back to blogging...

alrighty...i've been through a major blunk (blogging funk). a lot of it has to do with my crazy work schedule. as soon as i get home from work i go straight to bed, and as soon as i wake up, i get ready and go straight to work. i'm not complaining though...because every chance i get with time off from BOTH jobs, i'm on a plane. but i do plan on completing the challenge with an update here and there on a new topic. so stay tuned all you loyal followers. lol...

challenge FAIL!!!

ok...u guessed it...i totally FAILED at the blogger challenge. but give me a break...it got super busy towards the end of the month...and that sibling blog was just taking TOOOOOOOOOOO long. i guess that's what happens when you have to write about 5 different people...especially when there is sooooooo much to write about each of them. oh well..i tried.

what i wore today

*so i just realized that its backwards...lol

because the weather is still somewhat warm...it's a t-shirt and jeans kinda day. so...as you can see above (no i'm not getting a shot of my boobs) i'm sportin' my $1 kavaroots tee (made by ammon and his Yu-Do lol), some jean capris and my platform slippers from walmart.

i wanted to highlight the shirt cuz it is one of my favs. as previously mentioned, it was made by my old boss ammon watene, the current owner of kavaroots....which at one time was my second home. for those who follow my blog, i'm sure you remember how much i LOVED working at this place. it was by far the EASIEST and most chill job EVER!!! not only that, but i actually cared about that place. i sacrificed so much for that place as mentioned in a previous post.

kavaroots is a little shack on the north shore known for their acai bowls. for those of you who don't know what an acai bowl is...allow me to explain. acai is a berry from the amazon...packed with antioxidants. it is mixed with strawberries, bananas and apple juice in the form of a smoothie, which is then poured in a bowl, and topped with the BEST granola, sliced bananas and drizzled with honey.

it really is the BEST. and not to brag or anything...but i think i make 'em the best. lol. sadly...we don't have a kavaroots here in utah...and even though i can buy the ingredients up here to make my own, i don't have the right blender. so when i try to use the normal household blenders out here...it really isn't the same.

its funny how these posts work themselves out. i was planning on writing about clothes and how they can sometimes "make or break" a person...but i just got carried away with my memories of kavaroots. *sigh* i miss that place.

my beliefs

upon reviewing today's topic, i figured i'd be really simple. since my beliefs are just that...simple.

* i BELIEVE in a loving and caring Heavenly Father whose love is everywhere

* i BELIEVE in eternal families

* i BELIEVE that you get what you give

* i BELIEVE the people in your lives are there for a reason

* i BELIEVE in my Savior...and HIS atonement

* i BELIEVE in forgiveness

this may not seem like a lot...but these are the most important ones...to me at least.

a moment

when i first moved to utah...i stayed with my sister and her family of 8. it wasn't that big of a change considering i lived with them back in hawaii before they relocated. and besides...i'll have to admit that she and her husband have been like my second parents for some time now. i remember when i was in high school, i went to a birthday bash with them, and some of my friends thought they were my parents. i never let one live that down. hahahaha!!!

anyhoo...since my brother and his wife moved up and get a house for themselves, i moved in with them. no more missing clothes, or messy room from kids going through my stuff. no more waking up to kids fighting or babies crying. its been nothing but peace and quiet. its been nice considering i've been working so much lately. but i do miss those monkeys.

so last night, bestie and i stopped by the saaga's. and this is what we walked into:




as much as i enjoy the peace and quiet and the cleanliness of my new "home," its moments like these that remind me why i moved up here in the first place. i don't know what my life would be like without these kids. they make living in utah bearable....and its moments like these that bring truth to the saying "home is where the heart is," cuz these little heartbeats make life worth living.

my best friend

i was looking forward to this post because there are so many stories to go along with this topic. lol. you know you're best friends when you go through a lot together...and i mean a LOT!!! this girl has had my back as far back as i can remember. we had so much in common from our first crush to our first loss. she truly is my SAS! here are a few things we have in common:

*born and raised in hau'ula

*lifetime H4 members

*both our fathers served as bishops for the ward.

*we both had the HUGEST crush on the same guy...until we both outgrew him. literally.

*lost our siblings (my brother and her sister) in car accidents. first jason. then sarah. both of whom are the same age and grew up together as well.

*both of us got lickings from the same person....who just so happened to be my mother. lol.

