Did that really just happen??

I don't get embarrassed too often, but there have been a couple incidents in my life that are totally worthy of the embarrassing stories section in a teen magazine.

One time I was going on a hot date with a guy to singles dance. It was a fancy dance and so I had gotten myself dressed up and eagerly awaited the arrival of my man (side note, my date wasn't Joe - scandalous!). When my date arrived I opened the door and there stood a rather dashing young fellow in a fine looking suit. The response to come to mind was, "hey, you look good!" but he beat me to the first line of the night with, "How are you tonight?" and instead of me answering with "I'm fine" I ended up mixing up my two responses to say, "I look good!" We both stood there for a moment unsure of what to say next. I couldn't believe that had just happened to me so I decided to pretend it didn't happen and rushed him down the side walk to get on with the night.

Although I was mortified in the moment, it didn't take me long to laugh about the memory. The next story, however, still makes me wish I could go back and do it over...

My favourite blogging friend, Trudy, is also my favourite singing friend. Seriously, I love to sing with her. We loved sitting with each other in church so we could make some beautiful harmonies. Whenever I'd go over to her house, we always would end up going through the hymn book and other songbooks with her mom on the piano just singing for fun. Naturally, we also got asked to sing for a lot of church functions. At one point there was one song that we sang a lot at different functions for one reason or another. It was a pretty song that talked about feeling inadequate, but strengthened through Jesus. The last time we sang it, however, was when disaster struck.

As I mentioned before, we had sung this song a lot. So much so that we didn't even feel any jitters when we were about to sing. Our preparation for the song had been standard. We'd run through it before the event began to make sure everything was sounding good. Trudy's mom had given us a tip to enunciate the d sound at the end of one of the words we were singing. So for the performance we were singing along and when that word came up, we remembered what we were supposed to do and we enunciated the d. Except, for some reason, we found it funny and these big smiles came onto our faces. All of a sudden, the unthinkable happened: I started to laugh. Right in the middle of the song. Trudy was a champ because she held off as long as she could before she too startled to giggle-sing right along with me. Meanwhile her mom kept playing the tune in a true "show must go on" fashion. Trudy was able to pull herself together to sing the last couple notes of the song and I mumbled an "I'm sorry" to everyone. The worst part? It was in the last verse that we had our breakdown, right when it talks about the saviour and how he died for us all. (In fact I think the word we enunciated the d on was "died")

Since the laughing fit, Trudy and I have sung many more songs together but we haven't sung that song since the fateful night - not even for fun.

3 haikus from me to you

Baby teacup pig

So curious to the world

I'munna eat choo 

Sunny summer days

Happy, care free, warm and bright

soon to fade away

Writing a haiku

has been harder than I thought

Frustratingly so 

Ha! But seriously that was hard. I remember being so good at haikus when I was in grade 5 so I thought I'd whip up this post in 15 minutes. But nope. Nearly took me an hour, dangit. 

Oh well I hope you enjoyed. Although it took forever, it was fun to do. Stay tuned tomorrow when I take on day 6 of my super-awesome, totally creative 10 day challenge! What has been your favourite day so far? I really enjoyed today's challenge so mine has been day 5. 

A week without my shoes...

Day 4: If you could spend a week in someone else's shoes, who would it be and why? 

For real:

If I had to choose anyone in history to be for a week I think I'd like to be my one of my grandparents back when they were my age. I've heard lots of stories from my white grandparents and I would love to see what Canada was like back in their time. My gramma Joan was raised on a farm in Foam Lake, Saskatchewan and my grampa Chuck was raised in Parry Sound, Ontario surrounded by the best swimming holes in the country. I would especially love to see how they met because I've always heard stories about it. 

I think it would also be way cool to see what it was like for my brown grandparents too. I don't really know much about their histories because I haven't been able to spend a lot time with them and the language barrier makes it hard to really communicate. So I think if I were to be my grampa Vili or gramma Mele I would want to the gift of tongues to be part of the package. They both grew up in Tonga on the main island of Tongatapu (I assume.... I don't really know!) so I would love to see what the island life was like for them. 

For fun:

Okay this may sound weird but you know the centaur girls from Fantasia? I really love the entire fantasia movie but this was my favourite part of it. I loved it so much that my mom had written on the box the time it began in the movie so she could fast forward right to it when I wanted it. (You know, back in the day when scene select wasn't an option)   

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Anyway, in the second part of the piece they bring in the lady centaurs and I loooove them. The blue one was my absolute favourite. I love, love, looooved her long tail with the flowers in it. If we were pretending to be horses, I'd always be her. So if I spend a week in the shoes (or hooves in this case) of any fictional character of my choice, it would be the blue centaurette from Fantasia. Why? Because it would literally fulfil my childhood dreams of being a centaur. 

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5 years from now...

... I would love to be a mom.

... I would love to be a physiotherapist.

... I would love to own a home.

... Joe and I may be living in Australia.

With the end of my undergrad fast approaching, Joe and I have reached a crossroads: Do we stick it out another two and a half years so I can get my masters of physiotherapy? Or do we start trying to get a family started?

