Guess what?!

and we couldn't be more excited!!!! we haven't really told anyone other than parents and siblings about the news and i don't really plan on telling anyone else but i just felt like saying it on here. (who really reads this anyways???) i figured people will just figure it out once they see the baby bump...well, hopefully they do and don't mistake it for flubberness. ha! oh well. anyways, the beach is calling my name right now. i'll write more about the good news lata!

{ my baby boy as of lately }

[a couple cute things i want to remember about my son at this age, 2 1/2.]

i couldn't get this guy off the stage...

...always has too be the center of attention, just like his daddy!

 everytime he hears music play he says "DANCE! DANCE! DANCE! DANCE!" while he busts a move.

it seemed like over night safi boy started talking and saying everything. now that he can talk in small sentences, here's a few of the funny things that come out of his mouth...

"uh oh, mommy maaaaaad!"

whenever he does something he knows he shouldn't he says "moko (the dog) did it!"

or if he doesn't get something he wants... "mommy mean!"

but he always melts my heart when he says "i do, mommy!" (i love you, mommy)

last week i took him to play at an indoor playground. while i was talking with some mommies i heard some kids crying so i turned around to see what was going on.... and i saw my son standing behind this girl (who was a couple years older than him) and had her in a choke hole!

 hooooooooollly crap!

i jumped up so fast and ran over to him and told him to let go. earlier that same day he had another kid pinned up against the wall with only using one of arms across his chest! i have no idea where he's even getting these moves from.  it must be his tongan instincts. i need to put this kid in MMA asap because taking this type of energy out on the kids at the playground is going to make a lot of mommy-enemies for me! ha!

since our disneyland passes are blocked out for most of the summer, we've been having major disneyland withdrawls. so this week we checked out this small waterpark not too far from us.....and we LOVED IT! we're about to get passes for here so we can come everyday because i could lay out in the water and sun all day everyday! plus, this kid needs to learn how to swim. that and potty training him are my two number one goals this summer.



{ superpower }

[ if you could have one superpower what would it be, and what would you do with it first? ]

flying, like peter pan or superman at lightning-speed! for some reason i always have dreams where i'm flying and i never want to wake up from those ones. if i could fly i'd save a lot on gas money and airfare, plus i could travel to all the places on my bucketlist. the first thing i'd do is fly to new zealand this weekend so i could be there with my family for my cousins wedding (which i'm sadly missing). then i'd probably go out to new york to spend a day with my niece, nohea. and then after that i'd travel to a new city every night and a new country every weekend. and of course, included with this superpower would be 'pixie dust' so my family can fly along with me to all my many adventures.

{ wishful thinking }

[ what is the one thing you most wish you were great at? ]

um......singing! ha!

not that i can't sing. i can sing well enough to get by but i wish i had one of those naturally-born-talented voices that are worth recording! if i could choose i have a voice like something inbetween lauryn hill/whitney houston/melanie fiona and beyonce...well, maybe just her dance moves....and body.

 if i had one of  'those' voices i'd be singing all the time. not that i don't already. but i'd actually sing infront of people, not just to my son and in the shower. and i would take the time to learn how to play the guitar, something i've always wanted to learn how to do but never had enough motivation because i figured if you can't sing along to it, what's the point?

{ greatest accomplishments }

[ what are your 5 greatest accomplishments. ]

i finished two online traffic schools in one day. seriously.

i can change a full/nasty/crappy diaper in under 20 seconds using only one wipe and get a clean, fresh bum (without anything on my hands). 

ok, on a serious note... marrying my best friend in the temple.

giving life to my son, although somedays i question this one because at times he seems more monster than human.

being truely happy about where i'm presently at in life at this moment.

{ if i was an animal }

[ if you were an animal, what would you be and why? ]

a dolphin becasue they are social, smart, happy-go-lucky creatures that get to swim in the ocean all day. oh, and people don't eat them.

{ strengths }

[ describe 5 strengths you have. ]

 self-learner. just because i'm not in school at the moment doesn't mean i can't be learning new things. i actually like learning. and if you have pinterest and youtube, you can pretty much teach yourself how to do anything. ha!

level-headed, down-to-earth kinda person. i see things and situations as they really are and i can usually think straight enough with out letting my pride or my biased opinion get in the way. and i never like getting caught up in the latest edition of drama.

hard worker. i've never necessarily been 'the best' at anything but i'm always the hardest worker.

i'm intuitive. and for the most part, my intuition about a person, situation, or thing has never been wrong. it's just i don't always listen to it...but i'm getting better at that.

if i put some umph into it, i'm a pretty good gosh darn cook.

