Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

A few weeks back Lani was asked to take pictures of Alice and Seni on their anniversary.  Seni planned to take Alice out to dinner and ballgame and wanted to surprise her by taking a few really good pictures in the city.  Lani, being the photog that she is, was game (pun intended lol) and asked me to tag along to help drive.  She even offered to buy me dinner.  Who'd refuse dinner and an impromptu trip into the city? Needless to say, I agreed.  Knowing that Lani would be busy taking pictures and not wanting to look like a side buster, I asked Papa if he wanted to tag along to keep me company.  As soon as he heard we were going to the city and dinner was involved, he was stoked! Oh he MUST be MY son.  ;-) After grabbing some take out at Fish Market, we were on our way!

We dropped Lani off so that she could surprise Alice with their mini photo shoot while Papa and I went to park the car.  After devouring our yummy dinner (Thanks again Lani!), we decided to take a walk around AT&T park.  It was dusk and soooo nice out! We could hear the crowd roaring with excitement from blocks away.  The closer we got to the park, the louder the crowd was and Papa grew more and more anxious to see what the hype was about.  We don't attend very many sporting events because I'm not a huge fan of any sport.  Siua LOVES sports so he goes with friends but the times we went as a family the boys were too young to remember.

Once we got close enough to the ballpark, we could see the HUGE crowd.  Papa's face lit up with excitement as they cheered with music in the background and the various announcements were made.  I knew it was coming and I was ready for it.  "Can we go to the game Mom?!"  Darn it! I was no where near ready to attend the game RIGHT then and there but I promised him that we would go to one soon.  Being the sweet understanding boy that he is, Papa agreed to wait and offered to help me plan our day out to the park with his siblings.  I knew then that he wasn't going to let me forget. 

Coincidentally, at work the following week, I learned that a trip to a Giants game for the entire firm was coming up.  They sent out a company wide email invite with the details of the game.  I didn't think much of it because there was no invitation to bring a guest.  I don't care for baseball, so I was just going to pass it up.  People started to ask who was going and every time I said I wasn't, I got the same response "You HAVE to go with us. There's nothing like it." At first I thought it was the typical response from die hard baseball fans, but as it turns out, the firm goes ALL OUT for the company game.  So I gave in and decided to go. 

Shortly after, I got word that there were a few extra tickets and IF you had a "plus 1" you were encouraged to let them know.  I was ALL OVER IT.  Since that trip to the city with Lani, Papa hadn't stopped asking about the baseball game and I knew this was going to be a good one.  So I asked if I could bring him.  Since I'm still a temp, I was low on the totem poll as far as guests were concerned so I didn't find out until the DAY OF about wether or not Papa could go.  I was SOOOOO hoping I could bring him! Sure enough, just an hour before heading out, I got the ok. 

I made arrangements with my mom (THANK GOODNESS for Gma's!) the night before so that if Papa did get the ok, she could drop him off on her way to work.  I quickly called her, pulled him out of class and grabbed the sweater and hat I brought in hopes of his attendance.  Shortly after, we were on our way.  Papa thought he was getting pulled out of school for a doctors appointment so as soon as I saw him, he asked if he was getting a shot.  LOL I told him that there was no appointment and that he was coming with me and my co-workers to a Giants game.  He was SUPER excited.  I gave him his Giants hat and we headed to the train. 

The weather sucked that morning.  It was raining and cold! Thank goodness it cleared up and we were able to enjoy the game without getting rained on.  Papa was ECSTATIC.  My co-workers were right, if there was ANY time to go, THIS was it.  It was like we sat ON the field.  Literally shouting distance to the players.  Since Papa was the only kid for the first 1/2 hour, some of my co-workers yelled out for the catchers to "toss the kid a ball".  They were kind enough to throw a ball to Papa and he LOVED it.  The suite was stocked with hot dogs, burgers, candy, drinks, chips and the ballgame staples - peanuts and crackerjacks.  He SOAKED it all up! On the way home he kept talking about how much fun he had and mentioned that he got two of everything so he could share with his brother.  Sure enough he pulled out an extra backpack that they were giving away stocked with peanuts, crackerjacks and other fun game goodies.  He totally deserved the fun trip, he's such a good big brother. 

