'Nother Day at Nua

'Nother day at Nua for some Saturday morning snorkeling.

One Ring to Rule them All

This is a tale of a ring. Not just any ring. THE ring of power. It was formed, lost for a time, and brought forth again with renewed purpose and brilliance. This story involves hobbits, wizards, and a demonic fire-breathing balrog. (Not really.) So settle in as I retell, the Journey of the Ring.

It all began when Ephraim and I got married in 2001. I had never wanted a big diamond setting, nor could we afford a ring that would leave us without rent and tuition. So we selected a simple band--yellow gold over white gold. My ring was technically a man's ring (nice width and weight), and we had a heftier version of it made for Ephraim by my cousin Richard the wizard jeweler. And with this pair we were happy as hobbits.

Then... in July 2005 when we were visiting my parents in Utah, my ring got lost. (Now if you've never lost your wedding ring, you're either very responsible or single.) We thought the ring fell down a storm drain at a parade and would spend decades in underground caves with the demonic firebreathing balrog of Provo. We searched, mourned, and moved on with life.

Eventually we replaced the ring with a little gold sliver of a band bought at Walmart for under $20. This new ring fit fine, suited my daily tasks of dishes and diapers, and served as a reminder to keep myself unattached from material things. Although my ring was humble, my marriage was still the best part of my life.

Fast forward to May 2008. I'm in Hawaii at Pammy's and I get an email that my mom has great news. When I call she tells me this tale. My little sister Rachel (21) and her friend Natalie somehow get the hankerin' to play baseball at the park. Natalie puts her hand in the glove and feels something strange. That's right, a dagger. NO, it was my Ring! Oh, Happy Day! The ring was found again! Only then did I remember that while we were in Utah we had played baseball at the park. Now it was all making sense.

My mom wore my ring around for a few days (no, it didn't make her invisible or power hungry). She figured she would also take it to cousin Richard for a cleaning and resizing since it was loose to begin with. She informed me it would take a little longer to get in the mail since he was pretty busy. Of course I didn't mind. Especially since getting the mail once a week in Samoa has made me pretty patient about packages. I'm happy if anything comes at all.

On Monday July 7th I went to the post office and discovered my package had come! We opened Isaac's birthday presents, little gifts for Ella, and a small jewelry case for me. This is what I saw:

My wonderful mom had five cute diamonds set into my wedding band! Isn't that sweet?!

My reaction was this: "Whaaaaaat? My mom is crazy!", exclaimed very lovingly. No wonder she had it insured. No wonder she'd been calling me every other day to see if I'd gotten it. No wonder she was so excited! I absolutely love it. This seals the fact them I'm the favorite child. I'm sorry siblings. There's no way mom could be as nice to you all as she is to me.

People have noticed I have a "new" ring, so I get to tell them the story. And I get to tell you all about the ring that was lost, replaced, found, and improved.

Isn't it nice to reflect on all you've been through with your wedding ring? The years, trips, births, deaths, fun, food, games, blood, sweat, and tears. Like an old friend. I'm glad to have mine back. With diamonds.


Any ideas how I can attempt to show my mom my thanks?

Boy and Car

Do your boys love cars? We can't get Isaac out of the car. It's his favorite playground. He loves all the buttons, switches and handles. And when we turn the car on, the fans, lights, signals, and wipers are all going fullblast.

Only 14 more years to wait, big guy.

Peter the Goatherd tries Grand Theft Auto.

Aiga Bus

On a cultural note, I don't remember if I've posted our local busses. But since the Browns just offered a very nice description of them, I'll just give you the link.

I've only ridden the bus a few times, so it's still exciting for me. Although I agree that it can be a pain with the loud music, the stopping so often, and if someone is smoking in the bus (!!??).

They just raised the bus fare by 50 cents. (Fare depends on distance, but usually between $1-$2.)
People are pretty alarmed by this price hike, but I think it's about time, especially considering what drivers pay at the pump.

Wanna come ride the Aiga?

Isaac is Two

Isaac turned two last Saturday. Here's two short clips of the festivities, for those with high speed internet and a minute to spare. Isaac is really a joy. Mild-tempered, communicative, sensitive, and smiley. We thought Ella's strong will and tenacity (or moodiness and belligerence) were the norm until Isaac came along and showed us how easy-going kids can be.

Independence Day

I grew up celebrating the Fourth of July with a family fire drill, flag ceremony, devotional, and nighttime fireworks. Our July 4th didn't include any of those things this year, yet our appreciation for the United States is unfailing.

Here's what our day looked like. The kids and I brought breakfast to Ephraim, Lauren and Steve (our neighbors) who were surfing in Nua, a little village on the west side. The waves weren't great, but the little shorebreak was perfect for taking the kids out.













In the afternoon we watched National Treasure 2 and felt patriotic about it.

Then in the evening we had a pirate party with Alyssa, Lauren and Steve. We dressed like pirates, Lauren and Steve created a great treasure hunt for the kids, and then we watched Pirates of the Caribbean 3 theater-style. And we ate chicken tacos.







I guess we were asserting our Independence to celebrate the day however we wanted! I'm sure George Washington wouldn't argue with that.

Paddle Power

On Saturday we found ourselves at Utulei Beach with a load of people doing canoe races. These were 6-man canoes doing 250m, 500m, and 1000m heats. Some of the participants paddle regularly on teams, and others were like us, just there to try it out.
It was a perfect day for paddling in Utulei Bay.


This exhausted team didn't win, but they sure paddled like champs. The groups were mixed all around in the 4 hours we were racing, but we noticed a pattern with the winning. It seemed the green boat always lost. ("It moves like a slug" was a comment I overheard.) The red one was always second, and the blue boat always won. They didn't tell us it was rigged!



Paddling wasn't the only fun thing to do at the beach.

Just another fun day in Samoa!