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Do not stand at my grave and weep. 

I am not there. I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.

 I am the diamond glimpse of snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened green.

 I am the gentle autumns rain.

Do not stand at my grave and cry.

 I am not there. I did not die.

There's a lot boggling in my brain right now. I lot of bad and far more good. And I can't help but feel that right now, everything is coming together. I can't put my finger on it but so many things have fallen apart but have somehow brought many things together at the same time. Is it me or do I sound like I'm all over the place?

"Don't be like the boy that dipped his toe in the water and claimed he went swimming."

This past sunday I taught sharing time and my lesson was on Choosing Liberty and Eternal Life versus choosing Captivity and Death. I went on telling the kids that each and every day, they make decisions. Some decisions need a little more thought then others. But in the end we decide on a choice.

I brought two gift boxes. One that looked super good and fancy the other a brown paper bag with a sticker on it. I called on little Tali to come up and I  showed him the two gift boxes and asked him to choose only one.

Now, in front of a little 4 year old, what do you think he would choose? Exactly. The fancy one.

In the fancy box was a nice looking rock. lol in the brown paper bag, a bag of treats. I then explained that some of the decisions we make may "look" like the one you want but in the end doesn't have very much value.  Little Tali understood and sat down with his treats.

I've been thinking. Some of the decisions I've made in the past have somehow stuck with me. some good and some bad. But when bad decisions you've made in the past come back to haunt you, how do deal with it. I mean... I can ignore bad and annoying things just fine. I just think its crazy how hard satan works to get his way.

I just know that even though many decisions I've made in the past have sort of seeped into my skin, I have to learn to live with it and move on.

And coming back to "The little boy that dipped his toe in the water.." I feel that if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it wholeheartedly. No more half assing things. It's time I take charge and stand my ground. It's my salvation that I need to salvage. It's my life and my testimony I need to protect and in doing so, I will have saved Tamara and Henele's also.

It's time I set aside worldly things and tainted dreams. Because when he comes again, I will have the heart to say who I am and where I stand and bring unto him, my posterity in it's fullness. I will have actually went swimming instead of toe dipping.

Making small changes here and there and making the "liberty and eternal life" decisions has brought me to my knees. I am humbled for the opportunity to be here in the life and in this day and age. I am enthralled with the compassion the Lord has given me with Tamara and Henele under my wing.

I am Eternally Grateful.

Last little bit I want to share....

"You were Generals in the War in Heaven one day when you are in the spirit world, you will be enthralled by those you are associated with. You will ask someone in which time period they lived in  and you might hear, "I was with Moses when he parted the Red Sea," or " I helped build the pyramids," or I fought with Captain Moroni."

And as you are standing there in amazement, someone will turn to you and ask you which of the prophets time did you live in. And when you say, "Gordon B. Hinckley" a hush will fall over every hall  and corridor in heaven and all in attendance will bow at your presence. You were held back six thousand years because you were the most talented, most obedient, most courageous, and most righteous. Are you still? Remember who you are."

-Boyd K. Packer

I sat at work and watched this video I've watched it many times as a teen and yesterday was the first time I watched it since then and it's got me humbled for this man. I am still very astonished with how far the church has come because of this One Man. Because of a 14 year old boy and claimed he had a vision and because of his courage and dignity, he has set the bar high for us all. It is my goal to make it this far.

Enjoy.
xoxo Via

2014 - Welcome!

So much has happened in just the last two months. First and foremost.... Willy has reported to the MTC!!! He has been called to serve in the Nukualofa, Tonga Mission. Nothing but proud is what this kid has shown our family. He literally is our Golden Child. He doesn't ask for anything. He doesn't complain. He is always helping around the house and does it with a good attitude. I honestly can't say anything bad about my Little Bro. He really is such a good kid and I only want the absolute best for him. He is ready to take on the work and I know he will put in the best Tonga has ever seen. I hope Tonga is ready for him. I know he will be unstoppable. Here are a few pictures from the day we took him to the MTC.

 These guys right here play a HUGE role in Tamara and Henele's life. Along with Nai and Chester.. They are the "dads" that Tamara and Henele will grow up knowing. But these 4 right here. They will forever have my heart. I know without a doubt that they will always look out for my best interest. They will only tell me things I need or should know and that there love will never fade. Willy looks ready to report. He looks able and willing. His heart is where is should be and he will definitely strengthen the army for the people of Tonga.

Here are the people that mean the world to me, Tamara and Henele. This is my family that will always have my back. The Elder in the middle is the one that stands out. =)

This is the first picture we have taken as a family in the longest time.. Wait... maybe EVER! Cause I can't think back.. oh wait. When June reported. We took a family picture. But this crew has come a long way. This is one army that literally has so much that so many don't see. The 7 of us have that type of team work that is just incredible. I love the family bond in my family. I really do.

Tamara and Henele love this Uncle!! Between Willy, June and Mone, this is the Uncle I know without a doubt they will run to. =) There is a special bond between them and their Uncle. By the time Willy returns, Henele will be Tamara's age but might look a little bigger given he is a boy. Tamara will be 6!!! 2 years shy of Baptism. They totally miss their uncle!

Farewell Elder Langi! Reported January 15, 2014. Should be heading out to Tonga about February 25, 2014. Then we wait for 2016 to roll around. I am still adjusting to the changes of Willy not being around. It sucks but I would much rather him be out there serving the Lord. The very next day, I had to run to the school for whatever errands I needed to get done and I remember walking with the kids to the car and Tamara asking, "Are we just gonna stay with Uncle Willy?" I seriously almost started crying. I told her that Uncle Willy has a big job and he won't come home for a long time. She said ok. While taking the kids with me, things were crazy as usual. Kids fighting. Me trying to trug along with life and really just taking the steps I need to take to keep going. It's hard and I know that in my next letter to Willy, I will be thanking him like crazy for all the hard work he's done when I asked him to help me babysit. He's the best Uncle ever!

Onto another note. The Holidays were a blast! As usual we keep it family leveled and we did our standard, Christmas get together and our New Years get together. Here is a clip of a performance done by our very own Monster Crew....

 Our family Holiday Festivities are always the best. I credit a whole lot of the "togetherness" to the kids. They totally keep us together and bring a lot of the laughs and smiles to our family especially around this time of year.

This is right after our countdown to the new 2014 year! This is everyone going around hugging everyone and welcoming everyone to the new year. Always bittersweet. But then Kuuipo and Aki had to start this whole 'HAPPY NEW YEAR' screaming contest. lol It was pretty hilarious. All my Mom said about it was, "They were drunk."..

Then of course the 'LONG' wait for the countdown... The family home evening "speech" from the Sir is always soooo full of advice and wisdom. lol



Well, there is my update for the end of year 2013. It was a good year and we definitely ended it off with Family. The way every year should end off. With Family or even Friends. Happy New Year Everyone! Welcome 2014. This year is going to be epic and I cant wait to see what is in store this year.

xoxo Via