Come one, come all.

For whatever purpose you are reading my thoughts, I just want to say . . . Welcome aboard :)  I also apologize in advance if my thoughts offend or upset anyone reading them.  

For those of you who are reading this and need to gain a better sense of who I am, here we go.  My name is Melenaite Fifita and I am the 4th eldest of 14. 

(Hence the reason for my blog name: we are F O U R T E E N deep) 

There are ten girls in my family and 4 boys.  I grew up in Aurora, CO and am currently studying Exercise Physiology at Brigham Young University in Idaho.  This blog is designed to help express my thoughts on topics we will be discussing in my Family Relations Class.  

Coming from such a big family, they kind of became my main focus. Especially being towards the top of the line, you have no choice but to grow up a little faster than your peers.  I used to resent my parents for making me learn how to change diapers, make bottles, and vacuum before the age of 7, but looking back now, I am forever in debt to them for their guidance and teachings of hard work and selflessness.  

Everything I do, everything I am, everything that I strive to become, is on behalf of them.  I cannot express enough gratitude and love for the family that I have been blessed with and for the continuous support that they offer, even though we're 615 miles apart.  My stress is their stress and vice versa.  If one of us has a math project, we ALL have a math project.  If one of us has a basketball game, we ALL have a basketball game.  I cannot live this life, without them.  

My favorite things to do involve my family. My dad is a HUGE advocate for physical activity, (even though is just as out of shape as we are hahahaha), but ever since we were little, we were always outdoors. My dad owns his own landscaping business, so by default, we became his hardest working employees. When we aren't pushing lawn mowers, pulling weeds, or shoveling snow . . . We snowboard, go boating and jetskiing, play volleyball, play basketball, or my personal favorite form of physical activity:  L A U G H I N G.  

I should also mention that my dad is from the beautiful Kingdom of Tonga, and my mom is from the lovely island of Samoa, therefore consuming anything edible is one of our many inherited talents.  Growing up with parents who were born and raised in these places, has been a great blessing to my life.  My life has been enriched with these cultures and to be taught their morals, beliefs, and standards has magnified my life.  Polynesians always have good food, good music, and make for great company, and I cannot express how grateful I am to come from such an amazing group of people.  :)

Well . . . that about sums me up.  I hope that as I blog about the things I learn this semester, I can uplift and inspire your feelings and thoughts.  Stay tuned ya'll . . . 

That's all folks!

-me(: