beauty

Snow.

In my vocabulary, snow is usually a word letter word {okay....so it is a four letter word}.

Today my roommates and I were unable to drive to a Linger Longer {awesome food + socializing after church} because our roommate with 4-wheel drive went home for the weekend and the roommate with the best tires was unable to make it out of the parking lot.  So we hitched a ride to the church...but this also meant we were left car-less up there.  Instead of mooching a ride back {which I'm sure someone would have gladly given us}, we decided to make the journey home on foot.

And I'm so glad we did.

Beauty surrounds us every day.

Sometimes we don't realize it.  Or choose to complain instead.

• "It's too cold"
• "I hate shoveling"
• "People drive too slow"
• "Can it just be summer already?"
• "I am so tired of the snow!!!"
• And a myriad of other complaints floating around

Normally, I'm quite guilty of this and would have a hatred of snow building inside me too.  This week I'm deciding to

Appreciate More, Complain Less

I do wish sidewalks and roads could shovel and plow themselves though...

I sure do love our pretty little winter wonderland we've been given :)

attitude of gratitude {days 9-19}

I'm super behind with this project...but here's the next section anyway.  {click here for part 1}

9 - friends - I'm grateful for all my friends, no matter the length of the friendship.  They have gotten me through the good and the bad times and have shaped much of who I have become.  They teach me things I never knew about myself.  They keep my thoroughly entertained.  I love them.

10 - indoor plumbing - Who honestly wants to squat over a hole in the backyard?  Or run outside to an outhouse?  Especially in the middle of winter.  No thank you.  Whoever invented toilet paper?  Genius.  Also, never having to share bath water with siblings?  Awesomeness.  I like showers.

11 - government and military - I am so blessed to live in a place where I am free to choose what to do with my life, have guaranteed rights and liberties, and the opportunity to have a say in how our country is run (aka the right to vote).  I grateful for those who sacrifice their time, and even their life, to serve this country and its citizens to protect their freedoms.

12 - cell phones - I complain about how much I hate my phone often-- how slow it is, functions it doesn't have, and just how crappy it is in general.  But really, it does so much for me.  I take pictures on it more than I do with my real camera.  It helps me to keep in touch with family and friends through phone calls, texting, and social media apps.  It prevents me from getting completely lost with navigation and answers stupid questions with Google.

13 - ducks {and geese} - Ducks are pretty much the greatest animal on the planet.  They are definitely in my top three favorite animals.  For some reason, they make me unexplainably happy.  I haven't been infatuated with them as much this school year, but I still think they're pretty awesome.

14 - zumba - So if you know me, like, at all, you know growing up I was not athletic at all.  I hated sports.  I hated gym.  Being athletic was NOT my forte.  Then, one of the summers after high school, I decided to give AquaZumba a shot.  My mom and her friends (who are pretty much my second and third moms) were doing it...so if middle-aged moms could do it, a nineteen year old could, right?  Right!  I fell in love.  The next fall I signed up for a normal Zumba class for school and the love has continued.  Who knew exercising could be fun?

15 - shameless self-photos - If somebody was to look through the pictures on my phone, they would probably tell me the amount of pictures I take of myself is obscene.  Honestly, I just get bored....so this occasionally provides a form of entertainment.

clothes AND shameless self-portraits....embarrassing eh?

16 - clothes - Granted, a small percentage of the population could probably walk around without clothes and nobody would complain...but for the majority clothing is a good great thing.  Clothes cover up some of the scars, flaws, and imperfections I don't wish to share with the world.  It allows me to express myself.  I definitely am not a pro at throwing outfits together, but knowing how I used to dress, I can say I am significantly better at it.

17 - Aggie Athletics - I don't care if you have a card proclaiming you are a "True Aggie" because you kissed somebody on the A at midnight the night of a full moon.  You are NOT a True Aggie if you do not support Aggie sports.  Last Saturday some of my roommates and I sat in the Spectrum for over six hours watching the football and basketball games.  The football game was crazy.  I'll admit, I got worried.  I lost hope even. The last half we weren't doing so hot, so how could we win?  Whelp, we went into overtime, and guess what?  The Aggies pulled through, won, and now are ranked #25.  Basketball did not disappoint either.  I love screaming and cheering on my Aggies.

18 - parents who love each other - It's often easy to take something like this for granted.  It's just life to me.  But then life sinks in and I see friends whose parents are divorced.  Or have friends say they think their parents should divorce.  As a kid, I know I played out the scenario of "which parent would you live with if they got divorced?" in my head (did other people do that too? or was I just a weird kid?), but ultimately, I knew I would never have to choose.  Ever.  I was certain.  I always knew my parents loved each other.  I still do.  And I hope that one day, I'll be able to have a forever marriage like theirs.

