Winter Adventures

Alright, I am still learning how to do this whole blog thing... I realize that its been almost a year, however, A. I hardly spend enough time trying to figure it out. 2. I often forget that I have a blog that I want to post on and C. I only remember that I want to blog after several weeks/months then the daunting task of catch up is very overwhelming.....

But I am going to do my best to bring my blog up to date this morning!

I discovered what my calling in life should have been!!!
I know, I really dropped the ball on that one, having never gone ice skating until
I was 24 years old!! But I was quite please with the progress I made
in one evening. I went with my cousin Aub and our friend Erika and some of Erika's friends. I felt like I should be cautious, seeings how I am not a spring chicken anymore and falling on ice is hardly one of my favorite activities.
But after a few go-rounds I started to gain confidence!
Watching the little kids spin and speed past I wanted to try it too.... and I was actually starting to get the hang of it and began learning some fun tricks.
After an hour or so (without falling) we were getting ready to wrap up for the night and decided to take a few more spins around the rink. So in my newly acquired "pride mobile" I was gaining speed and came around to pass Aub and E, they clapped and cheered for me
adding to the pride filling my head! Then turning the next bend the thought crossed my mind,
"I could be and Ice Skating Prodigy!" (yes, that was my exact thought!)


The very next second...........


Needless to say I tumbled (Karma) and luckily the only real injury I obtained was to my EGO with a raspberry on my cheek and chin.... My brain was rattled and I tried to pop up acting like I was fine. Aub and E came to my rescue and we all laughed before they took my arms and made me skate around the rink one more time before we left.
Now the best (or most humiliating) part of the story. Exiting the rink a little girl fell and looked up at me so I smiled at her hoping she would understand its okay to fall sometimes :) and I didn't realize it at the time but her eyes had gotten big -like she recognized me- and she quickly jumped up and ran to her friend. We went to change out of our skates and I still wasn't quite thinking clearly, and continued to laugh making it difficult to untie my skates. Looking up from my skates to wipe my laughing tears away, I notice the little girl who fell and her friend peeking around the corner at me. I got a little self conscious but tried to ignore it because they ran off after that. Still laughing and having a hard time with my skates, I sat with a growing headache and a brain that wasn't very sharp trying to compose myself, when for the second time I noticed the little girls, who had enlisted more friends, peering at me from around the corner!
It was at that moment in frenzied laughter that I burst into tears, My emotional state wasn't very strong at the moment and the humiliation I now felt because a bunch of little girls were mocking me took its toll on my deflated sense of self :(
Although I experience the extremes in self confidence that night, I did enjoy Ice Skating and I do believe that I would like to go again some day!
To prove to myself that my sweet skills were not a fluke!

Thanksgiving: Aub and I were a little nervous that we were going to spend the Holiday alone, together, in our apartment! The weather decided to bring a storm that closed all the roads in Idaho! First thing to be GRATEFUL for; that the roads opened up again the day we wanted to go home! We were able to have dinner at Gma and pa's with all of the cousins who had come home. Second thing to be grateful for: FAMILY. Third thing, THE GOSPEL: I am grateful for who I am and what I have because of the knowledge I have of my Father in Heaven and His Son. Fourth thing. THANKFUL FOR LISTS... Its a tradition in the home of my adopted family and I love it! Everyone can write anything and everything they are thankful for and the list can become quite long! Last thing for this segment: FRIENDS. I have many wonderful people in my life and appreciate the examples of my friends! I know I am a better person because of the friends I have in my life (Long time and newly acquired)

New addition to the Balls Family: My sister Michelle and her husband Chris recently welcomed into their home and sweet little angel; Azaria Kennedy!

She is precious and I wish I lived closer so I could hold her more while she is still little!

On her blessing day we had our entire family there (minus Analee's husband Josh)
It was so fun to see everyone, and feel the love of our family as a whole!
I count my blessings everyday to have the family I have!
Siblings Picture!

Phewf.. This was a long one! I hope to not take forever to post again!

FALL for ME

October always makes me happy. It feels like the beginning of the HOLIDAYS for me and the colors and smells of Autumn make my heart smile!! I have been so busy with life happenings I just waited to blog about the whole month all at once!! So here are some peeks into the fun.

