body for life...

It has been 3 days since I started hitting the gym again and getting on a 'good' eating plan. It took some very depressing recent family portraits to make me realize that "it is time".

** Tuesday 9/1/09***
Cardio - 20 mins on the elliptical machine (intensity level workout)

**Wednesday 9/2/09***
Lower Body -
Leg lifts
Hamstring lifts
Calf raises
Crunches and leg lifts

**Thursday 9/3/09**
Cardio - potential "Zumba" dance class

I'm keeping an on-going log of workout and meal activities. As extra motivation I will try to keep a daily journal of it all right here....

we are blessed

After all my ranting about being burnt out, I feel like I should share how blessed we've been this past month. Geez...where to begin....

Last time Brian was in town (Brian is my palagi brutha from another mother) he recommended we see a vascular specialist for mom's back and leg pains. It took a good 2 months to get an appt, but we finally went in for some testing. We were happy to find out that she does NOT have any vascular issues, but the pain may be due to pinched nerves in the back that come from old age, etc. We are going to see a back specialist in 2 weeks for an MRI and hopefully a miracle shot to help her stand straight and relieve some of the pain.

About two weeks ago I decided that it was time to see an OBGYN to see if we can get Sina a little brother or sister. Anthony and I are due to see Dr. Irian on Sept 25th. I'm nervous of any bad news, but excited to see what we can do to "get this party started". haha...hopefully its nothing too drastic. Anthony is praying for his son and I wouldn't mind that too much.

August is coming to a close and with it all of the summer activities we had with the youth in our ward. Starting with youth conference, stake girls camp, Raging Waters, mutuals, YW medallions, the banquet to honor the medallion recipients, and the back to school fireside, not to mention the sleepovers, new presidencies and trainings - the summer was a tad busy! It will be nice to mellow out for a while. Though it has been stressful at times, I feel extremely blessed for the time we spend and the sacrifices that are made for our callings in the church. I know the blessings far surpass the hardships and trials, though sometimes I only realize it when I sit and think about what all the Lord has done for us...we could never repay Him really, but we try by magnifying our callings and helping to build His church here.

About 3 weeks ago we received a surprise in the mail. To make a long story short, about a year and a half ago I submitted all of Anthony's paperwork to the Immigration to adjust his status to a permanent resident. In a nutshell, he was approved to stay in the US, but denied the permanent residence until I changed my status from US national to US citizen. We were devastated at the time because of all the money that was spent and how much money was to be spent on more paperwork. I even did all of the research myself and filed all of the papers myself to save money by not having to hire a lawyer. Well, about 2 months ago I finally submitted my citizenship papers. When the immigration received them, they overturned their decision on Anthony's permanent residence and granted it to him. We didn't have to spend more money, we didn't have to do another interview or anything. He got his card in the mail last Thursday. It was an amazing feeling to finally have that past us. What a relief! In addition to that, when Anthony told Chris (the boss) that he got his PR card to replace his work permit that just expired, he got a raise....not sure if it was a gesture of congratulations or if it was a desperate plea to stay with the company...whatever it was...we are happy!

Finally, my brother Mani was with us this past weekend. He flew in on Saturday, helped me with my YW banquet and sang at our youth fireside. We stayed up all night Saturday playing games and then again on Sunday night jamming with the uke and guitar just like old times. We went to Raging Waters on Monday and had FHE at Crazy Buffet. He flew back yesterday after one last game of Mexican Train. It was sad to say goodbye. Its so nice to have my brothers visit, but hard when its time to for them to leave.

Just had to take a moment to name a FEW of the many blessings we have received this year. I don't have time to update the blog as often as I would like to so I think I will start a generic post entitled "Sina update" so that I can post things new about Sina.....

SLUMBER PARTY / CONGRATS NEPHI!!!

This last weekend was a blast. Saturday we were able to help Fua and Belle move to their new house closer to the Bountiful temple. Sulu and Pe'e lucked out by getting the sectional couch they had in their family room. They finally have furniture and people can visit! Yay!

Later that day, Cine and Sa came over with the girls and we hung out in the pool. Sina and Leka have no fear of the water - jumping in the deep end, swimming from one end to the other and Sina giving her uncle instructions on how to hold your breathe under water...nice!

After watching La Bamba on TV we decided to play Mexican Train. Needless to say, yours truly prevailed AGAIN to hold tight to the title of Mexican Train Champion. That all ended at about 2 in the morning...so much fun!

Church on Sunday seemed extra special. I walked in to YW's after sunday school expecting to see a few girls and then having to round up everyone else like I usually do, but that was not the case that day. I walked in and ALL my girls were sitting in two straight lines with folded arms and it was actually QUIET! That in of itself was AMAZING! They teach me so much and I really am grateful to have this calling.

Later that night Fua and Belle and the kids came by to drop off some extra blankets they had at their house. We were hanging out at Sulu' house and ended up having a slumber party there. We stayed up talking stories and clowning on each other. We drank koko Samoa with bread. We didn't get to bed until almost 3. The last thing I hear before dozing off was Sina saying "Good night Uncle", "Good night honey"....mimicking her aunty...oh my gosh...

***Nephi called us Sunday night to say that he is officially hired on with the California Corrections Dept. We are so happy and proud of Nephi and all his accomplishments. He will start his boot camp training in November and we will be cheering him on! ***

Burnt Out . . .

The month of June seemed to come and go in a whirlwind and I find myself totally drained and exhausted. We had youth conference in the beginning of June and the Stake girls camp the last part of June in which I camped out at both activities. We even drove to St. George for Nathan's wedding in June. I have to say that I am officially burnt out. I am burnt out on life and church and everything in between and there is very little you can squeeze in between those two things.

On any other day I would feel bad saying this, but not today. I seriously have been functioning on over-drive and absolutely cannot do it anymore. So if there is anyone else out there that is feeling my pain, just know that you are not alone.

Im just happy it's the weekend for me (we don't work on Fridays) and that I can relax when I get home. Even with 3 day weekends I haven't managed to recuperate from the June slump. I do have to say that the one thing that I recently discovered that is keeping me somewhat sane is the game Farmville on facebook. It's just a stupid game where you grow crops and sell them, but I find myself worrying about my wheat and eggplants dying on me. I know it's totally lame-o, but it actually brings a smile to my face when I see the purple buds starting to sprout. I promise I have not lost my mind....yet...

And of course Sina always makes me smile. When she wants me to watch Barney with her she will come and grab my hand and say "sit here mommy...watch barney". And then before we sleep at night she makes me sing all the songs from Barney, Little Einsteins, and Berenstain Bears. I love watching her sing along and she knows all the words! So amazing.... I just have to ask sometimes, How can she be so smart? But then again...I AM her mom! (hahahaha....howz that for conceit)

Just talking about her makes me smile. Gee...I'm feeling better already. This blog thing is awesome! Alrighty...gotta go check on the farm.....

Naumati Lagona

My family and I have always had a love for Samoan music. Recently I decided to compile a book of Samoan lyrics and so far I have about 42 songs. I came across an oldie originally done by The Five Stars called "Naumati Lagona" and I absolutely love it. The Samoan version is so melodic, but I found that my English interpretation of it is just as deep. I love this song - it is so touching!

