the quest for perfection

"When comparing one’s personal performance with the supreme standard of the Lord’s expectation, the reality of imperfection can at times be depressing. My heart goes out to conscientious Saints who, because of their shortcomings, allow feelings of depression to rob them of happiness in life.  We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy—not guilt trips! 2 We also need to remember that the Lord gives no commandments that are impossible to obey. But sometimes we fail to comprehend them fully.  Our understanding of perfection might be aided if we classify it into two categories. The first could pertain uniquely to this life—mortal perfection. The second category could pertain uniquely to the next life—immortal or eternal perfection." -- Russell M. Nelson

desert watermelon

remember when i used to look like this?  

some days i miss my long hair.  some days.  

high on summertime

"the world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."  - st. augustine

we read a few pages in the world book this week.  operation alberta tour = success.  many highlights to be had.  among the top was visiting friends, previous investigators, missionaries and 2 of the best:

 calgary stampede.

did you know that calgary has THE largest rodeo in the world?  i spent last summer in okotoks, a smallish city 30km south of calgary.  being here i didn't realize just how big of a deal the stampede was.  but it is a BIG deal.  big big deal.  everyone, i'm talking everyone dresses up for it.  people all around downtown with a cowboy hat and boots on!  plaid shirts wherever the eye can see.  for some, the stampede is a great excuse to get hammered drunk every night.  hah!  downtown literally transforms into a cowboy town.  needless to say i was in cowboy heaven.  cowboy heaven.

so of course we got our own cowboy on and hit up the stampede like any good tourists would do.  i felt especially great because it was the 100th anniversary of the stampede!  woo! we even got a picture with the mounties (who my mom is overly obsessed with for some odd unexplainable reason)  don't judge the teacher thumbs up or my "hipster jeans". 

banff.  

i've been here before.  twice, actually.  but both times in the bleak of calgary winter, which as you may or may not know is realllllly cold.  what a different place banff is in the summer!  b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l.  mmm mmm mmmmm.  again we, being the tourists we are, did all the natural, normal tourist things: johnstons canyon, moraine lake, lake lousie, the hot springs, banff springs hotel, and a little late night shoppin' on "the strip".  good times were had by all.  

probably the best part of banff was the canoe ride on moraine lake.  han and i rocked it.  the water was bluer than blue and i couldn't have been happier.  

and... as much denial as i was in the first time around, a week without my phone was actually refreshing.  here's to a happy alberta summer.  

kinda like the sunrise,

want to see this.

ccm reunited.

miss erin kathleen riley is now mrs. erin kathleen humphries! 

had a stellar weekend roadtrip to san diego to take part in the action. 

probably the funniest sealing i've been to (not that i've been to too many...)

what a beautiful bride.  and even with the awkward hug, hey tony, you're beautiful too.  

best wishes to the new happy couple!  

to be in love...  

"thinkin' of you!"  

gotta love the mini mission reunions :)  

i'm glad i'm only picturing the moment

a few song lyrics to describe this week:   

"so long, my almost lover" 

"are you gonna kiss me or not?"

"I hate the sun for setting on yesterday"


"call me, maybe?" 

"could've had a castle" 

"i'll meet you halfway if you come in the long way"

"all the right friends in all the right places"

"be still, my soul"

"the glass is tipping in my favor... life gave me lemonade, i can't imagine why...i'm a sucker for happy endings... thanks for the lemonade!"  

"be a best friend, tell the truth, overuse 'i love you'"

"drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain"

"it was enchanting to meet you"  

"i'd talk to you if only i could speak"

"i love the miles between me and the city"

"headed out west with my headphones on..." 

...peacin' out to san diego.  laters!  

check out the times here

because we're cool like that...

love, kristen

all those promising promises...

obsessed with this: 

mmmm!  

