Count Your Blessings.

Things in my world and life have been BEYOND crazy as of late. Let me start at the beginning and explain my blessings.

It's summer! Being summer (and after an entire school year of teaching) I have been finding every excuse to do everything crazy and way fun. I feel as though I missed out on so much the past year and I wanted to make up for it, and then some. I have realized that my catching up on everything I have missed is a great blessing in my life. I will quote one of the greatest hymns written:

"Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."

Blessing one: The ability to go to a DIAMONDBACKS GAME

This season I have gone to more Diamondback games than I have ever been to combined. With that being said, I have been to 4 games this season! This was my first game of the season with my awesome and fantastic friends. We had great seats (which required me to duck from some home run balls) and were down in the action. It was AWESOME.

Blessing two: Not being judged for acting like kids and drawing SPEED BUMPS
[mentioned in a previous post]

This is single handedly one of the greatest activities to do with a group of friends. It is cheap (virtually free if you have the chalk on hand), and incredibly entertaining. There is nothing better than drawing a speed bump at night, popping popcorn, hiding on the roof, and then watching cars slam on their breaks when they see a 'speed bump' where there previously had never been a speed bump. Don't believe me? Try it.
Second best part of a speed bump? Waking up the morning and realizing it's a rainbow...

Blessing three: Having the time and resources to VOLUNTEER

Every summer Mesa has an Arizona Celebration of Freedom for the 4th of July. It is a two day event that consists of shutting down Main Street and setting up an entire "carnival" like atmosphere where all activities are free! Yay! My family had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer this year and we got free t-shirts! How fun. It was a fantastic experience and made for an incredibly enjoyable evening with our community. 

Blessing four: Having the opportunity SERVE another family

This is Breeja Larson. She has been my friend for about 7 years. She swims at Texas A&M and she made the USA Olympic swim team. She swims the 100m Breaststroke. She is an incredibly beautiful and wonderful young woman. Her family consists of two parents and 7 daughters. She is the second oldest. The Olympics this year are being held in London and it is safe to say that flying to London is not cheap. I decided that I wanted to help her parents get to London so I designed a t-shirt and started selling it, and all the proceeds go to her parents. It has been tedious, it has been hard, and it has been the greatest opportunity I have been given. As a result of this blessing I have been given another blessing...

Blessing five: Having supportive and helpful FRIENDS

These are my friends. My beautiful and amazing sister, Courtney. Breeja's witty and gorgeous sister, Mikel. David, my supportive friend and my rock. It is a great blessing to have these friends in my life and their support in my actions and ideas. This would not have been possible without these three.

Blessing six: Recognizing the GIFTS from our Heavenly Father

This week has been full of beautiful views and wonderful storms. (I'm not sure if a Haboob is considered beautiful and a gift but I think they are completely fascinating.) I have been given a blessing of being sensitive to the creations of God, and it has been a tremendous help in my testimony of God.

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and the he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." Mosiah 4:9

How to be a kid.

The best way to feel like a kid, is to be like a kid :)

This is a motto I try to live by, every day.  Though some people think I come off childish, young, immature.. I like to look at it differently.  I could be that serious, grown-up, responsible Paige that people think I should be but the fact of the matter is, sometimes you just need to be like a kid. 

I am beyond lucky to have some friends that also enjoy being like a kid sometimes.  Which is why I have the best friends in the world. 

This past week we drew our very own chalk-rainbow-colored speed bumps in my neighborhood.
Then we crawled up on to my room, ate some popcorn, and waited to watch cars drive down my street.. slow down for the bump.. stop in confusion after the crossed it and there was no bump.. then continue driving.  It's harmless. It's cheap.  It's fun.

My fantastic friends hard at work.

All my friends in their gloriousness of our speed bump.

 And the result of our speed bump.. in the daylight.. not as affective, but rather just HAPPY.

Remember:

The best way to feel like a kid, is to be like a kid :)

8 is better than 4.

Back in February, my awesome and only brother got married.  He married a sweet, smart, talented, lovely, young woman named Haley Thomas.  We were super psyched to have a new sister in our family!  I am proud to say that I have four sisters instead of just three.

These are my sisters.  Maegan.  Courtney.  Abby.  Haley (my new sister).

It has been fun, enjoyable, and just plain fantastic to have another sister.
Haley puts me up to 5 siblings.
The best part is that with Haley, we have inherited 3 more siblings on top of her.
Jaidyn, Brandon, and Ella.
Do the math.  This gives me 8 siblings in all.  And it has been the greatest adventure of my life.  

My siblings: Maegan, DJ, Haley, Courtney, Jaidyn, Abby, Brandon, Ella.

The only one missing in those pictures above is our beloved sister, Maegan, who lives in Utah now.  God Bless.

Class of 2012.

With it being May, there has been an abundant of changes that have gone on in the Odom family.  The most recent has been the joyous occasion of graduation.

I have this sister, her name is Courtney Eleanor Odom.  Though she is four years younger than me, we have a lot in common.  This year, we had the privilege of gaining one more trait that we share.  We are both graduates of the class of 2012.  Me from ASU and her from Westwood High School.

This is my sister.

She is my best friend.

She is beautiful, talented, athletic, smart, funny, and so much more.  She gives me every reason in the world to brag about having the best sister ever.  I think any of my other siblings would agree.

Tonight I watched my sister walk down the football field at Westwood and receive her diploma (well the diploma cover) and confidently walk across the grassy field back to her seat.  It was a proud moment in my life, and I'm sure the life of my whole family.  She is the fourth one in my family to graduate high school, and the third to graduate from Westwood.  

This girl will touch the lives of many.
I love having her in my life, and I look forward to watching her take on the world.
Congratulations, Courtney!   We love you, and we are so proud of you and all that you have accomplished, and all that you will accomplish.  

Class of 2012.