My feet are killing me, lots of bonding time w/the aunties and cousins, and tons of pulling and carrying koloa. slept 5 hrs and awoke bcuz my feet and back are killing me…..then the thought came to me "only for you gpa would I not mind this pain….sorry you had to probably deal w/pains more than this for years" Miss him, luv him and know that he's at peace now and happy w/his wife gma Lily.
Crystal also told me that while she was driving w/her 2 yr old Aspasia that Pssia said "gpa was sick?…now he's better" then Crystal asked her of she could see him and she replied yes. thanks for Crystal needed that comfort.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
week at gpa's
Monday, January 13, 2014
dad n gpa……Leni's post
my nephew Legrand put this up on his FB page and I thought it was so cute to see from a young man's eyes so thought i'd save it for my kids to read some day.. Jan 12 2014 Sunday So today after church i stay after to to help pick up the trash because we r the last ward i get a text from my dad and its say come outside we r going to see grandpa makanesi so i run outside On our way there i think to myself why would they keep grandpa makanesi in the hospital for that long we pull up and walk inside then i see Lily Wolfgramm Branch and she says she going home to sleep because she hasnt slept yet then she tells us the room number and she leaves So we get to the floor we walk out the elevator and some lady says hi u guys and turn right and its Seilingi Tuatonga and then she shows us the way to the room and on our shirt walk i hear laughing I walk in the room expecting grandpa makanesi on the bed and people crying thats not wat i got i saw grandpa Legrand laying down on the bed im like wat the heck is going on My dad was like dad i think u ate too much ice cream and then 2-3 min later Ray Tuatonga walks out and says to me and kiti lets go and get some ice cream we start laughing and get some ice cream with Seilingi Tuatonga from down stairs we find out that 3 regular scoops is = to 1 huge scoop for $2 We went back to the room and we walked around and sat down in like in a little waiting room i was like man i want to be in the hospital now So then they get more ice cream for everyone and it was sad because the doc said that grandpa Legrand couldnt eat ice cream After we left baba (Liki ski) says "dad how did grandpa Legrand get in the hospital" dad says he walked in hahaha
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Blessed to have my gma in my life
Blessed to be able to spend time w/gma after her surgery. Sitting with her at night at a rehab clinic is priceless. i get to watch her sleep, help her turn, try to comfort her. I can never repay her for all she's taught me and done for me. I remember as a child she would walk me to the corner of Hale bakery and then watch me as I continued on my way to school. she would tell Jeff to walk home with me. i remember telling on him cuz he left me at school one day. I was walking home scared to be on my own when Jeff and Kevin come running along and then just pass me up. I was the oldest baby. I would ask to go with her and gpa everwhere they went. I slept with them. I would ask her to wake sometimes to grab me a drink of water. a few times she would return to me with me knocked out already. There were times i would run to her crying and she would wipe my tears with her black dress with flowers. I can still picture the material and smell of her dress from the many dishes she would wash. I can see me and gpa in the living room with him calling her name "Ika...Ika...honey" then she would come to the kitchen window and say "ha fua ho fa'a ui" lol.
