Class of '09

Congrats to my little sister, Melissa, on her graduation. Tab, the boys, and I went to watch her walk across the stage a week ago. It wasn't too long ago we were babysitting her as a little girl. Now, she's grown into a beautiful young woman. Congrats, Melissa! You are beautiful, smart, talented, and have your whole life in front of you. I know that you will accomplish great things.

Wasn't this just yesterday?

5/23/09~ Graduation Day

Childhood Memories

Do you remember your childhood best friend, the one with whom you spent almost every waking moment? Mine was Malinda. I met her in the 4th grade. We were in the same class and were delighted to find out that we were both LDS (Mormon). This meant we would attend the same ward (congregation). The legend of how we met is that she was singing "I am a child of God" while swinging on the playground and I asked if she were Mormon. I don't really know if that's a true story or just something I created in my mind. In any event, we were immediately friends. We became even closer when my family moved to her neighborhood during my 5th grade year. We then were in walking distance of each other. We would meet each day at this grassy area, which we called "the prairie". It was called this because it reminded us of the area Laura Ingalls runs through on the opening credits of "Little House on the Prairie". As an aside, I love that show. I have the pilot episode and seasons 1-4. OK back on subject- Malinda and I pretty much lived at each others houses from 5th through the 12th grade. We even convinced people that we were sisters. Scroll down and see if you can spot the resemblance. We were as close as sisters and my she was my very BEST friend. Life has happened and we have gone in separate directions. Though I don't speak to her everyday and we can no longer finish each other's sentences, she will always be my BEST friend. I know that I can count on her to be there if I really needed her just as I would be there for her. We were able to hang out last week and I enjoyed every second of it. We reminisced about old times and I felt 10 again. I've missed her and was happy to be able to see her again. Hopefully we won't let too much time go by before seeing each other again.

Today I have a few BEST friends. I love and appreciate each of them. Each friendship is different and precious in its own way, but I'll always treasure my first and longest very BEST friend.

Then...

and now...

Confessions of a foodaholic

For most of my adult life I have had an issue with my weight. I've tried the low carb diet...lasted about a day, and the traditional low cal diet several times. I've had bouts of dedicated exercise routines and months of inactivity. My YMCA membership is better described as a monthly donation. Through trial and error, I've found that the best program for me is Weight Watchers. It takes calories, fat, fiber, and exercise into account so that the nutrition program is tailored to you. I've been doing it for the past few months and have had only moderate success mostly because I haven't been as faithful to the program as I should have. However, I recently decided to stick to the plan. I've done pretty good...ok it's only been 3 days but still. One night I even made a low cal. version of cheeseburgers and fries, sooo good and guilt-free. As I patted myself on the back, I thought, "I can do this," with a smile on my face. And then came today. Yes, it is only the 4th day but I cracked! " What caused this ?" you may ask. It was THIS...

Paula Dean's simply delicious strawberry cake. And simply delicious it is. Now, It's all I can think about...the soft moist cake with a burst of strawberry goodness...the scrumptious creamy smooth sweetness of the cream cheese frosting. It's like I'm an addict. Cake is my drug of choice. Strawberry cake for me is the hardest drug of them all. I've come to the realization that I do need help. I can't do this alone. Detox will be painful but it's a hardship I have to go through. My name is Tomicka and I'm addicted to cake.

Pump It Up!

Today I was able to be 5 years old all over again. There was a YSA activity at Pump It Up which is a big inflatable playground. There was an obstacle course, where I almost broke my arm an almost lost my pants and ; a bounce arena, where I cracked my neck; a slide and a bouncy basketball thing. It was fun to let loose and be a kid again.
Tracey this is for you. The proof is in the pictures. Enjoy!

Humility

There are a few times in life, though few and far between, a picture is taken and you think, "Man I look good." Actually, we all look good. A couple of weeks ago, the young single adults (YSA) in our stake (Stake = a collection of Latter Day Saint congreagations in a region) got together to assemble hygeine kits for the VA in Tuskeegee. We made about a hundred kits. This was all done for the National Day of Service. We also hung out later that week and painted the Family Guidance Center, also for the day of service. It was fun and provided us with a great opportunity to serve our community. It is always great to serve with people you love. The YSA are a great group of young people with strong testimonies and who have a great knowledge and understanding of the Gospel. I am fortunate to know each of them, including the ones who are not pictured in this AWESOME picture of me...I mean us.