FELIZ CUMPLEANOS A MI!

Cards from the kids...A birthday blessing...Breakfast with "Miko"...Balloons & a desk plant delivered by lil' Drew & Koloi....Lunch w/mom & dad @ Applebees...Flowers and Chocolate delivered from Justin...Cake with my ADP team...Home to open gifts...Teriyaki burgers straight from Hawaii (thanks Baby Vee)...A Simply Sushi Dinner w/Lomes, Makarena, Toree & Boonz...shopping with my sisters...late night Birthday Cake w/ Baby Girl & Teiko...all in one day...I loved my birthday!  ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!! 

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

Nope...not Christmas!!  FEBRUARY!!  I love this ENTIRE month!  I am so GIDDY when this month comes along...it's my MOST favorite time of the year!  Yes, my birthday is in this month and Valentines is my most favorite holiday!  I know at least one person who has a birthday almost every day this month except for February 5th, 18th and 27th...how cool is that!  February babies ROCK!!  This past week has been AMAZING spending it with 2 of my most FAVORITE people and their hubbies!!

TWIG, NANCY, VEE

Our Valentines celebration started early!  Twig and Spence hooked it up with tickets to the Jazz vs. Lakers game.  My favorite part...the VIP dinner up on the top floor....All-You-Can-Eat....the BEST food! 

My husband is going to kill me for posting this part....but he had been so excited that we got there quite early!  5:30pm to be exact...LOL!  The rest of our crew got there a half hour later.  I snapped a few shots of the place while we were waiting. 

This was our crew.  Larkins, Bloomfields, Kaufanas and supposed to be the Tahis (Felika & Mapu)...baby got sick, so Felika stayed home and Mapu brought our good friend Johnny Hamilton! 

The fellahz gettin' ready to head down to the game.  Those Laker fans came all decked out didn't they?

 I got a pic with the biggest Jazz Fan of the game who made the Jumbo Tron!  I loved his poster...LOL!

So our Jazz lost BIG TIME and I was bummed because Kobe Bryant didn't play either...but, Deron Williams did! Hot Stuff!!  It was such a great night!  Great company, delicious food and good fun!!

The whole weekend was spent with my Twiggy, Nance and the hubbies!  Nancy & David live in AZ and fly down often, but we hardly ever get to hang out, so last Sept/Oct we had planned this time out to be together.  People say the three of us seem so different individually, but when we get together ya can't tell any difference nor could you ever get us apart!  =D  The three of us can go on and on for hours choppin' it up, laughing, crying and reminiscing.  I absolutely LOVE them and consider them my Best Friends! 

Below is a picture of our daughters...I sure hope they'll become just as close!

Kuilina Larkin, Beanie Kaufana, Nina Bloomfield

Sister In Zion

Granger 8th Relief Society has a service project every month of the year.  January started out GREAT!  Volunteer work at one my most favorite stores...Deseret Industries!  Some of us were out on the sales floor and some stayed in the back prepping all the wonderful donations to sell. 

 I love these wonderful women in our ward!

Tallahassee Take Me Away!

My little sister Toree was called to serve in the Florida, Tallahassee mission. She reports to the MTC on March 24th....that's less than 2 months away.

Mom & Dad knew she was preparing and working on her papers for the mission. They thought she still had a few dental appointments, so when this white envelope came in the mail this past Wednesday, they were SHOCKED, yet so happy! She's only our 2nd missionary to leave out of us 11 kids and it's been over 10 years since the last missionary, so it was beyond HAPPINESS! I love seeing my parents on cloud nine....I love even more that Toree has made this decision to serve.

This pic is right after Toree read her mission call, she was so choked up, so mom finished reading it. Yes, mom is holding a mic...hahaha! The house was PACKED so we had people around the whole house and wanted to be sure everyone could hear. But, I love this picture so much, look at how proud my dad is! I was so choked up myself and held myself away from Toree that night or I would've just LOST it! Meanwhile, everyone else got to hug her and take pics...here's our future missionary with Justin, Ala and Drew.

So, I've never told Toree this, but when she left home for college, it was quite hard for me. For the first few months, whenever she'd come visit and leave again, I cried in my own secrecy. If you know Toree and I, then you know our closeness and I seriously count her as one of my own.

Heavenly Father must know my struggle at this time and wants to be sure I'm prepared emotionally for when she leaves. I noticed this song playing almost every time I turned the radio on in the car or at work these past few days. I realized it was a message for me about Toree and serving the Lord. Well, that's how I take it anyway...and it has certainly comforted me. Toree's mission covers northern Florida and ALL of southern Alabama...she's gonna get some of that southern cookin'! Anyway, this song really clicked for me. It's by the Dixie Chicks called, "Cowboy take me away." I've got the lyrics below and replaced "Cowboy" with "Tallahassee." It may sound silly to anyone else, but to me, it makes perfect sense!

I said I wanna touch the earth, I wanna break it in my hands.

I wanna grow something wild and unruly.

I wanna sleep on the hard ground in the comfort of your arms,

On a pillow of blue bonnets in a blanket made of stars.

Oh it sounds good to me...I said Tallahassee take me away

Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue

Set me free oh I pray closer to heaven above and closer to you

Closer to you.

I wanna walk and not run, I wanna skip and not fall

I wanna look at the horizon, and not see a building standing tall

I wanna be the only one, for miles and miles

Except for maybe you, and your simple smile

Oh it sounds good to me, yes it sounds so good to me,

Tallahassee take me away, fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue

Set me free, oh, I pray, closer to heaven above, and closer to you..

Closer to you

Toree's done so well living independently in Orem these past two years...and now Tallahassee gets her for 18 months....boy are they LUCKY!

I BELIEVE!!

I'd like to KISS the guy/gal who invented this great delicatessen! Had Sushi for the first time ever (unless my momma gave me some when I was little which I highly doubt!), but so many peeps talk so big about it and I was anxious! My amazing cousin/big bro, Siliva took me out for lunch this day and we headed to SUSHI YAH!

We met my other cousin, Travis there too and we did the "All You Can Eat"...later, I learned you'd be crazy not too. Then again, what poly WOULDN'T do "All You Can Eat" at any restraunt? LOL!

Anyway, these two fellahs, I consider some major sushi critiques, 'cause they are eating it all the time and have tried sushi at so many different places. They have ranked Sushi Yah the BEST of sushi in quality and price!

To "convert" me to their Sushi Crew, they had a certain order in the sushi's I tried...first up was the Las Vegas roll! I took my first bite....all I had to say was, "Hallelujah!! I BELIEVE!" It was better than Disneyland and Christmas combined!! I absolutely LOVED it....along with the Crystal Shrimp, Barney Rubble and all the rest that followed. Totally felt like a kid at the candy store!

I wondered why I held out so long from this heavenly gift! If you haven't tried sushi, I HIGHLY recommend you go to Suhi Yah for your firts time. If you tell me about it before you go, I'll make sure you take these two sushi missionaries...you will definitely be "converted" too...LOL!