Updates Updates. . . .

So I've totally fallen off the bandwagon with my blog. . . .it's so bad.  Sorry!!  :(  We've moved, once again.  LOL!!  Our internet just got transferred to the new house today & being without it over the weekend was quite hard.  I thought of all the things including my BLOG that I was missing out on, even though I haven't been on in so long.  So here I am. . . .  We're all moved in & we love our new house.  I guess the fact that we're FINALLY able to put the trampoline up 4 the kids is a BIG PLUS!! :D  And since the weather's warming up, we've been outdoors a lot more.  

We finally got our butts over to our South Jordan Rec Center & signed up 4 a couple's fitness pkg.  It's great.  We drop our 2 oldest @ school in the morning & head straight to the Rec center 4 a GREAT workout!!  I've never been one 2 WANT 2 workout with my husband.  LOL!!  I take his encouragement 2 a whole different level & instead of being happy & motivated by it, I get totally annoyed & upset.  Don't ask why cause I don't even have the answer 4 that.  Hahahaha. . . . .but I've finally gotten myself 2 a place where I view our workouts 2-gether as a little friendly competition.  We were both running side by side on the elypticals & I started 2 fall behind him without even noticing/caring for that matter.  He looked over @ me & said, "You're falling behind, honey.  Come on.  You can keep up!!"  Kinda corny, but this handsome stud of mine, after 8 going on 9 yrs of marriage still calls me HONEY!!  Hahahahaha. . . . .and I love it every time I hear it.  LOL!!  Matter of fact he just said it again so I can help him mount our headboard on the wall.  Hahahaha

On our way out of the Rec center this morning, we stopped @ the front desk & got the girls all signed up 4 different extracurricular activities.  Aaliyah will be starting in the Sunshine Generation program which 'teaches children performance techniques and skills for success by stressing five areas of development: singing, dancing, showmanship, performance skills, and self-confidence. Salote will be starting ballet lessons along with Sila.  They'll be in different classes from each other, thank goodness, cause they are placed by age group.  And Polu Marie will finally be starting gymnastics lessons.  We're totally excited 4 all of them to start on their new & extra ventures in their young lives.  It's about time.  LOL.

I will be starting real estate school 2-morrow to become a licensed agent & I know most of you might be thinking: Is she crazy?  With the economy the way it is?  And foreclosures @ an all time high?  Well, I probably am a little crazy.  LOL!!  But I also know opportunity when it comes along.  With home prices @ an all time low, it's one of the BEST times to buy a home 4 people who are in a position 2 do so.  So I truly do understand that 4 a lot of people, buying a home is out of the question.  But there's a huge market out there 4 those that are in a position 2 buy a home as well.  With that said, I'm happy 2 say that with the support of my husband, my parents, & some of my closest friends, I'm very EXCITED 2 be starting this new chapter in my life.  :D

With all that said & done, we have some very EXCITING goals that we're working on & like most everyone else. . . . .we'll just keep working towards them.  Even if some of them have to change a little on the way.  My main thing right now is to work on actually following thru with them.  LOL!!  That's always the HARDEST part 4 me.  Yet it's what separates the SUCCESSFUL from the UNSUCCESSFUL.  So I'm going 2 try my best 2 stay focused & stay on track.  This is all I have time 4 right now, but I'll do my best to keep our blog updated more frequently.  :D  

Aaliyah's Baptism. . . .

We had our daughter's baptism this past weekend & it was definitely a life changing experience.  Both for her & for us.  It's beyond me to see how fast all my kids are growing now, but I'm so excited & blessed to have them in our lives.  Aaliyah's aunties came & picked her up early Saturday morning & took her dress, shoes, jewlry & everything else she needed for HER day.  :D  They also took her to get her first REAL haircut.  She got her hair layered & she loves it!!  So her day definitely started out GREAT.  We rushed over to the stake center for her baptism & even though we were a little late, they couldn't start without her or ME for that matter since I was the first speaker up.  LOL!!  I was given the topic of BAPTISM & Hoko was given the topic of the Holy Ghost.  Boy was he a happy camper that day.  LOL!! There was a miscommunication in the stake & what we thought was just going to be our little family there turned out to be three different families with three different programs.  So the Bishop did his best in combining all three & unfortunately, I still had the honor to speak. 

