Gratitude

For the last week or so, I've felt really down. My motivation was gone and I felt like life wasn't really worth living. I didn't know what had changed! I was so happy only a couple of weeks ago....
A couple of weeks ago was Thanksgiving, and everyday for 15 days leading up to it, I would list 3 things I was grateful for.
I've realized that since I stopped doing that, I've also stopped looking for recognizing all the blessings in my life, and I think that's had such a big hand in why I've felt so blah.

What I ended up with at the end of those 15 days is a hodgepodge list, but it shows that there are so many things of different magnitudes to be grateful for. This is that list:

• My friendship with my mom, my little brother, colourful pens
• My warm bed, medication, literature
• My health, good music, opportunities to serve
• The Scriptures, the Internet, public transportation
• Institute, being alive, Tim Horton's
• General Conference, Latter-day prophets, Joseph Smith
• The Atonement of Christ, the power of the Holy Ghost, prayer
• Sweaters, exercise, hymns
• Water, my home, having graduated
• Breakfast foods, hair straighteners, dark lipstick
• Concerts, airplanes, driving
• My little cousins, missionaries, the sacrament
• Road trips, autumn, dreams
• Cats, cuddling, photo albums
• Fire, turkey dinners, LOVE

I am alive and healthy. I have family, friends, and a Heavenly Father who love me so much. I have all that I need and more, and I am so grateful!

Kaitlyn

Thanksgiving and my cute family

I am SO thankful for my family. I had an awesome weekend full of road trips, kayaks, turkeys, pictures, and cats. :)

Kaitlyn

Kayaking is scary

 Kayaking with my family this weekend was so fun! Our timing with the weather was PERFECT, and the lake was BEAUTIFUL. The water was low enough to be surrounded by beach, and it was so pretty. And the leaves! The entire ground was covered in gold.
However, nothing was more beautiful than my borrowed skort and water shoes. Kayaking has never been so stylish.
I almost fell in a couple of times, but I had a darn good time doing it!

Kaitlyn

Luke Bilyk

So, I got to meet Luke Bilyk (Drew on Degrassi). This was a little over a week ago, and it was sooo exciting! He was so genuinely nice and funny and cute. I'm still super happy about it. :)

Real happiness

A little while ago I found this quote on Pinterest:

There is SO much truth in that.

In the last couple of years, it has been so hard for me to feel truly happy. I never understood why things didn't just fall into place for me, or why people didn't notice me, or why opportunities never knocked. I was totally stuck thinking about myself and what the world could do for me, when really I needed to start thinking about others and what I could do for the world.
     Service is the greatest thing. Putting a focus on things and people outside ourselves is honestly the best way to be truly happy. You can't not feel good knowing you've lightened someone's load, made them smile, or changed their life for the better.
    On top of that, I've always had a problem seeking. Those opportunities I wanted? They were all there! I've had countless opportunities to join teams or clubs, or apply for volunteer work or jobs. All of it required me putting myself out there and me putting in effort... I've always been so scared of making mistakes or embarrassing myself in front of others... That has held me back from so much! It makes me sad to think about not only the happiness I could have obtained from seeking, but the happiness and help I could have shared with others. What friends could I have made? What lives could I have touched?
    
    
TO SUMMARIZE (because that was pretty ramble-y), put yourself out there and do good for others! I'm still working on that, but it's already brought me so much happiness. :)

xoxo
Kaitlyn

Waterton is my favourite.

It's been a very long but very happy week. A good chunk of it was spent in Waterton. Since SO MUCH happened, here is a brief summary of our trip:

Surrey bikes. Waterfall hikes. Gift shop crawl. Rock skipping. Chipmunk chasing. Chipmunk bites (oops). Three bear sightings. A thousand deer sightings. A million gopher sightings. Gill and Olivia and Sinea sightings. Pouring rain. Scorching sun. Lunch at ZUMS. Lots of ice cream. Lots of love. :)

xoxo,
Kaitlyn

Young Women's camp 2014

Us and all our camp leaders on the stairs behind our campsite. They were killer!

 

Sis Molcak, me, and Laurel on the hike

Aubryn, me, and Bailey, still hikin'

Caitlyn, Laurel, me, Aubryn, Heidi, and Bailey, before we left home

 

     This week was my last ever YW camp which is crazy and extremely sad! Camp was so fun though, and I'm glad I got to go!

     My first camp when I was 12 had at least 20 girls, and this year, there were only 7 of us. At first, I think we all thought that our small number would put a damper on camp, and I think we all agree that it was actually such a blessing! We all shared the same tent and got to do everything together. We all got to talk to each other and learn things we didn't know about each other. My love for those super cute girls multiplied by at least a thousand.

