"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Well, sorry about not posting this on Saturday!! Most of you guys probably don't even read these, but I enjoy posting them so I guess you'll just have to deal with them :) Anyways, here's post number 4!

#1 -- Stake Dances

After going to my first school dance last night, I've definitely gained a new appreciation for church dances. :) It's so fun to let loose with all my friends while still upholding our standards, even if the dances may be a little lame at times. But to me, it's all up to the person to choose whether or not they're having fun so I always try to go with a positive attitude. So I end up having fun no matter what!

This is just a picture of me with a few of my friends at the latest stake dance.

#2 -- Photography

I absolutely love photography. I always thought it was cool, but when I started my class last year, I fell in love with it! It's so amazing to capture things and people and special moments in the best way that you can and it's such a challenge. It's also kind of a way I can escape from frustration and focus on the beauty of this world. I'm so glad that I got into it and I never want to give it up. It's a wonderful thing to be involved with. Now I have a photography blog for my class so if you ever get tired of this blog and just want to look at pictures that are attempting to be perfect but aren't quite, check it out at www.briball.wordpress.com

#3 -- Mike Tompkins

I just discovered this amazing guy the other day on YouTube. I posted a video of one of his songs on here a few days ago so if you haven't seen that yet, I would definitely suggest watching it. Mike Tompkins is spectacular!!! I can't even describe him with the right words. I'm so fascinated by his talent (and his looks)! :) I really hope to meet him someday!

#4 -- Nana's Peach Pie

Well, I meant to take a picture of one yesterday, but I forgot and now all of the pie is devoured. My grandma's peach pie is the most delicious peach pie I've ever had and I'm sure those who have tasted it would agree. She makes the crust then just adds fresh peaches with glaze stuff and kaboom! The most scrumptious pie ever is created!

#5 -- Campfires

This isn't the best picture, but it was the only one on our computer I could find. I really do love campfires though! I think they're such a good way to get to know other people and have fun with friends. There's so much you can do with them too! Whether it's cooking food or being used for light, a campfire is a pretty awesome thing! I'll definitely make sure to have a fire pit when I get my own place :)

Mike Tompkins

So today I was watching a video on YouTube by Sam Tsui (a great a cappella singer) when I came across this guy Mike Tompkins. He's amazing!!! I watched his "Teenaged Dream/Just the Way You Are" video and he's one of the best a cappella singers I've ever seen. Check out his YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/pbpproductions or here's one of his videos for "Misery" originally by Maroon5:

Hope you enjoyed!

Bridget

Before David was born, we all thought that he was going to be a girl because my mom had had really strong feelings that her name would be Bridget. Of course, David wasn't a girl or else his name wouldn't be what it is... but today, we created that Bridget for our mom. This is what happens when big sisters don't have much to do on Sundays:

Isn't she beautiful?

Dating Summit

This last Saturday night, there was a "Dating Summit" in Spokane. We got to ask a few married couples about dating, did speed dating, and had a fun dance. Overall, it was really fun and enjoyable! Before the whole thing, I was kind of iffy about it to be honest, but afterwards, I was definitely glad I had gone. Besides, we got tacos afterwards!!! So it was totally worth it! :) Anyways, thanks for the ride and tacos, Bishop and Sister Priebe!

Upper left: Allie, Brook, David, Autumn, I don't know (sorry!), TeAnn and Alora; Upper Right: Scott, Kendall, Emmalee, Amanda, Jen, me and David; Lower Left: Autumn, I don't know again (this is going to bother me!), Brook and me; Lower Middle: David, Alex and Scott; Lower Right: Austin, Zach, Kendall, Emmalee, Jen and Amanda

Well, I met some awesome people and had a wonderful time. I hope we have another one of these things soon!

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Yay!! Today is Saturday and that means that I get to do my third "favorite things" post! So here we go!

