Happy Memorial Day!

To all those who have paved the way, gone before, passed the torch, expected more of us and those who are attempting to not only fill the shoes, but free the way for others...

Happy Memorial Day and Thank you!!!

My "Real" Parents - yet another long blog! :)

Alright - some of you may be wondering what I mean by "real" parents. Well, as my Idaho family comes to think of it:

My Idaho Mom and Dad are my "Real" parents and my birth parents are just my "financial" Mom and Dad! ha ha ha! (I've always thought it was hilarious!)

Patsi, my Idaho "real" mom sent me the following, and my comments are at the end of them as well. Enjoy!

You didn't ask me for any memories I have of you! I will give you one anyway!! HAPPY BELATED 30TH BIRTHDAY!

The first day you came here and we were going to the barber shop quartet and I couldn't wake you up.

*It was June 9th, a Friday, 2006 - I got home from my church mission on May 5th and knew that I needed to go to Idaho. So, before I even got home, my mom and dad asked Patsi and Lee Hinckley if it was alright if I came and stayed with them, as I tried to get into BYU-I. Well, it was a done deal. And June 9th was the day I moved to Idaho.

On June 6th, just three days prior, a very dear friend of mine died. I was soooo heart broken. So, needless-to-say, I probably didn't sleep that much over the next few days. When I got to Idaho, I was greeted with a huge hug and a lei. All I had was a suitcase, guitar and a carry-on. I felt like a true pioneer.

When we got home, I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere! I was loving it, because it felt like my last few areas of my mission. Remote, isolated, an almost forgotten little untouched paradise. At home, we had supper. I don't remember much about it, but I remember that great garden salad with dill on it! So yummy!

Then, before heading out to the quartet show at BYU-I, I asked if it was okay that I go lay down for a little bit. Well, I ended up passing out. Patsi called for me, patted my arm, and even rolled side to side. Apparently I didn't budge. I was out! She went back upstairs and told Lee that I was out cold and wasn't moving, and Lee asked if I was at least breathing! He was worried what he was going to say to my parents if I had died in my sleep - the first day I got to their home!*

Breakfast at Frontier Pies after your singing at the morning fireside.

*I was asked to sing for the Mother's weekend or Women's Conference - or something like that - that was going on at BYU-Idaho that day. I asked Patsi if she'd like to attend. When I saw my "Mama Patsi" in the audience, it felt awesome. I know my mom couldn't make be there and having Patsi there was just a special. It was nice to have some "mother - daughter" time.

We went to Frontier Pies afterward and took a picture. I don't have that picture on this computer, but I know there's a picture of it on the whiteboard at home in Lewisville.* :)

Cleaning the house that had the lime green toilet, sink and tub.

*What a chore that was! Of all the features in that little house - of which I adored - yes, there was a "lime" green toilet, sink and tub! I could literally sit on the toilet, nearly put my feet halfway in the tub, and wash my hands at the same time. That's how small the bathroom was. I think if any of the Hinckley's ended up sitting on the toilet and stretching out, they might be able to touch all four walls at the same time! (I'm not even exaggerating... okay, maybe a little, but they would only be an inch or two short of it!)*

Watching you help Lee fix the tractor and coming in the house with grease all over you.

*Soooo, I like getting dirty! A little elbow grease, chicken grease, tractor grease never hurt anyone! Well, I can't exactly say that's true for the chicken grease - that's a heart blockage waiting to happen!!!*

Knowing you were cleaning your room and then hearing the guitar play and you came up and sang the new song you had just composed.

*Oh yes! How could anyone forget this! This was the day in September 2006, that I wrote "Today". I was inspired by a Hallmark movie that we were watching and a line in there really hit me. One of the guys didn't want to tell his Uncle why he was spending so much time with this Lady that the Uncle fancied. One day, it was late in the morning and the nephew told him and said that he was so tired. (Now here comes the line...) The Uncle puts his arm around his nephew who lays his head on the Uncle's shoulder, and the Uncle says, "Rest. Rest. It's already tomorrow."

Well, the nephew dies. Sad movie, but great line!

Anyway, I started playing around on the guitar and "Today" was born. The chorus goes as follows:

"Tomorrow's already here, it's been yesterday's another day, for over a year.

Tomorrow's already here, and I need to know how you're feeling, today."

