holiday scatterbrain

My holiday season isn't quite "midway" yet. I say that because Christmas day is coming to an end and our presents are still unopened!!! But there's sort of a good explanation for that - I think.

So I don't know if this is really news to anyone anymore but I am now a working mommy. Sa and I have switched roles (somewhat) in order to accomodate some "unforeseen" factors that may affect us in the near future.... but that's another story altogether!
So anyway - I worked last week Friday and was told by my supervisor that we could go home early due to the minimal workload we'd been given that day. I didn't drive myself to work unfortunately because Sa was planning to go to a party that a few people he worked with had put together as a makeshift "farewell" celebration for him.

I quickly gave him a call and asked to be picked up in about an hour (which would've been about 10pm) ... then went about my business at work.

ONE HOUR LATER... I walk outside expecting to see Sa in the parking lot (maybe a little irritated even for cutting into his night of fun - i suspected) but NOPE. Anthony was out there waiting to pick me up! Somewhat confused I hurriedly climbed aboard without question and half expected him to explain that Sa was at the party and couldn't come to get me in time. WRONG AGAIN.
"Sa's been in a accident and he's on his way to the police station to file a report."

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So now about a week later, I can step back (briefly) and give a slight overview of what happened.

Sa indeed got into a freak accident on I-215 that night while on his way to pick me up. I guess, just before he came out to get me, he decided to ask Rachael (Seuao's wife) if she would be okay to keep an eye on our girls while he picked me up. Even now I don't know how extremely grateful I am that he decided to do that because we RARELY leave our girls in other peoples' care. It's not so much a trust issue but moreso a "they're my kids/my responsibility and there's no reason why we should put that responsibility on someone else" kind of an issue. Lol. And this is (I think) one of two times that we'd ever left them with Rach (THANKS A BUNCH!) - what with all that she's probably already busy with and the fact that she has two little girls of her own! - OH GOSH! - Believe me when I say - the prompting to take our girls there is one that I will never think lightly of!

So anyway (if I haven't stressed how glad I am that my girls went that night-enough)... He gets on the highway and just as he nears his exit... he hits some black ice which made him slide toward a ditch, then he tried to correct himself (Try doing that while slipping on black ice in circles)... and that caused him to spin towards the median railing. The passenger side slammed into the metal and cement railing then spun him back around to face the right direction of traffic flow. Both tires wiggle like jello and he's directed by some IDIOT dispatcher to go to a Utah Highway Patrol office MILES AWAY. And he actually MAKES IT THERE!!! (One set of tire tracks in the snow are straight and the other is wavy!!!) We get there together only to find out that NO ONE is in the office 'til MONDAY!!!

So we drive BACK HOME!!! (Yes! in the busted up car) Get home. I call our insurance agent. Make our claim then wait out the weekend. I think Sa was a little shaken up but he is fortunately OK! Not a scratch on him! Then the Taatitis came over and brought a nice pork roast dinner! Thank you!

Then Monday I start my second job ... that says alot. =)

Then yesterday I was supposed to pick up one of my paychecks only to find out that "the checks are stuck in Memphis until Friday"... ***pouts***....

We're also getting ready to host two of Sa's cousins from Australia. They would've been here by now and we'd be opening presents .... BUT.....
They're flight couldn't land at our airport because of a mean snowstorm that is STILL howlin' outside as I type. I was the unfortunate one that decided to go pick them up and ended up being at the airport for nearly two hours only to have to drive back in this crazy storm and getting into so many close-calls while on the road. I mean SERIOUSLY???.. =)


Anyhow... I am now online trying to check our bills and ish...
and getting updates for Sa's cousin's flight. I forgot to mention that the snowstorm was so bad that alot of flights had to be diverted and so they ended up in Grand Junction and we just heard from them.

And so the presents under our tree wait..........

Hope everyone is having a "better" christmas than we are...haha...

I'm just darn glad that everyone is alive and well in my family. I'm glad for what this season brings into focus i.e. our savior and the celebration of his life. (And all other forms of holiday celebrations) - they all unite us in some way.

so until this chaos is over.... .... .... tbc

sometimes I just wanna....

and sometimes... the feeling is more widespread and not just limited to computers......

i'd probably get the message through much easier if this were the best solution.

My SEVEN unknowns

I think I was tagged by Maila! I think these are seven things that most people (even close family and friends) don't know about me!

1. I love to make sweets (cakes, cookies, cupcakes, etc.) but I can hardly stand to eat more than a small portion! EEKS!!! Sweet tooth?? What's that?

2. I find it hard to recall my age sometimes. So when people ask me my age I usually "default" to my last answer which could be from TWO years ago. Seriously though! How often DO people ask how old you are? Can you blame me?

3. My actual fingerprints are considered "faded". There are two reasons for this: 1)You wash your hands too much...and 2) you do alot of typing!!... Who knew???

4. I LOVE watching the news! I could watch every airing of the daily news like Sifo watches Twilight!...no jokes!

5. I'm scared of Sa's cooking! But he can rule in the kitchen if he's making any Samoan food! You can never go wrong with simple island food.

6. I can or used to play the Alto Saxophone in my highschool band.

7. I can write backwards in cursive handwriting too! (Who does that???)

I tag... sifo!...and six other people who wanna do this!

TWILIGHT the movie - my review!

