HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!

Today is my birthday and I am...uhhhhh....yeah! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MEE! I have been greatly blessed throughout my life and for much I am very grateful. My new year resolutions have been effective thus far, but it is ONLY the 2nd week of January. HAHAHAHAHAAAAA. I have plenty more to post, but will wait til I get home to post other pictures and more insightful thoughts and feeling about turning the big...uhhhh...yeah!







~~~~SO, I officially have the BESTEST family in the world!~~~~

I mean, who really get's their very own surprise party as an adult???MEE, that's whoo!! WOOOOHOOO! I was COMPLETELY surprised. So Friday was just a regular day and on our family website it said that we would all meet up to go and eat at good ol' Chuck-A-Rama for my birthday. So, I went to work as usual and was just thinking that Chuck's would be cool and it's ALWAYS nice to be with family. So when my brother Siope called and asked me to pick little Leina from home, I agreed cause I was going to take flowers to my dad since it was his birthday too and my mom called while I was on my way to the mala'e and I said "Happy Birthday" to her too! We laughed and cried cause we decided "our life's is sucks" bahahahaha...it was just a great laughing session. Anywhoots, I pulled up to the house to get Leina and Deanna was just talking talking to me and I opened the door and the lights were off and at first I was scared...well, I guess that's the meaning of a "SURPRISE." It was great. They tied balloons to the ends of my hair and said nice things while they did so and I just really love my family. Not because they did this, but because they have ALWAYS been there for me to help lift and push me to be who I am. THEY ARE THE BESTEST!

Aloha Oe!

This is the last picture of the Laie Temple I took on my way back from the beach! It's such a beautiful temple and I'm sure after the renovations it will be even more beautiful! The rest of my last day in Hawaii is listed below with the other pictures! Aloha Oe!

This was the morning I left. I had to take a picture of the roosters that woke me every morning. They just walk around like they are on a farm. It was kinda neat to see!
I woke up this morning and wanted to
get a picture of the trees outside too! So, I did. I realized I look fabulous in the morning...all I did was get up and brush my teeth and run out the door to take this picture cause it was going to





start raining! Then after we waited for the rain to stop we went to the beach and enjoyed a swim. It started to rain, but we stayed in the water anyway and had a BLAST!

Bere's wedding!

This is the beautiful happy couple
Berenice Adolpho & Ka'ua Adolpho!

This was the most beautiful sealing I have ever been too!

Let me start off with, the fact that me and Aguilera have been friends since the mission. She is one of maybe 3 eternal friends that I have found in my lifetime. We met and from that first moment we became the bestest of friends. We've both gone our own ways and have done our own things but for some reason, no matter how much time passes or how far apart we are we ALWAYS pick up where we left off. She's been there for me through the toughest of times and I for her, so when she told me she was getting married, I was only all too happy for her and knew that I HAD to be there...no matter what! So I made plans to go and then she called me again and asked that I be her maid of honor...I know, I know, {tear...tear...sniff...sniff}. I helped with last minute things and tried my best to make her day special for her! I am so happy that she found Ka'ua, you can just tell that they complete each other! I am so proud of her and look forward to continuing our eternal friendship! Just a side note, everything that could go wrong did go wrong...it seemed as though the Devil himself was trying to stop this wedding from happening. It was interesting to see that as soon as the sealing was taking place everything else in the world seemed to stand still and EVERYTHING worked out after. They truly will raise a family to the Lord.

The happy couple coming out of the Laie Temple! The wedding line follows! ME and the Adolpho's after the wedding reception!

This is la familia Aguilera! (Jesus, Dora, Cynthia, Bere, Me, Chito and Aaron) The next two pictures are of me performing my maid of honor duties! As usual, me and Bere are having a great time. It was a great surprise to the world, when we walked out of the sealing and there was Isabelle Gonzalez, Hna. Gonzalez y su familia. (Baby Evan, Husband Christian and Isabelle)























This is Isabelle, me and Evan at my sister Hea's house in Laie. This was after the sealing and we just stopped over for a rest before the reception. The last picture is of me, Bere and Isabelle...las Hermanas de las Mision Honduras Comayaguela! KATRATCHAS!

