Day 7 - my dream job & why my parents are the best!

Dream job for me?

Is Disney movie watching a job?

[I'm being serious!]

I'd absolutely love to work in Disneyland! Or in any other Disney related workplace! But I know that won't be happening any time soon :'(

But I need to be realistic. Right now I'm focused on school, starting college {at the best university ever!} and preparing to serve a mission for me church.
I'm pretty jealous of all my mormon guy friends that don't have an awkward year in between finishing high school and going on a mission for my church but I'm sure I'll still have a great 19th year of life (which starts in 27 days people!!), even if it isn't dedicated to serving a full-time mission.

Oh boy do I get easily distracted!

So what is my real dream job?

Besides dreaming of working for the best company ever, and hoping to use my love for languages to inspire and help others [either whilst serving a mission or working as an elementary teacher in a foreign country (teaching English in Africa or working in an international school in Dubai would be amazing!)], one of my greatest aspirations is to be a mother.

Moms are the best teachers in the world! They nurture and teach their children in a way the word cannot. Parents truly are the best. My dad has taught me patience, finding happiness in random things,  80's trivia and given me a sense of humor (it still isn't as great as my dad's). My mom on the other hand has taught me all things I need to be a great mom. She has so much patience and optimism for me and my brothers. She's my best friend (other than Cumorah of course! Shout to you!).

In my church, we are taught the importance of families and love. I know that I am continually being prepared to be a great parent. The endless hours of babysitting, cooking, entertaining my brothers and working with others have helped me to develop the attributes needed to be a wonderful mother.

I am so excited to one day marry the man of my dreams (wherever he may be right now... hopefully the guy isn't stuck in a tree or something) and start a family!

I cannot wait to tell my kiddies all about their amazing grandparents and great-grandparents. I know I won't be doing this for many years to come but I cannot wait for the day where I get to start my fairy tale and follow my parent's example.

What's your dream job?

Never be afraid to follow your dreams because I you dream and work hard enough, they might just come true!

Best wishes,

Reilly Michele

Day 6 - my last random act of kindness

This one is pretty tricky!
I love serving others and being kind, especially if it'll put a smile on someone's face or make their day better!
I'm not sure if tickle fights with my little brothers and giving them food of mine that I don't really want to share count as acts of kindness but I'd say they do!
I also bought ice cream for my friends on Friday (as I spoke about in a previous post.. my friends > your friends) which I would say is a pretty great act of random kindness! Who doesn't like free ice cream! (It was oreo ice cream as well!)
Now for the other side of the coin:
The last acts of random kindness that was done for me that I can think of are all of the little things my parents do for me.
My mom is constantly doing my chores for me (she is a dish washing fairy!) and my dad found a documentary about David Archuleta on ksl.com for me to watch with them as a family tonight (He's definitely the best dad ever!).
[By the way there were some awesome things on tv this weekend besides conference : a short making of Studio C documentary on byutv and a short super sweet documentary about David Archuleta and his call to serve on ksl.com so check them out!]
What's your last act of random kindness?
What's something someone has done for you that put a smile on your face?
I hope you've had a wonderful weekend and have found answers to your questions if you've been watching general conference (yet again check out my weekend so far blogpost).
Best wishes,
Reilly Michele

Day 4 - favourite childhood memory

I love my childhood!

It's the sweetest!
I can map it out into three (or four) sections:

I spent my toddler years living in BYU's hometown : Provo, Utah. My parents were still in school and we lived in a tiny appartment. The only memories I really have of this place are ones my mom had told me about. The one I have proof of is all due to my 19 month older brother who I don't often mention.
My brother was playing and threw a shoe at my head (by accident) which of course caused some damage by  splitting my not even two year old forehead open. And no, my loving  parents did not think to take their tot to the emergency room. I still have that scar today!

