Sewage and Stay-cation

Ranking  bottom of the list of interesting conversations, one might why wonder why I choose to write about human waste.  But if one peaceful Friday evening sewage water was found pooling in your basement, you might have crap on your mind too.

After two weeks of mitigation company clean ups, plumbers assessing problems, and construction bids, my small family still finds ourselves living at the Fairfield Inn and Suites in Murray.

The hole it all came up from

I'll leave all the gross details out. Suffice it to say, our basement is unlivable at the moment. But daily maids service and a full breakfast, it's becoming easier to enjoy our "stay-cation".

A few highlights (or low lights) thus far:

The boys still wake up four days a week at 5:30 am to lift weights and workout for football. To our delight, Aryana has been faithfully joining them. They are now the Three Musketeers.

Besides sweating away four hours of her day, Aryana has also read her Honors English homework The Pearl and completed the necessary paper.  She's also blown valuable hours of possible rest, attached to the laptop watching five seasons of 90210 (I'm shocked!!).

As usual, Darnel and Dylan have mastered the PS3, ate everything in sight, spent time at the pool, Lagoon,  doing yard work, and cruising around in our green Ford Taurus.

Fa'a is still Fa'a: work, bishopric, eat, sleep. Repeat.

On Pioneer Day (July 24th) we were two hundred feet away from the spectacular Butlerville firework show across from Brighton high school. There is nothing like seeing the fireworks take off from the ground and explode directly above you.  We are incredibly blessed to have friends that include our family in the "behind-the-scenes" show.

Broken sewer line

As if tearing apart half our basement and moving everything else the the clean part isn't fun enough, I've adopted a constant companion-- a lovely head cold (which I can thank Aryana and Darnel for).  The pressure building in my sinus is even more enjoyable when I learn of even further waste problems, like a complete sewer line replacement.

Torn up laundry and bathroom

On a lighter note, I passed out this morning while trying to pop the pressure in my ears (who knew that was possible).  And I can't taste anything I eat or drink. Bummer.

Shirtless Darnel

After eight hours of helping our neighbors with their backyard, Darnel walked shirtless through the hotel lobby carrying a bag for me across  his chest. Two adorable little Asian girls riding on a luggage cart spotted him trying to hide his dirty, bare chest and vocally expressed their disgust in his modesty with a loud "Ew". One girl told him he didn't need to hide behind the bag because he was boy and didn't need a shirt.   We laughed all the way to our room on the second floor.




It's just another day in Paradise.  And I'm still the Most Happy!









Erin Apelu--The Most Happy

You either lover her or hate her.  Yes, I’ll admit, she can be a bit quirky so.  That weirdness is what makes her unique and unforgettable. There’s no arguing—hands down she will go down in history as the greatest artist in the music industry. Celine Dion. A simple name will draw millions of fans from all over the world to awe in her performance. And perform she does. She is awe inspiring. 

I like to think of myself as someone that frequented a good deal of concerts over my long thirty-eight years of life.  I’ve learned something important from this. Nine times out of ten, if you attend a concert to listen to the artist perform with a fantastic voice like you hear on your electronic device, you’re sure to be disappointed. Not only must you struggle to hear over the thousand of crazed fans (I took my daughter to see One Direction and almost went deaf), the artist is most likely breathless as they move around the stage. We become somewhat deceived since the recording studio has perfectly controlled the artist voice to insure only the best sound is being recorded.  And now-a-days they are auto tuned to perfection. Don’t get me wrong, the music artists we all love are very talented, but there's a big difference hearing them live verses recorded.  When Carrie Underwood came to Salt Lake City last year we went. I thought she was fantastic. It sounded just like the Carrie I was use to. It seems that country singers have an advantage when it comes to live performances. 

Heading out for our big day

Almost exactly nine years ago, my wonderful husband, Fa’a, took me to Las Vegas for my thirtieth birthday to see Celine Dion perform live.  If you knew me at all back in college (and still today) you’d understand what a dream come true this was. Starting in my late teens, Celine’s songs have been such a big part of my life.  I have almost all her songs (English Albums) memorized. I’m a dancer, and something about her music makes my feet move and the song literally soar through my entire body. Suddenly I find myself not only singing from the top of my lungs but also breaking out in some sort of lyrical ballet dance. When my kids were younger they loved this. I  would pick them up and dance all around the house.

Seeing Celine Dion in 2005 was a major life goal now complete. Not only was I speechless and emotional after the concert, my sweet, loving, Samoan manly man husband enjoyed it so much he wanted to come back (but don't tell his friends this).

That’s TRUE LOVE (and a guy who knows a good thing when he see’s and hears it!)