{ weaknesses }

[ describe 5 weaknesses you have. ]

nutella. i could seriously eat an entire jar of it in one day. and that's why we don't keep any in our house.

too often, i give people the benefit of the doubt. i don't like to assume or be judgemental. i've been burned one too many times because i thought more highly of someone that what they really were.

at times, i can be too hard on myself. i'm always expecting more of myself and pushing myself, sometimes over the limit. when in actuality, if i step back and look at the big picture i'm doing just fine and have come so far from where i was before.

my obsession of smelling good. i'm forever buying scented candles, new perfumes, bath and body works lotion, frebreze house sprays, body sprays, etc. and i always buy shampoo/conditioner, chapstck, makeup, and hair products based on the smell of it. of course, smelling good is not a weakness, but being impulsed to buy everything that does is

i'm not good at remembering names. i can meet someone for the first time, and then immediatly after have no recolection of what they said their name was. this is also my husband's weakness so you can imagine the problem we have when meeting new people together. i'll turn to my husband and ask "what was their name again?" ...and he'll say "i dunno. i thought you knew. i forgot." ..."well, dang! one of us has to remember. now we're both lost!" but hey, at least i never forget a face.

{ typical day }

[ describe a typical day in your current life. ]

as of lately, i wake up  around 6:15 am, right before my actual alarm goes off. yes, i'm a morning person. i usually lay in bed for about mmm...15 minutes until my mind catches up with my body and i decide what i'm going to do first that day. after i use the bathroom and brush my teeth i find my way to the couch and lay there for another 10 minutes where i make my final decision of what i'm going to get done first that day. (it's a process)

if i'm feeling motivated that day, i get my workout done before my son wakes up. usually an at home workout or run, or both if i'm feeling real cuh-razy! today i did one circuit of bodyrock and since my son wasn't up yet i did 30 minutes of the nike training app.  by the end of my workout my son is usually up. he'll walk out from the bedrooom, with eyes half open and walking into the walls while i shout out a huge "GOOD MORNING BABY!" ...then he says "hi, mommy" and comes to sit on my lap so i'll hold him. (him waking up in the morning is always one of my highlights ...probably because i still have my mind intact and all the energy in the world) i'll then make breakfast for my boys. our son will watch cartoons while my husband and i lounge around and talk. he tells me everything that happened at work and i usually tell him everything i forgot to tell him the day before and what baby and i have planned for that day. eventually i decide that my son shouldn't stay in pj's anymore and i can't walk around sweaty all day, so i take a shower then get him ready.

then usually my sidekick and i have our little get-out-of-the-house adventure so daddy can sleep. we either go to disneyland, gigi's house, the beach, swimming, the park, or to whatever activity the mommy club in our ward is doing that afternoon. now this is the best part of my day...'casue c'mon, sitting on the beach with my toes in the sand in the middle of the day with nothing else to worry about but 'what am i going to make for dinner tonight?' is more than noiiiiiice! this is about the time of day when i always think to myself "now this is living the life of a stay-at-home mom! be jealous!"
 today we ended up catching the indoor play ground that's down the street from us and it was looooovely. they have 4 huge rooms filled with jungle gyms, toys, books, games.... so my son played his 'lil heart out while i did absolutely nothing but sit there, relax, and talk with the other mommies.

after our outing of the day we come home and i put my son down for a nap. everytime i plan to do all the things i need to get done while he sleeps, but as of lately i've been so tired so i end up taking a nap with him. by late afternoon, i start getting sick and nauseous (hint, hint). i lay around on the couch or in bed and pin my life away away on pinterest and look at all the new projects i plan on starting but haven't gotten around to them yet. i tell myself i'm going to make dinner, but then my nauseousness somehow talks me out of it and i go have my husband pick something up. at the end of the day i still have my long list of to-dos, but usually decide to put it off because they're still going to be there the next day. instead, i end the day reading books to my son and cuddling while watching movies because that sounds so much more appealing!

my typical day isn't too extravagent.
i just take things a day at a time,
focus on the simple things,
remember that i am blessed,
and let myself be happy.

