Hola, Este es la hermana de Elder Kauwe

Turns out Monday was the peak of my sickness, and I've sense been getting much better. Meanwhile all those who mocked me in my days of turmoil have sense been sniffling. hehe! na I feel bad they are getting sick now:( They have my true sympathies. But while I happen to be at the height of my cold it was email the little elder day. It's hard to think of anything nice to say, when your nose and ears are plugged and your throat is on fire, so I admit, in a moment of weakness I wrote a complaining email to a missionary. so much for uplifting this week. Luckily my brother is tough and can not be brought down by my whining. Here's his response:

Sorry you are sick dear sister, and i know how it is to have a shortage of paper, in our house were going on our second week lol. and yesturday they cut our water. so we went and payed the bills today, and slept at the the Lz´s house. Im still learning resposibility.

2 weeks!!oh kale! haha I am humbled. Here's some pics too. They are a little outdated, but for those of you who havn't seen the kid with his nametag (which he forgot lol! mom had to send it down later) these are fun. This is his district in the MTC. He went in April, 8 2009 to the MTC in Sau Paulo, Brazil. It's called the CTM there haha I am 88% sure this is his fist comp in the ctmThis is him in ron of sau borja hs first area- he loved t here! now he's in his second area...Agrete. it's harder here. but kale is kale. chill enough to be happy anywhere and hardworking/stubborn enough to get the work going.So Elder Kauwe is doing good. We called Brazil today to make sure the number worked. I dialed of course because the parentals are not so good with phone cards. Maria answered. I said hello, she said hello, I said hello, she said hello, I said hello again, she said hello again, then I said hola, and then I don't know what she said because mom took the phone away from me at that point. I had it all ready how to say I was Elder Kauwe's sister(see title of this blog). In Spanish anyway, which I figured had to be close, and then I choked. Good thing mom went to Portgal on her mission and learned ortugese. Maria said Elder Kauwe has a good spirit and that she really likes him:)

Can you hand me a tissue please?

Well, I have a wicked cold. It's a bad one. My nose is stuffed and my throat feels like it's closing in on me. Everyday for the past half week I wake up sure that I'm suffocating, but alas it's just a cold. Bad news is Friday we ran out of tissues and sat and sun there were toliet paper shortages. But reinforcements came in this morning and I've taken to carrying a roll with me everywhere I go. Sadly, I've gotten no sympathy from the fam, well a little from mom and dad but nothing from the boys. Quite the contrary they called me gross and discusting and i've gotten many bad looks. Hello people!! I am suffering here!! and I told them this when we were playing monopoly. I belted those exacts words, and then I rolled the dice and won free parking. fate is kind sometimes cause it was a heavy lot too... for reasons pertaining specifically to my family...love the fam jam and love being home:D...MERRY CHISTMAS YO!!

Elder Spiderman

This has to be super fast, but I just got an email from Kale, and with a Christmas Phonecall fast approaching I just wanted to let out some feeling about the kid. Kale is my best friend. He has this awesome sense of humor. It's like whitty, and a little sarcastic and usually making fun of some one... in a fun bonding sort of way. He is such a TEASE- but he can take it to which makes him so fun. He just really understands when a funny situation is going on. I miss the understanding looks we used to give eachother right after my mom said something silly and a little bit flighty. But mostly I miss how sweet he was. He is up there on the list of thoughtful peeps. Up there with my mom and probably mother tereasa. He really is just geninly kind and loving and forgiving. Growing up I was mostly just short tempered and impatiant and firy and mean, and he was just chill and easy going and nice and always forgave me so fast when I was mean to him. And he dosn't care what people think about him. He always does the nice thing-Befriedns the loner, cheers up the sad girl. He has a way of finding the underdog or the forgotten one or the picked on child and stands up for them making them feel loved. and it's all genuine because he really does love everyone. and homeboy can really stand up!! He'll bring you off your high horse fast and he'll do it with whit and style! The other summer when I was in Hawaii my dad had to have heart surgery. and he'd already had a stroke and it was kinda scary to be so far away(my fam jam is in washington)and I watched stupid family guy and the guy had a stroke and it freaked me right out, and I called kale and it must have been two in the morning for him, but he answered and talked to me anyway and he calmed me down and them told me what my dad had eaten that day. Kinda silly but It was healthy food and that is what made me feel the most better. I think only Kale could have made me feel that much better. He is so great. I love him and I'm jelouse of all the people in southern Brazil that get to seem him. and 'm proud of him for being such a hard working missionary. I can't wait to talk to him!!! He's the best. now that I think of it all my brothers are the best. I could talk forever of their coolness, but I'll sum it up this way