Naumati Lagona

Naumati lagona mamao foi lou aiga
Toa le aisa oona foi le uaina
Mafana le mafutaga o oe le tausala
Faigata mea uma ua goto i le vaa
Fia fau se fale lelei mo oe
Talofa leai o se kamuta o totoe

Aisea na le tuua ai se tasi?
Pogisa mea uma, pogisa mea uma i le maasiasi

Talanoa I manatu ua ta mafana
Lilo I le loto, e ese lou agaga
Ita e, ua mao manatu atu
E le afaina, e tata pea lou fatu
E onosai pea foi si ou nei tagata
Faamagalo le tuinanau o ou nei mata

Aisea na le tuua ai se tasi?
Pogisa mea uma, pogisa mea uma i le maasiasi

(My amateur translation - don't laugh)

Wrenching feelings, so far from family
The water has frozen over and wine is bitter
The warmth in the love of our relationship
All is difficult now that my ship has gone down
I wanted to build you a mansion
Sadly, there were none left to build it

Why did you not leave me a single thing?
All is darkness, all is darkness from the shame

Supposed thoughts of a warm relationship
Unknown to my soul, your heart was not the same
Instinctively, I expressed my love for thee
Despite it all, my heart continues to beat
Patience is what I will try
Forgive the longing desire of these eyes

Why did you not leave me a single thing?
All is darkness, all is darkness from the shame


Laga Savea has a modern version of this song that is off the hook. You can check it out on youtube. Lovin' it....

remember that song?

I just had a blast from the past moment with this SWV song - "love is so amazing". How is it that I've been out of high school for over 12 years??? It doesn't seem possible. I'm pushing 30 this year. It seems like yesterday when I was in 7th grade in Peau's Science class writing in my journal "what I want to be when I grow up".......

***Troop - all i do is think of you***
***Tony Terry - when i'm with you***
***Boyz II Men - end of the road***
***Mariah Carey - vision of love***

Then there was the blur of high school that seemed to come and go in a flash. I have random memories of homecoming and prom dances, honor society "rituals" and "pep rallies" the way only high schools in Samoa can do em' . . . more like . . . only the way Tafuna High School can do em'! There was JSA where I met Rowen and Sunny and Tenney and the rest of that crazy crew. And Close-Up of course . . . how can I forget Close-Up with Kevin, Hereme, and the rest of the ghetto gang from AS - sleeping on benches in Detroit waitin' to get to DC....good times!!

***SWV - love is so amazing***
***Jade - one woman***
***Soul 4 Real - candy rain***
***DRS - gangsta lean***
***Lighter Shade of Brown - ridin low*** (this one is for Kirt)
***Paper Boy - ditty***

And then all of a sudden it was June 1997. Me in my gold cap and gown (it was more yellow than gold) bidding farewell to all the guys and gals of WARRIORSVILLE. haha...we thought life had ceased for a second there, what were we going to do now? Well, I got over that real quick when I arrived in Utah in August of that same year. I still remember the day I waved goodbye to my mom as she drove off and left me standing in front of the Benson building on the BYU campus in Provo. I remember the tears starting to well up, but then I spotted Kelcey. I felt this calm rush through me after seeing a familiar face.

The next 4 years at BYU would go something like this - Praying for a C in Chemistry, taking Calculus I twice, barely passing Physical Science (never take that in a summer term), moving in with Tammy and Nola, meeting Lia and Josh and the whole Ricks Idaho crew, driving Alex's unregistered and uninsured Bronco into the hot pots of Spanish Fork, hiking Alpine trying to find the sliding rocks, watching international films at the Kimball Tower, playing pool every weekend at the OZ, party hopping on the weekend (that was mainly JR year), spending almost every week night in the library until midnight, dancing with the Samoan club, bbq'ing with Tia and Fotu and everyone for that matter, watching Tuesday devotionals especially when it was Pres Hinkley or a member of the 12 speakin, switching majors 3 times, cleaning bathrooms in the RB for 2 whole summers, taking Christmas trips home to Samoa, stuffing our faces at Tucano's, working out every day at Gold's Gym, playing basketball with Jackie, Tammy, and Nola at the DT courts, making pancakes for all the Samoans who missed the makeki pancakes, watching faleaikus at Beth and Tammy's pad, volunteering at Slat Canyon, sending all the boys off on missions - Sei, Talaga, Kelcey, Mosi, Walter and the rest of em', meeting the prime minister of Samoa and the Pres of BYU and having lunch with them, buying my very first car - my Isuzu Rodeo (we still have it), and then finally graduating. That was BYU in a very, very small nutshell.