I should've already posted a personal review of TWILIGHT considering I got a chance to see it with Sifo on Thursday night for it's midnight screening at Jordan Landing. All I have to say about the experience is one word: "crazy". We arrived at the theater a few minutes after 9pm and I seriously thought we were the FIRST ONES THERE! (Come on!!! We were THREE hours early!) Come to find out we couldn't find where our designated line was supposed to start - as other post-midnight screenings had formed snaking lines throughout the theater's lobby. Confused and concerned that being the first in line really WAS the case, we finally asked one of the ushers there and LO AND BEHOLD - "they had started seating everyone TWO HOURS ago!!" ***thud!!*** Who in their right mind (Twilight Freak-fan or not) would be sold on the idea that waiting for a movie FIVE hours BEFORE it comes on is a GOOD one?? (Our three hours before showtime is just as bad but COME ON!!!)... Oh and did I mention the SEA of Twilight attire that was there? Prom dresses, full-fledged vampire costumes with the trimmings (cape *CHECK*, popped collar *CHECK*, shades??? *CHECK*, hot vampire?? ***PASS***) haha...

So in we go.... and after chattin' up a storm about random things, people, places, experiences, church; texting back and forth to other midnight screening goers like Lesina who took pictures of their waiting experience OUTSIDE for TWO hours of the Hurricane theaters (bless your heart - I hope it was worth it for you!) - - - it was finally time!

*** flickering lights **** AUDIENCE SCREAMS AND CLAPS *** flickering on the big screen **** MORE SCREAMS AND CLAPS **** ....then two hours later...and a few days to mull it over I'm back on my blog with the following:

Overall review
I think it is sligtly unfair to make a review of a movie that essentially has a fan-base of two separate origins. There are those fans (like me and many others) who derive their anticipation for this movie from having read the Twilight Saga in it's entirety.... (though it could be up for debate if that group alone can be divided further to form the "twilight readers" and "twilight believers" - ha!) - And then there are those who are just caught up with the hype!; Who have never laid hands or eyes on the books but were given recommendations to watch it! In that sense I'd like to keep my review completely unbiased -but- don't quote me on that too much because I have lots to say. Please note that whatever you think of the movie (because I know that the LOT of you HAVE seen it) - please be sure that "it" and the book are two SEPARATE things. If you've read the book - keep in mind that the movie could never have fully housed the complexity and depth of Twilight within the alloted time and budget it was given to work with. They did their best with what they had and highlighted key points of the book with the current CGI technology they were given to play with and were able to deliver the basic storyline and passion "to the best of their ability". It definitely played it's role well as a "compliment" to the book.

Twilight HIGH Notes
What I loved most about the movie is the portrayal of most if not all the CHARACTERS! I was impressed with how each actor (atleast those who've impacted twilight's reading fan base) was able to deliver and translate them into reality on the big screen. There are some lines they gave that were in a sense "cheesy" but I strongly feel that they did not disappoint! Kristen was an awesome 'Bella' and the relationship with her father was to a tee when compared to the books. The Cullens were just as mysterious and "beautiful" as I had pictured and each member suited their part perfectly. Though 'Jasper' was more in discomfort than I thought him to be. **ha ha**. I can't wait to see his character develop more in the upcoming sequels! It can be safe to assume that the "big three" namely: 'Edward' ***SCREAMS***, 'Carlisle' ***hyperventilating***, and 'Emmett' ***thud!*** - were indeed HOTTIES!.. ha ha! Rob Pattinson, Peter Facinelli and Kellan Lutz did these characters justice! And so the anticipation lingers!

Moving along - Jacob and his Dad were ..... well........ exactly who they were! I don't think we saw enough of them to pass harsh judgment but I think they did do a great job as well. Though I wish they could've atleast found a more 'REAL'-looking wig for the poor kid! Team Jacob - don't lose hope! He is EXACTLY like the Jacob in the book so don't go in expecting to see this freakishly HUGE and hairy hottie of a werewolf that is not supposed to grace us with it's presence until the upcoming shows! Because you know there will be!

Everyone else in the movie, from 'Bella's' friends to the creepy alley stalkers and not forgetting 'James' and his coven ('Victoria' and 'Laurent' - pronounced "Loo-raunt") - well they were just fine! Her friends seemed funnier than expected. That wasn't a bad thing. And 'James' was a great bad guy and his partner 'Victoria' left us hanging for more when they made her intentions evident that there SHOULD BE and would be more to expect in the very nearby future.

Aside from the "to a tee" character-portrayal, I also wanted to note that the CGI effects were pretty cool too. Oh and before I forget - they were able to work in alot of humor and sarcasm so don't be afraid to laugh alongside those obsessed teens sitting next to you! And don't forget to pick up your jaw as you admire the set of wheels that the 'Cullens' are rolling around in. And then pick it up again when THE kiss happens. :)

Twilight "so-so" notes
So you might've heard of all the negative hype around what movie critics have said about our beloved "Twilight". But don't be too let down by these.

To be completely honest, there were some things in the movie that didn't really leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling either. But without getting into too much of it - I think it's because my expectations were based on seeing the ENTIRE book on screen. How unrealistic is that?

Some things to note and possibly debate...are: some usage of the exact lines from the book which came across a little cheesy. Ha-ha. Not bad - not entirely what I expected but it could make a little smirk crawl across your face. Also, don't be too alarmed by the questionable quality of the movie. There is alot of darkness, trees and what I've termed "GQ shots" and brief talking scenes. Just remember when you walk in to see it - they probably only had enough of a budget to pay for the electricity bills of their shoot. So if you want to see a sequel and one with better quality - GO see it (again)!

