I celebrated my 26th birthday on Sunday,March 6th and boy was it an eventful weekend(to say the least!)

Friday Night I was driving home&was hit by another car who wasn't paying attention.She ran through the stop sign(so we think)&or was texting. In any case,everyone involved,meaning me&the other driver,were fine but sweet little blue was not.She was towed away from Melina's house yesterday morning:( She was a good car to me through the years&now I get to go on the fun adventure(slight sarcasm) of finding another one. I dislike rude insurance companies but am grateful that I have dealt with my own who have been very kind&helpful in explaining&sorting out this mess.I was also still paying on it so it was considered "totaled"&thankfully i had been paying the gap insurance(sigh of relief:)

Saturday&Sunday was Stake Conference&we were honored to listen to Elder Holland speak.It was a once in a lifetime opportunity&I'm grateful I was able to attend&to hear from one of the Lord's apostles.

Sunday Night I celebrated with my family.My niece,Jada,also happens to have the same birthday so it was a fun filled event.Typically if it's your birthday you pick what you want to eat.Jada wanted tacos:)I,however,wanted the good stuff-all Samoan food:chop suey,corn beef,&bananas(in coconut milk-so SO GOOD!)to top it off Melina made me my new favorite cake:its a coconut cake that's dusted with powdered sugar.

I had a great 26th birthday & am looking forward to whatever adventures lie ahead of me!Thanks for all the birthday wishes,fb messages,texts,calls,gifts-I love the people in my life!I'm truly a blessed girl!

Sometimes I need to motivate myself&remind myself of who I AM

I'm determined to not let people get the best of me
I expect to give 100% in all I do because I know that hard work pays off
I need to remember that we learn to "crawl" before we "walk"
I will keep my eye on the prize&continue to work towards it
If I make a mistake I need to remind myself that I'm not perfect&that I need to brush myself off&get back out there
I'm not a quitter
I'm not superior or inferior to anyone
I'm made of more than what people don't expect me to be
I am loved&I am blessed with so many people in my life
I am strong....
I CAN DO THIS!

Going for 2....

semesters with straight A's.I start on February 14th.Wish me luck!

2011

another year means new goals!not really sure if i have anything specific that i want to achieve.i just want to live life&enjoy moments with the people i love the most.so,here goes a "what i hope/will do"list for 2011:
-SCHOOL-the goal is to be transferred by spring/summer of next yr.where?who knows
-GET OUT OF DEBT-whether i owe $to someone personally,or a bill i want to get rid of it all:)
-LOSE WEIGHT-i've gained weight back(like almost 10lbs)i lost the previous weight not doing it the healthy way,so i want to make it a goal to eat healthier&to just feel great about me&who i am!
-BE NICER-generally, im a nice person.i'll hold the door open at the bank for the person behind me or the one walking out.if i stop at a stop sign at the same time as another person i let them go first.if someone needs my help,i try my best to help.but sometimes i think i can try to be nicer,probably more so to my family!
-THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX/COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES-this relates more so to my style&living life a little.sometimes i expect perfection too much,especially from myself.it's ok if every pillow on the couch isnt in its place,or the sheets on my bed aren't perfectly straight.i need to chill out from time to time.
i love changing things up,like my hair,clothes,accessories,etc.i wouldn't be me if i didn't.so, i think for 2011 i'm going to be a little more daring in my choice of clothing-wearing a bright pink skirt,or 2inch heels,(of course,not in a sleezy kind of way.lol)
there's a lot more things that i "hope"to do this year!i love a new year because new memories are made!so,here's to 2011&the new adventures im about to embark on:)

Christmas 2010

I had such a fun christmas eve&christmas day!got to spend it with part of my family(the rest were partying it up in utah with in-laws)&the grovers!i love them.seriously,erica's like another sister to me-i mean, as soon as i walk in to her house i automatically ask"k what's next?what needs to be done?"and am given direction to unwrap the food&put this there&that where and all that good stuff:)we started off opening gifts with ala,jeanette,the kids,dad,nia,daniel,&tui at my house.lots of fun&some good eats!then we headed over to the grovers.we played the old school mario bro's &i have to say i have never saved the princess&probably never will.they all enjoyed laughing at me though:)(i get a little too into the game!)
christmas day we had dinner at our house:prime rib,green beans,corn,potatoes,some yummy desserts:raspberry cake&the traditional samoan dessert-puligi(*dont know if i spelled that right;)and of course RICE!!we played guitar hero&it was quite entertaining watching everyone rock out.it was so nice to have alanna&ala over for a bit too-love my niece&nephew!
hope everyone had a great christmas weekend.i missed melina&mese and their families but we do get to party to ring in the new year...and i cant wait to try out the karaoke machine melina got:):):)

