Maddie Hyde,

Your blog Is lovely and so are you! You were my inspiration to start this in the first place...and you inspire me in so many flippin' ways it's not even funny. I love your post...I love you.

Home for Christmas;)

Yes...It is 1 am...and yes,I am being super lame and blogging right now.. But let's be honest, sleeping just isn't something that happens on Christmas eve:) at this moment in time, there is a seven year old little girl asleep in the room across from mine. There Is also an 18 year old blonde boy here who is celebrating his last Christmas In America. This house is filled with love tonight. It is the same love that was felt earlier tonight at our lovely wade family Christmas party. The same love that will be felt around Wendy's dinner table tomorrow, and the same love that's in Troy's sweet little boys and even,in Granny Smith's sweet holiday visit.:)

Christmas is a celebration of Christ's birthday, and if he could have anything for his birthday, I know for a fact, that it would be for families to come together, and to love and serve each other. I feel so ridiculously blessed to have so much family loving and serving me on this fine holiday:)

*That is all*

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a goodnight:)

One day.....

"You feel like you're falling backwards
Like you're slippin' through the cracks.You walk outside and all you see is rain, You look inside and all you feel is pain And you can't see it now...
But down the road the sun is shining
In every cloud there's a silver lining
Just keep holding on. every heartache makes you stronger But it won't be much longerYou'll find love, you'll find peace and the you you're meant to be
I know right now that's not the way you feel, But one day you will. Find the strength to rise above. Find just what you're made of. One day you will"

-Lady Antebellum


Sometimes...the sweetest silver lining you can find in a situation, is that it's not forever. That's how it feels right now. But with all that I am, I believe that one day I'll look back on everything I've been through, and know, that it was all for a reason, and a beautiful part of making me a much better person than I am right now:)

11.11

This morning, sister dearest asked me if I was jealous of her birthday. I didn't want to say yes. I didn't want her to have the satisfaction of having a better date of birth than I do! but come on guys, we all know how i answered that question!

This day coincides with my very favorite number, the most magical number of all, 11! For 120 seconds each day, 2 elevens beside each other bring me so much hope as they light up my cell phone screen. Today, that hope is doubled or even tripled! You see, all 24 hours of today are 11-11! So you'd better start wishing! This day is pure MAGIC!:)

Friday CAME.

For the past 16 and a half years, I have had a great friend by my side. He has lead me, he has helped me, he has loved me, and he has shown me how to be better. Part of me feels like losing that friend for two years is going to be really sad. But most of me, is filled with joy for my brothers and sisters in El Salvador and Belize, because now, this incredible young man is about to be their friend! He can lead them to the gospel, help them find their savior, love them, and show them how to be the very best they can be! There is no doubt in my mind he will change their lives, because friends, Kaden James Smith is the kind of person who changes lives, forever and for good!

South America, you have NO IDEA what you're in for! March 6th, 2013!

White as snow.

Last week, I sat around a familiar tree, with a familiar group of people. Because these people are all 16 years of age, the topic often circles back to that of driving. Each time we reach that conversation, I wait for the jab or mocking glare from P skousen. You see, he's seen me make some of the most terrible mistakes a driver can make and he's not very keen to let me forget them. But even, that left-side-of-the-road-can't-find-the-stop-sign incident he witnessed, was absolutely nothing compared to the many mistakes my father has seen me make in a motor vehicle.

The other day, I made such a mistake while backing out. Yet again i had caused damage to his car and I had done everything my very patient dad has repeatedly taught me not to do. When I talked to him about it a few seconds later, I fully expected there to be well deserved anger and frustration in his tone.

Instead, he just told me how to fix the problem, let me know everything was going to be okay, and even, gave me back the keys and let me try again.

My earthly father, was an absolutely beautiful representation of our heavenly father!

We all make mistakes, do things he has specifically taught us not to do, and sometimes, we even repeat mistakes from our pasts.

When we do, our father is not there to condemn us. He's not there to taunt us, or to make us feel inadequate because of our short-comings. just like my dad, he is there to love us, to remind us of the way back, and to help us start over when we fall short of the people we should be.

