mail  (ml) n.

to send by mail; place in a post office or mailbox for transmission.

Letters, packages, etc., that are sent or delivered by means of the postal system.

mail  (ml) n. 

(according to Josie)

The event of falling in love with all things to do with sending mail such as the mailman and his handy truck, pretty stamps, collections of boxes, decorations galore and proper recipient/return addresses. It is the

spread of sunshine anywhere 

a mailing address is available. The glorious event also includes receiving mail in a silver mailbox marked with the number conveniently leading to the exact place where a person resides. 

Here I am sending mail in the summer prior to Europe. I love sending mail so much sometimes I look like I do on the right. Other times I am much more poised and quite a lady as I pick out my favourite stamps. I also enjoy looking at the greeting card display and writing down my favourite quotes.

Here I am as my transformed European self, even more cultured at sending overseas mail. Here I am pictured at my absolute favourite Post Office. It is the cutest and it is in Canada where I live and is rarely busy when I arrive approximately a half hour before the mail truck comes. Therefore, they do all sorts of fun things like hand-stamp my parcels.  These are the Christmas parcels, which I am very excited about. They are holding all kinds of gems and going to several countries across the globe.

One time in Idaho, I was asked why I do these extensive mailing sprees. Why, oh, why do I love it so much? My friend concluded that is was because I feel obligated. I have often thought of that and wondered if it were true. Now as a lovely European lady, 

I will tell all my mailing recipients that it is definitely not about feeling obligated.

It's about the pure joy I have as I mail away a surprise to a dear friend. To get a parcel from me is the absolute evidence that we are true friends and that I desperately miss and admire whomever I am sending to.

Happy Christmas!

...Have you ever thought of the good you can do with just a 

few cents, a post office and a little love in your heart?

Some of you may or may not know that I know both the King and Queen of Christmas and luckily on I am on relatively close terms with them. The King, Mr. Shaun Halley, happens to be my best friend and the Queen, Clarabelle is my dear little sister. Both are wonderful Christmas Ambassadors who count down to Christmas all year long. Every time I see them together they burst with a number "Only 119!" or "Only 38!" Take your pick, they will know every single day and they will be absolutely beaming as they share the great news. Sadly, I was not exactly the most put-together Christmas counter-sometimes they'd ask me and I'd blurt out a number, "366?" 

Fail. 

This is how'd they'd look at me. Disgust.

(Actually, this is Clarabelle pictured at my "Old Woman 20th birthday" and Shaun most likely begging me to tell him about my wonderful encounters with Donny Osmond's relatives).

Anyway, I have always dreamed that I'd someday become Christmas royalty. To my great surprise,

I have found my new love....

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. 
Oh, baby! I can't get enough.

And not just lights, our yard is now officially covered in golden beads, ornaments and every extension cord found in my home. I LOVE shopping for lights in those lovely Christmas aisles. I love putting them up and then buying more lights. 


And then buying some more lights. 

The Queen and I put up lights for many a day while the King was on Christmas errands in New York City. Finally, we were done putting up lights in our pajamas on a very warm November morning possibly quite soon after Halloween.  

Pictured above: 
The King learning of my crowning. 

(Actually, Clarabelle and

 SJ taking their first peek 

of the Christmas book in
 the Summer. This is just 

what I picture my Christmas
 wish appearing as.)

Overall, after all these shenanigans, I'm hoping my Christmas wish will come true. Clarabelle announced that since I found my new love, I will be crowned Princess of Christmas. 

Oh my, Christmas Tree!

That would be swell.

Once upon a time, there were three young women who just happened to 
quite enjoy dressing up.

 Upon all Hallows Eve, two fairies and Belle skipped down the street. 

Upon their travels....

The first fell in love with pumpkins and all things orange.

The second fancied words. Even words like un chat noir and une citrouille.

And the third took a liking to all things sprinkled with pixie dust,  including her kitty, Lilo, in her Halloween-winged-costume. 