Kale: happy yellow: patient and forgiving
Kaulu: solid black: diciplined and dependable
Maka: firey Red: Outgoing and Frienly
Kekela: Science green: down to earth and logical



and then they are all absolutly hilariouse!! and really hard workers. I got a good fam- no one I'd rather be with:)


and heres a shout out to lil nike shocks!! (my sister Nika) she would be bright pink
because she has the cutest laugh in the world and it's always going

"Amco, this is Brian"

So my car ended up being in the shop for about... oh the entire month of November! It was quite the mystery case for the boys down at AMCO Transmission, and so each of the 30 days I called in and each of the 30 days my dad called in and it was always the same thing.
ring ring
"Amco, this is Brian"
"Hey Brian its Haliaka...the gray hyndai. Have you guys figured out about when my car will be ready?"
"well that is the question of the hour. hang on"
"yeah we just can't seem to figure out what is wrong...blah blah blah... we don't know when you'll have it back... you're car is annoying... were frustrated with it and sick of it being here"...ok so he dind't say those exact words, but I got vibes.
and then i'd hang up and call again the next day or so. Over all between dad and me we probably talked to Brian from AMCO for at least an hour that month without ever seing or meeting him.
So then last Wednesday I'm going to school. I'm lazy and it's cold so I drive everyday and I park and walk across the whole parking lot(which is farily large..and I remind you that it's very cold) and I can hear someone walking like right behind me. Then as I near the edge of the lot the footsteps quicken and the feet are even closer and this boy says "hey do your lights turn off by themsleves" And I think to myslef...all four windows are taped up equalling ghetto car- do you think my lights are really going to turn off? Why did you follow me across the whole huge parking lot before telling me? But I also was very grateful to the boy. A dead car after school would have truly been aweful on this particular day. and it was really nice that he gave me a chance to not be stupid. you know like he didn't just assume I left them on on accident he gave me the benefit of the doubt first. so with a little chuckle and a big sigh I turn to go back and then the boy says "oh hang on, I'm brian...from AMCO" I bursted out laughing!!!"REALLY?! I say, "YOURE BRIAN?!?" more laughter. It was a good moment. He said how he recognized my car since it had been in there for so long and I just laughed more because now I was really embarrassed that I left my lights on. Then I immediatly called my papa and we exchanged surprised and amused comments. It was fun to run into ole Brian snd I'm glad I have a face to put with the saying I have heard so many times before "AMCO, this is Brian" :)

I'm Thankful for Thanksgiving

Ok before I jump into full on Christmas mode here is my ode to Thanksgiving... After all Thanksgiving deserves some attention too and is greatly pushed aside by christmas. I'd like to correct just a small portion of that injustice :)

SO...

A couple weeks ago, 11/01/09 actually, I laid down to go to bed, but for some reason I was really irritated. I don't remember what about, but it was so much so that I couln't sleep. So I busted out the journal, recorded a few events and thoughts and then made a list of "things I'm sincerly thankful for"
- my job: good hours, good peeps, and good snacks
-Papa Smurf: He insisted on sending me $60.00 from the Carribeaner money to satisfy my hunger- i'd been eating a lot of moms canned cherries at that point
-My Mom :): so thoughtful & funny. She called to tell me about daylight savings after I got mixed up about the time on the phone.
-That Kale is on a missiona and that he loves it
-That ulu-ulu is so solid in church
-That I can talk to Maka for so long and enjoy it so much
-That my schedule right now rocks!
-That I stayed at BYU Provo instead of transferring to BYUH...RUGBY
-That rugby is so fun, and that such cool people play/coach
-That I don't get nervouse before games
-That my uncle Maka and the cousins came and watched my game
-That I have lots of different types of friends
-That I get to go home for Thanksgiving
-That I could do my laundry at Diana's this week
-That I have a car!
-That I love my major so much
-That I'm American:)

After that I had peace like a river and fell right asleep.

Happy American Thanksgiving everyone!!

