He Shoots, He Scores!

As the 2010 Vancouver Olympics come to a close, I can say that I have never been more proud to be a Canadian than I am now.

I've watched the Olympics before and every year it has been the same story: Canada's athletes put in their best effort, but usually fall short. This year however, was different. We broke the record for the most gold medals ever to be won at the winter Olympics! The last gold medal we earned was the icing on the cake.

Ya'll should know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the men's hockey game against team USA. It was the most intense 3 hours of my life! Both sides played an amazing game and really, it could have gone either way, but naturally, Canada came out on top.

I've seen a lot of atricles lately that have discussed the increased levels of patriotism around the country. It's fantastic! Canadians are breaking the reserved image that we had before. We are letting our national colours show with pride and gusto.

I hope this feeling never dies. I love Canada! I. AM. CANADIAN.

Mum's the Word

Do I have a sign on my back that says, "You can tell me anything"? Cause I certainly feel like I've become a confidante for a whole bunch of people all of a sudden. Last night I had a good heart to heart with a buddy of mine as we drove back from the temple. He's having girl issues and has been coming to me for advice lately. I really had no idea what to tell him because it sounds to me like his lady friend is just as confused as he is; if not, more. And when I got home from the temple, I had a call from another friend of mine with some family issues. Again, I wasn't entirely sure how to go about giving her advice, so I just decided to listen and offer a word of comfort here and there.

It's not that I don't like people coming to me for advice - don't get me wrong, it makes me feel pretty important - but I just can't figure out why they come to me. I've had a really easy life so far (knock on wood), so it's not like I can draw on personal experience to help these folks out. But I do try to be compassionate and I am pretty good at keeping it to myself if they want me to.

Maybe these people that are coming to me have tried going to other people before, but it didn't work out for them. Maybe they heard about me from some other people. They probably went to a friend for advice only to be referred to me...

Average Joe: "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute? I need some advice."

Plain Jane: "You can try, but I give crap advice."

Joe: "Oh. Do you know anyone who can help me?"

Jane: "Talk to Leinani. She's no Dr. Phil, but she worked wonders for me."

Next thing I know, I've got this Joe guy asking me what the best way is to get his girlfriend back. Trust me, I've never had to win back the heart of an ex-girlfriend before! But I'll try my best to help you out because who knows, maybe you'll be able to help me when I'm in need of some life advice.

It's About Time

I've made an appointment to get my driver's license! I would have liked to go in today, but they don't do any testing on Fridays. I am so excited. I've gone driving with my grampa a few times this week and he says he would pass me if he was the one testing me. My grampa was an RCMP officer and he used to do this for a living, so I trust his opinion.

I go in at 2:00 on Tuesday. Wish me luck!

My Future's Going Down the Crapper

The past three days have been pretty good. On Monday I improved my chess skills and got some FHE planning done with my Superpa and the other Mas and Pas. On Tuesday I met a boy after institute and hung out with my dad for the afternoon. Today I went driving with my grampa and he said that I drive well, hooray!

Yesterday my cousin was showing me a notebook she bought from the Calgary Zoo and it was so cool! The coolest thing about this notebook is that it was made out of elephant dung. Kinda gross if you think too hard about it, but I found it so fascinating. I was definitly nerding out. Wouldn't it be funny if I ditched my dreams of becoming a pharmacist to go study poop? That'd be an interesting conversation.

"So what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a scatologist*."

"That sounds interesting, what is that?"

"I study poop."

" . . . Oh that's - nice."

"Actually, it kind of stinks" (snicker, snicker)

It would also be a great way off putting off a guy that I'm not interested in... I'll be saving that for someone - special.


* Scatology is the study of feces. A scatologist is a person who studies feces. And feces is a fancy name for poop.

Let's Pull it Together Boys

ARGHGHGRGGHHHGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!! D=

Canada lost the hockey game against the Americans. It's okay though. We can still get gold. This is just a minor setback. I watched the first half of the game, then had to leave to go to a fireside. I'm pretty sure that's why we lost. I wasn't watching!

McFLY kept me well updated on the game and when the Americans scored their fourth goal on us, it was hard not to cry out in frustration. The final score was 5-3 . . . And I was having such a good night too. And! To top it off, they didn't have refreshments after the fireside. How was I going to be comforted from the hockey game? Maybe I should have cried onto a boy's shoulder.

