Better Than I

Song of the day, it's from "Joseph King of Dreams". I can't describe how much this song means to me.

Heavenly Father knows and loves me. I must love him back by trusting him. Then all will be well no matter what comes my way :)

My What a Happy Day

Life is just so wonderful! Here's a billion pictures of proof why, in no particular order.

First of all, I haven't been able to get this delightful tune out of my head for days! Soak up the goodness. Fun & Fancy Free.

Check it out, my LAMINATED and OFFICIAL name is on the P.E. office door!! Right under the two P.E. teachers and Student Teacher.. nevermind that mine's the smallest.. I love my job i love my job I love my job. I can't believe I get paid to play with children at recess all day everyday. I think about how blessed I am to have this job everyday on the way home. And it's just a cherry on top that my title is "Miss Martindale" :).

Gorgeous weather calls for nothing other than rollerblading with Skyler. And rollerblading with Skyler calls for nothing other than taking pictures of beautiful flowers in random front yards.

Speaking of gorgeous weather, this boy doesn't seem to be in it in Ukraine.. yes, that is frost on his eyelashes. And his hat (which is originally brown). Nothing like -20 degrees, right?! Anyway, I love this picture and this boy isn't too bad either.. :)

I love my sisters! Shout out to Shauna (3rd from the left) and Tami (far right). They're PREGNANT! I will never get over this excitement, no matter how many nieces and nephews I have. Shauna is on to #4, and Tami is now pregnant with #11 (she was pregnant with twins in this picture last April). CAN'T WAIT!

My 1st official close friend to be engaged, Sydnee! This is a big deal. I am soo excited for her and love her! Syd is one of the coolest girls I am friends with, but she's the best because she's never too cool for anyone. So many good times: from Sydona to our amazing Prom Group, and forever my friend!

What's that? Another engaged friend? Here goes Jessica! She is super in love and I definitely support that. Especially when I get the honor of being a bridesmaid! Some wonderful times with her are Choir Trips and her Big Role in the school play! I have always had a special connection with Jess and seriously couldn't be happier for her :)

One time I got lost trying to find the right field to play ultimate frisbee but it was worth it because I ran in to the Society for Creative Anachronism. They are super intense and wonderful. I'm thinking about joining myself..

My backyard is one of my favorite places on earth. Particularly when our grass is so luscious! And when we put in a new volleyball net! I love this place.

Korean exchange students? Sure why not! Chris & Vicky (their chosen American names) stayed with us for 3 weeks and it was such a fun, cultural experience! Kimchi will forever be the most disgusting smelling food on the planet but other than that, we seriously loved having these guys around! It felt good to have a bigger family at home :) They really fit right in if you couldn't tell..

The Sittons brought me along one weekend to run a 10K Marathon in Sedona! I didn't train at all but i did much better than expected! Here's Sky and I feeling the energy and power of Sedona. Such a gorgeous town.

Woke up on Valentine's day to a mass text from my friend Maeser informing me that I had to tweet about Arizona every hour. #AZCentennial #Protectingthemotherland #AZPride. I truly felt SO much love for my dear home state that day. I even took the time to fine my Arizona name. I love Arizona.

So that's life! Scattered and lovely!

Forever on my Lap

Just found this picture from 2008

Sally & Gwen

This one's from Thanksgiving 2011.

Sally & Gwen

This makes me extremely happy :)

Always my little dolls.

If only they could forever stay small enough to both fit on my lap.

If it is completely up to me, I'll still let them sit on my lap when they are 16 and I am 31, or when they are 31, and I am 46, you get the picture..

They'd be down with that, right? :)

Ma

I hope I'm whispering "I love you" in this picture because I sure do. This woman is the role model of all role models to me.

Today, I got home from work to an email from her. It was a whole bunch of entries she had typed out from when she was exactly my age in my position. What an incredible and hilarious experience it has been to read through!

Among a million other emotions resulting from reading these, I am currently acting on the "I should journal more" running through my head. Blogging is journaling :) And journaling is amazing!

Her 18-year old, adorable self mentions numerous times how she hopes her journaling will affect her future children and grandchildren for the better and inspire them to draw closer to the Gospel. Here it is, mama, effecting me :)

An Uplifting Website :)

I just found a website that straight up makes me feel good! And it makes me think about life.

http://makesmethink.com/

A taste of a few of my favorites!

-Today, a young teenage boy was in line in front of me at Target. He used a gift card to buy two video games. The cashier, an older woman probably in her late 60’s, rang him up and informed him that he had $12 remaining on his gift card. “Oh, wait then,” he said as he ran two isles over and grabbed a $10 bouquet of flowers. As the cashier added the flowers to his order the boy handed them to her and said, “These are for you.” The cashier could not wipe the smile off her face, even after he left. MMT

-Today, as we were slowing down at a red light, my father scolded me for not having my seat belt on. No more than a second after the clicking sound of me buckling my seat belt, our small car was clipped from behind by a pick-up truck, spinning us 180 degrees in the middle of the street. Because we both had our seat belts on, and the fact that the impact came from behind, my father and I walked away with minor injuries. MMT

-Today, my grandfather used 25 different coupons at the grocery store. Then he gave the money he saved to the bag boy as a tip. He does this almost every Sunday because he says he “likes to see people smile.” MMT

-Today, I have been a firefighter for 24 years. Back in 1992, the local newspapers and news channels called me a hero and interviewed me a few times after I carried 19 retirees, one at a time, out of a burning luxury retirement condo. I was off-duty at the time and just happened to be visiting my grandmother who lived across the street. This evening I was contacted by a trust attorney representing one of the retirees who I helped that day. She passed away yesterday, and in her will she left me 25% of her estate – roughly $800,000. MMT

My Future Love

NO I do not plan on getting married anytime soon.
But YES i like to dream about the future :)
I hope it's something like this..



And YES maybe I'll actually blog update my life sometime soon. This amazing video can suffice for now.

Crayola Doesn't Make A Color For Your Eyes

This song is my obsession today. I heard it for the first time, and have listened at least 25 times. I think it's the cutest. And I shall give the credit to the one and only..

Alex Crandall.

I really don't know what we're doing in this picture but yes, i do love her enough to be kneeling at her feet after an ice cream war.

Anyway, Alex is amazing. She has great taste in music. And here is the joyful song :)