#1 -- "So Close" by Jon McLaughlin

Okay, this is my most favorite song ever!! It's the song from Enchanted when Giselle is dancing with Robert at the King and Queen's Ball. I don't know what it is, but I never get tired of this song. It might be the enchanting music or the great singer, I'm not sure. Whatever it is makes me love this song more each time I hear it!

#2 -- Young Women's

Oh boy do I love these girls!!! It should say "church" up there just in general because there are so many great things about it and wonderful people in our ward and stake. We'll just say that that's all included in this though because it would take way too many pictures for all of it. :) Anyways, I love young women's. It's a wonderful group of girls to hang out with and I feel like I can go there to be at peace, forget all my worries, and have a good time. It's amazing! And the girls are spectacular along with our wonderful leaders. Let's just say, it's the place to be every Tuesday night! :)

#3 -- Dressing Up!!!

Yes, I still enjoy dressing up, but everyone does right? You don't have to be little to.... It's just fun to act like someone that you're not and look like someone you're not. I don't know... it's just super duper exciting! Dressing up for our music videos with the Fagan girls is especially fun. Anywho, dressing up is one of my favorite things to do and that's that!! Oh, and P.S. The Wannabes will be coming out with an all new music video shortly!

#4 -- Magazines

I really like magazines. I'm not subscribed to any except for a photography magazine called Rangefinder, 

but I like buying them at stores every once in a while and flipping through them now and then. It's fun to look at the older ones I've kept like that special edition of People about High School Musical 2 up there. It's also fun to look at the newer magazines like my Martha Stewart Weddings one. :) I just like to read and look at pictures, so what could be better?!

#5 -- Mexico

I've only been to Mexico a few times when I was little (which I don't remember very well) and once in 2006, but I've fallen in love with it. I went with my mom, Noelle, and our friends (Lisa, Andrew, and Meaghan Bare) to Guanajuato, Mexico City, San Miguel and Mazatlan. The culture, the language, the people, the food, the buildings -- everything is wonderful about it. My favorite parts were all the cool little trinkets (of course) and the happiness that surrounds all of the people there. They are so much less fortunate than us when it comes to material things, but when it comes to the things that really count, they have it all just because they are grateful and happy. I love that about them! Like my tourist look going on in that picture? :)

And that's the end of "These are a few of my favorite things..." Post Numero Tres... tune in for next week's!!

Wednesday -- Inspiring Quote/Poem/Story Day?

Well then, today is Wednesday... and like I'm doing that "favorite things" post every Saturday, I think I'm going to start posting something every Wednesday too now. Like it says in the post title, it might be an inspiring quote, poem, or story. Or maybe it's just a funny one or something. We'll see. And it might not be every Wednesday. It just depends how this all works out! So, here's just one simple little quote thingy... whatever you wish to call it:

"It has been said that no one knows what he is capable of doing unless he has tested his ability or capacity. The reason many people accomplish so little is not because they make attempts and fail, but because they fail to make attempts. In which group do you voluntarily place yourself?" --Story Beacons

So, this isn't the best quote that I'll be sharing whenever I do this, but I still think it's really important. I like how it says "voluntarily" in the last sentence. It really shows that our success in life is really up to us and we can either choose failure by not trying, or eventual success and experience by trying like crazy. 

I probably won't be doing this weekly, but this type of post will start showing up on here more often, so be prepared! :)

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

Well, here's post numero dos for this category. I really enjoy making these posts even if people don't pay much attention to them. I guess it's just kind of my way of saying thank you and showing my gratitude for things that I mention in each post. Alrighty then, here we go!

#1 -- Zotz

These fizzy candies are awesome!!! Sheila gave everyone one of these things at their cabin the other day and it had been the first time I had ever tried one before (at least from what I can remember). You suck on them and slowly, little holes form and a bunch of fizzy stuff comes out from the center. They're amazing!