Another thing I wish they did some justice to was more of EVERYONE. I wanted to see MORE Cullens, Quileutes, high school friends. The way they are developed in the book has more depth that I wished they DID have time enough to do it. But oh well - Too bad, So sad! *tear*. Just wait for them in the upcoming movies. I also hoped there was more emphasis on the 'meadow' scene and Bella's Lullaby; and maybe some more depth to the development of 'Edward' and 'Bella's' relationship - but overall it satisfies to some degree. Sa said he loved it! And he jokingly asked if I was half-expecting Edward to look like Jesus during his Second coming in the meadow! How rude! (But I think I was!.. who knows - I'm just glad it didn't look completely FAKE!)

All in all - I hope there is less negative you take away from the experience and that you leave with more anticipation and somewhat of a satisfaction that the long awaited has met most if not ALL your expectations - now that it has FINALLY materialized it's way onto the big screen!

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I hope that you liked the movie! and If you haven't watched it, "Do enjoy!". I wanted to also note that TwilightMOMS.com posted that Summit Entertainment has given the GREEN Light on moving on with New Moon! So hopefully this next wait won't be as bad as the first! (Who am I kidding!?!?) - Sifo probably already has tickets to see it!!! Ha-Ha! =)

And so ends my review...

Team Edward, Emmett and Carlisle all the way!!!!!

Until my next entry - keep blogging!

QUICK shout out!!...

I usually like to acknowledge baby news and all other sorts of "good news" happening in our family or extended families and friends... but I usually do it LATE!... And this here entry is NO exception!!!

I wanted to quickly say Happy Birthday to Anthony and Seuao!!! They share the same birthday!!! How small of a world is that!?!! You guys still look 18yrs! (in your dreams! =))

Maila recently celebrated her birthday this past Saturday and Lesina did likewise yesterday!!! I think Cordelia hits a big milestone on her upcoming birthday this Thursday.... (Didn't you hear??? _ _ is the new 20???.. =)) I don't know what she's got planned during the day but I'll be missing in action that night because.....................

Sifo and I are going to see the Midnight Screening of TWILIGHT!!!!.... (<<< does that count as a shout out??) -who cares?-

I also wanted to mention the baby news!...(NOT MINE - - - - ha ha)
But last time I listed everyone expecting a baby - - - and now there are brand new bundles of joy EVERYWHERE!!!...(Is there something in the water??? - there's definitely something in HOLLYWOOD water what with everyone having Twins but that's really no interest of mine now)!

Firstly CONGRATULATIONS to our friends Asi and Julie Farani who are expecting to have a baby BOY early next year! (I should probably go down there and get me some Anaheim water so I could have a better chance of _______ a ___ ) Sorry I don't want to jinx it! Oh and I didn't want to forget my cousin Tala and her hubby Bo who are also expecting baby number 2 soon! I'm sure Lole is ready to be a big sister!!! I'm so happy she's also finished reading the entire Twilight saga! You guys rock!

And Secondly....... Here is a list of all the proud parents and their new additions to their families!

Maila and Diarra ---- baby Marley
Anton and Tavi ----- baby Ryce
Seuao and Rachael -- baby Tessa
Charles and Linda --- baby CJ

Hope I didn't miss anybody!!!...

love you all...

p.s... also wanted to note ...(even though this is EXTREMELY silly) - two hunks that used to be on the Soap Opera "Passions" are now on Days!!! haha... "Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald" - who makes anyone melt in those hot latino eyes! and the former "Ethan Krane" - still a stud but doesn't pass for a 20-something year old son of Jon Black!...haha...
oh and they are the ONLY reason why Cordelia texts me from work... gotta get the "Hot Menz" update!... :)

I hope someone I know and loves me will win the Lottery soon and buy me some better hobbies!... (I was gonna say "life"...but I love my life though I can do with more uplifting, wholesome entertainment during my 3-5pm daily slots when my girls are taking their early evening nap :P)

Have a great week people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BANGS!!

Last Sunday Sa's cousin Charles and his wife Linda and their kids (Keili, Patrick and CJ) came up to visit and hang out with us. I had asked Linda if she could trim my hair since she's an expert when it comes to hair styling and she kindly obliged! What I thought would only take 15minutes tops - turned out to be about an hour or so long and I felt so bad for Linda because we were in the garage and it was really cold that night! Can someone tell me WHY I opened the garage door even though I knew this?????

So anyway - she trimmed my hair a couple of inches. I'd estimate about FOUR inches...*tear drop*....and then she cut me some bangs!!!... Now frankly I DON'T do bangs! I've had VERY BAD experiences with them ALL MY LIFE!!! So to even agree to this was almost like re-living my mom's experimental days with my hair back in the day. TRUST ME! - oh the trauma!

But fastforward to 1hour later... I absolutely loved it!... I loved it so much, I asked her to frame my face just a tad bit more to make it blend in and although my hair disobeyed the direction they were being combed in - I've been adamant in making it behave with a trust ol' bobby pin! Now although I love my new 'do'...I actually want my bangs a little shorter... *hopefully I won't get scissor-happy BEFORE Linda can come up to give me a shorter fringe. Hopefully that will be a picture that is BLOG-worthy!....but until then... here's a shot of me with my new bangs!...

tala fou...

So it's been a while since my last entry - I know I'm completely slacking! But we've been a little busy lately....

1) First of all there's still the potty training I'm working on with Coretta. Two words: "Stubborn Baby". She knows what's going on but she's not a happy camper when it comes to patience. So on goes the training!!! - Success shall be mine! :)

2) Secondly, Sa is now taking up a new "adventure" of sorts. And until we find out for sure where this goes... it's gonna be his own little project. I should add though, for the sake of those who have SOME idea of what I'm talking about - - - Sa shocked me with his potential. I think it's because of how well he keeps it all under wraps with all the funny stories and crazy comments. But the boy has talent. "and I'm not just saying that" (said the director at the audition)... Now if he can just get past being so darn SHY infront of family!!!

