I have been the worst blogger ever this year. In an attempt to maybe redeem myself a little, I’ve put together a “year in review” post for 2011… Enjoy!!
January
- Livie turned 5 and had a “Tangled” party
Happy birthday!!
- I went back to school after a 10 year hiatus… being a mom.
I took 13 hours at Texas Woman’s University- majoring in Family Studies.
February
- Seiuli was awarded OFFICER OF THE YEAR at his PD for 2010.
He's mine.
March
- Seiuli was in a major accident at work when he was t-boned by an unobservant driver. He was off work for 6 weeks…
Wrapped around a pole
He's alive!!
- Isabel’s basketball (coached by my dad) won 1st place for the season!! Isabel led her team in steals, points and assists.
Winning!
April
- Tristan turned 16 and got his driving permit…
Driving on the road... gulp
- Isabel turned 12 and had a “Photo Scavenger Hunt” Party! So much fun!!
Take a pic of entire group at a STOP sign
- Our family formed a team for the “WALK LIKE MADD” fundraiser. We earned over $1000 in honor of Kandi and Autumn, a mom and daughter killed by a drunk driver on Easter weekend 2010. Seiuli was a police officer on the scene and also testified in the murder trial.
Our Walk Like MADD team minus Brad and Larissa...
May
- I got my CHL (concealed handgun license) and a new Ruger LC9 mm. I named my gun “JET” after Jason Terry because it’s black and can shoot.
JET
- The semester ended and I made straight As!!
- Tristan was in and out of the ER for over a week. The doctors finally decided he was fighting a virus. He eventually got completely better, but it was scary at the time.
ER visit #2
- My Mavs WON THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!! They swept the Lakers and killed the Heat!
Dirk- MVP
June
- I went to Houston with Nancy and Stacy to see NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK and BACKSTREET BOYS in concert!! It was so so so much fun!!!
Well, hello Donnie...
- My siblings and I managed to plan and throw my parents a surprise 40th anniversary party! It went awesomely and they were so grateful.We even had relatives that came from Louisiana.
My parents and the "candy bar."
July
- We took a family vacation to Destin, Florida and had an amazing time!!
My beautiful family
August
- School started for the kids and me!!! I took 13 hours again.
- Tristan is a junior in high school.
- Alec is a freshman.
- Isabel is in 7th grade.
- Taj is in 2nd.
- LIV STARTED KINDERGARTEN!! I have NO kids at home during the day!! HUGE MILESTONE!!
My big girl!!
September
- Taj turned 8 and was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
8 years old!! Baptism day
- Seiuli and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on Sept. 14. We are planning a trip to Hawaii in June to celebrate. Sooo excited!! Sooo blessed!!!!
October
- Took Isabel, my sister Ali and her friend, Maddy, to the Taylor Swift concert at Dallas Cowboys Stadium. We had a blast!!!
Taylor Swift, here we come!!!
- Had a great Halloween!!!! I went as Flo from Progressive. Liv was Rapunzel, Taj as Capt. America, Isabel as a dark fairy, Ali as a psych patient, my dad was a “spider man”, my mom Minnie Mouse and Idk wth Sei is… The older boys went out with friends… wearing white masks and dark hoodies.
November
Trunk or Treat
- Alec turned 15!!! He also made the freshman A-team in basketball. SO PROUD!!!
Go Wildcats!!!
- Isabel made A team for 7th grade!!!!
#00
- Tristan played with varsity in the playoffs at Cowboy stadium!!!
They lost
But doesn't he look cute??? - Me, Taj and Livie went to Kansas with my parents and Ali to spend Thanksgiving with my sister’s family. Sei had to work so he stayed behind and the 3 oldest were at the ex’s house…
- Taj started pre-team gymnastics and is doing great!!
December
- Finished the semester with 4 As and a B. My Earth Science class was ridiculously hard so I was thrilled with the B!
- Tristan got his drivers license. We had to wait until after football so he had time to go take the test. He did great!!
- Loving being a psycho sports spectator at my kiddos games!! We have 2-4 games a week!
- Seiuli has Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off for the 1st time in 3 years. YAY!!
I am soooo looking forward to 2012! How was your 2011??
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Don’t laugh, but here’s a pic that represents my “Dream Home.”
Gotta have the surfboards...
Maybe not an actual HUT, but I’m just not one of those people who looks at other homes and thinks, “Wow. I want that…” or “I need that big house” or anything else.
