~!!!!!!I'm Engaged!!!!!!~

This may be the most exciting post that I have ever talked about!

As you can see the title! Ha!

Shane has always been the romantic type he has always done little things for me like do all the laundry fold it and put it away and then say "surprise you don't have to do it"

One time when I was gone on a work trip and the bedroom floor needed redone and I came home and it was completed and he's like Surprise! It often happens when I am away for work I come home and he's done something to surprise me. Even the little things…

October 12th we were going out to dinner with our friends Heather and Kyle because the week after was their wedding but we were going to be in New Orleans (work for me and vaca for Shane) so he says the week before the 12th "why don't we take Kyle and Heather to dinner since we won't be here for their wedding" I agree as I LOVE going to dinner! =]]

The day came I was giving Heather a pedicure that morning and then we stopped at a couple antique shops and then we arrived back home. I was SO tired as the night before I didn't sleep well. Shane says "I'm gonna sweep out the truck because we will just take that tonight" (we always take my car)
As I said thats fine I'm going to take a nap. I fell asleep for 2 hours on the couch (rarely happens)

I wake up and Shanes still cleaning the truck. He also cleaned the bathroom did the floors and did some laundry. Im like are you okay he says yup just didn't have anything else to do. Lol (clue two)

So then I say "Where is Cody and Dalton", "Fishing with Mac" Shane replies (Odd, Cody NEVER leaves without Shane) I say oooh so its just us going to dinner double date!

I text Heather… "What are you wearing I'm kind of tired I may just wear a hoodie" She says "thats fine I was planning on doing that too since we were gonna go to the hayride after" We had plans to go to a bonfire after we went out to eat so Hoodies were acceptable to wear! LOL!

Shane says "Kyle and Heather will be here at 5 45" I'm like "okay I'm ready now so whenever" this is like 5pm! Shane says "Well they won't be here till then they had to get something"

As it started getting closer to time I started to feel nervous, like nothing I ever felt before!

They pulled up.. We climb in the truck I say "Kyle you can sit up front" he's like "no thats okay" (Odd the guys usually ALWAYS ride upfront together and girls in back)

So were heading down to where were going to dinner and shane says "here, (hands me a blind fold) you have to put this on I've been doing some work down at the ranch and want you to see it but you'll see it from the road" Im like "okay!?!" Honestly I was thinking he was doing a little surprise thing again and he had put up a fence, we talked about fencing shortly before.
So I put the blindfold on and mind you were in the country and in a large truck… I felt a little nauseous not being able to see. I felt us turn into the driveway and then we kept going… I was like hmmm But still SWEAR I thought NOTHING of it…

We STOP!
Heather and Kyle get out. I didn't know being blindfolded said, "heather whats going on?" no answer because she was out of the truck LOL
Shane tells me from out of the truck open the door.
He helps me out of the truck.
Says "Okay, take your blindfold off"
I said "I can't get it"
He said "just pull it off" (I then knew he was below me)

As I took it off.. I see him there on one knee next to our pond with 60 of our family members, and friends letting out screeches of excitement!

I WAS SHOCKED!!! 1. NO ONE GAVE ME ANY CLUES 2. EVERYONE WAS THERE! (A few couldn't make it but called right away)

The ring was BEAUTIFUL

He stands up… (Forgot my middle name) and says "Kala Lin will you do me the honor of spending the rest of your life with me?"
SO SWEET!

We had Food, Cake, Drinks, Fire, Family, Friends and the BEST WEATHER! It truly was the best day of my life!!!!

Enjoy the pictures!!
Thanks for reading!
God Bless~~ PS Were set for October of next year~

Fall and all its activities!

I usually just write blogs for my own personal diary in a sense and don't mind that others can read it… But most of you may or may not know. Shane is a lot older than me and with his last marriage he was blessed with children in his life that biologically may not be his but are more his than blood can change.
His daughter Tiffany has a son, Cody! Who we just love! We tend to have Cody a lot and spend time with him. My goal is for him to grow up and always remember the fun things Papa and Kia were able to do with him! =] So what is more fun than FALL?~

Pumpkin Picking
Kettle Corn
Hoodies
Hay Rides
Wiener Roasts
Caramel Apples

These are just a few of the fun things that you can do! I said "lets take Cody to The Great Pumpkin Patch"

Such a fun place to go for kids! If you live in Illinois it's a great place to go!

We had SO much fun… Corn Maze, Hay Ride, even Pumpkin Ice Cream! Cody's face lit up when he saw the patch of the pumpkins. There were so many he couldn't count them all but he wanted to pick the biggest one. Of course what kid wouldn't want the biggest Pumpkin they could find? Ha!

