let's get PHYSICAL...

As a YSA ward, they set up a 500 lbs challenge where we all seperated in teams and we weigh in every week and the goal in 3 months to go lose 500 lbs as a ward. Everyone took this and RAN with it. It's been 2 weeks and I LOVE how dedicated everyone is. I just hope it sticks. LOL!

We've been meeting up every morning at 6am and head to what we call da "Dykes" growing up. But it's a Bay Trail right behind my house that runs through Ryders Park & Seal Pointe Park. And on that trail you'll find a monsterous hill where they have these stairs!! Damn dem stairs!! LOL! Basically them stairs are a workout but I love it. It's just beautiful. Running along the bay waters, San Mateo bridge to you right, Bay Bridge to your left, East Bay facing you, and if you look carefully, you can spot a bright white triangular point in middle of the hill when looking across the bay... and there it is the Oakland Temple. I usually leave when the sun is just peaking up over the hill and I usually say my a.m. prayer at a bench before heading home to get ready for work.

After work, everyone meets up in their lil individual groups and do their seperate workouts. One of the EQ Toke Kefu works at San Mateo High in the Physical Education dept and coaches. So he'll take us to Mateo High's football field and do all these drills I've never heard of. it's hilarious.

Another friend of mine, Moana, loves to go hiking so I told her I'd go the next time she does. So we meet up one Saturday morning and went to da San Bruno Mountains. HOOIII that damn mountain! LOL! It was challenging, but i loved it at the end. What was worst, was that one of the girls dropped her key when we were already on the bottom. So poor Moana had to go and do the trail again to find the key. Luckily she did!! We didnt go to the top of the mountain that day because another girl was scared of heights so we figured we'd warm her up to it and hopefully reach the top the next weekend.

Next weekend arrives and we go. OMG, the trail we did the first time was small kine compared to what we did this time. It was way more steep, more rocks, yet they had plants up that way that gave up a sweet aroma that was just divine. Moana kept saying the view from the top is worth it so we kept pushing! And what do you know... we made it to the top and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! It was a panoramic view..just breathtaking. You can see the skyscrapers & bridges in San Francisco, the whole East Bay, Bay waters, down the Peninsula and then the Pacific Ocean. To end a challenging hike with that view... priceless!

So 2nite is weigh in... and if I dont lose anything, I'm lose my mind cause I dont know how many salads and fiber i can stand anymore! LOL! This weekend is also our one mile even with Koli Palu from Biggest Loser last season. Exciting!!

BTW::: I'm in da RED TEAM baby!! Let's Get It!

*dont stop BELIEVING*

We goin WORLD SERIES BAAABBBYYY!!! wooohoooo!!!! I like baseball... barely follow it... but i LOVE the SF GIANTS!! I did follow this season and I lalalaloved it! So proud of myself for following them early on so I actually get to celebrate the whole way thru! LOL! From winning NL West, beating the Braves, and now defeating Phillies... aahhhh TORTURE NEVER FELT SOOOO GOOD!! Let's go GIANTS... beat them (Power) Rangers!

Best Places 2 Work

The past 7 yrs, my work has won an award for Best Places to Work in the Bay Area. In honor of this, "the bank" hosts a party to give appreciation to it's employees for their hard work. Every year is FUN but this year was different cause our current CEO just announced his retirement that morning! It was a bittersweet day because we all LOVED our president. You cant really understand until you worked here. So the day of the party, we all decided to do it up since it would be our last hooo-rah with John.

We had such a good time, eating, dancing, drinking. It was held at Sparky's Hot Rod Garage in San Carlos, CA. That place is flipped out 50's-60's style from head to toe! Cars, Boy Boy diner statue, Betty Boop, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Happy Days, etc. They served different foods like egg rolls, chili, baked potato, etc. They had a lil diner set up with was so cool. It had actual tables with juke boxes on em. And in there they served burgers. They also had 2 bars set up, a DJ and a photo booth. OOOH MAN the photo booth! They had a table of props outside the booth so it was hilarious seeing adults act like children again! On top of that, the outside of the booth had a screen. So whatever you were doing inside, everyone on the outside can see as well.

