Sooooo Full!!!!

Well today was the first real feast of the weekend. We all had a bit of a sleep in and proceeded to work on homework, in my case, try to work on homework. I gave up after a few hours and we went and picked some raspberries with Granny Hill. Then Cars, Daddy, Kait and I went hunting ducks. We had a blast and of course I shot down like 20 of them all in the same flock :) We had Tollestrups over (just Wally and Diane) to help us eat the chimichangas. They were, of course, divine as usual!! They just never get old! I even squeezed 2 in for the night. Not quite as good as Carson's 4, but I felt pretty good and bloated from downing them :) Carson had Angie Aneca over and Kait had Jenni Peterson over and we ended up playing some cards to end the night. It was a fun day!!

Today I'm thankful for sweats and big shirts!! I just feel so incredibly comfortable in bed right now.. even after gaining 10 pounds today! What a fabulous feeling to have gained 10 pounds and still feel so comfortable in clothes :)

Dear Best Friend,

I have had many friends throughout my life who have come and gone. There have been many ups and downs, but I have been lucky to have a couple who have stayed around and proven to be true friends... friends I could ride the river with! It's amazing the comfort one can feel in knowing that you have a friend who you can always count on. I believe this is very hard to come by. A true best friend is not one that just falls into your lap and stays there. A true best friend is one whose relationship takes work, commitment, trust, honesty and love in a consistent way. If one person is giving it all and the other isn't, it is bound to fall apart or weaken. I'm so thankful for the close friends I have and the support and love I receive from them. They may come few, but their worth is priceless. It's real! It's consistent! It's pure! It's unselfish! It's L-O-V-E!

d-e-e-p

Well first off... I'm home!! It's Thanksgiving weekend and I am just loving with home with the fam! We are missing our 4 other puzzle pieces (the Tolmans), but we're still having a blast.. no surprise there. Today we spent some time playing tennis, mom and I went and picked some corn and ate some delicious, big raspberries and went to the Raymond football game. The football game was... a blow out! When we left before the end of the 3rd quarter, it was 69-0 for Raymond. One of those sitting on the edge of your seat kinda games... :)

Today I am thankful for comfy pillows :) Last night, we pulled into Raymond at about 8ish and i was wiped. When we finally all got to bed, I crawled into bed and felt heaven. My head just fit perfectly in this magnificently delicate, soft fluffy pillow!! It was hard to get up this morning because it was just THAT comfortable!!

I have been thinking a bit about my challenge blog for today... 'my dreams' and I've kind of struggled with deciding where I want to take this one... so I've decided to just let it go, cuz it's after midnight.. I'm exhausted and want to lay on my incredible pillow :)

Dear Dreams,

Oh I have so many... the sky is the limit really. Now whether those all come true... well that may be uncertain, but I am allowed to dream whatever my little heart desires. So... what are some of my dreams right now for my future: travel to many more places around the world, run a half marathon without passing out, make a significant difference in many peoples lives, get married in the temple to my sweetheart, be a fabulous, creative, spontaneous, fun-loving mother and wife, graduate with my teaching degree and get incredibly lucky to get a job in Raymond :), be an amazing and influential coach... oh there are just so many. But dream... as I travel down this path of life, please be patient with me... at times I get distracted from my goals and dreams, but I promise to work harder at staying on course and if I do waver a bit or just focused on silly wishes... know that I have many individuals close to me that will do everything they can to help me realize my dreams are what matters and help me get back on track! I have a lot of work to do, but I plan on accomplishing many of these dreams and if i conquer more... bonus for me!!

Peace Out Etown

It has finally come... the day I get to drive back to my home sweet home of Raymond! I am so ready to get away from the city and be back in the stellar town I grew up in. I was never one of those kids that couldn't wait to get out of Raymond. I almost loved our little town! Of course, I was super pumped about getting out into the world and venturing out to discover new and interesting things that we, as Raymondites, were a little sheltered from, but every time I come around that 'S' curve on the home stretch after being away for a while, I get little butterflies in my stomach and can't help but smile and ponder some of the many great memories I have with friends and family in this small town :) Just a couple more hours and I will be on route to my favorite little town!!!