These were followed by spending my young childhood (age 3-7) living in sunny, warm Arizona close to my grandparents and aunt's family. I loved it. My grandparents only lived around the block and I was a flower girl for my aunt's wedding and got to be a part in welcoming my cousin (who is now 12 years old!!!) into the world. My momma would sew me all kinds of beautiful dresses and clothes and even my ballet outfits!

I still remember my first day of kindergarten and the ginger bread man hunt we did. I remember learning how to count and starting first grade. I remember the math tests we would have and te fact that our teacher read a book to us after lunchtime every day. We'd lay our heads on our desks and quietly listen to the stories of one crazy girl (I'm afraid I've forgotten the namea of those books but I'll try to remember). I was a happy tan little girl! Oh those days were the sweetest!

Shortly after my seventh birthday, my family moved to Germany.

I had no idea what to expect. I was thrown into a new country and a German school (and nope, I didn't speak a lick of that language).

There were times when I hated it and longed for my life in the states but now looking back, I had an awesome time growing up there. I fluently spoke German at school and with friends but I spoke English at home and at church (we attended and English speaking ward full of families in the same boat).

I basically lived two lives which occasionally intertwined.

I remember spending hours outdoors, riding bikes, roller skates and playing with the neighboring kids. We'd collect snails and keep them in jars and race them or draw our dream town on the streets with colourful chalk and pretend that we lived there.

And this year now marks the fourth year that I have lived here in the UK for. I don't have as many memories here as I have in Germany or the states but I have learned a lot and made great friends. It's been such a great experience to be in an english speaking surrounding and make friends that can fully understand you!

There are so many sweet memories that I can think of that I'd love to write about but I'm sure they'd have to have an entire blog or book of their own!

The great thing about childhood memories is the fact that you can only ever remember the good ones. You never remember the reason why you were upset or how you felt when you cracked your head open. Sometimes it feels as though a laugh or a smile is what causes memories to be imprinted in your mind.

So do I have one favourite childhood memory? I'm afraid not. I love them all!

What's your favourite childhood memory?

Best wishes of nostalgia,

Reilly Michele

Day 3 - what makes me happy

[I'm actually really enjoying this!]

So today's post is all about what makes me happy. 

I'm happy to say that that is the easiest question for me to answer!

Of course my family and friends and succeeding in life make me happy but that is not all. 

Basically anything and everything makes me happy. 

Whether it's a pretty tree or a baby's laugh. Most things crack a smile on my face! 

As you all know anything Disney really makes me happy so here's a Disney quiz to see if you're an obsessive fan as I am. 

And now for 5 random Disney facts:

#1. Snow White is the youngest of all Disney Princesses and is thought to only be 14 years of age (shocking!) whilst either Tiana (aged 19) or Belle (aged 17-21) are thought to be the eldest. 

#2. Pumbaa was the first ever Disney character to fart in a movie (TEEHEE!).

#3. Mickey Mouse was voiced by Walt himself.Mickey was originally created as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Mickey's original name was Mortimer Mouse.

#4. Walter Elias Disney had a phobia of mice!

#5. Boo's (from Monsters Inc.) real name is Mary. She was named after Mary Gibbs, the actress who voiced her.

There ya go! What makes you happy? 

Lots of love,

Reilly Michele

Blogging challenge Day 2

Day 2 already? That was quick! ;)

Today's challenge (found it on this blog) is all about my favourite quotes.

To be honest with you, I'm not a poet. I love current books such as the Hunger Games (and dr.Suess!!!) and haven't read any Jane Austens (sorry if I'm a dissapointment to the female race).

So just to war  you : I do not know any super inspiring quotes that will change the way you think. [Well besides the Shakespeare ones I only know because of High School english and chick flicks].

Most of my favourite quotes actually come out of the mouth of my grandpa. He is amazing! He never fails to make me smile and is always taking pictures of everything (he even takes pictures when we skype!).

I've always felt so close to my american grandparents (maybe it has something to do with the fact that they were there when I was born...and Grandpa never ceases to remind me [he's the sweetest!]).