We were blessed to hear a musical number from one of the brethren & (I'm sorry, but I've forgotten his name) he had me in tears as soon as he started.  I tried to keep my composure, but all the tears came streaming down my face as I pondered on how significant an event we were celebrating.  Aaliyah was making her choice to become baptized & to be accountable for her own sins.  I asked her how she was feeling & she said she was nervous, but excited at the same time to finally become a full member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Ladder Day Saints.  She also said that she was happy that she would be receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost to help her make right decisions in her life.  And all this coming out of the mouth of my little 8 yr old.  She continues to amaze me w/how strong a spirit she has.  I am so proud of her.  I'm grateful for WONDERFUL families & friends that came out to celebrate with us.  We enjoy seeing all your beautiful faces & spending time with you all.  But most importantly, Aaliyah feels so special when you all come out to celebrate with her.  

Barbara came out to her baptism as well representing our primary presidency & did a spotlight on her.  She also received a gift bag filled w/goodies that she was very excited about.  Her auntie Sheena & uncle Nick came bearing gifts as well.  She received a book on baptism as well as a poem that I'll be framing for her, & from her auntie Tina & Uncle Asi, she received a CTR ring which she loves & never takes off.  From aunties Line & Sara, she got her FAVE:  $$.  LOL!!  I tried to convince her to hand it over so we can pay some bills, but her aunts were very specific in giving her instructions not to give it to ANYONE including me.  LOL!!  We had a great time & once again, thank you all who were able to make it out.  :D

Sister Barbara Thompson

We had the wonderful opportunity last night @ our closing fireside for our women's conference to be in the presence of such a great woman.  Sister Barbara Thompson is the second counselor in the General Relief Society presidency.  She's AMAZING & I was surprised at how very humorous she is as well.  She was cracking jokes the whole night.  One minute we're cracking up laughing with her & the next, we're all in tears.  It was a great emotional roller coaster.  LOL!!  

She focused her talk on what our theme was which was D&C 88:119.  "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; & establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order."  She talked about the different ways that we can keep ourselves worthy enough to have the spirit of the Lord be with us always to guide us in our lives.  One thing that she said that stuck out to me a lot was how God puts desires in our hearts & so he would not be so cruel as to not provide a way for us to fulfill them.  That definitely hit home for me.  She stressed the importance of prayer & how it's our communication line with God.  How we don't have to go thru anyone or anything else when we get down on our knees, but how important it is that we do humble ourselves enough when turning to prayer so that the spirit of the Lord may reveal what we need in our lives.  

It was a great talk & great way to end our conference.  I'm so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who loves us so much that he provides such wonderful & inspirational leaders/people in our lives that we can turn to when we are in need.  I'm especially grateful for the restoration of the Gospel & the Book Of Mormon because it has all the answers & instructions for how our families need to be taught in order to return to Him someday.  We ran into a lot families & friends as well which made for a great end of a fireside.  We're very blessed & very grateful for all that we have, which isn't much, but is all we need.  :D   

To Be Continued. . . . .

So I'm continuing on from my previous post.  The second workshop was on Family Finances.  We received two different pamphlets.  One of them is called All Is Safely Gathered In.  It has 5 main points to the basics of family finances.  

1. Pay Tithes & Offerings - Successful family finances begin w/the pymt of an honest tithe & the giving of a generous fast offering.  The Lord has promised to open the windows of heaven & pour out great blessings upon those who pay tithes & offerings faithfully.

2. Avoid Debt - Spending less money than you make is essential to your financial security.  Avoid debt, with the exception of buying a modest home or paying for education or other vital needs.  Save money to purchase what you need.  If you are in debt, pay it off as quickly as possible.

