Why Do People Say "Aloha From Hawaii?"

Does it mean that they're in Hawaii and they're saying "Aloha?" Or are they remarking that "Aloha" is a Hawaiian word? It seems redundant that one would say that.

A lady spoke in a sacrament meeting yesterday. I don't remember what it was about, but she told a story that caught my attention. She sells quilts and jewelry and things at the PCC mission home, and their earnings goes toward students' education. One day they weren't selling enough quilts, and she and the other sister in the home prayed for the sale of quilts so they could make their earnings goal for the day to help the students. Toward the end of the day, a couple came by and bought three quilts, which satisfied their goal for the day.

That's it. That was her experience she shared. She shared that as a testimony of the Lord's hand in our lives.

Of all the testimony-bearing stories I've heard throughout my life, this one is probably one of the least effective to me. But I watched this lady's face, and she was teary-eyed; this little experience moved her. From seeing how it affected her, I've gained an even stronger realization of miracles and how the Lord is present in every aspect of our lives. I was very appreciative of it, so I decided to recognize the "little" miracles in my everyday life.

- Some nights I get so tired that I just can't wake up for Baby; if she cries, I can't even hear it. But those nights are when my mister comes to the rescue and cares for her.

- I gave Baby a bath one night and my phone fell in her bathwater, but the phone didn't short circuit, so Baby was completely unharmed. The phone was fine, too.

- The carrier came in, and the wife of the seller said that her 4-month-old didn't like it at all. Luckily, our 2-month-old does.

- My parents now have a better internet connection, so they can make more calls and write more emails than they had before. Even though that has almost nothing to do with me, I know that they were praying for that, and now I'm glad they have it.

And, of course, every day of life is a miracle in itself. I'm deeply grateful for that.

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Our Little Miracle

Ok, so here are the first pictures we have of her, courtesy of the Tafunas and Bresees. These were taken on the 16th, when she was 4 days old.

The biggest blessing has been that she was born when my parents were here. They had a stopover in Hawaii waiting for their visas so they could go to Samoa to serve a mission. They were only supposed to be here until the 6th, and Almonds wasn't due until the 25th. After lots of prayers, Almonds came on the 12th and their visas came in for the 13th. Si, my sister, was also here out of complete coincidence; she made a last-minute trip to Hawaii for the funeral of our neighbor and her old boss, and she was able to help with Almonds's delivery. This was a personal blessing for me, because if I'd want any sister to be with me when my firstborn came, it would be Si. This child's birth was a miracle if I've ever seen one.

She is the greatest joy in our lives. She is such a sweet baby: she sleeps a lot, and she only cries when she's hungry or just wants some comfort. She loves to be completely sprawled out in her bassinet; she doesn't like being snug, unless she's really cold. Nursing gets easier everyday, and now she even takes a pacifier every once in a while, at those much-needed times for us. And we still can't get over the fact that we are full-fledged parents now, to the most beautiful thing in the world.

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My First Pregnancy Picture!

I was playing on his MacBook and remembered the Photo Booth feature. It's not good quality, but it's a picture, right? So enjoy seeing me and baby at 35 weeks and 4 days!

What can a pregnant woman be for Halloween???

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Sister Sapi

It's been almost a month since she died, and I feel like I can now finally come back to reality and my friends. This entry is about her.
She was born in Samoa in 1973, and with the rest of the family moved around the United States, living many years in Hawaii and then finally settling in California. She was never married, though several proposals had come and gone throughout her life, and has no children. But being one of the oldest of 12 children, she had a myriad of nieces and nephews. She died of cancer in the pancreas on January 22 of this year, only three weeks and a few hours after she was diagnosed. Our eldest sister lost her husband of 20 years to a similar cancer just five months before Sapi passed. His passing was the reason Sapi moved back home: to help our sister and her young family with their loss.

Sapi was electric. She had a vivacity that no one else in our family could keep up with. She knew exactly how to make anyone happy, and she especially spoiled Dad. She loved her friends and did practically anything for them, and in turn they all turned to her for guidance, love, and plenty of smiles. She loved to dance and sing, especially hula. She lit the stage like phosphorous waves at midnight when she danced. She was also a really good swimmer and cook, and her cooking provided great job opportunities for her to sustain herself and give to others throughout her years.

She was a tough but good teacher at everything she knew. I learned from her to drive a car, dance hula, swim, cook, find directions around a city, flirt with guys, and serve others. I don't know that I successfully mastered the guy-flirting lessons, though. :-P I have learned two important lessons from her: love and love right, and "Don't think; just drive."

Before she was diagnosed, she knew it was her time to go. She only had one last request before she left this Earth: to be with her family one last time. Of all the people she knew and loved, her family was her number one. She requested to be buried in Hawaii near our paternal grandfather, and I am the lucky few in our family who live near her now. Her spirit radiates through us today, and I am so grateful to know that I can see her again. The losses of our sister and brother-in-law in five short months of each other have been the hardest time in our family's life, but the Gospel of the Church makes these trials so much easier and more purposeful. I get to step back and re-evaluate my life, and I realize that many things I have wanted in my life don't matter in the end. Because no matter how rich, successful, famous, talented, gorgeous, elite, or powerful I may be on this life -- if I can't be with my sister again, if our families cannot be together forever, I am nothing.

(Sapi's surviving brothers, sisters, [one nephew] and parents in front of her casket.)

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