Simi Fehoko's decission to serve a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Read About Simi's decision to go on a Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3671474-155/utahs-top-football-basketball-recruits-weigh

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The Big Visit

Cupcakes from the Hotel

"The Big Visit". Is what Stanford calls the weekend that they invite all their current year recruits for their official visit.  All high school seniors are allowed by NCAA, 5 official visits, to schools who are recruiting them.  This is a chance for the school to talk you into signing with them.  They pay for the recruits flights, lodging, fun, food etc.  The school also picks up the tab for the parents lodging, food and fun.  Stanford allowed Jeremy to come along on this trip.   A few times Jer had to stay with the parents. Not a terrible deal since they treated us to super fancy meals and gave us a little extra free time!

Condoleezza Rice

They hosted us at the Sandhill Hotel in Palo Alto.  I highly recommend this hotel if price isn't an issue.We were treated to the best food and restaurants in the area. We toured the Stanford Virtual Reality lab where Jeremy swam with sharks and Simi danced with Elmo.  We also visited the Mechanical Engineering Volkswaggon Automotive lab.  They have an Audi that drives by itself with near professional racing speed.  I wouldn't want to be the passenger that's for sure!  Toured the campus Museum with the largest collection of Rodin sculptures in the U.S. We met and had lunch with a dozen or so professors and the assist dean to admissions.  We also had a q&a session with Condoleezza Rice. She just happens to be a professor on campus and also mentors many athletes and gives them internship opportunities in her office.  We learned a lot from the athlete panel discussion with Christian McCaffrey.

Simi & Christian McCaffery

With all of the college visits we've done, Stanford is the only school that has introduced us to actual professors that my child will take classes from.  Because of Simi's interest in Computer Science We have actually eaten lunch with a Computer Science professor 3 times now.  He knows a lot about Simi and our family and we know about his.  Before Simi even steps foot on campus as a student, he has met many professors who know him by name and he has started relationships with these people that will help him transition into college life.

How can his hands be bigger than Jer's

We also hung out with the parents of this amazing group of boys and made some super great friends from all over the country.  I would keep an eye out for some leading 2016 Stanford recruits, like Curtis Robinson OLB, Donald Stuart WR, Henri Hattis OL (biggest hands ever seen), KJ Costello QB, Clark Yarborough OL, Loa Kaufusi DE, Kaden Smith TE, and of course Simi Fehoko WR.

There wasn't a coach, player or parent that didn't congratulate Simi on his outstanding year. Everyone was super complementary and it made us feel like he belonged in this great place. From the minute the boys started arriving it was like a bunch of long lost friends.  They ran around from room to room knocking on each others rooms to wake each other up just to say HI! Simi is usually shy in a group
but with these kids he has found a match.  He fits right in! He is always with the group teasing, laughing or in a deep conversation of some sort.  It seems he has found a home of brothers away from
home. Simi is happy and content here.

Simi & Jeremy

Most every parent we talked to brought up the fact that Simi would be gone for 2 years.  This opened up a lot of dialogue.  No one understood the LDS Mission.  We repeated the process a dozen times of turning in papers, receiving a call to a place you don't choose, the possibility of international
placement,  not being able to call home but twice a year, and no media, TV, etc... We answered questions about if he is forced to go, if we (mom and dad) did a mission, if he could just go a year, what he would do, where he would stay who pays for it and many other questions.  The great thing about Stanford coaches is that they have done this before.  The coaches know what to expect, they don't beg him to stay and play a year.  In fact they have set up a daily workout with stretch bands that they are prepared to send him with.

Once we return home and this weekend's memories start to fade. It will be easy to say, "Simi should stay closer to home."  Please help to remind me of all the reasons why Simi should be surrounded by extremely successful, creative, innovative and intelligent people. He took the ACT/SAT test nine times to get the score he was looking for.  He is currently taking 2 online courses, 2 AP classes, testing out of PE and graduating from Seminary.  Remind me that he worked extremely hard to get into Stanford, that he is One of THEM and he deserves it!

Army All American Bowl

 On November 24th, 2016 Simi Fehoko was awarded the honor of being selected as one of the Nations top athletes to play in the Army All American Bowl game televised on NBC. Then a week later he was one of 16 kids nominated for the Player of the Year award.  Then a week after that he was one of the top 6 finalists.  I was thinking "What in the world is going on? Why are they picking my son?"  It was soon after that they flew Simi and the other five finalist to NYC.  Simi was in a whirlwind of activities.  Some of the hi-lights in those 3 days were the NBC studios where he met Tony Dungy, Spurs game and the 911 memorial. 

He had live interviews, radio interviews, skype interviews, and taped interviews.  Adidas is one of the main sponsors who gave them each $200 to spend in the Adidas store while in NYC. He ate more food than he should and returned completely exhausted.

On January 3rd Simi flew out to San Antonio, Texas to get ready for the game.  The entire town was transformed into this huge Army All American Event.  Posters hung at the airport, on vehicles, on hotels and restaurants. Simi was selected for the West team and they immediately started practicing.  Each day they would get up early to eat then hop on a bus that would take them to their designated practice field. Each team practiced at different facilities.  I enjoyed watching a few of the practices and I couldn't believe the audacious fields and stadiums of the high schools in Texas.  I'm sure some of the fields sold season tickets in the suites and press boxes.

After practice the kids would be taken to lunch and then back to the hotel for interviews.  Interviews would last anywhere from 1-2 hours.  They had very little free time.  Evenings were set up with dinner, activities and events.  Bed check was usually 11:00pm.