Christmas in Hawaii

This was my first Christmas in Hawaii! I woke up and was surprised to see that there was no snow on the ground...hahaha...I was being silly for my nieces and nephews sake! Then we went camping and I took this picture in the hazy evening at the campsite of me and Teina!

These pictures were taken...ummm...today!
We went to town which took a little over an hour! I found out that the next to the stadium is a little town called Salt Lake...which I thought was noteworthy ...obviously! It was cool to see Salt Lake in the middle of Hawaii! Anywhoots...the other pictures were taken at the point in Laie...theeee MOST BEAUTIFUL place where Ocean meets land...it was beautiful!

Teina and Mosiana, Me and Mosiana

This is the point in Laie...I'm here!

What the??? am I doing!

I was posing for the camera and a bunch of tour busses came up to the point too. While I was minding my own business trying to take pictures, my sister noticed one of the tourist staring at me! I had no clue, I just kept taking more pictures...then he got a little too close for comfort and I noticed. She was laughing at me and told me to go out and talk to him....and I said 'no way' and ran into the durango...that's why I'm laughing my head off!

Melekalikimaka!

SO....here I am in the in ALOHA state!! I got in really late lastnight...at about 10:30 cause my flight was delayed in LA cause we were waiting for people from Nueva York to come on their flight and catch this flight!! My sister came to pick me up and it was great to see her and Tongamana and Teina. We drove back to Laie and it was beautiful even in the dark, it was cool and a little rainy but it was much better than Utah's COLD BLIZZARD WEATHER! I love the BEEHIVE state, but sometimes a little cold is too much cold! I love being in Hawaii with my sister and her kids! More pictures of my trip will be posted as I take them!
MELEKALIKIMAKA and MAHALO!

My Recital!

So my inspiration for my piano recital came from my niece, Salote Monica Kinikini. I have always wanted to play the piano, but I never took lessons or anything. So my niece, Lote started taking Piano late last year and I've gone to her recitals and am so impressed that she is so good, and so young. This is a picture of her at her first recital and she is just adorable. She was supposed to play at my recital but her new baby brother Taniela Niua Kinikini was born that same day, so she was with them. Lote sii reminds me of all that is good in this world, not just her but ALL of my nieces and nephews...well, all children in general!


I took a picture at my recital with little Leina, my other niece. I performed quite well, if I do say so myself. These fun pictures are of me at my niece's recital and I will post my picture as well, when I get it! I had on a formal and was ready. It was great to accomplish!(Don't mind the black/red belt...it was Christmas, so I had to add a dash of it somewhere!)

These were refreshments prepared for my recital by Siope and Liana! How sweet!



I think we have GREAT smiles...it must be the name! =) or maybe it's the cheeks! :O

One Week! This week, PIANO!

So this is a new little project that I am going to start. I entitled it,

ONE WEEK.

The title pretty much explains it all. I'm sure that you all have seen "Super Size Me," or whatever and this is actually kinda the same thing...except I am going to give myself exactly 1 week to try and accomplish things that would be useful to me. For example, yesterday after church I went home and was just lounging, like I do most Sundays, and my brother Siope was playing the piano. (Which he does quite, well)

Anywhoots, while he was playing random songs, he began to play "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven. I have ALWAYS enjoyed classical music. So, I started to think to myself, "self, why don't you learn to play the piano." I thought of all the work and what not. I taught myself when I was younger how to read notes and the keys on the piano, but not really anything spectacular. Later that same evening I found myself at the piano, just messin' around and then I asked my brother where the sheet music for Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata was and decided right then and there, that I would learn it. To my surprise I learned the first half, with some difficulty, but mostly with amazement that I could actually do something like that.

Back to the MORAL OF THE STORY...I will be giving myself until this next Sunday to have this song down and hold a small recital for myself in which, I will invite both family and friends to my personal recital of,

Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata."

Wish me luck!

Sadness

SADNESS

Noun

1.

crying - the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

Noun

1.

sorrow - an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement

Noun

1.

sadness - emotions experienced when not in a state of well-being

These definitions describe the picture above. The story behind this heart wrenching picture is that the baby, is the niece of the older girl that is carrying her. They are crying because fighting broke out in the village they live in and they were separated from their mother and grandmother. This is a picture of them looking at the bodies that were left after the fight. They were looking for their family. They did find their grandmother 3 days later, but still no sign of the little one's mother. The reunited pictures are of little children happy to be with a familiar face.