So my challenge for today was siblings or a close relative. It's obvious there's no way I could do just one... so this is going to turn into a bit of a more lengthy blog... enjoy..

Dear KHill Junior,

A whicka whicka (with magic fingers handshake)!! Oh what to say about my mini me (by name :)) These past few months have been so great!! I wasn't sure how it was going to be moving in with my little sister who is 6 years younger than me... BUT I must admit, it has turned out pretty dang fun! I'm so proud of you and all of your MANY achievements! These past few months have brought us closer!! We haven't lived this close or consistently in the same place for 6 years or so. I've missed having you around all the time and although we may get annoyed with each other every once in a while, I wouldn't change a thing with our living conditions! You make me want to be a better person in many aspects of my life and I'm so thankful for your friendship and spunkiness!! Thanks for always being there for me and being so patient with my imperfections! You are da bombdiggity and I just love you so much!

Dear CJ,

I am amazed at your potential! You have so many great talents and have such a great influence on those you are surrounded by! People can't help but be drawn to you and that is a gift that you have used to enhance and better other's lives. Doesn't matter what kind of mood I am in, when you want to make me laugh... it happens. You have such a great personality and when you are in one of your moods... there is no stopping the madagascar potential :) Your mission was a great testimony builder not only for yourself, but also for the rest of your family! My mission in Korea was directly linked to your mission in Arkansas and I know a lot of the growth I experienced in Korea was related to the spirit and testimony you built in your mission. With 3 sisters and a mom, I know the nagging can get intense at times, but it's only because we know your potential and the incredible ability you have to be a successful, well rounded young man! I love that we both share a love for sports along with the rest of our family and the dedication you have when you become passionate about something! You can achieve whatever you set your mind to and that is such a powerful tool to have in your life! Thank you for being the bestest little bro I could ask for! Love you so much!

Dear Lynz,

I have always described you to friends as the perfect older sister. You took over the older sibling mother role perfectly and the love you showed for all of your younger siblings was and still is very apparent. I always knew you would be an amazing mother and now there is proof with the 2 stellar bundles of joy you have in your life. I love our crazy dance parties and deep convos we have every now and then! Your advice is always treasured although I know at times it may not seem so. You example of spiritually staying consistent and strong has always been very inspiring to me and has caused me to raise the bar in my own life and strive to live closer to my Heavenly Father daily! I miss you a lot when I go home and the random funness we had. I promise when the man of my dreams comes along, I will get going on my own bundles of joy to join yours and then we can have some more fun as moms too! Thank you for always being that constant example! I'm so glad we were able to share our Korea experiences and I know that a lot of my growth came from the roots that you planted while there! Thank you for being such a stellar big sis! Love you so much!

Dear DRFT,

We thought we lost you after yours and Lynz' first break-up... but when I saw you at that ysa dance when you were engaged to 'other girl', I knew there was still some hope... and I was right of course :) Our family has been sooooo incredibly blessed to have you join our family! You are the perfect husband for Lyndsey and such a great father for your sons. The house is never dull with you around and I look forward to your geek potential every time ya'll are around! You, similar to Cars, can always make me laugh. I'm also very thankful for your example of persistence and hard work. Your commitment to school, church and family is very apparent and your priorities are exactly where they need to be! I so thankful that my older sis was able to find such a great guy and I can only hope and pray that I will be as lucky as her with my future hubby! You are great! Love you so much!

Auntie Patti,

You have always been the funky, sassy, loveable aunt and I've loved every minute we spend together! You have got style like no other and have a radiant confidence that is well deserved! Your love for your kids and grandkids is very apparent through your selfless acts of love and kindness. You are truly an amazing woman and I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to live so close and to be able to spend more time with you! I look up to you and am so thankful for the listening ear, comfort and love you have shown to me throughout the years! Thank you for being such an amazing auntie and friend! I miss and love you so much and think of you often in my travels around the world!