As someone who has fallen short countless times in my life time, I can testify that repentance is real. It is real because of our elder brother, Jesus Christ. No matter how far we feel we've strayed, how many ways we feel we have sinned, or how hopeless we feel we are, we will never sink below Jesus christ' atonement, or below our eternal father's perfect love for us.

I am so grateful to have this gospel in my life. And so grateful for the forgiveness which is constantly bestowed on me from my earthly family as well as from my heavenly parents!

The church is true guys. Know it. Live it and love it, because he loves you, I promise!

Heyyy Mattie Jane.....

Today, I found a really cute, worn out little Teddy bear. It reminded me of 1st grade.. And 3rd grade..and 7th grade! You see, so many of my most amazing memories are wrapped up in that thing! Just like theyre wrapped up in songs about cantelope, and in failed sledding adventures,and in the fray and high heels, and St.. George trips, but mostly, just, in you my dearest Mattie Jane cilvia guam Irish!! Growing up by your side has been an absolute delight and a pleasure! I can't believe how much we've made it through together, and I can't wait until we are crazy old ladies! You will probably chase me around the nursing home trying to hit me with your Kane! But I wouldn't have you any other way! You will always be my 74th cousin, and one of my dearest friends in this world! And I love you!

....just sayin.....

music is a magic thing!

Sunshine and 70's Music.

This blog is named after my childhood nickname, smiley, But lately, I have not lived up to that title at all! I've been ornery, pessimistic, angry, hurt and everything in between! Yes! grumpy teachers, family drama, and silly high school clicks have caused me to be everything except smiley!

Luckily for me, my best friends and sweet family make it impossible for that beastliness to last very long:) and if a visit to the temple and an attempted date with a fantastic young man wasn't enough to lift my spirits, there was also that lehi game turned wingers trip and that insane vintage dance party that followed! Not too mention the text from miss Kimmee wade, that kept me screaming for minutes on end:)

Always remember to look up, to count your blessings, and to never take anything for granted! because no matter how tough it gets, everything will be happy in the end, and if it's not happy, than it's not the end!:)

Obsessed.

For good.

"there's no place like home, there's no place like home"


Like so many others, those four words were a big part of my childhood! And although I will always love the original "Wizard of Oz" About 2 years ago, I learned to look at that same lovely story in a completely different way when I saw "Wicked" for the first time.
In case you didn't know, wicked is easily the best thing ever to hit a stage:) and because my auntie spoils me absolutely rotten, last night, I had the glorious opportunity to go and see it again with some of my favorite people on planet earth:)
Although, I could comment forever on just how much I love those crazy ozians, that is not the point of this post:), the point is to talk about about just one song ..my favorite song in wicked, and quite possibly of all time. ....The song is "For Good" (as I'm sure the title didn't give away at all:). It's sung at the end when the time comes for 2 former best friends, to say goodbye, and close the part of their lives that the other person was a part of.
I was incredibly thankful today, to have the amazing lyrics of that song stuck in my head, as I had to say a pretty difficult final goodbye to someone who is a huge part of my past.
Although I know that I will see this person again in this life time, and my situation is not half as extreme as those magic ladies, it's still a chapter of my life that's closed now...or maybe, one that has been closed for a very long time, and I'm just now accepting it.
In any event, it was a tough blow, and while I was priding myself entirely on not bursting into tears, trust me, I wanted too! Somewhere in between the wondering why and the painful trips down memory lane, I thought again and again of these words:


"let me say before we part, so much of me, is made of what I learned from you....you'll be with me, like a hand print on my heart, and now whatever ways our stories end, just know you have re -written mine by being my friend."

No matter what happens, the lord knows when we need people and why we need them, and even if they arent in our lives forever, The people who touch our lives, touch them forever and FOR GOOD:)

A State of optimism

         It's a constant battle in my life. And honestly, I think it's a constant battle for all of us. At every point in time.  there is Something that's not going quite right. Hence, every day we are making a choice. A choice to find the sweet silver lining, or to let the darkness in our lives be more important than the light, personally, I think the first is the best option.