19 - creativity - My creativity lacks a lot of times.  But I'm thankful for those who are creative...and even more thankful for those who share their creativity on the internet.  Because, then it allows others, such as my only-semi-creative-self, to get ideas and do awesome things.  Pinterest has allowed for new crafts ideas galore.  Every once in a while, I do create something with my own imagination, but, by golly, others have such nifty ideas!

thankful thursday: days 1-8

so....i thought i would jump on the bandwagon and join in being grateful for something everyday of november.  i know i should remember to be grateful for these things everyday...and i try.  i love the month of november and hearing everybody express their lists too.  anyway...in no particular order...here we go!

Heather's Wedding, June 2010

1 - my mama llama.  .she's pretty much the bee's knees.  she's patient and loving.  she helps me realize the obvious when i don't see it right in front of my face {like my major}.  she reminds me not to worry about things.  she's pretty.  she makes super good food.  and she's not selfish with it either.  she'll not only share with me, she'll take dinner to friends, neighbors, and relatives.  she visits her parents pretty much every day as of lately.  she's super crafty--like she's done pretty much every category imaginable...except knitting.  i've never seen her knit...but jewelry, painting, wood crafts, quilting, crocheting, etc...you name it, she's done it.  even though she's *super old* {not really mom.  you're just not 21} she's one of my best friends.  and she has cool friends.  {wanna know something funny?  i spent almost every tuesday night during the summer going to water zumba with my mom and her friends...sometimes even foregoing plans with my own friends.  ha!}  and so much more.  i pretty much want to be her when i grow up.  or even just half of her...because that would still let me be pretty rad. i love her.

San Francisco, March 2011

2 - pops.  okay i never call him that to his face.  my dad.  he's a super cool dude.  he can fix pretty much anything.  and if he can't, he knows someone who can. he's super smart.  i swear he can answer pretty much any question.  except "what do you want for your birthday?"  he sucks at that one.  he's tells corny "dad jokes."  he makes me laugh {*walks into my room with his arms in the sleeves of a utah state hoodie* "hey kel. wanna see something cool?" "sure dad."  *proceeds to finish putting the hoodie on* "i can put this hoodie on without taking off my glasses!" "isn't that normal??"  *apparently not...*} i'm grateful to have a worthy priesthood-holding father.  and that he takes care of my car.  and takes me out to dinner. and so much more.  when i was little i always thought it was weird when i heard stories of little girls saying they want to marry their dads.  now i get it.  i wanna marry someone like my dad too.  i love him.

Source: shelikespurple.com via Kelly on Pinterest

3 - diet coke.  a gift from the gods.  well...that's if i believed in more than one.  so i guess it's just the greatest thing ever.  pretty sure i'm ready to be a middle-aged mormon mom by the amounts i consume.

Source: burlapanddenim.com via Eryka on Pinterest

4 - my religion.  yep.  i'm a mormon.  the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints.  sometimes i like to deviate off the path of life...not too far...just like a footstep or two or three...but ultimately i know what makes me happy.  and the beauty of it is, i'm not expected to be perfect, i just need to strive to be.

5 - old navy.  i don't even want to add up how much i've spent there in the past year...or even just the past three months.  i bought four sweaters there yesterday since it was the last day of super cash.  so i pretty much got one for free...but i got the super cash from spending lots already.  oops.  i swear they used to have ugly clothes growing up....but that has totally changed.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Julia on Pinterest

6 - school.  as much i love to complain and say how much i hate it....i really love it.  growing up, school was how i felt good about myself...mainly because i was good at it.  i was the smart kid.  granted, that's not the super cool thing to be...but i never seemed to get too much crap for it, except from my siblings.  sometimes, now, i don't feel so smart...but i'll save that post for a different day.  because i did so well in high school, i now have a scholarship to pay for me to pursue a college degree.  i love that, even though the major i declared is completely different than anything i've ever studied, i'm still doing well.  i would have never thought of myself as one to go into business...yet it feels so right.  there are projects where i have to stretch myself and what i feel i am capable of...but overall, i seem to have been successful :)

7 - boys who hold the door open.  in church on sunday in my home ward, one lady was talking about how kids my age don't know how to date, and lack of door-holding was one of the things used as an example.  i try to remember to say thank you...although i know i'm not perfect in remembering.  and i know it is a concern for dating.  i've been on some dates where the boy does not get the door...but i've been on quite a few where the boy does.  dear boys....girls do notice.  and it does improve my opinion of you.

8 - randomly finding twenty bucks!  so today i had to open my backpack to retrieve something i normally don't ever need to get....like ever.  and i noticed a bill folded up in a pocket....and was pretty stoked to see it was a twenty instead of a five like i originally thought :)

bam.  november.  one of the greatest months of the year.

