Day 2

My top 10 favorite movies of all time (in no particular order) are:

1. The Fifth Element
2. The Three Musketeers (Chris O'Donnell version)
3. Rocketman
4. Better Off Dead
5. Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth version)
6. RED
7. The Scarlet Pimpernel
8. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
9. She's the Man
10. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

Really, I enjoy a lot of movies. To pick my favorites for this list, I just chose movies I can watch on a regular basis and not get tired of. There are a lot more, but these ten were the first to come to mind.
The end.

Day 1

This is the most recent picture I have. Yes, I do realize that wearing a Star Wars apron is nerdy, but there is a pretty good story of why I am wearing it and standing in front of a case of large knives. That story will be shared with anyone who is really interested in hearing it, but right now, I have to tell you 15 things about me.

1. I don't actually know what color my hair is. Last time it was it's natural color, I was 14. I assume it is still blonde.
2. I am extremely ticklish, and no, you do not need to test that.
3. I have a Bachelors Degree from BYU-Idaho.
4. I live in Colorado Springs, CO.
5. I have moved a total of 12 times, beginning when I was 3 days old.
6. I learned to ride a bike (sans training wheels) before my older brother did.
7. I cannot eat lettuce. Not won't. Can't.
8. If you put pineapple on your pizza, we can't be friends. Or grapes in your chicken salad. Ew.
9. My favorite band is Death Cab for Cutie.
10. I have always loved horses, and took several riding classes in college. Wanna barrel race? I'll take you down.
10. I love driving in the car with friends. Especially when I'm headed to somewhere fun, like Utah or Idaho.
11. I hate riding in the car with my family. Especially if it's more than an hour drive.
12. I can bake the best cupcakes you've ever had. Just ask anyone. They're amazing.
13. I love to cook for people. LOVE.
14. I read a lot. I can read five or six large books a week if I'm in the mood.
15. My favorite food is falafel. It's pretty much the best thing ever.

That's all for today folks!

30 Day Challenge

I decided, after seeing this on a friend's blog, that I should do it as well. I am generally a horrible blogger, mostly because my life is pretty boring. But This will give me something to blog about each day, so I hope I can be more diligent in posting!

Day 01 — A recent picture and 15 facts about you
Day 02 — Top 10 Favorite Movies of All Time
Day 03 — 10 Facts about your hometown.
Day 04 — Top 10 Favorite Books
Day 05 — A habit you have that you wish you didn't
Day 06 — Places you would like to travel
Day 07 — Something that makes you happy
Day 08 — Things you'd like to do before you die
Day 09 — Pet peeves
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — Nicknames you have and why
Day 12 — Something you bought recently
Day 13 — Something you want to buy
Day 14 — Things you love and can't live without
Day 15 — Your celebrity crush
Day 16 — A favorite food
Day 17 — A photo of your family
Day 18 — What you like best about each member of your family
Day 19 — A fun memory
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — Your fears
Day 22 — Your current relationship.
Day 23 — Something you never tire of doing.
Day 24 — About your childhood
Day 25 — A favorite photo
Day 26 — Who do you admire?
Day 27 — What’s in your purse?
Day 28 — A place you love
Day 29 — A person you love
Day 30 — Where you'd like to be in 10 years

For Anne

Well, since Anne requested it, I'll oblige her! ;) There aren't too many new things going on with me, just the same old same old. I am still working as a personal assistant, and my job is very interesting, to say the least. I do everything from blogging to making cupcakes to running errands, and it never gets boring!

I am still the FHE co-chairperson, and it keeps me busy when I'm not at work. Planning activities that are fun and well-attended can be challenging, but I have found a lot of joy in this calling.

Lately I have been pretty busy between all the things I do, and my baking business on the side is picking up as well. Next weekend I have a huge event cake for a 50th Birthday party, which I am excited about, but also nervous for. It's the first big event cake I've ever done for full pay, and as my own business, so I hope it turns out well. I'm sure they'll be happy with it, but I am always my own worst critic! It's three tiers with the top tier being made in the shape of a hat, and five smaller gum paste hats on the other two layers. It will be a lot of work, but I know it will be a really fun cake to do.

On a personal note, I am "socializing" with someone...which may or may not be dating. I certainly like this young man quite a lot, and he has shown an affinity for me as well. I don't actually know how serious it is at the moment, but if I had my way, it would be! Haha. So nothing too exciting yet. I'll be sure to let you all know when (or if) that happens!

And that's about it! Nothing too extraordinary going on, just life! I love you all and miss those of you who I haven't seen in a while! I hope you know how much I value you in my life, and that you know that you are always in my thoughts and prayers.

So until next time!

Yeah, I know I'm a slacker.

So, it's about time I updated this thing. I took a trip last month, and it was awesome! I had decided before I left Europe that I would have to visit my friends in the States soon after I left, as most of them are living in the Seattle area. That made it very convenient for me to see all of them at once! So I bought a plane ticket, and went!

I visited with my friends Tyane, and Ben for the majority of the trip, but I also saw my former roomie Amy and a few other girls from Garmisch. It was a blast!

