4 Things to Pass the Time

4 shows I watch:
1. Big Bang Theory
2. So You Think You Can Dance
3. Survivor
4. Ellen Degeneres

4 things I am passionate about:
1. Church
2. Rugby
3. Art
4. Music

4 phrases I say a lot:
1. For reals??
2. Son of a (hampster/motherless goat/nutcracker/etc)!!
3. This is sucks!
4. H'okay

4 things I have learned from the past:
1. Don't stress over the things you can't do anything about.
2. Prayer can lighten your load and brighten your day.
3. When baking, don't get the sugar and salt mixed up.
4. You don't have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

4 places I'd like to go:
1. New Zealand
2. The Maritimes
3. South Africa
4. Japan

4 things I did yesterday:
1. Made french toast for breakfast
2. Opened presents with my family
3. Had Christmas dinner at the church with most of the famajam
4. Played excessive amounts of card games

4 things I am looking forward to:
1. Giving Johnny his Christmas present
2. New Years
3. Next rugby season
4. Trying out the new mutes for my violin

4 things I love about winter:
1. big, chunky snowflakes
2. hot chocolate
3. ice fishing
4. freshly fallen snow

4 things on my wish list:
1. Reunion with my dad's family
2. Go to New Zealand again and spend a good chunk of time there
3. A fully stocked art studio
4. A horse.

4 people I tag:
1. You.
2. Yes, you.
3. Why do you doubt me? I mean YOU!!
4. Don't make me say this again, I choose you!

essays should be allowed to be written in blog format

There are so many things that I love about the Christmas season: the snow (in moderation), visits with the family, the food, and the music. But every silver lining has its cloud and that cloud is finals.

Right now what is killing me is the final essay I have to write for my english class. If essay writing were like blogging, I'd be set. But it's not, and that's why I just spent the enitre afternoon and evening in the library only to get two paragraphs down that I will probably end up re-writing tomorrow. On the bright side, I've been doing some really interesting readings for my research topic, but that doesn't make the writing any easier.

Anyway, enough of my complaints. I'm sure that if you have any other university friends that's all you're hearing from them as well. I just have a question to ask of you, my readers. Is it sad that today is the 16th and that I've only just set up my Christmas tree this morning?

Baby It's Cold Outside

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love the song Baby It's Cold Outside. There's been a million versions of this song and I've always loved the classics. But now I have a new favourite:



Merry Christmas!

Winter Wonderland

With the all the cold weather we've been having lately here in Alberta you would think that I of all people would be locked up in my house hidden under a warm pile of blankets. But it is not so! Life goes on in the frozen wasteland that I call home.

I feel like with all the snow, there's been so much more to do. With the arrival of all our snow, a whole bunch of things comes with it. And so I give you my list of my favourite things about winter:

- Touques! I had to break out my winter jacket last week as well as my mittens and my lovely variety of touques. My current favourite is an old ski touque that my grandpa used to wear. It's awesome because it has the Canadian flag on it.

- Hot chocolate. mmm, mmm. What better way to have your chocolate than in liquid form? I am a master at making hot chocolate. I love experimenting and finding new ways to make my favourite drink even better.

- Winter boots. And I don't mean the fashionable ones that go in and out of style (like uggs, UGH!). I mean the classic, ever practical SorelsI've found that the key to staying warm is to keep my feet warm and sometimes the cutesy little boots I own just don't cut it. I honestly love wearing the big clunky winter boots that go out of style once you leave elementary school.

- Toboganning! I may not be a huge fan of ice-skating and I may have never been snowboarding or skiing before, but I love toboganning. It's fun, it's cheap and it has so many great childhood memories attached.

- Ice fishing. Johnny was shocked when he learned that I love ice fishing. He figured that since I'm Tongan I would avoid the snow at all costs. All I can do is blame my dad. Nothing can keep him from fishing, not even minus 30 weather. He's dragged me out every winter since I was a little girl and now it's become tradition.

Cream of the Crop

Hey folks!

Just thought I'd share a little something that's got me really excited.

When I was in Primary, I had the coolest music director in the world. Legit. Her name was Ginger. I looked forward to going to church because of her. I think that my love for music started with her... Then she started the Pebble Book Club and she made reading cool! I have always looked up to Ginger and whenever she does something, I can't help but think it's the coolest thing in the world. She was super artistic, musically talented and such a great role model for any 10 year old girl to look up to.

And now, 10 years later she's still got it! I was literally just talking about how awesome she is the other day and then I get a link that leads me to this new site she's got started for her new clothing line. When I was a kid she was designing paper dolls and making up tons of fashions for them and now she's doing it for real people! I couldn't be more stoked.

So if you love me, you'll love Ginger. And if you love Ginger, you're gonna love the clothes she's made. What are you waiting for? Check out Cream now!!

Good with Money

I'm so thrifty. But I still buy too much stuff.

I think it's because I save so much that I give myself the excuse that I can splurge on some things every once in a while. Maybe I should see if I can go a week without spending money.

Dang, that would be hard! It's not like I'm a shopaholic or anything. In fact, I hardly ever go shopping just for the heck of it. Most of my money gets spent on food. If I'm too lazy to pack a lunch for school, I just buy one. If I get a hankering for some mini-blizzard love, I just pop over to the DQ next to the Institute building and buy one.

I think if I just carried around cash that would help curb the problem. I find it way harder to actually hand over cash than it is to hand over a debit card. My brain says to me, "That's not money! That's plastic." and so I think nothing of it. That is, until I get that little statement at the end of the month that shows exactly where all my money is going. It's then that I realize how much the little things add up.

But you know what? Things aren't so bad. Heck, if it weren't for Johnny, my bank statement would be so much higher than it is now!

Hooray for boyfriends.

Greetings from Ontario!

You know what's annoying? Just recently I had a totally clever topic to talk about in my next entry, but I didn't write it right away and now I've forgotten it. I know, I'm sorry. I'm a terrible bloggist. Blogger. Whatever.

But anyways, I'm in Ontario! I'm here with the rugby team and we're here for Nationals. We've played two games so far and play our final game tomorrow morning. I wish I could say we'll be playing in the final for the gold, but we just lost our game this morning, so instead we're fighting for bronze tomorrow. No big deal though. We've done a great job. We've been completely undefeated up until this point and tomorrow's game shows promise.

Anyway, enough about rugby - it's all I've been talking about for the past 2 months - here's a photo from our daytrip to Writing-On-Stone. We had great weather and tons of fun climbing around in the hoo doos. If you ever find yourself in Southern Alberta, go check it out. It's tons of fun for everyone. (And getting into the park is freeeee!)

PS - guess who got 90% on her psychology test, this girl!

Today is going to be a good day for many reasons.

1. It's Saturday! And I'm home for once!

2. I get to study for my psychology test. Seriously, I'm excited to do that. The class is so interesting that I actually enjoy reading the textbook. Would you have ever heard me say something like that if I was still a biochem major? Heck no!

3. I'm going to Writing-On-Stone. Me, Johnny and a couple other guys are making a day trip to one of the coolest places in Southern Alberta (and guess who's bringing her psych book to study on the trip). Pictures to follow, I promise.

It's going to be an adventure and a half.

PS - We won the Canada West Championship last weekend! That means we'll be going off to Nationals in Peterborough Ontario next week, woot woot!

