FLAT TIRE...!!!

Today was such a nice relaxing day to begin with. I took my husband to work this morning, came home and slept in for about another 2 to 3 hours. Woke up showered, cleaned up a little and then made my way over to the computer to get on my blog, facebook and myspace... these are my addictions! LOL...can't get enough of facebook and blogging!

Anyway, left to pick Spencer up at 1:50pm, cause he gets off at 2pm. Got home, relaxed and of course got on facebook again and did more editing on my blog. Watched the NBA draft with my husband, then took off at about 6:45pm to run some errands. My errands included: going to the bank atm, went to Smiths to get dinner stuff and sandwich stuff, then finally head over to the pharmacy to get some things for my husband. It was on my way home that the "FLAT TIRE" happened. Uggghhh!!!

I was so nervous when the wheel started to turn to its left on its own. Then I heard the tire/rim scrapping on the road. Luckily I wasn't too far from my house. I was in our neighborhood and so I pulled over on 400 east. The still small voice told me exactly when and where to pull over. Why, because as I was sitting in the car, talking to my husband on the phone to get someone to pick him up and come get me and change the tire, a really nice tongan guy knocked on my passenger window. He said he saw me and came out to see if I was okay...only in Utah, this would happen. Oh, and all I could think and say to myself was: "I know I ran over some nail or something from the stupid construction going on by the house and around our neighborhood". As my husband was try'n to find someone to help us out, the tongan guy ( his name is Viliami Pita) offered to drive me home and take my groceries. I had to make sure it was okay with my husband first, to have another man bring me home...LOL, he's funny like that! So, anyway, Viliami brought me and my groceries home.

A few minutes later brother Fano from our ward came by to pick up my husband so they could go back to our car and fix the flat. Thank goodness we have a ward member that lives just down the street from us.

I'm so grateful for the still small voice and the holy spirit that I have with me to guide me and help me through tough times. I'll tell you that I hate having that feeling of helplessness. I am however, grateful for members of the church who are willing to lend a helping hand. What a way to end my day... let's pray that it doesn't happen again.

My Daddy: HAPPY FATHERS DAY...ALAPATI IAKOPO "SAILI" PURCELL

My Dad: What can I not say about this man, who is my father, my hero, idol and much more. I wanted to give a little tribute to my father for this Fathers Day. I figured I write a little blog about him and all that he has done for our family. My father is the second youngest of 12 children. He was born in Malaela, Aleipata Upolu Samoa. His parents are Ropati and Faagalo Purcell. My father married my mom in 1971 and had their first child (Robert) in 1972. I came along 2 years later in January of 1974. For all of my 35 years of life, my dad has always worked hard to provide for our family. No matter how tired and sick he got, he always was working. I remember growing up as a little girl, when my dad was less active in the church(LDS Church). He would always come home with treats or toys for us.. we especially loved it during the fourth of July season when he'd come home with boxes of fireworks. Once my dad became active again in church, he was the greatest dad I could've ever asked for. He took our family to the Hawaii Temple and we were sealed as a family for Time and All Eternity! That was one of the best days of my life. Throughout my teenage years, he always reminded us of how important school was for us to complete and graduate. One of the greatest things I remember most about my dad while growing up was when he'd tell us that he didn't want to see us bring home a boyfriend till we were like 20 something. That stuck with me, cause I didn't take one home till I was 30 years old...LOL, you think I was traumatized?! NOT!
My dad is very passionate about our culture and I love that about him. I love that about him because, it keeps me in tune with my culture and I appreciate my culture because of the things he has taught me about our Samoan Heritage. I've learned thru him that being "afa tasi" (half breed) doesn't mean your "palagi" (white/caucasian)...it means you have the best of both worlds/cultures. Appreciate both your backgrounds and understand it. Do not be ashamed of your samoan side just because you are proud of your palagi side, vice versa.
My dad is a humble, loving, sometimes hardheaded (what samoan man isn't?) funny man. Some people may not like his strong personality at times, but he tends to grow on them once they get to know him. My brothers and sister and i love to hear my dad tell a story, cause he gives us a great laugh when he tries to tell it in English (FOB). I love my daddy and I thank Heavenly Father every day for blessing me with a man like him as my dad.
So, this Fathers Day, I want to tribute this Blog to him and tell him I LOVE YOU, DADDY...and HAPPY FATHERS DAY! I pray that he will continue to have many more strong, healthy years of life.

