The Tevaga Family

A Crazy Little Thing Called Loved

2012-01-10T20:13:00.002-07:00

So two of my most favorite people are celebrating an anniversary today. 42 years and counting. That's a long, Long, LONG time to be married :) And I'm pretty sure these little lovebirds are still as crazy as ever!

I think it was sometime during high school when I first realized that their relationship was a bit, how should I say this nicely...dysfunctional:

I had never (not even once) seen or heard my parents fight.
All of my friends had parents that were divorced. Mine were still happily married.
In fact, one of my Dad's favorite things to do was to be "totally gross" by kissing my mom in front of us. (When we were older, I even remember hearing the words "Slip me the tongue honey!" on more than one occasion!)
Anniversaries? My Dad remembered every single one of them. My mom always got roses. And she has every card my dad gave her.

Crazy, huh? I mean, it's like I was forced to grow up in a Leave it to Beaver episode. Well, I just want to tell Ward and June, errr... I mean Ray and Jackie that they have been the best examples of love. Crazy Love. True Love. (That and I am only slightly scarred from being subjected to watching my parents make out in our kitchen--its almost enough to gag me with a spoon!)

Santa's Secret

2011-12-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what Santa does when he's not delivering presents?

That's right folks. He runs (along with a few hundred of his Santa friends!) Back in the beginning of December (before good 'ole Saint Nick got too busy with the holiday festivities) I ran in the Provo Santa Run. This was my first year doing this run and considering how much fun we had, I don't think it will be the last.

I did not force my kids to run this time around. But I did "volunteer" them to volunteer :) "Santa's Helpers" get to pass out cookies and milk to the runners and help along the route. Kobe and Tehani had fun directing the runners on the course (and since the kids were under age, Norm had to come too--He was the offical volunteer watcher :)

We even got this cute pic with the Grinch. I was tempted to send this out as our family Christmas card this year (ya know, and pretend that the hub is dressed up as the man in green) Anyway, Norm must have been worried that too many people would really think that was him--I got a thumbs down veto from him (What a grinch!)

Light it up

2011-12-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

I think I may have made a terrible mistake. It sounded like a good idea at the time. I mean, it is Christmas time after all. Which means you have to go see the Christmas lights, right?

On Christmas Eve we went and drove through the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork. I've heard about it for years but this was the first year we bothered to go. The kids loved it.

Then the other night we made it up to Salt Lake to see the lights on Temple Square (after a quick dinner at the Nauvoo Cafe :)

The kids want lights.
Lots and lots of lights.

On our house.

They must have our house confused with someone elses (that would be someone that has the time--and desire--to put up strings and strings of lights in the freezing cold :)

I'm going to have to think things through a little better before I go planning any more family outings...

Anyway, here's hoping your Christmas was merry and bright
(just not too bright :)

Jimi Marley

2011-12-26T21:46:00.000-07:00

We finally got to the mall to exchange a few Christmas presents (much to Kobe's chagrin, he received a total of FIVE sweaters under the tree :)

Kobe, being the twelve year old boy that he is, was hoping to exchange all of his gifted clothing items for t-shirts. I told him he could only get ONE tshirt. And this is the one he picked out.

When we were in the car driving home for the store, I mentioned to Kobe that I didn't know he was a Jimi Hendrix fan...
Kobe: Jimi who?
Me: The guy on your shirt...
Kobe: Mom, its a Bob Marley shirt.
Me: No its not...
Kobe: Yes it is.
I actually had to have him take out the shirt and read the lettering before he would admit that I was right. Jimi. Bob. They're both the same, right?

Sharp dressed man

2011-12-25T22:56:00.000-07:00

Just in case you need more proof proving that my lil' boy is all growed up...

Yes, that is the Koberoo in a suit--or monkey suit, as Kobe likes to call it! Thanks again to Grandma (and Grandpa :) for getting Kobe the new threads for his birthday.

So tell the ladies to watch out--Kobe is dressed to impress (or atleast to pass the sacrament on Sunday:)

Because as ZZ Top says...cause every girls crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man!

Let's Party!

2011-12-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

In Kobe's own words "It was the best party ever" (which I realize isn't that big of a compliment since he is only 12 years old!) Anyway, just wanted to post a few of the pics from the Kobester's birthday bash.

First of all, I should point out that it is hard to plan a party around Christmas time. Kobe did make it easy on me when he said that he wanted his party to be at Jump On It. I figured anything that involved physical activity (and no planning or preparation on my party) sounded like a great idea to me.

Kobe (and a dozen or so of his closest friends) got to spend a few hours jumping to their hearts content. I even put my cooking skills to work and whipped up a multi-colored layered cake--hence the reason why Kobe is posing by the weird looking blue and red dessert (the recipe called for green and red but I try very hard to make everything birthday-ish--no Christmas things allowed :)

Anyway, I still can't believe that my little boy is all growed up. I'm not sure where the time has gone. But hopefully you can check back with me 12 years from now to see what amazing things my lil' baby will be up to then.

Happy Birthday Kobe! You are definitely my favorite son!!

For Your Eyes Only

2011-12-19T18:42:00.002-07:00

So for the past month or so Tehani has been sporting these around town. Eyeglasses, spectacles, bifocals...call it what you will. I just call it weird that someone would wear these things when you don't have to.

Yes folks, these are strictly fashion glasses (or unfashionable--you be the judge) No vision correction needed here! And just in case you're wondering, it's harder than you think to find fake eyeglasses (hence the reason why the Hani Bani is wearing promo glasses that say "PBS Teacher Line" on the side:) Maybe we can start charging PBS for all the "free advertising" while my daughter starts her new fashion trend?

Now we're cookin!

2011-12-09T22:59:00.002-07:00

Just another day at the office! Now before you all start thinking that I have the coolest job ever (even though I do) I should clarify that I spend most days (OK, every day :) sitting in front of a computer. But today, I got to spend a few hours honing my domestic diva skills for a new television show were doing (I'll let you take a guess at what it is about)

Before my mom gets all excited and thinks that I'm going to the be star of my own TV show, I was just the guest (which means HE was teaching ME how to cook!) We made focaccia in case you 're wondering. And it was delicious--even if I do say so myself. (Though I am not sure how anything could taste bad when you drench it in that much olive oil :) I should also point out that this was the "pilot episode," which means the rest of you won't get to see my fabulous cooking skills on your television screens.

Anyway, it was fun to help with the show. Who knows, I may actually even try baking with yeast on my own now (I've had a yeast phobia for years :) But now that I am done baking dough, I can get back to my REAL job--which is raising the dough!

She's Got A New Atti'do!

2011-11-21T06:09:00.006-07:00

Just wanted to share some before and after pics from our recent trip to the hair salon (Ok, I know Great Clips isn't what usually comes to my mind when I think of the word "salon" but Tehani has been dying to get her hair cut so this is where we ended up :)

It's been several years since she's even been in for a cut and she's been asking about chopping of her locks for the last month or so (Apparently, spending over 10 minutes each day to brush all of the knots out of her hair is no longer her idea of fun) Anyway, Tehani got a new super cute bob cut, and someone else is going to end up with 12 inches of her long brown hair since the Hani Bani donated it to Locks of Love. I'm very proud of my lil' philanthropist and her good deed (And no, I am not just saying that since we got her cut for free because of the donation) That's my girl!

Birthday Nunsense

2011-11-17T04:50:00.001-07:00

I didn't want today to go by without wishing my favorite "Mother Superior" a Happy Birthday! No, my mom isn't really Sally Field. But I'm pretty sure you can see from the pics that back in the day, Crazy J bore a striking resemblance to a certain Flying Nun.

So although it would have been nice to have a mother that could fly through the air on her magic nun habit, I had to settle for a mother that got unlimited flying benefit on United...

and made me eat my vegetables (peas and all)

and forced me to practice the viola (even when I complained)

and made me do my homework (even when I didn't want to)

and had me write thank you notes (Miss Manners must have taken lessons from my Mom)

and taught me how to cook (though at the time I'm sure she thought I wasn't listening)

and made me the person I am today (idiosyncrasies and all!)

So Happy Birthday Sister Bertrille, err...I mean Mom! Hope you have all the birthday nunsense you can enjoy!!

Doing the can-can

2011-11-01T06:05:00.010-06:00

In case any of you have been wondering what I have been up to instead of posting on my blog, I figured its time I let you in on a little secret...I am a canner. Strange hobby, I know. I like to blame it on my mother, the queen canner herself. I grew up eating everything from home-canned peaches to strawberry-peach jam. Now I am sure there are some of you that are saying "My mom canned. It's not THAT uncommon." Well, did any of you eat home-canned ketchup? Or how about home-canned sauerkraut? I think it is safe to say that my mother took canning to a whole new level.

Well, apparently the ready-to-be preserved apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. So far this year I have bottled--listed below in order of production:

Strawberry jam

The kids love, Love, LOVE the jam (I've had to ration their allotment--they were going through a jar every few days!) And I now know that I will never be making pie filling again (the jars overflowed and I had to reprocess the whole thing again) But I am having fun. And that is all that counts, right? Anyway, if you have a good canning recipe you would like to share, just let me know.

Run For Your Life

2011-10-29T22:39:00.001-06:00

The kids and I decided to kick off the Halloween festivities early this year by dressing up and running in the Provo Monster Mile & 5K race. (Being the good mom that I am, I figured the least I could do before I let my kids eat 6 months worth of candy in one weekend is to make the make them get a little exercise!!)

Tehani went as a monarch butterfly (not a fairy!) Kobe is a burglar. And for those of you that might be wondering if I dressed up or not, Hello--I am a lifeguard!! Lucky for the rest of the runners--and you readers--I left my Pamela Anderson Baywatch swimsuit at home :) Anyway, the kids had fun (the race did trunk or treating for kids afterwards) And I managed to get a fairly fast time (for me at least) on my 5K--basically because I was worried about the kiddos being alone--they backed out on running the 5K with me and just did the wimpy 1 mile race :)

Both of the kids plan on doing a costume change for the next event on our Halloween agenda (for some reason these two must be under the impression that it is very passe to wear the same costume twice in one season) so be sure to check back to see what we have in store.

