The Important things to Remember.

REMEMBRANCE DAY...

I am so very grateful for those who have fought for the freedom of my country and those around me. Their act of selfless service is a true manifestation of the love that they have for their fellow men. I am deeply grateful for those who have fought, those who are currently serving, and their families. May these people be forever blessed and kept in our hearts, recognizing the true sacrifices they have given.

As I aspire to do these things spoken of by Chief Tecumseh , this is only possible because of these courageous men and women. Thank you for allowing me to strive to reach my potential by giving me the freedoms I need to do so.


"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion;respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.

Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

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CHRISTmas...

This year for Christmas I will not be returning to the dear Island. Due to certain circumstances I will be staying in Lethbridge for the holidays. I am still unsure I feel about it. At first I thought it would be okay, I didn't really have a problem with it, but now that it is getting closer and I can think of many things that I will be missing, I really wish I was going home.

Because of this I have decided a few things. 

First, I am going to make this the best Christmas to date. I am going to make it happen! 

Second, I am going to focus completely on the Saviour. 

Third, I would like to be super crafty this year. Lots of craftiness and baking. I have been given these gifts, I should be using them. 

I decided to change my blog around to reflect this current season (yes, I am aware that there is still like a month and a half). If I am going to make this the best Christmas ever than I am going to have to start preparing now! Wish me luck! 

If I remember, I am going to do a 12 days of Christmas sort of thing, but for each day I am going to write that number of things that I am grateful. No repeating! 

So that is what I aspire to do for this coming Christmas season.

Summertime

Oh how I absolutely love the summer! Over the past couple days I have managed to get a tan, have a picnic and play some soccer. On Sunday after giving my mother a lovely phone call, I made banana bread and my grand grandmother's peanut butter fudge. It is so delicious! After making that, my roommmate, Jaisie, and I decided to have a picnic, so I whipped up some things of garlic bread aswell. We headed to the park with Jaisie's picnic basket full of food, a blanket and our lawn chairs. We met our friend Laura there who brought some more lovely stuff and we had ourselves a picnic. It turned out to be just the three of us which I was totally okay with. Eventually we ended up just laying in the sun.. and I got somewhat of a tan.. and a little burn on my arm.

Yesterday I decided that I was going to conquer one of the cutest cakes ever. I'm pretty sure it took me about 2.5 hours, due to the fact we only had one round cake pan.. The following is the result of this great cake!

I am so proud of it. I absolutely love it! 

After baking for the majority of the afternoon Jaisie called and asked if I wanted to go play soccer. I was  a bit hesitant, but I decided to go. As for most times I play sports I for some reason it takes a while for me to get into it.. but once I got into it, I had a lot of fun. Apparently I wasn't as bad as I thought I was going to be. Though I am definitely not saying that I am amazing, because I am really not, but I kind of surprised myself. Overall, it was loads of fun and I would definitely do it again.

I love summer! So excited that it is finally here. When looking at the forecast for today, this afternoon it is suppose to be a high of 31! Holy crap, I am gonna die, but definitely die happy.

Days off!

So fortunately or unfortunately I had Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off this week from work. I luckily made the most of my time.. Sort of..
On Monday I got to Skype with the family! This was no ordinary Skype call, oh no. This time Cory and Karen came over because we had a rather large surprise for my mom. My Dad and I had talked on the phone the other day and he told me that he had bought two tickets for him and my mom to fly to NYC.
For most people this would be a big deal, but for my mom, this was huge! To go to NYC is one of my mom's biggest dreams.

Side Note: Before we told my mom my Dad had told her a few things about the surprise 1. That they were going somewhere for a few days and 2. That they would be 3 hours away from home...

So to get in on this awesome surprise, Cory, Karen, and I bought them two tickets to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway.

The surprise went down like this.. My mom was reading stories to my siblings before bed, and my Dad brought his laptop upstairs. We flipped open the screen and said that we had an early mothers day surprise but that she had to guess. I had Cory wear this half mask and somehow she guess the phantom of the opera.. I was surprised she got it. Then we said that we got them two tickets to see it. But then we asked her where she could possibly see it? After she looked a little confused I held up a I love NYC tshirt.. And sais that Dad had gotten them two tickets to New York.. Then came the tears.. She cried and repeatedly thanked us. She then said that when my Dad said they were going somewhere she secretly hoped it was there but didn't say anything to get her hopes up.
I am so excited for them. They most definitely deserve it!

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That evening I saw Peter Katz play... Oh my goodness, he was so good! I was so tempted to buy both his CDs but my money saving mind got in the way. It was incredible! Definitely check it out!

Tuesday..
On Tuesday Jenni and Charlotte and I went to the coolest antique store. There was so many awesome cameras, phones and hats. I found the coolest hat! I am super tempted to go back and buy it. Scott did some major research.. he came up with poland, world war I ... Sadly I don't remember the rank.. Anyways. Sweet store!
After that I had an amazing facial, got my eyebrows done and my bangs trimmed at Catwalk. So great! I love them, such good service and so friendly!
Last night Jenni and I saw the vow. I will admit, I did cry.. Just a little, but I didn't think it was that good. I was,kinda disappointed. I wanted things to get so much better, but it kinda didn't. Oh well, only a movie..