2010:like the tire brand,a "GOOD YEAR":)

wednesday&thursday +me +finals=Semester down&plenty more to go!!!!

most of you know that im in school at RCC.its been going great&im ready to "conquer"the world!well, as well as i can:)this years been a pretty good year&i look forward to the new one.who knows,maybe im breaking ugapo girl tradition by getting married past the age of 25(fyi:im still very single;)however,according to this old man i met at hershel's party,when i told him how old i was he told me my "eggs were old"&proceeded to show me pictures of his very unattractive grandson that he's trying to hook me up with.YIKES! that seems to be alot of "older"peoples missions in life.sister hinch tried to hook me up with some guy&this is how she proceeded to tell me about him:"he said he doesnt care if she's fat&ugly as long as she has a good heart he'll date her,so i told him about you."dont worry jenelle then said"mom thats jacked up."of course sister hinch didnt mean it that way...or did she?:)
so what's in store for 2011?well, i'll be an auntie to 2 more beautiful kids.mason&nina are expecting in june(i think)and anna&mese are preggers too:) i most certainly know that there are plenty more semesters of school in store for 2011,lots of places&people to see,pounds i'd like to see go away,new bands to discover,the list goes on&on.i try not to make resolutions because it should be a daily/weekly/monthly thing to want to be better than we are....so here's to no resolutions but living life to the fullest&enjoying this beautiful world,my beautiful family&my beautiful friends!

Well hello there world:)

yes,oh yes be shocked!!!!IM BLOGGING!!!! i had some free time in between classes to update everyone on my life...its been way too long:)
*started school 2weeks ago at rcc...im liking it so far especially my art class:)
*the yearly luau was a success&i had a blast with everyone.cant wait til next yr
*i started working for mese&anna at the stoppe in june...pretty fun times especially with crazy juanita:)
*yes,im still single but its all good...for now:)
*the goal is to be out of the jc seen by fall next year&at a university-lets hope i keep my grades up&will ease my way transferring!!!!
*ive lost 25lbs since the christmas&am still trying to lose another 50 more...we'll see how well i do at that:)
*i've discovered new things i love:dark chocolate chex mix,monkeybread(thanks johanna),the zack brown band,muse,&eminems new album

so maybe my lifes not that exciting but i thought i'd say what up...happy reading:)

eh......life:)

so i've been doing this whole"body for life"program with melina& i just have to say that i'm so PROUD of my sister...she's AWESOME and is a great MOTIVATION to keep it up.we workout together every morning and usually we have a "deep"discussion on the changes we're feeling both physically and emotionally.i've been feeling really great,although i hit a little stump in the road,i'm back on track.THANKS nina for being my partner in crime...LUV YA!!!!!
on another note i've been watching the olympics every night and i LOVE it!! evan lysacek(i think in spelled it wrong:)was awesome last night...GO TEAM USA! can't wait to watch the hockey game sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
just a quick side note-my birthdays in a few weeks...i'm so EXCITED!!!!the big 2-5:)happy reading ya'll:):):):)

me+2010= a world of opportunities

it's 2010 and i gotta say that i'm pretty excited about it.i've decided that i want to mark off some of the things i have on my "bucket list."for example,i want to go skydiving this summer.i've suckered some of my brave friends to join me in this endeavor-whether or not they follow through is up to them:)i guess i'm in this moment of life where it's now or never...and im trying to live that way in all aspects.i need to be happier,i want to be kinder,and i want to live my life-especially without regret.on that note what's something you've always wanted to do?i've got a list that continues to grow but i've been able to cross off a few things.here's mine.enjoy&happy 2010
1.go skydiving
2.eat caviar
3.go backpacking in europe
4.go to new york
5.sing "margaritaville"in a karaoke bar with my friends
6.have a huge masquerade just for kicks
7.go bungy jumping
8.try new foods
9.ziplining in hawaii
10.see a concert(i've only gone to one-it was 311&it was AMAZING)
*so there's lots more on this list but hopefully i'll get to do some of these things...happy monday!!!!

If you're happy and you know it...

i was having a conversation the other day with my sister and after she left i realized something-for the first time in a very VERY long time i am TRULY HAPPY.things that usually make me mad or are frustrating dont,i'm seeing the cup half full,i smile alot more,i wake up every morning with so much gratitude for being able to breath to walk to see...the list goes on of things that im grateful and happy about but it's a great feeling.dont get me wrong i have my moments but for the most part i just feel a true sense of HAPPINESS and i gotta say-I LOVE IT! what makes you the happiest? These faces just add to the joy in my life...luv you all and happy blogging:)

I'm ready for the new year!!!!!!