Cody loves to help Kia in any way he can. He decided to pull our wagon the entire day… Even with a good 20 lbs of pumpkins in it he still tried. He was successful for a while then says "Kia my arms tired" After a long day we tried Pumpkin Chowder, Pumpkin Ice Cream, Pumpkin Rolls, and Pumpkin Pancakes! Pretty impressive as a child I don't think I ate anything that wasn't chicken! He tried MOST of them. The Pumpkin chowder he didn't want any part of but it was fantastic!
Hope you enjoy the pics of our day!

As always, thanks for reading!
God Bless!

Home town cares for Willow

If you are like me and live in a small town when people are in need you help out right?
Well I am one of those people who are compelled to help in any way possible in a tragedy. Its just second nature to me and something I do expecting nothing in return. RAK's right!?

A friend of mine lives in a small down outside Effingham IL, Watson. This town was shook up one Sunday afternoon.
After seeing some of her Facebook posts I picked up the phone to call her and see "whats going on"

A 7 year old little girl by the name of Willow had reportedly walked away from her home in her night shirt no shoes and left her glasses behind.

The small town of Watson really wasn't big enough for her to walk that far without others noticing. So a search was formed.

Citizens of Watson, family, friends and people from surrounding towns started walking the bean fields and corn fields. As it grew and grew the search became harder and the temperature got hotter.
They had up to 3,000 volunteers in a town of 300 people. Amazing how others can come together knowing her or not knowing her just to try and help find this innocent sweet little girl.

1 hour turned into 10 hours and 10 hours turned in to 20 hours. Still nothing! No clues, no signs. People on horses, atvs, cars, trucks by foot all continuously searched for Willow.

As supplies grew thin a lightbulb went of in my head about 50 miles away from Watson I sat at my desk at work and said.. "What can I do?"

We all know social media is the thing to use when you want people to see whats going on right… Well thats what I went to an hour and 1/2 before I was done with the work day I posted "I am going to take any supplies and monitory donations to the search and rescue groups that are looking for Willow. They need items such as water, bug spray, sun screen, energy bars, towels, and first aid supplies. I will be leaving town at 5:30 PM!

In one hour I got 12 cases of Water, 2 cases of Sunscreen, 1 case of bug spray, lots of energy snacks, towels and over 150$ just from random people that said "I too want to help"

This made my heart smile and as I was driving into the town of Watson a slight anxiety came over me as I saw people loading out of busses and walking and on horses and 4-wheelers. Just amazing. As I went to the citizen center where they were holding supplies I heard a exhausted voice that said "ahhh water" that was totally worth it as I looked over and they just looked exhausted hot and tired. But they were helping! Unloading the SUV with all the stuff there were news cameras just overwhelmed then when they found out I drove as far as I did to just make sure there was supplies they were stunned.

Small towns care! Thats why I love mine!

Here is a picture that was taken of everything just an hour and 1/2's time came up with for a complete stranger but from all the people that cared about one thing…. The safety of Willow!

Thanks for reading
And God Bless!

My Best Friends Wedding….

We're back in August of this year…
Slacking once again! And again apologize for grammatical errors. :-)

What is more exciting than going to a wedding?
Being in one!

I was in my first! I have to say it was fun, nerve-wracking, enjoyable, emotional, tearful and beautiful!

I was in it as a bridesmaid and singer. SINGER-- NERVE-WRACKING!
I am definitely not a perfect singer nor am I close to it but when one of my child hood friends asked me to sing in the biggest day of her life I had no option other than "YES" I will do it.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, in fact I really liked it! After the opening note I was confident in knowing I could do it and thats what I kept doing! Did I mention I was on antibiotics for Strep Throat? Bleh! But hey, I pulled through it and was confident in the rest of the song.

Lets back up….. When you grow up with someone who knows everything about you. Your flaws your perks your dark times and your light times. That person holds a close spot in your heart and you will do anything for them in their special day, thats just a given!

Sarah and I grew up together from age 9 and up! We were inseparable during the summers before our 16th birthdays and even after she even let me be the 3rd wheel in her first serious relationship. She was as sporty type of gal as I was more of a fan on the side lines. I didn't miss to many of her games tho! Like a soul sister they call them. Sarah was mine! High school passed and college began we still managed to remain VERY close! Sarah was the book smart and I was the common sense smart. She often tended to say some very funny yet silly things but she was always the one I went to for Math! This is why she is a Physical Therapist now! Amazing right?

When Sarah met her fella, she was an all new Sarah. Happy, upbeat, positive and definitely glowing. It was no surprise that they would get married but I remember before he asked the question I was giving Sarah a manicure the conversation of "when do you think it will happen" got brought up! Of course we were once again like Jr High girls very excited and giddy during the conversation there was no doubt in Sarah's mind that he would ask. AND SOON!

Getting the call of the announcement for me was SO exciting! I couldn't have been more excited than her but I sure felt like it! I was screaming and crying all in the same 10 minute phone call!

This meant a wedding!

Fast Forward!