Happy Haunting!!

Wanna Swap?

2011-10-23T00:56:00.001-06:00

Right now I wouldn't want to swap places with anyone as I am enjoying the final days of our vacation in Hawaii. After a quick stop at church this morning, we spent the rest of the day driving around to the "other side" of the island. We hit a farmers market along the way and even took the kids to their first swap meet (or Swap n' Save" as Tehani called it :)

It rained a lot today so its the only day so far that we haven't gone to the beach. We finished off the day at a family party. And the kids gave already started asking if we really have to go home tomorrow. They're ready to move over here so if any of you Hawaiians are interested in a nice three bedroom home in Provo, maybe we can arrange a swap?

Friday Night Lights

2011-10-21T23:03:00.000-06:00

In addition to taking us to all of his old hangouts, Norm was pretty excited to take the kids and I to our first Kahuku football game on Friday night. I know every town follows their local high school football team, but let's just say that the locals here take school pride to a whole new level. I guess it doesn't hurt when you have players on your high school team that are larger than some college players (they know how to grow big kids in Hawaii :)

Our kids had fun playing with all the other kids. And Norm had fun chearing his team on to victory.

Final score--Kahuku:20 Waimea:16
Go Red Raiders!

Making our way through Hawaii--one bite at a time!

2011-10-20T17:13:00.000-06:00

When in Rome you do as Romans, right? Well on a Hawaiian vacation, that means stopping at EVERY one of Norm's favorite eating joints to stuff our faces--Hikilau Cafe, Rainbow Drive Inn, Tita's Grill, Zippys...(I could keep going on but that will just make it sound like we've been eating non-stop since we landed on this island three days ago :)

All in all, the trip has been delicious...err, I mean, fun. And the kids have been very impressed with Norm's extensive network of friends--basically we can't stop anywhere without him running into at least a couple of people that he knows (I never knew I married the #1 Mr. Aloha)

On the agenda for today? Beach, beach, and more beach. (After a pit stop for lunch at Laie Chop Suey :)

E Komo Mai

2011-10-19T12:58:00.001-06:00

So the fam and I are in Hawaii for the week. And although it isn't the first visit for any of us, we've never actually all been there together. Needless to say, we've been looking forward to this trip for awhile now.

The flight over was just fine (if you don't count the fact that we had to get up at 3am to make it to the airport in time.) And even after getting our bags, getting our rental car, stopping to eat and checking into our hotel, we even had time to hit the beach before it got dark.

Let the rest and relaxation begin!

An oldie but a goodie

2011-10-14T19:40:00.000-06:00

So Kobe's class had a performance this week at a retirement center near their school. In honor of all the old foggies they'd be performing for, the class learned a bunch of "oldies" for the occasion. There's even a pic of Kobe and his friend Brock doing the classic "Who's On First" bit (Kobe was Abbott :)

Anyway, the performance was a success. And as Kobe said we now know of a very nice retirement home if we ever need one (I'll have to keep that in mind for my favorite old foggies :)

Dirty Dash

2011-09-21T19:39:00.005-06:00

I know it is hard to recognize the mud-covered people in this photo but just wanted to post a quick pic from last weekend's insanity--aka The Dirty Dash.

I'm not really a mud kind of person so I am not sure what I was thinking when I signed up to do this with a group from my EMBA class. Luckily, I was able to talk Simone into coming up so we could let the kids do the Piglet Plunge. It also took some explaining to my parents that no actual pigs are involved in the race. (Apparently, back during my dad's childhood they used to grease up pigs and let the kids catch them for fun--so he thought from the "Piglet Plunge" name that we were chasing some lil' porkers around :)

Anyway, the kids had a blast (well, that was up until I tried to get Tehani and Eva to take a cold shower. After tears and lots a shivering, we broke down and paid the $4 a piece to let them wash off in a warm shower--wimps)

And for those of you that want video proof, you have it (thanks to the overachieving guy in my group with a waterproof video camera :) And just remember, anytime you don't see me in the video, its because I'm holding the vidoe camera (Hello, I work at a TV station :)

Fashionista Fun (aka Tehani's B-Day Party)

2011-09-10T05:54:00.002-06:00

One of the fun things about having a girl is getting to plan girl birthday parties. Well, I am proud to say that Tehani's 10th party did not disappoint...

Initially, we had a hard time deciding whether to hold her part on Friday night or Saturday (her actual birth day :) I was partial to holding on the actual day (because how often does that happen.) But the b-day girl had other plans, so Friday it was!

Tehani and friends decorated baseball caps with puffy paint, designed and modeled outfits out of toilet paper, decorated cupcakes, opened presents and everything else you would expect at a 10 year old's soiree. Tehani loved all of her presents--and I loved the fact that I can now cross this off of my mental "to-do" list...

Happy Birthday Tehani! I know that they next ten years with be just as entertaining (and fun) as the first :)

You must have my kid confused with someone else

2011-09-09T06:30:00.005-06:00

So the kids have been in school for just over a week and we got our first email from one of the teachers the other night...

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Tevaga,
It has been really delightful to get to know Kobe over the past week and a half. He has a natural ability in being a leader and many of the students already look up to him and follow his example. As a teacher, I particularly appreciate this because Kobe is a very respectful student and he treats his classmates well. I am grateful to have his example in class and am looking forward to seeing more of his talents unfold throughout the duration of the year. Miss "Teacher"

Leader? Respectful? Are you sure were talking about the same kid here?? My kid's name is Kobe--you know, the one with the big afro hair. I mean this can't really be the same kid that occasionally likes to sigh and roll his eyes when I ask him to do something? Hmm...
(Well, he has always been a good actor...)

In other unbelievable news, the kids love, Love, LOVE school. They come home every day talking about what they did. It's been nice to get back into somewhat of a routine (and to get the kids out of the house all day) Kobe's taking Chinese so he sang me a song they are learning (though for all I know he could just be saying jibberish--and I'm telling him "That sounds great!)

Anyway, just to be safe I'm posting a pic of my "lil leader." Who knows--maybe I'm raising the future president of the United States?? (I'm going to assume that if we can have a black president, we can also have a half Samoan one too :) But if "Miss Teacher" happens to be surfing the Internet and comes across this pic, can you please confirm that this was the kid you were talking about?

It's Finally Here

2011-08-30T18:36:00.023-06:00

My kids have literally been counting down the days. No, there is not some cool video game coming out. It's not even a trip to Chicago. They've been counting down the days until school would start and IT IS FINALLY HERE!

I didn't think they were going to make it. We had a bunch of neighbor kids that started almost two weeks ago. Everyone else we knew started last week. I thought my kids were going to poke their eyes out if they had to sit at home for another day, (Being the good mom that I am, I let them turn the TV room into one large blanket fort--we've had it like that for the last week or so!) Needless to say, we were all very ready for school to start (Yes, I know--what is wrong with these kids actually wanting to go to school!)

Kobe got up at 5am. He came in our room and asked if it was too early to take a shower (duh) Tehani got up much to early as well and spent the next two hours perfecting her hair and outfit for the day. School doesn't event start until 8:15--but the kiddos were ready to leave while it was still dark out :)

Now, any kid of mine should know that you are not going to leave for the first day of school without the obligatory photos out on the front porch. You'd think they'd learn that the sooner they can both a picture where they both have their eyes open (notice how Kobe is tying his shoes above with his eyes closed) and with normal looks on their faces, we could leave sooner...I beleive this was the picture I took after I said "Open your eyes!" I should have told Tehani that those insturctions were for Kobe only. The kids were sure that we were going to be late for school (which would've been ironic since they had our whole house up at the crack of dawn)

Anyway, after snapping this lil' picture the kids were officially ready for their first day back at Meridian school. Happy School Year kids! (Don't forget to learn something)

What religion are you?

2011-08-18T20:38:00.006-06:00

I remember when I was growing up and would ask my mom what a word meant when I didn't know the meaning. Her standard answer was "Why don't you look that up in the dictionary?" I can honestly say that I didn't ever bother (which means she is the cause of my mediocre vocabulary skills:)

Anyway, now that the kids are back they've been double-teaming me with all of sorts of words--articulate, mortality, Pol Pot (Ok, I didn't know who that was but thats what Google is for anyway, right?) And these were just the "What does this mean" words from one day!

Just when I thought the "Word Quiz-o-Rama" couldn't get any worse, Kid #1 through me for a lil' loop at breakfast the other day:
"Mom, what's a virgin?

I gave the appropriate eleven year old answer (its a person that's never had sex before just in case you are wondering) and had to chuckle with the reply I received..."Oh. I've always thought it was a religion."

I can hardly wait to see what "unknown" words they come up with next!

A penny saved is a penny earned

2011-08-17T21:51:00.003-06:00

So I'm still just a rookie at the whole couponing thing but I wanted to post a pic from my trip to the grocery store this week. I purchased 20 items (pictured above--minus the package of cookies that we already ate :) for a grand total of... (drum roll please)$15.37

At $0.76 a piece I didn't think I did too bad. I called to tell my mom about her score and she told me that if I keep it up, I might be as good as Cynthia one day (A girl can dream, cant she?)

Pennies saved? Two thousand, nine hundred and seventy five :)

Meet my nephew

2011-08-14T09:08:00.002-06:00

Another benefit of my trip to Chicago is that I got to officially meet my newest nephew. Here's a pic of me and the lil' guy (Ronan is his name.)

It's hard for me to believe that my kids were ever this small. He pretty much sleeps all day (well, when he isn't eating) so Cynthia and I even managed a quick trip out to the mall for a trip to the Motherhood store (in case anyone is wondering it turns out that the maternity store is the only place you can find nursing shirts)

Other than that, I spent most of my day scanning pictures for my dad. He's going through and putting all of his pictures into albums (which is no small feat, I might add, when you have 73 years worth of photos :) I'm definitely going to be an expert picture scanner by the time I get back to Utah.