        If you want to be happy, you will be. And that happy will shine through you, to the point that those around you, have no choice but to be happy too! So love yourself, love those you are around! Love the good in your life, and even, love the bad. After all, all of it, is what makes you, "you" and all of you are amazing! 

     Be happy now, because happy is a choice, not a destination:)

Pranking in the third degree.

Once upon a time, there were 6 incredibly mischievous teenage girls. They were loud, they were obnoxious, and they were cray cray, but they were also complete geniuses! You see these 6 girls, were the BR1/PP4 YCL's and this year at girly camp they pulled off what is possibly the greatest prank in the history of Mormonism!
The mission began at approximately 11:30 on Thursday night after our eyes were all out of tears from a fab testimony meeting and all the leaders were safely in their tents. We did our best not too laugh as we picked up our own tent and began moving it about a half of a mile south. In the morning time we heard screams and frantic chatter from our dear sweet presidency...they probably thought we were abducted by roughens and thugs! But dont worry, we were eventually discovered asleep on the ampatheatre stage...and indeed forced to help clean up!
Ok...probably we aren't as cool or funny as we think we are, but one thing is for absolute certain Drea, Mattie, McKenna,Mindy, ryan and I had the absolute time of our lives in that YCL tent! We felt a profound spirit, laughed ourselves to tears and indeed, created true and lasting friendships!
So thank you my dear sweet YMCA's and thank you to my entire BRUNO ward family for making this yet another incredible year at girls camp! And for helping me know Christ better, just like you always do:) I love my young women, I love girls camp, and I love peanut m&ms, but mostly I love my savior and the incredible changes he's instilled in my heart this summer! He lives, he is real, and he loves us, I promise:)

Things that make me happy:)

This show!:

This place:

This ward:

this girl!:

THESE GIRLS!!:

This BOYYYYYYY:):

But more than anything.........

THIS PLACE! And the amazing feeling I get from being in it:)

happy summer <3

Hope you know, we had a hard time...

So sometimes...I'm extremely controlling. I like to do things MY way, on MY terms in MY right time. Im kind of a diva that way:)..But you see, there's someone who's way is always better than mine, someone who knows the pain I feel, and the fear in my heart better than I ever will. His name, is Jesus Christ. And there isn't a doubt in my mind that he DOES know I'm having a hard time..and his plans for getting me through it, are much better than mine could ever be. So for now, all I can do, is turn over the control to him, all the while, remembering to thank him for all that he has given me and even, for these hard times, after all, they force me to seek his comfort, and then, this awesome little thing happens where his love encircles me and i can't imagine anything sweeter than feeling love from the very man who proved that love is real:)


"be still my soul, when years and trials are past, all blessed there in we shall meet at last:)"

EFY OVERLOAD!!

A Picture says a thousand words?...well these pictures don't even begin to describe how absolutely incredible EFY was! I had the incredible opportunity to get to know these wonderful people, and I got to know Christ...through them:) Here are some of the millions of adventures I had last week! (Thanks a lot to my dear Timber Shay for letting me steal these:):) 

WHAT ROCKED?: EFY ROCKED:) love you guys so much! 

And now, my son, remember.

Sometimes, I sit at home on Saturday nights and watch "the price is right" it's a crazy little show on which people are simply asked to guess how much an item costs. Some people are crazy off in their guesses, people will Value a $400 TV for only $200, a $60000 car at only $2000 or even a $5 loaf of brad at $15!
But you see, technically, all of those people are right! In case you wanted an economics lesson today, I'll have you know that the value Of an item is "whatever someone is willing to pay for it." So i ask you, what, then, is the value of a soul?
That Is the question that every price right contestant should dread! Because there is no number, no amount and no possible way to comprehend the price Christ paid for our souls. He suffered more than any human heart will ever understand, he went like a lamb to the slaughter, he bled, and he cried and he died, to pay the awful price for our sins, and he did it because HE values our souls, more than we will ever know.