*fully dependable.

wen i look back through the years, mine and maria's relationship grew through the young women's program. we would complain about almost every activity, and as soon as we got our license we would ditch the last hour of church to discuss the past weeks activities while stuffing our faces with mcdonalds up at the point. because we went to different schools, these were one of the few times we could catch up on the latest gossip.

one of the BEST stories i have of us is the summer after her senior year and my junior year. we were both single and she was sooooooo ready to mingle. especially after just ending a two year relationship with her h.s. boyfriend. drama dat one. anyhoo...it was ward camp. and she being the outwardly open rebel...and me not being so open decided it would be a good idea to sneak away and attend a grad party that was going on that night. surprisingly...this was the first time she ever snuck out anywhere. lol. so i laid out the plan:

*tell the parentals we were gonna hang out in the main tent.

*wait til they fell asleep...or were about to fall asleep.

*take the van (my parents van of course since i was always the driver)...and get ready for the party at my house since everyone in my family would be at camp.

*PARTY TIME!!!!

so the excuse was going to be...we went home to grab a sweater...and just crashed at the house. after leaving the party at almost 430 in the morning...we headed back to the camp. with our change of clothes in the car. when we pulled up we quickly changed into our pj's. the plan was to circle around the camp and make it look like we were coming from the beach. we were about 50 yards away from a clean break until the dreaded flashlight (a trademark of my mother's at EVERY camp) shone brightly on our faces. busted.

maria started freaking out asking "oh crap! oh crap! what are we gonna do?" me...being the sneaky one...who's obviously had experience sneaking out before (*smh* oka...what a punk i was) told her to just be quiet and that i would explain everything. so as we approached my mother...i could FEEL her eyes penetrating through the both of us. she abruptly asked where we were, and i stuck to the whole going-home-to-get-a-sweater-and-falling-asleep story. she could see right through me. so in an effort to get the truth...she turned to maria, who was standing right next to her (wrong move)....and WHACKED her with the flashlight!!! hahahahahaha!!!! and this was no ordinary flashlight. this was the 10 lb. black security flashlight! and maria is as skinny as a twig...so it obviously hurt. omg...i'm cracking up just thinking about it. that's a true friend right there. after getting the first "beating", my mom asked maria the same question she asked me. and like a trooper maria stuck to the story.

so there we sat...the two biggest liars in the world sitting in front of my mom. when i think back on it now...we were both really stupid. what i thought was frustration and anger was actually genuine worry and concern. mom expressed how during that time of the year she worries about us on the road late at night. especially after what had happened to jason. this made me feel like crap. so we both apologized for being...well...teenage girls.

but this story will forever be etched in my memory. if you can get lickings from MY mom...you know you're family. lol. sadly...later that summer maria and i developed an even stronger bond over the loss of sarah...her eldest sister. unfortunately i was out of state when it happened and could not physically be there when it happened....but i was the first person she called when it happened. and she was the first person i went to when i returned from my trip. we know that we can depend on each other no matter what.

now that she's married and has a family of her own...our relationship remains the same. she has a new best friend...and i know i still have yet to find mine...but she will forever be my sis.

my day

today was pretty uneventful...much like any other day of my life. i would say that majority of my day has been spent working...but not today. like i've mentioned in a previous post, one of my besties is in town, so i was able to take some time off from my full time job. but poor her. i still have to work at the hawaiian cultural center.

so today...we decided to sleep in since both of us have been overworked the past few weeks. we decided to take it easy. if i had my way...i would have called in to the second job and made a spa day of it. but because i went home last week and spent waaaaaaaaay too much money, i figured i should put a few hours in.

so off we went to midvale. bestie dropped me off so she could spend some time with her brother who lives not too far away from the center. can i just say that aside from having my family here, working at the hawaiian cultural center has made the move up here so much easier. i love that even though i'm surrounded by a sea of "white" here in utah, i can walk through those doors and feel at "home." i don't have to explain myself when i buss out da pidgin. i can mention people and places from back home and not get a funny look. my coworkers truly are like family there. i don't even think i can call it work since all we do is cruise and enjoy each other's company.

so after putting in my four hours...bestie and i headed to the grocery store. i felt the need to cook. so we picked up a few things and headed home. baked bbq chicken, mashed potatoes and corn was on the menu, and bestie cooked up some devilish cupcakes. they truly were sinful. i forget how much i love to cook. i've been deprived of that privilege after working nights at delta. but its all good. the flight benefits make up for it. but how good food tastes when you make it yourself. i really should cook more of my meals myself.

then it was quality time with the brother and SIL. its been nice having bestie in town because it gives me the time i need to relax. i rarely see my "caretakers" nowadays because i work so much. i'll wake up just in time to get ready for work at the center. and then when i'm done there...i immediately report for duty at delta. by the time i come home...their asleep. or...when i have time off from both jobs i'm on a plane. so it was good to just kick back and enjoy a meal with them. that's usually when we have the best conversations. see...again with the food/convo combination.

so as you can see...not so exciting...but worthwhile for me. just quality time with good people.