I've been wanting to post something about my experience of Remembrance Day this year. I had the opportunity to be at home on November, 11th. It was wonderful. I loved wearing my poppy. I loved racing to all the wonderful ceremonies with my mama and sister throughout the day until we arrived with hot chocolate in our basement...watching the wonderful coverage from Ottawa on that special day. I loved a certain thing I heard that day, "Silence is must louder than words...we wear our poppies proudly with the determination to continue our quest until everyone can enjoy freedom as we do."

Later this week we got to see Sierra Noble, an amazing singer from Winnipeg. She said something very special to us about pure love. It is the type of love when a complete strangers will smile at one another...the type of love that goes straight and directly into the heart. I think this is truly what Remembrance Day is all about. It's something beautiful and sacred to an entire nation, both young and old and it makes me want to wear my poppy all year long.

Oh, how I love birthday parties. Especially when I am the head detective and get to wear a fun costume with a pencil in my hair. And really red lipstick.

But to tell you the truth, I really don't like mysteries....or anything that may be a tad scary...I watched a horribly scary movie on Halloween night. Luckily, my dear mother let me join her for a day of errands the following day because I was oh so scared to be alone! It was lovely to be with her. 

   

So, mysteries-from now on they are out unless their not too scary. 
Birthday Parties-forever and always in.


 Can't wait for my 85th. Pearl white hair and birthday hats coming your way. :) 

Enjoy! Smile!

"A smile is a beautiful thing. It attracts. It heals. It can even touch. Smiles are born from deep inside. And we need to nourish them. Give them plenty of exercise. Then watch them grow."

And maybe even laugh. Laughing really is the best medicine.

I dare say, that's pretty sound advice.

"I remember thinking in school how I would grow up and would protect my students from unpleasant impressions, from uncertainty, from scrappy learning," Friedl Dicker-Brandeis wrote to a friend in 1940. "Today only one thing seems important — to rouse the desire towards creative work, to make it a habit, and to teach how to overcome difficulties that are insignificant in comparison with the goal to which you are striving."

...I've been thinking about this wonderful Austrian woman today. She taught art classes in a transit Concentration Camp called Terezin and filled two suitcases full of 4, 500 pieces of Children's art during the Holocaust.

London-"if you're tired of london then you're tired of life" as I read at the national gallery this afternoon. Really a lovely place full of flare.


For instance, just got back from king's cross. You know, platform 9 3/4. Everyone who loves Ron was there, so of course that had to be my very last tube stop.


Which brings me to the next magical thing of London, the tube! Underground then suddenly in a brand new place exactly where you want to be or even where you didn't even know where you wanted to be! Today we got lost for one moment in our group of friends. We decided to find her by what we were feeling. We turned a wrong corner and with many silent prayers in our hearts, we found our missing friend-within seconds of leaving on the tube to search for her at the next stop. Now that is not magical. That is a blessing.


Conclusion: London is full of blessings. And on that note no one is really lucky- their blessed.


Quote of the day: "For Attractive lips, speak words of kindness, For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people, For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry, For Beautiful hair, let a child run their fingers through it once a day,
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself and the other for helping others."
— Audrey Hepburn

Wittenberg is wonderful. As soon saw we started to get closer I got more and more excited. Strange as it sounds- I was excited for how I'd feel in this little town of Wittenberg. As we got closer I loved seeing the forests of poplar trees and oaks with our ladies of the valley flowers at their trunks. It reminded me of home. And it felt good. So peaceful. Wittenberg is filled with potted plants in the windows and red and green leaves crawling up the colourful walls. It's also full of something special that cannot be explained- but rather felt. I can't wait to talk to my family in person about it and to write in my journal.


Tender moment of the day that will make you smile: I was invited to sit by a little German man at lunch today. He was by himself eating fried egg and potato. We talked to each other as best we could, took a photo and both knew we had become dear friends.




Carly-you are called the fairy godmother of the tour! We find so many delights with your notes! The potato house was so wonderful!!!

Today I did three possibly unexpected things.
1. Ate a sausage not at breakfast. Just for fun.
2. Enjoyed mustard. Must have been straight from heaven.
3. Went up a very high mountain on a steep little tram. Very unexpected.


Conclusion: do things out of the ordinary. You'll smile more.