I am the Master...

2011-08-11T22:55:00.009-06:00

...because I have a Masters (which is a good thing because you basically need one just to figure out how to put on the funky graduate hood thingy that is hiding underneath my flower leis :)

Anyway, after two long years of studying, homework, and more homework, I am finally done with my MBA. I walked in the commencement exercises today. There were a lot of people from my class that decided to skip this part of graduation but I thought it would be good for the kids to see this (when they go off to college in a few years I'm claiming all the credit for the time I made them sit through a boring graduation ceremony :)

And while I was a little bummed that my parents were not able to attend (I know, I know what kind of grown adult still wants her mommy and daddy to come to all of her stuff) but I know they were here in spirit (that and my station broadcasts the whole thing so they were able to watch it (Have I ever told you guys how much I LOVE my TV station?)

I figured my big news deserved a small post (in the midst of my blogging drought) I'm going to have to get back in the swing of posting (you know you've been a blog slacker when your sister--yes, the one with a three week old newborn and crazy three year old toddler--manages to post more than you do)

Home again home again dancing a jig

2011-07-29T22:52:00.002-06:00

Ok, I guess technically Tehani isn't dancing. But she is home again. She actually flew back by herself. My mom put her on the plane at O'Hare and I got a security pass to pick her up at the gate here. My little girl is all growed up :)

Here's a pic of my lil' frequent flier showing off the new luggage that she got while in Chicago (Thanks Grandma!) We haven't unpacked yet but I'll just assume that Tehani scored so much new stuff that she needed more luggage to get it all back here. (Maybe I need to go home and visit sometime :)

Welcome Home Tehani! We're glad to have you back!

Pioneer Day 5K: I'm Lovin' It

2011-07-25T20:58:00.008-06:00

While most of the civilized world spent their day off from work sleeping in, Simone and I trekked up to Salt Lake for the Deseret News 5K race. When I saw that Ronald himself was the MC/mascot for the race, I just knew I had to get a pic for my scrapbook (because nothing says "health" and "fitness" like Mr. Mickey D himself :)

I mean, who knew that Ronald McDonald was a runner?

The good news: He did not beat us in the race.

The bad news: I guess there wasn't really any bad news--other than the fact that I was tired the rest of the day (Which is pretty lame since a 5K is only 3 miles)

Let Freedom Run

2011-07-04T22:30:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post to let you know that I am alive and well (I know my lack of blogging had some people wondering if it was time to put put out a missing person alert :)

Anyway, I am doing so well that I managed to squeeze in a 5K to celebrate the 4th of July (last time I ran this race was back in in 2008) I've never been a huge runner in the past but it felt good doing the run (even though I am pretty sure that I'm going to be sore for days)

Now that I'm done with school (my last class was two weeks ago :) I figured that gives me a little more free time for getting back in shape. Because in addition to gaining an MBA, I managed to gain about 30 pounds over the past two year!! So its time to run, run, run!! The next race I'm doing is the Deseret News 5K on July 25, so if you are interested in a running buddy let me know.

Happy Fourth!!

Be on the lookout...for the world's best Dad

2011-06-19T16:13:00.007-06:00

Yep, it's a wanted poster. I'm posting this in honor of my Dad ('cause nothing says Happy Father's Day like a pretend wanted poster :)

Anyway when you have a family member that's a cop (thanks Officer Ray) you end up with mug shots of your kids--and pretend wanted posters. My brother whipped this up a few years back since my Mom kept getting mad at my Dad for spending too much time--and money--at the local neighborhood greenhouse (in my mom's defense, the man does buy A LOT of plants.)

So Happy Father's Day Daddy. I may not have inherited your green thumb but I know that I'm the person I am today because of you. Here's wishing you many undetected trips to the nursery (You deserve it!)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-06-08T22:26:00.000-06:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

A lawyer walks into a bar...

2011-05-28T08:36:00.000-06:00

I figured I'd better start brushing up on my lawyer jokes since it looks like we may one day have another lawyer in the family. My BIL (or "brother-in-law" since I know my parents don't know texting shorthand :) is the only lawyer I know at the moment. But here's the conversation I had in the car yesterday that may change all of this...

Kobe: Mom?

Laura: What Kobe?

Kobe: Do you think for Christmas you could get me some law books?

Laura: I guess. Are you going to be a lawyer when you grown up?

Kobe: Maybe. I'm just thinking it would be fun to learn more about law.

Yes people, my child used the word fun to describe learning about law. Tehani piped in and asked if Kobe just wanted to read those books so that way he could break the law (thanks Tehani)

I told Cynthia about the incident and she informed me there are some kid-friendly books that talk about strange laws and such. I decided this was a bad idea since it would only encourage Kobe's new found interest in learning legal speak. The other option is to to just give him a regular book of legal code. I'm guessing that's all it would take to suck the "fun-ness" out of learning about the law :)

Flashback Friday

2011-05-27T05:05:00.005-06:00

Today's flashback is from Dec 2008 (or at least that is what the digital time stamp on my photo says :)

This is a pic of our two favorite Tahitians--and their families (or at least most of the fam.) I'm pretty sure Norm and the kids and I were in Chicago for the holidays and "The Mom's" had the idea for us to have a family dinner a la Sweet Tomatoes. It seemed like a good idea. Except its a buffet--which means we ate and ate and ate (But it's ok that we all gorged ourselves since "It's only salad," right?)

(And yes, Tehani is falling asleep on my mom's purse in the picture :)

You've got mail

2011-05-25T05:29:00.001-06:00

Apparently I've got a new job...as a spokesperson for one of the departments on campus.

http://printandmail.byu.edu/home/content.php?page=about/articles/article-lauratevaga&section=about/about

(Don't worry, we didn't send all 500,000 pieces of mail to the same person :)

My Happy Place

2011-05-24T05:15:00.008-06:00

It's easy to smile when you're at the happiest place on earth! Last week, Norm and I took the kids on their first trip to Florida. Never mind the fact that I had just gotten back from my two week "asian adventure"--I had a work trip scheduled to Orlando so we figured it would be a great time for Norm and the kids to fly out and join me!

I do have to say I was jealous of the fact that the fam got to hang out all day by the pool the first few days there (while I was busy "hanging out" in conference rooms learning about the latest and greatest in fundraising :) But when Thursday afternoon finally rolled around, the real fun began. We managed to squeeze in a visit to Sea World and we spent Friday at Aquatica (Sea World's waterpark) And of course no visit to Orlando is complete without an obligatory stop at Disney. We spent most of the day at Epcot and then stopped by to say Aloha to our friends and family at the night show at Disney's Polynesian Resort.

Anyway, the kids loved it. Kobe has already asked if we can move to Florida and I'm pretty sure Tehani is already planning for the next time we can go out to visit. I'm pretty sure they also liked the fact that we had confirmed seats on the plane (thanks to Grandma, they're used to flying standby all the time.) I was talking to the kids on the phone before their flight (I flew out a day before them) and they were asking what would happen if they didn't get on the plane. I kept trying to explain to them that they'd for sure be getting on since we had bought tickets. It was kind of a foreign concept for them :)

Speaking of foreign concepts, I've spent the last two night sleeping in my own bed. Spending the last three weeks in hotels has been great, but it's nice to sleep in my own bed for a change. (I just need to figure out how to get a hotel maid to come in and make up my bed in the morning :)

If you sprinkle when you tinkle...

2011-05-14T13:21:00.001-06:00

You are looking at the one and only picture I took during my layover in Tokyo. Yes folks, its a remote...for the toilet.

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Land of a thousand smiles

2011-05-11T00:27:00.000-06:00

I am now in Bangkok. The tour guide said it's known as the land of a thousand smiles. I haven't even been here for a whole day but I already have a new favorite place. Were staying at a fabulous Marriott resort. I went and had an hour long massage. And now we are taking a boat tour.

I know I am smiling...
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Namaste

2011-05-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

Today we say goodbye to India. It's after 1am and I'm sitting on our airplane ready for our flight.

Next stop: Thailand

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Laundry Day

2011-05-09T22:16:00.000-06:00

Just a quick pic from our city tour of Mumbai (aka Bombay) And although this city is much more developed (lots of skyskrapers and even street lights :) there are areas of the city that look like this. We came past here a little later in the afternoon so almost all of the clothes washers (the tour guide said that in this area it is only men that was clothes :) were already done for the day.

The funny thing is that before going on the tour I had just gotten done washing some of my clothes. In the sink in my hotel room (you'd be washing clothes too if you had to bring two weeks worth of clothes in one suitcase--that can't weigh more than 44 pounds) Thank goodness for my packets of travel Tide!
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An elephant never forgets

2011-05-08T01:38:00.000-06:00

And here is an experience I will never forget--my first elephant ride. This was near Amber Fort, which was our main sightseeing visit for the day.

Our paciderm parade was almost cancelled--when we got to the fort today they said it was too hot. Don't tell PETA but the tour guides must have decided that our India photo op was more important the elephant's welfare because here I am on my new elephant friend (her name is Beshy in case you are wondering :)

*Note--No animals were harmed in the taking of this picture. I mean, in 46 degree Celsius really that hot?

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Just another day at the palace

2011-05-07T22:37:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pics of the Taj Palace, our hotel last night. It was an actual palace at one point in time. We're in Jaipur today (aka the Pink City--or at least that is what the tour guide says :)

All of our hotels have been just as nice (though I don't know if I will get used to going through metal detectors and having armed guards walking around the lobby :)

Just another day at the palace!
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Spice Spice Baby

2011-05-07T04:57:00.000-06:00

No trip to India is complete without a visit to the Spice Market. Our tour guide told us that the majority of the world's spices are bought and sold in little shops like these.