Ooh, quick story:

So back in high school I played rugby (obviously). But my high school team wasn't very good. We didn't win too often. Although there was one year where we won a tournament in Vulcan and got a trophy and everything. So when we won last weekend, we got a trophy and a banner and medals! I was so excited to get a medal because I'd never gotten one with my high school team. However, I was at the back of the line and so by the time they got to me, they'd run out of medals! I couldn't believe it. I guess I'll have to wait til next year (or Nationals, knock on wood) to get a medal.

Writer's Block

You know, I think it's been a while since I've posted a good story. Most of my recent posts have just been accounts of what I've been up to. Just a rundown of how my day's been and then a "Peace out til next time!".

I feel like this is an injustice to my readers. You deserve a good story every once in a while. Something to make you laugh and remember why you're following my blog.

So you know what? I'm going to share an awesome story:

Next week. After we win the Canada West Championships... Did I mention we're ranked number 1 in our league?

But if you have anything you want me to talk about, let me know! Ask a question. Anything!

A Break From Rugby

You guys must be getting sick of only hearing me blab about my rugby business. Sorry, it's kind of taken over my life.

But good news! I have some non-rugby related things to talk about today.

As some of you may or may not know, one of your favourite tongans has had a birfday (Pfft, yeah cause you have more than one). Yes! Me! I've had a birfday! I have left the familiar groove of teenage-hood and have entered the twenties.

You are now reading the blog of a twenty year old. Oh barf, that sounds so boring. Maybe I'll look into getting a snazzy new design as a present to you.

But anyway! You must hear about what I did for my birfday. I mean, I've only been talking about it since Johnny and I became an item.

We went down to Vancouver for the weekend and saw Jack Johnson in concert. It was so awesome! We arrived in the coastal city on Friday morning and spent most of the day in Chinatown and exploring other parts of the city. We grabbed a bite to eat at this little Indian restaurant called Sitar (which counts as #66 on my 101). Then we went back to the hotel, grabbed our things and went off to the show.

If any of you have heard of Jack Johnson before, you'd know his music is pretty chill. So naturally, his concert was pretty chill too (and the fact that pot was being smoked everywhere probably added to the chillness of it all). But he put on a great show. He played a good mix of the favourites as well as some new ones from his latest cd which I love anyway. My favourite part was when he encored with a group of songs he wrote about/for his wife. He's so awesome! I'm just sad that I didn't end up marrying him after the concert. Maybe next time...

Technically the the concert wasn't the end of our adventure in the latest Olympic City, but really, it was. We were staying with a friend of Johnny's who lives in Surrey, an hour outside of Vancouver, so we didn't end up getting to her place until late, late, late Friday night. We slept in the next morning until 11 and chilled around the house for most of the day. We went out for sushi that night, but that was all the excitement we had on Saturday. And Sunday just consisted of us taking a plane home and arriving in L-town just in time for Thanksgiving dinner with my family.

I'll probably upoad some photos. But later. Cause I'm lazy and it seems to take forever. Maybe one of these days I'll take my laptop to school with me and upload photos while I study. Look at me being all smart!

Anyway, til next time,
Peace.

I'm a Pronghorn

On the Pronghorns we have this little book of memories that gets sent around the team. Each day after practice the book is sent home with a different girl. She fills a page with things about her and the next day in practice she gets to send it home with another girl. A couple days ago, I got to take the book home. I was so stoked. The next day I spent the afternoon carefully making my page beautiful. I'm pretty proud of what I did, so I thought I'd share it:

Photos! At Last! Love Me!

And just pretend that it didn't take me almost two weeks to upload them... heh heh, where was I? Oh yes.

And heeeerreee they are!

Our game against the UofC Dinos

Against the UVic Vikes

On the ferry from Victoria to Vancouver. We just won a million dollars.

Another ferry shot. Hands up!

What's a trip to Vancouver without the Olympic torch??

Sadly, I didn't get any shots of our game against UBC. But just know that we won :) and it was awesome.

Falling Behind

Oh my word. Three of my games have gone by and I haven't told you about any of them.

We've won all of them so far! Woot!

Our first game was in Calgary on Sunday the 19th against U of C. It was an exhibition game so coach told us to just go out there and have fun. No pressure. Except I was scared out of my mind! This was going to be my very first game in the two years since I tore my ACL and I was understandably nervous. But you know, it turned out okay. In fact, I feel like it was one of the best first games of the season that I've ever played. We won 38 - 0. Did I mention that the Pronghorns rock?

Our second and third games took place just this past weekend in beautiful British Columbia. on Friday we took a morning flight out to Victoria to play against UVic. We stomped them 64 - 0. I loved Victoria, it's so pretty out there and it also reminded me of New Zealand. On Saturday we took the ferry to Vancouver and did some sightseeing. I met up with a couple friends from high school and they took me around to see a bit of the city. It was pretty fun. Sunday was the big game day against UBC. This was the one that the whole team was anticipating. And it turned out to be a good one. It was a pretty physical game, but we came out on top with a 36 - 7 win. We got home around midnight last night. I took some pretty sweet photos, but I'll have to upload them later.

That's all I have time for right now, but I hope to get those photos up soon. Bye for now!

One for the Road

Hey friends!

I've got a bit of time to kill at the institute before Friday Forum, so I thought I'd write up a quick little blog while I wait.

Problem is, I don't have much to talk about. Maybe I'll just give you a rundown on what my week's been like. . .

Insitute started on Monday and I am loving my classes so far! I'm taking an Isaiah class with brother Wood and a New Testament class with Brother Reid. If there's anyone reading that has an opportunity to go to institute, do it! It's tons of fun and a really great way to spend an hour of your day. (Plus you get free parking)

My school classes are going well. I feel like I look like crap all the time because of my training in the mornings and then badminton class in the afternoons, I'm always in sweaty gym clothes! But on the days when I only have lectures, I make myself look pretty to make up for it. My poetry class is interesting so far. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a challenge. I sat next to this awful girl in my last class and she made the meanest, snippy comments about everything that people said! I'm never sitting by her again. I think I really like my evening psychology class. I've made two friends in there and we seem to get along really well.

I've been working hard in rugby practices and I think it's starting to pay off. The soreness has gone in my legs and it's getting easier for me to keep up with the rest of the team. Our first game is on Sunday and I'm both nervous and excited for it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Aaannd, that's my week. Sort of.

Ooh! Johnny took me out on Tuesday and we saw Despicable Me. It was so cute!

So True

With the beginning of a new school year underway, I thought I'd share this little piece of funny from xkcd

Stay cool, folks
P.S. If you can't see the whole image, try clicking on it...

GUESS WHAT

I made the team!

You are now reading the blog of the newest member of the UofL's Pronghorn Rugby team. How do you feel about that? Cause I am SUPER STOKED!!

Do you know what this means?? It means that not only is #95 on my 101 list complete, but #65 (go to 3 University Sporting events) is also going to be completed very soon. Woot woot!

95. Try Out For The Pronghorns

I'm doing it! I'm going out for the University rugby team. When I made the list, I wasn't initially planning on trying out this year because I didn't feel ready. However, my high school coach (who is also the manager of the Pronghorns) contacted me and encouraged me to try out. Last week, I got the go-ahead from my doctor and started going to practices. The first couple days were brutal; I was so sore afterward. I'm still sore, but it's getting better.