Long story short, Celine eventually left Vegas for a world tour. After one-hundred-sixty-three concerts in ninety-one countries, she settled home in Florida and gave birth to two adorable twin boys, now three.  But Celine couldn’t stay away from the her fans for long. Caesar Palace was more than happy to bring her home to the custom made coliseum designed especially for her years ago. The Entire Las Vegas had their hopes resting on Celine to revive the now dwindling tourist industry. 

Seventeen years of being married to the man of my dreams has swept past like lightning. Admittedly, we haven’t been very big on celebrating our anniversary in any spectacular way. I was more than thrilled when Fa’a suggested we actually book the tickets and see her again before she becomes a distant memory in. After many long months with my dad recovering from knee surgery, we were lucky we settled on the trip months before or there would have been no trip. 

Faa and The Rock

We left home on Tuesday afternoon. The flight was quick, renting the car easy, and checking into the condo was a breeze. Fa’a indulged himself at Island Sushi for dinner and we relaxed the rest of the night by the fire talking with my niece, Brooke, and her cute family.

We stayed at the WorldMark Las Vegas Blvd condo that my brother, David, is an owner in. The place was fantastic--four pools, a lazy river, a fireplace in each unit, full kitchen. It was better than we expected (especially since we booked during the Consumer Electronics Convention--dumb idea!)

After a great breakfast on Wednesday, we hung around the strip, ate lunch at Gordon Ramsey Pub and Grill, and spent the afternoon taking pictures with wax celebrities at Madame Tussauds Museum.  Apparently I posted too many pictures on Instagram—at least that’s what Aryana thinks--but we had a blast and needed to document our experience! 

My favorite Wax Men 

 Honestly, when will I ever get a chance to hangout with any celebrities again?

Finally the time came for the concert to start, the coliseum filled to the max. The lights went out and a short film about her life since leaving Las Vegas played.  My emotions were already running high. The music began as the curtain slowly moved open and Celine began to sing “Open Arms” from Journey. There was nothing I could do to stop the floodgates from my eyes. Inside I chuckled, not sure why I was crying (I'm sure Fa'a was wondering the same thing too. 

Us waiting for the concert to start

 I realized how perfect this trip had been. Seeing Celine Dion with the love of my life was icing on the cake. Looking around, I knew I wasn't the only person moved by her awesomeness. And I definitely  wasn’t the only one in the family enjoying myself. Fa’a commented the thirty-person orchestra was worth the money.  They were better than fantastic. Celine's dresses were breathtaking. I couldn't pick a favorite. Not only did the song list included many of her hits, but some from Journey, Michael Jackson, and a french favorite, Ne Me Quitte Pas, which brought Celine herself to tears as she sung it. Reading about it after, I discovered that was the only song to scare Celine--she's been avoiding it for fifteen years. Celine said it was the most emotional song ever written. 

 

We ended the night watching the exhilarating activity on the Strip. The  massive windows from Ruth Chris Steakhouse provided the perfect amount of romance as we savored our amazing steaks.  

Salt Lake City from the air

I awoke the following morning feeling slightly depressed. I didn’t want this trip to end.  With all we had going on back home, forty-eight hours away was pushing it.  I longed for more time. Too often busy parents (do you know any that aren't busy?) tend to forget the much needed bonding that takes place on a couples weekend away.

As we boarded the plane, I snuggled in next to Fa’a.  Back to real life. Kids, parents, school, work, dogs. Life. A vacation, even one as short and sweet as ours, was just enough to keep me pushing through until the next! 

Back to real life!

I guess we’ll always have Las Vegas.

Erin Apelu--The Most Happy

It's been a nostalgic weekend. When your kids are all teenagers and no longer fit in your lap, old pictures can stir up feelings of longing for the past when you were their hero.

While looking for an old picture of my BFF, Leilani Fano, and myself, I came across a bag with some funny writing from Dylan in the 3rd grade, and a photo album from our Disneyland trip in 2003. Somewhat surprised that my kids were at all interested, we sat together on the couch and read Dylan's inspiring notes (haha) and reminisced of their long ago childhood.

Darnel and Dylan with their daddy, Fa'a. They always wanted to be just like him! You can see the enthusiasm in their face as they sat just inside the gates of Disneyland. Surely they were thinking, "Come on, Mom. Hurry up! We want to go on rides." Darnel was 5, Dylan 4, and Fa'a a young 33. 

My Princess, Aryana was three years old (almost 4) at the time of this trip. She was obsessed with the Disney Princess. I'm not sure what she was thinking during this picture (possibly wanting to remove her shorts!).  She was so cute! 

Dylan pretending to drive Darnel around 'Toon Town'. I think this explains it all. I have to laugh at their faces because their personalities are so obvious. I should have known things wouldn't change as they grew older. By the way, I LOVE Dylan's hair. I wish it would lay down like it did then. 

