Victorious Saturday

9:20 am: Force FC vs. Buffalos >>Final Score 3-0
12:00 pm: Kickin' Littles vs. Bullets >>Final Score 3-1
1:00 pm: Blackjacks vs. Back Bay >>Final Score 79-10

The boys each had games this morning. Mote's team did a lot better today. Last week's beating was pretty brutal, but today Mote scored and helped his team pull a win. Nici and Siope are coming right along. Nic got close to scoring a couple times. They are so fun to watch. This game there was a lot more improvement on actually stopping when the ref blew his whistle :) We celebrated their victories with snow cones from the snack bar. We didn't get a chance to make it to Ti Tonga's rugby game, but they played a team from Newport Beach today and also came out on top.

Midway at Excalibur

We have been super busy at work, and I don't think it's the cause of any special events or conventions in town. I think that the change in temperature is causing tourists to flock to Las Vegas Blvd. Last week I worked 7 days straight before I finally had a day off. Every day the kids would ask "Mom, do you have work today?" I hate having to leave them. I kept counting down the days til I would finally be able to say "Nope! I don't have to work today!" I wanted to do something fun with the kids on my day off, so right after Mote's soccer practice we went to Excalibur. They have this fun little Fantasy Faire downstairs called Midway. There's an arcade, 3D rides, and carnival games. The kids thought it was awesome. I thought it was... expensive lol. I will admit that the carnival games and prizes were really cool, but the arcade (in my opinion) was an expensive version of Nickelcade. I was blowing quarters left and right. By the end of the night the kids each won their own stuffed animals and we had enough tickets to exchange for toy snakes and candy. I let the boys pick where they wanted to eat and they chose Chili's. We picked up Misi on our way to the restaurant and all had dinner together before heading home for bed.

My camera was dead and Ti's camera on his phone sucks!

♫Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?♫

The next day I wanted to catch a show with Ti Tonga, but we ended up staying home all day- chilled and caught up on housework. This week I work 8 days before I can enjoy my 1 day off. I think this Saturday calls for a BBQ.

When I Grow Up...

So I was listening to Ti Tonga talk to the boys today and he was asking them what they want to be when they grow up.

Mote's response: "A chef."

Nici's response: "I want to be in sports. I want to be a football player."

Siope's answer (and this one killed me): "I want to be a bowling ball player!"

This really was one of the most interesting conversations I've overheard. When Nic heard Siope's answer he laughed and told him that only girls are bowlers. I'm not sure where he got that impression, but Ti Tonga told them that guys can bowl too- guys can do anything they want... except have babies lol. I've always said I would support my kids in anything they pursue, so if Siope really wants to be a bowler- I'm sure he will be the best Tongan bowler out there =) but honestly, I think he plays the WII too much. We'll have this conversation many more times I'm sure, and it will be interesting to see if their goals change... or remain the same *crossing my fingers that Siope's answer will change* hehe

Utah Utes football: Defense shines in scrimmage with 4 takeaways

By Dirk Facer

Deseret News

Published: Saturday, April 10, 2010 11:20 p.m. MDT

SALT LAKE CITY — And now for the defense ...

Eight days after the offense shined in Utah's first spring scrimmage, the guys on the other side of the ball had their day in the sun.

"We were embarrassed last weekend," said defensive end Trevor Reilly. "And that was the big m.o. for the week — bring your 'A' game and don't get embarrassed."

Mission accomplished.

In Saturday's scrimmage at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the defense picked off two passes and recovered a pair of fumbles. Reilly had three pass breakups, and his teammates racked up six tackles-for-loss.

"Last week, like Trevor said, the offense kind of got on us," noted linebacker J.J. Williams. "But (this time) we came out a little bit more fired up."

Williams headlined the effort by picking off quarterback Jordan Wynn and returning the interception 32 yards for a touchdown.

"It felt good, obviously," Williams said. "Everyone did their job. I went up to make a tackle, and the ball was just there for me and I took it."

The defense's four takeaways, he added, met the standard the Utes hope to accomplish each game.

"We hit and got a bunch of sacks, too. So it was a fun day," Williams said. "Everyone was flying around."

Defensive backs Greg Bird and Damian Payne accounted for the three other takeaways. Bird intercepted a pass from Terrance Cain, while Payne recovered two fumbles — off forces by Dave Fagergren and Conroy Black.

The defensive effort pleased head coach Kyle Whittingham.

"They stepped up," he said. "They came ready to play."

Williams, safety Justin Taplin-Ross and the defensive front were among the standouts Whittingham singled out. Taplin-Ross also excelled on special teams, where the senior blocked a field-goal attempt.