3) We've had some random family visits these past weeks. First it was fun to see Glen and Charles again. They only spent a few hours with us but it was enough to get in all those Bernie Mac jokes and Laughing Samoans fob quotes! I'm still sorry we didn't give in to Glen's subtle hints to buy or subscribe to his Security system he was selling but that's only because Sa already gave in to Cordelia and the Hyla Air Purifier/Vacuum that she sold us a few weeks back! Besides - we already have a Security system... with all it's primitive settings! =)

4) I would've listed this with the previous event but it covers more than just a visit from family. We recently attended CJ's baby blessing and his proud parents Charles and Linda were glowing on his special day! His uncle Jared and aunt Vee and cousin Cailyn all drove up from Arizona to support him as well. It was fun to be there even if it was brief. Baby CJ is so darn adorable! We hope the Arizona Palepois' enjoyed the ride back!

5) MAJOR REWIND! - I totally forgot this and I was NOT going back to rearrange my list. HALLOWEEN!!! So Sifo and I took our girls trick-or-treating around our neighborhood that night and it was pretty interesting! It was a little tiring though because we had TWO 2year olds and a 1yr old and they weren't all hyped about having to WALK everywhere but as soon as our older girls saw what it took to get candy - they were pretty happy about it! I didn't have time to buy my girls costumes because I waited too long, so I just smeared their faces with facepaint and lugged them out the door. Their cousin Sina was dressed up as Tinkerbell though! I put some pictures of them on my bebo page for all to have a look. Click HERE

6) I also didn't want to forget to mention that Cordelia, Jane and I made it to their friend Logo's baby shower the night before Halloween. We met up with Lesina and Carsen there and got to have a little fun playing Lesina's games for the shower. We were SUPPOSED to dress up for it but I didn't get to buy anything or be creative enough with my own wardrobe to look like I tried. Jane did go to the party as a Missionary (that got alot of cracks lol - she's such a trooper) - - - so Cordelia and I decided we would be her investigators for the night. Oh the irony!!!...haha =)

7) Our baby Heiress is beginning to mouth off just a TAD bit too much these days. "NO" and "DOP" are part of our daily conversations now. My, my, my - how these babies develop!

8) We just received our first REAL (like on-the-ground) snowfall. It was really pretty but also freezing! But still pretty!

9) SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST. So if you haven't heard already - Sifo is the biggest Twilight fan I know. To be certain of that (nevermind the endless browsing and viewing of twilight fansites; or the fact that she's read and re-read and re-read Twilight some more over and over again; or that she's got the latest preview on her bebo page (she used to have a bebo skin and all that was Twilight-themed as well)...etc) - - - this chick bought two tickets to see the midnight pre-screening of Twilight for the 20th of this month!!! Can you guess who the lucky person is that gets to go with her???..... ME!!!... lol...Anthony can't go because he didnt finish reading Twilight (ha-ha) and I'd probably fight him if he wanted to try and go... though I might give in considering his birthday is the same week! We'll see! But I don't doubt that I'm sorta excited just because I hope the movie is just as good as the book! Can't wait!

ANYHOW - Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner and I'm pretty excited. I don't think there's an apparent reason for it but I think it's because our girls are more aware of the traditions here. I would've put up pictures but they're either already on bebo or on someone else's camera! (hint hint Cordelia and Sifo!)

Meanwhiles enjoy the rest of your year people!... Hopefully I'll check in again before then!

Sina's Day of Fun

Last week Tuesday our niece Sina (Anthony and Sifo's daughter) turned 2years old!

Happy Belated Birthday baby!

We were able to go this past Saturday and do something fun for and with her! We all went first to the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving point and tried to do most of all the fun activities they had to offer ------ but after about an hour of lugging the girls and diaper bags around, we were pooped! Heiress probably got a better experience there because she seemed fearless when we tried out all the inflatable fun houses, not to mention she's the only one that went through the Haunted house and she hardly flinched when she got a kitty cat face paint job done! She even held pretty still for all the pictures we took!

Anyhow, after Coretta and Sina got a chance on the go-carts with Sa we finally headed off towards Provo/Orem area. The girls knocked out so we decided to drive around while they napped. Sifo took us down memory lane - showing us all the places she'd lived and been while she was in Provo during her BYU college days. We even drove out to look at Bridal Veil Falls (sorry no pics) and then we headed up Squaw Peak.

It looked like something out of a movie; particularly the one we were watching just the night before: "Wrong Turn". =) Thank goodness we were sight-seeing during the day because I probably would've opted to wait on the highway... or not! Anyway - so everything was all fine and dandy. We saw alot of people parked to the side of the road with recreational gear; lots of shrubs and bushes and narrow turns ........... when all of a sudden - while taking a sharp turn - OUT OF NOWHERE - all we saw was a figure that appeared infront of our car coming downhill at full speed and then he disappeared as Sifo hit the brakes! Another skateboarder was quick on his heels but he had seen our car before the other kid and was able to veer out of our way in time.

I screamed. It sounded pathetic at the time but I seriously thought we ran over that darned kid! That's when Sa opened his door and we saw that the "kid" we were worried about was actually a teenager who somehow luckily jumped off his board as he tried to skid out of our path. Sa checked if he was okay. He assured us he was and then...... I was ready to kill him myself!...

