Summer is Officially HERE!!!

Happy Summer to y'all!!! It seems as though the June Gloom (yes, it really does exist! I didn't believe it until I lived it, I totally figured all these spoiled Californians were just exaggerating cause they are used to 75 and sunny all the time) has finally passed, only partially cloudy in the am, but it burns off by 10 am, latest. That being said, the weekend was FANTASTIC!!! Every single day was exciting, fun and filled with sunshine!!

Court, me and Bry!!! Not sure if I posted this, but I love this picture!!!

So the past few weeks have been filled with tests, quizzes, tests, and more quizzes! I had one today as well, and somehow I passed. Let me tell all you, x-ray physics is BORING!!! It was one of those tests that I walked out of thinking WOW, I hope I got half right. I am pretty sure there was a hard core curve to the test, because I ended up with a solid B. Definite high note in my book! Now I sit in Pathology, and I really don't feel like listening, so I am blogging. Great use of my time!!

Wayfarer Family! Great friends, Molly, Taylor and Janae, at a BBQ our school put on. 

Now for a recap of my weekend! Thursday was busy with tests, go figure... But Thursday afternoon we went to the batting cages. Man, was that fun! I only whiffed 5 times, and took at least 60 swings, maybe more. I kinda surprised myself with my skills, I mean its a lot less pressure than actually playing in a game, which I did last spring in Denver. I definitely want to get on a coed team, which is hopefully in the works for the fall. I will need a bit more practice and some conditioning of those muscles (oh my was I sore the next day, I felt old), but it should be a blast. After that I went to some friend's home and had some yummy chili and the best cornbread Muffins! Shout out to Janae who is an awesome cook and the Mormon Mom's Cookbook- that book has some tasty food it in, only magic comes out of there! We concluded the night with some cards games, that I stunk at btw, but it was a blast none the less.

Ice Cream with Jes and Bui after school on Thursday, such a great way to start a beautiful weekend!

The crew after going to the cages! Y'all are the GREATEST!! I love that my friends like to do active things!

Friday was a pretty lazy day, I went on a morning run which was super fun. When I am in the mood to run, I sure do love it. I ran to my mom's elementary school, St. Anthony's, which I found out is a little over a mile away from the house. So a short run, but it was fun to get outside and sweat a bit before I went to Long Beach to get a Keratin Smoothing Treatment done on my hair. So far I like it, at first it was  way too flat, but the next day I dried and straightened my hair in 15 minutes! AWESOME!!!


Saturday was TRULY SUMMER! I woke up and went to bootcamp then came back to the house to get ready for the BEACH!! Ash, Marc, Maka, Kyle, Ollie, Bailey and I all met up at the dog beach in Huntington Beach! It was sooo fun, the dogs had a blast, as well as owners. It was a beautiful day, and although the water was its typically chilly self, it was still great. Bailey was a blast to play with in the water. She was so funny trying to outrun the waves, my favorite was when she actually got in the water running after her tennis ball, she is such a good swimmer and looks so cute in the water. Unfortunately I was the one fetching it most of the time, especially when it went too far. Boy do I love the sun and the beach! I can't wait until this next weekend and plan to go to the beach again!! Plus its the 4th of July, arguably my favorite holiday!! Speaking of the USA... Saturday night Mike, Ash, Marc and I met at Buffalo Wild Wings in Brea. Its pretty new, and so nice. It has a beautiful patio upstairs that is perfect for summer nights in the OC. We watched the US Men's National soccer team start strong and then fall to their demise. But I couldn't have asked for more fun with great friends. I was even lucky enough to get an appearance from a best friend from CCU, Harmony! We both live in southern CA, about 2 hours from each other and haven't seen one another since NOVEMBER! We both decided that this is unacceptable, and will be working on seeing each other a little bit more often. It was so great to see a familiar face and one of my very best friends, not to mention a huge soccer fan. The night ended with a Scattergories VICTORY from me! Great weekend with absolutely no school! Gotta love it!!!

Kyle and Marc with the pups. The frisbee got lost in the rocks, it was rather windy and the thing was going all over the place!