While everything may look good and nice in this photo, you'll thank me for not including the pictures of the surrounding areas. I've been a lot of places in the world but I do have to say that I have never been anywhere as dirty or as unsanitary (If it really is true that all of our spices come from here, I may never let my kids put cinnamon on their toast again!)

On a more positive note, I'd have to say that the high point of my India trip was our visit this morning to the Taj Mahal. We were there for the sunrise and it was spectacular.

So far in India we've been to Delhi and Agra. And, after our 5 hour bus ride today, we'll spend our last night here in Jaipur.

PS-If you ever do get the chance to visit this country, I recommend staying as far away from the roads as possible. Driving here (or even just riding on a bus) is scary. The Indians make the bad Utah drivers look good :)
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It's a small world afterall

2011-05-05T02:34:00.000-06:00

Tonight we are finishing up our time in China (Hong Kong to be exact.) We've got a late night flight and figured we'd spend our free time before then at the happiest place on earth. Anyone want to guess where? Here's a pic in case you need a hint...
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"Hope You Make It" Airlines

2011-05-03T04:48:00.000-06:00

So my EMBA group has finished up our time in Beijing. We had a business visit this morning and then headed off to the airport for our flight to Shenzhen. We boarded our plane, pushed back from the gate, and then we wait.

And wait. We're still sitting here now (which is why I figured I'd take advantage of this time to do a quick post :) You know it isn't looking good when the pilot gets on the intercom and says (with his Chinese accent) that we will be waiting for A VERY LONG TIME. Too bad I'm not in the US since there's a three hours limit for "tarmac torture time"...

Apparently my group is not allowed to fly this trip without having some sort of delay (This is the Delta annoyance story that I promised in my last post :)

Our flight from SLC was just fine but once we got to Seattle, we found out our flight had been delayed two hours due to "mechanical issues." Two hours turned into three but once that was fixed our pilots couldn't fly or they'd be over hours (It is a 12 hour flight after all :) Then Delta had to track down a new crew. When we thought they finally had it all together, they realized that none of the 4 pilots had flown in to Beijing before (which is apparently a requirement) so the flight was cancelled. (We offered to let the pilot use our map but our wings had already been clipped.) After putting us all up in a hotel for the night, we were back at the SEA airport the next morning.

Let's hope this flight doesn't turn out the same way. So wish me luck. I think we're going to need it.

PS--And I have a five year old sitting in the seat behind me that is about to get his legs cut off! Anyone know what the punishment might be? (I'm not planning to kill him, just maim him a little :)
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Imperial Garden

2011-05-01T21:25:00.000-06:00

This is my first time trying to post via email to my blog so forgive me if this comes out funky...

Now that we are here (I'll have to do a separate post some other time to talk about my "extended" Seattle layover and general annoyance with Delta)

Here is a quick recap since our arrival in Beijing yesterday afternoon:

We hiked the Great Wall yesterday. Very cool. Also took my first trip on an alpine slide--that was how we got down the mountain.

Bathrooms can sometimes be a little different over here. Basically I peed in a whole yesterday (bathroom in the airport parking garage) I'll assume that I have decent aim since I didn't get my feet wet.

So far today, we've been to Tianamen Square, The Forbidden City. I took a million pics (on my good camera) but since I can't load those up here's one I snapped on my cell.

Next stop? Silk Market. Let me know if you want me to pick you up any silk ;)
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Happy B-Day to my favorite middle sib

2011-04-30T00:30:00.006-06:00

Anyone want to guess why this girl is smiling? (And no, it is not because she is just so happy for William and Kate :) It's because Cynthia is celebrating ANOTHER BIRTHDAY! And even though I'm technically "off the grid" at the moment (if my calculations are correct, I'm on a China-bound plane somewhere over the Pacific) I didn't want to let today go by without poking some fun, err.. I mean wishing my baby sister a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

There may be some of you that don't know this, but Cynthia is the middle child in the family. You know you've got it tough when they even have a special name (Middle Child Syndrome)to describe all your weirdness. I thought it would be funny to post some of the traits of a middle child (you know, to show you that Cynthia can't help being the way that she is :) but I couldn't find anything online that didn't list out traits that made her seem like a serial killer:
Loner
Quiet
Impatient
Uptight

That doesn't sound like a good way to wish someone a happy birthday. Anyway, I tkept looking and found a few more websites but it seemed like the information was just getting worse..."they may be a little weird, unfriendly and even worse, psychotic because of this feeling of emptiness."

Ouch. Anyway, I figured the BEST present I could give Cynthia for her birthday this year was an apology--Sorry I was born first. (It was a tough job being the favorite, but someone had to do it!) I hope you and your middle self are able to enjoy and happy and untraumatized day :)

Tres Magnifique

2011-04-21T18:38:00.000-06:00

When the kids and I got home today, there was a package waiting at the door. (Ok, there were actually a couple of packages but that's because I've had to get a few things--like a dual voltage flat iron travel hair dryer before my trip next week :)

Anyway, here's Kobe and Tehani looking "tres chic" in their new French navy sailor shirts. My mom was in France recently and picked these up for the kids. My only question is--Where is MY shirt? (I'm just going to pretend that they don't make these in women's sizes and leave it at that.)

Merci pour les cadeaux Maman. La prochain fois, tu n'oublie pas un pour moi.

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Ho'ike

2011-04-18T23:49:00.001-06:00

Translation? Tehani had her hula recital tonight.

OK, techincally it wasn't a "hula" recital since hula is Hawaiian and this was Tahitian (And yes, there IS a difference :)

At any rate, here's a clip of Tehani "Tahitian Hips" Tevaga doing her thang. (And in case you can't tell my nine year old from the others..the 2nd little person on the left belongs to me) Enjoy!

China Week

2011-04-11T23:41:00.007-06:00

So at the end of the month I am leaving for a 16 day trip to China, Thailand and India. Although it may sound like a vacation, the trip is actually a Foreign Business Excursion that is required for the Executive MBA program I'm doing. Call it what you will, I just know that I am super excited to go. I've been a lot of places but never to these countries.

Anyway, I decided that in preparation for my trip, the fam was going to learn about the places I'm going (whether they want to or not) So tonight was our first night of what I am affectionately calling "China Week." We ate Chinese food--with chopsticks--and watched a program that we recently aired at the station (which you can watch here if you too are interested in learning more about China :)

Tehani got pretty into it as I was even able to convince her to put on her cheongsam (Chinese dress) for the occasion. When I told Kobe it was too bad that he didn't have anything Chinese to wear, he replied "Mom, I'm wearing Chinese clothes. Don't you know that EVERYTHING is made in China!"

I'd like to know who has been teaching my son about China when I wasn't paying attention? Anyway, if you have any easy recipes (or suggestions on other movies we might watch) let me know. Otherwise, the kids might just end up eating fortune cookies and watching Jackie Chan movies by the time we get to the end of the week :)

Discovery Gateway: Staycation Day 2

2011-04-09T22:52:00.004-06:00

I knew my Staycation Jar was a hit when Tehani woke me up this morning at 6AM to ask if she could "pick" out our activity for the day. After a few more hours of sleep I finally let Tehani pick and the Tevaga family was off to the Gateway for a morning of Discovery fun!

If you've never taken your kids there, I highly recommend it. Kobe has been there once for school but this was Tehani's maiden voyage to the place. Who knew science could be so fun! Luckily we got there right when they opened (read before all the crowds showed up :) so we spent a few hours there and left before the place got too crowded. But we will definitley have to go back again.

Two days down, a whole long week left to go :)

The Staycation Jar

2011-04-08T22:19:00.013-06:00

So the kids have just started Spring Break. We'd been planning to ship them off to Chicago (you can do that when you have a relative with buddy passes :) but the flights just didn't look that good. Then I was worried that I was going to get "stuck" out there (oh the joys of flying standby) so we opted to keep the kids here for their week off of school. Needless to say, the kids were not amused.

Anyway, I knew I had to come up with some sort of distraction to 1) keep them entertained and 2) to make it seem like we were actually doing something fun for the week. I had the kids write down a few fun things they would like to do and we folded them up and put them in a jar. Over the next week, we'll pick one paper out each day and that will be our activity du jour. Instant Staycation fun!

We decided to get right into it and picked Go To A 3D Movie out of the jar tonight (Luckily for our wallet, the only 3D movies in town are playing at the dollar show) It was also funny to hear Kobe's definition of a staycation. Tehani heard me say the word in the car and said "Stay-what?" Kobe piped right up and said "Staycation. You know, when people that don't have money stay home and pretend that they are having fun."

Let the pretending begin!

My science experiment

2011-04-03T21:31:00.008-06:00

I've never really been a fan of science. I mean, I did get good enough grades in the subject in high school (I should point out that I was in honors science classes so my dislike for the stuff has nothing to do with not understanding it :) I mean, do I REALLY need to know how to dissect a frog? And I've never once been asked to randomly name elements from the Periodic Table...

It is, of course, only by fate that my oldest LOVES science. Which means Kobe was completely in his element last weekend when he participated in the Science Olympiad. Who knew that there were whole competitions all around science?!?

Being the good "Science Mom" that I am, I decided to conduct a few experiments of my own. Here are my findings:

6 Hours: This is the max amount of time that Tehani and I could spend at the Science Olympiad before we were all scienced-out :) I really expected Tehani to be "geeked out" way before that but there were enough exhibits to keep her somewhat entertained.

180 Minutes: This is how long we had to spend in the car--round trip--to get to said Sciencepalooza. What's so great about Weber State University anyway? (I'm going to have to lobby the Science Gods to consider moving their dog-n-pony show to BYU next year)

Zero: This is the amount of homework I completed while at the Science Olympiad. My plan had been to get some reading done but between driving kids across campus to different events...I was like a one-woman taxi service.

Anyway, I'll close this post with a pic of Kobe's new favorite science sport, Sumo Bots (Its like sumo wrestling--for science geeks) Enjoy!

