no more FAST FOOD for me!!

       


:( yup, thats right, I SAID NO MORE FAST FOOD!! before the year 2009 ended, we decided that our new year's resolution would be to see how long we can go without EATING OUT in 2010...that means NO McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Sonic, Arby's, Wendy's, and also no eating at any restaurants either!! So even on "special" occasions when everyone else in our house goes out to eat somewhere, we get to MAKE something to eat at home!! Not only are we trying to eat a little healthier, but we are also trying to see how much $$$ we can save too. We used to spend at least $30/week just eating out, but that also included feeding our kids too...but still, why eat out when you can make something that may taste even better at home?? Anyways, we've been doing good so far...it's actually not as HARD as I anticipated it to be. My husband fell in LOVE with the THIRD POUND burgers from McDonald's, but after watching the BIGGEST LOSER, he said he doesn't want to eat another one of those ever again, but we'll see huh?? HAHA...anyways, with that said, HERE WE GO!!! :)

aNoThEr YeAr GoNe By...

Wow, I am "officially" NO LONGER IN MY 20's!! aghhhhhhhhhh...lol! I mean, it doesn't feel any different from 29, but it's the fact that the number just went up one...i guess i'm just in DENIAL of being a 30yr old! I wish I was 20 again....SOMETIMES!! But I am very happy with where I am in life right now...i have the BEST ETERNAL COMPANION, (at least I think so), and we have 3 beautiful kids that bring sooooooo much JOY into our lives, what more could I ask for right? hahaha...

Anyway...my day started out with my 8month old son waking up at 6am in his crib saying "ba ba ba ba"....in baby language, for him that means he is ready for his BOTTLE, haha! If his dad wakes up and comes to get him outta his crib, he will tell his dad, "mama mama" meaning "i want you to give ME to my MOMMY....NOW" bahahahahaha!!! this kid is too hilarious, cracks me up everytime. After waking up to change his diaper then make his bottle, I laid him back down to eat, then I went back down to shut my eyes again....then my 9yr old comes in with her GIFT for me wanting me to open it RIGHT NOW, so I had to sit up again & open it, lol. She gave me a little Valentine puppy, a bag of combos, & a marshmallow lollipop sucker that her grandma helped her pick out. We then got ready to go to church at 12:30pm, then out the door we went. Being that my birthday was on a Sunday this year, we couldn't go out to eat anywhere, but even if it wasn't Sunday, we made a NEW YEAR's RESOLUTION that we will NOT EAT OUT for this year...or at least see how long we can go without doing so!! That means, NO FAST FOOD, NO RESTAURANTS, NO ANYTHING like that!! (i'll save that for ANOTHER entry, haha) Anyways, so after church we came home and my husband made meatloaf, corn, rice, & a green bean casserole, while my daughter Kacey made the birthday cake. It was a really good birthday meal, i'd say...YUMMY!! Besides all that, my parents sent us a box of stuff for the kids, and birthday stuff for me too!! No matter HOW OLD I get, my parents still send me stuff...or maybe it's just because i'm THE ONLY child that lives MILES & MILES away from them, LOL! Either way, they still spoil me on my birthdays, haha. All in all though, I'd say I had AN AWESOME 30th BIRTHDAY!!! Thanks to my family!! And that is why I love them soooooo much!!!

...pLaYiN' vOlLeYbAlL...

                                             

Playing volleyball has been a part of my life since I was VERY, VERY young!! I grew up going to all my mom's volleyball practices when she used to coach at KAHUKU HIGH SCHOOL!! I also started playing club ball at a young age as well, and had alot of fun doing so!! When I reached junior high, I played JV my freshman year, then my mom pulled me & a couple of other girls up to Varsity my sophomore year. It was a good experience to play with the older girls! We didn't really go very far in the 3 years that I played varsity ball, but we had fun as a team. After graduating, I really wanted to go to school somewhere to play volleyball, but was also caught up in some other STUPID stuff that just got me into more trouble. Sooooo instead of going on to play ANYWHERE, i ended up helping with a club that they had out in KAHUKU. I got pregnant with my first child and put on a bunch of weight that I never knew I could gain...LOL!! Since then, I just try to go and play whenever I have the chance. Nowdays, with 3 kids, no job, & alot of time on my hands, I have the opportunity to play in a league out here in Missouri with a friend of mines from here and we just have fun!! It's like my "ME" time that my husband lets me have...thanks my love!! ;) But you know what else is funny?? 3 kids & 100 pounds later, I think I play better now than I did in highschool, bahahaha!! I'm serious though!! I actually get UP & HIT the ball, no kidding!! If i had a camera I would put pics/videos up for proof, but I also don't think that would be APPROPRIATE...haha!!

I MISS UTAH!!

