeview hospital this morning for a routine hysterectamy. This is the first major surgery anyone in our family has ever had. Anthony and Pe'e gave her a blessing last night as we had to be at the hospital this morning by 6 am. It's been 7 hours since the successful surgery and mom is now sleeping off the anesthesia.

I am sitting on the couch next to her bed. It's been nice and quiet and quite uneventful. The only things I brought with me this morning to keep me company were a pillow and my scriptures. I read for about an hour, which I haven't done in who knows how long. It was almost like reading for the first time, especially because I was reading from my new set of scriptures. The old set I've had for almost 10 years. My dad bought them for me when he came to visit me in college one year. The pages are thinned and colored. With that set I memorized verses, visualized passages when I couldn't remember references, margined with thoughts and feelings while in the mtc, and it was this big blue set of scriptures that I used while bearing testimony to the many baptist preachers of Mississippi. It's sentimental value to me is indescribable, but with all the markings and all the colors, it was almost impossible to write new experiences and new feelings.

One day I told Anthony that if he ever wanted to buy me a gift - for whatever reason, he could buy me a new set of scriptures. Of all days, I never expected it to come on Valentines day. My sweetheart gave me a new set of scriptures to be filled with new experiences and new colors. I can't help but think of Elder Oaks when he said that when it comes to the Book of Mormon, it's not the book that changes, but the reader. I feel that true in my life right now. Instead of reading as a missionary or single adult, I am now reading as a mother and as a wife. The familiar passages have new meaning to me in this chapter of my life. It reassures my testimony of the gospel and of Christ and I'm grateful for it.

It's been a while since I've been able to sit for hours and read or meditate. As I watch my mom sleeping I am grateful for the truth of eternal families and though dad isn't here physically he sees and loves her from the other side. I rarely blog about spiritual things or experiences, but I just had to today. I am so grateful for the scriptures and I just had to share that.

9 WORDS WOMEN USE

I got this in an email and just had to share it with everyone....

9 WORDS WOMEN USE . . .

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a women can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever').

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying...Go to H...

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

MY SOJU

I haven't had much time to blog lately because I've been so busy at work. Although we have 2 computers at home, it's impossible to get online - Anthony working on one and mom, well...mom glued to her korean dramas. So I have to admit, I was a little skeptical of all the korean soaps and filipino movies mom has been raving about. But then I decided...if I can't beat em', join em'! I started watching with my mom a few weeks ago and now I'm totally addicted too. I recently found out, while watching "love letter" that "SOJU" is a korean type of alcohol. So I've decided that the korean dramas are like my soju right now. totally addicting! I think it's the clean, wholesome quality that I really like. You get the cute romantic comedies without all the dirt. It's hard to find that these days - especially in American movies, so it's a really nice change. For anyone that wants to check it out, I recommend "My Girl", "Winter Sonata", and "Full House" to start off with. The best site to watch them free is mysoju.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Well, it's 2009. The numbers seem to change, but the days and nights stay the same. We're already half way through January, which tells me this year is going to fly by, maybe even faster than last year.

I keep thinking nothing much has changed in the new year, but when I really think about it, things change every day. With my mom here, we've developed an obsession for Korean soap operas and Filipino movies. I never thought we'd go through such a conversion to Asian pop culture, but I guess we're just as bad as the rest of em'.

Anthony and my mom are at the tail end of 'stairway to heaven' which is an overly dramatic Korean soap, but boy...does it appeal to the emotions. In the last two weeks we've watched 'you are my destiny' and 'full house'. I just have to say American soaps have nothing on those "koleas".

Sina has changed a lot in the last year as well. From her wobbly steps to now twirling and tumbling off our couches...she has become quite a handful. Her favorite words are now "gramma", "sowwy", "oops", "pupu", "dawwy", "wah wah" this means sesame street - don't ask me why, but I think it's because in the beginning of the show big bird sings "wah wah wah") "bawny" which is Barney, of course, "dop it" (stop it)and her most favorite word - "NO!!!" (with that much exclamation to it). Every day she shows something new, grows an inch taller, hair gets longer, temper seems shorter, but she's so much fun. I look forward to seeing her every day and watching her grow. She's been more than spoiled since grandma and aunty showed up, but we're having a blast. She really does light up our lives with her spirit.

Another change is that Sulu and her husband are living here now as well. She just started working at ACS while Pe'e is pending his FEDEX application. Though we're packed like sardines in our little place, we stay happy and we are enjoying each other's company. This is a huge change from exactly a year ago when we first moved in to our apt. Today, last year, was our 3rd day in our apt. All we had was the bed from Aunty Ivoga, the love sack from Fua that served as a couch/daybed, and the flat screen TV from rent-a-center. Wow...that was a depressing time. Anthony out of work, me working two jobs, tired and cranky all the time. Sina just being Sina....

When I look at it over a year span I can't help but appreciate all the changes...the progression, and the milestones we have met. It makes me try to count all our blessings when I realize they are countless. The people that have helped us through -Aunty Ivoga with her love and hospitality, Sa and Cine and their uncompromising charity were always there for us - thanks for the dining set guys! And of course Fua and Belle who supplied lots of laughs and fun times not to mention our first makeshift couch - we'll never part with it!

I wouldn't be able to talk about chance without mentioning the changes that have happened in our own little family. Anthony has become a loving father and a wonderful husband. He still drives me nuts with his crazy antics, but I can't help but love him more every day. That has to be one of the best changes of this past year - growing as a family. We also joined a new ward - the Vaiola ward. At first I was really hesitant about the ward and the members, but after serving in primary and now being in the YW, I have really grown to love the people and it has helped my testimony of the gospel grow.

I guess change really is inevitable. I used to hate the thought of change, now I can't help but look forward to it. It just means new experiences, new growth, and new appreciation for life. Changes make us who we are as long as we take the good with the bad and live for the progression of it all.

I just felt compelled to reflect as I look ahead to the new year. More goals, more things to accomplish, more milestones to meet. Such is life, I'm just glad I have wonderful people to share it with.