     Together we hiked, walked to the middle of a lake, sang our hearts out, and learned that gophers are evil (they ate through 2 of our tents!)

     My favourite part of YW camp has always been testimony meeting. Every year the Spirit is so strong and tears are shed. This year was no exception. I'm so incredibly grateful for the faith and the friendships strengthened this week!

 

xoxo
Kaitlyn

 

Momma

My mom is my only honest-to-goodness friend. I'm not complaining though. She's pretty cool.

Cuties in a zoo

Kiara and Jasmine are the sweetest girls

 

June bug

Madi Grace

Adam's the funniest kid

My grandpapa learned how to take selfies. haha

Colourful tongues, thanks to large amounts of cotton candy and ice cream

 

 

     I had a super fun day with 6 of my many cousins, my aunty Melissa, and my grandparents at the zoo. If we're being honest, our zoo is a little bit lame. But cramming into a tiny train car, paddle-boating around a tiny pond, and riding a tiny merry-go-round with my cute little posse was the most fun I've had in a while. Just look at those faces!

 

xoxo, Kaitlyn 

So much going on, and still so much boredom

 I took like a thousand selfies today just because.

 

 

     So Sunday was my first day in YSA, which is weird, because I'm not technically an adult yet... in any sense of the word, really... But it was really fun, and awkwardly quiet (where are the crying babies??).

     That's pretty much the only exciting thing that's been happening. I've been housesitting and babysitting quite a bit, and I still have lots coming up. I am a professional when it comes to watering plants, calming tantrums, and being used as a human jungle gym.
     On Tuesday I have my first interview for anything ever at Canadian Blood Services, and I'm seriously so excited to get to volunteer there. I kind of have this weird fascination with blood, and I love donating, so I think it'll be really fun to get to help out there!
     

 

My schedule has never been so full in my life  and I still have no idea what to do with myself. Life is fun.

 

 

xoxo,

Kaitlyn



Lots of firsts

This weekend, my family and I went to the Boat Club, which sounds a lot more fancy than it really is. It's a private campground on a reservoir in the middle of southern Alberta. I've been going every year of my life, but a lot of new things happened this time...
     Some of these things are honestly pretty gross (you've been warned). I witnessed a pig's legs being sawed off, I learned how to fillet a fish by watching it happen to 3 poor walleye, and found a bird's wing which was really sad but also kind of cool? So I think at this point I can safely say that I am a true woman of the wilderness (hahaha jk I was definitely way uncomfortable the whole time).
     My firsts weren't all disgusting, although they were quite embarrassing: I tried water skiing. And knee boarding. LET ME TELL YOU, it is harder than it looks. Maybe I should have realized this beforehand, but both of these activities require balance and upper-body strength, both of which I have a serious lack... But while I couldn't make it up on either, I got REALLY close on the knee board until I fell over, which is better than I thought I'd do! I'm also super proud of myself for at least trying. That water is bone-achingly cold and I've always been too scared to try. It's a small accomplishment for me!

 

While we're on the subject of firsts, this ^^ happened a week or so ago. I ran (but mostly walked) my first 5k with my best friend. It was so much fun running around my city getting blasted with colour! It's made me want to start running... We'll see how that goes...

xoxo,
Kaitlyn

Oh hey, life.

This is the face of a girl who is very excited to be done high school.

Today I wrote my last diploma exam. Which means two very exciting things: 1) I am officially done high school, and 2) I am officially on my gap year!

     High school was not a great experience for me. In fact, it was generally pretty awkward, embarrassing, and stressful. I was maybe not as good a student as I should have been (oops), I had my heartbroken, and I said and did some pretty stupid things. Words can't explain how excited I am to leave it all behind!

     Now I get to spend a year doing the things I want to do. I get to volunteer lots (I've already applied for Canadian Blood Services), go on road trips, read all the books I want, take all the pictures I want, meet people, run, learn, work... Right now I'm at the point where my mind is racing with all of the possibilities I have for my life, and I'm EXCITED! I'm going to do my best to make sure I don't let my time or talents go to waste. I've always been scared to try new things, but I want that to change.

     Since such a big part of my life has ended and an even bigger one is just beginning, I figure a good way to kind of mark the occasion is by starting a blog. This blog will be my way of getting my thoughts and experiences out there. It'll help me figure out who I am, who I want to be, and what on earth I'm going to do with my life.

    

     So here's me, (trying to) grow up!

xoxo,

Kaitlyn