So far, I've made it past the first cuts. Today we had fitness testing and I didn't make a total fool of myself. I'll keep you posted on whether I make it. I imagine they'll have made final cuts by the end of this week.

Wish me luck!

15. Learn to Drive a Standard

First, let me give a little background on why I put this goal on my 101.

I've always wanted to go on the show, Amazing Race, and if you've never seen it, it's a reality tv competition where 11 teams of people race around the world and they travel to all these different countries and the winners get a million dollars. In most countries, they're provided with vehicles to get themselves around and they always get standards. And some of the teams lose a lot of ground because they can't drive standards. So I figure if I ever want to compete in the Amazing Race, I have to be able to drive a standard.

Johnny gave me my first standard lesson a couple days ago and I was such a nervous wreck. But I didn't crash and that's the important thing. We just drove around my block and went on a busier street for a bit and then learned how to reverse in a parking lot. I got a cookie ice cream sammich as my reward. Next lesson: highway driving.

A Step in the Right Direction

Did I ever tell you my exciting news?

I finally know what I want to do with my life! For reals!

Originally, I was majoring in biochemistry to become a pharmacist. But after I totally bombed in the chem department last semester, I decided that I didn't want to include chemistry in my life anymore. But if not pharmacy, then what?

One day my mum suggested that I should look into becoming a physiotherapist. Since I tore my ACL, I've worked a lot with physiotherapists and from what I've seen, it's a pretty good profession to get into. You get to play in a gym all day while at the same time, you feel a sense of accomplishment because you get to help people get back on their feet (quite literally sometimes).

So I took my mum's advice and took a look at what it takes to become a physical therapist. I found that there's a master's program up at the U of A that takes 25-28 months to complete. All I need is to finish my Bachelor's degree down here and then I'll be able to transfer up. I'm super excited. I just finished registering for my classes and I am all set for the fall. There is one downside to this whole situation though...

I've had to switch my major from biochemistry to kinesiology.

In case you don't know what kinesiology is, it's gym class. By definition, kinese is the study of human movement. In other words: gym class. Back when I was a biochem major, we made fun of the kinese majors and now I'm going to be one of them. Oh well.

With biochem, I worked myself into the ground. My class schedule was so loaded with lectures and labs and tutorials that I barely had time to digest anything I was learning. But now, I've got two classes in which I'm actually in a classroom and the other two are physical activity courses! On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I have resistance training in the morning and in the afternoon I get to play badminton. And these classes count towards my major! How awesome is that? And the textbook fees are going to be a fraction of what they used to be. I'll actually have money left over once I'm done paying my fees!!

You know, even though I may have to suffer some jeers from my once fellow biochemmates, it'll totally be worth it once midterm and final season rolls around. I'm gonna have a smokin' hot body from all my physical activity while they seek new ways to kill themselves to avoid lab write-ups. Boo yah.

23. Read the Book of Mormon in 2 weeks

Okay, so I may have cheated a little on this one. But only because I'd already made a goal to read it in two weeks before I made the list. When we went camping, I decided to have read the entire Book of Mormon by the time we got back.

I've only read the Book of Mormon all the way through once before and I wasn't sure I would get a lot out of it this time around because I'd be reading so fast, but I did. I really liked reading my scriptures every day because it just made my days so much better. One thing that I got out if it as I read was that I noticed all the times when the Lord blessed those who kept his commandments. God had made a covenant with the people that if they kept his commandments they would prosper in the land and His spirit would be poured out upon them. One of my favourite examples of this was in the story of the 2,000 stripling warriors. For those of you who don't know the story, I'll elaborate.

There was a Nephite named Ammon who went among the Lamanites to preach the gospel to them. He converted one of the Lamanite kings named Lamoni as well as all of his people. These people experienced a change of heart and rejoiced in the redemption they could recieve through Jesus Christ. They no longer wanted to sin and made a covenenant with God that they would never pick up their weapons of war and would shed no more blood. This became a problem because the Lamanites who weren't converted were angry with the people of Lamoni for their conversion and so they came down upon the people to battle. Because of the oath they'd made, there were many that were killed. Ammon and his brethren didn't want to see the people they loved slughtered by the Lamanites, so they took them to the land of the Nephites for refuge. The people of Lamoni were kept safe for a while and enjoyed being with their brethren in the gospel. Many years down the road, the Lamanites began terrorizing the Nephites and so the Nephites rose up in battle to protect their lives, families and liberty. The people of Lamoni wanted to help them in battle, but couldn't because of the oath they'd made for fear of losing their souls. However, their sons had not made an oath to God that they wouldn't shed anymore blood, so 2,000 of these young men picked went off to war to protect their people. Because of their faith in God, they were protected and not a single one of them died in battle.


There are a lot more cool stories that I liked, but this was one of my faves.

101 in 1001

Legend:
Black = unstarted
Orangey-Yellow = in progress
Green = complete!

1. Own a cello
2. Learn to make Marie's macapoos (oct 13, 2010)
3. Get my boat license
4. Get my full license
5. Participate in an Aquafit class
6. Read my scriptures everyday for a semester7. Make pillowcase t-shirts
8. Make a beading loom bracelet
9. Drive by myself to Fort Macleod or further (Passengers allowed, just no parents)
10. Purchase the Beatles' Revolver album
11. Participate in the Fort Macleod Triathlon
12. Sing "If I Fell" with Trudy Johnson
13. Become fluent in Tongan
14. Keep my fingernails coloured for a 3 consecutive months15. Learn to drive a standard
16. Sing a solo in church
17. Be an EFY counsellor (2011, preferably)
18. Ride a roller coaster 10 times in one day
19. Replace the camera I left in Tonga
20. Visit Selina in Logan
21. Sing "Come Together" on karaoke night22. Give wake skating a try
23. Read the Book of Mormon in two weeks24. Make a dress or skirt
25. Take a pottery class
26. Go skiing or snowboarding in the winter
27. Floss everyday for a year28. Hold a current temple reccommend (or at least be worthy for one)
29. Learn a new scripture mastery every month
30. Hike to Krypt Lake
31. Go cross country skiing
32. Do my visiting teaching every month for a year
33. Bake a loaf of bread34. Read Edgar Allen Poe's stuff
35. Buy a new CTR ring
36. wear a different pair of earrings every day for a month.
37. Draw a henna tattoo on myself
38. Renew my first aid certification
39. Don't eat chocolate for a month
40. Don't eat McDonald's for a year
41. Bring a book of constellations out star gazing and find them all
42. Try a new flavor of ice cream43. Read "A Little Princess" by Frances Hodgson Burnett
44. Donate blood the maximum number of times in one year
45. Get 100% on another test in university
46. Watch the sunrise
47. Don't watch TV for a week48. Watch the Beatles' anthology
49. Watch Nowhere Boy50. Get a new autograph on my wallet
51. Grow my hair long enough to make a wig. And donate it52. Keep my room clean for a month
53. Save up for a new winter jacket and buy one
54. Draw a picture of Shane Hawke as a superhero and mail it to him
55. Write a letter to Joel Astle while he's on his mission
56. Submit a secret to Post Secret
57. Have some special one on one time with each of my siblings
58. Submit a photo to Jones Soda
59. Get a scholarship60. Bake cookies for someone who needs it and pixie them
61. Send Patricia at least 5 letters while she's on her mission
62. Learn to make Puligi and do it on my own
63. Go paintballing
64. Make a stuffed animal
65. Go to 3 of the university sporting events
66. Find 5 restaurants I've never been to and eat there (October 2, 2010)67. Go horseback riding in the winter68. Read the Old Testament
69. Take a yoga class70. Go skydiving71. Get an autograph from the Mad Hatter in Disneyland
72. Watch A Nightmare Before Christmas on Hallowe'en
73. Read the Chris Stewart series
74. Shake an apostle's hand75. Go scuba diving
76. Make a real flower lei
77. Go to Spruce Meadows
78. Participate in a photoshoot
79. Paint something for Amber
80. Make 3 more Peace Shirts
81. Go bridge jumping
82. Unpack the last 3 boxes in my room83. Swim in a lake at night
84. Ask a complete stranger to dance
85. Learn how to change a tire
86. Learn how to change the oil in a car
87. Attend the church meeting of another religion
88. Complete 3 pull ups all by myself
89. Go ice fishing with friends
90. Buy 3 new colours of nail polish
91. Make 1000 paper cranes (9/1000)
92. Buy a decent set of oil paints
93. Make 3 new Beatles' stencils
94. Go on a double date with Cora
95. Try out for the Pronghorns96. Bring a nonmember friend to institute
97. Have a Big Bang Theory marathon
98. Memorize a Shakespeare monologue
99. Practice my violin at least once a week for two months
100. Participate in the YSA talent show
101. Go to General Conference with friends