Note to self and all others: Don't go to the dog beach if you want to lounge around because 1) your towel will get taken over by the dogs and it will get sandy super fast (they are seriously drawn to my 5x5 towel, there is a whole beach pups),  2) the second you lay down a dog will come lick and sniff your face and 3) its way too fun to lay around, the dog beach is the place to play with your dog and others, I would suggest it to any friendly dogs!! Plus your pup will be tuckered out the whole rest of the day, and maybe even the next day if you play with them enough. Oh, thats Bailey and Ollie making themselves very comfortable on my towel :)

Marc, Ash and Makapu'u

Auntie Sammi and Bailey! I absolutely adore this dog, she is such a lover and is a very close second to my pup back in CO, Helia.

Sunday was typical studying and watching baseball (Rockies and Halos both lost), so we won't really talk about it. But you won't hear this girl complaining about a day filled with baseball.

I also got a new book! The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha. It is absolutely hilarious! In short, it highlights the little things in life that we often take for granted. I was walking through Target and thought hmmm, I would love a new book so as I browsed for the best looking covers I stumbled upon this one... The back cover had me hooked so I looked it up on amazon and it was half the price of it at target so I ordered one for me and one for my girl Rach! Here is what the back said:

"Sometimes it's easy to forget the things that make us smile. Sometimes it's tempting to feel that the world is falling apart. But awesome things are all around us: 

Popping Bubble Wrap

The smell of rain on a hot sidewalk

Hitting a bunch of green lights in a tow

Wakingup and realizing its Saturday

Fixing electronics by smacking them"

How true is this!!! So now I usually read one in the am and one before bed. Everyone should read this book! Or go to the website that the book is based on and check out all the awesomely great little things that totally can turn any old day into THE BEST DAY EVER! (Or the best day for that specific moment, or maybe something to just make you smile)

The cover that caught my eye! Thank goodness for great graphics, or else this gem would have been passed up.

Who can forget, I totally made brownies for the sole purpose of eating the batter on Sunday night! AND IT WAS AWESOME!

I did actually bake some, promise :)

Now for the real goods!! I know some of you might think this is gross, but I also know there are a few of you out there who LOVE this as much as I do, including my daddy and Krissy! 

Alright, so it obviously isn't Monday anymore, which was when I started this post, but you get the idea... I have a iPhone app called BePositive (its free and I would suggest it to you all, its just a great reminder of how much positivity and attitude can affect your day) and I read it daily. This one cracked me up, but it is so darn true!!!

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." --- Samuel Beckett

It might sound weird to tell someone to fail better, but when you really think about it, the process of learning just about anything is progressively better, (not worse) repeated failures. I can equate learning how to adjust to this. It's not easy folks! But every time I practice I manage to fail better than the time before. So here's to failing better! Cause who wants to sit out and watch just so you can say you didn't fail. How boring is that!

Be Blessed on this 4th of July weekend!! I am so proud to be an American, I can't wait to hear that song, watch fireworks and get chills up and down my back. That is living!

Love & Smiles

sammi d

Daddy's Little Girl

In honor of Father's Day, this post will be dedicated to the man who responds to Dad by only three people (four, if your count when Mom calls him that- but let's not get too technical) in the world: me, Shane and Court.


Well hmmm.... I am not sure where to even begin! I just gotta brag a little bit on my padre! He is awesome! I have yet to meet someone so level headed, goofy, loyal, loving, proud, and generous to our family. My dad is also my biggest fan!!! In college at CCU, dad was at every home game. Senior year he and mom even travelled to New Mexico, Nebraska, and Oklahoma!!! Not to mention all over Colorado for away games!! That meant soooo much to me, I can't really describe it. I could always count on my dad cheering me on from the sidelines (probably annoying my momma, but it meant the world to me to hear his voice while I was out there). Soccer was OUR thing! He would listen to me complain after hard losses and be so proud no matter what the result! The most fun I had with him was probably in Florida for NCCAA Nationals junior year. Although we lost a heart breaker in the first game, dad was there to hold me while I cried like a little kid and then cheer us all on the rest of the time. Those are memories that I will never forget! 

Daddy and I recently at my cousin's wedding.