{ pet peeves }

[ describe 10 pet peeves you have. ]

i can't stand when people chew with their mouth open, especially when they try and talk at the same time or slosh their tongue around and make that smacking sound. not only is it rude but you look like a horse eating.

i can't stand `people who are two-faced. i believe it says a lot about a person when they pretend like they're cool with someone, or best friends, then go behind their back and talk bad about them or do things that would cause hurt to them. not only is it not classy and cowardly but "a double minded man is unstable in all his ways".

when an outside source wakes up my son from either his nap or too early in the a.m.
 sleeping baby=mommy's ME time.
take away my ME time=an angry, irritz woman!

when guys pee on or around the toilet AND leave the tiolet seat up. if you aren't talented enough to make it all in the bowl, please clean up after yourself with some clorox wipes because nobody wants to sit or step on that sheezy! and i consider myself blessed because my husband is very cleanly when it comes to this particular issue, and he's more than considerate in remembering to always put the toilet seat down.

i can't stand people who think they know it all. they believe they have the solution to all of your life problems but somehow have none for their own.

when someone is driving 60 mph in the far left lane on the freeway...oh, and utah drivers! (no offense)

when people expect others to help them before they first try and do all they can in helping themselves. they want to reap the rewards of others before sowing their own damn seed! work hard because the world doesn't owe you anything!

when i'm hungry and there's nothing to eat. i usually eat 4-6 small meals a day. my body has gotten use to this so when i go longer than 2-3 hours with out eating i get HANGRY (hungry + angry) and super irritated!

people who have absolutely nothing else to talk about but others! everytime you see them the first and only thing that comes out of their mouth is someone else's dirty laundry. maybe if you weren't so wrapped up in other people's lives, you'd get somewhere better in yours! "small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas".

when i'm ready to workout and i go to turn my ipod on to get started only to realize that it's dead! i can't workout with out my music. it's like my 'pain-suppressant'and 'mood-booster'.
so, no music=cancelled workout.

{ embarassing moment }

[ describe your most embarassing moment. ]

i can't think of a specific emabarassing moment off the top of my head, but i can think of the most embarrassing date i've been on.

when my cousin, tabi, and i were in new zealand our uncle set us up on a double date with these two guys we didn't know. when they came to pick us up it was already awkward because we weren't too excited about being set up but we didn't want to say no to our uncle so we went anyways. we all went bowling and then afterwards we drove out to raglan to the see the ocean. by then the awkwardness between all of us had worn off so i thought 'you know, this is cool. it's not as bad as i thought it would be.' but i spoke to soon. on our drive back home i sat in the passenger seat and my cousin, tabi, sat in the backseat with her date. the road back was winding and i could tell it was making tabi car sick because she was dead silent the whole way back. i asked her if she was ok and she said yes. right when we were pulling up into our uncle's driveway i heard tabi throwing up in the back seat. she opened her door, jumped out, and finished throwing up on the side of the road. i got out to help her. she walked into the house to clean up while i stayed outside with both our dates. it was so awkward because they were probably so grossed out that one of us had just thrown up in their car and with us already not knowing each other that well they probably didn't know if they could joke around to lighten the situation or how to comfort my cousin and let her know everything was ok...

...so the two boys and i just stood outside the front door in silence. so awkward. what do you say?

finally tabi opened the front door and i thought, 'yes, i'm saved!' i walked into the house and stood next to her. we looked at our dates, they looked at us. pure awkwardness! our quick convo went something like this...

"er..uh...sorry...th..thanks. k bye."

and before they could say anything back we shut the front door on them! bahahahahaha right then behind the closed door we both just started busting up laughing because we couldn't believe how bad that night ended...and how we didn't know what to say so we straight slammed the door in their faces.  we just thought 'oh well, it's not like we live here or we're ever going to see them again'. funny thing is, a couple years later tabi atually did run into them when she went back down there. i'm just glad i wasn't there for that mini reunion.