The day of the wedding! As a bridesmaid your duty is to make sure the bride is stress free and has everything under control. You make sure her eyes look sparkly, her dress fit and look perfect, her hair lay perfectly in place and she takes deep breaths before she sees her groom!

As the vows were said and songs were sung my best friend grew by one~
Her groom is welcomed into my life and friendship circle and I could not be more happy for the two of them!

Congratulations to you both! Love you
K~

Does your Mirror show a reflection with nothing but perfection?

I often look in Mirrors
I take a glance at my Reflection
Knowing im not perfect
I still believe no one is perfection.

Think about that short little rhyming phrase. Looking in the mirror not only shows what your makeup looks like, or what sort of shape of face you have, but it shows you who you are.
Inside YOU are the only person who truly knows who YOU are!
I see so many people who brag about this or that... Does that make you better than me?
In Gods eyes, were all equal! Isn't that how we are supposed to be.
I hear almost day in and day out why so and so's car is better than others. How this person is better than that person. Sure there are some good and bad in both of those instances. Im not saying that a 1994 Sunfire isn't better than a 2013 Camero. Sure, we know what one is "better" but does that make a person who they ARE? Does that mirror shine in gold and show perfect hair and teeth? No one is perfection!

In my eyes. We Eat, Sleep and Potty the same way, some more than others sure (HA!) but it's still a fact.

Take a moment to look in YOUR Mirror!
Know that you are not perfect!

Judgement is not something you can control but it is something you can eliminate in your future discoveries. Pass this along in ways of acting upon it.

I will love someone who has 1 dollar just as much as I will love someone who has 1 Million dollars if they are kind and respectful to me and what matters in my life.

God Bless
Cheers,

The 2013 RAK Check-In's

1. Buy someones groceries.--- Check
2. Send someone in need some flowers.--- Check
3. Get a stranger a birthday gift. --- Check
4. Write a letter to Ellen about Ellen!
5. Get my mom a "Pamper Mom" day... Not just for Mothers day or Birthday! --- Check
6. Buy someones Gas. --- Check
7. Donate my time at a charity event/drive. --- Check
8. Give a child with cancer a present. --- Check
9. Help at an animal shelter.
10. Pay someones phone bill. (Not My Own)

Remember this list I posted in January of 2013? 'Member you Member!' 

I have done all but 3... 
Now I did buy someone a phone and phone case.
I did save 2 dogs that ran away from home. I am attending a 5k walk with your pooches next Saturday.
And I still have no idea what I can tell Ellen what she doesn't already know!
Kind-Hearted, Giving, Funny, Caring so on and on and on! 

But in turn.. 
I was able to get myself a NEW 2013 Hyundai without a Co-Signer!! =] 
Pay off a few small charge card loans!
AND
I am happily blessed with everything in my life. I am Happy, Healthy and enjoying every minute of my being! 

I strive each day to be positive and turn someones frown upside down. Or heck, just make someone smile again during the day. Laugh a little louder and Shine a little brighter! 

I just wanted to give a update on my 2013 RAK's 
3 to go! Wish me luck! 

God Bless,
Cheers, 

I'm Here For You

Being that person to go-to. Being that person who "i'll take care of it". Being that person who is "Always there"
Sometimes we take these things for granted. Yes once again I am playing catch up on life on this journal of a blog. Since "Its baseball season" I have continued with my random acts of kindness RAK's and have to say I feel/hope that my Life is going to the most positive direction it can.
I do good for others because it makes me feel good, yet makes someone smile.
I am that person who tries to carry a friends weight when that said person cries on my shoulder. Through the ups and downs of life we have these people that we go to.
What happens when we loose them?
Not in a matter of death and a grave. This is more of a living death.
That one single person who wasn't a girls Mom or a girls Boyfriend. This is someone who is close. You can share your most darkest secrets with. I tell you when you have one person you can call at any hour of the day with any problem in the world and they make you feel better with one single sentence, "I'm here for you" thats love in any way you want to look at it.
What happens when that sentence disappears?
What happens when that shoulder isn't a tear holder?
What happens when that Go-To is now Gone?
This is all summed up in one word, disappointing! Its hard to say yet easy to prove that life often changes, therefore making people change as well. This is not something that is a mystery. This is not something that is new to everyone. We simply know that life is a swinging door and you never know what is going to come through it or walk out it.
(I often imagine myself in a log cabin on a beach writing in an old book with faded pages in hopes that someday my stories are for everyone to see, like in a movie! This is my random thought to myself while typing this.)
I think of the person that went out my swinging door. I hope that one day it will be a revolving door and that person comes right back around. But life and fate has different plans than what our head is thinking and no matter what pain our hearts have.
I think of my story and of a old man, late 80's who had to say good bye to his wife of 65 years, his Go-To his Shoulder, His "I'm here for you" and how empty he is in life until the day when his wife greets him to say "I'm here for you".....

My friends, find your shoulder let them go and find your forever shoulder! =]

Love to you all!

Cheers,