One last thing that I absolutely love about my dad- his love for our entire family! I know I said this before, but Dad just loves us all so much! He is such an awesome example of what a great father and husband should be. I've always told my mom that no one will ever be good enough for me, cause no one will ever be as great of a dad or husband as my daddy is. (I know the close second is out there somewhere though) 


Now that I have moved on in my life from soccer to DC school, dad is still there cheering me along. Whenever I tell him my grades he is always so impressed, even when they aren't very impressive. He is constantly reassuring me and encouraging me. I know he is proud and I really appreciate his enthusiasm for what I am doing. I actually have him to thank for me wanting to become a DC! So thanks Pops, this is the best decision I have ever made!!!

Daddy and I last year on Father's Day at Coors Field watching the Rockies play!

All in all, I love you Dad! You are the bomb and never cease to crack me up! Cannot wait to see you in August and go to some Rockies games with you! I love you Daddy and I will always be your little girl!


I hope you all enjoyed your Father's Day and truly got to appreciate your dad for who he is and what he means to you and the rest of your family! Here are some lyrics from a song that I heard the other day on my favorite country station. Its by George Strait and the words really hit home! Thanks for loving us like this Dad!

"Daddy's don't just love their children every now and then. It's a love without end, amen. It's a love without end, AMEN."

Be Blessed


Love & Smiles

sammi d

And I have to add a great quote for good measure...

"Keep away from people who try to belillte your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." --- Mark Twain

Thanks for believing in me and knowing that I too can be great. Love you Daddy

California Love

Alright y'all! I can't believe I have been such a slacker on posting! I am sure you are all just dying to know what I have been doing for the last 3 weeks, so I thought instead of writing a ton, I would do a little photo montage of my life as of late! And let me tell you, IT HAS BEEN AWESOME! Here's to my first summer in CALIFORNIA!!

Last minute, baseball game with Kyle on a Sunday afternoon! These are the seats my Grandma has had for 30 years! So thankful that she shares with her grandkids :)

This bouquet came from my Grandma's yard. CO has nothing on CA when it comes to landscaping! These flowers were gorgeous! and I think I did a decent job arranging them :)

I love baking, and these Reese's Peanut Butter Cookies were to die for. Thanks to the lovely Janae for the recipe! Oh and I burned a batch, I think its tradition now or something cause I never fail to do it!

My sister moved to CA for the summer!! I LOVE having her here!!

Last minute Angel's Game with Mike! So its Tuesday and we are sitting in class and this is what happens. MIKE: Sam, what are you doing tonight? SAM: No plans, studying for whatever we have tomorrow. MIKE: Says nothing and turns back around. SAM: You can't just ask that and turn back around! Why, what's going on tonight? MIKE: Well I really want to go to the Angel's game, but its short notice. SAM: I AM IN!!! 

Great night with great company, not to mention an ANGEL'S WIN!!! I love living 10 minutes from the BIG A and being able to go to games on random occasions.

WEDDING WEEKEND and all the Kibby kids are back in town! That is nine cars in my grandma's driveway! I love my family!!!

Matt (cousin) and Courtney! Matt inherited a sister for the summer. Good luck buddy :) Love you two!!

On our way to Becca's wedding!!

I love my sister! ps, I was having an awesome hair day! Since when does my hair look that long, just saying :) 

Me and B (cousin) at the wedding! We grooved all night!!

Shane!! Had such a blast with my brother, and whole family for that matter!!

People say I resemble him :) Love you daddy!!

Madre!! Me and my beautiful momma

Both parentals! Married 24 years!! Love y'all and the awesome example you are!

Cousins!!! Alex in the way back, Bry, Matt, B, Me and Court!

The BRIDE!! My lovely cousin Rebecca!! Congratulations

Since I am TULO-jit 2 quit, I ate that whole burger on our way to dodger Stadium for  the Rockies @ LA game. Tommy's, an LA must!! 

Best picture ever!! You boys crack me up!! (ps check out those hats!)

I also had to have a Dodger Dog, yummmmm

Most of the crew, with a lot of PURPLE on! Great time with my great friends!!

Rockies Round 2!!! Great view of downtown LA from DOdger Stadium

Just like the good times at Coors, only with a little booing instead! ROCKIES WON and it was AWESOME!! I was a happy camper needless to say.

All smiles after a Rockies win!! Kudos to Mike for encouraging going to the game and Jes for coming along as well! So glad I could see my boys play twice!!

I want to move to HB!! It's beautiful!