Temple Day

Spencer and I went to the Timpanogos Temple this morning to do a session(the Lords work). It wasn't a very nice morning, the rain was not helping. Anyway, our session was wonderful and I totally love this Temple. It is really beautiful outside and inside. Once our session was over and we were walking out to the lobby we noticed there were lots of people waiting for the rain to die down or go away. There were a few weddings going on, so the lobby was a little crowded with families. Those poor brides were having to take their pictures in the rain(when it wasn't pouring). So, Spencer goes to get the car while I wait for him up by the temple pick up area where it's dry. While waiting for him, I decide to pull out my camera and take a few pictures of the beautiful plants and flowers that were outside surrounding the temple. I've posted a few of these pictures below to show you how beautiful they are. If it weren't raining I think Spencer and I would've taken pictures outside of the temple too, but the rain killed it! Boo for the rain! Anyway, hope you like the pictures from my point of view.

FINAL DAYS OF VOLLEYBALL CAMP

Volleyball camp is finally over and I already miss it! The week seemed to have gone by too fast. Day 4 and 5 of Volleyball camp was basically review for the girls and playing different types of games. Our campers received their camp t-shirts today as well. Thanks to "Seti Matua" for the shirts. They look great! I look forward to next years volleyball camp and working with a new group of girls along with any returning campers. Thanks to my two assistant coaches, Amber Johnson and Melissa Nielsen for their wonderful job and hard work. Also, thanks to the Timpanogos Volleyball team for their assistance as well. Till next year...

Day 2 and 3 of VOLLEYBALL CAMP

Alright...I didn't get the chance to post anything about day two of my volleyball camp, so I'm putting it together with day three!
Day 2: The kids learned how to serve and set this day! They were awesome! They did so much better then we had thought they'd do. As you could tell by these pictures of some of the kiddie campers in action. Maggie(the little girl passing in the picture on the right) is very coordinated for her age. As a matter of fact, I think all of the little campers are well coordinated for their age. We lowered the nets so it was more realistic for them when trying to serve the ball over the net. Surprisingly they all did very well in hitting that volleyball over the net...from the 10' attack line of course. We played a game where they had to serve the ball over the net and try to hit some of the older girls, who were laying down on their stomachs/backs. The little campers enjoyed this little challenge because they were determined to hit the girls...it was hilarious the determined look on some of their faces.
Setting was a little more challenging for the kids. As much as I wanted them to NOT slap at the ball, or look like they were shooting a basketball, they did fairly well. Rosileni shows us her setting skills in the picture on the left.  An example of how fast these kids are at learning and picking up on the skills is Rosileni. She was not there on day 2, but she showed up on Day 3 and learned the basic setting and serving skills.  As you can see, she picked up right where the other kids left off.   She shows off her perfect form...must be her mothers side of the family (LOL, that's my side of family too!). We also played a setting game with the kids that was a challenge. This time however, they teamed up with a big girl. I have to tell you this little funny bit of a story about Tommy(the only boy in the camp). In this challenge, I had the little campers chose who they want as partners. I had thought that maybe he had a little kids crush on one of my girls, because he was always wanting to partner up with her or he was always laughing or acting shy around her. Well, of course who does he walk straight to when I tell them to go and stand next to the girl they want for partners?...that girl! Won't tell you her name, cause it doesn't matter...it's just cute how he is! Anyway, the challenge was to see how many times they could pass the ball overhand/setting without it dropping on the ground.
Day 3:
Today the kids learned how to approach, jump and hit the volleyball on an attack. I was excited this morning on getting to camp and teaching them how to attack/hit a volleyball. Let me tell you, how impressed I was at how well these kids did. As I said before, these kids are fast learners and they picked up on the steps, jumping and swinging at the ball quickly. Alison was the one who impressed me the most in this skill because she really had the concept of what she needed to do. I think she's going to be a great volleyball player when she gets older.
To the left here, you could see how well Rosileni's approach is. Yes, we did lower the net for them so that they have the opportunity to hit it over the net. With all the hitting that they did today, I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up tomorrow complaining about their arms being sore. Or maybe they won't complain, because I haven't heard them complain about any soreness yet. I remember what it was like to be a kid and play all day and not be sore! If we could be young forever! After practicing their approach, jump and hit, we played another challenge. This one similar to the serving challenge where they had to try and hit the older girls with their serve. Except this time, they were hitting/attacking the ball while the older girls laid on the other side of the net. The first round they hit the older girls 8 times...the second time they only hit them 7 times. It was still very good for them.
To the right here, we have Alison jumping and taking a swing at the ball that my assistant coach Amber is holding for her. Alison as I said before is a very good player and learns really fast. She shows that in this photo of her hitting.
I am so grateful for this blessing that I have to be able to teach little ones how to play volleyball. I know it requires a lot of patience to work with little kids, but having this group of 6 kids has been anything but stressful. They are eager to learn and play everyday that they have shown up. They pay attention, ask questions, work hard and say or do the darnest things to make us laugh. I look forward to another day with these kids as they learn more about volleyball for the next two days.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS 2009 NBA CHAMPS!!!