#2 -- Queen Latifah

Lately, I discovered that I really enjoy all of the movies that I've seen with Queen Latifah in them and the people she plays. Whether it's Last Holiday or Hairspray, I love her characters. She's just an all-around good actress!!

#3 -- My Kiss & Tell Book

Noelle would roll her eyes at this one and maybe a lot of you will, but I really do enjoy this book. :) It's about all these female celebrities' most memorable kisses. Whether it's the first kiss of her newborn baby, a slobbery kiss from the 5th grade, or a romantic little first kiss from her future husband or just a crush, I like almost all of them! It's just a cute book and I would suggest reading it (you can borrow it from me!) if you like this kind of stuff. A.k.a. If you're not Noelle or in the ABC Club :)

#4 -- Pride & Prejudice

This is another one of my favorite movies. I could watch it every single day!!! In fact, I've tried that once, but my family wouldn't let me because they were tired of it. But every time, it amazes me and makes me smile. I can't even begin to describe how much I love this movie!

#5 -- My "Inspire" Necklace from World Market

I got this necklace when we went down to Boise for my cousin's wedding at World Market. It was made in India and when I saw it, I instantly loved it. I also liked a "Dream" one and a "Wish" one or something like that, but I chose this necklace instead because I hardly ever see the word "Inspire" like this. I don't know what else it is about it, but I really love it!! Or as Kendall would say, "It makes me extremely happy!"

Labor Day

For Labor Day, we did our usual annual bike ride, but before that, my family, me, and 59 others got to participate in the Myers' Mini-Marathon. It was my first 5k since January or February, so it was a big but really good step for me. I only had to stop once due to my knees!! Just once! I was super happy about that.

After the run, we went on our bike ride out by the river. This year, Paige, Noelle's friend, and her mom, Kiff, came with us. It was fun and it was even better that last year weather-wise since it was a beautiful sunny day!! After our ride, we came back and had a barbeque at Paige's house and spent time goofing off and having fun. I went over to the Fagan's and talked to them for a little bit since they were out and right across the street. Anyways, they are definitely worth leaving a barbeque to talk to :) 

Well, here are some pictures!

Our bike ride was on this "Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes."

From left to right: me, Steven, Mom, Cam, Noelle, Dad, Kiff, Paige, and Tilly the dog

By Steven, we found this awesome mini rock tower that someone had made. Later, I found a snake and everyone took turns holding it. My mom was going fast this year!! That's her... smiling. And that's me in the bottom right, blowing a bubble of gum! Yeah!

At one point, we climbed up this huge rock. If one of us slipped to the right, it would have been a long, jagged fall to the river!

This is one of many beautiful views of the river by the trail.

This is the rock that last year, Bradley and I decided to claim. That's the joyous group of children that came up above.

Here's the snake I caught! Yes, it was teeny.

Then, the whole way back after the half-way point, my dad had to run back holding his bike like so because the front brakes got stuck. It's a downhill racing bike for mountains and such, so it wasn't going to come "unbraked" any time soon that day. He ran 5 miles like that even after running a 10k earlier that day!

Cambrie and me riding together

After the bike ride at our barbeque, we got to ride Cricket, their horse, bareback. We also did s'mores, which were very messy. But I'll save you all the horror of seeing exactly how messy they were on my face :)

Cricket!!

Paige and Kiff sharing a s'more just for the picture!

And this is Noelle, my little sister. :)

Mutual at the Sharp's Cabin

For Young Women's this last Friday, we went to our Bishop's lake cabin and celebrated the end of the summer. Even though I couldn't swim (and when I could, I didn't feel like changing), I had a blast just sitting around and talking with everyone. It was good bonding time :)

This is Alyssa being Alyssa... and Superman.

The models of the day, Alyssa, Noelle, and Abbey

These are Joette's feet. Isn't that tan line awesome?!

The crazy diaper girls: Shelby, Cam, Erin, and Joette.