{ influential people }

[ list 10 people who have influenced you and describe how. ]

my mom: always taught me to 'see things as they really are'. she taught me how to clean (thoroughly). lawls. she helped stregthen my testimony when i was younger and taught me righteous things. she taught me what a mother's love is. and now that i'm older, i've learned how to truely sacrifice for those i love because of her example.

my dad: he taught me how to work hard and that i can do anything i put my mind to. i'd like to think that i got my ambition from him. he never allowed me to settle for less than my best. he's the one who really taught me about the 'real world' and how to think ahead. also, 'it's not what you know, it's who you know'. he has always been very involved in my life and went out of his way to spend time with me as his daughter.

grama Wihongi: how to give of yourself and serve others. since i can remember i've never once heard her gossip or speak badly of another. she always told me if you have a problem with someone you tell it to them, not others. also, she taught me how to sincerely pray. she use to tell me stories of how back in tonga she would pray up in their mango tree and speak to Heavenly Father as if he was right there with her. everytime i pray i always think of this story and pray as if i'm with Him face to face.

grampa Wihongi: he has always been a family man and always brings our entire family together. my family is close becasue of him. he has been one of my best examples of service in the gospel. he's alwasy been the jokester with all his grandchildren. oh ya, and he taught me how to swim...along with every single other grandchild.

grama Barlow: growing up i always wanted to be just like her. and feeling like we were similar, i always told her everything. she helped strengthen my testimony of the gospel. she didn't live near us so everytime i saw her it was like the highlight of my life!

grampa Barlow: he basically taught me everything i know about horses. i'm pretty good with directions (no matter where i'm at) because everytime we go riding in the canyon with him i always have to know my north/souh/east/west and where we're going.

my husband: i've alwasy been my happiest 'self' with him. his laugh and bigger than life personality is contagious! he's taught me to love life, and to not sweat the small stuff.

my son: he taught me what true sacrifice is. once he was born, i wanted to be [ my best ] so that i could be [ his best ] mother. he's my motivator behide everything i do.


oprah: yes, foreals. i watched her show everyday before it stopped.  i'm inspired by how she came from nothing and made her way to the top. and that she uses her power and success to help others. she inspires me to live my best life and that i have the power to change.


Lisa: as of lately, the chick from BodyRock (she posts daily at-home-workouts). not really a fan of her recent boob job but she inspires me to workout everyday no matter how busy i am or how much i don't want to do it.

{ i now know what i'm doing }

this morning i had one of those random thoughts "why do i even do that?"

everytime i go to the store to buy a watermelon [ i act like i know what i'm doing. ]

i first look in the large pile of huge, round fruit and then promply choose my choice of method for watermelon-picking. and the method of choice usually depends on how i'm feeling that day. since being married and actually having to pick out and buy the melon (not my mother) i have devised 3 methods of picking that perfect watermelon (since i was never taught) that usually work for me....if i'm lucky.

method A) pick out the prettiest, brightest ball of green with no blemishes.

method B) knock on each watermelon and pretend like i know what kind of sound i'm looking for.

method C) close my eyes, put each hand on a different watermelon, and use my psychic powers to feel which one is the sweetest and juciest.

honestlly, i usually go with method C. and it's successful, most of the time. so either i'm really lucky....or i actually am psychic.

luckily, this morning i got put up on game by my best friend, PINTEREST. i came across a link "How To Pick A Superstar Watermelon" . now that i've found a more reliable method of watermelon picking and i now know what i'm doing, i just might have to make a quick stop at the grocery store today. and if i'm really brave i might try making 'otai...'cause last time was a FAIL.

{ my summer-sanity preparedness }

check it out...

malo to the young mommies in our ward, safi boy and i already have a good chunk of our summer planned out. for the next 3 months every tuesday and thursday we'll be doing something fun, exciting, and outside! only my husband and son know how crazy i get when stuck inside the house all day...so looks like i'll be staying sane this summer. and that's a plus for everyone in our household. lawls 

{ passions }

[ what are 5 passions you have? ]

[ horses ] since i was a baby i've been riding on the back of one. my dad's parents owned and bred horses so everytime we visited them i'd spend my days over at their place in the barn. when i was about 4 or 5 i hid in the tack room from my parents so i wouldn't have to drive back to cali with them. with my mom being poly and my dad palangi, my grampa (my dad's dad) would call me up on the phone and say "haven, you need to come to utah and learn your other culture. this summer we're going to so some seeeerious riding!" so horses are what i've known my whole life. they became my first passion. i told my husband that one of the requirements of him marrying me was that he eventually had to buy me a horse (and he couldn't eat it lawls)  but saf said we have to first buy a house before we even think about a horse....eh, i guess.

my favorite place to be since i could remember.

