I have one more final to go and… SCHOOL’S….OUT FOR SUMMER!!!!!

I am so ready. This semester has been loooong and not an easy one. I don’t have all my grades yet, but I am fully expecting straight As. I was pleasantly surprised with an A I received from the professor from hell. I was 1.5 points shy of an A. I guess attendance counted for something because she gave me an A. I was one of just a couple in the class. Woo hoo! I’m not taking any summer courses this year because the ONE class available was that same professor and I don’t think I could survive taking another class with her so close to just ending one with her. Ugh. So in the Fall I will take 12 hours and in the Spring my last 3 hours– which is actually just an internship. I can see the light!!!!

I met my weightloss goal of 35 pounds. I actually hit 36 pounds last Thursday. I am proud of myself because I have worked hard. It’s kind of funny and sad at the same time, but I can put on the jeans I wore at my first “weigh in,” zip them, and then pull them down and off without unbuttoning or unzipping them. They are ginormous. I can’t believe I fit in them before– and had to do squats to get them loose enough so I didn’t look like white trash. lol

I turn 36 this Friday. That’s so weird. I remember when 30 depressed me and 40 seemed freakin’ old. Now I’m almost there…. lol I’m so happy with my family and life that 36 doesn’t seem like a big deal.

Taj turned 8 years old on Sept. 6. This was a special birthday because in our church the age of 8 is the age you are baptized at. Baptism is a covenant we make to follow Jesus Christ throughout our lives. When we are baptized, we take Christ’s name upon us. As Christians, we seek to follow Him in all aspects of our lives. You can read more about what we believe HERE.

Taj made the decision to be baptized and I am so proud of him for this!! Sei’s parents were able to come from California. Seiuli played a beautiful rendition he arranged of “A Child’s Prayer“, Alec spoke about baptism… I really loved the song we sang at the end- Taj picked it. (“If I Listen with my Heart”)  It was beautiful all around. I am continuously surprised by how blessed I have been when it comes to my children. I am not perfect, but I do my best. And thankfully they are such good, GOOD kids.

Wow. I’ve done so many crazy things that I can’t even begin to think of them all- or maybe I’ve blocked them out… Probably the most life changing, “crazy” thing I did was elope in Vegas with my husband!!  We had so many people telling us how to do our wedding. Don’t do it this date, don’t have a big reception, don’t invite that person, don’t rush in to it… Blah, Blah, Blah, BLAH!! So, we said “Screw it!” and eloped, pissing off pretty much everyone except for my sister who encouraged it and watched my kids while we went. Thanks again Sister. It will be 10 years on Sept. 14 and I still say it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

I gave birth without an epidural a few times. I had already done it “on accident” with Alec, but with Isabel it was by choice. I liked how powerful & “I am WOMAN!! Hear me ROAR!!” I felt afterwards. I planned to do the same with Taj, but gave in after 10 hours of pitocin-induced labor, an hour & 1/2 before I had him. And with Livie I said “Screw it. I know what it feels like and I just wanna watch Napoleon Dynamite in peace” & got the epidural right when it started hurting. She was my favorite, easiest labor & birth. So, I’m thinking the “no epidural” thing was crazy in a  “you are whacked in the head” kind of way.

There’s a lot more I could talk about, but it’s stuff but I’m gonna have to take the 5th… so I’ll just leave it at that. lol

 

May was an interesting month. It was my birthday month. May 11 I turned… 29… for the 6th year in a row. Seiuli got me a Ruger LC9. It’s the cutest little 9mm ever. I used it at my CHL class for the very first time. I was nervous since I hadn’t shot that gun yet, but I did well even though I felt like the instructor was breathing down my neck. I would have done better if he hadn’t come up to me in the middle of the test and show me a different way to hold my gun. For some reason sometimes when I shoot I overlap my thumbs. It’s not hurting anyone or messing up my shot, so I didn’t think it made a lot of sense to come try to change it mid-exam. I tried it “his way” the next round on the test and my shots sucked compared to the others. Grrrr… But whatever,  my license to carry should be arriving soon in the mail. “This is Texas. Everybody has a gun. My florist has a gun.” (What movie?)

We’ve found a range in Dallas that has Ladies Night AND gives a law enforcement discount, so we’ve gone there a few times. I shot a Glock the other day and l.o.v.e.d it. It’s too big to carry in my purse though. But I shot it well I think. These were my first 10 shots:

Tristan got really sick a couple of weeks ago. He went on a Father/Son campout with Seiuli and his brothers, then the following Saturday night he said he didn’t feel good. I left him home, sleeping, the next morning while the rest of us (minus Sei who had worked all night…) went to church. I went home mid-church to check on T. He could not move his neck. It was sore and stiff. He had a fever. His throat hurt… So I took him to Urgent Care down the street. They tested him for strep- negative. And sent us immediately to the ER. They wanted him tested for meningitis. So, my big, 16 yr old baby went to the ER for the 1st time in his life. They x-rayed his neck and head, took tons of blood and he had a spinal tap done. All the preliminary tests came back negative. They sent us home with antibiotics for… they didn’t know what. They instructed me to take him to his pediatrician the next day for a recheck. I did and they couldn’t figure anything out. He puked that evening so I kept him home Tuesday. He threw up basically all morning then felt totally fine that night. Wednesday he felt fine so I sent him to school. 1 hour later he was in the nurse’s office puking. Right when I was picking him up they had a fire drill. He puked in the parking lot in front of everyone… I took him back to the dr. They called a neurologist at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth. He said to come down. So… back to the hospital. Tristan had a shirt over his head the entire drive there and while he laid in the hospital room. They doped him up to help his head stop hurting. The neurologist came in and did tests and said he was fine, neurologically. Basically the doctors that saw him collectively decided it was a virus he was fighting off. $4 million later and he has a virus. The next day he felt 100% better. And he hasn’t been sick since then… Weird. I’m just glad he’s ok. It was not fun watching my baby get a spinal tap.

Wow, April went super fast. I can’t believe I only got one post up. Oh, who am I kidding? I am the lamest blogger ever. Honestly I used to LOVE writing and then I just got burnt out or lazy. I’m not sure which. I sit down often and start a post, but never finish it. Lame.

Anyway… Here’s the 411 on what went on in April…

My dad had his birthday. We took him to Joe’s Crabshack where they made him “dress in drag and do the hula!” (What movie?)

Tristan turned 16!! He had no interest in driving until… now. All the sudden he just had to have his permit. I have never been so thankful for the O.S. bar. Oh S#*%!!

Isabel turned 12. She had a bunch of friends over and we went on a “photo scavenger hunt.” It was all the girls against Seiuli, Taj, Tristan and Alec. The girls had so much fun!!

She didn’t have a sleepover party because the next morning- on Isabel’s actual birthday- our family participated in the WALK LIKE M.A.D.D. fundraiser walk. Our team earned $1040 for M.A.D.D.!! It was a great experience and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

My little sister, Ali,  turned 17. That’s a little insane! I don’t have a pic from her big day, but she is beautiful.

It’s now almost the end of May and I can’t remember what else went on in April… Hopefully by the end of June I will get May’s happenings posted… There was Mother’s Day, my birthday, finals, and final grades…

Lots of people have asked how Seiuli is doing since his accident. He is doing great. He went back to work full time at the beginning of May after being off for 6 weeks. His elbow is better and back to full use. He is awesome and I love him.

In January the family got to go see NUCLEAR COWBOYZ at the American Airlines Center. It was a fun show with pro-motocross athletes performing. The music was great although the dancers were kinda corny. But the tricks were pretty awesome. We’d watched motocross on TV, but seeing ATVs and motorcycles flip like that in real life was crazy!!! We had a really great time as a family.

January 25th was Livie’s 5th birthday. I still cannot believe my baby girl is 5. This was the 1st time she had a “real” birthday party with friends. She had a “princess party” planned last year, but that’s when Alec got sick, sick, sick with mono and strep.  So she’s been talking about her “big birthday party” literally for a year. So, she finally had her party. She invited 16 people and I think at least 12 were there.  She wanted a “Tangled” party based on Disney’s new Rapunzel movie.  I had Isabel, my sister, my mom and a friend’s exchange student “daughter” do hair and nails of the little princesses. They decorated crowns, played “Pin the Nose on Flynn Rider” and colored pics. It went amazingly well. I think everyone had a really fun time. It was fun decorating. We had a long “braid” of streamers coming up the stairs and I even had a long, golden braid hanging out the front window of the house so people would know they were at the right place. Livie loved it all and still tells me she “loved her party.” YAY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIVIE!!!!

Taj turned SEVEN on September 6!! We didn’t do a big party this year. All he wanted to do was go to the airport to greet the troops coming home. So, we went early that morning since it was Labor Day and there was no school. My parents came as well. (I also took the kids on Sept. 11, but Taj’s bday was our 1st time.)

After greeting the troops we met a soldier in the elevator. We told him it was Taj’s birthday and that all he wanted to do was greet the “army guys.” He was impressed and gave Taj a military challenge coin. Taj was stoked.

It was a really great day!!

Sept. 14, 2010 was my 9 year anniversary with Seiuli. We decided to go to lunch because Alec had a football game in the evening. Sei surprised me with a new ring. I am weird- I wanted to go as SIMPLE as possible. No diamond sticking up or anything. I just wanted a band. And that’s what he gave me.  My camera batteries just died or I’d take a pic. He also gave me a necklace and earrings. So sweet.

I gave him a special order C.J. Ah You jersey. Who’s C.J. Ah You?? He’s Sei’s cousin and recently made the St. Louis Rams roster!

