Neglected Blog...

I'm sorry my lovely Blog. I've been busy, I promise.  I'm not ignoring you.  I haven't been surfing the web while you sit here blog-less for over a week.  I haven't been thinking of things to blog about then log in and have brain farts.  I haven't been catching up on all my TV show episodes I've been missing.  I haven't been hanging out on Facebook and Twitter, while you just sit here.  I promise...lol. 


Okay so I have been busy.  Funny thing about being busy is, I think back and I can't seem to remember what it was I was busy with.  I have been baking a lot though.  Too much actually.  I'm going to need to get back on some kind of workout program after this holiday.  Being a baker who loves pastries is like being a pot head and trying to sell weed. hahaha!! It's just all bad. 


Anyway, Christmas is here and I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas (or "Happy" Christmas depending on what part of the world you are in).  Or Happy Christmahanakwanzika just so I don't leave anyone out. =)  Maybe after all the eating I'll be in the mood to blog again.


Here are some pics of my baking...

Thanks to PanipoposKitchen I've made panipopo for the first time and it was DELISH!

 German Chocolate Cupcakes

 Pineapple Tarts

Ugh...I Hate Funerals!

It was hard to be excited for Thanksgiving this year.  The day after Thanksgiving, when people are usually preparing for the busiest shopping day of the year, my family was preparing to attend a funeral.
I couldn't attend the funeral though.  But I didn't mind missing the funeral.  I don't like funerals at all! Especially Samoan funerals.  Samoan funerals are hard for me. They are busy, with lots of people you don't know, lots of food that need to be cooked for those people, and lots of gifts that need to be prepared for those people.  You barely have time to actually grieve.


When I was 12, my Father's Dad passed away.  My Grandpa was like THE MAN in my life when I was a young girl.  My Grandpa was the best.  He was sometimes mean and mostly grouchy to others but he spoiled me and I loved him and my Grandma with all my heart and soul and would do anything for them.  I would leave my parents on my school vacations so I could stay with my grandparents and help take care of them.  I loved it!  Being with them felt like home.  I never wanted to go back to my house.  So when my Grandpa died I remember thinking that I would never ever be more sad and hurt than I was at that time.  He was elderly and in and out of the hospital, but nothing prepared me to face a reality without him.  As a young awkward pre teen, the only way I knew how to cope with my grief was to cry.  And cry and cry some more.  To this day I think of him and miss him and my grandmother so much that I'm crying all over again like I was as a young girl.


During one of my Grandpa's services we were all given a chance to go to the casket and say our goodbyes.  They were letting the younger grandchildren go first so we all made our way  up to the casket.  I felt like I didn't want to do it.  I didn't want to remember him like that.  But my sister and my cousins were all telling us to go.  I was able to get some time alone at the casket.  He looked so peaceful, but I didn't like the way he felt.  So hard and cold.  This wasn't my Grandpa.  Why did he have to leave me? And I just laid my head on his chest and cried because I didn't want to say goodbye.  I felt an arm tug me upright and force me to walk out of the church.  It was my uncle.  He scolded me for taking so long and said "There are other people waiting!"
I was furious!  I was hurt and pissed because my uncle didn't seem to give a rat's ass.  So I wasn't even allowed to cry over my own Grandfather!?!  And who were these "other people"? Where were they when I was taking care of my Grandpa.  Why do those people get time to say goodbye to him when I get pushed aside like a stupid child.  I was so angry that night.  It's probably why I still get so emotional when I think of my grandfather.  I never really got to say my goodbyes the way I wanted to.  


Throughout my life I've noticed this pattern at Samoan funerals.  That old folks don't like people getting too overly emotional at funerals.  At my cousin's funeral his widow and his 1 year old daughter had to lay him to rest.  As we were ending the last service at the burial area, my cousin's widow just couldn't hold herself together anymore.  She started crying that desperate cry that makes me choke on a lump in my throat while trying not to cry for her and her pain.  But her mother shushed her.  She actually shushed her to stop crying!  I was appalled.  Her husband just died, her 1 year old daughter would never know what a great man and loving father he was.  And they wouldn't even let his widow fall apart, not even a little.   


I'm usually a quiet and calm person. But when I'm grieving, sometimes I just want to scream through the tears.  I want to be able to kick, scream, throw things, and even punch things if I want.  Sometimes the best way to get my emotional pain out of me is to do something physically exhausting so that I wouldn't have the strength to cry anymore.  That's just the way I am. 