Flashback Friday

2011-03-25T05:41:00.006-06:00

I'm not sure on the exact year of this flashback photo--though I'd venture to guess by the nifty knickers my sis is sportin' that we're looking at sometime during the early 80's...

Keep in mind that any time you came or went to visit my grandparents in Tahiti you HAD to take a picture in front of their "garage" (Yes, those multicolored streamers hanging in the back of the photo would technically count as the garage door :)

You can tell that we just arrived since we're wearing flower leis. That and Raymond is actually wearing clothes. (By the end of the trip, I'm sure he was running around in nothing but his undies like the rest of the natives :)

PS Note to Raymond: Please do not comment on the frequency of my posts (or lack thereof :) or next time I'll pull out the REALLY embarrassing photos of you. (And you know which ones I am talking about!)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T06:38:00.002-06:00

Princess Party

2011-03-20T21:14:00.008-06:00

Nothing like a Princess Party for a little weekend fun! Tehani and I spent part of our Saturday at the Paul Mitchell Salon in Murray getting our hair, nails and makeup done (OK, I just sat there, took pics and talked with the other moms :)

I'm sure the salon was a little overwhelmed when our 30+ princesses showed up (someone should have warned the salon that polynesian girls have so much hair) But all in all, Mommy Daughter bonding time was a huge success!! Next item on my agenda--convincing Tehani that we cannot fix her hair like this everyday...

Gettin' dirty

2011-03-05T17:20:00.012-07:00

So I've been thinking for the past few weeks that I really, really need to wash my car. But every time I decide to go to the car wash, I find out it's going to rain (or snow) and I figure that I should wait a few more days. I even suggested for Norm to stop last night while we were out on a date (No, my idea of a fun date is not going to the car wash) but he tried to tell me that my car wasn't that dirty.

Well, thanks to the kids--and their need to express their artistic abilities--I came outside this afternoon and found this....

I think I'll finally be making that long-neglected trip to the car wash...

My Lil' Winter Olympians--Part 2

2011-01-30T20:47:00.009-07:00

Just wanted to share a few pics of the kids at the ice rink. As if weekly trips to the snowy hills of Sundance were not enough, I've also got the kids in ice skating lessons too (that way if they aren't good enough to medal in snowboarding, we've got ice skating to fall back on :)

I should point out that I'm not REALLY trying to raise winter Olympians. (I've not actaully a fan of winter--and truth be known I think snow is just annoying :) But I had decided that it might be nice for Kobe to learn to play hockey--I am from Chicago after all. Hockey is a much more common there than it is out here thanks to the Black Hawks. Anyway, the only problem for my future hockey star is that they want your kid to actually know how to skate before they let you sign them up for hockey (Go figure!)

This is not their first time around the rink (I broke my wrist several years ago after an ill-conceived attempt to take my kids roller skating. After that, I promptly signed them up for ice skating lessons lest they develop a life-long aversion to anything involving skates :)
My plan must have worked--they've been enjoying their time on the ice (the two little people on the left belong to me :) If you've got recommendations for the next winter sport we should try, let me know. Who knows, maybe I'm raising a future luge medal winner?

Life on the slopes

2011-01-28T05:30:00.013-07:00

I decide awhile back that I would be a bad, bad mom if my kids didn't learn how to ski or snowboard. I mean, we DO live in Utah (you know, the place with "the greatest snow on earth.") Plus I'm pretty sure we've got snow on the ground for at least six months out of the year. Let's get those kids out on the slopes!!

Anyway, I'm also a smart enough mom to know that it would be best if I left the teaching on this up to the experts. So I was very glad when the kids brought home a sign up sheet for an after school program at Sundance--four lessons, lift tickets, and all the 'boarding gear they need. Let the snowboarding begin!! Here are some pics of my future Winter Olympians getting geared up (Just in case you've been living under a rock, snowboarding has been an official Olympic sport since 1998.)

I think the kids were a little suprised and/or possibly embarassed when they saw me up there earlier this week snapping pics. But a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do! (Never mind the fact that I was only up there because Norm and I were going to see a screening at the Sundance Film Festival that night) And I'm also just going to assume that Tehani does not spend all of her time sitting on her her bum out there.

So if you are ever in town and want to hit the slopes, just let me know. (I've got two kids that you can take along with you :)

Shades of gray

2011-01-17T18:48:00.012-07:00

So the other day when I was driving the kids to school when we got into a discussion about the MLK holiday (I believe Tehani called it Civil Rights Day) Tehani asked why they had a day off of school and I explained that at one time, there were separate restaurants, water fountains, etc. for whites and blacks. She asked why and I explained that the white people at the time thought they were better than the black people.

I went on to give an explanation about MLK (thinking back now, I'm pretty sure the kids had probably tuned me out by this point) Anyway, some where midway through my intro into the "I Have A Dream" speech, Tehani interrupted and asked "What water fountain would we drink from?"

This wouldn't be so strange other than the fact that Kobe has asked me on several different occasions if he is black (he even asked me once if he was African :) I explained to the two of them that they were brown, not black. Tehani said that she thought that brown WAS the same thing as black. Brown, black, yellow, white--at this point I've decided that being color blind wouldn't be such a bad thing :)

Happy Civil Rights Day!

R & R

2011-01-16T23:14:00.016-07:00

I enjoyed some much needed (and much appreciated) Rest and Relaxation this past weekend with a quick jaunt to Sin City with my good friend Simone. Simone and I used to travel together a lot before we both got married, so it was fun to enjoy a girl's weekend away (just like we used to do back in our single days :)

We did a lot of walking, a lot of shopping (new jeans for me and some Valentine's Day presents for the kids :) Oh, and A LOT of

eating. Too bad THAT part of my Vegas trip doesn't stay in Vegas! (Heaven knows I don't need those extra calories--but the Tiramisu from Maggiano's was worth it!)

Thanks Simone for suggesting the trip (and for being such a good friend :)

Sundance Swag

2011-01-13T22:50:00.004-07:00

Just wanted to show off some of the "swag" I got from the Sundance Film Festival tonight. For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to be a volunteer at the Film Festival this year (ya know, in all my free time :)

Anyway, its been awhile since I've volunteered anywhere (OK, the last time I was a volunteer, it was for when the Olympics came to town. In 2002. Tehani was one.) I've actually volunteered for the Film Festival in the past so I realized that this might be just the gig for me. I mean, I'm definitely not ready to get into a "long term" volunteer relationship right now. The Film Festival only last 10 days. I can handle that kind of commitment, right?

I'll let you know how my new "relationship" works out (oh, and if I see any cool films :)

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Happy Anniversary

2011-01-12T23:01:00.005-07:00

So my parents celebrated an anniversary this week. Being married myself, I've become more and more impressed with the great marriage that my parents have. They should be on Dr. Phil or something--either that or at least write a tell-all book sharing the secrets to a happy marriage...

Anyway, in honor of their 41 years together (and no, that number is not a typo) I wanted to share with you some of my fondest memories of their marriage:

I can say in all of my years in living at home, I never ONCE saw my parents fight (For all I know, they fight like cats and dogs now but as a child, I never once had that thought that my parents didn't love each other :)

I never heard either parent under cut or undermine the other. Don't worry, I still followed the #1 rule of being a kid and made sure to go ask my Dad after my mom said no (It was pointless, since he always backed her up. But I asked anyway.)

My Dad always remembered my parents anniversary. And my mom always got red roses. I'm sure at one point in time she got just a dozen (you know, like normal people do) but she has now worked her way up to two dozen. I guess after you've been married for anything over 20 years, you deserve more flowers....

I am pretty sure my mom has every card that my father has ever given her (No she is not a hoarder, just sentimental I suppose/hope)

Right before I left for college, my Dad used to try and gross me out by kissing my mom in front of me and saying loud enough for me to hear, "Slip me the tongue, honey!" I'm sure the two of them thought they were being so funny. I pretend that I was disgusted but I actually thought it was the cutest thing in the world)

Anyway, here's wishing you guys a Happy (belated) Anniversary. Here's wishing you forty more years of happiness (and slipping each other the tongue!!)

2010: A Year In Review

2010-12-31T06:32:00.017-07:00

I can't believe another year has flown by! (Exactly WHERE does all the time go?) And since there are only a few hours left of 2010, I wanted to take a minute to post about the top stories from the year. No, these aren't the "news stories." These are the REAL stories--things that have been important and made a difference over the past 364 days...

EMBA--Can I tell you how glad I will be when I put on a cap and gown in eight months? There are times that I have felt a bit overwhelmed, but I don't regret the decision that I've made to go back to school. I've learned a ton and as hard as this may be to believe, I know that this is making me a better person. This was definitely the right time to go back to school.

Extreme Makeover: Family Room Edition--No Ty Pennington did not come to visit, but our TV room finally received a long-overdue makeover this past summer (thanks to my mom for taking the kids on a cross-country road trip so I could paint without my two little helpers) And while it might see silly to include "redecorating" on the Tevaga Top 2010 list, we've spent a lot more time together in this room as a family now that it has been redone. So more family bonding time = my new TV room makes the list :)

My Dad's Retirement--I never thought my dad would ever actually retire, but it was just a few months ago that my dad made the decision to hang up his white hardhat for good. And although his resignation involved the words "take this job" and "shove it," I'm very proud of my father and his long career (If you live in the Chicagoland area, I can GUARANTEE there is not a day that goes by that you don't drive on a road that was built by my Daddy :) Anyway, the reason I'm including this on the list is because we managed to pull off a surprise party at the Bolder Ridge Country Club for my dear old Dad. In general, I know these parties don't usually turn out as surprises. But he was surprised (I have photo proof :)Spending time with my family--Norm and the kids and I were able to take a couple of trips to Chicago this year. And Cynthia and her family came out for a long-overdue visit. Add in the fact that my mother flies (or drives) over for random visits anytime she wants and you have Family Bonding Overload (aka FAMILY BONDAGE :) Seriously though, I'm glad that even though we live far away from my family, we're able to spend as much time with them as we do.
Gettin' Schooled--The kids also started a new school this year. I was a little traumatized when I learned that the private school they had attended for the past four years was closing down (you'd be traumatized too--school was scheduled to start in something like four days!) Anyways, they've both adjusted just fine to a classroom that has more then 10 kids in it :) They've both made new friends and I haven't received any calls from the Principal's office--LIFE IS GOOD!
(Oh, and they are actually learning things too--so LIFE IS REALLY GOOD :)
Well, that's about it. What's in store for 2011? Heaven only knows. But I do know one thing, my goal for 2011 is to have fun and to make sure I get all of the important things done on my "To Do List"...
Which means spending more time with the people I love!!

