Prayers for Megan

Hello friends!
Our sister-in-law, Megan, was diagnosed with leukemia three months ago (the very day that she gave birth to her first child). We would love some extra prayers in her behalf if you find a quiet moment in the day. Thank you for all the prayers that are going out now for her. We really do appreciate it!
Love,
The Generik Smiths

Here is a video of our cute niece, Rylee.



If you want more info on Megan please visit:

prayersformegan.com

Public Health Conference

I have exciting news! I applied for a scholarship to attend a public health conference in Denver and was accepted to go! I'm so excited about it and wanted to share some of that excitement. I hope this video works... Because it is AMAZING and makes me want to go get a job in PH right now! Well here it is.

BYU Life

One of my wonderful old roommates, Katie, came into town the other day. I had so much fun walking around campus with her people watching and just enjoying our entertaining environment.
She happened to mention how great it felt to be back at BYU. I was thinking about that comment and remembered that just yesterday I was thinking about BYU culture and how much I'll... dare I say it... miss it.
Just yesterday, I walked by a boy getting dating advice from a "very knowledgeable" friend. Just yesterday, I walked by a girl who was riding her moped in a quite large, fluffy bathrobe (odd to say the least). Just yesterday I heard a boy singing out loud as he walked to class. Just yesterday, I saw a boy running to class as the bell tower rang twelve (he had a striking resemblance to a raptor as he ran). Just yesterday, about twenty people who walked by smiled at me or said hello. Just yesterday, I was able to sit next to a complete stranger and hold a very friendly and meaningful conversation with them. Just yesterday, I got every door held open for me. Just yesterday, the sun was shining in Provo and I realized that I will miss this quirky little town.

A Perfect Break: Part 2, A Defeated Fear

I don't know how many of you hate heights, but I'm not particularly fond of them as shown by my fixation in the somewhat upward sky. At the family reunion we were able to do something called the "Ropes Course". Let me tell you a little bit about what we got to do.




Climb! There was a whole lot of climbing. First Erik and I went up a twenty five foot log.



Next we moved from the Log to the rock wall which was quite frightening. There was a point when you had to reach around and grab onto the rock wall from a very awkward position.







Then there was the 15 foot rock wall and after that i was sooo pooped that i needed to take a quick break... Erik was faster at regaining his strength than I was.



Erik in the air! So high...





Kait on the Ropes. This was a good 40 feet in the air.







And then we came down!



Erik and I would have to agree that this was our favorite activity to do at the reunion. Erik has me figured out so well. He pointed out to me that somethings that scare me are often the things that I have the most fun with. He's right! Isn't stretching yourself to do things that you wouldn't normally do fun?!

A Perfect Break: Part 1

I know this is a little out of order... but I just found this in my "waiting to be posted" pile. So, we're going to jump into our time machine and travel back about seven months to our family reunion at Aspen Grove. We had my whole family there just relaxing and enjoying fun activities and each others company.


This is our little Handsome Rob. He is our nephew and just about the happiest baby there is. All that was needed for him to produce squeals of joy was a tiny pinch on his little cheeks. Aren't his blue eyes beautiful?!


This is Baby Kate; our niece. She's a bundle of energy and the most fun you'll get from a girl who is two and a half. She loved to hang out with us and chat with us. Erik even taught her a new word; Photosynthesis. Right after he said it to her she exclaimed, "Wow! That surprised me!" I couldn't love her more!


For the very first time I tried out paint balling. I had fun but stayed tucked away the whole game. Erik, Cami and Ry had so much fun running around and plotting how to get the flag. Erik managed to steal the flag two times. Yes, I was quite proud!


I can't say that I'm very good at paintball, DDR or archery... but i did enjoy the guns they had out. I had a lot of fun taking tips from my Uncle George on how to aim. And I even have proof that I can aim.

Cheese, Gromit!

A night of Wallace and Gromit while making homemade crackers can put any student’s mind at rest for the weekend. Heather and Simon came over and we made some fun crackers. We put loads of different things in the dough to make different kinds. Our favorite were the crackers that we made with grated cheese in them. They tasted like Cheez-Its! We used a pasta maker to be sure that our crackers were nice and thin.


If you’re looking for a movie to watch and a fun activity to go along with it, check out Wallace and Gromit and make some crackers to munch on while you relax. Don't forget the cheese... I'd recommend wensleydale. Or check out different kinds at cheese.com! You too can become a cheese whiz!

The World Through Green Colored Glasses

My birthday is St. Patrick’s Day; the best holiday in el mundo! I woke up to breakfast in bed and yes... I’m sure you guessed it... EVERYTHING was green. Erik got up at five in the morning to make my day special. I got green eggs and ham, green milk and green juice. When I asked for some water and it came back to me green as well! The house was green and the cake was green; I even turned a little green. No, not sick to my stomach green, but I swear my skin turned a tinge green.


A day all to one’s self is always a fun time.

I got a gag gift from my sisters. I think they are tired of being the tall ones because they gave me these shoes…




then they told me that we were going shopping so I could pick out new ones! I got some classy looking black shoes with pointy toes. It was really fun to go shopping with them; word I thought would never cross my lips. Shopping and fun, hmm.

Let's Go Fly a... Plane!

Our good friends Heather and Simon took us out flying in March. We flew little planes and a helicopter that Simon had. Oh, it was fun… and a cold morning. Heather and I were pretty good cheerleaders as the boys flew and crashed the copter. While I was out there I was remembering when my dad took me out to watch his friends fly some model airplanes. Ah, good memories! It was a really fun morning.

G-E-M-A-H-L

Why did we spell it that way? That is a question that the world may never get an answer to.
This is Gemahl, our robo dwarf hamster. He is two inches long, very loud at night, and in love with anything that's a fruit or veggie. I got him as a Christmas present from Cami and Kirsten Harris, but I think Gimmy, as we call him, is more of Erik’s hamster than mine. Erik loves the little ball of fuzz. He takes care of him, cleans his cage, and gives him tons of treats. I'm pretty lucky to have someone who will do that for me!
Isn’t he cute?!

A Day with the Dinos

Meet the tricERIKtops…


Erik said it was a bad joke then... I guess that applies to now as well. Sorry!

We went to the Dino museum at Thanksgiving point. It was a lot like OMSI, only it was all about Dinos. I could have sworn that Erik and I were five years old again as we went around looking at all of the cool skeletons.


Help I'm being eaten by a T-Rex! Apparently the camera man was too scared to take a clear picture. It was quite the fun adventure.

Valentine's Day 2010

On our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple Erik and I made homemade pizza. You see, we're not so genERIK because we put it in the shape of a heart and then added all of the toppings we liked to our own sides. :) Erik is showcasing the pizza with his favorite wedding gift; an oven mit in the shape of an alligator. He named him Albert… like the Florida Gator’s mascot.


What a fun day! Erik made me breakfast in bed and turned all the food red and pink. I got chocolate covered fruit to boot!


Flowers, cookies and pizza; what a great holiday!

All Things Pretty and Green

One of my favorite wedding gifts was a tea set from Russia. It's small and green and has a modern, but classy, design on it. I love all things pretty and green. I needed an excuse to use my pretty tea set, so I had a tea party in January! I made lemon cakes and scones to go with the tea. It sure was fun to dress up and have my sisters and friends in my new home!