Siua and I try to do individual fun things with the kids so that they get one on one time with us.  It's hard to do when you have three but it's important to us to have individual relationships with each of them.  It was so sweet to be able to spend an entire day with my oldest child while he got the chance to do something he had been anxiously looking forward to.  Siua has something in the works for Joshy soon, let's hope it's just as good. :-) I LOVE the idea of making sweet memories with my babies.  I'm sure they won't forget them and neither will I.


                          My Papa Man and I on the train ride to the park.

                               Snapshot of my big boy on the train.

                      He wanted to make sure I got a picture of our tickets.  :-)

                                            View from Papa's seat. 

                                               "Toss the kid a ball!"

                                        Dozing off on the way home.

                                         "Put the camera away mom!"



I'm SERIOUS this time!!

Alright folks, I'm SO forreal and I need your help! I have GOT to lose this unwanted extra baggage.  I'm going to be honest with myself, I've never been a skinny girl.  BUT I know for sure that I can get it a little tighter than it is now.  It's time to stop playin' and really stick to it. 

I've been able to diet successfully in the past.  My issue is riding it out until I've reached my goal weight.  I lose a few pounds, clothes start to get loose and I start to get comfortable.  No bueno. 

About a month ago Siua thought it was a good idea to change his profile picture on FB.  Simple enough. No issue there.  UNTIL he decided this throwback pic from a family trip to Hawaii 8 YEARS ago was the way to go.

It's a decent flicc right? I actually don't mind it really.  BUT did it have to BLAST the obvious change in my face for all the world to see?? 

Can't be mad at the pic or Siua for that matter.  It's my very own fault and I need to own it.  If anything, I should be grateful because it was the wake up call that I needed. 

Soooooo, I've included this weight loss ticker here on my blog ----->>> so that I can track my weight and keep things updated.  I'm going to REALLY try to ride this one out for the long haul. 

Now here's what I need from you - do NOT let me forget! If I tweet, update FB or talk about anything that is obviously going to hinder my progress please FEEL FREE to send a subtle hint my way reminding me of the challenge I set for myself.  Easy right? Here goes nothing! I'm hoping to be all slim and slender this time next year.  Ya with me?

On that note - I'm posting a few more motivational pics for myself...just in case I try to forget.  ;-)

Wordless Wednesday - Weekends in Oakland

I just came across this blog that I think is super cool! http://polynesiankitchen.blogspot.com/ is a blog that has several different poly recipes including a few Tongan ones.  I haven't had a chance to really "dig in" yet but I'm just excited that something like this exists! Of course I'm another one of those biased Tongans that thinks my family makes the BEST food.  Everyone has their own way of doing things BUT the idea of someone sharing the basics is pretty dope.  Once you get the basics, you can make it your own! Pretty cool in my opinion.  Especially for those who don't have someone who is a quick phone call away from giving them their best recipe.  I like to experiment so I take things from my aunties and other fam members and tweak them to make them just right for me.  However you like your Tongan food cooked, it doesn't hurt to have someone sharing these Tongan staples for all the world to see!

Jambalaya

During the first month of being married I was trying to do what I think most new wives do.  Cook amazing dinners.  You know, show off your wifey skills in the kitchen.  So in my effort to throw down I ventured into making dishes that I had never had at home as a kid but always sounded really good.  Jambalaya was one of them.  I found a decent recipe online and then tweaked it so that it was perfect for us.  Siua doesn't like things too spicy and I prefer the sausage over the chicken.  It's one of the few recipes that really stuck and has become a regular in the cooking rotations ever since.  Mostly because it's easy to make a whole lot of all at once.  Some of the more time consuming meals (country fried steak, stuffed chicken, fried chicken) got thrown out of rotation years ago. ;-) Once you have to cook for more than 2 or 3 people, your options change significantly.  So here goes our family jambalaya.  When I made this last week, Safeway was having a really good deal on jumbo shrimp.  So we got lucky and added shrimp to the mix but usually I just use sausage and chicken.

