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!

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!