Start date: August 13th, 2010
End date: May 10, 2013

Wish me luck!

Where The Heck Have I Been??!

BC, that's where!


Camping at one of my all time favourite places in the world, Kootenay Lake, in a little resort called Bayshore. My family and I camped there for the first time in the summer of 2007 and we've been back almost every summer since then. I love it there. I love the lake; I love Crawford Bay, the little artisan town nearby; I love the fish and chips at JB's; and I love the Riondell branch we go to for church on Sundays. When I grow up, I am going to bring my own family to camp there as well.

The trip was awesome, as expected. My favourite part was that I got to hang out with my cousin Chelsie, whom I've never really gotten to know well before. She's married and has two adorable daughters. She took me and a couple other cousins into town and we had fun searching for the best BC fruit we could find. We all had such a good time.

I have some exciting news. (okay, you may not get excited, but I sure am!) While I was camping I decided to make a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. A few of my friends have already made lists like this and I've always thought it was a good idea, but never felt like writing one myself. I'll post the list once I finish writing it...

I Want An Air Horn

Okay, I'm a nerd, I follow a webcomic. But here's one that I found really funny:


http://www.xkcd.com/

Have a nice day :)

Concerts, Blood and Farewells

I've been meaning to write something lately, but have been stuck trying to decide what to talk about. Then it hit me: I just had an awesome weekend, let's talk about that.

Friday was a good day. I was in need of some sound advice and counsel that morning because of something that had happened the day before. I didn't know where else to turn so I texted my good buddy, Brent. He called me as soon as he had the chance and we had a good heart to heart. He expressed how much he cared about me and made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I love that guy. He is the big brother I never had. While I was babysitting The Kids for the last time, Johnny came over and he also made me feel better. I have got some awesome people in my life and I am so grateful for them. After work, Johnny and I went over to McFLY's to chill for a bit before we went out to Magrath to see a concert. Air Raid Anthem was the band we saw and I must say, they put on a good show (it helped that the drummer was really pretty and took his shirt off halfway through the performance). If you decide to check them out, you should have a listen to their Tik Tok cover (Johnny's favourite) and a song called Unsolved Hystories (my favourite). After the concert our new friend, Snowman, came over to McFLY's house and we had a fun "girl's night" with me, McFLY and Snowman. We had lots of fun getting to know him while we cooked food, swapped stories and did facial masks.

Friday may have been good, but Saturday was perfection. I'd slept over at McFLY's, so together we walked back to my house and then went to donate blood with KTJ. Denise was there as well and I am happy to report that we all made full donations. McFLY donated for the first time, KTJ filled a bag for the first time, Denise finally made it past the iron test and I beat my record for the fastest donation time with 4 minutes and 19 seconds. We were all so proud of ourselves. After our fantastic performance at the blood clinic, KTJ, McFLY and I went out to the air show to check out the planes and guns and men in uniform. It was a beautiful day to be out in the sun and I got so brown =3 After the show, we went to DQ and got some ice cream. It was then that I parted ways with them to go with Johnny and hang out with B&C. Since I had just talked to Brent the day before, I was excited to see them. We just chilled with them for an hour or so and then went out to Raymond for a goodbye bonfire for Gingy. Gingy leaves for his mission on the 4th of August and I am going to miss him. The group will not be the same without him. Johnny and I came home from the bonfire around 11 and then went for a walk. It was fun; whenever we came to a turn in the road or anything, we flipped a coin to decide which way to take. Sometimes we vetoed the coin whenever we saw somewhere we wanted to go down the street. It made for a pretty goood walk. Try it sometime.

Sunday was probably my favourite day out of this weekend because the whole lot of us spent it together. I'd slept in that morning, so when Johnny came early to pick me up to go to Raymond, I got ready in half an hour. I was quite proud of myself. In Raymond, Gingy gave his last talk and we were all there to support him. After the meeting we went to his house and had some great food and some fun times just being together. When we came back to Lethbridge, we didn't just want to sit around inside while the sun was shining gloriously outside, so we went to Hendersen and had a relaxing time at the park.

This weekend was perfect. I am so grateful for the awesome group of friends I've found and I love the support we have for each other. I know that with this bunch, many more perfect weekends are sure to come.

Callouses Are Hot

I hate growing up.

Yesterday Selina and I were walking from her house to mine and all I had were the heels I wore to church. So I decided to slip off the shoes and walk barefoot. I figured it would be just like the good ol' days when I was a kid and rarely ever wore shoes.

And you know, for the first block and a half it was great. I felt like a kid again. I felt innocent and young and carefree all over again. It was pure bliss!

And then I stepped on a rock.

And another one.

And then my feet started to get raw from rubbing against the pavement.

By the time we got home, my feet were feeling pretty tender. Not to mention they were filthy.

As I washed my feet clean, I realized that I've gotten soft over the years. When I was 10, my feet were never sore from running around barefoot! When I was 10, I was probably browner than I've ever been today because I was outside all the time. When I was 10, I could probably run around the block 5 times without ever getting tired. When I was 10, I was a freaking super hero!

Yup, the elementary school years were some of the best years of my life. One of my favourite memories from those days was when the dickee-dee man would ride around the neighbourhood and I would scrounge up all my pennies for an ice cream bar that I never finished.

Nowadays, kids rarely play outside. None of them have imaginations anymore. Now they all just sit around indoors and play their videogames and facebook and look up stuff on youtube all day. When I have my own kids, I'll kick them outside everyday. I won't buy any of the new-fangled toys that take all the fun out of everything. The only thing my kids will have is a super nintendo and a big backyard to play in cause that's all I had. And look how I turned out.

Canadian, Please

I meant to put this in the last post, but forgot. Happy Belated Canada Day!