I guess that's why I don't like funerals.  I am an emotional being.  If I am not allowed to be that, then I just don't want to be there.  =*( 


This is a video clip of what I think people should be allowed to do at funerals. Cry, scream, laugh, even hit people.  Whatever it is they need to do to get it out.  Okay so maybe not the hitting people part. 

Long distance relationships suck!

How to survive a long distance relationship? Hmmm... DON'T HAVE ONE!  Seriously.  Take it from me, it is horrible.  Wolfy and I were dating five years before we got married and I'd say 90% of those five years were spent apart.  The only thing long distance did was reek havoc on my emotions, sanity, and my body.  I don't know how Wolfy and I did it for so long.  I'm so glad we made it through those times, but we had it hard back then.  We didn't have emails.  We wrote good ole fashion hand written letters and sent them through snail mail.  We didn't have cell phones.  I rushed home everyday to make sure I didn't miss his calls, so basically I was stuck at home.  We didn't have Skype or Facebook.  I literally didn't see his face for months at a time.  For five long years this was us, and it sucked!

In high school, even when we were in the same city, we hardly got to see each other.  Samoan parents don't allow dating. My parents never allowed me to go out with friends, let alone a boyfriend. There was no way I was going to ask to go on a "date". Ha! Yea right!

My first year away to college was very hard on us.  I think we broke up and got back together at least twice that year.  But I was able to go home for holidays.  And each time it was so awkward being in each other's presence again.

One night in particular I remember.  Wolfy and I planned to get together and hang out and talk.  Nothing big we were just going to drive to the beach. I just wanted to see him after being away for so long. Wolfy picked me up and we drove to our beach lookout spot.  The moon was out and lit up the ocean water so beautifully like a thousand romantic candles guiding a pathway to the sky.  We sat on a bench and looked out to the beautiful view.  You would think with such a romantic setting Wolfy and I would have been all over each other. Except we weren't.  It was awkward.  Here we were, two people who were madly in love, and we just sat there, quiet for what felt like hours.  I tried making small talk, but it felt stupid like I was trying to make conversation with a random stranger.  Ugh, I hated that feeling.  That awkward feeling of forgetting how to actually BE together after being apart for months.  But that was after our first year of being long distance.  Sadly I just got used to being away from him.  And after lots of practice, seeing him after months apart wasn't as awkward as that first year away.  

But then it was replaced by horrible goodbyes.  I hated leaving Wolfy.  I would literally get sick every time I had to leave him.  One time in particular was the worst ever that I can remember.  Wolfy's mother and I had flown to see him graduate from Navy bootcamp.  I hadn't seen him or talked to him in 3 months.  In bootcamp he could only write letters to me.  And they didn't get much free time to write so his letters were always very short.  Being there with his mother was bittersweet because Wolfy didn't like being too affectionate in front of his Mom.  But I was just so happy to know that he was safe, and healthy, even if he was a little too skinny.  We got to spend a day and half with him and then we had to fly back home.  The drive to the airport was the loneliest drive ever even though Wolfy's mom was with me in the car.  But I was holding up pretty well I even surprised myself.  

That was until we got to our terminal.  We were early so we just sat there and waited.  It had given me too much time to think about Wolfy and how much I was missing him already.  Slowly the tears started to well up.  Then they flowed like a river.  Then the pain in my chest starts pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears with every heart beat.  I didn't want Wolfy's mom to see me so pathetic so I just laid my head down like I was napping, and tried my best to mask my sobbing.  Wolfy's mom finally noticed I was crying and put her hand on my back to try and comfort me.  It only brought on an even worse wave of pain.  I was a mess.  Even worse I made Wolfy's mom cry too.  The two of us looked like basket cases just sitting there crying.  I didn't care.  I just wanted to be with Wolfy, but I couldn't, so I was going to cry myself into a stupor.  When we were finally on the plane I welcomed the chance to cry myself to sleep.  The comfort of not having to be awake and thinking of him was all I wanted.   

The pain of that day is what made me wake up to the fact that I just couldn't do it any longer.  I was tired of being away from Wolfy.  I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, but after that day, I decided to actually do something about it.  I can't remember exactly how long, but I think it was 6 months later we were married.  =)  And I guess the rest is history.  