A few tablespoons of olive oil (or vegetable oil if you don't have olive on hand)
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs cut into bite sized (I usually use about 5-6 pieces.)
Smoked Sausage about 7-8 cut in slices (Use whatever sausage you like. To cut the spiciness, I go for smoked.)
5 celery stalks chopped (not bunches, individual stalks)
3 bell peppers chopped (I usually use one of each color)
1 large onion chopped
4 large tomatoes chopped
4 cans of chicken stock (or one big can)
5 cups of rice
Cayenne Pepper - only about 1/2 teaspoon for us
Thyme - 2 tsp
Salt - add as much or as little as you like
Pepper - 2 tsp
Fresh Garlic - 3 tablespoons or 3 cloves
Paprika - 2 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Fresh Parsley - 1 bunch
OR you can buy a mixed creole seasoning in one bottle that's pretty cheap. But add as much or as little of the seasoning as you like.  Taste as you go along and change it to make it your own.

I start off by chopping EVERYTHING and putting it in individual bowls. 

In a large, deep pot, drizzle a few tablespoons of oil just to coat the bottom.  Turn it on to medium heat and toss in your sausage.  Cook the sausage until it starts to brown.  If you're using chicken, add the chicken with the sausage and let that cook down.  Since I'm using shrimp, I'll throw them in later.

Once the sausage is nice and brown around the edges, throw in your celery, onion and bell peppers.  Sprinkle with a little salt to help them "sweat" and cook until they are soft. 

After the veggies have started to cook down, I usually add the seasonings.  I just dash them and then taste the juice.  Remember at this point, everything is edible so don't worry about tasting.  Keep doing that little by little until it's right for you.

Then throw in your tomatoes.  See how much the veggies cook down!?! Let that cook for a few minutes stirring pretty frequently.  You'll notice the

tomato adds a nice juice.  I do another tasting to see if I should add anything.

This is when it can get tricky.  Add the chicken broth and the RAW rice.  Mix really well, turn the heat down to a medium low and cover the pot.  It's important to mix really well EVERY 5-7 minutes scraping the bottom of the pot with your spoon.  You'll see why.  As the rice cooks, it'll start to stick to the bottom of the pot if it's not frequently mixed. It's going to look really watered down and soupy at first.  Just let it keep doing its thing.

As it cooks, you'll notice it start to thicken.  Every 20 mins or so, test the rice.  If it's still a little hard, keep cooking.  If your liquid has cooked down, you can add a cup of water or two to keep the rice cooking.  Remember, if you add water you'll have to taste again to make sure you don't need more seasoning.

Once the rice is completely cooked, throw those shrimp in and turn it off.  I took the shell and tails off of the shrimp but you can do it however you like.  The longer it sits, the thicker it'll get.  I usually let mine sit about 15 mins before serving it.  That gives the shrimp time to cook and the jambalaya time to thicken.

After that 15 mins, you're done! I usually make corn muffins or bread to go with the jambalaya.  A salad goes really well too.  Enjoy!

Lecturing the way ONLY a Gma can.

I was debating about posting this because you'll see she talks in detail about each one of the girls and their hubbys.  lol BUT I figured since I was recording in a way that you can't tell who she's pointing to (unintentionally of course) it would be okay to leave it up to you all to play the guessing game. ;-)  It is after all, a piece of our "childhood" in a way that ONLY Tongans can understand and appreciate.  I'm sure you all have gma's who do the exact same thing.  Even though I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it's only mine who decides that things just sound better when you're being vulgar.  LOL I'm sorry y'all couldn't catch the rest of the lecture but you'll see that she busted me recording and I had to turn it off before I got an adult whoopin.  LOL

LOVE YOU GMA!!!!

March Highlights

I know, how delayed! But I couldn't let April go by without talking about March! I need to get better at this highlight thing. It's so easy to forget the small things!.

     Here goes - Sissy Nani's 20th birthday! 20? Seriously? Geez Loueez can time slow down please?!?!

My Luvie Luvs turned 3!!! She enjoyed her party and all the fun at Pump it Up with her closest friends and loved ones.

**We had a BLAST at cousin VJ's Ice Skating Birthday Bash.**

**The beloved King of our great Island Nation passed away.**

**We had our Young Women New Beginning and welcomed three sweet girls into our group. Ane couldn't make it because of the funeral of the King of Tonga.**

**I was able to show support for sweet Tricia as she entered the Temple for the very first time.**

**The boys both got BRAND new bikes and were SOOOO excited about it!** So bummed I didn't get to take a picture!

**My Luvie is OFFICIALLY out of diapers! HUGE deal!**