Hawaii

This week I am in Hawaii and for the first time ever I am in Kauai. It is so beautiful! It looks like the movie Avatar in some areas! I love coming to Hawaii, soft elbows, the way it smells, the happy and laid back people, the way my hair gets all puffy and frizzy, and the way I turn into a lobster by the end of the trip. Today we went and saw some amazing waterfalls and played in the ocean. We also played some tennis, which probably looked pretty ridiculous for anyone watching because it sure didn't look like tennis. I think our highest rally was 4. But it was lots of fun! The ocean is so beautiful here and we are going paddle surfing in the morning. I made it one whole day without frying myself so maybe I won't turn into a lobster this trip!

4th Grade Field Trip

This past week I was able to go on a field trip with my nephew Damon's class. This is the same class that I used to volunteer in so I was super excited. All of the kids ran to greet me when I walked in and the girls all gave me big hugs. I didn't realize how much I missed them! They are so darling. We went to This is the Place Heritage Park and saw how the pioneers' lived. My group was all boys and they were so much fun. We got to pet baby lambs and baby goats and we got to be chased by giant sheep too. They learned about the schools, hospitals, mountain men, handcarts, blacksmiths, and a few other things. We even did the Virgina Reel. It was such a good day. Damon is such a funny kid and we have so much fun together. We are ten years apart but it never seems that way when we are goofing off together. By the end of the field trip I was super exhausted and I even fell asleep on the bus. Kids are such wonderful blessings in our lives and I am so grateful to have such cute/fun nephews.

Sisters

Sometimes I take for granted how much my sisters affect my life. They have always been there for me and always watch out for me. They have taught me everything I need to know in life. For example, they taught me how to backcomb my hair (that always saves a bad hair day), how gross feet are (we call them bare bums), how NOT to dye your hair, how to be strong when your world is crumbling, how to be an amazing mother, how to get good grades, how to be spontaneous, how to stay young at heart, how to never give up, how to have fun, how to laugh for hours, and how to love people and life. They have helped me through half marathons, heartache, my painful teenage years, and through everything I throw at them. There is never a dull moment with the Duncan girls and I love that. I have the most beautiful sisters in the whole world, and I would like to see someone try to prove me wrong on that one. Thank you to my 3 role models, you have made me so proud to be your little sis and I love you so much!

Staton

I have been watching my sweet little 2 year old nephew all day today and it has been exhausting! We walked to the park and played on the slides. Then he just felt like running around and I was out of breath following him. He makes me laugh so hard though because he is just so dang happy! We went and saw the "moos" which were horses but for some reason he calls them moos. He kissed the horse on the nose and it was so cute. He also gave me a kiss later without me asking and that was pretty darling. I have been rewinding Madagascar so that he will fall asleep and I think he is almost there. Changing diapers and cleaning up after the disasters isn't much fun, but seeing a kid smile up at you or reach up for you to hold them puts a little sparkle in your life. Love you Stat...

Trying not to get my hopes up

So there is this really awesome job that I have received a conditional job offer for. I just have to pass all the drug and physical tests and then I am in. Problem is that I won't know if I passed for a few days and it is driving me crazy!! I want this job more than anything right now and it would be so wonderful if I got it. But I know that "for everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else" (Ralph Waldo Emerson). So if I lose this I know I will gain something else and I know everything happens for a reason.

I am sorry...

I hate hurting people feelings. I will go through pure torture to not hurt someone, which eventually ends up hurting them. I just cannot say the word "no" to people and it makes life really tough. I was thinking about The Invention of Lying movie and I just wish it could be like that. Everyone would just have to tell the truth and then that way the truth wouldn't hurt as bad because we would be used to it. I think I have finally learned my lesson and I am just going to have to toughen up and tell people how I feel, even if it kind of stings... because what is worse, a lie that brings a smile or the truth that brings a tear?

Beads

There is nothing like hanging with your best friends and thinking up random activities to fill your night. We searched Walmart for some tie dye and ended up leaving with beads to make cheesy friendship bracelets. Sorting through the bowl of random beads was a task that had us laughing til we cried. I mean come on... there were fish beads that looked like drumsticks and random animals like giraffes and poodles. Then we used the timer on my camera to take pictures of us. I know we are lame but it was too fun! At the end of the day I don't care what I did or how I did it, I just want to go to bed knowing I laughed as hard as I could and had as much fun as I could with people I love!