3. Use A Budget - Keep a record of your expenditures.  Record & review monthly income & expenses.  Determine how to reduce what you spend for nonessentials.  

4. Build A Reserve - Gradually build a financial reserve, and use it for emergencies only.  If you save a little money regularly, you will be surprised how much accumulates over time.

5. Teach Family Members - Teach family members the principles of financial management.  Involve them in creating a budget & setting family financial goals.  Teach the principles of hard work, frugality, & saving.  Stress the importance of obtaining as much education as possible. 

I think one of the main things I learned from this workshop is how important it is to get your WHOLE family involved on the budgeting of your family finances.  That includes the kids.  They need to know how much money comes into the family & how much goes out so that they have a clear understanding of how money works & the essentials  of knowing how much $$ there is in the family budget for things such as McDonalds (LOL) or movies or skate nights & so forth.  It totally made sense to me.  Elder Marvin J. Ashton said, "We would not think of going one day without a budget in this Church or our businesses."  What I took from just this one quote is how very IMPORTANT it is to keep a budget.  It is very true that we would not go one day without a budget in our businesses so why not treat our family finances the same??  I've learned my lesson in this & am ready to create my family's budget & stick to it religiously.  My husband & I have agreed that we will not be spending money that we do not have in the first place.  Today was a great day filled w/life lessons & principles to live by that will help my family live a more honest life as well as a more fulfilling one.  I've very excited for the present as well as the FUTURE!!  Good things come to good people, right??  Hopefully we're part of the GOOD category.  LOL!!  We'll see.  Only time can tell, I guess.  

And the last workshop, but definitely not least was on HEALTH.  My parents, mainly my dad headed this workshop.  It was great!!  My dad knew how to target this workshop specifically to us polynesians.  LOL!!  There was a lot of talk of changing our diets to a more healthier one.  As well as a strong emphasis on a SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE or in lamen's term: being a couch potato!! Hahahahaha. . . . .that was directly from the mouth of my father who was a doctor back in the islands as well as in Australia so our health & well being is a very important factor to him.  He will be turning 56 yrs old & I can honestly say that he still works out every day of the week except Sunday.  He's a great example to me & is always reminding us when we're overdoing our eating!!  LOL!!  The main thing I learned from his workshop is that Cardiovascular Disease is the #1 cause of death here in the U.S.  How it can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle of eating right & exercising regularly.  

So all in all. . . . .today was a GREAT day.  Nothing short of awe inspiring. . . .

 

Nothing Short Of An Awe Inspiring Day!!

So I've totally been slacking on keeping my blog updated & there are definitely no excuses for that, but TRUE, HONEST TO GOD, LAZINESS.  LOL!! I hate to admit it, but I truly got a reality check today.  What am I blabbing on about. . . . .it was our annual Women's Stake Conference today & I'm happy to report that I was in attendance.  :D  

I had the opportunity to attend this FANTASTIC & VERY MUCH NEEDED event with my parents.  They had 3 different workshops each touching base on HEALTH, FINANCES, & COMPUTER SAFETY!!  I loved all 3 workshops TREMENDOUSLY w/my parents heading the health one.  But I must say that my FAVORITE one had to be the computer safety.  Sound boring??  It did to me, at first, but that's only cause I had no idea what it was really about.  Here are some really important & serious matters that I learned about in each workshop.

First off, Computer Safety:

The dangers of the internet, mainly pornography.  A quote I loved that was shared w/us is this, "Fear not, for pornography & other designs of conspiring men are signs of the times.  Technology is power.  Opposition is not only expected, but central to our agency."  Here are some of the statistics that was founded by professors @ BYU.  The study is astounding & definitely a REALITY CHECK.  Here are some of the statistics:

- The $40-60 billion industry worldwide now includes billions of pages on the internet.  The United States is the leading producer & consumer of this debasing product.

- One in five children ages 10-12 [has] received a sexual solicitation over the internet.