In return, he only asks 2 things of us!
1) that we try to live like him.
2) when we fall short, we use the incredible gift of his atonement to come back.

Personally, I think we owe him that and so much more! now is the time to arise, to repent and to become the people he wants us to be! It is the only way to show him that we are grateful for his incredible gift!

I have had an amazing week at EFY, I have grown in grace and wisdom, I have felt God's love for me, and come to LOVE 30 people who a week ago, were complete strangers. I felt a light growing in my heart,that no doubt, is the light of Christ and I have seen my testimony grow in countless ways!

However, none of it matters at all if I don't stick to the goals I set for myself at BYU campus! If I forget what the lord has let me feel, or if I return to old, Nasty habits! So I just wanted to share with you all, that I'm commiting to being a better me, to being the me our redeemer needs me to be. I want to be a better sister,daughter, neighbor and friend! And most of all, I want to never forget to put the lord very first! He deserves that so much!

I'm so grateful for this week! I'm so grateful to be one of so few people in the world who have this light and knowledge. I love the prophet Joseph smith, without him, I would be walking blindly with no knowlege of the truth, And most of all, I love Jesus Christ. He is my brother, my best friend, my advocate with the father,my redeemer, my protector, my EVERYTHING! I always want to remember that, and to live my life like I do!

Thank you so much my heroes in Zion company, for actually being my "heroes" and showing me what it means to remember!! I love you my brothers and sisters:)


PS: prepare to be bombarded with crazy stories and pictures from this crazy, wonderful week, very VERY soon:)

Confession.

I, Kylie smith, am and always will be, In love with drop dead diva!:) I don't care that it's a cheesy chick flick series, I don't care about the stupid random musical numbers, I don't even care that it's really about a dead model possessing a lawyers body! All I care about, is Grayson realizing that Jane is the love of his life.. And stacey and Fred ending up together....and jane finally telling him the truth! I love it! So so much! Judge me all you want!...im still going to love it! Now of you'll excuse me, my 18th DDD episode of the day is begging to be viewed!

My love life is like an iPhone...

....I don't have an iPhone:):)

thought of the day:):)

An anthropologist proposed a game to a group of African tribe kids. He put a bas...ket full of fruit near a tree and told them that whoever got there first won the sweet fruits. When he said "go," they all took each others' hands and ran together, then sat and enjoyed the fruits together. When he asked them why they had run together, as one could have had all the fruits for himself, they said: "Ubuntu. How can one of us be happy if all the others are sad?"

UBUNTU in the Xhosa culture means: "I am because we are."

Oh wait, it's just a sparkle:)

I will marry the man who sings this to me.  Or even just the man who uses one of these pick up lines on me!:)

I'm one of those.

One of those people who will post two super molly-mormon posts in a row!..But I feel like it's fine:) I wish that I had words to describe how much I love this....but there are no words that powerful! So just watch it and see(:  The church is true friends.

Feeling like a rock star...well a Bartholomew:)

Kaylie laiele, I want you to know, that today I totes ate Mac with cottage cheese and Italian dressing! And I didn't even feel like it tasted odd! ... Guess I just spend way to much time at your casa:)...couple more weeks and I'll be eating sugary tortillas and penut buttery ice cream:)

Sleep deprivation:)