Luckily for him and the little scare he gave us, we opted to ditch the place and go eat since the girls were finally coming to.

After all that excitement, Tucano's brazilian grill was just what we needed. The food was great! I enjoyed my choice of tomato salad with olives and mozarella balls - - - and if Heiress hadn't spilt her milk cup, I'd think it was a perfect dinner! Sina even got all the brazilian drums played for her while the servers there sang Happy Birthday to her in Portuguese.

Finally we stopped by briefly to visit with Charles and Linda and to see their newby Charles Joseph Palepoi. He is such a cutie!!! (What baby have I never said that about??). It was fun to hang out with them and we'll probably see them soon at CJ's blessing in a few weeks!

Soon as we got home - the boys jetted off to see a movie by themselves which left me with alot of free time since the girls were just winding down from the day's activities. I was able to finally use the frames set that our friends Rachael and Seuao bought for us LAST CHRISTMAS -(thanks guys! love them!)- because I FINALLY decided to print some of our favorite pictures off of our fully loaded memory card and I'm almost satisfied at how everything looks now. I just need to balance it all out now.

So just before I finish off here and let you enjoy the pics I took from our outting (which will be printed soon - I promise!).... I hope all you twilight fans are going to head on over to any HOT TOPIC store to check out the release (i think) of the Twilight soundtrack. They should be unveiling the much anticipated "Bella's Lullaby" and a song that Rob Pattinson wrote also - (who plays Edward in the movie). That's apparently happening this Friday at 7pm. Enjoy!!!

in line at the Scarecrow Festival

only Anthony and the Scarecrows were ready for this shot

before Sina got her Jack-o-lantern and Coretta got Elmo on their cheeks

Heiress and her daddy before her kitty cat do

coretta's tenth time down the slide "ALL BY HERSELF!!"..=)

our ferocious tiger...roar!!!!

Our little clan - everyone acting their true part...*wink*

the Ta'atitis'

Anthony posing with Heiress at the Fish Ponds (She caught a toy called "the annoying THING")

Sa and Sina cooling down in the shade

Sa and the 2yr olds

Sina and Coretta knocked out after having so much fun

Anthony with baby CJ

visiting with Charles and Linda and baby CJ

My Eights

I think I got tagged twice to do this and I doubt I have enough friends on here to tag ...so don't be surprised if I don't tag anyone....:P
Here goes:

8 Favorite TV SHOWS: Prison Break, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, American Idol, America's Best Dance Crew, Chuck, The Office, MINDFREAK, Forensic Files

8 Favorite RESTAURANTS: Joe's Crabshack, McDonalds, Cafe Rio, Bobby Chin's, Cheesecake Factory, IHOP, Denny's

8 Things that HAPPENED YESTERDAY: Slept in, Babysat my niece Sina, Ironed and hung up my daughters' clean laundry, Cooked Salmon and Chicken soup, Met a new potential friend 'Marky'-through Sa's cousin Cordelia, Sa's aunt flew into town from Vegas - spent time with her here for a while, ate Sa's Dibs icecream, fought my girls to sleep - they won because they didn't sleep 'til 1am!!!...

8 Things to LOOK FORWARD to: Christmas, Successful Potty Training and School for the kids, Having more kids, Watching my babies grow up, Future Career, Educational, Spiritual Acheivements/Successes, Seeing our families back home in Samoa, Returning to Samoa, oh and Twilight the movie!

8 Things on my WISH LIST: Having a total mommy makeover!, Become an overnight millionaire, Be less afraid of conforming to fashion trends, That Sa would be more open-minded about fun American holidays and past times, To go back to Samoa soon, Write a book WORTH reading, Have perfect Skin, I wish there was no such thing as RACISM!!!

8 Things I LOVE about FALL: the leaves, the Weather, the clothes, cute kids outfits, 5, 6, 7, 8 ... lol

8 People I tag: Tala, Sifo, Jen, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. ... sorry...

twilight Mania

This is a little overdue considering how long the Twilight Saga has been completely published and available.

I finished reading the series in less than a week thanks to the strong recommendation given by Sifo! :) I liked the books alot and got Sa to start reading them! He finished the first book and attempted the 2nd one (there are FOUR in the series) and decided he'll just wait for the movies to come out! =) He has however managed to annoy a couple of his other relatives and myself by updating his Bebo profile to say that "HE" is the main guy character/love interest in the book! It's pretty hilarious what an uproar that caused what with comments such as "You are a werewolf" to "I'm still vomitting" that he received just hours after the change! =)

Sa (although he's serious about not reading anymore of the series), has been online day in day out searching all trailers and images related to the book and upcoming movie release! Twilight Die Hard Fan? I thought so! - until...

I recommended the book to one of my best friends in New Zealand. All I needed her to do was to read the FIRST book and now (about 2 and a half days later) - I think she's done with the SECOND book!!! I almost regret recommending it to her because I've been getting text messages at all hours of the day about how emotionally stressful the story is for her! =) And I truly hope she can recover from it! =)

Anyhow I can't wait 'til the movie comes out next month! Sifo says she and I will be camping outside of the theaters to be the first ones to see it. Haha! Nevermind how crazy we sound but I think the thought of us camping outside of a theater is something that even "I'd" pay to see!

If there is "ANYONE" out there who hasn't read the books, you should try it. I think that the most inspiring thing I've taken away from this series is not the story itself but more the story of how it's Author came to be so great at her profession.