We have made a tentative decision for now, but I believe we still have some fasting and praying to do before we can solidly say, "yes, this is what we're going to do."

The Australia thing is a dream that may or may not come true depending on what we decide we want in regards to a family/home/career. I would love to do it, but if it doesn't turn out to be the right move for us, then so be it. There's always vacation time!

I am seriously so blessed to have a man like Joe in my life. With regards to our future, I get lots of people that ask, "so what does Joe want to do? Is he going to do the Halliburton thing forever?" and I've asked him the same question. Joe has never had that dream job he's always wanted to do that he wouldn't be happy without. Joe's dream has always been to be able to work and provide for a family and make their dreams come true. (I feel like such a dork because I started tearing up as I wrote that.) It's so great to know he feels that way, but at the same time I get so scared that I'll get so caught up in the chase for my dreams that I'll end up dragging a husband along who would rather do something else with his life.

5 years from now there are a million things we cold be doing. But right now, I'm just happy with where we are and I'm excited about what adventures our future holds.

My greatest fear

I know I've shared my fear of caterpillars on the blog before. They are disgusting creatures that make me gag just thinking about them. I also have a slight fear of the dark, but that is more due to the scary movies my friends have made me watch over the years (you know who you are!). I also get really weird when it comes to fake gun fights. Water guns, nerf guns, laser tag, Halo... Anything where people are shooting at me (life threatening or not) causes me more anxiety than the average participant. I'm also a really jumpy person in general so it is really easy to startle me. Like, ridiculously easy. As in, so-easy-a-loud-and-well-timed-sneeze-can-scare-me easy. 

However, none of these "fears" have a great impact on my everyday life. Unless I move to a dark place inhabited by caterpillars where pretend gun fights happen every time someone makes a loud sneeze, then I may have something to worry about. Until then, my life is relatively unaffected by my fears. 

I suppose there is one fear-like quality that affects the way I do things and that is my fear of hurting myself. That doesn't mean I'm afraid of everything and therefore live my life in a bubble. It just means that I am way less likely to do stupid stunts or have fun according to some people. 

Flips on a trampoline? Never tried them. 

Dirt biking? Um, no. If you can type in the words "dirt bike" into the search bar on youtube and "dirt bike fails" is at the top of the suggestions list, then mayyybe that sport isn't such a good idea.  

Licking a metal pole in the middle of a Canadian winter? I've seen A Christmas Story, I know how that triple dog dare goes down! 

Sometimes I wish I was less worried about getting myself killed or breaking my neck so I'd try more things and end up looking like one of those cool kids doing all those cool tricks. But at the end of the day when the back flips flop, the bikes crash and the tongues freeze, I can rest easy knowing that I didn't have to try it for myself to know those are all bad ideas!  

What are your biggest fears? Have you been following my Super-Awesome, Totally Creative 10 Day Blogging Challenge? Has this been the greatest blogging challenge so far or what?

Something I love

Here we are, day 1 of my Super-Awesome, Totally Creative 10 Day Blogging Challenge.

I could write about a billion different things that I love because I am an easily amused individual. I get pleasure out of the simplest things and always see the glass as half full rather than half empty. But I can only write about one thing so I have chosen something that has had the greatest impact on my life.

I love being a Mormon.

My membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a huge part of who I am. I was born into the church and have learned for myself that the doctrines and principles of the gospel are true. As a Mormon, I've been taught that we are all children of God and knowing that I am a daughter of God has given me a sense of self worth that has made me a confident, happy woman.

This is the Cardston, Alberta Temple, the place where Joe and I were married. The church has many temples around the world. At the last count we had 141 operating temples with 15 under construction and 14 announced. LDS temples aren't just used for marriage ceremonies. As members of the church we have a duty to attend the temple regularly where we can perform ordinances of salvation for those who died without a knowledge of the gospel. As I attend the temple I learn about Heavenly Father's plan for us and I learn more about my role in that plan. Temples are places of peace and worship and I love going there because it is a chance for me to forget about my worries and feel the love that God has for me. 

As a Mormon I've been taught to pray. You can pray when you're happy, you can pray when you're sad, if you have questions in your life you can pray for the answers. I am grateful for the power of prayer. Seriously, whether you believe in Him or not, God hears and answers prayers if you pray with real intent and with faith that you'll receive an answer. I know I've had answers to my prayers. They don't always come immediately, but if I am living the gospel and doing the right things, the answers will come. Prayer is a way that we can all connect ourselves to God and get to know Him. 

This is just a small snippet of how being a Mormon influences my life. I could talk about so many more good things I love about being a Mormon, but these are the big ones. If this has raised some questions for you, feel free to check out the links I provided in this post. If you have any questions for me you can send them my way at l.moe32@gmail.com

Challenge Accepted!

I've decided I want to do a blogging challenge. It's my last week of no school so I want to write a little something every day. And since I am a free agent, I've decided to make up my very own blogging challenge. So here it is:

Leinani's Super-Awesome, Totally Creative 10 Day Blogging Challenge  

Day 1: write about something you love. (Not someone, something!)

