A little bit of 2014 is already a lot

I think in some ways we have finally left behind the elation of the holiday season - just barely though because there are still lingering effects of the holiday spirit and the noxious feeling of tedium and melancholy when reality rabidly returns with a fever. But such is life and we have to work hard before we can play hard, right?

Kenyon, Quinn and their Mama - Sam Boyd Stadium

The highlight of the Christmas season was being able to speak to and hear Elder Matua’s voice. So much has changed and yet so much remains the same. We heard the slight hint of Hawaiian inflection and the subtle nuance of pidgin but the most notable and the most memorable is the maturity and the obvious love for the work in which he is actively engaged.

We got a visit from Grandma Karen who got to speak to Elder Matua briefly and from several friends and family throughout the long break. We are so excited for 2014 and already we have been humbled and blessed with new and exciting challenges.

Chase (2nd from R bottom row) and his
United Rugby team

Chase is wrapping up the final stretch of his life as a high school student. He plans to submit his mission papers in April and will work to save up some cash before he gets his call. In the meantime he is enjoying time with his friends and ready to play his final season of rugby with his United Rugby Club. We are hoping that they can repeat their national championship success this year.

Mica is slowly (but I doubt ever completely) coming out of his shell. We find our occasional splashes of conversation with him invigorating, promising and mostly entertaining. He has learned some valuable life lessons in the past four months (long story) but there is no mistaking Mica’s independence and his work ethic. He and his friends are once again the anchor and soul of our Freshman-Sophomore rugby team and we’re excited for the season already.

Mica (2nd from L bottom row) and his
United Rugby Sevens team

Kenyon is one of those kids who is a friend to everyone. The other day Jen went to school to have lunch with him and every single kid seemed to know him. That could be a good thing or a bad thing but Kenyon has more good in him than I’ve ever seen in any one person. He is so much fun and such a great helper to his parents. A great student and an even better human being.

Quinn’s growing too fast and is already aching for more independence. We love that he enjoys being with his friends but shouldn't that happen when they are teenagers? We are sad that he’s not our tiny little boy anymore but we’re ecstatic that he’s doing so well in school and having fun with great friends. Now if we could just get him to tidy up his room ….

We just returned from a nice quick vacation to Las Vegas where Chase and Mica competed in the Las Vegas Rugby Invitational against teams from all over the nation and the world. We didn't get the result we were hoping for but it gave the boys time to bond and get back into rugby mode after the long off-season. We also got a chance to see some of our favorite teams (Samoa, New Zealand and South Africa) play in the professional competition.

Jen and Seti - USA Sevens, Sam Boyd Stadium

We have so much planned for 2014 and God-willing, we are confident that it's going to be a great year. Yes, there will always be hardships and trials but we know that we are blessed as well. We continue to enjoy our church callings, our jobs are steady, our house is warm and we are obviously well fed. We hope that you, our dear friends and family are feeling our Father in Heaven's love and that you feel blessed as well as we begin another new year.

Alofa tele ma ia manuia
(All our love and be blessed)

Seti, Jen and the boys

It's been another eventful week with just a few quick updates.

Another Eagle Scout

Chase - Rippy Literacy Center
Before the Eagle Project was started

We nag. We prod. We kick, punch and poke - Okay we don't really do the latter but you get the idea.
One of the primary goals that we set out as a family was for each of the boys to earn their Eagle Scout rank before they leave on their missions. We prefer that they get it done before they turn 16 but obviously each boy has their own way of doing things and both Kingston and Chase decided that they would get it done when they are 17. Regardless, Chase has finally done it! He did his Eagle Project in December 2012 (a new coat of paint for the Rippy Literacy Center) and had his final Eagle Board of Review last Thursday.

Chase w/Nancy (Rippy Literacy Center Manager)
after his Eagle Project was completed

We are so proud of Chase's hard work in fulfilling all of the requirements to earn his Eagle rank. We are working on getting Eagle projects selected and approved for Mica and Kenyon and hope to have one big Eagle Court of Honor for the boys. We will keep you posted.

Family Time
In keeping with our theme to spend as many precious moments with our boys before they leave our home on missions, for school and to experience the world on their own, we took a drive up American Fork Canyon with some of our Kolowich family to experience the fall colors. We stopped at Tibble Fork Reservoir to let the kids run around and enjoy the fresh clean air and wonders of nature.