Auntie Cheryl,

You and your family have had a huge impact on my life! I am so thankful for the love and friendship you have shared with me. You make me feel like I can accomplish anything. You are such a great mother and have amazing kids! I love love love your kids and enjoy spending time with them thoroughly! Thank you for being such a great example and for being so motivated in so many aspects of your life! You have such an amazing family who share the same passion and spunk for life! You are a strong and confident woman and have such a great influence on those you are surrounded by! I love you so much and am so thankful you are such a big part of my life!

Granny,

LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. PERFECTION - HUMILITY - ATTITUDE - PASSIONATE - FIGHT- STYLE - TALENT - BEAUTY - PATIENCE - TENDERNESS - GRACE - BEST FRIEND!!!! It's hard to put into words the feelings I have for you! You have been my constant best friend throughout my whole life. You have taught me many important life lessons through your example and guidance. You have offered comfort when needed. Your fire for life and learning has been passed on through the generations and will continue to be passed down as we all see the success and passion you have experienced through your years. Thank you for being you! I am the luckiest gal in the world because I have a granny and best friend who lives right across the street! I love you so much and am so thankful for everything you have done to support and show love throughout my life!!

Grandpa and Grandma Smith,

I am so thankful for the support you have shown me and our family with our sports, school plays, church callings and adventures throughout our lives. I am so lucky to have both my grandparents living so close and know I take advantage of having ya'll so close. I truly am blessed and I am so thankful. I love how every time we're near water, Grandpa has to start a water fight (that trait has been passed down to my mom also :)) and of course the silly jokes Grandpa has played on us through the years. Grandma has always been a wonderful example of kindness, patience and determination. Even when Grandma isn't feeling well, she still tries her best to get tasks done until either Grandpa or one of her kids or grandkids beg her to rest up! Our family reunions are always a blast and I look forward to spending time with the Smith side every year as we make new memories and catch up on each others lives. Thank you for striving to keep our family so close and for being a constant example for all of us! Love you both so much!

Bet ya'll are jealous at the stellar siblings and relatives I have eh!?!? And these are only a few... I could do this for days with the amazing relatives I'm surrounded by!!!! It's simple... I am blessed!!!

Bet They've Been Sitting on Pins and Needles

Well it's day #3 of my 30 day challenge and as you may have noticed the topic is 'your parents'. I betcha they've been just itching for me to get my blog up for the day although I know my dad hasn't checked my last blog yet because he always has an intelligent fun comment that he leaves on each one... (yes dad I've checked 3 times today to see your reaction to my last blog haha). Thank goodness Lynz and my mom are on top of their game :)

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm pumpkin pie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So first I'm going to do my gratitude thought. I spent most of my day working on an essay that I have due tomorrow morning (no dad I did not leave it ALL for the night before haha). I've been working on bits and pieces for the past week, but it took me till today to actually sit down and stay in my seat till I was done. Today I am thankful for the opportunity I have to go home tomorrow and eat some delicious turkey dinner with my fam. We will miss the Tolman clan dearly, but the positive is that there will be more turkey buns to bring back to Edmonton after the weekend :) sorry Tolman clan :) I LOVE LOVE LOVE eating my mama's home cooked meals! I hope one day my kids and hubby will look forward to my cooking just like my whole family looks forward to the mouth watering smells and tastes that come from mama's kitchen! Now, unlike most people, I also LOVE LOVE LOVE my papa's cooking. It may not occur as often but my papa can make a mean meal of steak and sauteed mushrooms... oh and french onion soup... and tinfoil dinner.... and best of all homemade chimichangas!!! My mouth is watering right now! This will lead perfectly into my day #3 insight....

Dear Parents,

It's hard to put into words the feelings and emotions I have for my parents! They are my best friends and supported me whole-heartedly throughout my life! I loved knowing that my parents would be there to support me in every ball game through high school and even in most of my post-secondary playing. We have shared many wonderful times whether it's a family outing to Waterton, laying on the couch while daddy sits on his computer listening and singing to papa's tunes while trying to work on our harmonizing skills, dancing and singing crazy with mom and her stellar superstar dance skills, or just settling down to watch some sports or good movie! I'm so thankful for the love, support, compassions, guidance and friendship they have both shown throughout my life and I just want them to know I love them ELEVENTY-FOUR!!