By Friday of this week all Simi's supporters had arrived.  Mom and Dad, brother Jeremy, cousin V. J. Fehoko, Uncle Jeremy, Grandpa Larry and Simi's cute girlfriend Bailee.  We all attended the awards ceremony.  Simi was not the winner of the Player of the Year but was recognized as Utah's Gatorade Player of the Year. 

This wasn't the first time that week that tears sprung up. This week was astounding to say the least!  My heart was so full.  I couldn't believe the talent and great people my son was surrounded by.  Proud was an understatement.

Throughout the week many articles were written about the players participating in the game.  These articles were so complimentary of Simi and his hard work.  He really was the silent surprise in the group.  I don't think anyone expected the talent that came out of the quite, Mormon kid from Utah.

Saturday was the big event and you wouldn't
believe it even if you saw it with your own eyes.  I'm still in disbelief at the grandeur of the event. The Army had trailers set up with simulations that you could try out, tents for days with food, music, free games, free engraved Army dog tags etc... Every tent had something free to hand out.  It was like attending the State Fair but most everything was free!  We had been given 15 free seats on the 7th row on about the 40 yd line inside the Alamo Dome.  The National Anthem was so awesome and we are lucky someone snapped a shot of Simi during this moment.  About two minutes into the game the first touchdown was caught by Simi for the West!  I can tell you that our entire row went crazy!  I was deaf and hoarse from screaming a full 3 minutes after it happened!  VJ reminded me to pace myself but I just couldn't believe this was happening!  We were all hugging, high fiving and jumping up and down!  Everyone surrounding us was asking, "Was that your boy? So Great! What a catch!"  We were all soooo excited!

Our home was the central location for relatives who couldn't fly out to Texas.  Simi's sisters hosted the party and I heard it was just as wild and crazy during Simi's touchdown as the Texas Alamo Dome. No one at home could tell that Simi played about every 4 plays and sometime more.  He really was on the field the majority of the game.  He just did what needed to be done in the first 2 minutes of the game. 

After the game they let all the spectators on the field.  They put the players in a roped off area and everyone wanted autographs.  People were shameless.  They asked for every item of clothing on Simi's body.  They actually wanted him to take off his clothing and sign it.  Adults would make their little kids come up and ask for things. It really was crazy and a little unnerving.

Simi said he was so relieved when they told him he had to go to the locker room.  The whole autograph and asking for the clothes off your body made him very uncomfortable.  Simi took his brother Jeremy into the locker room with him.  Jeremy said, "It was SICK!" (meaning it was was way cool!)

Then you wouldn't believe the gear they gave Simi.  Adidas was one of the big sponsors and they hooked the players up!  They had to give them a new piece of luggage just to haul all the gear home.  He received 4 pairs of shoes, sweat suits, shorts, underwear, socks, shirts, jackets, Letterman All American jacket, cleats, 3 jerseys, gloves, helmet and the list goes on. It made my jaw drop at the amount of stuff he got.  And of course mom and dad bought the Bowl Ring!

In all honesty, I still can't believe my kid was asked to participate in this event!  I shake my head in awe at the reality of everything that he has accomplished.  They told the boys at the Army Awards show, "Don't let this week be the greatest moment of your lives!"  Simi is a good kid, doing the right things and he has been extremely blessed.  I truly believe the best is yet to come!  Check out this Adidas Commercial that he is in...

Simi Fehoko 2015 Utah Mr. Football

 

Read all about Simi Fehoko here:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865643447/Brighton-Highs-record-breaking-receiver-Simi-Fehoko-named-2015s-Mr-Football.html?pg=all

 

 



 

Prep football: Brighton receiver Simi Fehoko earns invite to Army All-American Bowl

Prep football: Brighton receiver Simi Fehoko earns invite to Army All-American Bowl

Vote for Simi Fehoko at the bottom of the article!

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What's Most Important

How is it that many of us get so caught up in life that we miss the most important things? 

Many years ago when the kids were small Simon and I struggled to balance our lives.  Employment, financial status, homes, cars, and personal desires often clouded our judgment.  It's so easy to justify the little things in life that seem harmless at the time.  Taking that job that traveled out of state because we could use the extra money, or buy that car that we couldn't really afford, or go to lunch with a co-worker of the opposite sex, take that much needed vacation with the guys.  I remember a time when we used to say, "You do you and I'll do me." All of these decisions had long standing consequences that affected our entire family.  Some of them worse than others.  We were guilty of young, inexperienced selfishness.  Selfishness for the now, the immediate satisfaction without regards to our future.  I think we may not be the only guilty couple of these mistakes.  I call them mistakes because we ultimately changed our behavior for the better.
 

Simon and I now find satisfaction in being together.  Together as a family.  Together as a whole.  After surviving a few doses of reality, friends and loved ones lost or broken up, heartbreak, and earth shattering despair, we asked each other, "what really matters most?"  The answer was US! 

Our family is morphing into little satellite families, high school kids and grand kids. We needed to find something that brought them back to US.  So this year we decided to invest in an annual vacation that the entire family would stop what they were doing in life to join us no matter what.  Lake Powell was the winner and we were fortunate enough to spend one week without internet, TV or the demands of life. 

The family dynamics were astonishing!  We talked more, loved more, played more, and worked more.  Many times I would look around with tears in my eyes thinking this must be what heaven looks like.  It wasn't just the place (granted it is one of the most beautiful) but it was the company.  Surrounded by everyone we loved- we couldn't be more blessed. 

We are all in different phases in life, but when we do a deep soul searching assesment of ourselves are we really happy with what we are focusing all of our attention on? Are we seeking the immediate satisfaction or are we investing in our future?  Seek after, Invest in, and Create Memories in "What's Most Important"!

Love- Tiff