Live, Laugh, and Love with the Taukiuvea's

Only The Beginning

2012-06-06T13:34:00.000-06:00

May 24th also was the very first rugby scrimmage for Moleni's rugby team.

Mana vs The Lions

You would think I would have at least one picture of the team, right?

Wrong!

But I have plenty of the boys. ;)

I have to just tell you that I love the spirit of this Mana team.

They are more like a family outside of our family.

When they have BBQ's, practices, and scrimmages it is for the team and their families.

I have never gotten the feeling that any event is just for "the guys".

Kave and Courtney make it a point to share items like tents, umbrellas, chairs, water, food, etc...

and offer them up to any and all of us.

During the season we all pitch in...

*look out for one another kids

*share drinks, food, and snacks

*reserve seating if necessary

*pitch tents

*take down tents

*pick up garbage

*share first aid supplies (and pain reliever) ;)

*etc...

Kave teaches the basics of the game

and preaches team effort.

He encourages integrity from each player

and discourages fights on and off the field.

Each year it seems like we gain younger players who are new to the game

and Mana welcomes them with open arms.

Kave and Mana alike do it solely for the love of the game

and not because of their egos or winning/losing streaks. ;)

I definitely attribute all good things to Kave, his wife, and family.

They have made each summer of rugby a little easier to endure.

And these are reasons I fully support my husband

and his new love for the game and this team.

GO MANA!!!

Celebrate!

2012-06-04T14:03:00.000-06:00

May 24th was a special day for us because we celebrated eleven years of marriage.

(Yep, just as soon as I said 'eleven' I felt old.)

Moleni and I met in the fall of 1998.

I was young (19), he was younger (17) ;), but something about the two of us just clicked.

We dated for two and a half years and then in May 2001 we married.

Today we celebrate....

Happiness

Life

Family

Love

and

Unity

Happy eleven years to my baby faced, basketball playing, joke making, hard working, happy go lucky guy!

Thank you for all that you bring to our lives.

I love you with all that I am.

Three handsome boys entered the front door to my work bearing gifts.

Blessed times ten!!

You Are So Beautiful!

2012-06-04T12:56:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago I woke up to Uaks cuddled in bed next to me watching tv.

When he saw that I was awake he turned to me and said "mom?"

I responded "yes" and then he started in...

"You are so beautiful, to me. Can't you see...."

Of course my heart melted, how could it not.

Turns out that he had watched "The Little Rascals" with his auntie Whitney.

He and Ilaise found it amusing and watched it twice that day.

In our house you can hear both Uluaki and Miu sing this song sporadically.

In the above video Uluaki hesitated a little, I think he was nervous since I was filming and there were people around.

Usually he just sings his little heart out. lol!

Backseaters!!

2012-06-04T11:40:00.001-06:00

Back in December Moleni's little sister Aunofo decided to move here to Salt Lake

from The Bay Area and stay with us. She helps with the kids and brings a whole new dynamic to our family.

Whenever we go out as a family, out of respect, I sit in the backseat with my boys.

It actually gives us a chance to talk, chat, sing, ~~fight~~, and bond in ways that maybe we might not if I was riding shotgun.

Anyway, it's almost a habit that we take a picture or two (maybe three or four) on our drive and most of the time space is limited.

Yes, in the photo above they're most definitely fighting for lens space

.... and they think it's hilarious.

I love that the photo captures so much in their expressions.

Expressions.

I love them!

Las Vegas?

2012-06-04T11:26:00.000-06:00

It's no surprise that I dropped and cracked the screen of my phone. Boo!! And I had so many photos on that phone that it would not automatically save and back up like normal iPhones do. :( Anyway I think I have my most favorite photos on Instagram and I've uploaded a majority of the pictures to my work computer as well as our laptop at home so I wasn't tears at the thought of losing all my photos...
To make a long story short we took my old phone to the Apple store and bought/exchanged it for a new one. We backed up my new phone with my husbands account and I found these pictures on there from Vegas... It was a fun trip we took back in February.

Real Life COD

2012-06-04T11:19:00.001-06:00

The first part of March we went to breakfast with my dad at "the coffee shop". Ever since I was little my dad has always had a particular coffee shop where you can find him any morning on his day off. This particular morning my little family met him there and after breakfast the boys noticed these HUGE trucks parked outside. (How could we miss them, they were Humongous!) Uaki refers to anything military related as "Call Of Duty" because he and his dad love the game so much. These boys begged for a closer look and jumped at the chance to climb up onto the truck to pose for a picture or two.

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-05-08T10:44:00.003-06:00

Day 1 - 7

Day 1: peace

home from work and I got about 5 minutes of this.

Day 2: skyline

not a cloud in sight today. Beautiful!

Day 3: something you wore

a little sundress that I bought a few years ago...

an oldie but a goody.

Day 4 - fun!

Sarah's graduated from the University of Utah today

and of course we helped her to celebrate!

Day 5 - bird

Saturdays are my Sabbath and I didn't have

a chance to scope out a bird to shoot. :/ Maybe next time.

Day 6: you - me and my little man.

Day 7: someone who inspires you

Pastor Sheldon Bryan is nothing short of fabulous.

He teaches, preaches, sings, plays the piano, he's humble,

he's patient, friendly, he prays, he listens, advises, and most of all he inspires

us to "walk the walk" instead of "talking the talk".

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-19T09:07:00.001-06:00

Day 17 - something you hate: I hate sitting in a room full of people and everyone is on their phones.

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-19T09:04:00.001-06:00

Day 16 - flower: Something to brighten up the room.

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-16T10:36:00.001-06:00

Day 15 - sunset:

I know it looks a lot like a sunrise, but I think it's beautiful nonetheless.

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-16T10:09:00.001-06:00

Day 13 - something you found:

Friday I found these two lovely chairs at

a killer deal. Yes, I'm a happy camper!

Recap Tongan Youth Camp 2009

2012-04-12T19:18:00.001-06:00

Remember when I said our Tongan Youth Camp's are a big deal?
The video featured below is a video recap of our 2009 Youth camp.
Since I was little I have always enjoyed Tongan Youth Camp.
[Seventh Day Adventist Tongan Youth gathered together to praise God]

For several years, hundreds of young people travel from all parts of the U.S. to
sing, praise, worship, and have a good time in the Lord.
The video below is a recap of a short weekend (Thurs-Sun) we set aside to come together and praise God.
Since 2010, we no longer have Youth Camp, but instead
hold and annual SDA Tongan Big Camp Meeting, usually at the end of summer.
Since the change our TKM (Tala Ki Mamani) church here in Utah has decided
to host a Youth Camp and invite any and all who wish to come, learn, and participate.
Even though our camps are not as big as they once were it is still a lot of responsibility.
Maybe now, after watching the video, you can understand why I was so nervous, but God answers prayers.
And I pray that one day, if it is His will, our youth camp meetings will regain the attendance and recognition we once had and reach the youth that is still so eager to learn and have a closer relationship with Him.
God is so good!
Enjoy!!

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-12T18:54:00.005-06:00

Day 12 - stairs: These are the stairs outside the U of U Murray Campus.

I don't think I've ever really looked at them until now.

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-12T18:44:00.001-06:00

Day 11 - where you ate breakfast: Morning's are the busiest part of my day so I grub on the way to work and sip my coffee at my desk.

Scramble

2012-04-11T15:03:00.002-06:00

"Read 'em and weep, boys!"

Scramble is our latest obsession.

Have you been playing?

Mo and I have been playing whenever we have a chance

and although I'm not that good I love to play.

Mo, on the other hand, has always been good at word games so long.story.short. I never win against him.

But... the other night at 9:44 pm

I won

and this is the picture to prove it!

Yes!!!!

Another Year Older, Another Year Blessed

2012-04-11T10:53:00.002-06:00

Monday was Moleni's birthday and oh how we sometimes overlook the blessings of birthdays. I had to work that morning so I shared this with him on Facebook.

"Today on your birthday I whisper a special prayer of thankfulness to Him above Who has blessed you and continues to bless you. We sometimes take birthdays for granted but what a GREAT blessing, don't you think? I pray that today, on your birthday, you are truly blessed in more ways than one. I love you, the boys love you, and as we continue on this journey let's not take one day for granted... birthday or not. I <3 you so much!"

As soon as I got home from work the boys, Nofo (his little sis), and I made a birthday cake,

sang "Happy Birthday!"

and headed to dinner.

We all had a great time.

Happy Birthday, my love!

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-11T10:32:00.002-06:00

Day 10 - cold: A nice cold yummy treat before bed. Yum!

Tala Ki Mamani Youth Camp 2012

2012-04-10T14:19:00.000-06:00

I had a life changing experience last weekend and it took place here in Utah,

in Emigration Canyon,

at Camp Kostopolous.

We held our second annual Tala Ki Mamani Youth Camp and it was my turn to step up as a leader. I was so hesitant at first, if you know our camp meetings and all that is included they are a big deal, life changing in fact, and all of that meant a lot of responsibility. I didn't think I was ready for it, scratch that I wasn't ready, but I trusted that He would lead me through the process. I know and believe I was only able to do this through faith and I'm so happy He chose me.
I feel blessed beyond measure and my cup is overflowing.

God is making changes in my life and I'm so ready follow where He leads.

Sabbath morning right after breakfast

we were headed to Sabbath school.

During the adult Sabbath school program

Pictures like these bring back so many memories from my "prime" camp meeting days.

As much fun as camp meetings are; hanging out with friends and family I pray

that as I make the necessary sacrifices to take my boys

that their relationship with God only increases as a result.

"With God ALL things are possible."

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-10T10:28:00.000-06:00

Day 9 - a younger you: Yes, my hair is naturally strawberry brown (as my grandma used to describe) and i dye it black. A ton of people ask me why or where my boys get their brown hair so I might just have to carry this picture around with me for a while. ;) Kelo through and through.

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-10T10:23:00.000-06:00

Day 8 -The inside of your wallet: I didn't think it was safe to actually post of picture of the inside of my wallet because if you really wanted you could get a ton of personal information. So here is just a picture of my wallet. Boring, I know. :(

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-09T11:50:00.002-06:00

Day 7 - shadow: Day 7 was Sabbath and what a blessed Sabbath it was. The 7th day of the month, the 7th day of the week, and the 7th day He rested. The 7th day = the Sabbath Day.
Right before sunset I snapped this picture of my little brother, Fotu, and Samiu.

Tala Ki Mamani Youth Camp

Camp Kostopulous - Utah

April 2012

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-09T11:46:00.001-06:00

Day 6 - lunch: Day 6 was a busy day for me, preparing and packing for our camp meeting, so I didn't get a real meal until 6:30pm and this was some of what it contained. Broccoli, oranges, and cantaloupe.

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-09T11:42:00.005-06:00

Day 5 - tiny: Soon his hand will be as big as his dad's.

Samiu and daddy 2012

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-09T11:41:00.000-06:00

Day 4 - Someone who makes you happy: These three boys add happiness to my life.

Vegas 2012

Photo a Day Challenge

2012-04-09T11:32:00.000-06:00

Day 3 - Mail: I waited all day at work to see what goods we would get in the mail, but we got nothing. Then when I got home I waited until about 4:30 to check the mailbox and there was nothing so i took a picture of the empty mailbox. Just as soon as i uploaded the photo to Instagram the mailman delivered mail... of course it would play out that way. 😏