Gonna Be a Productive Day Ya'll

I'm changing a bit of my hiney kicking... I've decided along with my 30 day challenge, I am also going to do my daily gratitude thought in here too! So let's start with today...

I have 8:00 a.m. class, so I had to get up at 6:30... early morning... Carson and I pulled up to park at the same time, so I had a buddy to walk to the school with (1st blessing). In our first class, we were put into groups and had to put a list of 23 things that are important for children to know to be successful in our society in order from most important to least... I had a great group and got to use scented felts to make our list (blessing #2.. i love the smell of those markers). Our second class was cancelled today, so I went to the library and got a great start on references for my essay. I have a 3 hour class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which I thought was really going to be horrible, BUT I thoroughly enjoy this class every week. I would say it's probably my favorite class so far! Today our teacher did a bit of a skit. She pulled me aside before the class started and asked if I would disappear for a while and come in late to the class. She explained that she was going to point out a very important part of teaching and that she was going to make sharp comments to me and I was to only say "I'm sorry and it will never happen again". I was pretty pumped to be part of this little insider skit. So I wandered around for a good 8 minutes and then creeped into class. The class had started writing a "pop quiz" (really she doesn't believe in pop quizzes) and she ripped a strip off me. The class peered up wide eyed and taken back by the reaction of our dear Mavis. I apologized and sat nicely in my chair. She continued to make a couple more comments about how I had disturbed the class and shown no professionalism as a future teacher. We continued to work on our pop quizzes and near the end, she made one more comment to me and then asked us all to turn our papers over and express in writing how our learning style had changed because of the circumstances that had occurred.

She then asked a few students to read what they had wrote. Although I knew it was all a skit, I was nervous to hear what my peers were going to say about me and the situation. Some expressed frustration, nervousness, agitation and so on. After hearing from a few students and having a couple almost in tears, she asked me why I was REALLY late... and I said "because you told me to come in late" :) The sighs, gasps and smiles my way overcame the class. Mavis was making the point that teachers can have a huge influence on a classrooms environments and on children's learning styles by the way he/she reacts to certain situations. It was a great lesson and an eye opener to the responsibility and power we have as future teachers. I started reflecting back on my childhood and on certain situations where the same had happened, not so much to me, but to my classmates and friends.

So the 3rd thing I'm thankful for is the GREAT teachers we have at Concordia in the Ed program! I feel every day the deep passion that each and every teacher has for our success as future teachers and it is quite empowering! It makes me more excited about my future as a teacher! Mavis and our other teachers are so creative in how they teach us and let us be more involved in the learning process! School is very busy right now, but I am really happy where I am and am looking forward to continuing to learn and grow as a educator:)

Day 2

Dear Crush,

Right now you are somewhat non-existent. You have come and gone over the last few months, but I've decided that right now you're just not ready to handle the stellarness of me. So I hope you can be patient because I have some things that I need to focus on for ME! I'm sure someday you will be lucky enough to get a sliver of my attention and on that day, you had better impress or you may be waiting a while longer :) Good luck to you!

A Few Kicks in the Hiney!!

Ok so on September 6th, I decided to start up my blog again... it has been unsuccessful so far, so... I've decided to do something that will get me in the habit of documenting little bits of my life daily and I'm hoping this will help me get more consistent with blogging. I've decided my life needs a few kicks in the hiney in different areas of my life. When I got home from Korea, I was a confident, happy, spiritually boosted woman and although I still am a stellar individual :), I feel like I've let myself slip into slacker mode and have lost a bit of my spunkiness. I have gained a few unwanted pounds back, which will be gone asap.. not acceptable, I've found myself being bitter and sad about my dreary love-life (boys are ridiculous), and just have all around not been an spontaneous or happy as I usually am. So here's what I'm going to do... I have started my PJ diet again today, not as strict as I was in Korea where I pretty much was a rabbit and only ate greens, but I am going to be aware of the calories going in and out of my body daily. I'm going to start writing in my thankful journal daily again and making some goals for this semester that I can focus on achieving, and I will pray daily to be more happy and positive with myself and those around me. As for the boys.... meh... it's time to focus on me... they can wait till I'm ready to give them another chance :)

So one way I'm going to kick my blogging hiney is... I came across this challenge on one of my friend's blog and decided it would be a fun lil challenge to hold up for the next 30 days... we'll see how it goes...