When I was a little girl and we only lived a block away from him, I remember going on walks with him and that his laugh would light up the room.

Whenever I have the chance to talk to him and my grandma (they live far far away from England and I haven't seen them in person in nearly 8 years), it feels like we've just soent the day with him.
He is so cheerful and positive and absolutely the sweetest.
He constantly sends me wonderful emails and he is the most excited about my acceptance to BYU (which also means I get to see him and my grandma in a few short months).

One of the latest quotes he has said is: "It's not about the number of breaths you take, it's about the moments that take your breath away". Isn't that just beautiful?

My grandparents mean the world to me and I can not wait to see them super soon. (I may secretly be more excited about seeing them than BYU but ssshh don't tell!).

I hope you make sure that your grandparents and other loved ones know that they're loved. And if they're close by, please give them a hug for me!

Hope you're still having a good day,

Reilly Michele

Inspiration from Erica

Two posts in one day? That is a miracle for me! I've been wanting to blog so much for a while now but I've just been extremely busy :'( To the point where I've gotten myself sick from all the stress (=not good). But I love blogging!! So here goes post #2

My favourite blogger ever called Erica did a Q&A blogpost and she's invited her readers to answer her questions, too! Yay!
First of all Erica is actually one of the main reasons I started blogging. And she doesn't even know who I am (which is the freakiest thing ever so I do apoligise to Erica if she is reading this...i'd be a little freaked out myself if some random girl halfway accross the globe were blogging about me...so please don't think I'm crazy).

The reason I even know about Erica is because of my dream come true school BYU. [I don't think I've mentioned the fact that I GOT ACCEPTED!!! But I've endlessly been bouncing off the walls and getting emotional every since I got the news]

Since I live over here in the UK, I haven't had the opportunity to visit BYU. Luckily this awesome girl blogged all about her tours of BYU and BYU-I and I was able to 'visit' BYU with her.

I absolutely adore her blog! It's so inspirational! I have so much fun reading all about her adventures at the Y and all the fun that she has. I am extremely excited to attend BYU in the Fall and have my own experiences to blog about! She's inspired me to put  all my adventures into words and share them with my friends, family and followers. So thank you Erica for igniting my passion for blogging and keeping me pumped for BYU.

Now on to answering her questions..

1. Dream vacation?
A vacation is good enough for me! I do love exploring new places and discovering new things so I would love any kind of adventure holiday as long as some relaxing and sunshine was included.

2. Favorite hobby?
Does napping count? Naps are keeping me alive these days! I can't believe I used to hate them as a child. How foolish of me!
I do love to cook. I love making new things, trying new recipes and making meals for others. Maybe that's why I love hosting dinner parties, assigning recipes for the guests to make and having a fabulous time with the people I love.
Apart from that I also love photography. Capturing perfect moments it the best thing ever! I also love taking pictures of trees and nature. Oh I just love too many things!

3. What would you do with $10,000?
Hmm this one is tricky. How far would that go these days? I think i'd give it to my parents. They have done to much for me in my life and I am so grateful for them! If it was more money, I'd buy them their dream home. I hope they'd spend it wisely, maybe go on a wonderful cruise? Oooh second thought: I'd take my family and best friend on a Disney cruise!!!!! That's totally the best way to spend all of that dough.

4. If you could do ANYTHING {do anything, go anywhere, meet anyone...} what would it be?
Oh deary me! This one is hard as well. Could I travel around the world please (and cross a few things off my bucket list on my way round)? But only after I've met my prince and we're happily married. That would be the awesomest honeymoon ever! And yes I dream big :)

5. What frustrates you?
I'm frustrated when things don't go my way. But I learn from them. I know that there's a reason they didn't happen or other things happened instead and I deal with it. Life wasn't meant to be perfect so why do we try to make it seem that way?
I'm also frustrated by mean people. Why do people have to be so mean? We all know how hard it is to feel happy and confident and yet we tear eachother down. I think it's important to try to uplift and make a difference. We need to be positive in a world of negativity.