I took part is some wonderful Halloween Delights; a party at Pirate Island, (although the pic is of us before we went)












a masquerade ball, and of course



parving cumpkins ;)

PatiEncE in LOoooNg suffering

I have been working on patience throughout the last year and I have a pretty firm understanding that Heavenly Father knows way more than I do and provides me with the things I need at the time that is best for me...
not when I beg and cry and think I want things to happen :) ha

I found myself in a very sad place about a year ago, yet I was trying to keep my chin up even though everyday I recieved another rejection from the hundreds of jobs I had applied to. So the combination of disappointment from life and love had really started getting to me.
I persevered and held on the the knowledge that I still had MANY blessings to be grateful for and amazing friends who were always a comfort.
Making it through the WINTER was tough but as Spring came around I was feeling better about things even though I still had no answers or direction to quiet my fears of not having a job!
In May, the opportunity to return to MediFit was heaven sent! I was so glad to at least have something that if nothing else would provided me a stepping stone to better things.

Even though I was grateful to have a job, there were still things about it that were not the most ideal. About 3 weeks ago I was starting to fear that winter would be coming in just a few short months and the commute around point of the mountain was really begining to make me uneasy about having to drive to work and home, late at night in storms and such.

Friday the 13th (of Aug) I went with my friend to her brother's house to watch their kids, and during small talk I told him where I was working and he mentioned that there might be an opening in his companies Fitness Center (which is is Provo!) He gave me some information and Monday morning I called just to see if I could get any more details. The lady told me to send in my resume, She interviewed me Thursday and by Monday the next week I received an Offer Letter from company headquarters offering me the position!!
It was an offer I could NOT refuse! If the only thing that was better about taking this position was that I would no longer have to commute it would have been enough...
yet, almost everything about this position is better and more than I could have asked for.

My official first day as a BaySport Employee was yesterday.
I was anxious to see how different this position would be in comparison to MediFit
But the first day wasn't so bad, I was kind of unsettled last night when I came home to know if this was really a good idea... just like any other change!
I liked it but I was still concerned.
I'm still learning how to do my jobs but today was a little easier
and I anticipate that soon I will LOVE IT!!!

Still when I think about how perfectly the whole scenario came about, it humbles me to realize how intricately placed Heavenly Father's hand is in the details of my life!

HoMe aGaiN... hOmE AgaIn

This past weekend I was finally able to make it back to the Promised Land (Rupert) in almost 5 months! Friday evening I rolled into town just in time to attend my cousin Karee's

bridal shower. She is getting married on FRIDAY! craziness! Its still strange to me to grow up and see everyone doing grown up

things when I still think we should all be little kids.

Saturday morning I helped my dad with a few things around the farm,

as we drove out to the field to pick up his truck my car decided she was done.

After some detective work my dad figured it was the fuel pump.

I couldn't help but thank my lucky stars that 'Daphne' didn't decide

to pull that trick while I was driving to work on a busy

Utah road or out on I-15 the day before!

I had Rodeo plans for Saturday night, and oh how it made my heart smile! There is just something about hometown rodeos.. Running into friends you haven't seen for years, the sites and smells from childhood, and of course fair food!!! I have discovered recently that sugar makes my belly none too happy which may be a blessing so I didn't eat anything too sweet but I did enjoy some yummy dinner: chicken pita style! The Rodeo was all that I wanted it to be and when they announced cowboys from UT, I almost felt like my two worlds were colliding. I love my small town roots and my heart will always be there, however, I love, love being in the city and especially in Orem...It really has become my home- away from home.

I figured I would have to call in absent to work on Monday morning and spend Monday getting my car fixed. But to my surprise when I got home from the Rodeo there sat Daphne in the front yard all better! My wonderful brother and my cousin who is a mechanic sacrified their evening to fixing my car for me! Thanks guys.. Life Savers!

Monday morning though when I was getting ready to head back to Utah and to work my car wouldn't start...again!!!! This time it was the battery so my dad jumped my car, we drove into town to buy a new battery... Needless to say I felt like I had to buy a whole new car over the weekend, But I'm still counting my blessings that all the problems happened while I was home and could easily be taken care of.

Ei8ht Months Later....