Looking for Redemption

I am a horrible person. With this whole "minimal blogging" regime I've been carrying on, I completely missed blogging about one of my favourite subjects: Canada in all its awesome glory. Canada Day has come and gone and I wasn't here to say a word about it.

Canada is the best country in the world to live in. I've been to a few other places around the globe and they are all pretty cool, but still haven't topped the true north, strong and free. Canada has got it all: free healthcare; gorgeous mountains; big lakes; Tim Horton's; and unlike the Americans, everyone loves us! If I had to list only 10 things that I love about Canada, here's what I would put (in no particular order):

1. We're bilingual. Your country automatically seems cooler if it has two official languages. Now if I could just get around to actually learning French...

2. Loonies and Toonies. For some reason, having 10 dollars in loonies and toonies makes you feel richer than if you just had a $10 bill. Plus, there's a loon on one and polar bears on the other. How cool is that??

3. Multicoloured money. I love it when Americans rip on our coloured money, and now their money is gaining some colour too. Ha! Our 5s are blue, 10s are purple, 20s green, 50s red and 100s a browny-gold.

4. Our national animal is the beaver. The Americans have the majestic eagle, the English have the fierce lion and the Canadians? The beaver. I love it. They're cute and build dams. I mean, daaaayaamm, that's legit!

5. Hockey. We've got the best national sport. Ever. Well - the Aussies picked a pretty good one too (rugby). But I could be the most patriotic, red-blooded American and you still couldn't make me sit through a game of NFL football, or - heaven forbid - baseball. I shudder at the thought of being forced to watch a baseball game. For the love of all that is good in this world, please, anything but baseball. And you know what Johnny Lingo's favourite sport is? Baseball. I nearly dumped him right then and there when I found out that lovely little tid bit.

6. Perogies. I've been pretty tight with the missionaries that have come through in our ward for the last 6 months and one thing that they all say is that they love the perogies here. Americans don't have perogies. That is a crime against humanity! No wonder they always seem so grumpy, Krispy Kremes can't satisfy like a tasty dumpling stuffed with potatoes and cheese dipped in sour cream can. Mmmmm ^-^

7. Canada's really big. The Americans one-up us on everything: Population, economy, athletics, crime... But they will never be a larger land mass than us. And with our smaller population, we've got even more room to move around. Boo yah.

8. Tim Horton's. When I came back from Australia, the first thing I saw in the airport was a Tim Horton's stand. I hadn't seen one in a month and it was like Canada was saying to me, "Welcome back, have a donut." I always feel a little swell of patriotism whenever I see a Timmy's.

9. Our flag. So simple. So distinctive. So freakin' awesome. Red, white and a maple leaf. Who'd have thought that would be the recipe for the universal symbol of cool?

10. EHHHHH!!! I actually feel proud to be a Canadian whenever I catch myself or someone else slipping that into a conversation. How do you feel about that, eh? Take off, eh! How does a Canadian spell Canada? C-EH-N-EH-D-EH.

So what would your top 10 favourite things about Canada be? Are there things on my list that you wouldn't have put? Will you forgive me for not blogging this on Canada Day?

Living the Real Life

Sorry I haven't written anything in a while, but I have been having waaaayy too much fun living in the real world.

So far this summer has been fantastic and I can tell the good times will just keep on rolling. I've found a small group of friends to do things with and it is so much fun! Whenever a hangout is in order, I know I can call on these guys to get together. It's just like what you'd see on Friends or The Weekenders. The only sad part is that two of our crew will be off to serve missions by the end of August.

Things with Johnny are going well. I brought him out to a family dinner this past Sunday and everyone was excited to meet him. I've had too many people for comfort asking about marriage, but I suppose that's the danger of dating in the Mormon community. One thing I have learned is that having a boyfriend requires a lot of maintenance. Never before have I shaved so much in my life! I do my underarms every other day and my legs get shaved at least once a week now. But I suppose it's worth it =3
And all my hard work will pay off when he takes me to see Jack Johnson in Vancouver this October!

---

PS: I got a new phone! And I hate it! Okay, maybe that's a little harsh, but nothing will ever be as good as my Motorola rokr. My new one is a Samsung Advance and it's a touch, -ick.

Out with the old: (wasn't he gorgeous!)
In with the new:

An Official Announcement

It's official. Johnny and I are "a thing", "dating", "in a relationship", whatever you want to call it.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the whole idea. Just over a week ago I was a young single lady with no attachments to anyone. Now I have a gentleman caller - a boyfriend, for those of you a little less old-fashioned.

Ooh, I think I like the sound of that: "I have a boyfriend". And I'm not just saying that to get some creeper off my back.

I now have someone to open the door for me, someone to pay for my meals at a restaurant, someone to cuddle with when I'm cold, someone to do whatever I ask of them and all I have to do is smile and look as pretty as he thinks I am. . . I could get used to this.

Life is Goooood

Guysguysguysguysguys, guess what!!

I like somebody. And he likes me back. And we're going on a date tonight.

He came over to my house last night and met my whole famajam. My dad says he's gutsy and the bros approve of him because they just want to get rid of me.

I guess I should give this mystery suitor a name. I will call him Johnny; short for Johnny Lingo. For those of you unfamiliar with Mormon culture, Johnny Lingo is a movie made by BYU about a shrewd trader named Johnny Lingo who pays eight cows for his wife, Mahana.

He's being called Johnny because when he came over for dinner on Sunday, he had two pineapples left over from the weekend, so he brought them in for us. My brothers now joke about me being only a 2 pineapple woman.

It has been a long time since I liked somebody this much and the last time was a joke because he totally led me on. So this time around, I know everything's for real - and it rocks.

What Nerve!

There are some real jerks in Lethbridge. I mean really, this is Canada here - aren't we supposed to be the friendliest freaking people on the planet?

I was going for my run this morning and feeling all good about myself for doing something healthy and then I saw a man with one leg. ONE LEG! He was hobbling along the path with his crutches and here I was running by him with my two, perfectly good legs. I felt like such an awful person just because I have both of my legs!

How dare he make me feel bad for being perfectly healthy. Maybe I'll go complain to War Amps...

Self Advertising

Hey gang. I've just uploaded a few of my more artsy vacation photos onto my deviantArt account. If you're interested you should take a look :)

deviantArt is a community for artists and art lovers alike to share their talents and reach out to each other. Essentially, it is a medium through which self expression can be achieved.

I've had my account for almost 2 years now and I am by no means an accomplished artist like some of the people I follow. But it's fun to upload some of my stuff on there and know that it is being seen rather than just getting dusty in my closet.

And I Just Can't Hide It

I have such exciting news that I've broken one of my own blogging rules just so I could tell you about it. I hate blogging before bed, but that is exactly what I'm doing.

Today was totally awesome. I went down to Great Falls to go shopping and we even hit up my favorite store of all time: ROSS. If you haven't been there, you haven't lived. Anyway, we got back into Lethbridge around 5:00 and we got to hangout with B&C who were visiting for the night. This was when I found out the very exciting news. . . B&C ARE ENGAGED!!!

I am so incredibly happy for them and I think it is so cool that I was there when they became really close friends. I was there when they started dating (I even blogged about them when they started dating). And now I can say I was there when they broke the news to their first group of friends. Everyone that was there was so happy and excited for them that I think it is certainly a sign that their enagagement is a good one.

