daddy

this post has been a long time coming. every time i'd sit down and start to write, i'd get one line in and then end up hitting delete. what do i say? what do i write about? is this too much? too little? do i keep it light? or serious? where do i start? then i thought of the whole experience and thought to myself, "what do i want to remember most?" so here it is...through my eyes.

cruisin' at the huntsman center lobby listening to dads stories

TWO WEEKS: that's how much time the doctors gave him. the cancer was back, and more aggressive than before. surgery was an option, but it would only prolong the inevitable. so two weeks...that's all we had. we knew it was time to take him home. family and friends came to say goodbye...and somehow dad thought it was the perfect time for family home evening. lol. he cracked jokes...told random stories...and kept asking for filipino food (no idea where that came from). and then at the end of the night, it was as if he knew what was coming...he just quietly started bearing his testimony. he got so emotional when he started "scolding" us by saying "READ YOUR SCRIPTURES AND SPREAD THE GOSPEL!" he had two weeks...and that's how he wanted to spend it.

all settled in and ready for takeoff

THE FLIGHT: after getting the confirmation about dad's timeline, we worked quickly to get him home. thank you delta. hospice was set up...his hospital bed was on its way, and the family at home was making preparations for his return. we were on our way. aside from the minor setback with tsa because they couldn't believe the "indefinite" expiration date on his military id...the flight was nice and smooth. the gate agents were great. because it was such an empty flight...they let us board early. which was perfect because we needed that extra time to get him situated. once we got seated he was OUT! lol.

back home in his garage with his sweetheart. how's her swollen face?! lol kalofae.

HOME: everyone was anxious for dad to get home. aaron was there to pick us up, and we were country bound. again...dad slept the whole ride home lol. now that i think of it...he slept that whoooooooole day. i think those drugs did a number on him. once we got home, nui carried him straight to his room and he went straight to bed. lol. we, however, got the house ready for the many visitors we knew would be coming. his friends and and classmates would come buy to talk story, reminisce, play music, and just laugh alongside him. dad was himself once again. it was like he had gotten his second wind. it was a party every other day...a welcome home/farewell party all in one. sadly i missed most of this during the first week because i had to back for work. so by the time i got back, he slowly started to slow down. he talked less, slept more, more restless and so grouchy lol...well to us at least. this guy ALWAYS had a smile for his visitors...his family got the scowls hahahaha. 

every night someone had to sleep next to his bed in case he tried to...make a run for it! nah. he needed help walking, and since he didn't like waiting for anyone, we literally had to sleep right by his bed to make sure he didn't get up and hurt himself. oh and by we...i mean my nephew nui...lol. he was his papa's caregiver. one night, i remember i was on "sleeper" duty, so i got to sleep on the comfy cot next to dad's hospital bed. as i laid there...slowly drifting off to sleep, i remember tearing up a litle because i knew it was close to the end. as i wiped the tears away i felt a soft touch on my arm. when i opened my eyes, i saw dad leaned up against his bed rail and trying to reach through (remember its a hospital bed, so the bed rail had vertical bars...so imagine jail bars??? lol) to touch my arm. i could barely see his face, but when i looked in his eyes, i could tell he was trying to tell me everything's going to be ok. so i leaned in closer to him (or rather the bed rail lol), kissed his hand, and fell asleep to him just rubbing my arm. i will never forget that precious moment i had with my daddy. 

excuse my fat hand lol...this was taken at the hospital after his surgery

NOV 4th: sunday. it's been 13 days since we were told dad had two weeks. i remember waking up to aaron saying to come to the room. it might be time. we're all in the room. dad. mom. all of their children and grandchildren. we waited. sang hymns. waited some more. dad's breathing got heavy. more waiting. his breathing calms down. then he opens his eyes, and just looks at all of us...probably thinking "eh what you guys doing?!" hahahaha. we're all there crying our eyeballs out and this guys sikes us out! once we realize that it's NOT time, we all breathe a sigh of relief and go about the day. some head up to church. others start cleaning the garage and backyard...getting ready for the visitors we know will be coming over. and boy did they come. all our family and close friends came and brought way too much food while everyone took turns going in to visit with dad. at one time it was like a party with everyone singing and dancing for dad while he lay in his bad just smiling away. it was perfect. the amount of love that was felt that night..was just unreal. i'm so grateful to know that  my life and whole upbringing is rooted in such a strong foundation of amazing people. mahalo. you all know who you are.