Sei was surprised and CJ loved it. They’ve been so close their whole life so we are super proud of CJ!! This is from his wedding this past July.

Anyway, it was a great anniversary and even though there have been a lot of tough times in our marriage we have made it thru them because we love each other- a lot. We have a really strong relationship and I am so thankful for that. We have FUN together and LAUGH so much, everyday. He truly is my best friend. I am blessed.

Isabel is 11 today. It’s so crazy how fast time flies. She has always been mellow. I could take her anywhere, at any age… unlike Livie. lol She was my biggest baby, weighing in at 8.2 lbs.  I love her so much. She’s awesome, thoughtful, funny and smart.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IZZY!!!

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So, I’m startin’ to think Sei is ready for me to lose weight. He keeps tellin’ me about this diet everyone at work is doing- except for him because he never gains weight. And then today we were at a restaurant and I said I’d get a hamburger. He asked me, “So, do you want the grilled chicken…” Boo. So, it’s time to get serious. Summer is like in 2 months. I DO NOT wanna to have to buy me “fat” shorts.

My sweet Tristan was born 15 years ago today. He was this tiny 6.3 lb. conehead baby and now he’s 180 lbs., almost 5’10″,  squatting 335 lb.  CRA.ZEE.  Happy birthday Tdog!! You are awesome and I’m so proud of you!!

Friday was my dad’s birthday and this Friday is Isabel’s 11th. So… we went to PAR.TAY at Chuck E. Cheese.

I was in charge of the cake for the party. So… the cake lady at Kroger now thinks I’m insane.

TOP OF BOX

CAKE

Napoleon Dynamite pretty much rules…

Duke won. If I had made a bracket I would have at least picked the overall winner. But I never, in a million years, would have expected Butler to even be in the Final 4!! They played awesome and seriously, if my Duke wasn’t the team they were playing I would have totally been cheering for Butler. I have nothing but respect for them.

Yesterday I got all this, 12 pack of Charmin, 3 12 packs Dr. Pepper, 3 packs Stride gum, 2 Oral B toothbruses, 1 Colgate Total, The Chipmunks Squeakquel dvd, 5 packs of batteries, 2 bottles Head and Shoulders, 2 bottles Smart Rinse mouthwash, 2 bottles Dawn and 2 bottles of Cascade dishwasher soap:

Please note the dvd alone costs $24.99. I got all of this for less than $22. I know others would have done better, but I was stoked. Yay for saving money.

OH! And today I got to do some paralegal type stuff for my friend who is a lawyer. I am stoked for the opportunity. I get to start helping her as needed. Sei said now I’m gonna be like the cool chick off “The Good Wife” that does all the dirty work. I love that show- have y’all seen it?

Speaking of shows… YVONNE, did you watch “24″!?!?! Were you trippin’ the whole 2 hours too, or what?? I was yellin at the tv like a maniac!! That is all.

I went to an Easter egg hunt with Livie the other day. A friend from church hosted it at her house. Livie was so confused when I told her we were going on an Easter egg hunt because it wasn’t dark. I’ve written about our annual  nite time egg hunts and those are the only egg hunts she’s been on. lol She figured out the egg hunt really quickly and left with almost 20 eggs. Then she and Taj dyed eggs and stuff candy into plastic eggs for our nite time hunt that we’ll do on Monday. We have to move everything around because Sei works Sunday nite and the older kids will be at the ex’s til Sunday nite.  But the eggs are ready to go, yo! Now I just need to round up some flashlites…

While I was at the hunt with Livie there were a group of women talking about divorce. If you were in that group and you’re reading this don’t think for a second that I took offense to the conversation- I didn’t at all. I’m just writing about my observations. The conversation came up because we were talking about Facebook statuses and stuff and how we find out major stuff, like someone is getting divorced, via Facebook. Then they went on to talk about how marriage is like no big deal to some people and people are getting divorced right and left. All that is totally true. But being a divorced woman I also know how easily divorce can come about when only one person is working to make the marriage work. I also know how devastating divorce can be to a family and how you are stuck dealing with crap because of the decision to divorce forever- even if divorce was the right choice. It sucks eggs. I’m kinda down with going back to Biblical laws. Then I would have been a widow instead of a divorcee. haha

Monday we’ll be celebrating my dad’s birthday as well as Tristan’s. My dad’s was Friday and Tristan’s is Tuesday.  I can’t believe I’ll have a 15 year old. What a trip. And on Friday Isabel will be 11!!! I am blessed to have really good kids. And I’m excited to celebrate these bdays with them!!! I guess I should get moving on gettin’ a cake for the party Monday. And now that I’m thinking about it… I have nothing planned for Easter dinner. Sei will be sleeping or leaving for work and Taj and Liv are down with corn dogs or ramen noodles, so I guess there’s nothing really to plan. I can’t really say that is a bad thing- I don’t really like to cook. haha

Hope y’all have a wonderful Easter weekend.