Geeze Louise. I did, however, get one good thing out of tonight: I learned a new phrase. "Suck a duck". Thank you Erin.

I'm Not a Psycho... Right?

I think I'm starting to scare my mom.

In the past 4 days, I've talked about my future wedding at least once a day. It's not like I plan on getting married anytime soon; I have zero prospects! It's just because of all the wedding business I've been a part of. I've thought of who I'd want to invite, what I'd do for my dance, centerpieces and even ideas for engagement photos. I feel like I'm turning into one of those psycho girls who starts fantasizing about marrying a guy after one date with him! And I'm not even interested in anyone.

But still, it's kinda fun to think of stuff for your wedding. And really, thinking about it now saves me from having to come up with it all at once when I actually do get married.

Aw, what the heck, I'll let you guys in on what I've come up with so far:

- I think I want a fall wedding. Because I think my colors would be red, orange and yellow. ooh, or maybe red and brown. Those could make some sweet invitations.

- For my engagement photos, I think I want them taken on the high level bridge here in Lethbridge. Me and a friend took some pictures on them a couple years ago and they looked pretty cool.

*note, I didn't take the photo. My friend Molly did.

- I want to learn to do a Tongan dance for my wedding. That'd be so cool! All my cousins have done them...

- I'd want a small bridal party. Around 2 or 3 girls.

- I would not do a receiving line! If people want to see me, they can do it at the head table.

- I don't want to invite my entire Tongan side. Not because I don't want them there! But it's because there's a lot of them. And I've only met like, half of them. So I'll invite the half that I know.

That's about all I've got so far. I've tried to stop myself from planning too much for it. Like I said, I don't plan on getting married any time soon! My target age is 26...

Feb 27 - EDIT:
I've thought of some more ideas for my future wedding (I know, I'm lame), so I thought I'd add them here.

- I'll give everyone in my wedding party disposable cameras to take pictures throughout the day. Then I'll get all the cameras developed and make a sweet wedding album.

This Is Your Pillow Speaking, Remember Me?

I had to laugh at myself this morning/last night when I finished a game of mah jong at 1 AM and thought to myself, now what do I do?

When a thought occurred to me: Why are you on the computer at 1 in the morning??!

It's true. Unless you're finishing a paper that is due for your first class, or there's an online sale that starts at 1 AM your time, or your class registration opens at 1 in the morning (because the U of L is just that awesome) you have no reason to be on the computer after midnight.

"But I'm bored!", you might whine.

"Go to sleep!", I will reply.

"I can't sleep," you pout.

"Read the Old Testament," I encourage, "it works every time."

So next time you're at a loss of something to do at some ridiculous hour of the night, try sleeping! It's great for the neurons...

You Drive Me Crazy!

I am going to make a list of the top 10 things that annoy me. Just for the heck of it.

10. Excessive chivalry. Guys, if you're reading this, just know that a girl appreciates having a door opened for her every once in a while. But if we have to wait around for you to get there for us, it'll become annoying.

9. Boys that wink at everybody. I've known a few of the excessive winking type, and at first I think they're really into me because they're always winking at me. But then when I see that they just wink all the time, I kind of feel sorry for them. Maybe you should get that checked out...

8. Boys who can't take a hint. Guys, if I'm just not that into you, I will try to let you know! Generally I usually try to stick in as many "buddy"s and "pal"s whenever I'm talking to you. And if I've ever punched you (playfully or not), you can bet I only see you as a friend.

7. Hair. I hate seeing it on my clothes and I hate seeing it on other people.

6. People that chew their gum loudly. You sound like a cow!

5. People who drive too slow.

4. People who overstay their welcome. I try to drop subtle hints to suggest that they leave but they just don't get it. So I eventually have to kick them out. Does that make me a bad hostess?

3. Poor grammar/spelling. Learn the difference between your and you're; there, their and they're; and hear and here. GAH!

2. Picky children. You're going to eat whatever I make for you and you're going to like it!

1. Whiny children. I can't fix all of your problems. You stubbed your toe? What am I supposed to do for it?

Maybe for 1, I should have put "loud children" instead. Today I was babysitting The Kids, and Adam had two of his frends over to play. They were upstairs playing video games and I was downstairs watching the Olympics when all of a sudden I hear the loudest, girliest squeal I have ever heard. I knew it was Adam because I recognized the squeal, so I made my way upstairs just to make sure the boys hadn't broken anything in the ruckus. Everyone was fine, but my eardrums were protesting the squeals coming from Adam. That boy is sooo annoying! I have two brothers at home who are constantly rough-housing and always causing trouble. But at least when they're wrestling, they don't scream like little girls. Maybe Adam should take some notes from them so he can learn to buck up, rub some dirt in it and walk it off.