How many teenagers do you know that would say operating on 3 hrs of sleep daily is a good thing?...probably not many...and usually not me at all, however it is lovely to report that this week has been a beautiful exception! You see this week, I had the fantastic opportunity to go to the temple not only 1 time, but 2 whole times with my dear friends! (ok technically it was only 1 and a half times, but the lack of communication skills between teenage girls is not going to be discussed on this little blog of mine:) this week has been the greatest thing that's happened for me in a very long time! I've been happier, closer to the spirit and so much more at peace with every little thing that is happening in my life! Great little epiphany eh? Go to the temple and you will be uplifted...obvious right? So why on earth did it take me forever to figure that one out?!
Morals of the story: don't forget to take advantage of the fact that we live in Utah! Some people sale everything they own just to go once! It costs us nothing to go except a couple hours out of our day! Si, go often! There is work to be done!:)
But much more importantly, if you seek the Lord you WILL find him. He wants to help us more than anything, but it's up to us to take that first step, sacrifice time and energy and talents for him,and he will answer all of your prayers.
He defiantly answered mine through my amazing friends this week, so may I just say, for the millionth time on here how much I love them! I love that when we asked if anyone wanted to go to the temple, they all said yes. I love that it's not even a question when they're asked to skip lunch for a seminary lunchside! And even love that one of them just texted a scripture to me! ( way to be a stud Trevor;) thank you a million tomes to all my friends, for being who they are, and who they are, are the best, and strongest people I know! Love you all!:)

One Direction infrection!

Sorry Beibs, you've been replaced:)

                                                    What makes you beautiful:

 One Thing:)

Why can't all men be studly, attractive and have accents?:)....I would like that, I would like that ALOT!:)

Oh Mandy,

So recently, certain young men... who shall remain nameless:)  have been pretty adamant that as Mandy is mentioned in fewer posts than Kaylie, on my lovely little blog, my love for my two dearest friends must be unequally weighted...to this I reply....PSH!!! Come on folks do you not KNOW Amanda Christine Estes? Obviously, my life would have little purpose with out her!.... Mandy my love, if you should  happen to see this just know that I love you! I love it when you leave a party at 6:00 to go home and make an apron! I love that your little brother is chair of the FSA, I love the time spent on your trampoline and the children we encounter there, I love the memories we made at EFY and the fact that we got so little sleep because of them. I even love when we watch period films for hours at a time! Kay and I don't do it because we like them....we do it because we like YOU!...like alot! So just remember that you are indeed loved! By me, and just about everyone else!:) see ya starshine:)

....you are larger than life indeed:)

Blank Stares at blank pages.

What's better than a general authority? ....A German general authority obviously! And when the GA in question is president Uchtdorf you can pretty much expect lovely! There's this darling little talk he gave that I am quite nearly obsessed with, the talk is, "happily ever after" I countinually find little flecks of gold that I have never encounterd even after the seventy billionth time of reading it! Today I read yet again the words,

"Your own wonderous story has already begun, your once upon a time is now!!"...

I was thinking about that. About just how much more I have to do and accomplish in this life, and about how many more beautiful and wonderous experiences I will have, and how many great people I will meet. I thought about the parts of my story that have already been written. They weren't all happy chapters but they were nessasary, because with out them, my ending would be different. And I would be a much different character!

Once, during a particularly nasty bit of life, Noah told me, "God has a plan for all of us and this is just a part of it."

Maybe, we all need to have faith, faith that God has written an even better story than we are writing for ourselves. And also faith to live that story out. When we do that, not only do we make our own lives a story worth telling, but we will also help lead others to their happy endings.

Sometimes.....

Sometimes, it's 11 and I can't sleep, and all I want to do is text Noah, but I know that if I do, we will end up in some ridiculously long hilarious conversation that neither of us will want to end, and we will be up until 3 a.m talking about pick up lines and bromances. And I will think it's wonderful, until 6:00 when I'm forced to wake up and drag myself to shool on less than three hours of sleep... This must be what it's like to work in a bubble wrap factory! " must not pop the bubbles, must not pop the bubbles" except for me, it's " must not text Noah... Must not text Noah!" :).... But if he were to text me first, that would be fine! That
would be fine indeed:)

sixteen candles:)

Yesterday, one of the darling little beehives in my ward said to me, " I'm so jealous of you! You get to go on dates, drive a car...go shopping, and you have a LOCKER!!!!...I can't wait to be sixteen!"