Happy New Year. I hope the next year is even better than the last :)

A Visit From The Cheeseheads

2010-12-28T20:45:00.010-07:00

Yes, Cynthia was born and raised in Chicago but I've discovered that it doesn't take long to turn someone into a cheesehead...

We're glad that Cynthia, Ken and Charlotte got to spend some time with us for the Christmas holiday. I figured that the kids would get tired of having a two-year old in tow but they loved, Loved, LOVED spending time with her (Our poor cat, not so much-Neko spent a lot of time over those nine days hiding out in the basement from a feline-obsessed toddler.)

Kobe says that his favorite memory is being slapped and bitten by Charlotte. (And lest my sister thinks I am making this up, I just asked Kobe and that is all he could come up with--apparently he is a glutton for punishment :) Tehani said she was glad that Charlotte was here for Christmas.

And I say that I am glad my kids aren't two any more...

Even with all of the craziness, the visit was too short--and way too much fun! Thanks for coming to play in the Utah snow with us. We miss you guys already :)

The B Boy

2010-12-24T21:05:00.011-07:00

That's B as in B-Day. Yes, my baby turned 11 today (never mind how old that makes me :) And in true Blogger style, here are some little known (and oft forgotten) facts about my lil' bundle of joy:

The early bird gets the worm--or in this case gets to school on time. Kobe is still compulsively obsessed with being the first one to arrive at school. It gets a little old sometimes having him ask if we can leave for school when it is not even 7:30 (school starts at 8:30 in case you are wondering) but I humor him--because I know that one day in the not too distant future it will probably be me harassing him about gettin' to school.

It's all Greek to me--Kobe loves, Loves, LOVES Greek mythology. He asked me once which Greek God I thought he was most like and I was kind of thinking "Are there others besides Zeus?" According to the Koberoo, he has the most in common with Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes. Who knew?

Men at Work--I've decide that Kobe is either going to grow up to be a human beat box or a video game designer. He's got hours and hours of practice at both! I feel like I'm constantly telling him to BE QUIET. I mean really, should one person be able to make that much noise?

On a more practical side, Kobe is also my best and biggest helper. Every morning he usually the one that puts the dishes away, packs the lunches in the backpacks, gets the newspaper, and washes any dirty dishes (never mind the fact that he is only doing this because he is trying to get us out the door :)

Other hobbies include writing haikus, picking on Tehani just like any good older brother would do, and correcting other people's poor grammar (he must get that from Cynthia :) He's definitely "One Of A Kind"...

Happy Birthday Kobe! Hope this next year brings you everything you hope for (and no that does not include a new XBox :)

Shake It Don't Break It

2010-12-22T23:26:00.003-07:00

Cynthia and I like to say this to Tehani anytime she is supposed to hula. So yes, these were the words of motherly advice I gave before her dance recital a few weeks ago...

Tehani started with a new teacher a few months back and she loves, Loves, LOVES it. I love the fact that she is learning about her Tahitian culture (specifically from someone else that actually knows how to dance--meaning not me.) I also love that she will now have some new dances to do at my parent's next luau (no offense Tehani, but I was getting a wee tired of the poi ball routine every year :)

So if you are interested in improving your Tahitian dancing skills (and who isn't these days?) be sure to check these guys out.

Welcome Back

2010-12-21T05:53:00.011-07:00

...to Blog Land! Oh how I've missed my blogging friends (OK, I realize that my mom, dad and sister are the only three people that actually read this thing. But hey, you got to start somewhere :)

Lest anyone think I've been off on a vacay or something fun like that, let me just start by saying that I thought this past semester in school was going to be the death of me! (Though I did manage to sneak in a work trip to France and visit to Chicago since the semester started) I will so be enjoying the two week break of NO CLASSES! And, once school starts back up I have just 32 nights of class until I leave for my Foreign Business Excursion (I know, I counted.) I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel (it's a long tunnel, yes, but the important thing is THE END IS NEAR!

Now that I actually have time to blog, let's hope that lots of fun and exciting things happen in my life so I have things to post about. In the meantime, here are some recent photos of me and the fam (I know it's been soo long that most of you have probably forgotten what we look like) Thanks to my sis for taking these (back in October :) for our 2010 Christmas card. If you didn't get yours yet, your card is "in the mail" (Just send me your address :)

We've Moved

2010-12-02T05:33:00.002-07:00

Ok, technically I guess "I've moved" would be a more appropriate title. No, I haven't left my family to run off and join the circus. We finally moved into our new building at work! I'll admit that the whole moving thing has made my life even crazier than normal--This was a good reminder of why I never want to move again!

Then there was the fact that campus was shut down last week right before Thanksgiving for the Blizzard of 2010 (which never arrived, just in case you were wondering :) Anyway, here are some pics that I borrowed from a recent Deseret News article about our new diggs...

And just in case you're wondering whats MY favorite thing about the new building? I have a window. OK, windows to be exact. One whole wall of them. Here's a pic of me hard at work....

Another year older and wiser too...

2010-11-17T21:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to the craziest lady I know!! I was feeling kind of sad that I'm not in Chicago to properly celebrate my mom's birthday, but never fear...I just found out today that my parents are coming out for a visit. Like tomorrow. They'll be driving cross country with a van FULL of unwanted stuff from their house. (Most people take their unwanted item to the Salvation Army, my parents bring the junk to me!!)

And people sometimes wonder why we call her Crazy J?!?

The Tribe Has Spoken: Happy Birthday Raymond

2010-10-30T00:00:00.002-06:00

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get "voted off the island" for this one (either that, or my brother is going to arrest me the next time I'm back in Chicago)

I didn't want to let today go by without loading up the most embarrassing picture I could find to wish my brother a very Happy Birthday!! (Embarassing pictures are plentiful when you're the baby in the family :) And who knew you looked so good in a loin cloth?

Anyway, Happy Birthday from my tribe to you!

Before and After

2010-10-25T22:57:00.002-06:00

(And yes, that IS a mustache on Kobe's pumpkin. He's been obsessed lately with mustaches--he's actually had me check his upper lip a few times because he thinks he is growing facial hair :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

Smells Like Teen Spirit

2010-10-12T06:00:00.019-06:00

So we took the fam out the eat the other day. As we were walking back to the car Kobe commented that it smelled. I didn't smell anything so being the good and inquisitive parent that I am I asked, "What does it smell like?" Kobe replied "It smells just like Las Vegas."

Now just to clarify--No, we don't take our kids on monthly gambling excursions to Nevada. And my only recollection of the olfactory characteristics of Sin City involve cigarette smoke and beer. I was still perplexed. I mean, we'd just left a restaurant in Utah--there was not a whiff of beer or cigarette smoke anywhere. Maybe Kobe had simply eaten one too many wings at Wingers? Kobe piped back up and said:
"Can't you just smell all the sweat and anticipation...and luck?"

Was THAT what I was smelling? Who ARE these kids and where did they come from? I'll have to remember this smell for a few years from now when the Koberoo is a teenager (because if I remember correctly, pubescent boys are both sweaty AND smelly)

I can hardly wait. Wish me luck--I think I'm going to need it!

Why do birds fly south for the winter?

2010-10-10T06:11:00.000-06:00

The other day around dinner, we were asking the kids questions about things they're learning in school. Not sure if the kids are actually studying the migratory habits of birds or not but this is what we learned...

Norm:"Tehani, do you know why birds fly south for the winter?"

After thinking for a really, REALLY long time she replied "Because they can't afford to take the train."

She may not get a good grade in science with an answer like that but her reply had Norm laughing so hard, I thought he was going to fall off his chair.

That's my Hani Bani--if you don't know the answer, make something up!

Flashback Friday

2010-10-01T05:19:00.000-06:00

Vive La France

ice ice baby

2010-09-22T06:11:00.013-06:00

Things I learned from taking my kids to the ice rink the other day:

I {heart} pictures where my kids look like the actually like each other Pics like this can be rare so I figured I'd better post this one as proof that they do get along sometimes.
Two hours is a long time to sit and watch your kids ice skate (especially when all I can think about is the hours of homework I have waiting for me at home) I'll remember to bring my laptop the next time we venture back to the rink.
Crazy J is not fond of the cold ice rink She had to go sit outside in the sun most of the time, which I'm assuming means she was freezing like I was (either that or she was just pretending she's back in Tahiti)
I really need to put my kids back in ice skating They took lessons at one time--which was my attempt to have them not be afraid of skating after I broke my arm in front of them at the roller rink :)

Growing up, I had an ice rink in my back yard. I realize this was not normal but I have come to find out that most of my childhood fits in the "not normal" category. I was taking ice skating lessons at the time which apparently meant I needed my own personal rink...

...On second thought, maybe we'll have to pass on skating lessons for the kids (I'm pretty sure our lil' backyard is not big enough for a rink :)

If I could turn back time...

