What I will miss while I'm in New York...

My Mother Linda Alo Ika

I have no idea what I would do without her. She has been my support system, my rock, and foundation since day 1! My mom was the typical stay at home mom when I was younger. She would clean the house, do the shopping, & of course cook. She took all 8 of us kids to church every Sunday than went home to make food for my dad before he got off work.  She raised us in the church and always taught us that no matter what we do in life or where we go we should always make the Lord apart of it.

Years of living like this day after day we moved to Tonga. Shortly after moving to Tonga my mom & dad got a divorce. I remember me & my sisters all sitting with our mom crying in her arms and she didn't even shed one tear when she was with us. Even after something like this happened my mother did not change. She did not think about herself and what she was going through she continued to raise us like there was no problem. When we moved back to Utah we were broke living with my aunt. Since my dad was the only one who worked & that source of income was gone my mom was forced to work to support the rest of us kids. She never complained ever about money & I never felt like we were poor or didn't have money because she always got us what we wanted.

What I'm trying to say is my mother truly is my hero. Not a day goes by where she is helping someone (mostly her own annoying kids.) I get soo annoyed when she doesn't ask for gas money from whoever used our car, or when kids are left with her so their parents can go out. But she always says to me, "One day when you have kids you try and say no to them." Hoiiiiii lol

The thing I am most grateful to her for is raising me in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Through out our life if anything good or bad happened to us she would relate it in one way or another to the church or the Lord testing us. She has taught us the law of Tithing since I was in Primary & I always wanted to pay the 1$ I got in tithing. lol She has been fasting every Tuesday ever since I can remember & going to the Temple every Saturday she can. With all the struggles & trials she has been through (most of them thanks to us kids) she has always remained strong for us. I love you Mommy & wouldn't trade you for anything in this world!