Wolfy and I have been married 12 years now and I spend so much time with him that sometimes if I ask to go away for the weekend Wolfy's "sure go ahead" comes out before I can even finish asking. lol  Never in my wildest dreams, when I was sitting in that airport, did I think I would ever get to a point that Wolfy and I didn't mind being away from each other for a weekend.  But that's life.  If you don't push through the bad times...you'll never get to see the good times.  The BEST times.  

Just break up with him!

I've been coaching girls volleyball again for a couple of months now.  My girls have all graduated high school  and their ages range from 17 - 21years old.  Can you say "raging hormones".  Well, the other night one of my girls called in that she wouldn't make it into practice because her boyfriend was in town.  Ugh, so annoying.  This is why I am a firm believer in "boyfriends and Volleyball DO NOT mix!"  They just don't.  Boys always find a way to mess with your head right when you need to be focused on a game.

In my case, it happened to be a Volleyball tournament.  It was my first year in college. Wolfy and I had been going through the longest stretch of not seeing each other.  I was living, breathing volleyball and being around girls all day, everyday, had me craving Wolfy, even if it was just to hear his voice. The night before a big volleyball tournament, we had gotten into an argument and we broke up.  Honestly, I can't even remember what the argument was about.  I just remember that I was distraught.


Really quick background info on me.  I'm a ball of emotions.  I'm a Pisces, and I'm ruled by my emotions.  To make it worse, my mother is the same overly sensitive woman, and her mother was the same way too.  So I am totally screwed when I need to do something while trying to hold in my emotions. To this day, I am no good at it.  My sisters always tease me that I cry at Hallmark commercials, Kodak commercials,  ANY commercials. Anyway, thus the title of my blog, "My Emotional Roller-coaster".


So, the love of my life just broke up with me, and I had to wake up and play volleyball....yipee! Actually NOT!  My roommates heard what had happened and they were trying to comfort me all day, but nothing was working.  I tried to shake myself out of the funk.  "Snap out of it! Volleyball right now, cry later! Come on!"  Yea, that didn't work.  It was the first time I actually realized that athletes really are affected by the things going on in their personal lives.  Why? What did my emotions have to do with controlling my body to perform the skills to play?  Nothing really I guess.  It was my brain taking on too much, and keeping my body from reacting in it's usual manner.  Needless to say, I was a mess.  My coach realized there was something wrong with me and pulled me aside, away from the rest of the team.  Just the fact that she suspected something, had me on edge.  And all she had to do was ask "What's going on with you?", and I lost it!  I started bawling like she had just slapped me across the face.  My coach was not going to get a word out of me in my state.  So she left me alone, but not before throwing me a look of disgust.  Hey, I was disgusted with myself.  I thought I was stronger than that.  But the hurt was like a punch in the gut reminding me that I'm not the super strong girl I liked to think I was.


Finally, the tournament was over, and we all headed home.  I just collapsed into my bed and wanted to cry myself to sleep.  One of my roommates was checking our voice mail messages on our house phone.  I heard her yell for me.


"Reenie!"


Ugh, what now. Leave me alone!  But she came into my room with a look of shock and happiness at the same time.


She said, "He called. He left a voice mail. You have to listen to it!"


"Huh? Who called? Wolfy called?"


She shoved the phone in my face,"Yes, listen!"


It was Wolfy.  After the day I had, just to hear his voice melted away all my stress.  That wasn't all.  He called and apologized.  I couldn't believe it.  He knew that any one of my 5 roommates checked our voice mail messages and he still left me such a personal message.  I held the phone to my ear and collapsed back into my pillow with a smile as tears flowed over onto my cheeks.  I listened to it over and over again.  Wolfy said he made a mistake, and that he was sorry, and that he loved me.


And just like that my world was right again.


Anyway, so when I started coaching girls again, I asked how many of them had boyfriends.  Before any of them even answered I said, "Just break up with him."  They all laughed, but I was a little serious.  There is nothing worse than coaching boy-crazy girls and trying to get them to focus.  Just from my own experience, there is nothing any other person can do to relieve emotions connected to boyfriend drama.  So my advice would be to be single. At least until the season is done. LOL!  (I didn't say it was going to be earth shattering, change your life advice.) hahaha!

His Ex Girlfriend/Stalker

I am absolutely sure that Wolfy is my soul mate.  I just know it.  And he was my first love.  But I wasn't his.  (Or so he said. I wasn't convinced he knew love from infatuation at the time) When we were in high school, I asked him about his girlfriend before me.  I only knew of the rumors that were said about her. She cheated on Wolfy, so I thought there had to be some truth to the rumors.  I asked him how could he not see what kind of girl she was, and he said, "He was in love."  I wanted to puke.  What do you mean you were in love? With her!  I'm not your first love?  I've always hated that he said that he was in love with her.  But I got the guy, so I got over it.  