Wednesday..
Today I cleaned.. And cleaned.. I made a to do list and hopefully get it all done!
Finally, I watched an episode of Touch.. What an incredible TV show. If you haven't seen it, watch the trailor! So interesting and thought provoking. Check it out!!

Countdowns:
Ottawa with the Bestie, Scott Byrne- 55
No longer a teenager-24

May 6, 2012

Today was such an interesting day that it has to be documented. First though, the Avengers was AWESOME! I seriously absolutely loved it. Maybe I just have a thing for good looking guys saving the world, humor and loads of action, but hey, it was great! If you are even sorta thinking about it, I'd say do see it for sure!
Another awesome thing was that yesterday, I finally got a mattress and boxspring that fits my bed. My previous mattress was slightly too small so it just fell through, so I was sleeping on a mattress on the floor within my frame. Now I am in bed heaven. It is awesome! Now I just need to buy more pillows. Did I mention my bed is monsterly big? Well it is.
Note my roommate's bed beside mine. Monster.
Now on to today. This morning I got up earlier so that I could enjoy my Sunday morning. I got ready for church and sat in the sun! We made it to church and went to Relief Society (note: church starts at 12). After that first class was over I checked my phone. 3 missed calls and 2 voicemails. I was kind of surprised. I listened to the first message....
It was from mall security saying that they couldn't get a hold of my manager and that our store wasn't open.. The person scheduled didn't show up. It was now 1:00 and the mall opened at 12. Oh man. I managed to get a hold of my manager who was freaking out. I was a good 20 minutes closer to the mall than she was so I raced home to grab my keys and then to the mail. 1:20.. The store finally opened. As much as I said I wouldn't work on Sundays I saw an opportunity to serve and I took it. How grateful I am for these opportunities.
Speaking of service. In order for me to get my bed, I needed a truck. So I got a hold of a friend who offered to help. The trooper he was came to help me at 9am on Saturday morning in the light rain. To repay him I decided to make an assortment of treats... Banana bread, cookies and brownies.. Delicious. Needless to say my evening was spent baking.

... What an eventful day!

May May May

So I had someone complain to me that I haven't blogged in a while.. that's when I realized that it really has been a long time. A lot has happened since the last time I blogged. I finished my first year at Lethbridge College. From February 26- March 26 I was placed at a program called GirlSpace at the YWCA. It was absolutely an incredible time. I loved the people I worked with and the girls that I was able to see each week. I was able to learn such a tremendous amount about the job and about myself. I am so grateful for the placement I was given. Since I just finished, I had Monday and Tuesday off and boy where they awesome days off! I went shopping, had a massage and a pedicure! I felt so productive! It is interesting how much you can get down when you aren't trying to schedule it around everything else. Like today for instance, even though I worked this evening, I still managed to clean the whole house and have a nap before going to work.
I am definitely looking towards tomorrow though. I am going to see The Avengers and boy am I excited! This week some friends decided to watch all the movies that are related to this coming film... Thor, the Hulk, Captain America, Iron Man, and Iron Man two. Sadly, I missed two of the movies, but it's all good. I hope it is as good as I want it to be.
Another awesome thing that I am totally pumped about is............. in 61 or 60 (depending on where you live in the world) I am going to Ottawa for a week! I cannot not wait!! It is going to be a well deserved vacation/adventure! And what makes it even better is I'm meeting the bestie there! That's right, Samm'ich and Pancakes are going to be reunited in 61 days!
Also! In less than a month I will no longer be a teenager, oh happy day! The count downs are on:
Birthday: 30 days
Ottawa: 61 days
Cory's wedding.. too many. haha!

Señor McGuigan

So I was going to put this with my other post but decided that he deserves a post to himself. My SUPER good friend David reports to the MTC next week and I am so excited for him. He is such an amazing guy and I know he will try his hardest. I met David when I moved back to PEI from Lethbridge and started going to youth dances when we were 14. Since we were part of a district we were a pretty close knit group. How lucky I am to have become friends with him. Obviously we have had our days but he is truly one to learn from. He is such an example to me and I know I can turn to him for help.

I could go on and on about all our different experiences- the good laughs, the arguments, the stupidity, the revelations, the growth. I have learned so much from him. One of the biggest things I remember about him is every chance that he has to testify of his Savior and His divine power he takes it! I remember every youth activity that had a testimony meeting, David was always up there. Always. Usually it would result in me crying but always for the right reasons. I am so proud of him, proud of his choice, his example and his growth and continuous progression in the gospel of Jesus Christ. May our prayers be with  him and the missionary effort.

Good luck little bro! 

Question:..... Answer:....

Well I have a few things that I would like to share tonight and they are all wonderful!
1. I recently bought this adorable journal.

http://www.amazon.com/Day-5-Year-Journal-Potter-Style/dp/0307719774

It is seriously one of the cutest little journals I have bought. I usually am TERRIBLE at journaling, I always forget and I never know what to talk about when I don't have an interesting day. How this journal works is that it has a question for every single day of the year. So January 1st is "What is your mission?". On each page it has 20__ and space for you to write 5 times. So this time I write 2012 and my answer, next year 2013 and so on. Pretty self explanatory. But it is super cute and I am actually doing it!! 