so i've been thinking alot about this past year and of everything that's happened.i'd have to say that it's been one of the best years for so many reasons-weddings,trips,birthdays,new friends,life.it's been an amazing ride and i'm ready for 2010.one night i was sitting contemplating what my goals were and i realized that there were a few i really REALLY wanted to work on. in no particular order here goes:
1.GET OUT OF DEBT-now i realize that it might not ever be entirely possible to be fully get out of debt,but i want to try my best to wipe the slate clean.it's not going to be easy at all but it's something that i really need to work on.
2.EATING HEALTHIER-my inspiration?lots of people that i love-family,friends,nieces and nephews.fyi-shawn and darcy were a huge inspiration after giving their talks a few weeks ago.i guess we sometimes bypass the little everyday things we eat or do without thinking.i want to be healthier to feel good not to starve myself and be miserable.
3.DEVELOPE MY TALENTS-now this isnt neccessarily saying that i have talents,but i guess i want to keep doing things that i really use to love to do and just havent made time to practice.for example-i want to keep dancing.i miss it alot and after watching sila,nani,and jada perform saturday, it made me want to get back in the game. i also really want to start sketching again.it's my comfort zone-i use to use it as a way to take out frustration or just to have time to reflect.
.........so i'll start out with these 3 and hopefully by this time next year i will have tried to achieve these goals.i'm so excited for the new year and for the new opportunities to better not only my life,but the lives of those around me. enjoy the holiday season,merry christmas,mele kelikimaka,manuia le kerisimasi,feliz navidad. i love you all.......................

Congrats to Nia&Daniel:)

so most of you know nia got married this past saturday.it was such a beautiful wedding.the food was amazing,the decorations were beautiful,and the reception was so fun.it was definitely a good time.here are some pics that my cousin took.....congrats nia&daniel i love you guys!!!!

NiaBiaBoBia

My second oldest sister is getting married this weekend and i just wanted to write something special to and for her.Nia is one of my very best friends. She's been an incredible strength in my life,and i am so grateful to have been blessed with 2 of the best sisters any girl could ask for. There are so so many things and memories i could write about but i'll just share a few. Nia is unselfish-she is so willing to help and give to anyone,especially to our family.When we were little we didnt have much money, but we made the best of what we could.One Christmas I remember she came up with the idea to find a toy that we already had and exchange them with each other.Wouldnt you figure that she gave me her blue teddybear that i absolutely loved even though my gift was just a card that i had made? I always remembered that because she wanted to make my Christmas better and we were only 5 and 7. I also remember one time i had gotten a quarter from my dad and so i decided to buy m&m's from the machine. I was such a greedy little brat that I didnt share with her.....until i dropped them on the floor.I offered them to her after that I she started to eat them,but then Mese yelled at me because he had seen what i did.I felt bad then and I still do now sometimes.....i think i've made it up to her by now.

So,there are so many things i could say about my sister because she is such an amazing person. She will be a wonderful wife to Daniel,and an even better mom to their future "little job's." I love you tons sis and am so very grateful for all the wonderful things you done for me,and for the life lessons we've learned together.We dont always get along but that's the fun part of being sisters,and best friends.Thank you for being my rock and for letting me still sometimes act like a brat.hahaha! Congratulations of getting hitched-Daniel is definitely one lucky guy! I love you sis:)

Yes it's me and i'm updating my blog....sort of:)

i know i know it's been awhile,a little too long since i've updated this bad boy.LOTS and i mean LOTS has happened in our family.You probably all know Nia's getting married and I couldnt be more happy.I am sucking at the maid of honor duty-sorry for that sis:)Thank everything for Melina and our friends who have been so awesome with helping out! For example, her bridal shower is next week Thursday at Darcy's @ 7.See?I SUCK! I've got to get her invites out:)Anyway, all the babies are growing up so fast and they're all absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Erica & Bret moved to town and since then our lives have been a whirlwind of FUN.Melina lets me come over whenever I want, even when i know she's tired:for that I am grateful to have a sis & bro in law who let me do that, even so take a trip for 2wks to Idaho with them....can't wait!My bro's are still funny as ever,and my dad is still the hardest working man i know.He loves us,golf,to eat,& Sanford & Son. I think I'm going to start school in the fall-just start and go from there.I'm excited about the new adventures i get to go on,and for what life brings my wonderful,crazy,but AMAZING family:)

I've got to do a better job at this blogging stuff...