She got the idea of this story from a "dream"; put it on paper and never looked back. She used to be a simple stay at home mom just FOUR years ago and now she's making millions from literally a dream! If that's not reason enough then you can do like Sa and wait for the movies of her books to come out.

Well - now that that's off my chest..... I think I've given sufficient effort to make like I'm not slacking on this blog! =)

Enjoy the weekend!

BABY ALERT

I don't have any pictures right now... but CONGRATULATIONS to Charles and Linda who welcomed their cute babyboy CJ this week!

I also wanted to mention that Seuao and Rachael also welcomed babygirl number 2 this week also!!! Can't wait to get the updates and see the cute bundles of joy!!!

Rest easy ladies! And get to snapping them cameras so we can ALL see the new additions to the family!

picture this - (tag)

(gee thanks Maila!! - this took me forever to get posted!...lol...so slow!=)
Here's how it works:
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Three people you TAG!

What is your first name?

What highschool did you go to?



Who is your best friend?

What is your favorite dessert?

What is your favorite beverage?

What is your favorite color? (white)

What is your favorite movie?

What is your favorite TV Series?

Where were you born?

What is most important to you?

What is your relationship status?

What is your favorite food?

One word that describes YOU.

true blue american

Like many international families, we are going through the rigorous process of maintaining legal status as immigrants here in the U.S. of A. It's been an ongoing process for us for about a year now... and it's finally producing results.

Being that I am or "was" a U.S. National (basically born in a U.S. territory with every right an average american has except the one to vote) - - - I was always in legal standing in terms of my residency here. But that didn't make things a whole lot easier being married to an immigrant. So after doing much research and getting extra help in the procedure and mountains of paperwork, we decided that the best route for us to take was for me to become a Naturalized Citizen.

Having said that, I wanted to mention that yesterday I took part in the largest Naturalization Ceremony recorded in Utah and I have now attained full American Citizenship! It's a real honor and you really had to be there to appreciate how great this country is. Some people there waited more than 30years to become citizens. Lucky for me I waited only 10months almost to the day since I submitted all my paperwork.

Anyway - there were a total of 1500 people that became citizens yesterday. And we all represented atleast 92 different countries! I sat between a Japanese woman and a Bosnian lady and infront of an Indian and Pakistani who were talking excitedly about who they were going to vote for this upcoming election! (I think they opted for Obama by the way). I don't know that I've thought that far ahead yet - but at that moment, it felt pretty overwhelming and I might've been a little awestruck by the cultural variety that was about me. It was completely amazing!

During the ceremony they gave a chance for those who wanted to share their feelings to do so. I think that took up a good 45 mins to an hour! I shared a brief message of Congratulations to everyone then enjoyed listening to personal stories of hardship that led up to yesterday's great accomplishment.

As if that wasn't already a great sight to behold - you should've seen all the families and friends and supporters that came out to celebrate with their loved ones. Sa and the girls were actually a block away feeding the parking meter when this all went down but I celebrated with them afterwards over a nice Southern Style chicken burger from McDonalds!

Now we're more than one step closer to fulfilling all of our goals in this area of our lives... Hopefully it will be as smooth-sailing as it has been thus far - - - because I don't know that 30years or more of waiting is at all appealing.

For all those who are going through immigration issues and struggles - - - although the road seems long, extremely expensive and sometimes altogether frustrating - it's well worth the wait and there are possibly 1500 others or more who are going through the same thing you are...(or worse).

God bless America.

And God bless the families of those who suffered the dreadful events of 9-11, seven years to the day!

best day out!!

I never thought I'd say this but today's busy day of shopping and running around from store to store with my two little ones has been one of my most favorite days ever!

Today we made stops at different stores: Walmart, Costco, Big Kmart, Smiths and Checkers Auto parts, and McDonalds!
Each stop took a lot of work when it came to unbuckling from the car seats; buckling into carts; changing a dirty diaper in the "tires aisle"-(it was the only one closest to a garbage can); putting back all the candies that were sneaked into the cart while in line at the cashier's; loading groceries; unbuckling out of the carts; buckling back into car seats; and repeating the whole ordeal at the next store!

Checker's was the only one without the luxury of a cart... so I had to lug my chubby-saiga (Heiress) from arm to arm while Coretta had the store all to herself! It was a bit crazy to some extent but I actually had some kind of control of the situation! Either that or my girls were feeling very generous with me today! =)

All in all... even though I mixed up their car seats a few times (doesn't matter because they both have the same kind)... and I missed one or two items that I had hoped to grab while at the store - - - - it was actually very very relaxing for me!

Call me crazy - but I think a day out and about with a long "to-do" list sure beats staying at home waiting for Sa to get home from work.

Anyway - happy Labor Day weekend everybody!... whether you're out on a mini vacation...or "stay-cation"... stay safe!

new addition to the family!!!

so before anyone is misled by that heading... NO - we're not expecting anymore babies (yet) =).

But we DO have an addition to our family!... in the form of a car!

Last weekend, Sa purchased another set of wheels primarily to help with his long commutes to work. It isn't brand new nor did it cost a back-breaking amount of money (any amount breaks my back)... but it is serving it's purpose thus far.

We were busy most of this week, trying to get all the paperwork done for it and now - - - our poor PT Cruiser is getting more rest time than usual, and I - have NO excuse not to miss any appointments or shopping trips etc... :P

Anyway - to all my friends and family on here who ARE expecting a new addition to their families...(this includes recent additions *winks to Jordyn*)... CONGRATULATIONS!!!...

