The season of bringing good cheer.

This years christmas has been nothing but successful! I had the blessing of being able to experience this holiday with my own little family. It feels so good just being surrounded by the ones you love most. This christmas has also open my eyes, and my heart. Letting go of things that truly don't matter, and opening my eyes to the greatest blessings in life. From family festivities, to simple moments at home with loved ones, whatever it was that I was doing, it brought nothing but joy.

It felt so good to be reunited with childhood friends this past week. I had the opportunity to go on a couples night out with the Atiga's, and also Ricky and mele (who should probably put a ring on it now, Lol...no rush, just hurry up! hahahaha.) and they have no idea how much they have impacted travis and I. It felt so good going out with people who face the same challenges and blessings that you go through as a couple. Just being able to talk about things, and going, "OMG, so are we!" or, "Yeah, that's us too." Being able to connect in some sort of way, and it was good to know that we're not alone. We have friends of our very own who are enjoying the life that we are enjoying also. As crazy as it is to look at how far we have come, and it's even more crazy that we are able to stay connected throughout all the years. I am thankful for great friends, and cannot wait to see how each of us blossom within our own individual lives and families.

Family time will always be the best time, and I am more thankful that my circle of family has grown this year. From church members who have become family like, to my husbands family, who are truly lovable people. Being able to cross paths with many this year has made life become a whole different purpose for me. I have been exposed to various kinds of families, all in which have taught me the simple necessities and teachings in which I should practice with my very own. It's nice being able to go to family gatherings, and seeing how everyone has grown and the improvments all have achieved throught the year. Besides being reminded of the birth of our savoir, this season has also reminded me the puropse of family. No matter what the circumstance may be, thru the thickest, and the thinest- family is there, and will always be there.

I hope that the holidays have brought joy to you just as much as it has for me. Peace and Love!

When it hits close to home.

This past week has been heart wrenching. With Christmas just around the corner, there has been so many tragedies within the nation that Christmas has all of a sudden had a different impact on me. From the shooting in Connecticut, where 26 kids and teachers had lost their life to a man who wasn't in the right state of mind. To right here in our neighborhood where a beautiful, lovable friend of mine is finally resting in peace. Death has never been the easiest thing to get over, and always the last thing I want to think about. But from hearing the losses of young beautiful children and people, Christmas has meant more than what it has in the past years, and that is to be thankful for the family members and friends who continue to make my day brighter, and my life just a bit sweeter. God continues to work in mysterious ways, and as much as we cannot bare the pain of the tragedies that have happen, it teaches us to be grateful to those around us who are still in good health.

After hearing the death of a good neighbor so dear to my sister and I,I thought about my own friends, and how my reaction would be if I were to ever lose them, and I seriously couldn't imagine how it would feel to lose such amazing people. Then I thought about the feeling of losing my own son. Being a mother first hand, it would hurt so much to know that the place where they were to be safest at, they were the most vulnerable. The teachers who put their life on the line for these innocent children will never be forgotten. The blessing of our dear friend Taina who left us too soon, will forever be remembered.

The time will come where death will play a big part in my own home, and I know because of the teachings of the gospel that I have been taught, I will be able to get thru whatever it may be. Although I may not say it often to those I love and cherish most, I do love you with all I have. Take the time to just be thankful for those who are still the biggest blessing in your life, you never know what could happen.

Happy holidays everyone.

Whaa?! Mommys don't get any sick days off?!?!?!?

I have come down with the fever thanks (but not really) to my sister, who likes to drink half bottles of water, and leave it around for us to finish it. I haaaaaaaaaaate being sick, and because my son is always crying to be carried, I'm hopelessly walking around the house with my stuffy nose, and coughs. Sometimes I think to myself that my son likes to give me the hardest time when I am at my weakest. He is going to be one sneaky-tricky-kid! Haha. Anyway, I tried to make my husband call in to work, but I have cried wolf too many times, that at the time I need him most, he's not believing it. I don't blame him at all (but he will have a pillow and blanket waiting for him in the living room! LOL, I'm kidding.) going to find the inner mommy in me and continue to nurture, love, and care for my Fa'amoana boy. Happy John Stockton day! Lol.


P.s.-the Peni family is definitely the biggest Utah jazz fans!

Money and Marriage.

"What's yours is mine, and what's mine is mine, too!" 

Seriously LOLing at this picture because there are seriously so many truths behind it. I can honestly say that I am purely guilty of this, and I never hear the end of it from my husband. Hey, I'm just a stay at home momma. OF COURSE I'm going to ask for millions of things! All I do is watch info-mercials  half the time. Lol.