2010-09-03T05:45:00.010-06:00

I figured this would be a fitting post for the day (it is my birthday afterall!) I got this idea from a friend's blog a few weeks ago and it got me to thinking...If I could turn back time, what do I wish I had known? What would I do differently? Here's my letter to me at 18:
Dear "Girl Who Thinks She Knows Everything But Really Knows Nothing,"

You don't need to make your hair that big--or that curly. (And the aerosol hairspray that you plaster your hair with is causing a giant whole in the ozone!)
On a related note, standing in front of the bathroom door when applying said hairspray is also ruining the finish on the door (Your dad will thank you later :)

Help out around the house more often. And tell your parents thank you. They gave you an amazing childhood--which means you shouldn't roll your eyes every time your mother asks you to help with something (She is correct in that you are NOT a guest in that house--you actually do live there)

Spend less time worrying about boys. Don't get serious. None of these boys in high school is the one you're going to marry anyway (Thank Goodness!)

Also, don't be mad at your mom for inviting all of your ex-boyfriends to your surprise Sweet 16 Birthday Party (How was she supposed to know that they all hate each other?!?)

Be nicer to your sister. It's not her fault that you guys have to share a bedroom. One day when you are older, she will be your best friend.

This includes your brother too. You may find it hard to believe, but the three of you will actually choose to be roommates at one point in time (weird, I know)

Enjoy your time at home. Once you move out after high school graduation, you may come to visit from time to time (ok, a lot) but it will never be the same. You don't need to count the days till you leave for college...

Take better care of your body. Stay away from the tanning beds. Exercise every once in awhile. And don't eat so much junk food. One day you will wake up and wonder what happened. (It takes a lot more work to take the weight off than it does to keep it off in the first place)

Spend more time with your grandparents. Some day they will both be gone and you will wish you had spent more time with them.

You should also pay more attention in the kitchen. Your mother is a great cook. As hard as you find this to believe right now, you will actually want to know how to cook one day...

Guess jeans and Z Cavarrici sweatshirts will go out of style (who ever though up the idea of acid washed jeans anyway?) Don't waste your money-- You could be a very rich girl if you had just put all of your clothes money in the bank...

Basically, take care of yourself and your family, and everything else will take care of itself. Don't be in such a rush for "life to start." Enjoy the life you have right now. One day you are going to have an incredible life--a career you enjoy with a wonderful husband (I'm not sure how he puts up with you sometimes) and two crazy kids (it's called karma--what goes around, comes around :)

Love,
A wrinklier (but wee bit wiser) YOU

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T06:44:00.002-06:00

School Daze

2010-08-24T05:14:00.009-06:00

My kids have officially gone "Back To School." This really is a major accomplishment (no, not because I want to get my kids out of the house) but because 5 days ago we found out that their current school was closing.

After I got over the initial shock, I got the kids enrolled in a local charter school. I broke the news to the kiddos while we drove to "Back To School Night" for their new school last week. And while I'm happy about the prospect of not having to pay for school (the kids have been going to a private school for the past four years) I was worried how they would fare in classes that have more than 10 kids in them :)

I am happy to report that the kids both gave a big "thumbs up" after their first day at school. Kobe was already asking for a "play date" with a new friend. And Tehani decided that she likes her class--the day before, she told me that there was no way she going to be able to remember the names of all the "new kids" (I didn't have the heart to point out that SHE is the new kid, not them :)

1 day of school down, only 179 days left to go!

Pass the croissant

2010-08-14T22:16:00.005-06:00

I made the mistake of promising Tehani that we would redo her room. It's been all that she's talked about since coming back from Chicago so I decided that this was the project for the weekend (basically I was tired of listening to Tehani talk about bedspreads and paint colors :)

Anyway, after trips to JC Penny's, Sam's, WalMart, Koh'l, Ross, TJ Maxx, Target and a few others we finally found our new bedding. (I normally wouldn't go to so many stores but I was not about to shell out a lot of money to redecorate an eight year old's room) Let's just say I have a new appreciation for the clearance rack at Target!

Anyway, Tehani and I were getting into the car tonight after purchasing a new comforter set when she leaned over and said "Wow. Look Mom, a croissant moon." I made sure not to laugh out loud as I explained to Tehani that it' s actually called a "crescent moon." Crescent, croissant--I'm sure it all seems the same when you're eight years old (Though I suddenly have an unexplainable desire for some light and flaky butter flavored pastries)

SPF 0

2010-08-05T05:10:00.002-06:00

The kids are now back from Hawaii. I'm starting to think that my Mom should have packed more sunscreen...

Flashback Friday

2010-07-30T04:50:00.004-06:00

I figured this was a good photo to put up this week--kind of a before and after with the "Wordless" photo that went up on Wednesday. This family pic is from a past Annual Anderson Luau. I don't recall the exact year but you know it was while back when one of the "kiddies" in the pic has since graduated from high school and is now off to college!

Other things to note:

My parent's still have the arch that we are pictured in front of in their backyard. My dad loves impatients (the flowers the he still grows in this archway) and he even has a whole watering system that he's jery-rigged so these plants water themselves.

Just last weekend I actually made Kobe try on the exact shirt that my brother is wearing in this pic. What can I say, my family is into recycling! (Especially since this was originally my father's shirt) I went through a whole box of my Dad's vintage Hawaiian shirts and found a few that are almost the right size for Kobe (Either my child is large or my mother must have shrunk all of these shirts years ago :)

The Luau's are always a lot of work but we have fun (I mean, we are still smiling in the photo) I'm glad that my family makes the trek back to Chicago each summer to take part in all the craziness.

So here's hoping that everyone has a Happy Aloha Friday today! And if you're going to be in Chicago next summer, let me know--and we'll see you at the Luau!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T05:27:00.002-06:00

A cut above the rest

2010-07-22T22:53:00.005-06:00

Kobe's got a new do! Being the smart mom that I am, I figured out a sneaky way to get the Koberoo to cut off all of his hair...

Every week or so my brother busts out the clippers to rebuzz his super short cut. Ray Ray is a cop (and a Marine) so it's not like he can run around with long hippie hair like he used to! Anyway, I mentioned to Kobe that we should shorten up the sides of his long mop. As suspected, he wasn't buying it. Then, I pointed out the fact that if cut his hair as short as Uncle Ray, Grandma would HATE it. My mom loves a man in uniform but everyone knows she can't stand Raymond's short short hair.

Anyway, Kobe couldn't get his hair cut off soon enough!! I have to say that I do actually love his new hair (or lack thereof.) And Kobe does too--though part way through the cut Kobe said that he had changed his mind (but it was a little too late to turn back unless we were going to go for a reverse mohawk :)

So here's thanks to Uncle Raymond--the best barber in the whole world! Thanks for the buzz!

Sabbatical

2010-07-13T20:16:00.007-06:00

Just a post to let everyone know that my blog "sabbatical" is now officially over. I apologize for the break in posting. I mean, you'd think I was on vacation or something...Oh, wait. I WAS on vacation! For some reason I just didn't have the desire to post. So I didn't. But I will try to go back and update with some of the better pics (and stories) from our escapades across Wisconsin and Illinois.

Speaking of Illinois, my kids are having so much fun, I'm not sure if they will ever come home. When I talked to Kobe earlier today, he told me that he he gone to both the hobby shop AND the go cart track.

All in a days work!

Happy Birthday Daddy

2010-06-23T00:00:00.003-06:00

Nothing like celebrating two holidays in one week! My dad has the unique pleasure of enjoying both his birthday and Father's Day all in the same week. And as a special present for my most favorite Daddy in the whole wide world, I thought I would share a little video I made for him a few years back.

Disclaimer: Please remember that although I work for a TV station, I'm a fundraiser--not an editor--so my apologies in advance for the jumpy video and inconsistent transitions. (I made this all by myself 13 years ago :)

Good thing it's the THOUGHT that counts!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

A bushel and a peck

2010-06-20T00:00:00.007-06:00

A bushel and a peck--those are the words I'd use to describe how special my dad is to me. I've always been a Daddy's Girl--always have been, always will be. And I've always known--even from the time that I was just a small child, that my daddy loved me...

I remember as a little girl when my dad took me to see the musical "Annie." I think I was about Tehani's age and I'm pretty sure my dad had tons of other things to do that would have been more enjoyable for him (oh, I don't know--like maybe getting a root canal?!?) But this Daddy Daughter Date Night is one that I'll always remember. (I should point out that this is also one of the only times I've had a "date" fall asleep--My dad kept nodding off so I had to nudge him every so often so he would stop snoring so loud :)

I remember my sophomore year in high school when my dad took me shopping for my first prom dress. I'd been asked by an upperclassman to go to the dance and I don't remember if my mom was just busy or how my dad got stuck with the task of dress shopping. I was apparently fond of green back then because we settled on a stylin' emerald green taffeta party dress--perfectly appropriate for any self-respecting 1980's teenager. The dress also earned my date the nickname of "The Frog"--My dad has a bad habit of making up nicknames for people. He had a different name for every guy that I dated through high school and college: Beady Eyes, Side-of-the Mountain Mark, No-Neck, and The Big Dummy (these are just a few of the "nicer" nicknames :)

I remember the summer before I left for college when my dad made me change a tire on my car. By myself. I'm pretty sure that it took me all afternoon. And when I was done, I had to take the spare off and put the good tire back on (it's not like we had a flat to practice with.) It was not a fun day. But when the whole thing was finished, he told me that if I ever got a flat I should just get out of the car, pop the hood and wait for someone to stop that would change it for me. (This was 20 years ago--back in the "olden days" before we had cell phones. Now if I got a flat, my other "Daddy" (aka Norm) would be gettin' the call :)

I also remember all of the other things my dad did that let me know he loved me--calling me his pretty, pretty princess, telling me that he "loved me a bushel and a peck" and everything else he did to make my childhood a wonderful and magical time.

On this Father's Day, I want my dad to know that I am STILL your pretty, pretty princess and that I love you a bushel and a peck--and more!!

Will hula for food

2010-06-17T05:51:00.000-06:00

Here is our very own Tehani "Tahitian Hips" Tevaga showing off a few of her hula moves. Anytime there's a graduation party, luau or any other festivities of the sort, Tehani gets to put on her dancing skirt and show the natives how it's done. I'm glad to see that she was smiling in this photo (occasionally, she will "concentrate" a little too much when dancing--and forget to smile :)

Anyway, if you're ever in need of a smiling hula dancer, just let me know.