I think I need to list you guys down so I don't forget! :)
***Mai and D***
***Rachael and Seuao***
***Segi & Troy - baby Jordyn***
***Charles & Linda***
***Tavi and Anton***
***Franny and Jo - baby Chase***
............................................................anyone else?
***Sa and his Car*** ...hehe

easy on your feet ladies!!!

(i'll post a pic of our new "old" car soon)...
have a great weekend!!!!!

home entertainment

This past week and a half our household has been glued to the TV and all the olympic hype it's been broadcasting!

It's gotten to the point where if you tried to change the channel, Coretta would literally yell at you (in her partially-understandable babble) to turn it back! She even cheers like she's really comprehending all the different competitions and sports she's watching. AND we've had our share of her little imitation stunts after watching the DIVING and GYMNASTICS games! Now how scary is that??...

Anyhow, today we've actually gone on most of the day without turning on the tv! (Atleast not to watch the games). So whatever I'm missing out on with the olympics, I'm gonna get an update when I hop onto their official website soon =). We only caught Sesame street and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before and during the usual routine of meal times, and nap times...and bath time, and diaper-change time and laundry time...etc.... etc... etc...

But despite the absence of this recent addiction to couch-potato-hood and olympic-worship, today's been full of crazy fun with these two knuckleheads I have for daughters! They fight and play and fight and play and - well you get the picture - - - and although it's tiresome most days, I don't think I'll ever do without it!

We can definitely survive without our favorite shows (though they do offer a nice alternative to reality's monotonous schedule most days)...

... But moments shared with loved ones and family (to be specific)... are more precious than world records, gold medals and victory laps - ANY DAY.

Okay gonna get back to my day - Heiress is up from her nap and is flinging the remote batteries under the couch!.... So the adventure continues!!!!!!!!!!

rugby dejavu

I think Sa has bad luck playing rugby when the girls and I are watching! (or any family for that matter)...

To prove my point - I have NEVER seen Sa play a game where his team won. Well that's not entirely true. I've seen ONE game where they won, BUT neither team scored a try and all they got points for were dropkicks or penalty kicks infront of the goal posts! So those don't really count! To add to that, I've also never watched any of his games where he wasn't already injured BEFORE the game, or where he didn't get injured DURING it! And the weirdest thing is that, whenever I DID miss a game - - - they would either WIN or LOSE playing a spectacular game where he would be part of winning plays or tries etc.... (no gloating intended or purposely implied here) - but it can get pretty frustrating!

This past weekend was a repeat of what happened at his last game I watched a few weeks ago. His right leg was just healing up nicely after a vein tore, and his nose is a bit crooked from a hard tackle during that earlier game! And after Saturday's performance, someone managed to kick his left leg (of all places!) - AND he was able to put on another bloody show with his nose after ANOTHER hard hit!

Well - - - you be the judge of this... I think I'm going to stay away from these games for a while with hopes that it'll help him! =)... (until I think the girls and I need some outdoors time =)

But then again - did I mention that the name of their team is "Bulldogs"?... Where in the world did they get that?... I would never associate "bulldogs" with a bunch of Samoan rugby players... To be perfectly honest, (and Sa might even wince at this note) - they played more like chihuahuas that day! ... haha... no seriously... They definitely had the feisty attitude and will to play and win... but they just didn't measure up! :P... Hopefully they can prove me wrong one day.

Well here are some shots I captured while we were at the game!

we were conveniently sitting next to the event security! (a.k.a Murray Police officers who got a big break from real crime by getting front row seats to rugby games!) Is it me, or is that other officer posing for my camera too? =)

oh you best believe it! My little Heiress didn't let the loud supporters and impeccable music get in the way of her and her much needed afternoon nap! and YES she's on the bleacher floor! Thankgoodness I was prepared with all those blankets!

Bulldogs team huddle. Sa's actually bent over... trying to soothe that kicked left shin!

Despite all this rugby hype - I don't think anything kept me away from the watching the olympic games too long! Gosh - if Michael Phelps knew that I held my need to go to the bathroom for a whole hour and even lost my voice cheering all the way from a cozy living room in Anthony and Sifo's home in Bountiful, Utah.. while he swam his last race and won his eighth gold medal - I'd probably go nuts!

Way to go USA!... Oh and before I forget - We managed to catch a glimpse of the finals in Womens' weightlifting and I'm proud to mention that an athlete from our very own Samoa placed FOURTH...just ONE point away from the bronze medal! Even though the commentators were a bit rude in saying that straight off the bat "she isn't expected to medal", or the fact that they turned her name into something that sounded like a hobbit town - - - she almost made it and she did one hell of a job against those bigger and better known contenders!... USA placed 6th by the way!... way to go!

I love

萨摩亚

(chinese characters for Samoa)

GIRLS night in!!!

Tonight we had a special visitor!!!

Miss Lily!!

She was only over for about an hour but my girls sure enjoyed seeing her again!!

(gotta love those cheerios!)

(1yr olds' going down for a break )

(can hardly go wrong with a book!!)

But my 2yr old (although she didn't skip a beat with Lily and Heiress), had time to...well see for yourself:

pose 1

pose 2

pose 3...

There are a couple more vain poses but I'm sure you've got the picture...or pictures - "literally"...

Nevertheless, we had a blast cheering for "Finding Nemo" and having 'scream' competitions and knocking on all the doors in sight! (We have five total on our first floor!! (oops) -Thank goodness the curtains were drawn over the glass sliding doors in the dining room! =)

good times girls! ....goooood times!

"54"..."steps"..."to the end of the year"

So I've been told to "update" my blog! How do you even start when nothing much is happening in and around my life!? =)...(atleast that's what I think!)