I love how Champ is chasing after them off to the side :)

Cam with her friend, Kenna

Abbey, Lyndsey and me just chillin'!

Calie and Joette, sister's-in-law and both some of the funniest, most amazing people I know!

Shelby and Sheila, like mother, like daughter :)

Abbey and me showing off our scraped avocado skins... oh yeah, not really.

Someday, this napkin will be famous and worth millions. It has the signatures of Calie, who's just plain awesome!, Emilee (I don't know what she's going to be, but she'll be something cool), Brianna, a future famous photographer, Noelle, the famous dancer, Abbey, the worldwide-known chef, and Alyssa, the funniest comedian of her time!

And to finish the day at the cabin, Sheila with Champ hanging off the front... he's so adorable!

"These are a few of my favorite things..."

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things."

There's a photographer named Melissa Jill that I love to learn from. She's a wedding photographer and has a blog where she posts all of her weddings, engagement shoots, tips, photography secrets, and personal things. She tells her blog followers everything. One of the things she does is "MJ's Faves," a post every once in a while where she talks about a few things that she loves, so I decided to steal her idea and do it too!! Except I'll call my posts "These are a few of my favorite things..." So, starting now is my first official post for this!

#1 -- The Sound of Music

This movie has been a favorite of mine ever since I was a little girl and I figured it should be my first "favorite thing" since I'm using part of a song from it for my post title. :) The music is wonderful, the fun is fantastic, and the romance is beautiful!! I just love every little bit of it!

#2 -- Weddings!

I haven't been to a temple wedding for a few years, but just the last two weddings I've been to have been so beautiful, even if one of them took place on the coldest, rainiest day of spring/summer. :) They were both my cousins getting married and each one of them were so happy about getting married to the man they love. I love seeing how joyful newlyweds are!! I just can't stop smiling whenever I go to a wedding because of all the beauty and love. It's amazing!

#3 -- Julian Smith

Surprisingly, I found a normal picture of him!! This guy, like I've said before, is the funniest videographer I've ever seen (He's always making weird faces so that's why I've never seen a normal photo of him). His videos are totally and completely random, but they make me laugh every single time. And it's always nice to get a little laugh in every once in a while, right?

#4 -- Cross Country

Yes, I'm crazy to like distance running, but I really do. Like they say, "Cross country is a mental sport -- that's why we're all insane." Really though, being in shape feels nice. Racing is amazing too because just when you think you can't go any farther, all of the sudden a boost comes and you start gliding. Then, before you know it, you're sprinting for the finish line and crossing that finish line is the best, most accomplishing feeling ever. Then after that feeling of accomplishment, you're dead... but the strength comes back and it feels GREAT! Also, being part of a team and having the best coaches ever gives a sense of belonging and I know that I'll always have something or someone to turn to if I'm ever feeling down. Cross Country is really an amazing sport!

#5 -- My Family

"Families are like fudge --  mostly sweet with a few nuts." --Unknown

One of those nuts would be me, but what would a family be without those crazy people who get all the weird looks? Yeah, it would be a bit boring. My family has helped me so much though even if they do think I'm weird. :) I know I can always talk to one of them and it's just nice knowing you have people who love you no matter who you are or what you do. I love my family dearly, even if it's hard to show sometimes, and I know they love me. Families are pretty great!

And there's my first "These are a few of my favorite things..." post. It's hard to stop once you start, but I better keep it at five each week. Get ready for next week's post!! It's sure to be filled with things I love and hopefully you will too... maybe.

A Spectacular Blog

There's this guy named Julian Smith who makes the most hilarious little videos that I've "followed" (online... I'm not a stalker. :) ) for about a year now. If you want to check out his work, it's at juliansmith.tv , but what I'm really making this post for is his wife's blog (they just got married). It's a cute little blog with pointless videos (like mine) and fun little personal facts that she does weekly. I just discovered it about ten minutes ago and thought I would share it with all of you even if you don't ever check it out. Her web address is theoneinpink.com. Here's one of the many interesting things she has on her blog:



Enjoy!