In the beginning of 2001, my dad received a call from one of his missionary companions who lives in Utah. He owns his own marble fabricating company, and they make vanities, tubs, & stuff like that. Anyways, he called to see if my dad wanted to fly out to Utah & work for him for a little while & see how he likes it out there. Soooooo, with work being slow back in Hawaii at the time for him, he figured, it wouldn't HURT to TRY it out...and that is exactly what he did! He left for Utah in March of 2001, and was working for his friend. About a month later, he calls home & says that he thinks it would be good if our family moved out to Utah! **aghhhhhhh**

Being that I was born & raised in Hawaii, I didn't even want to leave, AT ALL!! That is where my FAMILY & FRIENDS were at...that is the ONLY HOME that I knew! Buuuuuuuut, I guess Heavenly Father knew that we needed some kinda "change" in our lives! At the time, it was just me, mom, my sister, & my daughter living back home at the time cause my brother JR was serving his 2yr mission in San Francisco & Alika was in the army in Texas! So we moved all our stuff out of the house, and had to start fixing it up to either RENT or SELL....it was a very SAD process cause that is the home that I grew up in ever since I was a year old!! Anyway, once all that was done, we all got on the flight to move to Utah! When we got to Utah, is was pretty HOT...a much different kinda HOT than from Hawaii. Soon after we moved out there, that is when 9/11 happened! It was such a sad, sad day! I remember I was at the doctor's office for my daughter, and it was all over the news!! What a sad time for all those people who lost their lives in that tragedy, and for the families with lost loved ones! It's pretty crazy, because now, the love of my life's birthday just so happens to fall on 9/11....and ever since what happened, he doesn't really like to celebrate HIS day anymore!

Anyhow, back on subject, we've lived in Utah ever since 2001! I met my best friend, who would soon turn out to be my ETERNAL COMPANION in July 2004, after searching for 3 years...he just didn't know it yet!! hahaha...I had to ask him out on our first date, and lucky for me, he said YES! So went to watch "WHITE CHICKS"...with my daughter & my cousin Keamalu...lol! We dated for about 1 1/2 yrs, before we got married....we then got our own place right after! We lived there in our own apartment for a little over 2 yrs, before making the decision to move out here to MISSOURI, where my husband is from.

Some of things I miss about Utah, is how CLOSE everything is!! There were grocery stores right down the street...out here, we only have 1 that is close by, and because of that, we pay an "arm & a leg" sometimes. I miss the food...i miss the OREM 9th ward...i miss having MY family nearby...i miss alot of things in Utah!! But, we are stuck here, at least until my husband gets his Bachelor's degree! Sooooo, I'm gonna make the MOST of our time out here, and make sure my kids are HAPPY!! :)

the big "30" soon!!

OMG...I can't believe that I only have a week left of being in my 20's, then I will officially be a 30yr old, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! But AGE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER anyway, right?? lol...and ofcourse, just because my husband is a little over 2 years younger than me, he WOULD BE the one counting the days until i'm, according to him, an "OLD LADY"!! hahaha, WHATEVER...without this OLD LADY, you wouldn't be the MAN you are today my love!! bahahahahaha...love you hun!! anyways, just thought i'd come & share some thoughts on how i feel about turning the big 3-0 in a week!!

..mY gOaLs FoR tHiS yEaR, 2010..

Ok, so being that it is the first month of a NEW YEAR, i'm sure that everyone has been thinking about or planning out what your goals will be for this lovely new year!! And as most of us know, we don't ALWAYS follow through with it, RIGHT?!?!? Well, this year, I'm making it MY goal to make some NEW GOALS, and to actually FOLLOW THROUGH with it this time around! First off, I have promised my children to be a better MOTHER to them!! To tell them I LOVE YOU every single day of their life, and to have a better relationship with each one of them. Secondly, I would LOOOOOOOVE to drop ALOT of this dang weight that I've gained having 3 kids, hahaha!!! Hmmmmmmm, let's see...i'm gonna be REAL about it and say that I'd like to at least lose 40-50lbs for now....and if I can accomplish that, then I'll add more to those numbers! And last, but not least...(this one pretty much goes along with #2)...my family is gonna start eating more HEALTHY this year!! Oh yah, BTW, as HUSBAND & WIFE, we have decided that we are not eating ANY FAST FOOD this year!!! whew, it's been good so far!! Alot easier than we had anticipated, so I think we will do just fine!! I think that about sums it all up for now....so, I'll have an update blog, maybe in about 3 months to see where I'm at with all this!! ;)

{{LiFe In ZiOn}}

As most of you may know, we now reside in Independence, Missouri, or as most people...the ones that live here would call it, ZION!! We moved here back in March 2008 from Orem, Utah! In February 2008, we flew out here as a family to come & surprise my mother-in-law for her birthday, and just to come & visit the family!!! Well, it must've been a good trip because when we got back home to Utah, my husband & I decided that it would be a good idea if we moved our family to Missouri so we could save some money, and possibly further our education. So we moved here on March 11, 2008, which is Tala's baby sister Lupe's birthday....not only did WE move back here, but so did the Yamauchi family, Sose & Loa! They were living in Laie, Hawaii for a couple months with Sose's family, but decided it would be better for them if they moved back to Missouri too. So.......here we all are, one BIG, HAPPY FAMILY living in ZION!! Since then, we have had an addition to our lil' family. We finally had our baby boy in May 2009!! His name is Ma'atoe Aveau Moe, and he is now almost 8 months old, but looks like he is almost 2, bahahahahahaha!! Tala is back in school now, working on getting his Bachelor's degree in Business. I am just a stay-at-home mother for now....and lovin' every second of it! Kacey is in the 4th grade at Blue Hills Elementary school, and she loves going to school!! We attend the Blue Mills ward here in Independence...i love the ward. I've made alot of NEW friends out here, and I've also grown to like it here alot more than I thought I would!! Other than all that, LIFE IS GREAT!!! Till' next time....