Unfortunately his ex didn't.  She became our biggest fan/stalker.   Stalker loathed me.  She had good friends in my classes that I think would report back to her on whether I was doing well in my classes...hello I was a nerd.  Of course I was doing well.  She had friends on my volleyball team to report to her if I sucked or not.  They reported from the bench while I was on the court.  Sorry no luck there Stalker.  So she resorted to trying to be the nice girl.  

One weekend at a Human Relations/Tolerance Camp we were both attending, she ended up in my group.  It was about 30 students and a couple of counselors having a discussion about race and stereotypes.  I guess she took it as an open forum to single me out.  She asked if we could be friends, and she'd really like to get to know me better.  I was horrified, and pissed at the same time.  I thought, she could have just came up to me and told me the same thing.  She didn't have to announce it to the group!  Unfortunately, I had to play along with her little game now that the whole group wanted us to be BFF's.  So I tried and it was awkward, but I survived.   I even felt good by the end of the weekend like I had actually accomplished something.  

After the Camp weekend I was excited to tell Wolfy of the new developments.  He had graduated already so I was waiting to meet up with him after school.  As soon as I saw him, I started spewing all the details of the camp, and the Stalker's attempt at being friends.  But I had survived and we were on good terms now.  Wolfy looked at me strange after my story.  

He asked me, "Are you sure?".  

I was confused.  "What do you mean, am I sure?  Yes, your ex and I are ok now."

You know that look on people's faces when you know they are about to tell you something you don't want to hear.  He had that look. 

Wolfy said, "Because on my way in here, I saw my ex.  She stopped me and pulled me aside.  She told me that you were not right for me, and that I should break up with you and take her back."

I was literally shocked.  But why? Why was I so shocked?  I knew this was the kind of person she was.  

"What the hell!  Just now?  Ugh, I should have known better.  Stupid me for even thinking she could change."  

After that I knew I could never trust her again. 

Fast forward to my first year in college.  I was in another state going to school and playing volleyball while Wolfy was still in our hometown.  He calls me one day and told me that Stalker ex showed up to his house out of the blue.

"What! Why? What did she want?"

Wolfy explains, "My Mom answered the door.  She saw her standing there with a baby in her arms."

"Baby? She had a baby?"

"I guess so.  My Mom thought nothing of it and asked her what was the baby's name.  She said Stalker named the baby after me!"

"She WHAT!!"  Yes, you read that right.  Stalker named her first baby, from another guy, after my boyfriend.

Wolfy continues, "My Mom asked her to wait and she came storming to the back and went off on me.  Yelled at me about this ex girlfriend at the door with a baby named after me.  She even asked me if the baby was mine.  I told her hell no, we never even had sex.  Ugh, it was so embarrassing to have to tell that to my Mom."  

I was livid.  Even worse I couldn't do much from another state.  I wanted to call my sisters and tell them to hunt this psycho down, but what good was that going to do.  They couldn't change a baby's name.  Wow, I never thought she would do something that crazy.  I didn't think she would ever show up in our lives again since high school was over.  Well, that was wishful thinking.  

Fast forward even more, to when Wolfy and I had been married 6 years with our first child and another on the way.  There was this little thing called Myspace that just became popular.  Basically a stalkers wonderland.  Wolfy had a Myspace not even a month and I see the Stalker ex on his friends list.  Oh, Wolfy heard it from me.  I told him to delete her crazy ass too.  But being your typical clueless man, he thought it was harmless.  So I became the stalker.  I hated it, but I wasn't going to just let her off that easy.  I went to her Myspace page and found nothing exciting or strange.  Until I looked at her photos.  She had an album dedicated to Wolfy, titled, "The reason why I know there are still good men out there".  She had taken pictures from Wolfy's photo albums and put them into her album.  Conveniently all the pictures of him alone, without his wife and kid.  

That was it!  I didn't care what Wolfy had to say, I told him to delete her, block her, whatever he needed to do.  I didn't want him having anything to do with her.  She had no boundaries.  

So, 12 years of marriage and five kids later, she is nothing but a distant memory, and a character in this blog post.  But, I think I don't trust women as much as I would like because of her.  But just as I was with the Stalker in high school, I am still always optimistic of the possibilities of meeting good honest women.  And I don't mind that Wolfy says I wasn't his first love.  As long as I'm his LAST.  