      well, I couldn't help but smile at this lovely sentiment because I totes remember being that little beehive, envying Angel and Noel every day of my life, because they went to this glamourous place called Lehi High School...and shopped for prom dresses and had cars! ...Now here I am, in those same shoes, and Miss Kyara, just btw, it happens a lot faster than you think! Rite now, on my last eve of my fifteenth year, all I can think of is how many amazing things will lie in store for me!:) here are sixteen things I hope to do in my sixteenth year!:

1. go on another date.
2. get my license
3. get a job
4. donate blood. 
5. join the big brothers, big sisters organization
6. learn to sew
7. get a car of sorts
8. Go to EFY
9. Be A YCL at girly camp
10. Finish the book of mormon...and beat the young men while Im at it:)
11. Hang out with Noah and Bryce as much as possible!
12. Make a snow man with Kay!
13. Do something wonderful for all of my friends' sweet sixteens
14. Visit Ceri Curtis!
15. Watch Kaden graduate high school and attempt to not bawl like a baby!
16. Actually do something for my seventeenth birthday!:)

Its going to be a crazy--amazing year! Im so excited for it!!:)

Things worth missing:):)

 You know those moments, when you feel like you need to be on a commercial for Kodak because everything is just going so incredibly perfect! Thats definatly what my life felt like last weekend! Saterday was kind of a big deal:), actually that statement was false; Saterday was DEFINATLY a HUGE deal! It was my very first experience  " hanging out with friends in even numbers." At the end of the night I was able to conclude two things! A) that you probably shouldn't hang out with boys at Lowes Extreme Air Sports unless you are EXTREMELY cooridnated! (Really, you probably have to be Mia Ham or Kaylie Bartholomew to not make a fool out of yourself.) but secondly, and much more importantly,  I realized that seeing EFY friends can make you really sad happy!  happy for obvious reasons, but sad because you know that you may go weeks...or even months without seeing them again!!! and the whole EFY morning process begins again! When you miss something THIS much, so long after it has happened, consider yourself one of the luckiest people on planet earth, because you know for a fact that you  have had some really wonderful things in life!

Don't cry because its over-- smile because it happend!:) thanks for an amazing night Noah and Bryce:)

All the colors are SOOOO beautiful....:)

Ok, I know this video is unbelievably long, but it's soooo worth watching:)

It's only life.....

So here's the deal: I'm in high school. That means that my life is super carefree and fun and happy most of the time! But it also means that my little mind magnifies anything and everything and little things, become big things to me. And occasionally that's a problem. Sometimes, people change. Sometimes they grow apart, and sometimes it's enough to break your heart (yes that definatly did rhyme:) but in all honesty, this is just high school...most of these friendships are temporary...and maybe that's ok! Some friends are in your life for a reason, but alot of them are Only in it for a season, you cant force old friendships to come back, and you can't expect people to Change. It doesn't mean that the people I once called my best friends aren't still amazing, or that I still wouldn't do anything for any of them...it just means it's time for me to really let go and to take steps forward. The past is behind me, so I'll learn from it, the future is ahead Of me, so I'll prepare for it, but my life is now.... So I'll live it! I'll live it completly and to the fullest and with no regrets and even in my saddest moments I'll try to remember that it's only life... And even more than that; it's only high school!

Tighten up:):)

I love the Black keys....like even more than I Love Lucy and  the color yellow. If you didn't know, that is ALOT:)

Brand new year!

Ok friends, here it is, my first post of 2012! There is so much I want to say! Sometimes, I think that new years is magical! Scratch that! I know that it's magical, because on new years the feeling in the air is a feeling that the world could use alot more of and that is hope. Hope for a different year and a brighter tomorrow and a better life. Looking back on 2011. I defiantly have alot of regrets, but the great thing is, they're the rite kind of regrets. That means that looking back on all my mistakes, I can honestly say that I learned something from all of them and I know not to do the same things on 2012. I can't wait to see all that's going to happen during this marvelous year! I hope that I can be a better neighbor and friend and family member and just plain a better me! I don't know my resolution yet, but one thing I do hope is that I will apply this quote by dear christpher robin,
" always remember that you are smarter than you think and braver than you believe and stronger than you think"