Well, what can I say about this awesome Lakers season...a whole lot, but I promise to keep it short! What a ride this season has been for all of us Laker fans.  We've felt the joy and excitement from the beginning of the season till the end, when we knew that we'd be back in the finals.  After last years disappointing finals loss to the Celtics, our Lakers came back strong this year and dominated the Orlando Magics.  

Spencer and I enjoyed our Sunday, watching the Laker game from home and celebrating when that clock hit 0:00 and we were the 2009 CHAMPS!! We were extremely happy for Kobe Bryant and all that he has accomplished this year and finally getting the Championship without Shaq.  Oh wait, we were joined later by our cousin Felila and her daughters NaeNae and Narissa, Mona's daughter, Kelcey and Felila's cousin Lisa Alaisa to celebrate the LAKERS win.  It was a great Championship Sunday and we look forward to another great LAKERS season next year.  For now, we'll celebrate from Utah, cause we can't make the parade in California on Wednesday....GO LAKERS!!!

TIMPANOGOS HS VOLLEYBALL CAMP

So, today was the first day of my volleyball camp at Timpanogos High School for the little kids ages 5-11 and teenagers ages 12-18.  My morning session with the little kiddies was awesome.  These girls and one boy were the best.  They showed up sleepy eyed and dragging their feet at 8a.m in the morning... too early for a little one in the summer. LOL

So, anyway once they started their warm up tag game, they were ready to go.  We worked on the basic forearm passing skill with them and they all did great.  Little Maggie, the girl that's 2nd from the left next to Tommy(the boy) was very impressive.  She showed a lot of talent with her fearless passing.  Tommy (this boy) was little "Mr. Knowitall", no really, we'd show him how to do something and he'd say, "I know how to do that, I already know how to play" well, excuse us...LOL!   Alison (3rd from left) was also a quick learner that was a good passer.  Rebekah (4th from left) was some what of a little day dreamer.  She would be so easily distracted with what the other girls were doing that we kept having to call her name to pay attention.  Then we have my little niece, Rosileni (5th from left) who was just so eager to learn and play.  She showed up ready to play with her kneepads on and determined attitude.  She did awesome ( I think she'll grow up to be an awesome vball player like her aunty...ME, LOL!).  Then last but most definitely not the least, on the far right end, we have Teniyah.  Teniyah was the comedian of our little group.  She did great in learning how to pass and participating, but she had the giggles throughout the whole camp.  I was wondering why she was always laughing, so I asked my volleyball player(Lauren) who was working with, why? Lauren says: She's laughing at me cause I have to go and chase the balls she hits wrong... and she's laughing because she say's Evan (one of my other players) looks like a Leprechaun... so her word for the day was "Leprechaun".  I can't wait to hear what her new word will be tomorrow... this girl was just too funny.  She was such a character! 

I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I have to work with and teach kids how to play volleyball.  It is my passion and I enjoy teaching kids the sport of volleyball.  These kids reminded me today of why I truly enjoy coaching and teaching kids how to play volleyball... thank you for that reminder kids!

Ashley Sagapolutele Nielson, Graduation Party

This is Ashley Sagapolutele Nielson, the beautiful graduate.
Taking a few seconds to get a pix together. My Handsome hubby and I.

In this picture: Kuini, Samantha, Talia, Angie and Lisa and one of their friends on the far left.

I love this picture of my aunty Uoma and Me. She is my dad's first cousin.

This is my favorite picture! Verlynn Nonu and I with a few of the center pieces.

Ashley Nielson is a graduate of Kearns HS in Utah. Her party was lots of fun with family and some of her close friends. Her mother, Nesi along with her father Siu are proud parents in all that Ashley has accomplished. The food was great, lots of food...entertainment was great and of course our family was lots of fun. Congrats Ashley and good luck in your future endeavors!

Oh yeah, pictures were taken by the very talented and crafty Verlynn Nonu!