just some of the many visitors...thank you

NOV 5th...8:08am: with his eternal companion by his side, and his children and grandchildren all around....my daddy DAVID MALUAE KEO peacefully left his earthly body to return back to our Creator. i will never forget the overwhelming feeling of comfort that came over me at that moment. yes...many a tear was shed..but i was happy at the same time. happy because he was free from pain, and was free to continue His work on the other side. but i was mostly happy because after 16 long years, he and jason were reunited. and i couldn't get over thinking about what a crazy reunion that must've been.

mom and dad....the epitome of eternal love

it's been over a year since he's been gone, and not a day goes by that i don't think about him. i miss him dearly but i know where he is and i know i will see him again. but for now i just continue to live my life knowing he's watching over me. and through it all i try to stay strong for my mom...because i know she misses him even more. so don't worry dad...we're taking care of mom as best we can....even when she gets all irritz and doesn't stick to her diet. lol...he probably wants to slap my head for that last comment...but he knows what i mean when i say that his wife is stubborn. but that's a whole other blog in itself. love you daddy.

dad's legacy he left behind...we love you dad

i'm back...again

saying "it's been a while" is an understatement. the past year (and a half) has been quite the emotional rollercoaster. the constant dips, twists, and never ending "loopty loo's" have kept me from updating the blog. so much has happened that i don't even know where to start. so instead...i got nostalgic and started reading some of my previous posts...hoping to gain some inspiration. and so far...i got nothing. lol...jk. that quick trip down memory lane reminded me of the randomness that is "my life". from my time in pupukea defending kavaroots from crazy alcoholics...to hilarious conversations with the parentals (i've had a lot of those). it also reminded me that there's so much more that's missing right now. so here's to attempt number ?? on getting back on track with blogging. wish me luck....whoever you are!

excuse my absence

HOI its definitely been a long time since my last post....but for good reason. so much has happened that its tooo much to write in one post. so here's a quick lil flashback from october to today. omg...i just realized that its been 6 months! well here you go...whoever you are that still reads my blog.

october: took dad home for his final days....halloween with the whole family in hawaii.
november: greatest man on this earth left to prepare our mansion above *miss you dad*
december: flying back and forth to be with the madre before a dull christmas in utard
january: more flying...and eventually brought the madre up to utah to reside with her favorite daughter of course
february: biggest loser challenge
march: lifestyle changes
april: annoying health issues arise

well that's it in a nutshell. obviously more blogs will be posted to explain in further detail. but for now i'll let you simmer on that. lol. its been a rough six months but i just keep on keepin' on. i look forward to what this year has to offer. 2 more months til i hit the big...dare i say it...3....0!!! oh boy. got some fun plans for that one, and i hope it goes through. until then my blog-owers....

baptisms and touchdowns

a few weeks ago number 5 of 6 of the saaga clan got baptized! yup...this rascal kid stepped through the waters of baptism to come out clean and pure. what made the day extra special was that he got to share this precious moment with his cousin who turned eight a few weeks before he did. so double baptism!!! lol.  most of our family was able to be here with the two "converts" which made it doubly special. here's some pix from that morning.

me and so'i; malia and so'i with the grandparents; family photo op; the newly baptized members

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

club 8 don't hate! malia, malu boy (who flew in from hawaii the day before with his daddy) and so'i

family photo with the photographer...hahahahaha

after the baptism, everybody had rushed home to change clothes and get ready for his football game! yup...he's a busy one. get baptized in the morning, then play his heart out on the field in the afternoon.  and boy did he play hard. we were all sitting in the end zone, and his team was about 10-15 yards away from scoring. and then as we looked up we saw our little so'i running with the ball straight towards us!!! yup....he scored his first touchdown of the season and his team ended up winning!!! after the game i asked him...."so'i did you see us cheering for you when you scored?" and his reply in true so'i fashion, full of excitement, "YEAH! i saw ALL your FACES!" hahahaha this kid is 10 much! gotta love 'em. and then later we found out that he told one of his primary teachers about his touchdown and said "the holy ghost told me where to run!" such the enthusiastic kid! gotta luv it.

after his game, his older brothers had a game. kawika, who is now 13 has started playing for the westlake freshman team (even though he's still in 8th grade).  so we just walked on to the next field to watch the older boys.  after being slightly delayed due to thunderstorms in the area (never before have i seen so much lightning)...the game was on!!! their game was a little boring cuz they blew the other team away but the highlight was that both boys scored a touchdown...kawika and the newest addition to ka 'ohana saaga...d'armon auelua-natoa. i call him auaga cause he's an auelua/saaga...hence....AUAGA! hahahahaha. 