When I got to Seattle, Ben picked me up and made sure I got to Tyane without any problems. We got to catch up on things, which was nice. When we got to Tyane, we took him to the ferry so he could get back to work. We went to Tyane's place, and just relaxed for a bit. We went grocery shopping and watched a movie. It was nice! The next day we went around to a few of the city's best arks, saw the Fremont Troll, and had some amazing Greek food. It was great to walk around town and see everything.

On Saturday we met up with Tyane's Dad at his hotel to have breakfast. After breakfast, we caught the bus to downtown and walked around the Pike's Place Market, and went shopping. It was great! After that we went to a party with all the girls from Garmisch in the area. It was so much fun to catch up and just see everyone again.

On Sunday we got up early and went to Kingston to attend Ben's church. He is the worship leader there, which means he runs the music and youth programs. He does a wonderful job, and we had a great time. After church we all went out to lunch with Ben's parents, and then spent the afternoon hanging out. That night we stayed at Ben's parent's home, so that we could leave early the next morning for Canada.

We got up at five and left for Port Angeles. That is where the ferry to Victoria leaves from. We caught the ferry and in no time we were in the lovely, rainy country of British Columbia. We walked around Victoria for several hours, and had lunch at a Scottish Pub. It was so fun to be with friends again who I hadn't seen in a while, and go back to how we were in Germany.

On Tuesday Tyane and I had some down time in the morning, and then met up with Ben for dinner, and a basketball game. The game was good, and we had a good time rooting for Tyane's team to win (which they didn't). We then went to a diner that was open late and ate some fried food. It was delicious! Then came the sad part, saying goodbye to Ben for a while. It was late, so we went to bed quickly after getting back to Tyane's place.

On Wednesday, we had to do some work, so Tyane and I went to the house where she nanny's and watched the kids for a while. After that, we didn't have very much time before I had to catch my plane. So we drove to the airport, and I said goodbye to Tyane. All in all it was an amazing trip, and I had a blast!

So now I feel like I accomplished something!

Manitou Springs

This past weekend I decided that I am too anti-social and called a friend to go to Manitou Springs for the day and walk around. Manitou Springs is a little town on the outskirts of Colorado Springs that is very artsy (and, by default, has a very high concentration of hippies). It is a fun place to walk around and just take in the local flair. So Joy and I made our way into town, parked, and began our adventure! This is the first thing we saw:

Oh yeah! The Trippin' Troll! Haha.

After we walked around a little more, we found a traditional "bear made from a log" statue, and had to take a picture with it.

Getting some Bear lovin'!

Joy and the bear

After posing with the bear, we moved on and found the next must-have of the day: Henna tattoos. We had a blast choosing the patterns and getting them done!

Mine looked like this-
And Joy's looked like this-


Sweet! After the paste came off, we were left with light brown "tattoos" that will fade in a week or two. So fun!

After getting our henna, we found a penny arcade with a photo booth and had a blast posing for the camera. We made goofy faces, cute faces, smiley faces, and weird faces. Now we each have a strip of amazing pictures to commemorate our awesomeness.

We finished off the day with a trip to the British Home Shoppe for digestives. For those of you not familiar with them, they are a British invention, and they are delicious! If you can find them, try them.

That is all for this episode of the life and times of Samantha Smiley! Check back soon for more funny and endearing stories! :)

Well, there's a first time for everything...

So tonight was Temple night, same as every other First Friday of every month. I drove to the church, was asked to drive to Denver, which I did, and began the trip after a prayer. I had a full car, and we were all chatting away with each other. About half-way through Castle Rock (which is about 45 min from C. Springs, the boys informed me that a patrol car had pulled out after us. I wasn't worried, as I knew I wasn't speeding and I hadn't done anything wrong. So I kept driving. But then the State Trooper turned on his flashy lights. Uh-Oh. I was in the far left lane, so I naturally pulled onto the left shoulder. I wondered why I had been pulled over, and I was assured by all of my passengers that they too had assumed that the speed limit was 75. So I rolled down my window, expecting something like a light having gone out. But no. Apparently while I was conversing with my passengers, I had neglected to see a sign that the speed limit changed to 65. Oops. The Trooper informed me that at my rate of 79 mph, I was going 14 miles over the limit. He also asked me why I had pulled onto the left shoulder, when I should have pulled off to the right. "Well," I said, "I've never been pulled over before." I'm a genius. GHAA! I knew I was in for it. I explained that I had not seen the sign, and that I had honestly thought I was still within the legal speed limit. He asked me where we were going, and I informed the kind officer that we were headed to the Temple in Denver. He smirked at me and said, "I may have to take away your recommend." I HAD BEEN PULLED OVER BY WHAT MAY BE THE ONLY LDS STATE TROOPER IN COLORADO. SERIOUSLY. He then told me that because I was only going 14 over, he wasn't obligated to write me a ticket, and could let me off with a warning. I'm pretty sure he could very well have written me a ticket, and I gladly would have taken it. Because I was going over the speed limit. I was the class dunce driver of the evening. But being the incredibly blessed person I am, he only expressed the regret that he could not accompany us to the Temple, because he was on duty and had to work. I swear, if it weren't for the tender mercies I receive daily from the Lord, I have no idea at all how I would have made it this far!