I’m not this lady:
I don’t care about material stuff. I don’t care about size or resale value or any of that other stuff I’m suppose to care about. I’ve lived in little houses, bigger houses, a small apartment, an apartment with roaches, the wilderness with a cup and a blanket… I’ve had 1 bathroom for 9 people, 3 bedrooms for 7 people…. And we were happy. I tell Seiuli all the time that I’m ready to sell everything and move to our hut in Hawaii. He can be a surf instructor and I’ll sell bobbing head turtles. I think that would be amazing– to sell everything and just go live the life you want; to quit conforming to the norm. My dream home is with my family… preferably on a beach.
Is that too much to ask?
Anyone who knows me knows that my dream vacation is to Hawaii!!! Seiuli and I are going to Hawaii next year for our 10th anniversary (which is actually in a month…) I cannot wait to hang out on the beach, LEARN TO SURF and reconnect with my man. I could pretty much be happy anywhere with a beach, but Sei lived in Hawaii for a while and he has always told me that I was born to live there. So, I think I should at the very least VISIT the place. I can’t wait!!
Another place on my list is Australia. I have been a fan of Steve Irwin, aka “The Crocodile Hunter” for years and years and I love the zoo. I really would like to visit his zoo. Sei has promised me that he will take me there some day. He would love to surf there as well, so it’s perfect!
Where would you like to travel??
Sei got the part time job I mentioned a few posts ago. It’s been such a blessing. He works between 20 and 30 hours a week writing bids for a contracting company that does things like asbestos abatement and stuff… Idk- I read that on their website. haha But he is enjoying and likes the people he’s working with. They pay him and treat him well. He started the first week of Oct. We- obviously- have a lot of lawyer bills to pay, etc…, but we decided that the 1st 2 months we were rewarding ourselves for getting thru a crappy 2009. So, for Christmas I bought- WITH CASH!!- a new washer and dryer. This is our 1st NEW washer and dryer in our marriage. I didn’t go all crazy. Just bought a basic Samsung front loader and dryer. And I bought them while they were on sale and used a 10% off coupon. I was feelin’ cool! And I LOVE my new appliances!!! The washer washes HUGE loads- which is the only kind of load I know. And dries them so well. The dryer senses how wet the clothes are and only dries til they are dry. So cool. They both play a little song for me when they are done. After 15 years of doing laundry for other people I think I deserve a new, awesome set. Not only that, but I was able to give my other washer and dryer to my brother and sister-in-law who were thrilled to not have to walk to their apartment laundry room anymore!! YAY!
For Seiul’s Christmas present he bought our very first NEW television. All of the tvs in our home are probably 10 years old and we got them all off of Craigslist. I know I said we were getting rid of cable to save money, but when we called to get it cut down to just the basic channels, they discounted our cable sooo much that we are only paying $10 more a month for almost all the channels we already had as we would be paying for 5 basic channels. Nice. We get to save $40 a month, but still have cable. What’s funny is with Sei’s new job, we never watch tv anymore. haha Anyway, now thanks to Best Buy’s great Black Friday deal, Sei and the boys are watching Sports Center on this:
YAY! Merry Christmas Sei!!
I’m not writing this post to brag at all. I know people have been praying for us to get a break and FINALLY we are. This job is such a blessing because now we can pay ALL our bills without “creative bill paying”… as I like to call it. Thank you so much to those that prayed for us throughout the last 2 years. We have had such financial and emotional turmoil and it’s so nice to get a breather. Obviously we are still FAR, FAR, FAR from rich, but making ends meet is nice change. And now, it’s down to business. We will be paying extra on our lawyer bills, etc… to get out of this hole faster. But it was fun to spend some on things we never could buy ourselves before without getting in to more debt.
We are also putting money away to celebrate our 10th anniversary a few months late. Sept. 2011 will be 10 years, but in the summer of 2012 we are hoping to take a trip to Hawaii. We looked at Royal Caribbean cruises because we went on one for our belated honeymoon back in 2002. We LOVED IT- it was amazing. Cruises are the way to go if you want to get the most for your money. But I really want to go to Hawaii, so the saving begins!! I am finally going to learn to surf, buy all the sandals I want and probably come home totally depressed!! Yay! And if we don’t do it in 2012, then we’ll do it in 2013. I’m excited.
Anyway, that’s all. I just want to say THANK YOU for all the prayers and support. We’re finally getting close enough to the lite at the end of the tunnel that we can feel it’s warmth.