I went to SD to hang with my old CCU soccer coach and watch her run the Rock and Roll Marathon! She did awesome, I am so happy to have her in my life as a mentor and friend!!

Random Angel game with B! showed up in the 2nd and left in the 8th... The joy of living close to the Big A! I can go to Angel games during midterms week!

Look at all that red!! Only for the Angel's!

We have so much random giveaway stuff! Love going to baseball games with my sister!!!

So as you can see, baseball has been a huge part of what I have been doing the last few weeks. Along with this I have been studying, and pretty much enjoying life and the beautiful sunshine!!! Stay tuned for a new blog on this past week's Dead Chiropractic Society!! All you DC kids better be there next month, no excuses cause we don't have a test the next day! We all need to be dipped every once in a while, and personally I would prefer never to get out of the pool!

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." --- T.S. Elliot

Dream big. Live large. Never settle.


Be Blessed!!


Love & Smiles


sammi d

Highway to Health

The school week is over and I couldn't be more excited for the weekend! And a little shut eye tonight, I am beat! But even as tired as I was today (and likely all the SICA crew that attended DCS-more to come about that) I can't complain. Cause I am blessed! So are you! We all are actually, even as hard as that is to see sometimes. Blessings surround us daily.


Ok, so here is the back story. Back in February there was a chiropractic conference that was put on by a group of chiropractors in the Orange County area. It is called Cal Jam. I was unable to go because I was back in Denver that weekend, but a few people from school were able to make it. Long story short, the people who were able to be at Cal Jam haven't looked back since then! They are FIRED UP about chiropractic and it is contagious! You know when someone has experienced something so awesome that you can't wait to have a part of it yourself, well last night at the Dead Chiropractic Society I was able to be a part of it. It's official: MY WORLD HAS BEEN ROCKED!! I am pretty sure I can't even do it justice, but here is my feeble attempt...


So 4 years ago was my last time in Uganda, and I will have you know, there is no place like that. Until you have seen poverty like that first hand, its hard to comprehend. I will admit, its hard for me to comprehend after being away for a while. Well, while we were there, I remember driving through Kampala. We were waiting at a stop light and the car in front of us got robber. They had their window down and a guy ran over to them, stuck his hand in the passenger window and straight up yanked the woman's purse from her. Right then. Right there. GONE. I remember looking out the window, bright eyed 18 year old Sam thinking Oh my, that couldn't have just happened! As we drove away, we drove past a person who was on a mat begging by the road, which might not have phased me, but this person didn't have legs. No feet, no calves, no thighs. No legs! The reason I bring this story up is because one of the speakers, Dr. Liam Schubel, at DCS told an oddly similar story. For him, though, seeing the femur-less man was a wake up call. It was a call for him to do something bigger than himself. It was also a reminder to count your blessings. Dr. Schubel also said something that is completely true, with great blessings comes great responsibility. This is were I seem to fail at times, but I am not one to give up easily. I hope to be able to pass blessings on to people everyday, even in the littlest ways. It is those random acts of kindness that sometimes mean the most to me.


So its Saturday now, I couldn't stay up Thursday night to do the rest of my post :) But back to all the DCS talk... The other speaker was Dr. Brian Kelly, President of Life West Chiropractic College. He was great as well. Both spoke about what chiropractic means to them, and the root of chiropractic. Listening to them was so inspiring. I picked up my pops from the airport after DCS and I couldn't stop talking about it! I am sooo extremely blessed in my life, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am exactly where God wants me. I feel such a sense of peace knowing that in less than 3 years I will be able to help people live their life in a complete and whole way. I WILL be a chiropractor who adjusts subluxations and restores the body's innate power to heal itself! (WOW, did I just use those 3 words in one sentence!!!) I could not be more excited about the all us DC kids (that's a shout out to all you LACC students) are going! I have found such a great group of friends and future colleagues who challenge me to think differently and are 100% supportive. They are my chiropractic family and I am proud to say that!


This quote is to all you DC kids...

"There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen" ---Wayne Dyer

I can say that I will be doing just that, and that pumps me up! I love you all!!

So we went to see Bridesmaids and it was hilarious! Ridiculously crude and raunch, but funny none the less. We were early so of course the boys had to play in the arcade. Although Mike looks all business, Jay was the victorious one. 