I honestly do not understand where the time goes... Even in journal writing I have realized that weeks go buy before I realize that its been that long!!! Wowzers

Any whoodle-- just in recent updates, (I won't try to cover the last 8 months in one post)

After almost 18 months of being in the unemployed category. Well, I wasn't entirely unemployed... I still had a few hours a week at I'm Beautiful Salon & Boutique where I am slowly building my massage clientele. I really love working there with the girls and having all the opportunities that are provided to me from being part of their team!

Come visit me in Lehi on Fridays and Saturdays!!

Anyway, I heard hearsay of a position opening within the company I had done my internship with. Already having a foot in with the site I mentioned it to my friend and before I could even get around to emailing the Program Manager, He gave me a call! I still had to go through the interview process but after about 2 weeks he offered me the position and I accepted it!!

Its been a little over 2 months now that I have been working back with MediFit TM and I am so, so thankful to be there! It is still taking a few more months for me to start feeling like I am getting my feet back on the ground, and even though its a 45 minute commute one way I thank my Heavenly Father everyday that I at least
A-Have a job

2- It is in my field

and

C- Something I love to do!

Even though some days I've felt like all I do is work, I have gone on a few adventures this summer. Some hikes; one being the Narrows in Zion's National Park and we stayed in St. George for a few nights taking in the hotness!!! They had a heat advisory warning the day we decided to go on our hike... Thankfully we were in water and shade most of the hike making the heat fairly bearable.

I also went to my first ever Demolition Derby in the wonderful little town of Kamas, UT!!! It was a blast, being there made me feel like I was home in good ole' Rupe for an evening.

I went to the Manti Pageant for the first time at the end of June.

So many great things to experience during the summer in Utah and I hardly touched the surface of the fun...

Christmas-Birthday- New Year

As the 2009 year came to a close I was able to do something I have been thinking about and preparing for, for quite a while..... even though it was a little difficult to explain that I would not be going on a mission soon, or getting married. I was able to go to good ole' Twin Falls Idaho to recieve my endowment in the Temple there. It has been such a blessing in my life. I loved the temple before and now being able to return with a fresh new understanding has been remarkable!!!

I spent Christmas in Idaho and we had our 2nd Annual Parkview Christmas party with the whole family. The reason we have been doing it at the Rehab Center instead of Gma and Gpa Montgomery's is because Grandpa has been working through a couple hip sugeries over the last year and incidentally has been in the Hospital the past 2 Christmas'.

Almost all of us at Park View

Christmas was pretty low key this year and because my two older sister's families wouldn't be coming to my parent's house, my mom decided we should go to them... so we spent just a few hours in the car traveling to Jerome and Boise to see everyone!!!

Then in the midst of Christmas, my birthday and New Years, my roommates and I were moving!!! We spent most of last week moving and cleaning our old house. Luckily we are blessed to have amazing friends who would willingly come help us move (at least the big things like our couches and desks and beds) up to our now THIRD floor condo... We wondered what we had done but now that we are semi established in our new place we are really glad to be here. These pictures do not even show the maddness that really was the moving process... I felt like we could have been on a TV show like Hoarders, or Clean House :)

Birthday!!! Aub and I had a very schedueled day in order to make sure everything would be ready for the party we were having that night. We basically put together the kitchen and Front room to look like a normal house and threw everything else into our rooms and shut the doors!!! We invited a few friends had lots of food and for some reason this year I felt like resorting back to childhood and made people play pin the tail on the donkey, twister, and a silly "How well do you know Kristi" game that I made up! Mitch won and everyone decided the prize should be a kiss from me.... Then my sweet roommates gave me a new flat iron!!!

I was actually surprised by how well everything turned out and I was humbled to realize what a lucky girl I am to have so many amazing people in my life and what great friends I associate with. So ThAnKs again everyone for sharing such a fun day with me...

Last but certainly NOT least... New Year's!!! We had dinner with friends then went to a few parties and rang in the new year with sparkler's....

As for a New Year's resolution.. its hard to say, I start new goals throughout

the year so I don't really know...

I would like to do a little more traveling this year

and have a few more adventures than I was able to have last year being

in school again....

I'm just excited for a new beginging I have a good feeling

this will be a great year!!!