[ good health ] a good diet and exercise on a daily basis is my life long goal. now looking back, i think this has become so important to me because it was (and is) to my mom. she had 5 kids and still looks smoking hot...not because she does anything crazy but she just takes care of herself and her body. one of my mini obsessions is reading health and fit magazines and books, trying out new workouts, and cooking new healthy recipes. i'm not saying i'm the epitome of a 'health nut' but i do my best. i believe when you take care of yourself, you feel good about yourself. and you can't help others unless you help yourself first.

hiking with my boys. and yes, i carried this kid all the way up to the top on my shoulders. and yes, i about died.

[ wife ] this is one of my most imporant roles. it's definitley not the easiest job but it's more than worth it and one that i take seriously. i don't believe you can be a good spouse or have a successful marriage if you're not passionate about it...because anyone whose ever been married knows how much work and effort you have to put into making a happy marriage. it doesn't just magically happen.

this knucklehead.

[ mother ] this is my other most important role. when i had my son, i felt whole and complete. i felt like i found my calling in life. everyday i always find myself pondering all the things i want to teach him and the man i hope he becomes. i only want the best for him and my future children, and i'd do anything to ensure this for them.

i can't believe my son use to be this small! tear. i need another baby. asap.


[ create ] i love to create and add my own personal touch to anything and everything! and i love to be inspired by other's creativity. whether it's decorating, designing, drawing, painting, scrapbooking, photography...i love to to it all! i can get lost for hours while working on a project and listening to my music. it's very therapeutic for me.

collage assignment (that represents my personality) made in one of my art classes.


{ dream job }

[ what is your dream job and why? ]

my dream job would be to start a therapy program for abused girls and women using horses to help them heal and overcome issues that have arised within themselves due to the abuse they have experienced.

if money wasn't an issue and i had the means, i would have a huge equestrian center built with either cabins or a large house where the girls/women could stay on site. Each girl would be partnered with her own horse to ride and take care of for the duration of her stay. there are countless parallels between good horsemnship and being a balanced person yourself. and anyone who has ever been abused knows how 'unbalanced' life can feel. i'd have various workshops and classes where the girls learn how to not only ride but more importantly learn self-confidence, empowerment, healthy relationships, trust, assertiveness, how to love themselves, and personal freedom.

why? ...because horse are my passion and because in a way, this is my own life story. horses were and are one of the ways i coped and overcame my own issues and past so i would want to share that with others because i know it could do the same for them. i believe that no girl or woman should have to carry the burden of abuse. there's always a way out and you [ can ] heal wholly. waking up every morning and doing something i'm passionate about while helping others is something i could do happily and willingly every single day of my life with out even getting paid for it.

{ hardest thing }

[ what's the hardest thing you've ever experienced? ]

hmm. the hardest thing?? it would probably have to be going through our whole engagement phase right before we got married. i'm not going to bother going into detail to help save time and energy for all those [ nosy ] people out there because those who [ really ] know me already know why this time was so hard for me and what [ really ] happened.

engagements...weddings...are suppose to be the happiest times for couples. but for me it was one of the hardest things i've experienced. not saying that i didn't have a lot of good times with my husband (or then, soon-to-be-husband) but there was just a whole lotta buuuull crap and drama inbetween. lol so much that things got called off the first time around. i ended up leaving to stay in New Zealand for a while to stay with fam and figure out what i really wanted -without having to listen to people constantly talking in my ear and giving me their opinion. what ever decision i was about to make was going to be the biggest (and most important) one of my life...or should i say eternity so i wanted to make sure that whatever decision i made was going to be [ mine ]...and it was going to be the [ right ] one.

long story short -despite all the nonesense and drama, the answer always remained the same. [ HE ] was still the one for me. we focused on the eternal perspective and tied the knot on September 27, 2008. even up until our wedding day the situation was not 'ideal'. it was never going to be ideal. there was never going to be that perfect time. there was no way everyone was going to be happy. the idea of my perfect, dream wedding was thrown out the window. it came down to either [ we do it ] or [ we don't ]....and [ we did ]. on my actual wedding day the only two happy moments i remember were kneeling across the altar in the temple to be sealed for time and eternity to my eternal companion.......and that night when it was just us and we were on our way to our honeymoon. everything else inbwtween those two times of that day are literally a blur to me! there were a lot of things i hated about that day. i hated my dress. i hated the photographer. i hated walking into our reception together. i hated that i had no line. i hated that i didn't dance on my own wedding day. ok, there's a lot more things 'i hated' and if i could go back there's a lot of things i would have changed if i knew what i know now but...

