JUNE 2021 | Monthly Goals

 Can't believe May just flew by like that. Let's have a review shall we?


MAY GOALS

HOUSE PROJECTS
  1. ⛔Reorganize kitchen - get rid of unused/old/broken things. Organize and deep clean everything. 
  2. ⛔Sort Kids Clothes - I have baby clothes that need to be donated. 
BONUS PROJECT
  1. ⛔Beautify the front door/porch area. 

hmmm...0 for 3 right now lol...but here's what we DID accomplish...

✅ solar panels were installed

✅ 30% done with Aljay's application for naturalization (citizenship) which we have to get done before leaving the country

ahhh yess...about that ---


***OK commercial break from our goals real quick ***

WE'RE MOVING TO AMERICAN SAMOA. 

When? Probably next year. One of the key things we have to have done is Aljay's citizenship. We have his green card, but we've never gone to complete his citizenship. And I'm not going to take any chances. We'll get that done before heading to American Samoa. 

Why move? Well, my parents are getting to that age and health where they do need assistance. We had planned to move in maybe 2 more years, but I could sense the urgency in my Dad's voice when he called me about my Mom's health around mid-May. Probably why we got sidetracked from our goals in May lol. I could also see my Mom's tremor (she has Parkinson's) spread from her left arm to knee and her mouth. I'm constantly worried about her and Dad.

But most importantly, we want our kids to have that opportunity to be with their grandparents. 

Follow up-- How come they don't come live in the States instead? Well they have the house in American Samoa that needs to be sorted. Also my Dad still has all these magnificent plans for building more houses; one on our property and a fourplex in Alega. Hopefully, we can steer his house building plans more towards boating, vacationing, and just enjoying life with his family. 

How long will we be there? Who even knows? What will happen after we get there? Will my parents want to seek better healthcare and move back to the states? Or will they want to stay where they feel the most independent? We don't know how much time we have left with my parents. We don't have all the answers, but we continue to pray for their health and prepare ourselves to be there for them. 

Are the kids nervous? Most definitely. They don't really know what to expect and really don't know how good they have it here. But kids are resilient little beings and as parents we'll continue to foster a positive atmosphere and focus on the blessings. It will be an adjustment for sure, but I have faith in them.....and in all of us. 

Are we nervous? Heck yes! It's been a loooonnnggg time since I've been home. Last time I was in American Samoa was in 2004. A lot has changed. A lot has also probably stayed the same. But we're excited and optimistic. Not gonna lie, Aljay and I both had a moment where the panic/anxiety/nervous/hesitant cloud of fear paralyzed us and left us in a funk for a few days hahaha. But we snapped ourselves out of it. We know this is a blessing and an opportunity to serve and care for our parents. Plus, we don't know what adventures lie ahead of us. Good or bad, we will face it head on. 

***Wooow longest commercial break. K, back to the goals lol***


JUNE GOALS

HOUSE PROJECTS
  1. Reorganize kitchen - get rid of unused/old/broken things. Organize and deep clean everything. 
  2. Sort Kids Clothes - I have baby clothes that need to be donated. But I also need to go through all the kids clothes and purge/organize.
BONUS PROJECT
  1. Purge things from our closet. 

As you can see, the downsizing process starts now. I'm hoping to get rid of a lot of things. Next year is going to creep up on us so quickly. Praying for the wisdom, the energy, the focus, and the means to get it all done. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2025 January

Image
Start the year off with two volleyball tournaments for Leila. The picture below is of her and Isa, the only 14-year-olds on their U16 team.  Fires are destroying parts of California, the Palisade area experiencing the worst of it. Texas and some of the southern states are experiencing some of the worst snow/ice conditions. TikTok is on the verge of being banned, President Trump is continuously passing executive orders that are sending people into panic.  Saleima made a list of the disasters and warned us that Jesus was on His way.  Sefa moved up to the Teachers quorum and was ordained by his Dad, Uncle Dennis, and Uncle Ben. He's growing so quickly and I love seeing his growth. They have a great group of young men. I love that they are old enough to plan activities, including attending the temple to do Baptism.  Sefa's also starting U15 7v7 pylons with coach Matt Manuma. He had made the decision to not be held back for football. It's a common practice here in Utah, a...
Read more

Being Prepared For These Times

Image
Auuuu that title sounds like I'm trying to write a General Conference talk or something hahaha. Probably still on the GC vibe from the beginning of the month lol. Anyways... So this pandemic that's going on, it's been something else! It has put the whole world on lock down. So many lives have been affected. I've written quite a bit in my journal, but I wanted to make sure to write about how the Lord has prepared our family specifically for this time. Looking back just in February and March, we can easily see how the Lord had orchestrated parts of our lives.  In February Aljay secured an art collector who commissioned several art pieces. His deposit was the cushion that brought a sense of financial security when we entered this lock-down life.  Towards the end of February, my bosses had heard about school closures in Seattle and decided that we should have a plan in place for our advisers to work remotely in case the schools had to close. We honestly didn...
Read more

2025 February

Image
Leila - Volleyball and more Volleyball  Leila had two tournaments in February. This club season has challenged her in a good way. She wants to play the outside hitter position but is playing on a 16s team (meaning older girls with more experience) and is sitting in the 3rd spot for out side hitting. To get to the 1 or 2 spot she needs more reps, more practice, and more individual coaching. We're seeing improvements each week, but are planning to set aside money for her to do more 1:1 coaching.  These tournaments are no joke. They are allllll day. 6am - 7pm sometimes. 1-day, 2-day, and sometimes 3-day tourneys. The mental stamina it takes as a parent ahahahahh is a real thing! Trying to say the right things to keep your athlete focused, motivated, and locked in is tough. There are so many things that are over stimulating or compounding: - the non stop sound of whistles and girl's cheering/screaming - the smell of swass in the building that increases as the tournament progresses...
Read more