Transitions

As the spring is approaching so is my graduation from college. I am overly excited about it but a bit apprehensive, as most would be. I am still somewhat unsure whether I want to go straight into the workforce, or if I want to continue on as a student. I would love to have a university degree along with my diploma, but I have reached the point that I am somewhat sick of being in class every day. 

Right now I am currently doing my practicum at a group home for adolescents. It has been a very interesting experience. In most places if you don't come home the first day excited about what you are doing a little red flag goes up in the corner of you mind. I was not jumping for joy coming home after my first day. It was a very different experience for me and I wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy myself. When I came home the following day I knew that I was going to love it. I do not know what made me change my mind, and what put that little red flag to ease, but I knew after that first week that working with adolescents in a similar setting was absolutely what I wanted to do. I have learned more during my weeks there then I have in both my other two placements and the majority of my classes. I have learned about adolescents, some of the difficulties they encounter and the things they delight in. I have learned many things about myself. Things that I would have never thought. I have grown to love the adolescents that I have been with. There were times where my heart would go out to one youth or the other as I could see that they were struggling. I would pray for them, and myself that I would be able to do the things that would help to ease their pain. Other than the love that I have for my family and friends I don't think I have ever experienced the ability to love like I have. The ability to love teenagers that others did not want, or did not think they were capable of looking after. Growing up I have heard over and over again about how "bad" teenagers were and how difficult they are. I will be the first to admit that yes, it is never going to ALWAYS be easy, but being with these youth have taught me more than anything. They are such wonderful human beings, just trying to do what they think is going to make them happy. Ultimately, is that not what we all want? To be happy? Some of us might see that in order to be happier later in life we need to avoid or sacrifice certain things, but we all just want to be happy. Some of us just have been blessed to know what will give us the greatest joy eternally and what will give us temporal joy. 

Anyways, after being in my placement I didn't want to go back to school. I just want to go and work with all these kids (which is an option). So I think I have decided what I am going to do, but now where? Do I move back to the beauty of an island or to I go back to where I  know I will have somewhat of a social life, and less chaos. Since I definitely do not have all the answers I am going to leave it up to the Lord. I have been leaning one way, and then the other. I definitely do not want to make this decision on my own. 

Come April 25th 2013 I will have a college diploma and my new life will begin. To celebrate this new transition I am going to start a new blog. Though I am terrible at blogging I need a little "ME"  time, as my instructor put it, to avoid being burnt out. I made this blog to talk about my move to Alberta and that step in my life. Even though I may still be in Alberta I want this new transition to be that, a new transition. I will be living with new people, new job, and with all the things I have learned over the past two years, hopefully a new me. I am trying to think of a new blog name. So if anyone has any suggestions, let me know! Though I do realize that there is a very small amount of people who actually read my blog posts. 

I am sure that many of you have been through this transition and understand my problem. Wish me luck, and some prayers would definitely be appreciated. 

Have a wonderful night. 

-Amanda 

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!