Unfortunately, since the birth of our precious little son, my husband has been smarter with his paychecks, and has become Pro at taking me on guilt trips. Everything we buy, all the money we use, strictly goes to our son and all MY bills. (Yes, I started having bills right out of high school.) The only time I've ever seen any of that, is when my husband wants to go eat. OTHER THAN THAT, I sit hopelessly in my little corner crying over the fact that I couldn't get an ipod.

BUT, although I make it seem like my life has totally ended, which for the most part, it has! lol, I couldn't be more grateful at the fact of the matter that my husband has shown me how much I contribute to greed. I guess all women have that weakness. I mean, my mom's advice to my sisters and I when we were little was, "If you're unsure, just get it, before you walk out of the store and regret it." Sounded fair, until my dad's advice about money was, "Don't listen to any of your mom's advice."

I guess my dad was right all along. He's right about EVERYTHING! UGHHHHHH! Lol, okay over it. He gave us that advice, and still let my mom loose with the credit card, lol. Anyway, if I needed to be taught something from my husband, this would have to be the biggest learning skill that I needed. He leads by example, and constantly by never letting me hold his wallet. Lol, Makes me realize what I have to do on my part to be able to gain his trust when it comes to money.

So, when thinking of the terms OURS, I have to think as in Travis, Baby Fa'amoana, and me! That will be something I won't ever master! lol.

and that's our keeping up with the Peni's! haha.

Thinking out LOUD...

I'm still on the learning curve. I have a lot to learn, and one of them is how to stop pleasing others. I hated when people didn't like me. Or when they had something to say about me. I don't know why, but It always kept with me throughout my day...and the feeling sucked. I always tried to look at it as a way to motivate, or to improve myself. But by the end of the day, I still felt down and out. No matter if I did change, someone will always have something to say.

I've been married for 10 months now, and I have already learned a lot. Motherly duties, wife expectations, how to raise a family, and although I'm not perfect at it, I am better at managing it, than managing how to take others opinions about me. A lot of times I try to avoid the problem, and keep focus on other things. But no matter how busy I can get, it stays in the back of my mind, and continues to be the reminder that I don't need. When I do confront the problem, a skill that I learned from my dad, which 99% of the time works. It always seems to end up bigger.

I guess the real problem here is I allow it to get to me, and that would have to be a skill I need to practice on. "Choosing my battles." Although we fight battles daily, I guess it's up to me on choosing the battle worth fighting for. I want to be able to please everyone, but in order to, I have to be able to be satisfied with myself. Don't get me wrong, I love myself truly, but just like every human being in this world, I have to be able to love myself so much, that words won't break me no matter how many times it is thrown at me...and I guess to love myself truly, I have to know my purpose here, and constantly remind myself my purpose.

Everything's always easier said, than done. And just like life, I don't expect it to be easy. But because I know how precious life is, I know it's worth it.

Weary not, weary not.

Satan is a sneaky thing. They don't lie when they say he will do everything in his power to keep a family from being a family. This week has had it's ups and downs, happy and frowns. My son managed to knock down being two months old. Being my first born, I had the hardest time watching him getting poked with 5 needles, and to top it off, get his circumcision all in one week. There's something about innocent cries that just make me cry a river! Lol. Travis and I pretty much are the new wrestlers for WWE! We are the masters at bumping heads, and it never fails to be about the smallest things. Who baby gets his looks from, who's the cool parent, who's gonna cook dinner. God has put two competitive people together, and I'd have to say, Satan has come in at times where we never realized it.

We rushed to do our family pictures yesterday, and after going three rounds of bumping heads, we passed by the temple. It was really funny, because we both got really quiet. Seeing that in my view made me realize how much we were driven away from our focus on getting married in the temple. After the long awkward silence, we decided that we didn't wanna be wrestlers anymore, and wanted to be best friends forever instead! Lol, it made me laugh, but got me thinking how much we felt the same way about something so special.

Sometimes what we don't realize is how Satan is trying to pull us away. He puts doubt, fills our minds with negativity, which makes us become more stubborn in our thinking, and in our hearts. Thankfully, for us, we were quick to be reminded of what our goal is, and were able to quickly forgive our wrongs. God has put the two biggest competitors together, but also managed to put the two greatest forgivers together also.

I am beyond thankful that we are able to be reminded about things. There will be times where at the moment, everything seems like it's not going the way it's suppose to, but only god can see our bigger picture. He knows what's best, and why we go thru what we go thru. When in doubt, he reminds of our purpose, and why it is vital we carry on.

Xoxo, Peni Family.