Livi's baptism
My brother's girls Maya and Olivia mean the world to me. they always get to spend time with my kids. for a while veni didnt understand why they would always have to leave. When I found out she was getting baptized there wasnt a question as to whether we'd go or not. my husband asked but I am pretty sure he already knew my answer. i didnt tell my kids til they returned home from school. We were all so excited to get out of town. all the way up there Keai and I sang with the Ipod while the kids took turns playing on the Ipad. i thought we'd get to go see the sites once we got there but Keai was tired from driving that he slept for a loooong loooong time. we ended up in our room pigging out on stuff we brought from home. the next morning we were all up at about 7am to go eat all their complimentary breakfast. they made everything little. little sausages, little yogurts but there we were with our big appetites. i asked my husband to make a waffle but by that time he was so embarrassed by how much he ate that he wouldnt get up and go to the table of food anymore. we retruned to our room and both of us fell asleep while the kids entertained themselves. story of our lives. then I jump up to realize it's almost time for the baptism and we still have to get ready as well as pack to check out. we finally are ready about 5min to noon when we are looking for the chapel. the town isnt too big so we figured that there'd be no problem to find it. ....it was a problem. for some reason our handy dandy GPS wasnt finding the address. we went from one side of the town to another. then we're both stressed out. then he head back to the other side of town that we had started searching at to finally find the chapel. if it wasnt for my husband i wouldve been balling and giving up while driving back home. we hurry about 1/2 hr late with the whole room waiting on us. gosh then my heart raced feeling so embarrassed. Her aunt christina said a talk about baptism and then I said one about the Holy Ghost. A missionary baptized Livi and Keai and her gpa Lester were the witnesses. i was so blessed that my kids could attend her baptism. her family made us feel welcome and my kids were happy to see their kids.
farewell to my gpa Makanesi
laying in bed feeling sick when the phone rings. my husband tells me my gpa has just passed away. i stay in bed partly cuz i am in shock but mostly because I do not want it to be real. i go to the living room and tell my kids to get ready to go to the hospital, but i cannot let the words out of my mouth that he has passed. we get ready and are in the car before my husband tells them. then as we are driving we get a call from Pou that dad's in the hospital as well for stomach pain. get to IHC and enter gap's room to find kaeevan and Ellen standing and crying by his bedside. i can't control the tears, but yet I am happy that he's no longer in pain and that he's back w/gma Lily. his skin is still warm and he looks peaceful. we then take the kids and go to see dad. i enter his room and he tries to smile but I bend down to kiss his cheek and start to cry saying "I'm sorry about your dad". i can feel his tears and staggered breathing under me.this is the first time I've ever seen him cry in my 39 yrs here in my life. i can still hear him saying "Te….ti?!" the Dr comes in and says sorry and then says dad can go see his dad. i know theres too many people in gpa's room but i want to be w/dad. we walk with him and can feel the stares of others as we go down the hallway w/my 3 kids Justin and Keai. dad goes in to say bye to gpa. such a heavy heart to see dad say farewell to gpa. dad's always worried bout work, the kids' jackets for winter and about this dad more than anything else. thank you gpa for teaching me that families are forever and that Jesus is the Christ.
Jeffrey R Holland Rejoicing in Reunion I recall a few years ago seeing a drama enacted at the Salt Lake International Airport. On this particular day, I got off an airplane and walked into the terminal. It was immediately obvious that a missionary was coming home because the airport was full of conspicuous-looking missionary friends and missionary relatives. I tried to pick out the immediate family members. There was a father who did not look particularly comfortable in an awkward-fitting and slightly out-of-fashion suit. He seemed to be a man of the soil, with a suntan and large, work-scarred hands. There was a mother who was quite thin, looking as if she had worked very hard in her life. She had in her hand a handkerchief—and I think it must have been a linen handkerchief once, but now it looked like tissue paper. It was nearly shredded from the anticipation only the mother of a returning missionary could know. Two or three younger brothers and sisters were running around, largely oblivious to the scene that was unfolding. I found myself wondering as to who would be first to break away from the welcoming group. A look at the mother’s handkerchief convinced me that she would probably be the one. As I sat there, I saw the returning missionary appear. I knew he was the one by the squeals of excitement from the crowd. He looked like Captain Moroni, clean and handsome and straight and tall. Undoubtedly he had known the sacrifice this mission had meant to his father and mother. As he