i haven't been great at all at blogging so let me try to give up the shortest version possible of my life...so far.i had an awesome b-day at the beginning of march.we made a trip out to the huntington beach dance & my cousin richard graced us with his presence-always great to see family.then on sunday i had family and friends over for a freakin awesome dinner.my uncle made terriakyi beef which i love,but most of all he made sushi.yep-the real deal like in the restaurant.it was awesome.it's probably one of my favorite things to eat-besides my families cooking.nothing better then being surrounded by people you love and eating food you love. FYI:i'll do a quick update for nia:she's working at the vet full time,and is dating a pretty awesome guy.i'll let her blog about that stuff when she gets the chance.......
ok, so back to me(so selfish:) i'm in search for a job and trying to figure out what i want to do wht my life.not going to lie-it's hard.it's not like when you're a kid and you know that everyday you go to school,do your homework,go to bed, and wake up the next morning and do it all over again-with the exception of summer.i've got to figure it out and fast....i've let too much time go by and so instead of regretting lost time i've got to get up and move on. so that's where i am.still single but there a few possibilities,which totally make life fun.nia and i have made alot of new friends,and it has been a blast just hanging out with them and getting to know new people.
so i guess that pretty much sums up life for these ugapo girls.we always forget to take pictures when we go places-we'll try really hard to remember.luv and miss you all:)

So I was thinking...

what's 24 going to be like?i'm pretty stoked to be getting one year older,but a little sad to be too.Upside?one more year and I can rent a car freely without the hassle of being under 25.Downside?I feel more my age when the people I hang out with talk about music and bands I've never heard of.Upside?Well, I can pretty much do whatever I want.Downside?I can pretty much do whatever I want.Upside?I finally feel like I can run with the big guys-well I feel like I'm closer to my siblings ages.Downside?I'm not the little girl they use to protect & hassle all the time.Basically I guess I'm just looking forward to plenty of new adventures for 24.I've decided just to enjoy being 24 and loving every moment......and figuring out my life.Better late then never right?!So,here's to new adventures,new friends,new memories with the old people i love:)

I'm not anti-valentines...entirely.

ok,so i don't hold anything against anyone who's in love & likes to celebrate v-day.i think it's wonderful for people to do special things for their spouse or b/f g/f...and i'm not anti-valentines because for every single valentines i've been single.i think one reason i don't really care for it is because we should celebrate the ones we love everyday.ever since i was little i've kind of always felt that way about v-day but i understand why people do celebrate it.it's also kind of a bitter-sweet holiday.6 yrs ago i lost 3 very good friends in a car accident on valentines day.they were only 17...so young and the possibilities of who they would have become were endless.i miss them so much-kind of makes it hard sometimes but they're in a better place.i just want everyone to know that i love them.sometimes people are taken from us before we get the chance to tell them.i sometimes take people for granted.i should work on that.so let's celebrate the love we have for those around us-all year long & keep the memory of those we've lost in our hearts.
R.I.P.
danielle petersen,tiffany lamb, rosalie hernandez

Memory Lane...

so,it's late and i should be asleep but i took a 2hr nap so there you go.i've been home all night just watching tv and taking a stroll down memory lane.i was remembering good, fun times i've had with my crazy cousins & sisters, & also i was thinking of all kinds of songs that i really like but haven't downloaded yet.it's kind of lame but i love music especially if they're really awesome songs.so i'm posting a list of those songs that i love and haven't heard in awhile.tell me what ya think or if you have a song to add to the list...hope you're all enjoying life and loving the weather wherever you are:)
*rapture-anita baker
*with or without you-U2
*baby come to me-james ingram
*tell me something good-rufus/chaka khan
*rock me tonight-freddie jackson
*at your best-aaliyah
*to live & die in l.a.-tupac
*escapade-janet jackson
*on the road again-willy nelson
*footloose-kenny loggins
*dust in the wind-kansas
*and i love you so-perry como
*yellow-coldplay
*almost paradise
*i'll never love this way again-dione warwick

ok so that's good for now.some of these songs are lame but i just can't help but like 'em:)

Swish,Swoop,Make it in the Hoop...

so we got to see our elders quorum play in their opening game of this years season of church basketball.it was great to see so many guys from the ward & branch supporting.as usual we(me,melina,darcy,johanna,theresa,ashley,and all the kids)resumed our spots in the stands to cheer on our ward.unfortunately they didnt win but winnings not everything-they still did good.i of course try to go to every game-i love cheering and yelling at the refs...well, one ref!anyway,so way to go guys,and let's see some three's next game ok?!oh,kudos to the kyles for scoring some,mason,kenny,and well the whole gang...oh and kenny i'll give you $5 if you deck the ref for calling dumb fouls next time deal?:)j/k...that would be funny to see though.WAY TO GO BANNING:)

Happy Birthday Nina!

happy birthday nina!so today my other favorite sister celebrated or is still celebrating her birthday:) i just wanted to wish her an awesome day-well it's almost over but who cares.she is such a wonderful person.i am so lucky to have siblings who care,and love me so much.she is a great example to me.she's a wonderful sister,friend,mother,wife,daughter.i love you so much and hope that mason does whatever you want him to do for your birthday...hahaha:)so here's to another wonderful year to growing up.thank you for everything you do for me.have a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY and i luv you:)