Basically, it is a song about waiting for someone to tell you that he/she loves you. We don't have time to wait for tomorrow. People need to know how we feel - Today. Patsi loves this song and has said that whenever she passes, which I pray won't be for many more years, that she wants me to sing that at her life celebration!*

Having fun on Wagon Train!

*Wagon Train!!! What a great time that was!

Before I got hired at BYU-I Continuing Education Department, I had a lot of time on my hands. I loved it! Well, I got to go on Wagon Train up at Heise with the Draft Horse Association of which Grandpa Rock is a part of. We ate dutch oven food, there was a bear trail for the younger children to go on, you got to see all these great different horses: Dapple Gray, Strawberry Roan, I think there were a few Shire, and Quarter Horses etc.

We got to ride on the wagon with the Zohners. They Zohner's are friends of Patsi and Lee, and a great couple! Going up, down and over these huge, small and narrow trails. All of it was a joy. Not to mention, being able to play card games with Patsi! Watch out, she's gooooood!*

I have definitely been blessed in my life with great people. The Lord has taken me to people that have been most influential in my life, and are as family as family can be. The Hinckley/Rock family is that for me. Not just my "Idaho" family. My family.

Love you all!

Sharing my Birthday Wish with You!!! Beware, it's a long entry!

Hello my darling friends and family!

For my birthday I e-mailed my family and asked them to e-mail 5 memories they have of me. It could be good or bad, a newly made memory or of one growing up. Then, they could choose two of those memories and expound on them - more details to it. So, I thought I'd share a few with you:

Brother #2:

1 Helping you clean your room in the off-base Okinawa mansion. You were so small (2 yrs old?) and so cute, that I remember feeling sorry for you standing in the doorway not knowing what to do. I ran into the room to help you put your clothes and toys away. You were so happy!

3 Running with you in your 5k to “No Wai Te Winiwini” and seeing your get a second wind on your run to finish in a record time for yourself, I have to add going to your senior prom was kinda exciting too, you were the most beautiful young lady there.

*It was actually a 10k that I had to do for school, then, that night, I took my brother to Prom with me! It was waaaay fun! Oh, and I remember Keoki saying to me "Wow, Pili, you have a lot of friends!" I told him that I really didn't. I didn't know half the people who came up to me at prom, some of them I've never seen before, but apparently they knew me - AND, I told him that the only reason why they were coming up to me, was because of him!

Oh, and let me brief you on the prom dress as well. My mom made my prom dress that day, not fully finished, but pretty cool looking. Anyway, she forgot to sew one part of the dress, and so, I fixed it... Well, it was an ice breaker for my table. You see, when we got to prom, my friends and their dates were all there at the table also, but no one was really talking. So, I asked them if they wanted to see something funny. I told them that my mom didn't have time to finish my dress, and then BAM - I flipped the neck portion of my dress over, and there it was - all nice and shinny! Everyone had a good laugh.... it was clear packing tape holding my dress together. Everyone was much more talkative after that!

Thanks again, "Koki Poi", ha! ha! ha!*

My lovely konga-tonga sister-in-law:

1. meeting you at Keoki's 26th birthday party

2. playing guitar at Aunty Candy's house

3. Eating Gabe's crabcakes!

4. Getting a pedicure with me when I was pregnant with Paenoa and choosing a sparkly PINK color!

5. Being your escort in the temple

SECOND CHOICE: Is you playing guitar at Aunty Candy's house. It was the second time I had seen you and was still getting to know you. Actually Keoki was playing and you were dancing hula. You were the most graceful dancer I had ever seen and I was admiring your moves when abruptly you stop your graceful dancing to belch something monstrous! I could not believe how someone so ladylike could make such a noise!! ha-llarious

*I forgot about this until she e-mailed it to me. I died with laughter and my co-worker was looking at me like I was weird. It was great!

One of the fun memories I have of Foeata is when I went over to her home in Concord for Halloween and she and my brother Keoki were dressed up like Indians. Actually more like improvised Indians. They had glow sticks hanging from their clothes, and Indian hats. Even Foeata's grandmother was an Indian!*

My brother #3:

5. off the top of my head....when we were kids in NC..not in the rat trap trailer...which was fun...until we had to clean out the rat traps...ewwh...or hear the traps go off in the middle of the night...this was in the house.....this was kinda of scary...all of us kids where at home by ourselves you, keoki, and I...we were playing space shuttle and the left the lights off in the house...and we were still in the house....well someone tried to break in the back door, rattled the door...tried to take a screw driver to the back door...we all headed into the back and huddled in the corner...well...I figured i didn't want anyone to harm you...so me being like 12 or so....i jumped up grabbed a knife from the kitchen and screamed something to the person and they dropped what they were doing and ran.....i love being your older better looking brother...lol

7. When you sang here right before leaving to where you are.....we watch the live video clips...and cant stop smiling every time we see them....

