Okay, I'm back to the Top 10. Today's Topic?..........

Top 10 Things You Can Get Away With Only in Summer

#10 Regularly missing church. I once heard that missing 3 weeks of church in a row technically makes you "inactive" but somehow EVERONE misses church in the summer.

#9 Skipping on a haricut. Somehow people just expect your hair to look frazzled, sun dried, and unkept in the Summer--so why bother, right?

#8 Skipping on a diet. This one seems counter intuitive right? You would think that people are less conscious about their diets in the winter. But that's not the case. It's simple really, because you worked so hard to look good in that swimsuit or summer dress, why not eat whatever you want? Anyone up for the Dairy Queen Summer Special--Girl Scout Thin Mint Blizzard?

#7 A lower I.Q. Even if your summer does not comprise of beach bumming (anyone remember "Meet the Deedles?!), intellectual thinking isn't really compatible with the Summer. Who really takes summer classes seriously anyway?

#6 A messy house. I don't know if it is the lack of time to clean because I am so busy (or because I am so busy "vegging out") but my house never seems to be clean in the Summer. Thanks to my visiting teacher for sitting with me in the yard instead of my house!

#5 Wearing mismatched clothes. Fashion rule for the summer--bright makes right--never mind if it's polyester, or some old, funky number from the '80s, the sun will diffuse the ghastlyness of any outfit.

#4 Buying junk at a yard sale. I think this one ties in with #5. Somehow the bright, sunny, "happy-ness" seems to warp people's perception at summer yard sales. It's like the same effect as when I go to a thrift store, try on some funky dress in the dark changing room, think it's way cool, buy it for a dollar, then take it home and realize that orange, maroon, and black stripes only look good if your name is Robert Goulet.

#3 Sporting a lobster look. While some blessed souls don't have to worry about getting sunburned, the rest of us all have to endure through at least one lobster session to get a tan going. Luckily for those who will never get tan, the lobster look is highly forgiven in the summer.

#2 Wearing sandals with everything. By sandals, I don't mean the cute ones with heels...I mean the funk, encrusted ones that are falling apart at the bottom and smell like rotten plastic. Again, all conventional fashion statements go out the window in summer.

#1 Being cooler than you really are. Summertime activities are perfect for impressing other people--there's hosting a fancy-spancy dinner party or how about traveling every other weekend to the far-off exotic reaches of the planet. Sounds so cool right? The truth is that that dinner party is really a backyard BBQ with a few bottles of Martinelli's and those exotic trips are really family reunions to Humansville, MO (sorry cuzs, I had to mention it!) and Provo, UT. But because they are taking place in the Summer, they seem way more exciting then they really are.

For this I have a good analogy: 2 years ago I went to Manhattan, NY for the first time and I was really set on having some authentic NYC pizza. So, naturally I bought a slice from the first place that advertized "authentic New York style pizza." and I ended up at a place called SBARRO'S. Sounds authentic right? Wrong! Don't get me confused. The pizza there was pretty good, but it WASN'T the real deal. I found out later that SBARRO's was a chain (I later saw one in Utah...ahhh!) and that their food was as mainstreamed cooked as any pizza place. Moral of the Story? Because I was in NY I thought any pizza place would be authentic and cool...you might say I was blinded by my tourist excitement. Likewise, summertime makes any normal activity seem way cooler...

Just Slap Me Now...

Yikes! Has it really been almost 3 months since my last blog?! This summer has been CRAZY!! I can't believe it is almost over. Too much to get caught up on though, so I thought I would just take this time to add a few of my favorite pics and thoughts from the highlight of my summer....

HAWAII

Yeah baby, I finally made it to the island. I can't believe it has taken me 23 years to visit Hawaii. (Thanks mom for helping me go...best trip of my life). Sure Hawaii is probably the most tourist infested place you could go on the planet (I say that affectionately since I was a dumb tourist too on this trip), but it is SOOO worth it. So beautiful. So relaxing. So I wish it was my home! I know this sounds ultra cheesy, but I really felt as if a part of my spirit is in Hawaii. I guess ALL Polynesians (no matter how hard it is for you to get a tan) has to release their inner island spirit every once in a while and spend time in the Pacific...aaahhhh!

Everyone at the Temple in Laie--Don't we look so happy?! Ha!

Sophie at the beach at sunrise

Mom and me at her old alma mater--GO KAHUKU!

The pali (mountains)

Sophie and Denny building the "Great Wall of Hawaii"

Okay, so my computer is acting up or something because it is taking 5+ minutes to upload pitures. So, more pictures and top 10 list tomorra. Until then...MAHALO!

EXCLUSIVE!! The softer side of Adri

For those who are just tuning in, I have decided on a theme for my blogspot--Top Ten Lists. (For a lengthy explanation as to why, please refer to last week's post). Of course, the topic for this week seems obvious--Mothers. And for once, I am not going to try to put a twisted twist on my lists; instead I will offer a heartfelt list about my own mother. So here it goes....