I REALLY LIKED HIM, BUT I ALREADY HAD A BOYFRIEND.

In our high school years Wolfy (the hubby) and I were oblivious of each other for two years. We had our own crowds and never ran into each other.  That's normal for high school.  But to suddenly start dating, after never acknowledging each other's existence on campus, was a very shocking matter in the high school gossip circles.  The expressions of surprise and disbelief were all aimed at me, and how did I manage to land HIM?  Even more shocking, to myself, because the first time I mustered up the courage to talk to Wolfy, I had another boyfriend.

My poor Ex never saw it coming.  The Ex and I were all wrong for each other.  He lived in a different city so we never saw each other.  When I did see him he was usually drunk and I could tell that he wanted things that I was NOT going to give him.  So I stopped calling him.  That was really mean on my part, I know that, but I just didn't want to argue with him.


In the process of trying to ignore the Ex, I started to notice Wolfy more.  I even caught myself in stalker like activity.  I would go out of my way to walk in the hallways I knew he would be in. I would wait in areas I knew he would be passing through.  It was like I was possessed by this boy crazy girl I'd never met and didn't like, but I couldn't stop myself.  I just wanted to see him and I wanted him to see me.  So the first time we talked was awkward.  He was totally shocked I even stopped to speak to him and I was screaming from the inside while trying to look cool and nonchalant like I hadn't just been following him across campus.  The second time we talked he was not as surprised, but still awkward.  I never thought he would come out and ask me if I had a boyfriend!  In a split second I thought say NO, but even then, I couldn't bring myself to lie to him.  Who was this boy and why was I so concerned about being honest with him? So I told him yes.  But the way I said it must have clued him into my situation with the Ex because he didn't seem disappointed.  So we met up more often and talked a lot. And I really liked him.  More than I had ever liked any other boy before.   A couple encounters, turned into meeting everyday for lunch.  Then we started meeting together during our sports periods, our last class of the day, because we were both in the off season.  


One day on my way to last period, I recognized a girl that didn't belong at our school.  She didn't belong there because she was the Ex's cousin and they went to the same school.  My face dropped, my eyes widened, and I froze in place.  I wanted to scream when she had said that the Ex was running around campus looking for me.  (What I forgot to mention was that I hadn't officially broken things off with him.)  I was furious, but I had to think fast.  I was suppose to be meeting Wolfy in a couple of minutes, and how the hell was I going to keep him from running into the Ex. Ugh I was frantic. Ex's cousin kept asking me what's going on? I thought, how the hell was I suppose to know, and why did you bring him here? But I had to focus.  I hailed down one of my friends, who also knew Wolfy well, and filled her in.  She jumped into action and went looking for Wolfy to keep him busy.  Right then I saw him.  The Ex.  He looked like a crazy person, then suddenly changed up his whole facade and smiled at me.  I thought, please let him be sober.  It was totally awkward talking to him.  The whole time I was thinking of Wolfy and trying to get the Ex to leave.  But he walked towards the boys weight room. NO! Anywhere but there.  I wanted to summon the Football player in me and tackle him.  I knew that Wolfy was usually in the boys weight room during last period.  Who was I kidding, I was not going to be able to stop the Ex when he was like that.  It was weird but the Ex seemed to be looking for someone, I just did not know how he knew.  I hadn't even told anyone about Wolfy and I.  Wolfy and I were not officially dating, but we were definitely spending a lot of time together.  More time than I was spending with the Ex.  


So I followed the Ex to the weight room.  In the distance, down the large black top playard,  I saw Wolfy walking towards the weight room and my heart beat so hard it just about cracked a rib.  I turned and followed the Ex quietly while freaking out inside.  When he was finally in the weight room I rushed out to desperately signal to my friend, "NOT YET!"  In the distance I could see the confusion in Wolfy's face and I swore to myself that I would finally break it off with the Ex.  I hated doing that to Wolfy.  I had to tell him what was going on.  How was he going to take it?  I didn't want to hurt him.  I took the walk of shame towards Wolfy and told him that my "boyfriend" was there.  I wasn't prepared for Wolfy's temper.  The look on his face I'd never seen before, but I knew he was mad.  I barely heard him say "what!" and he was almost running towards the weight room.  My friends and I had to grab both his arms to stop him.  Ugh, I felt horrible.  I asked Wolfy to please let me deal with this and I promised that he would never come back here again. 