so'i with his proud grandfather and FAVORITE aunty

d'armon and kawika after winning their game

it was a great day full of family fun...even though i had to work later that day. one thing that stood out that day though, was that not only did these kids get support from their family, but practically their whole branch. they're so blessed to have such a huge support system from such a small branch. kawika's coaching staff is practically made up of all their branch members, so the stands are always full of people from Eagle Mountain 12th! i'm so grateful for the love and support they continually show my sister and her family. it makes me feel a lot better knowing that they're taken care of while i'm so far away from them. and yes...orem is FAR! oh....did i mention i moved to orem...the last place i ever thought i would end up. *heavy sigh* but i'll save that for another post.

cancer....you can suck it!!!

this post has been a long time coming now. the title pretty much sums it all up. cancer...you SUCK! you come uninvited and turn our world upside down! we're no exception to your wrath...yet you didn't expect we'd fight you til the end! so hiyeeeeYAH! take that roundhouse kick to the gut and never come back! please? lol

timeless pic

for those that know my family, you know that the core...(or in the words of nacho libre...the 'nucleus') of everything KEO is our father....david maluae. many know him as the happy hawaiian who takes his smile everywhere he goes, who's not afraid to wave to complete strangers (who he later befriends after finding ANYTHING they may have in common....ie "oh you visiting from utah??? my kids moved over there...you know anyone in saratoga springs??" hahaha). yup....dis guy...he can make a complete stranger his best friend in a matter of minutes. that just goes to show how big his heart is and many have been the recipients of his unconditional love.

for our family...he's been our rock. the calm through every storm we've had to endure. especially lately with mom being so sick, he has always been by her side. always cracking jokes with her and everyone else who would come to visit. just doing what he does best...make people smile.  but now it was her turn. our turn. to be the rock for him. to be the ones that he could lean on and depend on.

waiting for daddy to wake up

friday june 15 dad was admitted to the utah valley regional hospital in provo, utah. after complaining of headaches, and achy legs, he visited the doctor to find that there was some bleeding in his brain. a cat scan was later conducted to get a better idea of what was going on and that's where they found four masses (possible tumors). he was scheduled immediately for surgery the next day. long story short, surgery was a success. they were able to remove two of the tumors (yup we later found out they were tumors), and because the other two were in vital areas of his brain, they doctors opted not to remove them. so they decided to do radiation instead to shrink them. a total of 14 treatments were then scheduled over the next few weeks.

feeling better

the next few days post surgery were a little tough considering dad was sleeping the whole time. although the doctors were encouraged that he was making a great recovery, we couldn't tell because he was asleep. but thanks to the many phone calls/texts/facebook messages and of course prayers and visits...it made the wait that much more bearable.  when dad finally woke up (about three days later) he wasn't quite the same. aside from being weak and bed ridden for the next few weeks, he was QUIET and barely spoke. talk about full on 180....this podagee who always had something to say about anyone/anyplace/anytime/anyTHING....was speechless! lol. i laugh now but it was actually pretty scary...facing the realization that he may never be the same. *sigh*

well fortunately he's a fighter. the next week or so he stayed in the ICU so they could better monitor his recovery, and not too long after he was transferred to the physical therapy unit of the hospital. and talk about intensive therapy...his whole day was full of various sessions of speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. not to mention he still had to finish up his radiation regimen. doesn't that sound like a lot for someone who just got out of brain surgery two weeks ago? well...it is. good news...daddy's a SOULJAH and took it like a champ!  the nurses would always talk about how much progress he would be making each day. and soon enough dad was telling us all about his adventures in therapy himself.

"ho guess how far i walked today? 2000 yards!"

progress....talking for da

"ho guess how many stairs i went climb today? 25!"