This past Monday (Aug 11th), my mom turned 54yrs old!!! I just got off the phone with her; wished her a happy belated birthday and then talked about how our lives were going. She's back in Samoa with my three younger siblings and life seems not that much different from ours here! The cost of living is affecting everyone and if you think YOU'RE struggling at the pump - - - Samoa's gas is in the $8-$10/Liter range! That may be in a weaker currency but people don't just fork out money like that for gas when it's convenient!.... So kiss that pump when you next fill up and thank your lucky stars you're not at a pump in Samoa! (though I wonder if they still have guys fill your tank for you...) ....

So anyway back to her birthday; they apparently had a blast... even though it was a lowkey type of party - - - and the best part was all the food they raved on and on about! (their menu consisted mostly of traditional delicacies which I won't go into for fear of not being able to do them any justice here... I'll just compare it to a traditional american Thanksgiving dinner! Yup it was THAT good! =)...


Also this week, Heiress decided that her days of being too lazy to walk are pretty much over! She shocked us all by taking a quick 5-6 steps a few days ago, before stumbling! Now she's just getting a bit TOO daring for my liking and "boy oh boy" my stairs are on a LOCK DOWN now!

I also just realized that it's the middle of August... which to me - means the year is over! -lol- ... Kinda like when Wednesday rolls around - "the week is over"... etc... (I just have a different way of thinking ahead by pushing up my calendar) - you should try it... It really puts you in a good mood when you think of the weekend or christmas waaaaay ahead of time!...haha....
So I guess I should get started with all the christmas decorations now!...:P

and in likewise fashion....seeing that tomorrow is Wednesday....
Have a great weekend everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....

moms are not allowed to be sick!

Today the stars have aligned somewhat in my favor.

As this cloud of lingering lack of health slowly but surely escapes my body, I feel somewhat refreshed and invigorated once again!

No longer do I reach with desire to my oasis of strength-commonly known to us simply as "pain meds".

In this new dawn, I have indeed mastered the overwhelming feeling of want and ignorance that comes with much bedrest. The want to be lazy, and ignorance towards the growing pile of "I-O-U's" I've accumulated towards my "house-cleaning" tab.

Thus I say - NO MORE! I refuse to enslave my mind and being to such backward progress!

And to prove my utmost dedication to this newfound state of well-being, I have just lined up THREE full bags of trash outside-from today's tideous yet unfinished labor.

Men definitely can not do without us! (or with us when we're sick!)

(oh lighten up... you're quite useful too!!)

*********************************************

note: the Olympics start today!!! GO TEAM U.S.A!!!

it sucks to be me!!!

I've been sick for three and a half days now! And I am literally living off of ibuprofen!!! I used to be so darn skeptical about pain killers but mannnnnn - "I'm a believer!"... =)

I don't know what I've come down with and I'm kind of stubborn and hard headed enough NOT to go to a doctor unless I feel COMPLETELY helpless ----- but it's taking a crazy toll on me! It's like a mix of Strep throat */slash/* fever and chills */slash/* aching muscles */slash/* headaches and vomiting */slash/* lots of mucus and phlegm build-up (gross!) !!!

*sigh*

On the upside though... As terrible as I feel now, I've got three helpers at home that kind of ease up the situation for me! When the girls aren't fighting with their dad, they actually have time to come over and cheer me up!!! (If poking at me and jumping on my back counts as "cheering me up"). But no - really, Thanks Sa for helping me a whole bunch these past few days!!!

He dealt with alot of the diapers (...that probably deserves a standing ovation...), and he even cleaned our house and did the dishes (those are two TOTALLY different things - trust me)... and he also managed to cook something for me that I had been craving and today's suprise was a clean garage and (YOU HAVE TO SIT DOWN FOR THIS ONE) ----- he WASHED OUR CAR!!!!... hahahaha... bless your heart!!!

Though I think the best uplifting news would have to be the birth of our adorable niece Jordyn Worthen!!! Congrats Segi and Troy!!!

Project: "Change"

Our little family is definitely ready for some change.... think of it like having a sudden attack of New Years Resolutions ... except in AUGUST!... =)

Coretta is ready to start POTTY TRAINING!!! EEEEEEKS!! I've been getting the subtle signs but they're now "more" frequent! She tells me if she's gotten a "tinky bum" ... and now she just rips off the diaper after little usage! (I'm so sorry if this seems a bit like TOO MUCH INFO)... but yeah...

and Heiress is going through the SIPPY CUP WARS!!! EEEEEKS!! The second time around, I thought it'd be easier but alas this strong-willed little one is not going to give up without a fight!!! *sigh*... Did I mention she's also still pretty rocky on her feet?

Sa is going through a transition of sorts as well! He's gearing up to take up Rugby again! We're just waiting for his leg to heal up nicely and then we're going to try get him a job that will meet such a schedule. His job now is too far and although it pays well, it's not going to help him pursue his dream. Will let you know how that turns out!!!

And I - am just flying through a bunch of ideas of things to do at home! The list is pretty long - from dragging in our bbq grill to looking for colleges to apply for that have daycare! hehe...

Anyhow - speaking of change... it's after 10am and my girls are STILL SLEEPING! Yup! - Heiress has officially converted to Coretta's wonderful world of "sleeping in"!.... But that wasn't really the point I was trying to make! =) I actually need to wake them so I can shower them and get them changed out of their diapers and pjz!!...

I can't wait for the "DO IT YOURSELF" stage of "change".... =)