PS--Thanks to my sister Cynthia for randomly posting pics for me (so I at least have some idea of what the kiddos have been up to on their escapades across the Midwest!)

My first time

2010-06-13T19:33:00.012-06:00

Yes, I had my very first video chat today. Can I just tell you that I love, Love, LOVE technology! Me and the hub are used to just talking to the kids on the phone when they go to visit Grandma. That is sooo last year--video chatting is the new way the Tevaga's will stay in touch from here on out!

It was cool to actually see the kids (surprisingly, they look the same as they did when they left 12 days ago) The only bad part was that it made me miss them even more. Luckily, I've only got two weeks left of class before the hub and I head out to Chicago for a visit. Till then, feel free to give us a ~~call~~ Skype!

PS--Thanks to my co-worker that talked me into loading Skype on my computer. And to the head of the IT Department at my parents house (Uncle Raymond :) Those of us that are technomologically challenged need all the help we can get!

Where's a pocket protector when you need it?

2010-06-09T20:04:00.010-06:00

Though I've never actually owned a pocket protector before, I'm starting to think that perhaps I might need one. Turns out my cell phone has a bad habit of pocket dialing my sister (I want to point out that it's not my fault my cell is dialing her--my darn "smart" phone is just too smart for its own good :)

Anyway, I'd like to think that my sister has been the only victim of my Pre's oversensitive auto redial feature, but I know this is probably not the case. So as I said to Cynthia the other day after she got done yelling at me for yet another phantom call... "How do you know my pocket doesn't have something important to say?"

My apologies to the victims of my unprotected pockets :)

Are We There Yet?

2010-06-02T13:30:00.011-06:00

Here's a pic of the roadtripsters when they left on Wednesday morning (I figured I better take a picture in case they get completely lost and we need to put out an APB to find them :)

Anyway, in talking with my mom the road trip is going great. The kids are behaving (that was the last thing I said to the kids before they left--forget the "I love you's and "I'm going to miss you." It was "You had better listen to Grandma in the car or I am going to spank you when you get home!" :) And as far as I can tell, my mother has not gotten too lost--that was the last thing I said to my mom! They visited Yellowstone on Thursday and they were about an hour away from Mt Rushmore last night so she can't be too far off course (Though I did find out last night that Kobe is the "navigator" for the trip--he's got the map with him in the back of the van and tells my mom which way to go.) I mean, how much can go wrong when you have a ten year old leading the way, right?

So if you see a van with a couple of tahitian ladies and two crazy lookin' kids, be sure to ask them..."Are we there yet!?!"

The Ugly Duckling

2010-05-28T15:58:00.005-06:00

In my attempt to be a good mom, I am now trying to wade through the 9,000+ pages that the kids brought home from school yesterday. I keep the usual stuff any good mom would--awards, certificates, artwork, journals, etc. And since I can only fit so much stuff in my favorite paper storage containers that I use for school moments, regular homework papers usually end up getting tossed in the trash. Good thing I took the time to read this worksheet of Tehani's... Hans Christian Anderson would be so proud :)

Make Believe Message: Pretend that you can send a letter to your favorite fairy tale character
Dear Ugly Duckling,
I do not think you are that ugly.
You are just different from your friends and family.
Not every duck hates you. Your mother loves you.
Love, Tehani

Deep Thoughts

2010-05-24T22:27:00.013-06:00

Just in case anyone is keep track, I am back from Austin. It was a good trip and I really had intended to post more (It's not like I was on vacation or anything like that, but I guess I just expected to have more free time :) Anyway, here are some random thoughts for your Monday:

It's the end of May and it was full-on SNOWING this morning!! And I'm not talking about some little wimpy flakes that melt when the hit the ground. This stuff was sticking. I would've taken pics on the way to school but we were in a hurry for...
Pet Day. I'm pretty sure this event is so much more fun for the kids now that they have a pet to bring along. I was much smarter this year and did not get dressed for work before taking our little scaredy cat to school (I'd be scared too with a room full of 3rd graders all coming over to pet me with their dirty little hands :) How a cat can shed so much after being brushed, I don't know.
I've started packing the kids for their cross-country roadtrip. Leave it Grandma (the lady who flies for free) to decide that she would like to drive across the country. The grandma caravan will be stopping in Yellowstone, visiting Mt Rushmore, and any other scenic/touristy places that they can find between Utah and Chicago. If you have any ideas/suggestions of other sites to see *along the way, let me know.

*"Along the way" is a relative term. I found out the other day that my mother is also taking the kids to Hawaii...on their way back to Utah. Apparently, once you are in the car--or on the plane--along the way refers to anyplace in the world:)

Deep in the heart of Texas

2010-05-15T16:25:00.006-06:00

So I am in Texas for work. I've been here less than 24 hours but I can already tell that Austin is a very happening place. My workshop didn't start until 1pm so I took some time this morning to walk around the town (ok, it's really because I was too cheap to pay to use the gym at the hotel that I had to walk to get my exercising in) Observations so far are:

You cannot live in Austin unless you own a dog. EVERY person I passed was walking--or carrying--a canine (except for the 3 different people that I passed that were being walked by gigundo great danes:)

You cannot live in Austin unless you are fit. Joggers and cyclists were all out in full force this morning. If they weren't jogging or cycling, they were walking a dog.

I've decided that Austinites must need to walk so much to burn off all of the calories they consume at restaurants. There must be thousands of restaurants here (I'm and not exaggerating)

Anyway, I promised the kids I'd post (and sorry Tehani but I haven't taken any pictures yet) so here you go. I'll be sure to post another travel update as soon as I can.

Note to kids: I am still waiting for the two of you to post. What else will I read while I am gone?!?

There's a new blog in town!

2010-05-10T06:25:00.005-06:00

Technically, there are two blogs. I'm happy to report that Kobe and Tehani are now official members of the blogging world! I have to admit I was pretty surprised when Tehani asked the other day if she could start a blog. I tried to dissuade her and even offered to let her "guest post" on mine. Luckily for the kids, my sister got wind of the request and has been extolling the benefits of "kiddie blogging" ever since...

"Letting your kiddies have their own blogs would be an amazing teaching opportunity for you and an amazing learning opportunity for them.
Since it is their own blog, they will take ownership over their writing and they are writing for a real life situation to a real life audience (as opposed to an imaginary situation constructed by their teacher with a one-person audience).

They will want to write more because they will be writing about what is important to them when it is important to them. Their blog can act as their journal as well, and you can print it off so that they have a "published" book that they can keep forever.

You can help them improve their writing by giving suggestions along the way as they are writing. That way, you are correcting mistakes that they made (or suggesting ways to make their writing stronger) rather than them practicing for mistakes they might make, like they often do in school.

They will see the real, life application and will be more likely to remember the correction/suggestion in the future. You can also give them suggestions of what to write about, thereby broadening their writing experiences.

The best way to improve their writing is by having them write as much as possible, and a personal blog will help them to do that."

Who knew blogging was so edumacational? Does this mean that I will get better grades in my EMBA class since I have a personal blog? And yes, the above text is from an actual email my sister sent to me. (Cynthia was an English teacher, remember? :)

Anyway, if you are interested in what goes on in the mind of an eight or ten year old, just let me know and I can send you an invite (Due to the fact we don't want to be friends with ALL of the crazies on the web, Kobe's and Tehani's blogs are private:) Happy reading!

Happy Mother's Day...

2010-05-09T05:17:00.000-06:00

...to the best mommy in the whole world!

Love,

Your Favortie Daughter Laura :)

Flashback Friday

2010-05-07T05:04:00.000-06:00

Here's hoping your have an INCREDIBLE Friday!!
(Pic is from Dec 2004--Kobe's 4th Birthday--Papeete, Tahiti)

Hope of America

2010-05-05T22:00:00.007-06:00

Kobe likes scouts--but he's definitely not a fan of singing. So the thought of having to go with his fellow cubs to sing is not really his idea of fun. This year, our troop decided to participate in the Hope of America event that was at the Marriott Center tonight. I don't think Kobe realized how big of an event this was going to be... Don't ask me which blue dot he is. I'm pretty sure that he still hates singing (though he did at least say that the whole thing was pretty cool :) Two thumbs up to our little songbird Kobe!!

Smile

2010-05-02T22:11:00.009-06:00

The kids just brought home their school photos on Friday... ...and good school pics are always a reason to smile!!

Happy Birthday To My #1 Sister

2010-04-30T05:24:00.001-06:00

22 Days and Counting

2010-04-28T05:35:00.012-06:00

So I just counted this morning and the kids only have 22 days of school left. This means it's that time of the year again when my mom starts planning for all of the different places she might like to take her traveling companions (aka, Kobe & Tehani) over the summer. While this may seem like a strange idea to most, I should point out that my family comes from a long line of "grandparent sponsored" traveling excursions...
The year was 1978 when my Grandma and Grandpa decided to take my cousin and I to Florida. And while I was a little young to have a lot of memories of said trip (For example, I've no recollection of the groovy pantsuit I was sporting in this photo) I remember having fun at both Sea World and Disney World--and getting a super cool Donald Duck souvenir hat! (I also remember getting a couple of spankings for not listening but we'll leave that out of this trip down memory lane!)

Flash forward to 2010. Will the kids be spending time in Boston this summer? Or does a nice long train ride to Canada sound like the ticket? With Crazy J as your travel director, there's no telling where you'll end up!

All I know is that I'm glad for all of the great experiences that I had as a child with my grandparents...and for all of the fun times that the kids have with my Mom and Dad. Pack your bags, summer vacation is almost here!!

(PS--No need to "pack your bags" if you are over the age of 18. Cynthia and I drop hints about wanting to tag along for trips all of the time--but my mom only wants to do vacations with the grandkids now. Go figure!)