"eh...waste time speech therapy! i know how fo' talk!"

hahaha...towards the end of his staycation at the hospital he was goin off saying all kine random things. talking about how he hates the hospital food. one time when i was trying to get him to eat his food he said, "the only way i goin eat this is if they give me pakalolo!" heeeeeellllooooo!!!! hahahaha. the nurse was looking at us funny and was like, "what's pakalolo?" so i told him "weed...u guys get?" hahahaha. too much this guy! and this is when we knew it was time for him to come home.

as i'm finishing up this post, i realize its been almost 2 months since daddy's been out of the hospital. he hasn't fully recovered....is weak at times, and takes a lot of naps. however, he's doing his best to keep busy. he writes everything...and i mean EVERYTHING down. from what he ate for lunch, to who bought it for him and from where! lol. it may seem a little OCD but this daily activity helps to keep his brain active. the one thing that is difficult for him though is his ability to hear. his hearing aid totally died on him, and after sending it in to get fixed he went to a hearing specialist and found out that he can go in for surgery to get his hearing fixed. kaloz. but other than that he's doing just fine.

eating dinner with naona

we want to thank everyone for everything you've down for us during this time. from stopping by just to say hi to whoever was there, to providing full on meals. also for all those who have continually kept dad in your prayers....we thank you. you have no idea what it all means to us, and we are forever grateful for everything. his health is slowly improving and he is out and about spending time with his family. he will be in utah for a little while...at least until he gets his strength back. until then feel free to give him a call, or post on his (or any of his kids) facebook. he's always happy to hear from his friends.

love life and nosy people

so life has been CRAZY busy the past month...and it continues to look like that the rest of the summer. but i came across this ecard (you know those hilarious little sayings put up on retro looking cards) and thought i'd blog about it because it was hilarious!

so i've been meeting a lot of new people through work lately and as soon as they find out i'm not married they start asking about my dating life. seriously? i JUST met you...anyhoo..this ecard pretty much sums up my response to each of these ni'ele (nosy) people. hahaha! i feel like i should turn this into a shirt and wear it to every new event we have at work. it would just make life so much easier. lol.

convos with mama

as the parentals get older...it seems their conversations or one liners get crazier and funnier. so i just had to document this short little tid bit between mi madre and the niece.

niece (while texting from her g-ma's phone): mama...do you have free texts?

*silence*

niece: mama!

madre: what?

niece: do you have free texts?

madre (grouchily): eh...i don't have ANY money on me!

niece: *giggles* what?!

madre: oh..what did you say?

me: eh...she asked if you have free texts

madre: OH! i though you asked if i had three cents!

me and the niece: BUAHAHAHAHA!!!

me: ummm...why would she ask you THAT?! what is she gonna do with THREE CENTS?!

hahahahahaha!!! kalofae that old lady. she just gets crazier and crazier! gotta luv her.

mini spring break with the saaga's

back in my younger years, i remember always looking forward to the different breaks we had in school. spring break being one of them. because usually it meant we got to spend everyday doing nothing but watch tv, play outside or at the beach, or just be a mall rat. back then spring break always fell around the last week of march...which was perfect because we usually had perfect weather. then i grew up. boo. and unless you're a teacher, sorry bout it but no spring break for you!

so....what's the next best alternative? living vicariously through nieces and nephews who still have a week off in the middle of spring. last year it was spent on the west coast at disneyland...this year...east coast to washington d.c. and new york city!!!! so of course being the cool awesome SINGLE aunt that i am...i HAD to tag along. lol. the next few days were all a blur...but there's nothing like experiencing new things with the people you love. since talking about everything would take too long, here's a quick summary:

*smithsonian museum of natural history*walking around the DC mall*picture taking at the capitol*driving for days looking for a restaurant*late night packing*early wake up call for breakfast*checking in 9 people and 12 bags*flying into NYC*picking up the rental car*upgrading car to fit all of us*driving for 2.5 hours in traffic to jersey*naptime*driving through tolls for days*TIMES SQUARE*seeing BFF on billboard in times square*toys 'r us*bubba gumps*red stairs*nighty night*sleeping in*driving through new tunnel back to city*walking 2 miles more than we needed to*missing our appt*lunchtime*sassy subway workers*9/11 memorial*empire state building*hailing a cab...FAIL*dirty subway stations*cruise mode back to jersey*ruby tuesdays for dinner*worst service EVER*jon ken po tourney with the little boys*packing*rest*flying back to bootah*

 

its all a blur...reflections on the metro

holy mammoth!

saaga's and aunty mahea

sisters at capitol hill

entering the concrete jungle

drive into jersey

toys 'r us in times square

TIMES SQUARE!!!