And afterall, to smile is the way to communicate with everyone no matter which language a person may speak.

Austria: lush green rolling hills, dense forests painted with fall red, wispy clouds climbing down from the sun filled sky, goats walking down their steep pastures. Simplicity and grandeur all at once.


I was asked by a friend what some of my favorite things are yesterday on our bus. I replied "picking flowers, having tea parties, baking and cooking, my old rowboat..."


There are plenty more like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens...but I didn't want to overwhelm my new friend! 


But now, for you, I'll add a few more. Flower boxes, windows with shutters, colorful homes, and tunnels through mountains or other secretive locations leading to magical places.

Ahhhhh....Florence.

Such a delight. Here we are immersed in the city...loving everything. Such as...the grocery stores (one of my favourite things), the cute bikes, friends we meet throughout the day. We saw a Crucifix carved by Michaelangelo out of wood (one of two in the world) in a little Church across the river. And we were on top of the world...or it seemed as we gazed over Florence during the Sunset with our Magnum Bars.

And now the quote of the day:

Just living is not enough...one must have Sunshine, freedom and a little flower.


-Hans Christian Andersen

Today my favorite event of my whole stay in Rome happened. Before we headed for Pisa and Florence we went down a very narrow road in our very huge bus. We went to an apartment neibourhood where nestled by the curb was a little sign the read " the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints" in Italian. We met sweet to the core people there. For instance, one little lady who insisted on blowing us kisses! We filled half the seats of their humble congregation with our group of 50 byu-I students. They were so excited an joyful-a baptism took place today. I could feel the love the people felt for every person there. They even translated the entire hour long sacrament meeting into Italian. But above all I could feel the sweet love they had for their Heavenly Father. The saints in rome were a powerful testimony of faith and courage for me. I smiled the whole time I was there. I beamed. The church is really the same everywhere. I adored singing with them in Italian with their Italian hymnbooks! There was such a great spirit there. I left Rome feeling wonderful and grateful.

ROME!!


The eternal city.


The place obsessed with memory.


Can I just say, it feels like an absolute dream...and I have only been here for two days. We are staying at a convent with the most gorgeous tall long windows that open out to the street. There are gardens on top of all the coloured tall buildings. There is coconut Gelato.

Completely delicious Gnocchi! Loved it. And the waiter loved that I am from Canada

 Walked on the oldest road in Rome...history is everywhere.

Yeah, way good.

These reminded me of you, Mama!

The Pumpkin cookies of Halloween! 

More adventure awaits.

Idaho is full of delight and wonder. Really though. At first it seems kind of bland and flat compared to the lushness of Northwestern Ontario, but when you look the right way, Idaho can sure be wonderful. For instance, a great pastime is pulling pranks. Nice pranks of course, something that may be funny or just silly. This brick wall marks the spot where Meredith and I first met and lived together. See our initials? This is also where we became budding pranksters.

  

To begin, we take casual photos just down the hall from our old cave-dorm (we called it the castle) apartment. We had a very lovely adventure planned for the Sabbath...it involved delivering cakes, chocolates, lasagna, apples and tumbleweeds to several fellow BYU-I folks. Of course, we rode in my absolute favourite vehicle: TJ's adorable white truck.  

Here's an example. The tumbleweed prank that had a wonderful sign and or course some cake to go along with it. This is definately an Idaho hit. Who wouldn't want a tumbleweed left and their door with two giggling girls running off in the distance?

There you have it. One of the things I have learned here in Idaho is to be a Professional Prankster. And it's been great.

A dream is a wish your heart makes...

especially when you're picking wildflowers with dear friends up the Idaho-sky-filled-hill to the Rexburg Temple.

So wonderful.

The best preparation for Europe...
While packing this evening, my cousin and I were in my room sorting through my coloured pearls. She was talking about my new backpack and where things went. "....Oh yes, the money is in the inside hidden pockets, then it's less likely I'll be stolen from." She replied, "Stolen from! Josie, you're going to the city of love where you will meet your husband with a Scottish accent and he will say, pip pip cheerio and all those merry things and he will ask your hand and you will say yes because he is a jolly guy."

Preparation: Complete.