B&C have vowed that they will still hang out with the gang once they are married. And I think they will make good on their promise because they never completely fell off the map when they started dating. They're even going to be going to be in my family ward once they're married! And I think that is so cool.

Awesome on Multiple Levels

I think I just had the amazingest weekend of my life. KTJ has had some major hate-on-boy issues this week and so me, McFLY and PS ended up at her house almost all weekend. Remember PS? I introduced him to you back in March.

If you can remember back to the time when me and PS had our little chat about Plausible (or if you've just read the blog) and you're wondering how things with Plausible have panned out, don't get too excited. Nothing happened. I think it's partly my fault because I just sort of let things die down between us. I texted him to hang out when I got home and he said he'd check his schedule and now, two weeks later I still haven't heard from him. Oh well, life moves on.

PS and I got pretty tight this weekend, but I learned my lesson with Plausible and so rather than keep quiet and make assumptions, I asked PS what exactly was going on between us. We're just friends. We have to be because he goes on his mission in less than three months. And I am fine with it; he's too short for me anyway.

My favorite part of this weekend was the new friendships made and the old ones grown closer. I got to see KTJ and McFLY go from being just two cool girls-who-happen-to-know-each-other to being really good friends. And I like to think that I helped make it happen!

Even though it has caused KTJ a lot of grief and unhappiness, I am so glad that she and the Stupid Boy have stopped hanging out. Otherwise, a weekend like this would not have happened.

I'm Lame

Sometimes it baffles me that I have any friends because I am such a dork.

Last night I dug up my journal from when I was 15 and I must say I am slightly embarrassed for myself back then. All I ever talked about was boys! And I didn't even hang out with any, I just admired from afar. Was I a creeper? Heck yes I was.

I had a crush on my seminary teacher's son back in grade 10, and looking back on the entries I wrote about him, I'm pretty sure he didn't even know I existed - or care for that matter. Yet, I knew almost everything about him, even where he lived. Like I said, I was such a creep! (the key word being was, I have changed since then)

Nowadays, I have lots of guy friends that I actually hang out with and don't fall in love with them because they have nice hair or something lame like that. I would defeinitely say that I have learned to control my emotions. And the novelty of boys has totally worn off.

But on Sunday, I got a hug from the love of my life. I actually think that we might, like, totally get married someday because we are obviously soul mates. I mean, a boy doesn't hug you unless he loves you, right? Right?? o.O

That Little Man with the Fro and Short-Shorts Stole My Moves!

Last night I went to a birfday party and I had lots of fun. Not that I'm bragging or anything... But I bet you didn't dance to a Richard Simmons workout video last night, did you?

I did. And surprisingly, I enjoyed myself. The birfday boy had used his birfday powers to make everyone participate, so I was not alone. At first I thought it was totally lame and prayed that no one was videoing me. But then I noticed that some of the dance moves we were doing are the same ones that I do. Birfday boy's mom even complimented me on my dance skillz - which I'm not so sure I should be proud of anymore...

But when you think about it, I'd never watched a Richard Simmons video until last night, so how could I have stolen lil Richie's dance moves? Therefore, the only conclusion that can be made is that he stole them from me! Furthermore, since he stole my moves and made tons of money off of them, I should get a cut of his profits.

Does anyone know a really good lawyer that I can borrow?

Consider the Lilies

I just uploaded some photos from my phone to my computer and I found one that I had to share with you.

This is a little girl I babysit named Lily. She's appeared on the blog before and I love her to bits and pieces.

I Got It From My Mama

Oh dear. I am a horrible, horrible daughter. My mother's birthday is today and I haven't gotten her anything!! And to make matters worse, Mother's Day is tomorrow and I don't have anything for that either! D= You may as well just give me the worst daughter of the year award and get it over with.

My mom is awesome. She is so calm and laid back compared to my dad - compared to most people actually. I guess that's why he married her. She balances out his Tongan temper. While my dad raised me and my brothers with an iron fist (I can't say the same for my sister), mom gave us the gentle guidance that allowed us to become more than just fearfully obedient followers. She is a humble and gracious woman and taught me how to be sensible, trustworthy, calm, patient, reliable, grateful, honest, understanding, and through her example taught me how to be a faithful member of the church. She has given me so much and has asked for so little in return. I don't know how I will ever repay her.

Maybe when she's older, I'll put her in the nicest old folk's home money can buy; as long as it's within my budget...

Still Waiting for the Daisies

I found a spring questionnaire over on Denise's blog and I thought I'd fill it out because I have some time to kill. You can too, and then maybe we'll actually start seeing some spring...

1. I know it’s spring when…
The sun is shining and another rugby season is under way.

2. Everyone knows the best Popsicle flavour is…
Chocolate ^_^ mmm... or cherry.

3. If I were designing a kite I would make it…
In a classic diamond shape. But it will have a sweet tail. Everyone knows that a good kite has a good tail.

4. My favourite part about spring is…
Smelling all the flowers. And riding my bike in the sun.

5. If it has to rain it better…
Be warm. None of this part-rain-part-slurpee crap.

6. The best barbecued food is…
A pig. And I'm not talking pork chops, I'm talking about the whole shebang. I love being Polynesian.

7. Yard work is…
The best if I can get a tan while doing it.

8. The best way to eat ice cream is…
Straight out of the container with lots of friends to share with.

9. It wouldn’t be spring without…
The sun, ice cream sandwiches and my bike.

10. This summer is going to be…
Awesome if Selina ends up coming, but still good if she doesn't.

Dub^3 Aussie Style

It's back! This time with a new twist.

For those of you who are new, Dub^3 is short for WWW which is short for the Wonderful Words of Wednesday. This is the segment in which I talk about talking. Since I've recently returned from Australia, I though it'd be appropriate to show you guys some of the Aussie words I picked up.

Even though they speak English in Australia, sometimes I felt like thay were speaking a whole different language. For example, the word, "jumper". When I was younger, my gramma used to make me little dresses that we called jumpers. So when one of my cousins told me to grab a jumper for my mom, I wondered why on earth they thought my mother would need a dress. It turns out that in Australia, a jumper is a hoodie!

The word I heard the most down there was "heaps". They use it in place of "lots" or "a lot". In fact, I don't think I ever heard them say "a lot" or "lots". For example, instead of saying, "I miss you lots!" an Aussie says, "I miss you heaps!". Or instead of asking, "Do you get a lot of snow in Canada?" an Aussie asks, "Do you get heaps of snow in Canada?". I can't tell you how many times I was asked about snow in Canada, all I know is that I got that question heaps of times.

Another word that got me confused was "football". My cousins asked me if I played football and I wasn't sure how to respond; I didn't know if they were talking about the kind of football played in the States or the kind of football the English play that North Americans refer to as soccer. When I asked them which one they meant, they told me they meant neither. When an Aussie uses the word "football" they are talking about rugby. To them, American football is called "grid iron" and English football is called soccer.

I also noticed that the Australians love to make all of their words cuter by shortening them and adding an -ie or -y ending.
"Football" = "footy"
"breakfast" = "brekky"
"barbeque" = "barby"
"television" = "telly"
"lollipop" = "lollie"
"umbrella" = "brelly"
Need I say more? One word that they didn't shorten, however, was "truck", but they still gave it an -ie ending to create "truckie". I would hate to be a truck driver in Australia. Nothing says instant demanification better than admitting that you drive truckies for a living.