When I finally convinced the Ex to leave campus, we drove to my house.  We sat on the hood of his car in awkward silence for a while.  But I finally just broke up with him.  He was very angry so I left knowing what a temper he had and how he could get.  But it wouldn't be the last I heard from him.  Later that night the Ex had called me from a payphone booth, drunk of course.  He was really emotional, but I wasn't budging from my decision.  It just made him more angry.  Then over the phone I hear a loud crashing sound.  I screamed into the phone, "Hello, hello! What happened! What's going on?"  The voice on other line wasn't the Ex anymore.  It was his cousin again.  She said he shattered the glass surrounding the phone booth.  She pleaded with me to reconsider, but I couldn't.  What he had done was proof enough that I did not want to be with him.  


When I think back to that day, I know I could have handled the Ex in a better manner.  But what  I remember most is how Wolfy reacted.  Like a jealous boyfriend.  But he wasn't my boyfriend....not yet. 

At times I was very bold when it came to Wolfy.  We weren't officially dating still when Valentine's Day came rolling around.  But I wanted him to know I was thinking of him.  So I grabbed one of the heart lollipops I had, walked towards Wolfy and his cousin standing near his locker, and slipped the lollipop right into the back pocket of his jeans and kept walking. LOL! I mean, who was I?  I don'k know.  He made me do things I NEVER thought I would do for a boy.   Anyway, so I looked back to see if he got it, and he was already unwrapping it and he winked at me.  He didn't even know what that did to me.  I turned back around to hide the ridiculous smile I had on my face.  I could hear the excited teasing and laughter from Wolfy and his cousin as I walked away. 

 

Softballs and jocks

First impressions of a future husband

Spring semester in my freshman year in high school.  I had made the freshman girls Softball team and we were out on our softball field.  Our practice field was a pile of dirt with patches of grass and a home plate.
One day, not any special day.  Just a random day really, we are playing a game to help our throwing aim from the outfield.  I played left field so I was on the dirt near the Boys weight room.  So coach is suppose to hit out to us, we catch it, and throw home.  On home plate sat a big bucket we were suppose to hit.  I know, sounds silly, but it was one of my favorite games.  Coach hit a fast ground ball out to me, but I missed it.  I turned around and went chasing after it, as it rolled towards the Boys weight room.  Some of the boys from the football team were coming out.  I thought, surely one of them would help me out and grab the ball for me.  One of the Samoan boys grabbed the ball.  I'd seen him before around school before but I didn't like his crowd though.  The guys he hung out with were self proclaimed "cooler than you" crowd.  A spoiled preacher's kid was commander of the mindless drones.  But I didn't really know this tall guy yet, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.
I raised my glove to signal him to throw me the ball.  But he didn't.  He acted as if he was going to, but faked a throw, and smiled as if he was amusing.  Of course that just irritated me, and I tilted my head and gave him a blank stare to show that, "no he wasn't funny".  He finally just threw me the ball, and I made up my mind to add him to the list of idiot desciples.  I looked back to see where he was, but he was already walking into the lockeroom.


Just a chance little meeting, and we never really meet again for another two years.  But who would have guessed I could meet my future husband in front of a high school Boys weight room, on a patchy, dusty softball field.  

Telesa the convenant Keeper

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Lani Wendt Young  a Polynesian author.  I was attracted to it because she described her book as Samoa's version of Twilight.  I thought I've got to see this.  I read some excerpts, the sample given by Amazon, and I was hooked!  So I bought it on Amazon and thus began the blurriest couple of days with my kids.  I've got five kids, and I don't get much time to read.  But when I wasn't changing diapers, doing dishes or being a taxi, I was reading Telesa.  And while I was changing diapers, washing dishes or driving around I was thinking of Telesa.  I finally finished the book... And I loved it!  I consider myself a huge Twilight Saga fan, but this book is different.  I used to live in Washington State so I could relate to all the different places in the Twilight books.  I haven't been to Samoa since 1987 and I could just picture Samoa like it was yesterday through the character Leila.  And I am Samoan so I relate to Telesa like I have never been able to relate to any other book I have ever read.  It is my new favorite book!  And before that it was Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, so that is saying heaps about Lani Wendt Young.  (I have a thing for strong female characters) So if anyone out there in this Blogger universe ever reads this, you have got to check out Telesa:  The Covenant Keeper.  Can't wait for the second book in March 2012!