H is for Hipocrit... and Health

There are some people that eat a lot of sugar and get sick, or they hate Mcdonalds because fast food makes them sick too. I am not one of these people. My body has been conditioned since birth to be able to tolerate large quanitites of sugar and fat. Last Tuesday it somehow came up at work something about what we had eaten that day. Further reflection on this topic caused me to realize that so far that day I'd eaten
Chocolate Chip Banna Bread, Grandmas Cookies (2 packs), elevan pixie sticks and a hot pocket, follow that up with taco bell for dinner and thats a completly average day of eating for me. In fact I would add to that list of foods, long johns, poptarts, frosty's, burgers, and fries and there you have the staples of my diet. I realized, much to my disgust, that I eat vending machine food and fast food, and pretty much thats it. I have been eating HORRIFICALLY!!! for the past 2 1/2 months I've been back in college.
so do I weigh a million pounds? Thankfully not and I think that is why I have been able to go so long in my aweful ways without really noticing or caring. Thanks to rugby I've actually lost 3 pounds. haha I guess this is where I owe a shout out to Clayton for making me sprint until I'm actually thankful at the chance to do push-ups and have a break from cardio. Mahalos Clayton.
I realized at work, that the day I quit rugby is the day I will turn into a blimp, and that would be the very least of my concerns. My dad is diabetic, my uncles are diabetic, my granpa and great granpa are all diabetic. I don't have a single male realtive on my dads side that has lived past 64 because of diabetes. My dad himself has already had a stroke and 5 by pass heart surgery. 2 years ago I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Like really, how much motivation does a person need before they will start eating better? Needless to say I was having some big and seriouse thoughts at work, and I felt genuinly scared and upset that I had been eating SO bad. So with strong motivation I decided to cut vending machines and fast food from my life for a while. At least until I have broken myself of the habit of depending on these establishments for all of my nutrition. So, my solution: pack a lunch.
I am proud to say that I am back at work and I have a lunch all packed. This has been somewhat difficult due to the fact that I have not boughten food from the grocery store in months. I own very little food that you use to make lunches... or breakfasts or dinners for that matter. So today I have three ziplock bags with me. One has 2 potatoes, another has 2 pieces of bread and the last one has a stick of butter. I realize it's not your typical sack lunch, but its a start. so here's to health. I'm not striving to be the epitomy of a healthy eater, but perhaps not being the worst eater in the history of the universe would be beneficial.

Blacky Prevails

Just a lil update: They've replaced the thermometer and it's still not working... is this car still worth dumping money into...? Oh that stupid cat!!

Black Cat vs. Lucky Penny

When daddy sent me down to BYU for my last year with a car I was more than excited! and that excitement remains. I love my dad and I love having a car, but I'm realizing it's not all bompin road trips and happy cruising. Having a car opens up a whole new album of possibilities for unlucky inconvieniences. In the last 2 months I've been at school with my dear car, Ella, I've had four parking tickets, 2 flat tires (both of those happened within 3 days of eachother!), a stuck window (very cold days) and this last week Ella got to know the nice boys at AMCO Transmission Repairs getting her transmission replaced- that one was expensive! But I got her back and she seemed to be working fine, until Saturday night.
Lets take a break from Ella's woes and I'll tell you about something that happened to me Satuday night on my way out. I was going to go hot tubbing with my roomate Lindsey and her boyfriend, Peter. and others... and as we're leaving I see a black cat running around our complex. Our neighbors, in their infinate wisdom, have been leaving cat food out by their door- I swear if I see cat food there anymore I'm throwing it away! So I tell peter "shew that cat away!" becasue I refuse to walk out when its roaming about and risk the stupid thing crossing my path and thus cursing me with horrific luck. Well Peter had had a long day and wasn't in the mood to shew away cats or deal with my superstitions. Social politeness forced me to venture out with bad-luck-blacky running around wild. Sure enough and much to my dismay the creature crossed my path. A bit of fear trickled through out my body and I knew something bad would happen. Well the bad luck came, and it came hard and fast! That night as I pulled back into my apartment after hottubbing (and a late night stop at 7 11 for a pina colada slurpee and a cholate donut:one word: HEAVAN!) my check engine light comes on and the car wouldn't start. I dissmissed the troubles to worry about the next day and went inside.


Sunday I go to church, chat with the roomies and then I went to go to my uncles house for a good sunday meal and some birthday clebrations for my cousin. I get in my car and... it starts!!! :D I made it to my uncles, had a burger, sang happy birthday, played with the fam, and had a gret time. Coming home then, is when the troubles hit. Long story short the car just turned of and quit running. Over heated and quit. smelled like burning, smoke coming out the hood- it was looking pretty bad. I let it cool for a while and then it started so I was able to get it back to my friends at AMCO.
now it's time to connect the black cat to the overheating car- MY CAR PROBLEMS ARE FROM THAT EVIL MONSTER CROSSING MY PATH!! I stongly feel that people underestimate suporstitions. These things are seriouse people and should not be taken so lightly. I let my guard down and now Ella is in the shop again. I made the connection last night when I finally got home. My roomate made the comment that I was having "bad luck" and thats when I remembered the cat.
So now I'm laying on the couch wondering exactly how much bad luck one black cat can cause. I look down and there shinning amoung the carpet fibers is a beautiful copper penny- heads up! I picked it up with care as releif and hope replaced fear. Could this penny be enough to change my luck over??
It appears the penny may indeed be strong enough. I just talked to Dave from AMCO and my father, and all thats wrong it my car is that my thermometer gets stuck. Replacing a thermometer is much simpler and cheaper than say replacing the radiator or the engine. So I'll have the car back by this afternnoon. I just hope the penny keeps holding through for me!