6. Why do you blog?
I blog because I love it. I blog simply because it's something I enjoy. I really love reading uplifting blogs and reading all the adventures people have. So why not start documenting my own in a twenty first century way?

7. Favorite movie? Book? Song?
Anything Disney! I am such a Disney fanatic! I absolutely love Disney movies because they are so heart warming! They remind me of my sweet childhood. They are the movies I can watch with my parents and little brothers over and over again and know that we will all enjoy.
My other favourite movies are Shirley Temple movies. She never ceases to put a smile on my face and I've dreamed of meeting her in person. Now that this dream is not possible due to Shirley's passing, I appreciate her talent even more. I think everyone should watch at least one Shirley Temple movie before they die. I love and recommend Heidi and the little princess the most since they are the books I loved as a little girl.

8. What is a little-known fact about yourself?
I collect postcards. My collection isn't very big at the moment but I hope it will grow. I've just started picking up a postcard from places I have visited. So far I have some from London, Paris, Hadrian's wall, Arizona and Tunisia. I really do regret not picking up postcards from other places I've been so don't hesitate to send me one!

9. Favorite picture?
Oh I couldn't ever pick just one! I'm very indecisive if you haven't already noticed. I adore the pictures of me as a little kid in Arizona. I have the biggest grin on my face in some of them and seem not to have a care in the world. I really miss that feeling! My mom used to make me the cutest little outfits to wear as a tot and someday I hope that I can do the same thing for my little ones (especially if I have a little girl). Also any picture of my family is a favourite of mine. They mean the world to me and I love seeing the fun we have together.

10. Are you shy or outgoing?
I am both sides of the coin. Most people will say that I'm outgoing but I sure can be shy when I want to be.

11. What do you think of your hometown?
What is my hometown? I don't really remember my birthtown or any of my life spent in the states and yet I feel like an alien here in England although i'm brittish and american. (I know I'm confused myself)
I do love the town I grew up in in Germany. That place was wonderful! I lived in a great not-so-small town that was near enough in the country although it was only a 30 minute drive from the big city of Frankfurt. All my friends lived nearby and my high school was only accross the street. Everyone was extremely friendly, greeting eachother with 'Guten Tag' as they passed even if they were complete strangers. We would walk three streets down on a sundat afternoon and be in beautifully coloured fields. Although we were seen as the loud foreign family and I didn t know this at the time, I had an ideallic childhood spent in a majestical place. I think I could write an entire essay all about it. (Another blogpost idea?)

Wow? That was a lot longer than I expected! I'd love to read your anwers to the same questions.
Just remember to love the little things and make endless memories.
Love,
Reilly Michele

Oh Brother!

Let me just mention the fact that I have THE best brothers in the world! [Not because they are super heroes and frequently save my day] It's simply because they find the most unique ways to put a smile on my face.

First of all I have four brothers (i'm squashed between the oldest and middle child) and used to be so sick of boys. I mean I had a huge tantrum when I found out my mother was pregnant with my now 10 year old blonde bombshell brother; it's not every day you yell "Not another stinkin' boy!". But now I would not trade them for the world. For Pete's sake they are my world!

We haven't always gotten along but now we are a tight bunch of peas in a pod. I love being an older sister and sharing all my knowledge and silly mistakes with them so they know not to repeat them. Plus I can act as immature as I want and still be the most well behaved kid in the family {best perk ever... my family > your family}. Plus you have someone to go to the cinema with to see the latest disney/kids movies.

Anyways the reason they make me smile is because they aren't afraid to do things. Sometimes those things may be to annoy me or try something rediculously stupid like pinning close pegs to their tongues but they make me laugh. Even if it may not be until I've thought about what happened.
Moral of the story: love your family no matter how crazy they are because evetually they will learn to love you back (even if they don't quite show the feeling of love to you at this moment in time)
Remember to love your brothers.
Best wishes, Reilly Michele