[ there really is no use in looking back on the things you can't change ]

 and for a while this was something that was hard for me to deal with. every wedding we went to (after our own) i always left crying and my mind filled with thoughts like...

 "their wedding was so beautiful!"

"everything turned out perfect and her dress is just gorgeous!"

"how come everything came together for their big day so easily?"

"why couldn't we have this?"

"i wish i got to pick out bridesmaid dresses."

"we did everything the right way so how come our wedding day had to be such a disaster?!"
"blahh, blah, balahhhh"

then one night Saf and i were driving home after leaving a wedding reception. we were talking about the wedding and how beautiful it was..what we liked and didn't like..ect. silently i started to cry. i guess i was just feeling a bit sorry myself and wishing i had this or that on 'our day'. my husband saw me crying and asked what was wrong. then came the 'ugly sobs' that i was trying to hold back. lol i told him how i wished our wedding day turned out differently...how i wished we had certain things on our day...and how i didn't understand why we had to go through all of that and other couples didn't. basically, life wasn't fair. ha!

then i''ll [ NEVER ] forget my husband's response...

after listening to me cry he held my hand, turned to look at me, and said in the most calmest, reassuring voice,

"you know what babe, i had the wedding of my dreams because i married you in the temple for eternity...and that's good enough for me."

right then i knew i had to let go of [ what could have been ] because i knew he already had. we were in this together and no matter what we have each other for eternity...and that's [ what matters most ]. evreything outside the temple was just worldly and the 'fill in' stuff...we did do things the right way and we had everything we needed....and that's all that mattered. nothing else.

now looking back at those memories they are more like scars, rather than open wounds. i'll always remember them but they just don't hurt like they use to.

you live and you learn. we had to go through that for a reason and we both came out better and stronger because of it....and hey, we're still together today and going stronger than ever so we must be doing something right.

{ current happiness }

[ what are the 5 things that make you most happy right now? ]

working out. it's a hate/love relationship. everytime i finally get my booty up to do it i feel so much better after and it helps me get out of that stay-at-home mommy-slump where you start to let somethings slide, like brushing your hair everyday or actually changing out of your pajamas from the previous night before hopping into bed once again. it must just be the endorphins that get to me every time.

what my workouts usually look like...this guy always messing with his mommy. ha!

having summer just around the corner. and since i'm 'just' a stay-at-home mommy for the time being, my summer is going to be filled with nothing but water, sun, sand, and hopefully traveling with my boys. i already have our entire summer planned out. ;)

thrift store shopping. i love finding crazy deals on cute clothes and other random things. it's been my new [ high ] as of lately.

peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream...or a smoothy from jamba juice...spring rolls...manioke...or whatever else that satisfies my cravings for that particular day.

just being with my boys. my hubby always has me laughing and reminds me daily what matters most. he always has his way of putting me in check everytime i start taking things too serious. ha! and my son always melts my heart everytime he looks at me with his big, brown eyes and says "mommy"...or even when he says "be nice" whenever i start to loose my patience with him. there's never a dull moment when we're all together.

just look our son's face....he thinks the world of his daddy!

...i know i'm a day behind. i'll play catch up tomorrow.

{ sixteen again }

[ List 10 things you would tell your 16 year old self, if you could. ]

"turning '16' is over-rated. 17 and 18 will be your favorite teen-years."

"girls can be friends with guys, but a guy can never be 'just friends' with a girl. you're not ging to get this when your economics teacher fills you in on this concept but he's right about this one. you'll figure out what he meant in a couple years. so you really should try and make more ( girl ) friends than ( guy ) friends."

"when you get to college PLEASE don't mess around the first two semesters. get as much school done as you can before you get married."

"spend as much time with Grama as you can. have as many of those long convos that you guys always have as you can. hug and kiss her. go riding with her. and tell her how much you love her...because you don't have that much more time with her."

"enjoy your freedom of responsibilities NOW."

"in a couple years when you decide to throw that house party while your parents are out of town....it's going to end all bad! your older cousin and her husband are going to crash it and send everyone home...and tell your parents. so plan accordingly...or better yet not have it at all. although, you will have some good laughs about that night once you're older and way past it....but you probably won't be laughing much while you're grounded."