Never Saw That One Coming

I have been having a lot of deja vus lately and I'm beginning to wonder if it means anything.

Am I going to die soon?? D=

Am I going to win the lottery? =D

Is my future husband going to make himself known?? =D (and is he Jarryd Hanye??)

I don't know what to think. But speaking of future husbands, or the possibility of having one...

Something weird/kinda cool happpened to me after church today. I was chatting with my buddy, John, when all of a sudden another friend of mine comes right up behind me and says, "Hey Nani, are you dating anyone?"

I looked at him funny and because I know he's already involved with someone else I said, "No. Why? Are you interested?"

He just laughed and told me he wasn't and walked off. Meanwhile, I was left standing there wondering who the heck wanted to find out about my relationship status. No one's shown any interest in me before (and if they have, I've already shot them down) and there haven't been any move-ins to the ward that I'm aware of. The only conclusion that I could make is that my new tan has brought me some new attention. I mean, it is pretty awesome if I do say so myself. Maybe I should leave the ward for a month more often...

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PS - I just tried to upload my vacation video onto youtube and it was cancelled because it was too long! That's a piss off.

Happy First of May!

Since I've been home, I have been working a lot on a video with photos and videos from our vacation. I've just put the final touches on it and am in the process of putting it on dvd to show the family. After that I want to upload to youtube and then embed the video onto my blog for all of you to see. Except, I can't quite figure out how to embed videos here.

So if anyone knows how do this, some advice or instruction would be greatly appreciated!

I kind of feel bad for not saying anything interesting in this entry, so I will leave you with something nice to look at:This is Jarryd Hayne: fullback for the Parramatta Eels and one of the best footballers in the NRL.

He is also best friends with my cousin's husband and he got us tickets to see one of his games while we were there. We also got to meet him after the game. He and I are pretty much besties now.

Better Late Than Never

As promised, here are the pictures from the remainder of the trip... Or at least, most of the remainder...

Day 19 - April 19th: Brisbane to Kempsey
We were driving again, so no photos to show. But we stopped at Surfer's Paradise and Byron Bay on our way. My favorite stop was at Byron Bay because it's just like Crawford Bay and Nelson, BC - hippies were everywhere! My brothers and I went shopping together, but I think they regretted it because I took forever in the shops.

Day 20 - April 20th: Kempsey to Sydney
We were still driving, so still no photos. As we were coming in to Sydney, we stopped at the Sydney Temple and walked around the grounds to stretch our legs. When we got back to the house, some of our cousins came by to visit and TiJ finally got to meet his Australian lookalike. When I went to Australia by myself in 2001, I met my cousin David and thought he looked like TiJ. When we came to Australia as a family, everyone that met TiJ said he looked like David, but we hadn't had the chance to meet him. And when we finally did get to see David, TiJ said he couldn't see the resemblance - of course.

Day 21 - April 21st: Shopping, Take 2
My batteries died. So no photos (I know! I really suck at this!). Me and the boys caught the train all by ourselves and went to Parramatta for one last shopping trip. We were at the same mall as before. That was when I met the clerk guy that I mentioned before.

Day 22 - April 22nd: One Last Hurrah
Yay! Photos again!
We went to see the Olympic Stadium from the 2000 Summer Olympics and it was so cool! They had poles all over out front and some of them had information about different parts of the games. One pole had the Sydney Olympic torch in it and another had bands on it to show the heights of the high jumping and pole vaulting records. I left wondering what Vancouver will do to memorialize the Olympics there.

When we got back, the boys played one last game of footy with our cousins and broke into shirts and skins for the teams. The little ones wanted to get in on the action too.

Day 23 - April 23rd: You Say Goodbye, And I Say Hello
Another day of travel, so another lack of photo. Can you blame me? As I predicted, the goodbyes were tough. It was so sad to see Gramma Mele say goodbye to my Dad. It would be nice to see her again, but with her being 86 and on the other side of the world, the odds are against us. We had an evening flight, so when we arrived in Tonga, it was 2am. Although it was the middle of the night, it was a balmy 27 degrees celsius. Our Uncle Misi met us at the airport and brought us to his home; the place where dad grew up. It was pretty cool to see it after he's been telling us about it all our lives.

Day 24 - April 24th: A Whole New World
I awoke to the crow of a rooster and mosquitoes in my ear and I knew I wasn't in Sydney anymore - let alone Kansas. There were chickens and children and dogs running around the yard, people spoke very little english and I knew I was in for a culture shock. We went to the beach that morning and collected seashells and the boys went spearfishing for the first time. In the evening we went to the plantation where we were shown how to prepare banana leaves to be used for cooking and how to husk a coconut. After my first day in Tonga, I could tell I would like it.
On the beach by our hotel (or beside the beach if you want to get technical)

TiJ the spearfisherman.

Heating the banana leaves.

Husking a coconut.

Day 25 - April 25th: Checking Out The Island
It was a beautiful day and we would have swam - except it was Sunday. So we drove around the island instead and saw the sights after church. First we went to the blowholes. In Hawaii they have a couple blowholes, but in Tonga there is a whole coastline of blowholes. The waves crash up against them and it really makes you respect the power of the ocean. After the blowholes we went to the Temple in Nuku'alofa and snapped a few photos. Me and mom snuck off to meet the temple president, Elder Eric Shumway. Mom knew him back from when she was a student at BYU and he was the president. Then when she came to visit Tonga in 1986, the Shumways were there as he served as Mission President and she stayed with them. When Mom heard that he was there again this time as the Temple President, she had to go say hello. Elder Shumway was really cool and you could feel the love he has for the Tongan people. When we finished meeting with the Shumways, the family got going again and we made one last stop at the Ha'amonga; the Tongan equivalent of Stonehenge. It was really cool. TiJ even climbed to the top of it.
Beside the blowholes.

With the Shumways.

Before the Ha'amonga.

Atop the Ha'amonga.

Day 26 - April 26th: Rain, Rain, Go Away!
It rained all day. But luckily we were in Tonga and not Canada, so it was still warm while it poured. The boys had camped on the beach the night before and got drenched. They'd originally planned to stay another night, but changed their minds. I went out to see them on their beach and my cousins showed me all the different mollusks along the shore that could be eaten. I even tried a few of them. Once we got sick of being rained on, we went to the fale (house) and played cards for most of the evening. And ate. We also ate.
Playing cards.

Chewing on some sugar cane.

Fishing in the rain.

Day 27 - April 27: The Final Goodbye
The rain finally let up in the morning and the day turned out to be sunshiney and beautiful. So naturally, we hit the beach. Mom and I finally got to go snorkelling and the boys went spear fishing one last time. We saw a lot of beautiful fish and we even found Nemo! TiJ and Keanu speared a few fish and Keanu got an octopus too; it was really cool. Since our flight didn't leave until 9, we had lots of time to to stay at the beach and soak up some final rays.
Poor Maile, she didn't get to swim the entire trip.

Keanu and his kill.

TiJ and his dinner.

More victims.

Goodbyes at the airport.

April 27th, 8pm
Our plane landed in Calgary and Canada greeted us with 8 degree weather. I was in a skirt and flip flops.

April 28th
It rained all day and the highest it got was 4 degrees. Our tans are fading.

Today, April 29th
Still raining and still cold. There's even been some snow. FML.

