March

 March 5th. Leila was asked to a School dance from Alema Masina. He had left some chocolate gold coins on the ground outside our front door and a box of Lucky Charms. In the cereal box was a puzzle that said 'I'd be one lucky dude, if you'd go to WAMA with me?'  The dance was on St.Patricks day but the theme was Jumanji lol

March 8-11th - Leila went to Arizona with Nive. They drove and stayed in Las Vegas and then drove to Tempe Arizona. On the way they were stuck in a traffic jam for 2 hours. She stayed in a Airbnb with most of the Tausala girls. They practiced with the Arizona group, finished making costumes. I watched their first performance on fb live from Nive. But the 2nd time no one could it their fb live to work. So I then had to wait to watch it after Leila got home and someone posted it on YouTube. Leila had so much fun!

While Leila was gone we took baby out to eat at 'Kings Buffet' and over ate lol.

March 12-13 I had looked around for what Leila could wear to the Jumanji dance. First it was going to be a character like Ruby Roundhouse. But we thought everyone would dress like that. I found a snake dress so that's what Leila was going to be, a snake lol  She took Alema's reply to his house and left it in his messy bedroom lol. It was a shamrock with a rainbow streamer and balloons and chocolate gold coins with a box of skittles that said 'I'd be LUCKY to go with a CHARMing guy like you!', kinda cheesy. 

March 15th. While Leila drove to school in the early morning kinda dark and it was raining hard she banged into another car just outside the front of TVille where you turn in at the light to go into the School. I had to go and help her cause she was crying and emotional. When I got there the Mum to the boy Leila banged into was there. I was just going to swap information and insurance with her but they had called the police and wanted them to make a report. Even the police guy says he didn't need to but she wanted him to, geeeeez really. Anyways the boy was asian (Dad is Vietnamese) he was nice and his car had little dents in the back. Our kia was smushed in the front. When I came to drive it home in the afternoon it would start but wouldn't move. I had it towed to a place where our insurance covered, 'Gerber Collision and Glass.

Long story and alot of miscommunication going on with insurance. Our car ended up being a total loss. Even though Gerber said it could fix it for $6,000 that was not a set price and was not including dismantling it. Kia got accidentally towed to Magna and I had to drive there to retrieve all our personal things from it. Then we had to search for used cars online. Jay found one, it was a 2017 Dodge Journey Crossroad with about 55,000 miles on it, it was black and a rebuilt. We liked another one before this but I read the reviews and they were horrible, so didn't feel good about going there.  We looked at this car and took it for a test drive. The guy selling it was a refugee from Iraq, told us his story. We felt good about it and bought the car the next day for $12,679.10 - Low Cost Auto Sales. 

March 23rd, we had a get together for Tausala to review the Arizona trip. I was going to not go cause I didn't feel like it. But then Katrina came and got me lol Leila had already gone with Nive, with her maori bread she made. I quickly made Lupulu before Katrina came, Erana and I went with her. When we got there I was mocked a little by them for not coming lol. There was yummy food and we watched their performances and then everyone talked about it, except for me lol. It was nice being there I'm glad we ended up coming. Especially to visit with Aunty Fina and Oliver.

March 20-24th - was my Spring Break, I did spring cleaning and insurance stuff with the car being totaled and I sewed Leila's costumes. Made poi's for Tausala. Girls had Spring Break the week after.

Leila is Vice President of POP, 'People of the Pacific'. She was going to perform with them in the 'Got Roots' for High Schools but didn't realize it was the day we will be in Vegas for the 'New Edition' concert. And of course she chose the concert to go to. Jay and I helped her group with the Maori performance they are doing, 'Te Iwi E' and a haka 'Tika Tonu'. 

March 27th. Went and had my first Chemical Peel at 'Forever By Ash' on 90th S. I had bought an IPL Groupon. But when I got there Brinley consulted with me and suggested I do a Chemical Peel instead, so I did. Afterwards of course I was peeling so I wore a mask to work and let some people know why I'm wearing a mask. Noah Reinhart had ISS that day, he was calling me Zombie lol.

