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!

Well, I guess I've waited long enough. Things have changed quite a bit since my last post, so it may be longer than a paragraph. So. First, I have a new job. It is awesome. I pretty much get to do things I'm good at all day, and then I get to play with fun things, like Pampered Chef products. I like to call myself an executive assistant, but really I'm just a personal office assistant for an Executive Director with The Pampered Chef. I love it, and she hasn't figured out that I have no idea what I'm doing yet :) Just kidding. I mostly know what I'm doing. Sometimes.
Anyway, the next new thing is my calling. I was first called into the FHE committee as a council member. three weeks later, they made me the head of the committee. Great. I actually really enjoy it. I get to help plan and execute the activities, and I have a great co-chair who is very patient (he would have to be to put up with the likes of me). One thing this calling has really helped me with is making friends and getting to know the other singles in the ward. Usually I try to hide as much as possible, but there is no hiding in FHE. You are up in front of everyone every week. It's weird, and fun, and a little bit scary, but I am learning a lot and hopefully others are enjoying the activities and such that I have planned so far.
I am also dating. Granted, nobody I am really interested in has asked me out, but I have been on a few dates, which is pretty much a record for me. Usually I go out with someone once, and then they move on. But I've been on a few dates with this one guy, so that is new.
That's really everything. Boring, right? I keep hoping things will get more exciting, but maybe I'm due for a lull in my life after a year in Europe being a travel bum. Meh.

Life is...

Well, boring. Nothing very exciting is going on for me lately. I am doing a little bit of Christmas shopping, a little bit of baking (like always), a little bit of dating (don't ask), a little bit of singing, and a lotta bit of working. Work is going okay, I no longer make mistakes while cashiering, and I very rarely feel overwhelmed. Which is a great thing. I have found a few girlfriends to talk to, but I REALLY miss my friends. I wish everyone lived close so I could have friends all the time, and not just when they decide to visit! But I realize that life is tricky that way. Everyone has to go their own way at some point. Hopefully I can get some more posts up now that I have a CAMERA! Yay! So until then, arrivaderci!

Life is funny that way...

Isn't it funny ho some things in life can surprise you? Just when you least expect it, BOOM! POW! It hits you. Most of the time, in my experience, it has been a good thing to be taken by unawares by life's little surprises. I can't complain. I have had it easy compared to many, many of God's children. I am so blessed to be alive and healthy with a college education, a loving family, and a job. How could I possibly complain when I have been so tremendously blessed? I have to say, it makes me so full of joy to look back on my life and reflect on the trials I have come through with my faith in the Lord intact. I am so grateful for my parents' example, for the opportunities I have had to learn and grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so happy that I have great friends that also have a knowledge of the Savior, and of His atoning sacrifice. I love Sundays with the chance to meet other Saints and to increase in my knowledge of the Gospel, and the many opportunities to share my own personal talents and testimony with others. I sincerely hope that if I can continue to live in a way that is pleasing to my Heavenly Father, that I can continue to see the blessings unfold in my everyday life. I love you all, and goodnight!

Bored at Home

Saw this on a friend's blog and decided to try it! In italics are the things I have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a Mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a Lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (I've been to Venice, so I'm counting it.)
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (BYU-Idaho paper)
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Jessica Simpson)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Graduted from College

Having Faith

It's been an interesting few weeks. I am still waiting to hear back about a job rolling burritos at Chipotle, but I am almost positive that I got it. Not that it's my dream job, but it pays, and it's busy most of the time, so the time goes fast. Hopefully I can move up in the ranks quickly! In the meantime I am still applying to government jobs, hoping to make more than $8,000 a year. Because I do have a degree, however unmarketable it is. I still don't really know where I'm headed in the job department, but I do know I want to possibly go to Grad school sometime in the near future. I just love the idea of being a librarian! I love books, I love talking about books, analyzing books, and just the feel of a solid block of paper in my hands! So I think that may be a good thing for me to work toward.

Singles Ward is still...interesting. Most of the people there are either close to 30, or barely 18. So being in the middle is weird. There are a few people here that are in the middle with me, but it's going to take some time for me to get back into the "in" crowd. And by that I mean the crowd that hangs out outside the designated activities. So far all I've gotten is the weird guy who hits on every new girl, hoping he'll get somewhere before they figure out how odd he is. But I am determined to be nice and try to be friends with him, without giving him the wrong idea. Why do I always get the weird ones? Seriously? Oh well.
On the plus side, I have a wonderful family, great friends (who happen to be far away...) and a loving Father in Heaven. So all I need now is the faith that He will help me to figure out where my life is headed, and the strength to endure to the end. I know that the Church is true. I know Christ atoned for my sins. I now Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Lord, and that Thomas S. Monson is the Prophet today. I know that He loves me, and that I am a child of God. I am so grateful for everything that I have been blessed with in my life, and I am so grateful fr a Heavenly Father who knows me by name!