Thirty Day Challenge

day 1 - a stranger

day 2 - your crush

day 3 - your parents

day 4 - your sibling (or closest relative)

day 5 - your dreams

day 6 - your best friend

day 7 - your ex-boyfriend/girlfriend/crush

day 8 - your favorite internet friend

day 9 - someone you wish you would meet

day 10 - someone you don't talk to as much as you'd like to

day 11 - a deceased person you wish you could talk to

day 12 - the person who caused you a lot of pain

day 13 - someone you could stay up all night with talking

day 14 - someone you've drifted away from

day 15 - the person you miss the most

day 16 - someone that's not in your state/country

day 17 - someone from your childhood

day 18 - the person that you wish you could be

day 19 - someone that pesters your mind - good or bad

day 20 - the one that broke your heart the hardest

day 21 - someone you judged by their first impression

day 22 - someone you want to give a second chance to

day 23 - the last person you kissed

day 24 - the person that gave you one of your favorite memory

day 25 - the person you know that is going through the worst of times

day 26 - the last person you made a pinky promise to

day 27 - the friendliest person you knew for only one day

day 28 - someone that changed your life

day 29 - the person that you want to tell everything too

day 30 - your reflection in the mirror

Dear Stranger,

When I pulled up to school today, you looked at me like I was crazy. Was it because I was jamming out to my sweet tunes and it just so happens that my car has amazing base and it scared you? Was it the volume?... we can blame that on my dear father... I grew up jamming at a high volume when there are good tunes on. Was it because my hair was drenched from the rain and I looked like a drowned rat? Whatever it was, I hope my lil smile made you feel a little more comfortable and less edgy for the day!! :)

Take 2

So.... it's been a while I know. I got home from Korea and my life was... well... a bit boring. Ok so maybe it wasn't boring, but I just didn't feel like my life had blog potential. NOW... it does.. and I'll tell you why in just a few short sentences. This past summer, I spent 6 days a week going door to door selling alarm systems for APX. I wasn't really sure how I would like it, but at the end of the summer I came to the conclusion that it really isn't that bad of a job and if I had worked hard for the WHOLE summer, I could've made some really good $$$... I still did very good and am happy with how the summer ended up. Kaitland moved out to Winnipeg with me at the end of June and we ended up having quite a good time. This summer was a bit of a trial of what to expect for living together in the fall, which leads me into whyI feel my life is now blog worthy.

So this is the first blog of many hopefully. Kaitland, Carson and I have all made the move up to Edmonton for school this fall. My mom was the trooper who helped us move into two different houses and almost 3 (bet you're wondering why the 3rd). Well Kait and mom showed up at our house first... I came a few hours later... I walked into the house and down to our basement where Kaitland and I were to share a room. As I started walking down, I first noticed the spider webs/laundry lint plastered all over the roof. Our carpet was just placed down on the floor with wrinkles and extra carpet laying around. Kaitland mentioned that when she first walked into out 'new' basement she wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. In short, we spent the next day looking at a few different houses and trying to decide whether we were going to get out gloves on and get your room up to our expectations or... find another place.

We woke up early Saturday morning and decided to get cleaning. I took a vacuum to the ceiling while Kait and mom did some sweeping and organizing... gong show!! BUT the place has sure come together... it's starting to look a lil more like.. well a place that Kait and I would maybe live in :) I have a feeling we will have a few more crazy/fun experiences for the year and i think I would like to stay updated on here... I know my family has missed my crazy blogs.. so get ready.... :)