*Truth be known, my brother KB and I used to fight ALL THE TIME when we were younger. Here's a memory I have of with him that some of you might think is funny:

- So, we lived in Virginia at the time, and we get home from school. I'm starving and want to get something to eat. I grab the bread and decide that a sandwich would be AWESOME! Then, KB tells me that I can't eat the bread because of something-or-another... I tie the bread back up, throw it on top of the fridge - the bread rolls off and hits him on the head. He turned with those devilish eyes and punches me in the back! (He thought I threw the loaf of bread at his head.)

Well, I'm pretty much in tears because the boy can punch! And what more can I say after that? ... Keola and I learned how to patch a dry wall!

You see, I ended up falling to the floor (probably very dramatically) and started kicking the wall. Then, I stopped crying and kicking abruptly... In fact, my foot was there... embedded in the wall next to the bathroom with white little flakes of drywall finding it's way to the carpet. Crap - I kicked a hole in the wall.

We moved a plant over the hole in hopes that no one would recognize it... But - guess who did? MOM! I don't remember what happened after that, but I know that I was down there with my dad putting the drywall mesh on the wall and then plastering it. Good times....*

Lovely sister-in-law Zelita:

2. Me & you competing in Tahitian commotion together in Merced on us looking buttilishus ;) as always
3. You coming out to California to help me take care of Azucena when she was 3 months old, after my car accident, I can not thank you enough for doing that
4. You coming our to Missouri to surprise us for Azucena & Keola's birthdays and spending time singing to Azucena

5. The last time you came to visit us in Cali, we were cloths swooping(as we always do) & me and you taking pictures of out butts side to side because my but for the first time was bigger then yours...lol

*Zelita and I are always comparing boob and butt sizes.... last go around she won on both - but I think I might be winning again... I've gained quite a bit in the last little month! Uh-oh!!!!!!!!

OH, and Zelita can move it! I've never seen anyone who could out do my wild and crazy hips until I met my sister-in-law. She could start a tornado with those hips! Watch out San Ramon - "hips don't lie".

From Dad:

Pili, Thank you for choosing us as parents and um, for the Love you for us as parents. Um, the respect you have for yourself as a daughter of Zion...we appreciate her for all she does for us...this is memory for me...the giggle you have, um, your smile, I'm proud of you from growing from an infant to a grown woman....the things you have accomplished and for letting us be part of your life

Thanks!
Love you! Dad

*Okay - here's another funny for you:

I don't remember what age I was, but I remember we lived in North Carolina at the time. My dad took me to the bank with him and being a little girl who was shy (imagine that) I clung to my father. When we were at the front of the line, I remember looking off to the left, turning around and then not seeing my dad there. Well, I run to my father's leg, and sit on it as he's walking to the counter. I hug his leg tight, kiss it and tell my dad how much I love him.

I look up to and am greeted by a stranger looking down at some little random girl who is sitting on his leg, hugging it and telling him how much she loves him! Oh the horror!!! I jumped up and away from this father impostor and see my dad standing near by laughing at me! He takes me by the hand and we leave the bank! I don't think I ever went back to that bank with my dad.... ever again! ha ha!*

Okay - I hoped you enjoyed this rather long blog entry. I thought it was pretty neat. It's nice to know what people remember and see some of the things that are important to them. If you stayed this long reading this entry - you've done awesome! Oh, and when brother #1 and mom send their little ditty's I'll add them in here too.

Thanks for reading~

Thank you all for being my family. 'Ofa atu~

Turning 30 PT1 and a few fun pictures

Turning the big "30"...

Well, ladies and gentlemen.... I am now entering my third decade. Ugh... ha ha ha!

When my brother would say that I was getting old, I would rub it in and remind him that I was the last child out of all of us that was still in her 20's. Fortunately and unfortunately I can't say that anymore. I have joined the rest of the siblings of being in their 30's. However, I can say that they will ALL make it to 40 a lot faster than I am!