A Shout Out for BYU Vending

BYU Vending:

Just wanted to thankyou for all the delicious snacks you supply me with throughout the day especially when I'm at work. I also thought you should know the strawberry pop tarts say they are .80 (which I know to be the correct price) but it only charges .60.

Now for a confession: I have taken full advantage of the strawberry pop tart price confusion. HOWEVER... I once had a pizza pocket get stuck, also I might possibly be BYU Vendings most frquent customer and so I feel very much entitled to recieving the reduced price on pop tarts.

So mahalos BYU vending! you keep bringnig the snacks and I'll keep bringing the change!!

Can you overcome a fear?

Whether or not they admit it I think everyone has something that they fear. As it turns out I have three major fears. They are, in order, 1. the dark 2. masks and 3. singing in front of people


The dark brings real intense fear to my soul. I can't control it and I can't overcome it through no lack of trying. I thought some simple conditioning ought to help, but alas... no. One time my little brother (kale) and I were just getting home from someplace. He parked the car in the garage and next thing I know he's locked me in the vehicle run inside and shut the garage door. He knows I'm scared of the dark, but I think he underestimated just how big that fear is. As the garage door slid down the light was slowly smothered out and I could feel the panick bubbling in my stomach and exploding out my mouth in the form of terrified screams. By the time he came back for me I admit there were tears and I was out of breath... I was also twenty years old.

There's less to say about Masks. I'm not scared of the mask by itself, just when people are wearing them. I can't explain it exactly, but even if I know and adore whoever is under the mask I feel like I can't trust them. That same feeling that I get when I'm in the dark emerges. It twists my stomach and clouds up my mind and leaves me with no courage at all. Between the dark and the masks I really can not say I handle haunted haouses well at all. Oh yes, I've tried! 4 times actually, but they always end the same way... shaky, teary eyed, and later on...much later... a bit mad at all the scarers.

Rather than overcoming these fears I've more or less just simply adapted to having them, but my fear of singing in front of people is one I have taken on with a bit more gumption and a bit more outside help. I have a surprising history of singing in front of people.. numerouse chior solos, sacrament musical numbers, school talent shows, I was even Cosette in the stake performance of Les Miserables, but each time was quite intimidating. I'll dance on stage or give a talk, play piano or do cartwheels in front of people. whatever I'm ok with it, but when I try to sing I develop a strong shyness, I do love singing though. (Don't be misdirected, however. Usually when people say they love something it is assumed they have talent in that area. I am a very average singer. I am not being modest-very average- but I enjoy it a lot.) SO... this semester I am taking "MUSIC 111: Basic Vocal Instruction". We have to sing in front of eachother... ALONE... and perform for eachother... BY OURSELVES, but... it is helping my fear and it's getting much easier.

An Appreciated Kindness

So I'm sitting in my class: History of the Civil War Era, and there are two things you should know about this class. 1. I love it and was stoked to get in it (ok thats kinda two things, but very much related so I'm counting it as one) and 2. It is an hour and half long. Despite my love of learning about the civil war 90 minutes is a long time and some days I just don't have the endurance. I took excellent detailed notes the first half of class, but couldn't make it through the whole period. The last half of class I dozed off a little and did weird stuff- like WEIRD. I wasn't just day dreaming or staring off into space k, I was looking at the ends of my hair searching for split ends and ripping them off when I found one, I buffed by pen, and I wrote out all 14 syllables of my name in cursive about a billion times. I don't know... I have no defense for myself. Then we get to the end of class and the kid sitting next to me, his name is Boyd- we've talked casually a couple times-, says "hey do you want me to email you my notes?" I looked at him slightly confused and he continued to say "well I noticed you didn't take very many"... I was super embarrassed and I stuttered out "y-y-you would do th-that.... umm. wow.. ummmm... yea... that would be cool.... ummm... thanks. see you Tuesday. and then I rushed out- like bolted for the door, first one out of class style, and it was correct that I said I'd see him Tuesday, but stupid because before Tuesday comes I'll see him in class on Thursday. Needless to say I've vowed to take outstanding notes the rest of the semester and I hope Boyd notices. I can't believe he watched me buff my pen for 45 minutes...or that I really was buffing my pen in public, or at all for that matter. Anyways I'm glad there are sweet people like Boyd in the world to help me out and not make fun of me. My next moves...1. help someone out like Boyd helped me and 2. take really good notes in civil war class.