"Good Job Eileen!"

As many of you know, my Aunt Eileen lives with my parents. I recently moved back to Cedar City, and have had the opportunity to spend some time with her. She has always had a habit of internalizing the word "good." If ever we're talking about how the movie was good, or how the food was good, she will always say "Good job Eileen!"

When my Dad was serving as a Bishop of a married student ward, he spoke one time about this habit that Eileen has. He made a wonderful point, and these past few days I have really thought about it. He said that instead of being so pessimistic about ourselves, we need to internalize the word "good." We need to tell ourselves "Good job Katie!" or "Good job _______ (fill in the blank)!" Instead of beating ourselves up about little mistakes we make, we need to remind ourselves that tomorrow is a brand new day, and that we can continually try to change and become more like our Father in Heaven.

So, the next time I'm feeling down on myself I'm going to say "You're doing good Katie!" I think that by doing so, I can be a happier person and have a more optimistic perspective on life. Feel free to join me in the "Good Job!" movement. :)

Sombrero Expedition

My cute friends Katie Lee and Katie Hawkes and I went on a sombrero expedition. We went to the mall and tried on every hat we could find. There are some cute ones, some ridiculous ones, and some crazy ones. We had so much fun! Horay for the Katies!

Classic!

So I work with a little boy, named Austin, and his family has a pool in their back yard. We spent a whole day in their swimming pool and were doing tricks and making up games. MacKinzie, Austin's older sister, and I were competing to see who could stay on this beach ball the longest. Here is my attempt...and the fact that I'm putting it on the internet for all to see proves how the entertainment of others is much more important to me than my self respect. Feel free to watch it numerous times.

Great Friends

If I have learned anything in this past year, it is that I have fabulous friends! In Arizona and in Cedar, pretty much everywhere. I am so grateful for them all and don't know where I would be without them. Here are some people that mean the world to me.

The Ranch Chicks. I worked with these girls in Idaho two years ago at Elk Creek Ranch. Some of my best memories have been made with these girls. By the way, their names are Brianna Haynie and Krista Isom.
Kendra Haynie, I don't need to explain why I love her.
My new friends Katie Lee and Katie Hawkes, who both informed me of a little known fact: Everyone needs a Katie.

My friends from left to right: Corey Gillett, David Packard, Rustin Foster, and Tyson Hugie.
My cousin Brittany Lewis at my Aunt Eileen's 50th Birthday party.
Austin (the love of my life and little boy I work with) and his sisters MacKinzie and Madison. These people have become my second family here in Arizona and it is going to be hard for me to leave them.
My awesome friend Annalies (a.k.a. Bib)
Jerika Barnes, Saryn Haynie and myself at my birthday party in Cedar City.

I love reflecting upon my life and recognizing how truly blessed I am. I feel so loved by everyone and it's a good feeling. I wish I could put a picture of everyone that has changed my life on here, but I know there wouldn't be enough room.

Raspberries!

Lillian is by far my favorite niece...ok she's my only niece, but I love her guts! Because I love Jen and Alec and their kids so much, I basically live at their house about 2 days a week. I was babysitting Lily whil Eric was at Pre-school and was blowing raspberries on her tummy. She was laughing that genuine gut laugh and I couldn't resist getting it on video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.