I got a new curling iron and had to test it out, as well as testing the ability of my superior oblique muscle. Looks as though I might have a lesion to R CN IV... I don't think so really, but I guess all my IPES studying has paid off!

Be blessed!

Love & Smiles

sammi d

Bend it Like Beckham

This weekend was a SUCCESS to say the least! Probably one of the best weekends I have had in a while. Started with a Thursday after school trip to Draft Picks, the sports bar by school to relax, eat, watch some basketball and catch up with friends. It was the first time I had been there since St. Pattys and totally reminded me of how far we (me and the DC kids) have come. I actually got to know a lot of the people I consider good friends at that place. Anyway, after DP's I went to another friends to have chocolate chip pancakes. Those are my favorite and to be real, they are the only way I will eat pancakes. We bought the whole wheat brand, don't make that mistake, Bisquick all the way next time Jes and Ry. Also practiced adjusting, let me tell ya I need more practice, but it will come, and I can't wait for that time!!! 


Friday was equally as great, I went hiking with Ash, Marc and Maka (their puppy) and we even encountered a snake! Actually two, I was the lucky on the come across the first one, and lets just say I had a little freak out and started running up the trail :) Marc and Maka lead the way after that one! Its pretty cool that even here in Southern California, the epitome of concrete everywhere, there are still awesome canyons and places to enjoy nature. This was something I enjoyed so much about Colorado, so I am pumped to be able to have similar experiences here. Though they aren't 14ers like in CO, I still got a great workout and spent some time enjoying the outdoors with good friends. Friday night consisted of softball! A few of my best friends from class play on a team together, so a few of us went to go watch. And they WON! Shout out to No Pay Bunt. Another fun time chit chatting with friends and enjoying the pretty weather, we are possibly in the works for doing a coed team. I played softball this time last year in CO and totally enjoyed it, I am definitely not the best, but its fun to get out there and play around. I can never be accused of not trying thats for sure. I hope it works out for some of us to play, I might need to get on that this week!


Now for Saturday!!! I went to boot camp in the morning, got my bump kicked, which was much needed, then headed to my Grams and Granddad's for lunch. I spent some awesome time with them, its so fun cause they always tell me the best stories, I learn so much every time I am able to hang out with them and always laugh a lot! Later that night I left for Whittier, en route to the LA Galaxy game. We got In-n-Out before the game and were on our way! I had my first encounter with this lovely city...

Ya, Compton. It wasn't actually too sketchy, but I just found it hilarious that the sign said City of Compton Welcomes You. But it really might not be that funny, because what did I really expect it to say "Drive the other way, its sketchy in this town."  Needless to say, we didn't drive that direction. We ended up at the Home Depot Center to watch David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the rest of the Galaxy take on Sporting Kansas City.

Brady and I after we got on the Big Screen!!!

Caroline and Jes! We had a blast watching those boys play!

That is David! Its been a dream of mine to watch him play!

Right before he bent it! No goal on this effort though.

David Beckham is obviously a great soccer player, but he was one of the first ones I really ever knew about. I learned of him when I was a freshman in high school, after watching the movie Bend it like Beckham. Although the movie is really not even about him, that where I was first really exposed to him. At the game on Saturday, HE SCORED!!!! And I went nuts! It was seriously one of the coolest things ever! I wanted to cry, not really, but it was way cool! To see him play was sweet, and the fact that he scored, that sealed the deal!

DC kids at the Galaxy game! Me, Jes, Brady, Caroline, Mike, and Ash! Let's make this the first of many trips to the Home Depot Center!

Had such a blast with these girls!

After that we headed back to Caroline's for what might have been the most fun of all. Rock Band Roulette! Lets just say I am by far the worst, and I had to sing some Paramore song, pretty sure my voice hasn't recovered from that one! It was a great time with great friends! I am so blessed to have finally found my footing out here in California! Thanks be to everyone who has really made this place feel like home.


Sunday was rather uneventful, back to reality, school, groceries and relaxing. I did make a yummy dinner for my grandma, cousin and myself. I am becoming more and more comfy in the kitchen, GO ME!! First quiz of the semester is tomorrow, hope my studying pays off!

"The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do." ---Thomas Edison

Many blessings to you all as the week begins!


Love & Smiles

sammi d