9/11 memorial

movin' on up...to the top of the empire state building

view from the top

tryna hail a cab..but they must've been intimidated by our party of 9! lol

the closest we got to lady liberty that weekend. hahahaha. kaloz to deeeeep sleepers

waiting for the subway after a looooooong day of walking

and that's all folks!

easter weekend

after being out of town every weekend for the whole month of march, it was nice to take a break from flying and stay home for the weekend. my saturday was spent sleeping in...organizing the room a lil bit and relaxing at the sisters house watching some tv...a luxury we don't get at home considering we cut off our cable last year. it was nice to watch everything on something other than a 13-inch computer screen.  a movie day/night wouldn't be complete without some pizza to go along with it. so we turned on the pizza sign and got the wet bar ready for din din. 

 

luv me some good pizza. the rest of the evening was spent catching up with a good friend at "smart cookie" a new fave dessert spot here in utah. their sugar cookies are divine.  

with it being easter sunday the next day it was vital that i make it to church. especially since i haven't been to my ward for a whole month. so of course...i slept in again and missed church. lol. it was a quiet easter this year. 2 of my 4 utah families were out of town, so we went to the oler household for easter lunch. it was hard to really get into the spirit of this holiday with everyone else out of town...but we made the most of it for our two little easter bunnies. its a good thing they're only one and didn't notice that we (the parents and the aunties) totally failed this easter. waiting at the very last minute we found out our easter bin in storage only had grass and no eggs. lol. so we had to improvise and ended up using the same 10 eggs our cousin ang had. its a good thing these kids are only one cause they didn't notice us recycling the eggs they would find. hahaha. ghetto i know...but we do what we can. they still had fun. at least they had super cute easter baskets this year, and not a plastic bag like our kids normally sport. hahaha.

 

twinkies ready for church in their easter attire

 

 

me and sister are so egg-cited bout easter...lol

  

maluae and deighton aka maluae's body guard lol

 

their first egg hunt

  

tita and her body guard

the rest of the evening was spent watching tv...again. lol. so needless to say it was a nice lazy weekend. which is just what i needed after a month of being on the go everyday. but i think i need to get out of this lazy mode because i've missed working out three days this week! no bueno. but i'm off to the east coast on friday to meet up with the sisters and chillenz to finish off their spring break in NYC!!! i love that city! "on-the-go" mode here i come!!!

THE wedding

this was probably the busiest i've ever been...preparing for a wedding. note to self...marry someone rich so i can hire people to do everything! but it all paid off because in the end everything came together beautifully!!! and after seeing my two besties at the happiest they've ever been...i'd do it all over again.

so since march was wedding month, i had spent the first two weekends flying to cali to help out with as much as i could. and then i flew out the weekend before the wedding and stayed until the big day. i brought my sister along with me the week of the wedding cause i knew there would be a lot to do. and boy was a right. as soon as we got there we went straight to work. here's a play by play of our schedule for that week:

friday:
- arrive in orange county and head out to coto de caza (where the real housewives of orange county live) to pick up the brides head piece and a few silver platters for the hors d'oeuvres
- head out to murrieta thinking we would get some shut eye. WRONG. programs had to be glued to cardstock, on both sides...so instead of waiting til the next day we started it up at midnight and finished by 4am.

saturday:
- BALL day! cutting out 1800 paper circles...then folding and gluing them together to make a total of 90 balls! this took us literally ALL day...from 10am-7am the next day

sunday:
- day of rest...oh wait...that is after ironing approximately 100 chair ties.

monday:
- ironing 30+ huge table cloths
- ironing 100 seat covers and figuring out how to store them

tuesday:
- salon day!!! getting our nails did with the bride
- continue ironing 200+ more seat covers

wednesday:
- visiting the venue to map out the ceremony
- chopping up veggies, baking cakes and making pudding for desserts, and skewering grapes for pupu's

thursday:
- rehearsal day! headed up to long beach early to get a few last minute items for the wedding
- arriving at the chapel on time...only to wait an hour since everyone else (who lived the closest) came late. hahaha.

friday:
- crunch time...chopping up the rest of the fruit for the hors d'oeuvres.
- practicing the taualuga with the bride
- loading up the cars with everything that needed to be transported to the venue the next morning

saturday:
- waking the bride up at 6am to start getting ready
- waking up the rest of the bridesmaids to get ready as well before heading over to the venue to help set up
- returning to the house to send the bride and groom off for the bridals while the rest of us get ready...
- head to the venue and then....GAME TIME!!!!

everything about that day was BEAUTIFUL!!! and i know i've said this before but i'm over the moon happy for these two...because of everything that they have both gone through to finally come together. and i'm just so happy to have met both of them and be part of that special day. here's some pix from that crazy week!