Even The Best Things Come To An End

Well folks, I made it safely home and boy am I pooped! And jet lagged.

Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the awesome experiences I had on this trip of a lifetime. We got to meet and bond with our awesome cousins on the other side of the family tree. Tonga was so much fun! It was totally laid back and relaxed. Our cousins gave us whatever they could to make our stay more enjoyable. They apologized that it wasn't much; but honestly, they didn't need to do much to make us happy. I am so glad that we got to know them and see the place my dad has told us so much about. It was where he grew up!

I haven't had a chance to upload pictures yet as we got home late in the night, but when I do, you will be in for a treat.

If any family is reading, thank you so much for all you did for us! We will never forget you and we are so grateful for everything. Malo aupito! Ofa lahi atu!

Time Flies

Boo! :(

Why does that have to be true? My awesome vacation is nearly at an end, but I still feel as though we've just got here (except for the fact that I am noticeably browner). We leave for Tonga in two days and then four days after that we leave for Canada. I have missed my friends, but I'd much rather be here missing them than home missing my family. Not that I'm not used to goodbyes by now. We had to say goodbye to our family in New Zealand when we left there and we had to say goodbye to our family in Brisbane when we came back to Sydney. It's just really gonna suck when we have to say goodbye to the Sydney clan. But let's get off this depressing note so I can tell you what I did today...

I went shopping :) It was just me and the bros. I never thought that I'd go on a shopping trip with my brothers, but I guess anything is possible in the land down under. Dad gave us 50$ to add to what we already had before we left and we spent it all at the mall. Yay. In one shop I was chatting with the clerk and when he found out I was Canadian, he got all jealous and said, "I bet you go skiing and snowboarding all the time!". I got a little embarrassed and told him that I've never been. The only winter sport I've done is toboganning - if that counts. He couldn't believe that I live in Canada and I have never been skiing or snowboarding. And that got me thinking: why haven't I ever hit the slopes? It's just like some of the people around here. Me and my family have been out sightseeing and doing things that the locals have never done. I suppose it's because they live here and can do it whenever they want. That's the same mentality a lot of people have, isn't it?

So with that being said, I would like to make a goal for myself. While I am still young and my body is still healthy, I would like to go skiing. Or snowboarding. Either! I had the opportunity to go with some buddies back in December but I didn't take it because I thought I'd kill myself. If I ever get the chance to go again, I'm taking it. You only live once after all.

Day 18: A Photo To-Go

Sunday, April 18, 3:23pm

I'm in a parking lot. And I'm blogging. I love this mini laptop.

We went to watch my cousin Vita play his rugby match.
He's the one with the ball being awesome. It runs in the family.

Saturday, April 17, 11:09pm

Day 17 - Australia Zoo

When they say it's interactive, they really mean it.

The zoo was awesome. It was rainy but I didn't really care; I love the rain. I brought my sketchbook along and drew as many animals as I could. I loved the crocodile demonstrations and the koalas and kangaroos were so cute that I had to resist the urge to pick them up and run. I wish I could have Steve Irwin's job. Maybe I can become besties with Bindi someday...

Late Night for Me, Early Morning for You

Friday, April 16, 11:28pm

I didn't think I'd be able to give you guys some more pictures so soon, but it seems that I have luck on my side. We're staying in a hotel in Brisbane tonight and my cousin Mele has lent me her mini-laptop for the night. It's so cute I want it, but I can't tell her that or else she might give it to me - seriously. In Tonga, everyone is so generous; they are always willing to help their fellow man and it is awesome. But sometimes it can get out of hand. They will literally give you the shirt off their back if you say that you like it. But anyway, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

Day 13 - April 13: Shopping!

Waiting for our train after hitting the shops

Day 14 - April 14: Bondi

Kalo and I explored a part of the beach that I've never been to before. Check out the sweet mural action. They have awesome murals all over Australia and I am so jealous!

Day 15 - April 15: Hit the Road

Not much happened because we spent most of it driving. I also felt like crap because I'd eaten so much the night before so I didn't take many photos. Here's the hotel we stayed in that night.

Day 16 - April 16: More Driving

We arrived in Brisbane safe and sound after a long day of driving. It takes 12 hours to drive there from Sydney. We made a few pit stops along the way and here is a funny van we found when we went to Sandy Beach. Classy, eh?

So the plan for tomorrow is to go to Australia Zoo. That's the one that Steve Irwin made. Or worked in. I'm too lazy to get my facts straight right now. Either way, I'm super stoked. We're such huge fans of the Crocodile Hunter that we even named our dog, Bindi, after his daughter.

Another Bundle

Tuesday, April 13, 9:36pm

Howdy! Boy I've missed you guys. I'm still having an awesome time in Australia and I am now tanned enough that if we were to suddenly cut our trip short, I would be fine with it. Sort of. Much has happened since my last post and can only be described with photos. So here you are:

Day 6 - April 6: Hospitals and Downtown

We visited Maile in the hospital before starting our adventures. She was released later that night.

On our way home from Bondi Beach we stopped at the Sydney Football Stadium.We found a statue to play with.

Day 7 - April 7: Chillin
I spent most of the day at my cousin Kalo's house. She has the cutest siblings.

Day 8 - April 8: Sydney Harbour

We took the train out to Sydney Harbour and spent the day there. It was sweet. Here's me at the Opera House.

The Harbour Bridge just before we left.

Day 9 - April 9: Fun in the Sun

We went to Coogee beach with the cousins and had lots of fun. Here's about one tenth (maybe less) of my cousins on the Tongan side.

Day 10 - April 10: Woolongong

This day I was a total failure. I took one picture this day and it was a very unflattering photo of yours truly. So I will just tell you about this day instead. We went to a city/town/suburb called Woolongong where my cousin Mina and Uncle Pila treated us to lunch. Afterward we went to the Woolongong beach and I got tossed by some of the roughest waves I've ever met. My mom got photos that day so I might be able to show you once we get them off her camera later.

Day 11 - April 11: Kiama

Another fail. Sorry folks, I forgot to pack my camera around that day. But I took some pictures with my mom's camera which you'll be able to see once we get them off it. We had stayed the night at out cousin Mina's and that afternoon we drove south to the town of Kiama. I really liked it there and thought it had lots of character. We finally had our first fish and chips there and they were delicious!

Day 12 - April 12: A Cruise and a Rugby Match All in One Day

We met up with my Auntie Mina at Sydney Harbour and she took us on a mini-cruise where we had a buffet lunch along with a tour of the harbour. Here are a few of us that were there. And if you look closely you can see my tanlines! :D

That evening we went to a rugby Match to watch the Parramatta Eels play the Canberra Raiders. Here's my family enjoying the game. (The eels lost but it was still lots of fun.)

I haven't had a chance to upload the photos I took today, but I went shopping with my cousin Kalo and Hulu and my brother TiJ. It was lots of fun and I found some awesome bargains. Woot woot! We also saw Clash of the Titans and it was really good (it better have been because we paid $80 for admission! D=)

The plan for tomorrow is that we're going back to Bondi beach and there's a rumour that we might go see the Easter show in the evening. Apparently it's lots of fun. From what I've heard from my cousins, it's kind of like going to Whoop Up Days or the Calgary Stampede. Either way, we'll have a good day. Til next time, take care!