My Summer...

was awesome!! Fantastic!! Inspiring!! I had a wonderful summer that just didn't last long enough. Here are some of the things I got to do:

Abbey and I met Taylor Lautner!!

I went on a hike for Girls Camp with the Young Women...

I helped pass out all of these and tons more at Ironman...

...with the help of these Roman/Scottish guys:

I enjoyed the 4th of July with barbecued ribs and fireworks at our Nana and Pops Smidt's house!

My family and I went to Boise and spent every single day by water at some point. On one of the days, I learned how to double ski, then slalom ski... it was hard, but I finally got it!

And we went to the zoo and had fun being crazy! Oh, and we got to see my grandparents' neighbor's newborn calf.

I had to be with these freaks... :)

I celebrated my birthday with a party with Jeff and went to the airshow at Fairchild.

I got to babysit these awesome kids, Brookey and Austin, with Noelle.

I finally got to go to Glacier!!! I went with Linda and Dave, Shawn, Chelsey, Callie, Reese, and Laurel...

Laurel, Callie, and me:

We floated the river with Linda, Laurel, and the Fagans...

Jacqualine, me, Laurel, and Noelle:

Cam, Jacqualine, Noelle, Kayla, me, Jaynie, and Laurel:

I went to Girls Camp!! Cassidy and I got to do our "Bagle Quest" too!

Those two, Olivia and Brook, in the upper left corner are hilarious!!! All of the princesses did a fantastic job and made me cry. Fred, Earl, Sampson, and Bubba reunited and... I got a picture of some friends :)

We got to shoot rifles too!! And in the bottom right corner, that's me, Abbey, and Jessie with our tent sign "The Other White Meat."

Upper Left Corner: Buddies!, Upper Right Corner: More Buddies!!, Lower Left Corner: Even more!!, and Lower Right Corner: My running buddy during Girls Camp, Malia!

We went to the Sharp's cabin and rode their "ski doos," as Sheila calls them :)

I spent most of my summer with these two crazy cute boys!

My mom's friend, Tina, visited us and we picked her up from the airport dressed like so in the upper left picture... then, later that day, I got to go with Tina and my mom to the Highlands spa as a birthday present from Tina. It was so nice and I loved the foot massage stuff! We spent the next day at Boulder Beach and Silverwood!

We played some tennis... I know you're jealous of our looks right now, whoever you are.

I attended Princess Emmalee's royal Sweet Sixteen birthday party!

I had a fun day at Kendrick Nagel's cabin with the Cross Country team and we played an intense game of Duck, Duck, Goose!:

And my family and I got to go to Boise again for my cousin's wedding! This was her cake:

The candy bar (there was also popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, french fries, watermelon, and corn dogs):

The beautiful ceremony: Nicole was such a gorgeous bride!

My family: The cute little girl in the upper right (Olivia) was the most adorable flower girl ever! And we had a blast dancing and being the crazy people we are :)

In the upper left corner: My cousin, Trevin, holding one of the neighbor's chicks (the same neighbors with the calf), Upper Right: Me with my cousin's wife, Debbie, in my uncle's Jeep, Lower Left: Noelle with our cousin, Kylie, wearing awesome Asian hats, Lower Right: Mandy, Noelle, Kylie, and Me (Our names for the night were Emma, Roxy, Angelica, and Georgia) at a Boise Stake Dance... it was SO fun!

Our last day in Boise: (Upper right corner is Knightley, one of the cutest little boys ever, and his little brother below him, Mason who is just as cute!)

The cross country team at Gooey's (the theme was 80s prom night, but not many of the girls dressed up. the boys did though!):

Just me being crazy with team buddies!

And that's my summer up to this point!! I hope yours was just as fun!

P.S. I went on my first date too!! It was super duper fun!