Top 10 things I love about my Mom

#10 Her "Onionhead." Although many things have changed about my mom over the years--taste buds, size, sense of humor--one thing has remained constant--her hairstyle. For those unfamiliar with the Polynesian culture, the "onionhead" is the signature do of all islanders both young and old. I think the description is fairly self explanatory so I won't go into any depth about it. However, I would like to say that as a teenager I BEGGED my mom to get rid of the onionhead look and opt for something more trendy, but now I realize this is just a part of my mom and I would rather have a mom "underly"-obsessive about her look than overly-obsessive.

How many onionheads can you count in this picture?

#9 Her incredible strength--and not just physical but emotional, mental, and spiritual strength as well. My mom is the toughest woman I know. She once single-handedly broke up an inner-city fight where two teenage boys (they were really the size of huge men) were fighting and there was a crowd of about 100 cheering the fight on. She kills cockroaches with her bare hands (ahhh!!! I am still not this tough!) which she told me was a skill she picked up living in Hawaii. She could write a Master's Thesis from start to finish in one night and pull off an A+. Lastly, she goes to the temple faithfully every month (even though it is 4 hrs. one way, she is a single parent of 5 kids left at home, relatively poor, and works 40 hours a week at night). My mom exemplifies the term "Super Woman" and I could only hope to be half as tough as her.

Think this is scary?! Well not for my mom!

#8 Her sense of humor. My mom creates the best names for people. Perhaps, I shouldn't name any examples, but let's just say it's all done in good fun. Besides, it is hilarious...I think even her victims would have to give in on the humor.

#7 Her cooking. My mom is the best cook...period. She can make anything out of anything. Her talent reminds me of Iron Chef where the cooks can make the craziest foods out of a single main ingredient. The best part about my mom is that she can make the best food FAST. Growing up with 8 kids there was little time to fuss over cooking. So my mom would skip looking at a recipe, skip using measuring tools, and just throw a dozen ingredients together and 20 minutes later...Umm, ummm, good!

"Hi-Ya!"

#6 Her temper. I know this may seem like an odd choice, but really my mom is hilarious when she is mad...actually I think they are one in the same!

#5 Her beauty. I really think my mom is gorgeous--she has beautiful skin, hair, teeth, no wrinkles AND it's ALL natural baby! For all the stress and hard work my mom has been through, she looks great. I know she doesn't think so because she is too humble, but the truth is she looks fab (especially for someone turning 52...sorry mom, please forgive me for telling your age!). I wish I had a picture to show her off, but the funny thing is, I can't find a picture of her! Once I started thinking about it, I realized my mom stopped allowing herself to be in photos after about the age of 40...oh well, one of these days I will catch her!

#4 Her artistic ability. Although my mom has never really been trained in painting (she took one community college class for fun last summer), she is such a great artist. I love her artwork because it is realistic yet it conveys such emotion. Recently, my mom painted little scenes she remembered as a child in New Zealand--scenes by the sea, picking berries with her "mum," and the general landscape of Aotearoa; these were sooo beautiful...simple, but beautiful. It's funny how nostalgic looking at someone else's past is...I have never been to New Zealand but I really felt the power of my mom's memories through her artwork...I felt like I had once known its blue, grey sea and its emerald-green hillsides. Anyways, before I get too sappy, moving on...

#3 Her caricature sketches. I separate this one from #4 because mom's caricature sketches are like in a class all their own. All I can say is it's amazing how interesting church meetings become when you sit next to mom and hand her a pen and paper...oh the possibilities!

Not mom's drawing...hers are better. But something like this may appear out of mom's hand under one of the following labels: "Mormon Tab Tenor," "LDS Single Males over 40," or "Buff the Tuff (of hair that is)"

#2 Her thriftiness. My mom is so resourceful. She has made Christmas decorations out of spray-painted weeds (which they looked fantastic!), she uses Aldi's boxes for cake stands (for those who know about the Aldi's store you know what I am talking about...for those who don't, you are missing out on some great grocery shopping!), and she has found a number of odd uses for socks (inside joke for the fam here...sorry but it's too embarrassing to truthfully reveal!).

#1 Her answer for everything. You know I think the most important part of motherhood isn't necessarily the DOING but the KNOWING HOW TO DO. I love that I can ask my mom anything and she always has an answer (whether she is right...I don't know), but there is something so comforting about this. I love that I can randomly ask my mom: "How do I make Samoan pancakes cook all the way through?" or "What topic can I write about for a "definition" argument?" or "Mom, why is life so unfair?!"

Thank you mom for always supporting me. For praying for me. For loving me unconditionally. For setting the best example a daughter could ask for. Happy Mother's Day and I LOVE YOU!

Since this is Mother's Day I also want to recognize the three other moms I have--one step mom, one mother in-law, and one step-mom-in-law. Here are the things I love about each of them:

Julie--I love your attention to detail like when you make root beer floats or create a vegetable platter...you make family "get-to-togethers" fun, cozy, and nostalgic! I also love your never ending kindness...I have yet to hear you truly speak ill of someone...thank you for that example.

Patty--I love your cornbread...I have yet to make it like you! I also love your generosity and your always forgiving nature...I have the most sensitive and forgiving husband and I thank you for that.

JoAnn--I love your stews and Thanksgiving dinners--AWESOME! I also love the sincerity in which you offer your love and support. I am so happy to be a part of a family with you.

--A