30 Questions

I was going through my inbox and I found this quiz. They are supposedly questions that no one would ever think of asking.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?: “Raccoon eyes!”

2. What's the last thing you think of before you go to bed? I either think of what I have to do the next day, or I think of trying to go to sleep. But half the time, I'm so wiped that I don't even have a chance to think of anything before I'm out.

3. What's a word that rhymes with door?: Bore.

4. Favorite planet?: Venus. Or Pluto if you still count it as a planet (cause I do).

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your phone?: That depends on what you mean because my phone numbers them weirdly. The 4th last missed call is from my mom. The missed call that is numbered as 4 was from Cora.

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?: I don't really have one because it's usually set on vibrate...

7. What shirt are you wearing?: My EFY shirt from 2008. "Steady and Strong"

9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing?: Barefeet, but my default is usually converse all stars. The classic chuck taylor high tops.

10. Bright or Dark Room?: Bright, but only if it's natural lighting... Bloody florescents...

11. What were you doing at midnight last night? I may have been playing tetris... Don't judge me!

12. What did your last text message you received on your mobile say?: It was from Karen telling me that she ran into a mutual friend of ours at Fairmont.

13.Where is your letter box?: my what?

14. What's a word that you say a lot?: "Lame fries" "Coolio" "What the duce??" "Son of a-!" "Dude" "Listen (HofJ)" "H'okay"

15.Who told you he/she loved you last?: Probably one of my parents. Most likely my dad.

16. Last furry thing you touched?: Bindi!

17. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?: Does Sophie Kinsella count? I just finished reading Remember Me? in two afternoons and I've been craving more...

18. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? I think I might have one of those disposable cameras that I still need to devlop from ages ago.

19. Favorite age you have been so far? I'm 19 now, but I think I liked being 18 better. There were a lot of changes that year.

20. Your worst enemy? The fat cat that belongs to the kids I babysit.

21. What is your current desktop picture? I just posted it in my last entry.

22.what was the last thing you said to someone? To my dad: "You need to check on the girls before you go to bed. Goodnight."

23. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly: Probably flying because that's something money can't buy.

24. Do you like someone? Surprisingly not. I'm friends with so many guys right now, but I'm not into anyone! Although tonight at FHE I kind of took notice of someone... We'll see what happens.

25. last song you listened to? Ramblin' (Wo)Man - Cat Power

26. If the last person you spoke to was getting shot at, would you jump in front of the bullet?: Heck yes!! It's my daddy!

27. If you could punch 1 person in your life right now, who would it be?: John. He's been asking for it ever since he found out how ticklish I am...

30. What is the closest object to your left foot?: My right foot. And a blanket.

Happy Valentine's Day!

With a new holiday I've changed my desktop to match. If you like cool desktop pictures, then this is the site to see... Anyway, onto the blog...

I have had such a good weekend and I am in such a good mood, I feel like sharing it with you all!

Friday night went well. I was off work by three and that gave me plenty of time to get ready. Suitman and I had a lovely time at the wedding. We sat at the same table as Bishop Turner and his wife and so I introduced Suitman to them. When the Turner's left early, Suitman turned to me and told me he thought they were really cool. Hooray! Suitman likes my bishop! Now he'll be converted in no time! (I'm just kidding, I'm not trying to convert him. Though I would be totally stoked if he did join) Since I've been helping Cora plan her wedding, I felt like a spy at D&K's wedding. I paid attention to the centerpieces and the party favours and the decorations; I even took pictures to show to Cora later. Suitman took me home in time for me to meet up with the limo group to go to the Sweethearts Ball. I did end up telling Suitman about my other plans, so he knew what was going on and besides, he had other plans as well. See? No big deal. Anyway, I was only on the limo for about 15 minutes of the ride, but that was plenty for me. It was really hot in there! The actual dance was kind of lame. They haven't played decent music at these things in ages. After the dance, Boatboy and I went to Star's where she had a bunch of people over and we karaokeed and ate cookies into the night.