SO - what have I learned in my meager 30 years of life? To be honest, not much and a whole lot of nonsense! Just kidding. I think I've actually learned waaay more than my age, and tooo much of probably what NOT to do. Then again, I didn't specify if I learned things good or bad. However, I've, hopefully, been able to take my unfortunate lessons and turn them into something better - for the future.

Anyway - I'll blog more about my birthday later. It's late and I'm going to bed. (By-the-way, it's my birthday here for me, but just think... I'm still going to consider it my birthday until the people in Hawai'i end the 26th of May!)

Here are some pictures as of late.

A big 3-0 picture I did back in January. I'm so silly.

Me and one of SGTs in my unit - we went to have Kava with members of the Fiji Army.

Here I am getting an award. I was pissed but trying not to show it. I don't like being in the front of everyone. I would have much rather they tossed me my award and said, "Good job, now get back to work."

I got to participate in an egg relay race. The females in my battery got together and did the relay as a team.

Here we are... we won! Our prizes were these cool little howitzers that they mechanics made. Waaaaay cool!!!

Alrighty then... blog you later!

The Future...

Lately I've caught myself getting sooooo wrapped up and concerned about "what I am going to do after deployment" - that I have let it, some what, consume me. I've found that I've spent quite a lot of time researching, calling, e-mailing different schools and looking up tuition, financial aid, and when classes start. So, yesterday, I decided I wouldn't get on my computer and do the daily checks, and rechecks of what schools are available to attend. By-the-way, did I mention I'm looking for a good massage therapy school?

Anyway, tonight I was reading my scriptures and was led to a few scriptures that I read out of order - but in the following order, it was meant exactly for me:

3 Nephi 13

v. 33 - "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

v. 34 - Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself...

v. 32 - For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

Even though it's good to have a background and a good knowledge of my choices, I am pretty sure that God definitely is mindful of me and will look out for my best interest. I have, however, been praying that I will have the strength and courage to do what He needs me to do. (Hm... well - it's not praying for "patience", but sometimes I think it's pretty close. Blah!)

Anyway... here's to the future and trusting that the Lord's plan will always be better than what I could do for myself.

Race for the Cure

Even in Iraq, we were able to participate in the Race for the Cure run that happened in Boise, Idaho. We paid a fee, donated money, got a shirt and I don't think I've ever seen more "men" wear pink, than I did that morning. Here are some fun shots of our runners.

Oh, and if I look absolutely tired and funny looking in one of the pictures, it's because I did the 5k in 38 minutes with a ruck! I beat my last personal 5k record with a ruck by 5 min 19 seconds. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Then again, I am the one doing the rucking. Ugh!

Surprisingly, I do have a picture of myself actually doing things. I don't really have a lot of pictures of myself on this deployment, and honestly, I really don't mind!

Happy Mommy Day!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

An Adventure for Sure!

Helllooooooooo, Darlings!

Well, these past few days I've had the opportunity to go out with some of our teams and take photos of them. Most of them are of the Soldiers getting ready for missions etc. I do have to admit, I've been able to get in some of these pictures, too! YAY! I think you'll laugh at some of them.

This one is of me putting a gunner's harness on. (Why they only got me with a weird face - I'll never know.) The Convoy Commander let me ride in the gunner's hatch to take some photos. Granted, I also had to be aware of my surrounds and scan the area for any kind of threat, but IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!

Here's a picture of me sitting on the little webbed seat swing that, surprisingly, fit my bottom. The actually gunner jumped up and took a photo of me. He thought it rocked that I was up there. Then, he had to complain that the driver was going extra gentle on his driving because I was up there. Bah - I didn't care. It was a sweet deal.

Then, the gunner got my camera again and took a picture of me coming out of our vehicle. I don't know if you can notice, but I'm wearing my glasses and my eyes are a bit puffy. The night previous, I guess, the mosquitoes had a field day on me and decided to bite me on my eyelids. I had to spend an hour just trying to get the swelling down in my eyes. It was horrible!

Okay... I'll end here for this mission. I hope you read the next blog though. It's pretty stinkin' cute! Today we had our "Race for the Cure" (Cancer Run) and a lot of people wore the shirts, but others also got into it! It was a great morning. I'll see if I have time to post it on here a little later.