2. Institute was absolutely extraordinary as per usual. We discussed the Sabbath day, which normally always turns into what can and can't we do on the Sabbath but I got so much more out of it today. A really interesting quote that was shared tonight was by John H. Groberg. He said "There is a direct correlation between the proper observance of the Sabbath and true reverence for God, which includes obedience to His other commandments." I learned even more. It was a grand evening.

3. I have a new favorite show. To add to my nice collection of TV shows I love is now Lie to Me, thanks to my Dad for suggesting it (he knows me well). I absolutely love it! I have also decided that I want to learn to be able to read micro expressions and the science behind the show. It makes me think of the question when you are a little kid- "If you could have any super power what would it be?"- and I would always think, well I want to know what other people are thinking. Obviously there would be some negative consequences to that power but I still think it would be interesting. What better way then to be able to read people's micro expressions, which would allow you to be able to read those emotions that they are trying to conceal. SO AWESOME! Call me a nerd but I think it is super interesting. 

4. This week I had a baking week and boy was it a good one, heck, the week has barely started. I made cupcakes (idea from pinterest) that look like owls. They were freakin' adorable. Lauren came over that night, so Jenni, Lauren and I put our little owls together, what a fun time. 

photo credit: Lauren

Secondly, I was trying to study last night with no success. In the cafeteria at the college they have pizza pretzels, and they are absolutely delicious. I was tired of buying them so I (with a suggestion from Jenni- creation of Jenni's mom) I made cinnamon rolls but with pasta sauce and loads of cheese. My version of those pizza pretzels. Let me say, WAY better then the college. 

photo credit: Jaisie

I also realized that my future husband, if he doesn't watch what else he eats, and exercise he will be overweight.. I bake way too much.

Never Forsake

So as always I am falling terribly at blogging. I don't know why, well I do, I obviously just don't make it a priority, but that's okay. I will explain all the amazing things I have been up to.

1. Decemeber 24-29 I flew to my homeland. Which is literally my homeland as it is an island. It was absolutely wonderful to see everyone. I don't know what I would of done if I hadn't of been able to go. I was so grateful to my family for flying me home. It was a crazy experience flying so much by myself. By the end of this I am going to be a pro. I managed to go through the Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and obviously Charlottetown. I chatted with a guy on my flight from Calgary to Ottawa, who turns out was going home to Cape Breton.. Even better: We knew a mutual person! I love when that happens. I loved seeing my family. It was such a treat. I am also incredibly happy I got to see some of my very close friends. They have seen me through a lot. The trip was so rushed though that when I left it was really sad, but I was nice to fly back to Lethbridge. I really came to the realization that this is definitely where I am suppose to be.
2. December 27-Jan 4? Cory flew to Lethbridge. So when I got home on the 29th Karen came and picked me up from the airport and I got to spend time with him here. We have really became so much closer since he has gotten home from his mission. I am so grateful.
3. So started again. I love what I am learning but it is so hard! Wednesday, Thuersday, and Friday I have 8am classes. I DON'T DO CLASSES THAT EARLY! It is so not in me to be able to do that. It kills me! I am very lucky to have my friend Liz in all my classes. She is such an amazing girl, and I am so happy to have met her! Also, I have practicum at the end of the semester which means a) My classes are all condensed so that I have 4 weeks for practicum at the end and b) I get to actually go out and help people! I'm so PUMPED!
4. CORY AND KAREN ARE ENGAGED!!! So this happened January 20th. I was so lucky, I got to be involved in so many parts of the lead up to the proposal. Cory sent me a picture of the ring he was thinking of getting, and so many other parts! I am so happy for them. Like crazy excited. They are so adorable together and I know they both mean so much to each other. I am so happy they are going to be sealed together for time and all eternity. So grateful for that.
5. Though I don't like working because I am lazy sometimes, I have the best job. Though I don't get paid a ton or anything crazy. I get to engrave things, I get to help people give the best gifts and I also have a great manager. She is also a very wonderful woman, definitely someone I could go to advice and we very a like.
6. Some things I have realized I missed recently: a) pizza or poutine outings with Scott. b) daily conversations with Charmaine c) girl talk with Alyssa d) being able to see my Mom e) Home cooked meals f) not worrying about money.

Delicious!

7. Things I have realized I am grateful for: a) a new found role model b) a roommate I can look up to in like every aspect! c) my ability to do what I want d) my job e) my best friends f) friends who are strong in the gospel. g) reconnecting with awesome friends
8. My SUPER good friend David leaves on his mission to Colorado in 16 days! FREAKIN' CRAZY! I can't believe it. I am so proud of him. Like unbelievably.

 Alyssa and I

     My Parent's Lovely Home 

 Myself, Charlotte, Jaisie

Duke!

 Carissa and I

:)

LIFE IS NUTS AND I LOVE IT!