March 28th. Went and picked up Scotts family from the airport they had been in New Zealand for a week and a half. While they were gone we went over and had a hot tub.

March 31st. Went to the Valley Fair with Leila, cause baby was having sleepovers with Maya. We ate some mall food, mine was mexican and over priced lol  Leila got a yummy crepe, Dad also got a yummy steak sandwich. Then we walked around and came home.

February - Candi's 48th Birthday

 Feb 3rd. Jay and I went on a date. Went bowling, Jay won both times. Then we waited a very long time to get our yummy food at Red Robin. We were at the Valley Fair Mall. 

Feb 4th. Went to Ivy Harding's Baptism. I did her program, she drew a cute picture of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus for the cover. She also gave a talk. Her baptism dress was made out of her Mom (Nicole) wedding dress, it was beautiful. Love their cute family.

Feb 12th. Began our bathroom remodel with 5 Star Kitchen & Bathroom Remodel. It took them a week and 2 days to be completely finished. Then my Bob Builder aka Jay, painted and added trimmings, and put in floor to ceiling cupboards! He's the bomb. Our bathroom is so nice, I love it. Took me a week later to soak in my tub though, so busy. It was nice! 

Leila getting herself ready for Arizona, practicing every Thursday some Monday's at our chapel. Making her costumes and making food for girls to have while at practice. Love our Tausala Family!

During this New Zealand had a Cyclone - Gabrielle. And flooding every where. The river bank broke right by my grandma's house and destroyed it. My hometown was flooded, chapel, marae and my childhood house that I grew up in. Denzil and family and my Uncle Paris had to evacuate they were in my grandma's home.  My sister's family that were living in my childhood home had to as well. Alison started a GoFundMe for Denzil, I sent my Sister Tricia money, not a lot though. I wish it could be more. Denzil has to rebuild and Tricia has to do major construction on the inside of our home. It was very sad, grateful no one was hurt though. 

Feb 18th. Celebrated my 48th Birthday a day early with a Hot Pot, cause tomorrow will be Sunday and Jay and I will be leaving to stay at the Anniversary Inn in Logan straight after Church. Mina and Tyrell were taking care of dinner for girls. 

Feb 19th. After church Jay and I drove to Logan. Jay surprising me with a stay at Anniversary Inn, he can't keep a secret lol.  I think this was a present for him lol. He chose 'La Hacienda' a hispanic themed room. We ordered chicken strips, salsa & nacho's. We had a very enjoyable time together. Breakfast was a little different, since they didn't have our usual ham & cheese croissant sandwich. We got biscuit and gravy instead. 

Since our bathroom was being remodeled we slept in the basement. Kiko peed and pooped on the floor in the basement and Jay turned into the Hulk ran after Kiko grabbed him and shoved his face into the poop smudging it into the carpet. We had a huge argument about it. This was like the day after my Birthday where he was all nice and loving to me. I was so upset, I couldn't sleep, crying all the time - It was horrible!

Leila and I made up the actions to the Maori action/poi song the Tausala group was doing for Arizona. Feb 26th. Leila played a piano piece in Sacrament 'Now We Take the Sacrament'. She practiced the day before and I was singing to it. We decided I should never sing a solo in Sacrament ever lol She did awesome, seemed like she was slower though, but no worries. 

January 2023 - Jaxon's 20th Birthday

 

Jan 7th. Went to Lizzy Marcrum's Baptism at the Stake Center. It was in the Relief Society room. Her Brothers gave talks. Love them!