Sei and I have been married 8 years. We went on a honeymoon cruise 9 months after we were married. And that was it. That’s been our extent of traveling alone pretty much. We are planning on taking another cruise or trip to Hawaii by 2011 for our 10 year anniversary. We are constantly on the lookout for cheap flights or great travel deals. Of course, our trip in 2011 is not the only reason we are looking for affordable airfare. We fly Sei’s daughters down to Texas from Canada atleast twice a year. It should be 3 times a year, but we had to forfeit our Fall visit this year because we spent all our money on attorney bills. That was lame. We are already looking for airline tickets for their spring break visit in February or April. Once we find a great deal we have to jump on it so we don’t miss it. Lowfares.com is a site I have found lately that has been instrumental in finding great deals. I’m all about saving money.
What are your travel savings tips? Would you choose a trip to Hawaii or an all-inclusive cruise? Have you visited any all-inclusive resorts? Do tell!!
Last nite Sei was watching ‘FUEL TV’- which is like an extreme sports channel. We watch it a lot because we both enjoy that kind of stuff- obviously since our son is named after a surfer (Taj Burrow). So, we’re watching Kelly Slater surf on TV. He, btw, just won his 9th ASP World Championship. I’ve written before about my relationship with Kelly. I saw him on ‘The Mickey Mouse Club’ when he was probably 16 or 17. I thought, “Wow, he’s hawt!!” and remembered his name and look forever until I saw him on “Baywatch” and thought “Wow, he can’t act, but he’s still hawt!” Fast-forward a few years, I met my surfer hubby, acted cool talking about Kelly Slater like I knew anything, and won his heart forever.
I often tell Sei that I think he looks like Kelly Slater. I wrote about it in this post last September. Anyway… I think their eyes look a lot alike, their bald heads, their fat, kissy lips… So, it doesn’t bother Sei when I tell him that Kelly Slater is hot- because I think he looks like him. I also think since I think Sei looks like him that I should be able to get a Fathead of Kelly Slater if they ever come out with one of him. But that has nothing to do with this post…. When Sei was in Hawaii (UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) he went to a home that belonged to a friend of his uncle and when the guy answered the door he almost kinda freaked out looking at Sei. Then he goes, “Oh my gosh! I thought you were Kelly Slater!” Seiuli told the guy that his wife (who was home in Texas with 5 kids) said that too! And now Livie just looked at pics of Kelly Slater on the computer and said, “It’s Daddy! It’s Daddy!!” So, seeeeeeee- it’s not just me!
In other news… this was a conversation Sei and I had last nite:
Sei: Aw man, I should have got me a necklace in Hawaii.
Me: You should have got ME a necklace in Hawaii?
Sei: (thinking I misunderstood him) I should have got me a necklace in Hawaii.
Me: You should have got ME a necklace in Hawaii?
Sei: I should have got me AND you a necklace in Hawaii.
Me: (Gives a look from hell)
Sei: I didn’t get ANYTHING for me in Hawaii.
Me: (continues to give look from hell) You freakin’ WENT to Hawaii.
Sei: (realizing he is a dork) Well… I didn’t want to bring you anything really because then it would always remind you of this trip and you’d get mad… (blah blah blah)
Me: You should have bought something and hid it so when I came to you and said, ‘Did you seriously only bring me this crappy tshirt?’ you would have been able to say, “NO! Look at this rad gift I got you.”
Sei: Next time I will.
Me: Next time? (continues to give look from hell)
Sei: (Mumbles something about Liv crying and leaves room.)
Yes, I am mean.
The end.
And Omar- I would LOVE to hear it from a male’s perspective. Because from a chick’s perspective if a rich friend asked me to go to Hawaii on a whim I would have: 1) Stressed about it and felt horribly guilty 2) Found sitters for the kids 3) Prepared meals for while I was gone 4) Paid all the bills that were due that week 5) Found back up sitters 6) Called every couple of hours and finally, 7) Brought back rad gifts.
This is what Sei had to do 1) Say “Sure rich friend, I would love to go to Hawaii with you.” 2) Pack 1 bag that he left in the driveway. 3) 3?? Yeah, right. Like there’s a 3.
Seems a little unfair.
** I am finally getting a new cell phone. I’ve had a cheapy phone from Walmart for about a year since my other cheapy phone got water damage somehow. I am getting a cool one that plays music and has a camera!! Years ago Sei was going to give me a phone for Christmas with a camera and mp3 player. The camera even has it’s own little light incase there isn’t enough indoor or outdoor lighting. I told him not to- I didn’t get why I would need a camera, etc… Then I started blogging and I understand the NEED for a camera!! So, today it should arrive in the mail and I can be a cool bloggah!