The party was only serving beers & wines along with soft drinks so we had a bottle of Patron in the parking lot! LOL! yeah, nuff said! haha I ended up not eating and just taking advantage of the open bar. They also served ice cream bars as the night was getting late and we just danced and danced the night away! It was soooo much fun and a wonderful way 2 say farewell 2 such a great man!

next time...i'm just gonna keep my mouth shut!

It's almost routine 2 take a nap after work on Friday! LOL! It's like, for me to get energized for what the rest of the night has in store for me! hehe
WELL...my parents went to Dallas for the weekend so my older sister Isa had to work for her. Which meant Mata had 2 babysit. She had prior engagements and begged & begged & begged for me to babysit. I kept saying NO...but then gave in and offered my services.

Boy do I regret it right now. Dont get me wrong, I LOOOOOOVE all my nieces & nephews but they sure can drive me up with wall. Which is what they are doing right now. I love babies and well mannered children, but these kids are RUGRATS!!!! hahaha They are all sitting behind me watching TV. I put on one of my favorites as a kid (THE SANDLOT) and they're actually enjoying it. I like to believe they dont make good movies like this anymore. Even as an adult and I still <3 this movie. 

Luckily, I only got a couple hours left... den it's grown folks business! hehe Enjoy da rest of your weekend yall. It's General Conference weekend, didnt plan to head out to SLC this time but still cant wait to hear the prophet's message. It's funny how they always speak on something that triggers you! And if it does, then you're doing something wrong!! LOL! Happy OCTOBER to you all!

 LOOOOOOVE these crazy FAAUMU grandbabies!! all 18 of my brother & sister's children <3

~wind beneath my wing~



'Eseta & Lihati 'UNGA



i just wrote the longest blog ever, and I realized, i wasnt nearly half way done! And so I deleted it cause I had so so so much more to say.



It was a blog talking about how much i MISS my grandparents!!!! Back in 2002-3, they both retired and moved back to their hometown in Vava'u. They would come back & forth for their dr appts and I went out there once in '05 but it's not the same. My grandma is so humble and has such a huge heart. I'm so fortunate to be blessed with her name. She compliments my papa so well. My grandfather is a Rydah!!! In every sense of the word. This man has taught me so much at such a young age. Everything had a  lil lesson to it. I always loved sitting and talking with him cause he always had these lil analogies that I wish to carry on when I'm older. haha Telling the kids... "like my granddaddy always told me..... "

Everytime I go back to Washington St, i always think IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK! Every inch of that house has a memory. I miss going to work with my grandma during her graveyard shift to keep her company. I miss massaging my grandpa's back/legs/arms and getting rewarded with fun size snickers. I miss driving my grandparents to the temple early Saturday morning with my cousins. Watching the sunrise with our cocoa and waiting for them to get out. I miss ordering his fave meals... Whopper @ BK, Jumbo Jack @ Jack and hot dogs from Costco. I miss going with my grandpa to the old Montgomery Ward when Fashion Island mall still existed (now Bridgepointe) I remember when he got into a fight with his neigbor Joe. He took off his Aviators, put it in his shirt pocket, and called him out! haha What a G! I remember running all his errands with him. Had to go to the hardware store, Big 5, Costco, Marina Market, etc. EVERYTHING in his house had a lock to it. Very possesive man. Whenever one of his brothers came to visit, he would convince them to stay. When they had the excuse that they had no clothes, he would unlock one of his cabinets and it would be filled with all new clothes, still had tags on em. Oh how he loved his brothers! I cherrished the memories when him & his brothers got 2gether. Loved that bond! I remember my grandma picking me up everyday from Kindegarden and walking back home hand in hand. *tears... ok, let me stop*

I love them and miss them terribly!!! I wish they knew about Skype cause I would bother them everyday!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

season start off 0-2 ( F#!@* )

It's not just because I'm from here.... I just frickin LOVE them! I had the opprotunity to go to 2 pre-season games. One against the Vikings and the other against Chargers. They made it look so easy. We went 4-0 preseason and i was.... wait, i think EVERYONE was convince... THIS WAS OUR YEAR!!! Frank GORE is a beast, Patrick WILLIS is an even bigger beast, Vernon Davis, we was solid! And then, i dont know what happened.