As we stood by and watched our boys interact with their younger cousins we reminisced briefly on our blessings and watched with admiration, the interactions between each set of parents and their own children. Our children grow up so fast - it may not seem that way when they are clinging to us as little toddlers but when they are off on they are off on their own you wonder more and more where all the time has gone. We are so grateful for every moment that we have to spend with our boys.

Can you suggest other family activities that we can take part in this Fall/Winter?

A Technology Challenge
In our Sunday School class we talked about using questions to effectively teach others about Christ. One portion of the discussion was dedicated to having meaningful conversations to strengthen relationships with those whom we interact with. As part of the lesson we talked about the benefits and setbacks of technology and showed the video "Things as they really are". The video highlights the remarks of Elder David A. Bednar and the gospel's stance on technology and how it can be used for good.

So much of our time is taken up by technology, particularly social media and gaming that we lose sight of what matters most. We even had a classic example of that on Sunday as each one of us had our head buried in technology rather than taking the time to have meaningful, heartfelt, relationship-building face-to-face conversations. We have taken up a challenge to be more conscious of these things by limiting our time on technology and focusing more on actual conversations. It has become a lost art that we hope as a family to reestablish and work on together.

What are your thoughts on technology?

A Missionary Challenge
Elder Kingston Matua (we clarify this point so as not to confuse with his cousin Elder Wilson Matua) is really enjoying the work in Kona, HI. He and his companion have made significant headway with part-member and non-member families in the area where he is serving and will have their first baptism today! Read more about it on his blog.

In this week's update Kingston shared once again his love for the work but one thing impressed us enough to share with you here - he wanted us as a family to have a missionary plan/goal to push the work forward here in our own community and Ward. President and Sister Warner challenged the members in the Kona area to have a mission plan to bring the gospel to others. We were reminded of this same missionary game plan by Elder S. Gifford Nielsen in the last General Conference in his talk "Hastening the Lord's Game Plan."

We aren't quite sure what we will do as a family to rise to the challenge but we know that we have a responsibility to do what we can to assist the work.

What can we do to help move the missionary effort forward?

We are loved
We are truly blessed to have friends and family who love and support us. We express our sincere love and appreciation for your kindness, your service and love. Our Heavenly Father has given us so much and we pray daily to find ways that we can repay your love and His through service.

We look forward to another productive, eventful and fun filled week! May you all be safe and blessed by His love. Soifua ma ia manuia lenei vaiaso!

New and Newsworthy to Us

One of my (Seti) many New Year's resolutions in 2011 has been to make sure that I do everything in my limited power as a living, breathing, working, husband and father, is to make the people in my life happy. If you're a spouse and a parent you know firsthand that making your household happy is much harder than trying to lose weight, chase chickens or herd cats.

So far I think I'm making good on my promise and part of that resolution is to update this blog regularly. I started a new job (which is actually an old job that I'm going back to after five years). Yeah for new beginnings, boo for long commutes. Thanks to my friend Rob, I'm back at Ingenix as a Business Analyst. If you have a few hours and want to know what exactly it is that I do every day, let me know and we'll sit down over a cup of cocoa and try to figure it out together.

It was sad to leave my friends at Ancestry.com. They were VERY good to me and I've made some great friends there. I hope to stay in touch with them (they probably don't feel the same way).

Jen is still working as a Manager at Greenwood Assisted Living, moonlights as a Scout guru, football (fanatic) mom, rugby mom, mom to the world and the love of my life. She still moves through life at an incredible pace. She is amazing. I'd bottle up that kind of energy but its nuclear and harmful for a normal person's health.

Kingston got a haircut. No more Polamalu-like hair on the football field. His friends and family members are still trying to figure out who the 'new kid' is when we go places as a family. Its so nice to see his face again. He donated all of his hair to Locks of Love, a cause that is close to my heart after watching my mother lose her beautiful hair to cancer. The hair actually goes to children, but its still a great and worthy cause.

All of the boys, Kingston, Chase, Mica, Kenyon and Quinn are currently playing basketball but can't wait until they can get back on the rugby pitch. Practices start up next month. Aside from that, we're enjoying school and our time in our new ward. We're now attending the Lehi 41st (Tongan) Ward with Abby and Sam Havea and their kids. Its been a blessing for us to serve in multiple callings there and we're making a lot of wonderful new friends while strengthening old bonds.

Here's are some recent photos of our family (thanks Alisha!) from earlier this month. God bless you all and we hope you're having a very wonderful 2011 so far.