... were on your list

i'd dream of you if i could fall asleep

sorry about the blogging sabbatical.  it's been a busy week!

at work we got our 67,000 flyers in for the festival!  [all folded incorrectly.]  so... i spent a disgusting amount of my life last weekend refolding 33,000 of them.  so fun.  thankfully, as of today, that nightmare of a project is overrrrr

parker and laci are officially 100% having a baby girl.  they brought the ultra sound movie over last night. show stopper ;)  i'm excited to be an aunt, and apparently Elder Ence is too?  "YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA LACI AND PARKER ARE HAVING A BABY GIRL!  YAYAYAYAY IT'S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL BABY GIRL JUST LIKE HER UNCLE AWESOME, I MEAN COLEMAN!  YAY FOR BABIES!  YAY FOR GIRLS!  YAY FOR THE HAPPY COUPLE!  YAY FOR OLD GRANDPARENTS!  PAPA ENCE AND BABUSHKA MARGARITA!"  ... wow...

fill the ark was a smashing success, as always.  good job, dad.  han and i held down the fort at the previous years t-shirt selling booth.  booyah.  there was a live yak this year.  yakity yak, they sure gave back.

front row standing room at jon mclaughlin on friday.  SO GOOD.  i loved him before, but love him eevn more now.  mm mm mmmm.  promising promises=mmm!  the epicness of the night was completed when drunk woman [attempted] to take our picture and then wanted to kick it momma, daughter style.  hm.

chillin with a boy named coleman these days.  not my brother.  (though i do wish he was home!)  coleman and i went on a little 4 wheeling/jeep-like adventure in the centerville mountains, honestly a little scary, buuuuuut so much fun.  and... the view was delicious!

i know what i want.  but.  i feel a small, actually perhaps large, missionary opportunity is on the horizon, so a little torn between current situations.

kristen and i have been having lots of bonding time in aimee's car delivering the flyers for all these dang schools.  i realized a lot of the schools around here have been rebuilt and are gorgeous!  jump on the band wagon, upland terrace!

speaking of band wagons, everyone should stop getting married.

boondocks adventure was also a smashing success.  after getting soaked in the bumper boats (poor jen, yours was poopy), and a few epic games of mini golf, laser tag, and go carting it up, we hit up the arcades and won some stuff.  coleman beat me in the spider shootout, but i owned in basketball.  or maybe karsen did... now i can't remember.  boondocks rocks!  (so does rhyming!)

kristie is getting married next week.  had a little tea party to celebrate.  yes, even wore a fancy hat with fake flowers.  mm.  you'd be proud.

went to visit the new millcreek library recreation center... and got kicked out!  for the full story, click here.  


work is crazy this week: it's festival crunch time!

"when you're ready to go, we'll go." - dad "well let's go then" - grandpa. "i'm glad you still have your sense of humor, dad." - dad  "i...really don't." - grandpa.  hey, at least we got him out of the house!

tootles.

even the sun sets in paradise

introducing: 
we're at a payphone
read away!  

put her right on the table

i woke up this morning and realized it was may 24th.  i've been trying to remember all day why that day sounded so important, like some momentous thing happened on a may 24th somewhere in my life.  i thought about it literally all day, trying to decide why may 24th sounded so familiar.  well.  remember this post?  it was from 2 summers ago around this time.  may. 24. 2010 was the day i decided officially to serve a mission.  how could i forget that?!  the day that altered and changed my life for the better in so many beautiful and unexpected ways.  the day that kicked off the happiest summer of my life.  that day seems so long ago, but will forever be engrained in my heart.  today, may. 24. 2012 i feel a completely different set of emotions from 2 years ago, not necessarily better or worse, just different.  and isn't that the way life is.  can't think of a better way to spend tonight than chillin' with mission amigos in happy valley.  i'm happy.  in the valley.  so i'll go to happy valley just one more time.

... all it takes is the moonlight...

my summer baby

back at the yearly grind... the venture outdoors festival!  LOVIN' IT!  Hot off the press, just got the full, detailed, never before seen 2012 program!  woo!  

you better be there... after all, life's better outside! 

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