Last night was MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL at good ol' Candlestick Park. It was such a disappointing game with so many mistakes. 4 turnovers!!!! And 2 of em were right there by the goal. aahhhh...what a way to get my blood pressure going. Eventually it was tied but the Saints won with a field goal 2 seconds left of the game. A win is a win and we didnt win. We could have... we SHOULD have.. but we didnt. Everyone is giving Alex Smith a hard time... that guy did a good job. He knows what he's doing and he's fast.

OKAY...I NEED TO STOP. LISTEN TO ME TALKING LIKE I'M A FOOTBALL COACH. I barely even know the terms. But no matter what happens... I'm FOREVER FAITHFUL a 49ERS GIRL:)

*ITS DA GOLD RUSH BABY*

i dont remember DISNEY being like this....

a long time family friend (basically FAMILY) Ane Vaenuku called me Friday night saying her nieces & nephews couldnt make it to the Bay Area from their Houston hometown for the weekend and then now she has tickets to the Jonas brothers to give away and she was giving them to me since I have an ISHload of nieces & nephews too. I was very grateful for her generosity, especially since she wasnt asking for anything in return but just smiles on the children's face! She then tells me there are 12 tickets total! OMG, i mean, i love my nieces & nephews but that is too many kids for me to handle! LOL!

Well we finally rounded a group of  13 total to go (children under 35 months are free!) Since I've been to many shows over the summer at Shoreline Amphetheatre, I learn something new everytime! So this time, I knew which gate was unlocked, which area to sit, which time to leave to beat traffic, etc. So it was a much smoother experience...even with 3 adults, 2 teens, 7 kids and a toddler. We bought in our own snacks, drinks, etc so we dont spend an arm & leg at the food stands. There were TONNNNz of people. Wait, tons of KIDS!!! Screaming!! Teen Boppers!! Screaming!!! High Pitch screaming!!!!

But the only thing that mattered was that they had a BLAST!!! Just to see their faces light up when they saw familiar faces hit the stage in real life rather than TV. Demi Lovato, their fave Camp Rock characters, break dancers, Jonas Brothers!!!! They danced along, sang along, SCREAMED!!! Talk about Jonas bros, didnt know they were so grown!! hahaha they're like MEN! LMAAAOOO! ~anyways~ we got out just in time to beat traffic, the kids kept talking about it and we even walked away with free memorabilias! Even got some for the Houston kids that couldnt come. So lil Majo, Oreo & David got there lil Jonas Bros backpack. Disney Channel sure has changed a lot thru time. We had Mickey and those characters as well as fairytale cartoon/movies. I even remember the beginning of Micky Mouse club & Kids Incorporated. But nothing like how it is now.... it's own stores, channel, radio station, real life superstars, ice shows, etc. Kids are so spoiled these days! LOL!

dropped the kids off.....then.... the REAL party began! Happy Birthday to my bruh LEON Mak! Love you to pieces!!!

...tell me Can You Get Awaaayyy???

I'm feeling a bit... VACATION DEPRIVED!! I've been on lil weekend trips here... extended weekend there, but not my *IDEAL* vacation. and i'm dying!

close your eyes... Imagine taking a nap on a hammock, massage on the beach, pinapple cups with an umbrella, swimming pools with a bar in the middle.... THAT'S what I want!! My sisters/cousins/aunties were planning a trip to Mexico by the end of this year. But with the recent massacre earlier this year... Ima have to pass. HAWAI'I is screamin my name. It's been 2 yrs since I've been back and North Shore is lookin mighty pleasant to me right now! It's time to make it happen.