I posted this picture because I believe that once sadness touches your life, you are no longer the unadulterated, innocent person you were. Many of us face trials that mold us and usually we are old enough to know the reasoning behind what we go through...but for children to experience such heartache while still so young, is appalling.

I love this picture because it awakens me to the blessings I have in my life!

Well, I added the picture above...entitled, "SADNESS" first and then I realized something!  For every trial there is an opportunity to triumph over that which would bring us down into despair. (and so now I add to this post!)

~HAPPINESS~

  So, now I add this picture of my mom and myself as a tribute to "Happiness."  Looking at this picture you would never know the different heartaches that passed our way.  From the wisdom and genuine sincerity in my mothers smile you would have never known that she got married at 17, moved away from her family at 18, raised 10 healthy children naturally and raised them all in the Church {meaning: daily family prayer, morning and evening, daily family scripture study,  Family Home Evenings, sent out 8 missionaries, married off 10 children in the temple, only to have two return and start life again, teaching right from wrong, standing firm in her standards and never wavering in her faith.} You would never know that she also took in other children that she did not birth, and called them her own.  You would never know that she lost her husband, who was also her best friend, or that she has also lost her father and mother not to mention she only has one sister who lives in a different country and has served 5 missions for the Church.  

You see, my mother stands as beacon to all, that she has overcome despair and sadness.  The beauty she possesses comes not only from her natural attributes but from her 'ability' and 'willingness' to smile in the face of adversity!  Too often, we think of the sadness and wrong and hurtfulness of this life, that we forget that we have the 'ability' to overcome sorrow, if we are 'willing.'  While we all face sorrow and our lives are never the same, we ultimately make the decision of whether or not our lives become better or worse for that experience.  C.S. Lewis once said, "part of the happiness now will be part of the sorrow then, just as part of the sorrow now will be part of the happiness then." How great to know that we are all 'capable' of being happy...no matter the circumstance...the question then, becomes are we willing also to accept the sadness and vice versa.  I love my mom, she is my best friend and I hope to someday make her as proud of me as I am of her!

My Mom, Sister Kinikini!

This lovely lady is my Mama! She is currently serving a mission in Tonga, as a Family History/Genealogy Missionary. I love and miss her very much. She will be back in March, which will be great. Missionary work has been a big part of my upbringing. 8/10 have served missions in our home and my mom and dad ALWAYS had it planned that they would go on a mission when they retire, but my dad passed away, so my mom decided to go on her mission as planned. This is her 5th mission! I wrote a poem for her when she went on her very first mission to Tonga and I lost the original, but decided to take what I remember and re-write it!

WARNING: This is not as good as the original that I still feel in my heart, but it will do!

"A Missionary Mom"
At the airport terminal she watched quietly with tear filled eyes~
Trying her best to be prepared for when they would start with the goodbyes.
Her heart began to break as she offered this silent prayer~
"Father, please watch over my first born and keep her in your care."
Vika was called and then Hehea to Tonga, to serve and spread His word~
The worries of a mother disappeared with her unwavering faith in the Lord.
Then her oldest son was called to Salta, Argentina he would go~
All the anxiety she once knew, came again, but no one would ever know.
Once again, she turned to faith and prayer to help and get her through~
Comfort and peace would come easy, for she knew this work was true.
Then three were called,Carlsbad, Los Angeles and Oakland California, almost all at once~
Her heart strengthened each day with trust in the Lord and a renewed spirit of valiance.
Her youngest son was called to serve the people of Santiago, Chile~
She accepted the call to support and pray for him, this time ever more clearly.
She then faced heartache, through trial and triumph her testimony had grown~
Her unfaltering faith and her resilient hope, was yet something to be shown.
Then I was called, I seemed to be last, to go to Honduras, to serve~
And it seemed as though my dear little mother was on her very last nerve.
When to our surprise, she thoughtfully said that she had decided to go~
All the anxiety and heartache she once faced, now, we all came to know.
How she mentioned each of us by name, through sincere prayer each day~
Now her ten children have become the one's who kneel down and pray.
"Father, please watch over her, keep her safe as one in thine hand~
Bless those she comes in contact with and help them to understand
That we have entrusted her to thee, so that she may bless the life of another~
Father we pray with gratitude of heart that we can call her mother."