Blog - Page 51 of 80

Earth Day wave

Apr 23, 2019 | Sustainable Living

Talofa and taeao manuia from American Samoa!

It’s Earth Day 2019 and we started our morning bright and early with something we call a “wave”. The wave was coordinated by AS EPA, and majority of the island’s environmental agencies (American Samoa National Park Service, National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, Coral Reef Advisory Group, Department of Marine & Wildlife Resources, Department of Education, S.T.E.A.M. committee) and a couple of student climate advocacy clubs joined in on the wave. Our congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen, and Miss American Samoa Magalita Johnson were also there waving along with us. It was great to see everyone coming together to celebrate our Earth.

Now “what’s a wave?” you might ask. It’s something that I realize is actually kind of unique to Samoa, usually to bring awareness to something – in this case, Earth Day. A group of people will stand on the side of the road with big colorful signs, and literally wave at drivers and passersby. This gathering will yell things like “Happy Earth Day!” and “Say no to styrofoam!” to get the message across. It’s normally done about 7am on the main road to get the most visibility during the commute to work and school. There’s also typically loud music blaring to encourage good vibes, and you can tell the vibe is right when people are dancing, smiling, and waving, eliciting generous honks to further promote those good vibes. And it’s a lot of fun!

How did you celebrate Earth Day?

Blabbing to unwind for a little bit

Apr 21, 2019 | Moments

Ah what a lovely weekend it has been. Finally got to really relax the last couple of days – getting up early and doing yoga, journaling, crocheting, finished reading a book and started on another, and watching a bunch of random youtube videos. Oh, and the new Game of Thrones episode (which was soooo good)! Ian and I also tidied up the apartment and rearranged some furniture. That phrase itself sounds so grown up, doesn’t it? Hahah.

This upcoming week is going to be another hectic one so I’m especially grateful to slow down for a bit. I’ve got a lot of deadlines this week, and I’m traveling to Virginia on Thursday for a conference, which means I have to tick them off my to-do list asap. And packing… ugh, packing. I had to start this weekend so I wouldn’t keep postponing it until the 11th hour like I usually do. Plus, I shopped for pasalubongs for my siblings so I had to make sure I could fit it all in my carry-on because, oh yeah, I have a couple short layovers in Phoenix, and I’m gonna get to see my sister, Chris, Sam, and my favorite little nephew and niece!! I might also get to see Tuyet, which makes me so so so happy because I haven’t seen her since last summer, and that was super short too. But anyhow, that’s what I’m most looking forward to right now, getting to see my Arizona family next weekend.

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and even though I’m a huge proponent for “every day is earth day”, I also plan to use this time to reflect on my low waste journey to date, and how I can continue to improve and achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. Ooh, it’s almost 11pm now, so I better hit the hay girl hayyy.

Manuia le po! xoxo

Apr 21, 2019 | Moments

Mostly blurry shots from the Nikonos underwater film camera we used while we were in Ofu, but some great memories! Thanks Rick for sending these down – I really love the colors.

Apr 17, 2019 | Moments

our sweet Yodi bear.

pc: Ian M.

Apr 17, 2019 | Moments

thank you for loving me the way that you do ✨

Apr 17, 2019 | Moments

chico bonito. cutie patootie. i love youie.

Life Lately: Sunrise haze and updates

Apr 17, 2019 | Lifestyle

Woke up early this morning to a pastel haze outside the kitchen window. I grabbed my camera and went out to the boat ramp, and snapped away contentedly. So I thought I’d share this view with you, along with some life lately updates.

I haven’t been taking photos as much as I’d like to lately because my camera was broken, but a little googlin’ and we fixed it! Whew* but even before it broke, I actually had just ordered a new camera that’s on its way in the mail (thanks for sending it Polly and Rick!) and I’m so so so excited for it!

Today was Flag Day here in American Samoa. Even though it’s a local holiday (so jealous of ASG that gets the rest of the week off), my work doesn’t observe the holiday. So instead, I took the day off to go check out the Flag Day parade at the Veteran’s stadium with Ian… photos from that to come later.

Work has been extra busy the last couple of months, and last week we held the first ever Fautasi Heritage Symposium, which was a success! Initially I was nervous about the exhibits and the turn out, but the exhibit and the over all program was well received, and I’m grateful for a good team and that we were able to pull it off.

Next week, I’m off to the east coast for a work trip. And on the way there and back, I’ll stop over Arizona to visit my sister and her little family! It’s been almost a year since I got to visit so I have many cuddles and I love you’s to catch up on.

One of my best girlfriends just gave birth yesterday(!!!), and I got to video chat her today since she’s currently in New Zealand. I kept crying happy tears. She’s doing marvelously, and her baby is an absolutely beautiful earth angel! Just like her mama. Last year we were in a completely different place in our lives (and the year before that we were trying to figure out our lives), so we were laughing at how much has changed in just a year. Crazy!