Saturday was fantastic. I got to play my violin with the orchestra for a little luncheon put on by the Purple Hat Club. It was fun. After the performance I went home and had a lazy afternoon reading a book I got from the Bookmobile. Sophie Kinsella's Remember Me?. I'm already more than halfway through, yay!

Today has been really good so far as well. Church was good. In Sacrament meeting I drew the speakers and one of them turned out really well. In Sunday School, Denise brought cookies and in Relief Society my cousin taught a really good lesson. At the end of Relief Society, the guys came in to give us a giant Valentine card. It was really cute. Kinda corny, but cute. I've also been recruited to sing tenor in the ward choir. I'm kind of excited because if there are some good looking guys in the choir, I'll get to sit by them because I'll be singing their part!

Anyway, Happpy Valentine's day everybody! And I'd like to send a Holla! out to Cassandra and wish her a happy birthday today. She's turned 20, yikes! When did we get to be so old? Also, Holla! to Cora as well. It is her birthday tomorrow and she will turn 21.

Ready or Not, Here It Comes...

Well folks, today is the big day: I am going to a wedding and the Sweethearts Ball all in one night. If I'm not working too late that is... (Arg!)

I've told Boatboy about my other plans and he's been very accomodating. Turns out, the boys are renting a limo! The plan with Boatboy is that I will text him once Suitman and I are done at the wedding and depending on where they are with the limo, Suitman will either drop me off at my house or leave me at the stake center to be picked up by the limo. I still haven't told Suitman about Sweethearts, but that's only because it's something I would much rather tell him in person than via text. I'm pretty sure he won't be too miffed though cause he's gone out and done stuff after all our other weddings, so now it's just my turn.

The only thing I'm really nervous about for this evening is when I'll be getting off work. That's what I hate about my job - Tim never gets home at the same time every night, so it's hard to make plans for the evening. I know I'm working tonight and Tim has told me that I could get off anytime between 5 and 7. The wedding is at 7, so if I'm not off at least by 6:30, I will not be going to the wedding (and Suitman already knows this). And then there's the whole question of getting ready. I know what dress I'll be wearing, so that's not a problem, but what to do with my hair?? And shoes! I haven't even thought about shoes! Both of the boys are around my height, so my new hot red heels are out of the question (they bump me up an extra 4 inches! Sometimes I hate being 5'8"). OMG and I still have to shave!!!

All I can say is that I cannot wait for the evening to be over. It will be fun, but the preparation is going to be crazy!

Aloha and Mahalo!

Family Home Evening last night was a success! I may even be so bold as to say it was a huge success. I am so grateful for the people that were willing to help with set-up and cooking and cleaning. I don't know how many of them will read this, but if they do: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I could not have done it without you. I will also be sure to extend my gratitude beyond the spheres of the internet and actually thank these folks in person. I also loved it when people came up to me afterward and told me that they had a lot of fun. It feels good to be appreciated!

I guess I should share what we did last night for those who don't go to Vic Park. We had a luau! I've been wanting to do one ever since I got called to be an FHE Ma, and I finally did it! I (along with some wonderful helping hands) cooked a ton of polynesian food and everyone ate while they watched Johnny Lingo. Then when everyone was done eating, I had some old friends of the family come out and do a couple dances. The girls were taught how to do Pearly Shells and the guys learned the world-famous Haka. It was so much fun. And everyone actually helped to clean up too! (Hooray! Less work for me!)

Today was a good day. I had to go over to Tim's house this morning at 6:30 so I could get the kids up and get them to school. Even though it's super early, I don't mind it; I love mornings. My visiting teachers also came to visit me before institute and we had a good ol' chat; I love them :) My favorite part of the day was when I walked home from Tim's house rather than get a ride. I live on the far north part of town and they live on the south side. We're about 15 blocks apart and I walked it in 35 minutes! I mapped out my route on google maps and they said it would take 38 minutes. I can beat google!

Ooh, and something else that made my day: I was listening to CKUA and they reunited me with a song that I haven't heard in ages! It was on a Zellers commercial some years ago, and I always loved it but never found out the name of it. Now I know. Yay!

Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'!

Oh what a beautiful day.

I've got a beautiful feelin'

Everythin's goin' my way!

I went for a walk with Bindi this morning and it was beautiful! I got halfway down the block when I realized that I needed a camera in my hand, so I turned around a ran home. Bindi wasn't too pleased, but it was totally worth it.