 Buzz Lightyear was totally their hero! The kids waited patiently to meet him after the show. 

  Dylan and Aryana waiting to meet Mickey Mouse!

 Dylan and Woody in Adventureland. He was such a sweet little boy. Until sixteen months ago, he couldn't sleep at night unless I kissed him and all his stuffed animals goodnight. I miss that so much! Now I'm lucky if I get a goodnight.

Winnie the Pooh outside of Splash Mountain. Darnel looks exactly the same, just taller (and hairier, lol)!























Last, but not least, I came across this picture of the boys in their new outfits from Samoa. Dylan was 16 months old and Darnel was 28 months. I love, love, love their smiles!

I knew the day would come (because my mother said it would), when I would look back and wish I could relive it all over again. I would definitely take more pictures and videos, give move hugs and kisses, laugh more and yell less. I am grateful for the memories I have (that I can still remember!) and cherish the videos we made. They are truly the most precious items I poses. 

Erin Apelu--The Most Happy

Love Date Time With My Kids!

Teenagers are great! I have three of them (well Aryana is technically twelve, but she comes with all the drama of a true teen). I've just discovered how me being a stay-at-home mother is really important to my three wonderful angels.

I am very close with all three of them. Darnel always calls me his BFF, and I know I use to be that way with Aryana, but not sure if her mirror has replaced me (LOL!)  Dylan has always been a little harder to read, but I know I'm super duper important in his life, especially when he crawls up on my lap while I'm on the rocking chair and snuggles.

Lately there seems to be some sort of a struggle for mommy time. If I'm going to go somewhere and Darnel wants to come, he quickly changes his mind if he find out Dylan or Aryana want to come too. I love to spend time together as a family, after all, I only have a few more years until Darnel leaves for his LDS Mission, but I've come to a reality that the kids do like their alone time.

With that being said, this week Darnel and I went to Pleasant Grove together and babysat Charlie, my little grand-nephew, Charlie. It was a lot of fun. Charlie is at a great age--4 months--and was all smiles and interest as we watched Season 3 of Downtown Abbey on the Computer.

Friday, Dylan and I snuck off and watched the new James Bond movie-- Skyfall. It was totally awesome.  He loves to see movies just as much as I do, so I can usually count on him to be my partner in crime when it's movie time.

I haven't had much Aryana time this week because she is busy finishing up the 'Twilight' series before the 'Breaking Dawn Part 2' premier this week.  It's very exciting to see her driven about reading!!!

And last but not least--My Hubby--Fa'a. We had a great Friday morning breakfast date over Pancakes at IHOP. For the first time ever I finished my breakfast first because Fa'a was soooo busy talking!

I am truly Erin, The Most Happy!

Kids grow up too fast---

For the past 2 weeks I've drowned myself in old home videos, recording them from VHS to DVD to burning and sharing them on our computer.  I'm grateful to have had my kids in the day that video cameras are so widely in use.

I'm amazed at watching a simple little clip of home videos can easily take me back to years ago like they just happened yesterday. I cherish these memories preserved for our family and friends enjoyment for years to come.  The boys (including Fa'a)  don't seems as interested in the 'blasts from the past' as much as Aryana and I do.   Maybe it's a girl thing. 

Whatever it is, I'm sure enjoying it!!!

Below is a small clip of Aryana 2004--almost 4yrs old--in Samoa singing, or I might say screaming, the ABC's.  I would have never believed she'd have such long, thick hair now when all she had was scraggles back then.

Enjoy!

Erin Apelu--The Most Happy

Mormons on center stage - The Boston Globe

Mormons on center stage - The Boston Globe

Erin Apelu--The Most Happy

Indepence Day!

Aloha Friends and Family,

I hope eveyones weekend was full of lots of fun, food, and fireworks. I know today it Tuesday (promised to write Monday) but was out 4th of Julying it. 

Update--Monte Carlo was a great movie. I loved being there with my daughter and seeing her get all giddy over a Selena Gomez romance-comedy movie.  Ahh...youth. My boys saw the new Transformers movie simultaneously (not cool to see a Selena Gomez movie) so we were semi-together.

We had a fun weekend with our dear sweet Aunti Loy (my sister--LoyAnn). We shopped, ate, watched movies, and most importantly--back rubs!  Definitely a relaxing weekend.

Now I am praying that our wonderful computer wiz neighbor, Gabe, can by some miracle save our external hard-drive. It has all our pictures from 2004-2008 stored on it. And apparently they can just 'go bad' at any time. Oh poop!  Moral of this story--BACK UP YOUR BACK UP!

Will post lots of fun pictures if they are ever recovered.   Pray or cross your fingers for us (whatever your belief is).


Erin Apelu--The Most Happy