Had a long weekend, girls especially they had Jan 12-16th off, I just had Martin Luther King day off, which was the 16th. Thursday after work I took the girls to the Mall and we bought Jaxon a couple of T-Shirts from 'Hot Topic' for his Birthday. Then we got some sushi from Smiths and came home and ate it while watching our KDrama. Friday Dad took the girls to eat brunch at Tou les Jour, they got there around 10am and some of the baked goods had already gone. Mina and Tane stayed over the whole weekend. We had burgers and steak for Sunday dinner and played a fun game, I was the loser lol

Jan 17th Girls and I went to our Stake Womens Service activity at the Stake Center. We painted wooden boards, and made cards. Ate so snacks, talked with our new neighbor Felicity her daughter Alice is in Primary. 

Jan 19th. Jay and I went and ate out at 'Hwa Korean & Japanese' restaurant. We ordered pork bulgogi, Chapjae and Udon. In Jay's famous words 'It was wonderful, wonderful' lol.

Jan 21st. Tausala had their Recital at our Stake Center. I made a lot of unnecessary foods finger foods lol but they ended up getting eaten and they were yummy. I made vege, salami, cheese kabobs, fruit kabobs and vege cups. There was tons of yummy food. All the girls from our Tausala school were awesome. It was nice to see our Aunty Fina there with Oliver. 

I got me a couple of prescription glasses off of Zeelol. When they came in the mail, I was embarrassed to show them to Jay cause they were ridiculously huge. When I did we cracked up and showed the girls and cracked up again. But I wore them to Church and work, got some compliments lol

Jan 28th. My Sunshine aka Jaxon turned 20 years old. We took him and his girlfriend -Kesiah out to eat at the Cheese Factory. I got a korean dish it was yummy, Dad got a steak and chicken dish he enjoyed it. Kesiah got a pasta dish and my Sunshine got the most expensive dish on the menu lol Filet Mignon, which we all tasted and was delicious. We had cake and ice-cream at home. I bought a Tres Leches cake, not the same as the ones I always made, oh well. Tyrell and Alisa came. 

Jan 29th. Was our 5th Sunday at Church. We had Sharing Time and Teachers went to adult classes. Our Sharing Time was about 'Baptism and Confirmation'. I had asked Jesse Justet to be Jesus, David Harding to be John the Baptist and Lance Barham to be Heavenly Father. They came in the beginning and re-enacted the Baptism of Jesus. Lance was Heavenly Father, narrating. It was awesome, the kids loved it. We had Singing Time and Snacks. 

Erana's Health Essay January 2023

My grandma had cancer.  Since she was old and always stayed at home, her life wasn’t much different.  However, grandma would sometimes go to the hospital and she would drink from this cup she got from the hospital.  When cancer got serious for her, she would lay in bed most of the time and would be connected to this machine.  A risk to my grandma for getting cancer was her being exposed to other substances.  2 symptoms from getting cancer would be hoarseness in the throat that didn’t go away and bladder changes,  ACT scan, an MRI, and a biopsy.  My grandma always wrote in her journal about things, she would barely move but if she did she would have something supporting her because she didn’t need something before, she would always stay in her room most of the time,  she would mostly require someone to help her with something upstairs as she lived in the basement.  Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, and cancer drugs.

Leila's English Essay January 2023

I believe the video was trying to say that we shouldn't make assumptions or stick to stereotypes of people based on their race or ethnicity. There's more to people than what they look like. I agree with what the video says because I've witnessed many adults at this school make assumptions that every Polynesian student skips class and does terribly in school. That isn't true, as you can tell I'm a Polynesian but based on how people see Polynesians, I don't act my ethnicity. Skin color and ethnicity don't define who I am, my upbringing, values, beliefs, and God does. How I act shouldn't mean I'm not Polynesian as well, because that's the plain truth, it's in my DNA, and nothing can change that. But what's in my DNA doesn't control how I act and how I think. If we got rid of labels, our society would be a hundred times better. Kids would stop throwing the word racist around as a joke, and they'd be more respectful towards people who don't "act how they look". People might label me as "homophobic" for saying this, but this is what I believe. I believe labels for only two genders and one sexual orientation make things better in society, which are male, female, and heterosexuality. I believe anything extra causes confusion, instability, and abuse for the upcoming generations.