Day 2: tell us your greatest fear. 

Day 3: where do you see yourself in 2 years? 5 years?

Day 4: If you could spend a week in someone else's shoes, who would it be and why?

Day 5: Create 3 haikus. Ready? Go.

Day 6: share an embarrassing story. 

Day 7: what is something you're good at? or what do you pride yourself in?

Day 8: who inspires you?

Day 9: share a favourite recipe. 

Day 10: make a top 10 Awesome Things list.

Fellow bloggers, feel free to try it for yourselves as I'm sure it will be awesome. Plus, it's 10 days so how bad can it be? If you do decide to try it, let me know so I can read all about it! Heck, you don't even need a blog to try this out, your own personal journal will do just fine.

Because you want to know everything about me

Oh boy, what a treat! 26 facts about me that you may or may not already know!

I was tagged by the lovely Trudy from Trudy Talk, so to be a good friend I've filled it out and passed it on! Enjoy. If you would like to do one for yourself you can find the blank answers on Trudy's post because I am too lazy to copy and paste it again for you here.

A. Attached or Single?

I am not single, but I don't want to say I'm attached because it makes it sound like I have a conjoined twin.   

B. Best Friend?

As corny as it sounds, my husband is my best friend. But I also think it's important for a girl to have at least one girlfriend that she can confide in and I am lucky enough to have several lovely ladies to be there for me. :)

C. Cake or Pie?

Cake. All the way. Though I will not say no to a slice of apple pie if you offer it.

D. Day of Choice?

Wednesday. Or Sunday. Sunday is best because it is my day to go to church and sing and be with family and rest. I don't really know why I love Wednesdays, but I just do. I think it might be because growing up, there was always something happening on Wednesdays whether it was Brownies, orchestra, mutual or rugby games; but now my Wednesdays are more quiet and it's perfect because now my other days are filled with things to do. 

E. Essential Item?

Hair ties. My hair is always getting in my face so it's important for me to get it out of the way when I need to. 

F. Favourite Colour?

Generally anything from the warmer side of the colour wheel can make me happy, so reds and oranges and yellows. 

G. Gummy Bears or Worms?

Gummy bears! Cause then you can bite their heads off. 

H. Home Town?

I was born in Kahuku, Hawaii but raised in Lethbridge, Alberta. 

I. Favorite Indulgence?

Cookie dough. And not the store bought kind either. I have to make it myself so I can feel like a rebel for not cooking it. 

J. January or July?

July. But if I lived in the southern hemisphere I would love January because I just want to be warm. 

K. Kids?

Yes, I want them. No, not yet. 

L. Life isn't complete without?

Sun. Love. Laughter. (I just found the title for my autobiography)

M. Marriage Date?

August 16th, 2011. 

N. Number of brothers/sisters?

2 brothers, 1 sister, all younger

O. Oranges or Apples?

I enjoy the taste and crunch of apples more than oranges, but apples always leave me hungrier than I was before I ate them :(

P. Phobias?

Caterpillars. 

Q. Quotes?
Favourite funny quote: "You see, beneath the clothes, you'll find a man and beneath the man you'll find his - nucleus." -Nacho Libre
Favourite inspirational quote: "I can do hard things" -Susan W. Tanner - when I went to Young Women's encampment in 2006 she spoke to us and shared this motto with us. It started out as her motto, but it became mine and I still remember it whenever I am presented with a difficult task. It's amazing what we can get through if we have the right attitude.

R. Reasons to Smile?
Sunshine, nature, corny jokes, Joe and cookie dough. 

S. Season of Choice?
Summer

T. Tag 5 People.
You're it. 

U. Unknown fact about me?
When I was a kid, my parents subscribed to the kids version of National Geographic and so we got a bunch of really cool things like magazines and books and episodes of Really Wild Animals that taught me all sorts of things about the animal kingdom. So I know a lot of useless facts about a lot of random animals like the lyrebird that lives in Australia and can imitate anything from other birds to chainsaws. 

V. Vegetable?
Broccoli! They're so easy to prepare and I make a fantastic cheese sauce to go along with them. 

W. Worst Habit?
I procrastinate so bad. I've been trying to be better, but I am still horrible. 

X. X-ray or Ultrasound?
Ultrasound! I've only had a couple Xrays, but I've never been able to see the results. Going for an ultrasound was super cool because I got to see my ribs and my muscles and my lumpy breast tissue. (I am not pregnant, I just have lumpy boobs and a family history of breast cancer so I get to have regular check ups! Yay!)

Y. Your Favourite Food?
I hate this question because it's hard to pick a favourite when you love everything so I'm going to change the question. 
Y. Yes or no, do you like ponies? Why or why not?
Yes I loooove ponies! I love them because they are pretty and I can ride them and make them go really fast and sometimes it feels like I'm going to fall off, but I don't and so it's a big adrenaline rush. Plus they're related to unicorns, so what's not to love?

Z. Zodiac Sign
This question is also lame, but I will answer it because I don't want to have to come up with something else that starts with a Z. I am a libra according to Western astrology, and my chinese zodiac is the horse which may explain my affinity for ponies.