New Kid on the Block*

Greetings all bloggers!

So it is the first time I've ever written on here so please bare with me for I am not as good as all of you out there:) I decided to start one of these because I don't have a Facebook, nor do I have bebo, orrr twitter, orrr myspace. I guess it's a space to say whatever is on my mind and what's going on in my life- not that anyone is interested LOL.

Have you ever wore those name tags that say, "Hello My Name Is..." ? Well, I'm Liberty Hinalei 'Ataua Fatongiahe'a Fililava Afeaki. LEi for short**  I am the eldest and only daughter of Soane & Tui (Tupou) Afeaki. I have 5 brothers: Lisala, Foueti, Misitana, Semisi, and AJ. Can I just say, I LOVE MY FAMILY! Alot of times at home, I don't express it towards them but I don't know what I would do without them. Seriously:)

I was born and raised (partially) in Sacramento, CA and now I'm here in Salt Lake City, UT. "Are you Mormon?" YES, I AM!! :) So privileged to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It's been a tremendous blessing to know of the gospel and if you have any questions, FEEL FREE TO ASK! :)

It's coming to the end of the year, and boy I can say SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!! Opportunities & disappointments, but always- LESSONS LEARNED & EXPERIENCES GAINED!

2011, I was looking forward to the year in hopes that God will bless me with a better outcome (since the previous wasn't as great as I hoped it would be).  To begin the year, I was fortunate enough to be crowned as Miss Tonga Utah. At the same time, I was a full-time student at the University of Utah and working at Marriott Springhill Hotel. I learned that just because we lose something, doesn't mean God has forgotten us. It means he wants to bless us in other ways:)

Miss Tonga Utah led me to join the Miss Utah pageant....that was such a great experience! I got to know alot of girls all over Utah and roomed with one of the greatest girls ever- Jazzlyn Nelson! I felt so bad because when I had entered, she had a gift waiting for me on my bed and I had nothing to give in return. So I had hoped that at least my company or personality made up for it- we had tons of fun!! Although I was not placed or won any awards, I was truly grateful for the opportunity to showcase our Polynesian heritage through appearance, talent, and attitude. Hopefully I repped for our peeps;) lol.

Growing up, I've always wanted to join Miss Heilala- this is a national pageant held in Tonga where any girl of Tongan descent is welcomed to join. This was the time to finally accomplish that dream! Even though this year only consisted of 5 girls participating in the pageant, it was challenging. I felt real challenged in the knowledge of my culture and current events in Tonga. Being an overseas contestant might be more difficult than for those who live in Tonga....I say this from experience. Although I would LOVE to say I know EVERYTHING about Tonga in culture, language, and identity- I'm sure critiques may say otherwise. But, that couldn't stop me! I KNEW AND KNOW I AM TONGAN AND I HAVE PRIDE IN THAT...I have the desire to understand and execute my Tonganess amongst society whether it's here in America or in Tonga or anywhere. The theme of the pageant was, "Our people, our future" It is up to the people, Tongans, to preserve our culture, language, identity, etc for the future. Our generation now, we have a responsibility to take the oratories, traditions, etc onto the next generation. I LOVED THE THEME! With that said, I was blessed to be crowned Miss Tonga 2011-2012

You think it stops there? Oh gosh, it is a blessing....I was sent to represent Tonga in the Miss South Pacific Pageant earlier this month. That has been the bestest experience of pageants I've ever had!! I was so happy to have met girls from all over the South Pacific- and yes, we are a unique and profound group of jewels:) Miss Fiji Alisi R. was crowned Miss South Pacific. I loved her!! And I also loved the other girls- Kawena, Miss Hawaii, Sarah, Miss PNG, Uirangi, Miss Cook Islands, Olevia, Miss Samoa, Skyline, Miss American Samoa, Simaema, Miss Solomon Islands, Siniva, Miss Tokelau, and Joyanna, Miss SP 2010-2011! From the rides on the bus, to eating, to sing alongs, to late night swims, to photo shoots, etc...we had a blast!! At least I did. Even though I was not crowned Miss SP, I came in as 2nd Runner up, Miss Personality, and Miss Tourism Award. Love my country!!

Okay so that's it in a nut-shell...for now! lol. There is a big part(s) I'm missing here but I'm too tired to continue on....will update later peepz. Til then, LIVE LAUGH AND LOVE AS MUCH AS YOU CAN! Don't let a dull moment pass you by because I sure as heck won't;)

LOVE YOU ALL AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT:)