April - All the single ladies...

April was when I decided to put myself back out on the dating market. I haven't ever really been single, well since before I was 16 that is. It is so interesting. I didn't know guys could actually like me! I mean I get the occasional smile from a guy and I have plenty of guy friends but that's pretty much it. It has just been so long! This month was full of a few crazy dates and weird experiences with the opposite sex. Dating can be so much fun but it can also be a disaster. I hadn't been on a first date since the summer before my Junior year so I think that is 3 years! I had no idea what to expect. I had so much going through my head. "Do I pay for anything? What is the cheapest thing on the menu? Am I supposed to hold his hand? That was awkward. Please say he doesn't expect me to kiss him. Am I boring him? Am I talking too much? Oh man please don't ask me out on another date." At the end of the day, I would laugh about the awkward moments and the embarrassing things I did. And occasionally I would have a really good date, one that even after you go inside and shut the door, you can't stop smiling...

Chandler - A girls best friend

I lost my best little buddy on March 27, 2010. Everyday since December 2001 that little guy had been by my side through everything, literally. He followed me everywhere, he was my little miniature shadow. Every time I came home I would run to the bottom of the stairs and he would come running down to greet me. He was always so excited to see me even if I only left for a few minutes. Every night he would snuggle up beside me and I always felt so safe with him there. He was part of the family and us losing him is really hard on everyone. Even my cute nephews that are 10 and 6 cry over him. I can't even express how much I love that dog. Every time I come home I still look up the stairs for him and every night I still wait for him to come snuggle up next to me. But I know that angels in heaven are watching out for him for me, because all dogs go to heaven.

March - The sun will still rise...

No matter what trials or hardships happen in your life, the world keeps moving. No matter how bad things get, there is still happiness and laughter in the world.
So, after a few weeks of mourning in my black apparel, I decided that I needed to start living again. I prayed for the strength to move on with my life and to be happy again. So I purchased a ticket to Newport Beach and headed down for some Spring Break fun with the girls. The days consisted of beach, laughing so hard it hurts, heart to hearts, hot surfer boys, relearning how to ride a bicycle, shopping, and donuts! My friend Lindsay helped me so much that week by just being adventurous and crazy with me and we had so much fun cruising around with the windows down, our hair in our face, and the music turned all the way up! It is amazing how a little bit of sun can have you laughing and smiling again. This week was full of the best adventures and sunburns and I will treasure it always.

February - Saying goodbye to love...

The end of January brought a lot of heartache that would lead my life for the next month. My best friend in the entire world would be leaving on February 24th for two years to serve a mission. I have had a lot of friends come and go in my life but Landon was always there. He was and still is the only person to truly know who I am and what is in my heart. Every night in February before I said goodnight to him, I couldn't help but shed some (a lot of) tears, for I knew that I was one day closer to two years without him. I know it sounds dramatic, but my heart slowly broke to pieces that month. That month we spent every waking moment together and lived life as much as we could. I have never laughed so hard and cried so hard in the same days as I did this month. Hugging him for the last time was so unbearable and I thought that I would never be able to recover after I let him go. I know that everything happens for a reason and I also know that the Lord needs Landon more than I do right now. I know that he will be an amazing missionary and that the people in Samoa will love him. February 2010 was one of the absolute hardest months of my life but it was also one of the very most rewarding and amazing ones too.

January

January was a complete roller-coaster. The beginning of a new semester of college made me super giddy and excited. I was taking Nutrition, Human Sexuality, Intro to teaching, Analysis of Argument, and my personal favorite, theater. I found out shortly that these classes were not as fun as people said they would be. Human sexuality was full of TMI (too much information), some days I would leave feeling sick to my stomach and I almost still fear my own anatomy! I can honestly say that I did not learn more than 10 things in my nutrition class, and my argument class was a joke because if you know me, I am not much of an arguer. Theater was really fun though and I left that class knowing everyone in my class by name. Intro to teaching was pretty painful but we were required to observe and teach in a classroom for 18 hours. I decided to ask my neighbor who teaches 4th grade if I could do my assignment in her class. I have always believed that I was not a kid person. If they weren't very closely related to me then I didn't like them. But those 10 short weeks that I spent with that 4th grade class made me realize how special kids are and what great potential they have in life. They are all so different and full of life, I just felt amazing everyday I got to see them. I still don't know if 4th grade is for me but I know that it is definitely an option that would be full of excitement and challenge!