"you are so blessed to have all your cousins as your best friends so soak it all up and make as many memories as you can...because they won't always be so near."

"don't waste your time crying over boys. especially the one you'll have next year. he really isn't as great as you think he'll be. you're going to love your future husband more than anyone else on earth and you'll be truely happy with him (and he can kick all your ex-boyfriends arses!)"

"just be [ happy ] and don't sweat the small stuff...because you're too [ blessed ] and [ beautiful ]."

(yes, that's only 9 things...but really that's all i would want to say to my 16 year old self. i wouldn't want to ruin it for myself and spill too many secrets.)

{ parents }

[ Describe your relationship with your parents. ]

growing up our relationship wasn't the best. especially during my rebel phase. lol. since growing up though i'd like to think we've smoothed out the bumps. my beautiful mama is always there to give me advice and saves me evertime i need a little break from my monster and my daddy always comes through to help me out (and he always has the best hookups). now that i'm a parent myself, i have really grown to appreciate them so much more and understand the sacrifices they have made on mine and my siblings behalf. i'll forever be grateful for the way they've raised me and the principals they've taught because without them i wouldn't be where i'm at today and enjoy the joy i feel now if it wasn't for them.

i love my mom & dad.

{ fears }

[Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.]

-i hate going to the doctors office or inside hospitals. just the smell of them inside makes me sick. not really sure why it's a fear. probably just because it's a place where they pick and probe you, run test, make you feel uncomfortable, there's sick people everywhere, and people die there.

-i hate needles, especially getting my blood drawn. when i was younger i went to the doctors and the nurse kept on missing the vein in my arm when she was trying to draw my blood. everytime she missed the vein she kept on wiggling the needle around in my arm trying to find it and causing excrusiating pain! she did the same thing to both arms and by the time she finally found a vein both insides of my forearms where bruised blue and purple. this probably is one of my reasons why i hate the doctors and hospitals.

-waking up 25 years from now and being in the same place. not necessarily physically, but not being where i planned to be, having none of my major goals accomplished, and not getting at least a couple things checked off my bucketlist. i want to make sure i do everything i can today to ensure that i don't wake up one morning feeling like i didn't do my best and do all the i could have to reach my full potential....because who wants to feel like they failed in life?

{ #1: 20 random facts about me }

-i use to hate my hair. when i was young i didn't know what to do with my super-thick-frizzy-curly-ethnic-hair...so i chopped it off a couple inches above my shoulders! wrong move! my shorter hair did not become straighter/finer (like i thought it would because that's what all the white girls' hair at my school looked like) instead the new due turned into a real frow...and i looked like a pomeranian.

-i love anything and everything coconut flavor/scent.

-i have a phobia of going to the doctors and hospitals.

-when i'm not in a rush to get anywhere, i like to drive with my left foot up on the dashboard and my seat leaned back. ok, and i never thought this was weird until just now as i typed this out on here. lawls. i don't know why i do that?? its comfortable and i've been doing it ever since i got my licence.

-i can't wait to put my son/future kids in sports! i'm going to be one of those crazy, loud moms on the sidelines wearing the team jersey, with my face painted, and an air horn. lol ....but i'm never going to be driving around a minivan.

-countries i've been to: canada, mexico, new zealand, and tonga

-countries i want to go to: fiji, spain, greece, and australia

-it's hard for me to give up my favorite pair of jeans. once i find the perfect pair that fit just right, i wear them out til the knees wear out, there's holes in the pockets, and the crotch rips! lol

-if i'm shopping for myself, i like to shop alone only.

-i'm a mixed-mutt (german-english-maori-tongan)...and i love it because i get the best of all the worlds!

-i'm an animal lovah.

-i miss dancing with hitia o te ra. i wish i stayed, at least a little longer. guess i'm just going to have to watch all my girls dance instead.

-i have the best family.

-my favorite color is crimson.

-if i could, i'd horseback ride every single day of my life.

-i love the beach...and anything else that has to do with water.

-i'm a clean-freak but if you ask my husband he'll say i'm not.

-sports i've played: soccer, basketball, swimming, and softball. i'm pertty sure if i stuck with softball through high school i could have got a scholarship somewhere. oh well.

 -when i was about 3 or 4 i crashed my grampa's cadillac.

-my husband is my best friend.