Lookit the rainbow!!

No stroll is complete without climbing a tree

My Bindi. <3

And of course I couldn't resist taking a macro shot of the frost.

In case you don't know what song I was singing in the beginning, shame on you. Here, educate yourself.

And So It Begins...

I just got back from a weekend trip to Calgary with Cora. We went up looking for a wedding dress and instead, came home with 30 jars that we'll be using for centerpieces. Maybe next time.

I learned a lot on the trip though. For example; when travelling, if you know that you'll be staying in a hotel, bring a swimsuit because they probably have a pool. Cora and I travelled with her mother and when we got to the hotel, the conversation went something like this:

"Did you bring your swimsuits?"
"No, were we supposed to?"
"Yeah! They have a pool!"
"Then why didn't you tell us?!"
"Because it's common knowledge! Hotels have pools; therefore, bring a suit."

Luckily there was a Walmart close by, so we were able to run over and grab some cheap swim suits to use for the evening. Make a note kids, next time you plan on staying in a hotel, bring a swimsuit.

Children and Weddings and Balls, Oh My!

Good news: I worked yesterday! Let me fill you in on the exciting job that is mine - I babysit children. But to make it sound good, I call myself a nanny because the first thing I think of when I hear the word nanny is Mary Poppins. And who doesn't love Mary Poppins?

I nanny three children: an 11 year old boy (Adam)and twin 10 year old girls (Natalia and Lauren). They're not bad because they're fairly independent, but I worry about the mind-numbing amount of video games and TV they watch. Which is why I've decided to make them more involved around the house. Yesterday I presented them with some new rules: 1. They have to help me make dinner, 2. We have to eat dinner together at the table with no TV, and 3. They have to wash their own dishes when they're done eating. The girls were excited about the rules, but the boy whined about the no TV at dinner part. If I can stick to these rules and the punishments that go along with them, I think it'll be really good for the kids. And good practice for when I have a family of my own (which, at the rate I'm going, won't be for a while!). Yesterday night went well, I found out that the boy has never washed a dish in his life! I'm sure he'll thank me when he's older.

Last night I finally found the wedding invitation for D&K's wedding, so I texted Suitman the details. It's on the same night as the Sweetheart's Ball, but I wasn't worried because I hadn't been asked. I figured Suitman and I would go to the wedding and maybe if he was interested, we could swing by the ball afterward just to see what's up (Suitman isn't mormon, so he doesn't know about the ball). However, I encountered a hitch in my plan when the doorbell rang. My brother answered the door only to find that someone had left a toy boat on our step with a note for me attached. It read: "We could party like we're on a boat if you came to the sweethearts dance with me!!!". I knew exactly who was asking me and when he had brought up the subject of Sweethearts in an earlier conversation, I told him that I wasn't planning on going, but wouldn't say no if someone asked. ME AND MY BIG MOUTH!

So now I have two dates for next Friday night. I don't know what to do! After Suitman and I go to the wedding, should I have him drop me off at the Sweethearts Ball so I can go off and meet Boatboy? Or should I have Suitman take me home after the wedding just in time for Boatboy to pick me up? If I go with the first idea, I have to be honest with both of the guys and tell them that I have another date planned for the night. With the second idea, I lie to them both and hope that I have really good timing with Suitman so that he and Boatboy don't cross paths at my house. One results in a potentially awkward conversation with both guys and the other has the potential to end up in neither of them knowing about the other if things go according to plan. This is where comments would be appreciated, folks!

Screening Madness!

I was in charge of Family Home Evening last night and I decided to have everyone make Vic Park t-shirts. It was so crazy! But it was a good night. There were some awesome shirts made. Most people used the Vic Park designs, but some people made their own. One guy made a cookie monster shirt! It was awesome, but alas, I didn't get a picture of it (note to self: start bringing a camera to FHE).

Elder Funk made a Vic Park shirt with a twist. He made the front look like an envelope with his home address in the corner and Victoria Park written in the middle and stamp painted in the other corner. He wanted to decorate the back but didn't have time, so I offered to finish it for him. I'm quite pleased with the result:



I got some glow in the dark paint for my last birthday and haven't had a chance to use it... until today!

Oh and one more thing: My friend made her engagement official!! I don't have to worry about spilling the beans anymore! In case you were wondering, it's Cora. Her boyfriend, Steve just got off his mission last month and now they're getting married! Ack! We're growing up!