Whittingham said there were "a lot of good things today" including the takeaways and consistent tackling. Aside from the turnovers, he thought the offense was fairly productive as well — particularly in the red zone.

Cain completed 18-of-23 passes for 290 yards and three touchdowns. The scoring strikes included a pair of connections with Westlee Tonga (59 and 15 yards), plus a 12-yarder to Brad Clifford.

Wynn was 15-of-28 for 182 yards. His lone touchdown pass was a 25-yard throw to Jereme Brooks. Early penalties, however, took a toll on the offense. The miscues became less frequent as the scrimmage ensued.

Wynn, though, is confident the Utes will fine-tune the little things.

"We're so close to being super explosive," he said while acknowledging the abundance of turnovers wasn't so good. "For the most part, I think we're where we need to be."

Contributions were plentiful with 13 receivers making catches and seven rushers gaining positive yardage. Quarterback Griff Robles topped the ground game with eight carries for 63 yards, including a 48-yarder. Shawn Asiata had the only rushing touchdown, scoring on a 6-yard run.

The receiving corps was led by Zach Wade with five catches. Clifford and freshman Fatu Moala each finished with four. Moala, the tight ends (who teamed for 10 receptions) and Wynn were among the performances Whittingham pointed toward as solid.

Freshman Fatu Moala had four catches for 74 yards.

"Wock" It Out - April 2, 2010

jab·ba·wock·eez [jábbuh wòkeez]

n

A dance troupe that won the dance reality series, "Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew", the Jabbawockeez' influence has spanned the globe inspiring minds through music and dance. Dressing in expressionless white masks and white gloves, the crew guides the audience's attention away from individual identities and towards a unified and synchronized group. They create a canvas for the audience to visualize the music as they paint beautiful and artistic imagery through precise, intricate movements. The name is derived from the fictional creature in Lewis Carroll’s poem, “Jabberwocky.” Known for creativity, unique choreography, athleticism and intricate synchronization, the Jabbawockeez are poised to change the way we see dance.

Me and my little sister Neo are HUGE Jabbawockeez fans! We were the crazed ones that stayed up late to watch season 1 of ABDC texting each other throughout the entire show about each of the performances... pretty much tuned in to see 1 act- The Jabbawockeez! (ok I would be lying if I didn't mention Kabba Modern too). We voted every week and made a game plan on the 2nd-to-last episode on how we would ensure that Jabba would be the Champions as a result of our endless text messaging, phone calls, and online votes (yes we did all 3, but found that the online voting produced the most in the least amount of time). I remember my husband coming home from work and walking in holding up a Red JABBAWOCKEEZ shirt with a puzzled/angry look on his face as he asked, "What the heck is this Kiki?" I had a brief moment of panic "Dang, the one day that Ti Tonga gets to the mailbox before me!" followed quickly by a rush of excitement... "Heck yess, my shirt finally came! I hope it fits!!" On the season finale me and Neo screamed (and were nearly in tears) when our crew won and shot eachother text messages saying "WE DID IT!" ...and yes to this day I believe that me and Neo specifically played a crucial role in making the Jabbawockeez win season 1 of ABDC ;) Anyway Neo told me they were coming to Salt Lake and I was like, "Yeah right, shut up... Salt Lake? Why?" But it was true... I have no idea how they got them, but Jabba was scheduled to perform at SLCC. We ended up visiting Salt Lake on the weekend of their performance which was already sold out by the time we got in town. We miraculously came up with 2 extra tickets- 1 for me and 1 for Ti Tonga. Nici was so bummed that he didn't get to go :( He kept saying "Mom, I want to go see the Jabbawockeez! How come I can't go?" Hopefully I'll get another opportunity to take the boys to see them. I was tempted to take Nic instead of Ti Tonga. Ti was in such denial that he wanted to go. I pretty much forced him to... I mean if you can sit for hours watching all their youtubes, then why would you drag your feet to see them live?! I knew he would be happy in the end... and he was! The show was indescribable. It's been 4 days and I am still on a Jabba high. I screamed til my head felt like it was going to burst, took some deep breaths, then screamed some more. We sat in a packed house of over 5,000 people. When the crew took off their masks at the end of the show I just couldn't believe I was looking at their actual faces- it was completely surreal! It was such an amazing experience that I'm so glad I got to be a part of!

You Win Some, You Lose Some...

This time... I won some! I am one of the five lucky winners of Silly Vinyl Design's vinyl give away. Yeaaaaaaa Buddy!!! I read the results while I was out of town and now that I'm home I can focus on redeeming my prize- heck yes! ;)