Hopefully, I'll have a Hawaii update before 2011!

Sittin on the dock of the BAY....

I LOOOOOOVE the Bay like everyone else who is from here. But believe it or not, I've never been to Alcatraz! haha Out of towners have been there before me and I was born & raised here. One of the many things I take for granted of the beautiful things SF has to offer. The City has yummy food everywhere, so we decided to head the Fisherman's Wharf yesterday after church. We parked along the street and it just so happens that as we're getting out the car, it was right across the street from 2 men screaming out "Last Ride of the Day...come tour Alcatraz!" We all looked at each other and was like, LET'S GO..... so we did! The weather was typical.. warm & sunny in San Mateo yet cold and cloudy in SF, but the views made up for it:)

Now that's one thing checked off my bucket list.... next thing, swim there! haha yeah right!

i got, i got, i got, i got your BACK booooyyy!

Day 2 and I'm doing GOOD! LOL!

Last summer, our YSA had an overnight camping trip in the Santa Cruz mountains. Not too far from home... but far enough from civilization not get phone reception.

I havent been back to Camp Cutter since my youth years at Girls Camp which they no longer use that site. So I was super excited. The memories were all coming back to me! It was such a good time. We sang at camp fire, did skits, danced, stayed up all night, trying to go in the canoeing in complete darkness, etc. Nice wholesome fun! When the sun came out, he heat was just too much. The camp rangers said we couldnt go swimming cause there was no lifeguard on duty....unless we have someone in our group that is certified. LUCKILY... Toke is a PE teacher. You know Tongans, that means you are certified to be a lifeguard, athletic coach, might as well do open heart surgery! Nice way to end our camp.... but it was time to escape that heat and head back to the Bay breeeeeze I love so much in San Mateo!

damn nearly a whole year....

Ugghh...so horrible when it comes to this. Now that I'm an "adult", I find it harder to take time away and write down events, memories, stories, etc. And I blame it all on SOCIAL NETWORKS!!!! LOL! Every since MySpace, Bebo, Facebook, yadda yadda...i dont write things down, collect pictures, NOTHING! So what I've decided to do (lets see how long it lasts) is post a pix on here and I'll just take a few min and explain it. At least it will keep me coming here everyday and if there's one thing i love to do is telling a story! LOL! So here i go...............We've lost so many family and friends to this HORRIBLE disease called Breast Cancer. In 2003, my auntie Atili Unga passed away leaving behind 6 beautiful children. Two of her daughters, Salome & Leilani, decided to join in this year's Avon Breast Cancer walk in San Francisco. Then another cousin, STAR, decided to join... then a couple friends and so on to become "TEAM TATA'ahine". Each walker had to raise $1,800 each. They fundraised and accepted donations to reach their goal. The weekend of July 10-11 was the 39 mile walk.

Those who couldnt walk was there to support them in every way. The day of the final walk, we gathered all our family & friends to meet the team at the finish line. There's nothing better than to see your family waiting for you after such a long & hard challenge! We all lined up down the final hill cheering people on as they made the last few steps. It brings tears to your eyes when you see these joggers take the final steps. Crossing with tears remembering the loved ones they lost, some practically limping, holding each other up. FINALLY, we see TEAM TATA'ahine coming down the hill

It was such a beautiful moment!! I was sooooo PROUD of them! We wanted to carry them over the finish line (hahaha) but knew it would mean more if they crossed hand in hand

First thing they did was take off their shoes and started massaging their feet right there. Star had blisters on her feet. Poor Lani had to wrap her feet up in the middle of the 2nd day. It was hard for Lome & Lani to get the energy to get up the 2nd day to complete the walk. The first day was so hard on them because of all the hills they had to do BUT they knew this was ONE thing they wanted to COMPLETE!

I'm so proud of my sisters and Team TATA'ahines! 2011...it's on & crackin!

RIP:: Atili Unga, Trina Tonga Mueller, Ana Kefu, Hina Sanft and Tasha Vimahi