neared the group, sure enough, someone couldn’t wait any longer. It wasn’t the mother, and it wasn’t any of the children. It was Father. That big, slightly awkward, quiet, and bronzed giant of a man ran out and swept his son into his arms. The missionary was probably 6′2″ (188 cm) or so, but this big father grabbed him, lifted him off the ground, and held him for a long, long time. He just held him and said nothing. The boy put both arms around his dad, and they just held each other very tightly. It seemed like all eternity stood still. It was as if all the world had gone silent out of respect for such a sacred moment. And then I thought of God the Eternal Father watching His Son go out to serve, to sacrifice when He didn’t have to do it, paying His own expenses, so to speak, costing everything He had saved all His life to give. At that precious moment, it was not too difficult to imagine that Father speaking with some emotion to those who could hear, “This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). And it was also possible to imagine that triumphant returning Son saying, “It is finished” (John 19:30). “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46).Friday, November 8, 2013
Bikram yoga experience
this past Tuesday I started hot yoga. couldnt believe how much I sweat. the class was 90min but I think about an hr into it, my head was throbbing and I was getting nauseous. there were a couple of fit women there that I tried to pix myself as to motivate myself. the funny thing was that even they were losing their balance. after class I went to the changing room and sat in the bathroom. i threw up! i have never thrown up from wking out til today. then Wed I had to go back. i pix that the people there might be saying "she'll never come back". that 2nd day the class was great. felt energized and positive during and after class. what I noticed is that I had plenty of water the night before and I had some fruit /spinach smoothie the morning of. the 3rd day I was driving to the yoga class thinking "i dont feel so good (dizzy)" but I thought that once I get in there I ail be fine. sat down in the class and 1st thought was "why is it so hot today". I should've walked out but I stuck in there again. a lot of friendly classmates and workers like Debbie ( a tiny lady at the front desk). 4th day I skipped and went to my local gym and did the elliptical. felt great. did some weight lifting. later on I even did some yoga at home. guess I will still have my good and bad days of wkingout. just nn to remember to take some powerade before yoga since it makes me sweat so much. i have been drinking tons of water. today i reached 16cups (128oz). i can tell my body is holding onto more water weight since it is getting used to the yoga classes w/tons of sweat. i have made a goal to try new classes so that my body doesnt adjust to one excercise and defeat the purpose. I have worked out 4 out of 5days so far this week. yay!!!
Thursday, October 24, 2013
A Lesson Learned
Keai did a job for a guy that is related to me. It's been almost 2 months now and still no money. He told Keai he would pay him payments since he under bid by $3000. He owed Keai about $1200 Then he calls a few days after the first job to say he wanted Keai to do another job w/o being paid from the 1st job. We both said hell no. almost 2 mos have passed and he never came by w/even $20. so i took Keai's ph and texted him 2 weeks ago and said "its Hakeai. is there any way you can bring some money by this weekend?" I used Keai's ph bcuz Keai said to stay out of it but I couldnt sleep at night hating this guy for what he did to us. He never answered that text. I still couldnt get this anger out and then he wasnt answering the text so I was even more mad. then this past weekend I texted him from my own phone and said " my husband is too embarrassed to ask you but he really needs money to try n get his mom here before anything happens to gma Sena" not even 2 min later he replies that he will come by in a few days. I was so excited that I told Keai that he finally responded. Keai was mad that I was still asking the guy and interfering and plus embarrassed when he shouldnt be. it's money he worked for. Keai said " u believe this guy when he never made any effort to pay me in the first place. he's never gonna show up. just leave it alone" Then on the night of Keai's bday i am sleeping for work and Keai was at school. my kids wake me up to say there's a guy from church at the door. i walk down still half asleep and dont recognize him til he starts to talk. i just started balling bcuz i held all this anger and here he was at my door. i hugged him and he held out $200.. he was so nervous he went on for about 10 min saying how sorry he was and how everything was messed up at that job and that he had made an honest mistake but the owner of the house would pay him the extra $$. needless to say I can finally sleep at night. even if he doesnt ever show up again at least he made an honest effort. on top of this Keai comes home from school at 830pm and Zerin hands him the money. Keai's face lights up and we tell him what happened. Keai then turns to Zerin and says "give this to mom to help pay the bills" and hands her the whole $200. way to teach mommy a lesson in letting things go and forgiving others.