***Dr Dre - the whole Chronic album***
***Voices of Theory - say it***
***TLC - no scrubs***
***Destiny's Child - brown eyes***
***D'Angelo - your my lady***
***NSync - bye, bye, bye***
***Britney Spears - hit me baby one more time***
***Jay-Z - big pimpin***
***Ludacris - fantasy***
***Outkast - so fresh and so clean***
***Uncle Sam - I don't ever wanna see you again*** (this one is for Fotu :) )


So I attached some of my fave songs from the 90's on a playlist because they are making me feel really happy right now.....

backing up . . .Memorial weekend

I've been MIA from this for a few weeks. Over Memorial day weekend we spent a half day at the Brigham Young Heritage Park in SLC (posting pics later). We didn't plan on going there, in fact Anthony had job he was doing up by the zoo and so we decided to meet him up there. Instead, we passed by the park and decided to stop there and look around. None of us had ever been there before and so it was an amazing first time experience for all of us. Actually, I think mom might have gone there when she visited several years ago.

Anyway, my favorite part about the park was reading the monuments dedicated to the pioneers. There was a lot I didn't know, for example, I didn't know that there were Catholic priests that traveled with the pioneers. I thought that was most interesting.

One of the monuments described the pioneer trek and the many lives that were lost and also of the joys that were experienced when they first entered the valley. The spirit was really strong there and we all got teary eyed as we read of all the hardships and sacrifices that were made for the gospel of Jesus Christ. My favorite monument was the one that stands the tallest that shows Brigham Young in the moment that he says "this is the place". Although I've heard that story several times, seeing the monument made it come to life and I have a greater testimony now of living prophets and continued revelation in our day.

Our spontaneous little field trip strengethed my testimony, especially since moving here to Utah. I'm not sure if it's because it's the headquarters of the church and that it is well known as the 'mormon' state, but I find that people are a lot more critical about the church here and it can be a little disheartening at times. There are a lot of other reasons that make Utah 'different' for me, but thats another blog all it's own.

Okay, fastforwarding to last Saturday. My friend Peggy from work called me up and asked if I wanted to go to the Oquirrh temple celebration at the conference center. I had never been to one of those in Utah. In fact, the only other one I've been to was the celebration for the rededication of the Samoa temple. My mom and I decided to go with Peggy that night.

I just have to say, it was one of the most amazing things I've ever witnessed. There were nearly 7,000 youth from the temple's surrounding areas including South Jordan and Magna that performed dances from different eras. There were even some non-LDS youth that participated which I thought I was amazing. One of my favorite dances that they did was a section on Polynesia. There were about 350 youth that did poi balls, hula, and an amazing Maori haka. To see all of them be so enthusiastic about a dance and culture that is not their own made me proud to be polynesian. The girls wore cute red and blue ies tied up and around their necks. There were so many of them that they hardly fit on the conference center stage. They also performed dances from the 20's, 40's, and 50's eras. It was cute to see the poodle skirts and swing dances, especially cute to see the little beehives and deacons. We could not stop talking about it. The spirit was so strong throughout the performances.

They painted a huge backdrop of the mountains that stand behind the temple and a mountain path that lead to the top. At the very end they raised up a cardboard replica of the temple to stand at the top of the mountain. That was probably one of the most emotional moments. It was definitely a reminder of the prophecy of Isaiah that the Lord's house would be built in the tops of the mountains which went along with their theme which was "Come to the mountain of the Lord". I'm so glad that we had the opportunity to go to that. I don't know if I'll ever have another chance since those things are really hard to come by. But I know that my testimony was strengthened of eternal families and the importance of temples.