- Three million of the visitors to adult websites in Sept 2000 were age 17 or younger

- Sex is the number 1 topic searched on the internet

- Research indicates that by their senior yr in high school, 100% of males have viewed pornography.  In addition, the average first exposure to pornography is age 11.

- One survey of children ages 7-17 indicated that 90% of them had seen online pornography.  In another survey of 16-17 year olds, 48% said their parents knew little of nothing about what they looked at online.  The average age for an addicts first exposure is 11 yrs old. Studies also say that all male high school students have viewed it @ one time or another.

- In 95% of the cases, it is in their homes-after midnight-while the parents are asleep.

- We know younger kids, teens, use the internet for social interaction, she said, "61% of youth from 13-17 have personal profiles, & have posted pictures of themselves online."  When teens receive a call on their cell phones,"40% reply to unknown callers & share personal information.

- At a time when an estimated 8-10% of Americans are dealing w/compulsive sexual behaviors or addictions, hundreds of Church leaders & Latter-day Saint mental health professionals list pornography as the No. 1 concern for Latter-day Saint families.

- An estimated 40 million Americans regularly visit pornographic websites.  Latter-day Saint experts in the field recognize the devastating & growing impacts of the large, plague-like, epidemic.

How scary is that??  The two that caught my eye especially was how the 'average first exposures is 11 yrs old.'  Why??  Because when young men reach the age of 12, they receive the Aaronic Priesthood.  Second, how 100%, not 60% or even 80%, which are really high figures, but 100% of male seniors in high school, have viewed pornography.  Because when young men are in their senior year(s) of high school, they usually only have one more year to go before leaving on a mission.  How eye opening it was for me today to be reminded how REAL the adversary is & how hard he's working to ruin the FAMILY.  And especially how knowledgeable he is in knowing our Plan of Salvation. 

We were reminded to teach our children of the dangers of pornography.  Utilize family home evening as a time to teach our children & to keep the lines of communication open.  Be aware of what's going on in their lives.  Filter out the different contents on your computer, ex. violence, nudity, language & so forth. . . . .

I have to run w/my husband & fold our Sunday papers so I will continue my post when we get back. . . . .Until then, I hope we can all ponder  & research the dangers of this very TOUCHY & SENSITIVE subject.  This will definitely be: TO BE CONTINUED. . . .   

HAPPY NEW YEARS!! YAY FOR 2009!!

I'm so happy that another new year has come!!  It's always refreshing for me to be able to look back on the previous year & see what things need more continuous work, what things need to be let go of & what things need to be started anew on.  Hoko & I have started working on our New Years resolutions & we're continually adding to our list daily.  We've come to cherish our time together as a family as well as just HUSBAND & WIFE.  We started our paper route, AGAIN (lol), that forces us to get up every morning @ 2:30 am & return home by 6.  I love being with this MAN that I love so much!!  I'm grateful for all he does.  He continually strengthens me to strive to be better!!  He's the best SUPPORTER everr & I'm so happy that I've been blessed to have him in my life.  

Another thing Hoko & I are very excited about is being able to study the D&C this year in church.  We've never read thru the whole thing TOGETHER so this is pretty much a MILESTONE in our lives!  LOL!! So much to work towards & it brings us a TON of excitement to get started!!  Here are some pics of how we rang in the New Years!!  Enjoy!!

 

We Are All Done!!

So I'm happy to report that we've been done with our X-mas shopping since last week Tues.  Whew. . . . .now if I could just get myself going on wrapping them then we'd be all SET!!  LOL!! We're not putting them under the tree til Christmas Eve.  For any of you mothers with young, roudy little boys. . .I know you can relate.  If we put the presents under the tree any sooner than Christmas Eve, we wouldn't have anything left to open on Christmas day.  LOL!!  We've been spending a lot of time with family & we love it.  

Christmas day couldn't come any sooner since I'm dying to go tubing!!  LOL!!  It's also a day filled with movie going.  We're planning to watch Marley & Me!!  The reviews on it have been nothing short of GREAT!!  I'm so excited.  Here's some pics to enjoy.  I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas & definitely a Happy New Year.