** Speaking of cell phones, Tristan asked for a camera phone for Christmas. I told him if he has straight As thru Christmas that yes- I would get him one. BUT since he will prove to me he CAN make straight As I’ll be expecting awesome grades all year. He has been a new kid. He does his homework without me BEGGING and BEATING him. He’s doing awesome- straight As so far. It’s only been like 5 weeks, but still… He wasn’t a “bad” student before at all (As and Bs) but he was LAZY and did as little as possible. Sounds sooooo much like me.
** I’ve been reading a lot of “Cop Wives” support sites online. Ok, apparently the divorce rates among law enforcement officers is really, really HIGH. It’s like the LEO are man-hos!! They cheat right and left. I guess I already knew that since there was a big thing in Utah Co. where Sei was a deputy where one of the property clerks was giving out, um… “favors”, to SEVERAL of the deputies- many of them married. When Sei told me he was so grossed out. I have a pic of her, but that would probably be bad for me to post. Let’s just say… she’s already posted on this blog somewhere years ago… There was also another married deputy getting really, really close to another female deputy and he would be in the gunlocker closet with her and stuff. Sei called him out and told him it was inappropriate and making everyone uncomfortable, etc… I was proud of him for doing that. He told the guy that he knows it would break MY heart if he was behaving like that deputy was. True dat. I’d be waiting for him in the gunlocker closet myself- with a baseball bat. 
** Livie is 2 years 8 months old and sooooooo not wanting to potty train. She knows when she’s pooping but she hides. I tried to sit her on the toilet once when I knew she was about to poop and she screamed bloody murder, stiffened her legs all weird and WOULD NOT sit. Then when I put her diaper back on her she pooped. I’ve never had one rebel against me. In fact, Taj basically trained himself. Any ideas?
Requirements to win the Bad Wife Award:
** Send your husband, who is surfing in Hawaii, text messages that say things like, “There’s no way you miss me as much as I miss you.”
** Tell your husband, who is surfing in Hawaii, to have someone take a picture of him surfing so you can blow it up and hang it up in your surf-themed bathroom. And then add, “So everytime I go in there to pee I can get pissed off at you.”
** Thank your husband, who is surfing in Hawaii, over and over again for giving you a whole 36 hours notice before taking off to Hawaii for a week and rub in the facts that when you went to Oregon for 4 days you 1) Gave him 4 months notice. 2) Bought tickets to 6 Flags for him and the older kids (and his brother) 3) Arranged for your mom to watch the 2 youngest so they could all go to 6 Flags 4) Arranged sitters in case he was scheduled to work 5) His brother came in town to visit.
** Basically ruin your husband’s trip to Hawaii by acting like a whiney bio-tch everytime he calls.
———————-
Acceptance speech:
Thank you. Thank you. I’d like to thank my husband for going to Hawaii and giving me the opportunity to act like this and win this award. I’d also like to thank my kids, especially Liv, for using up my patience last week, before the Hawaii trip, making me even more psycho than usual this week. And most of all, I’d like to thank Mother Nature for the huge case of PMS I have had. Thank you.
**Yes, that’s 2 posts I’ve written today. I’m on a roll.
What Seiuli? was doing at 9:02 pm central standard time (4:02 pm Hawaii time):
What Tori:) was doing 9:02 pm central standard time:
I was driving Tristan home from his football game when all the sudden something started running, or wait, no- it was hopping across the street. I slammed on my brakes. Tristan starts saying, “What?? What happened?? What is it?!?!” as I open my car door. I said, “There’s a frog crossing the road.”
T: “So?”
Me: “So I don’t wanna run it over.”
T: “What!!?? Come back!”
Me: “Hold on, I’m trying to see where it is…”
I found the frog and it jumped under our car. I was scared to drive because I didn’t want to squish it. Tristan looked out his door and said, “Go. It’s ok.” So I slowly drove forward. I asked Tristan if I ran it over. He looked and said he didn’t think so. I told him to go check. He got out to look, saw the frog safely jumping across the street, and walked back to the car.
T: “I’ll just walk.” (We were only like 20 yards from our house.)
Me: “Do you think I’m a dork?”
T: “Yes.”
Me: “Yessssssssssssssss.”
The End
PS. HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY TO MY NEPHEW, Big J!!!!
So… we turned around, drove home supah fast, found his luggage sitting in the driveway, threw it in the trunk and drove back to the airport supah fast. We were “going speed” as my boys used to say when we drove fast. (“Go speed Dad!!”) We got to the airport at 2:33pm. Luckily Sei? had checked in online and his only bag was a carry on, so he was able to go straight to security. Security decided to open his bag and take everything out looking for… I don’t know. He made it to his plane with like 6 minutes to spare.
Bummer.