172 people

172 people = the number of students in my Managing Organizations and People class.
172 people = the amount of people I get to teach next Wednesday.

I'm intimidated.  This is one of my first business classes, yet it's upper division.  I feel like I don't know much.  I feel inadequate.  Plus, I am not a fan of speaking in front of huge groups.  Or at least not a fan of being responsible for them learning the material.

I'm the girl who is quiet.  The girl who likes to hide in the back of the class.  The girl who wants to be anonymous.

Sitting in that class, when groups were presenting what they were doing for their fundraisers, I just sat and watched how ridiculous some of them sounded with their schmoozing and sucking up.  Some were great presenters, but others felt like skeezy car dealers.

via

And as I'm preparing my part of the presentation {because thankfully I don't have to do it completely alone}, I am realizing that although it's not on my list of favorite things to do, or what I would ever voluntarily choose to do at this point in my life, I am still capable of doing it.  I have been at my job for the past six years, and during that time period, I have had experiences I can relate to the material I am teaching.  I'm just irritated I can't find the clip of The Office I want haha.

But seriously.  I *am* grateful for my job.  I actually have enjoyed it {and it's why I've decided to choose the business route for school}.  Even though there have been stressful days there, I am now able to use them as examples.  Here's to hoping Andrew and I can fill our 30-40 minutes and actually be understood :)

gone

Life has been a bit crazy lately...I really need to be better about writing stories before I begin forgetting the details haha...anyway...we'll time travel back to last week for a minute.

On my laptop I have a folder of all my pictures prior to this computer.  Last week I opened it to look for pictures for a project and instead of being greeted by a plethora of pictures I am greeted by this message:

Now don't get me wrong.  I was sad that these pictures were gone.  Family vacations, nieces growing up, choir trip, graduation, etc.  My family computer I had them all stored on crashed a few months earlier and stuff was only partially recovered...so I was pretty sure everything was gone.  I ended up being okay with it all.  I figured I had a decent amount of pictures on Facebook, many pictures were dorky self-portraits of a funny looking girl, and everyone in the pictures was still in existence so I knew I would be able to get more even though they wouldn't be snapshots capturing the old memories.

Thursday I am looking on Pinterest and show my roommates this picture:

Source: dwellstudio.com via Kelly on Pinterest

The owl bedding is adorable...but what I was really focused on was the cute dachshund pillow on the bed.

You see....from about age 4 to age 18 my family had the cutest little wiener dog.  See?

Yeah.  Adorable, I know.  He wasn't very good at listening though.  I remember telling him explicitly before my choir trip he wasn't allowed to die while I was gone.  Yeah.  He failed at listening.  The night I got home and found out I bawled pretty much all night.  He was the friend who was always there no matter what was going on in life.

Anyway, back to the owl bedding.  I started googling dachshund things.  I'm sitting in our cute little grandpa recliner with my cute little green laptop resting in my cute little lap.  And suddenly, something in my brain clicks.  I scream NO!!! and have curious glances directed my way from inquisitive roommates.  I race to open the folder..and sure enough, my worst fear is confirmed.  The folder still looks like this:

EMPTY.  GONE.

I start laughing.  I start crying.  I am just a mess.  Those are the two dominant ways of dealing with my emotions and both decide to manifest themselves at the exact same moment.

"Kelly, are you okay?"

"I...I don't think so."  I sit, staring at my computer in disbelief, tears welling up in my eyes.

I sat for at least ten minutes staring at the screen.  Then, I notice button in the top right corner.  It says something about arranging the pictures by different things.  I click it and change the settings...and miraculously all the pictures fill the screen.  I was beyond excited.  I felt beyond stupid.  I knew how ridiculous I looked and sounded.  He was just a dog.  But really, he wasn't.  He was much, much more.

What If

Sorry I've been MIA lately.  I've had 4 tests and a paper due...but anywho...

I found this beauty on Pinterest the other day.

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelly on Pinterest

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 reads: "Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

I believe that we are continually growing and progressing throughout life, but I feel like that growth shoots up like sunflowers during the hard times. However, you don't notice it until you're reflecting on the past.

On Monday Kylee {my old roommate} and I were talking about last year.  I gave her a little more insight as to what was going on in my life at that point {she's pretty much my free therapist.  she's wonderful.} I don't even know how the topic came up, but it did.  She told me how she's noticed how much happier I am this year.  I can see and feel it too.  It's a great thing.  But, I know I wouldn't appreciate my happiness now if I didn't have the bad times to compare it to.

I know that I need to work on living that scripture more.  When things are easy it's easy to ignore it.  I rely on God and prayer much more when things are rough.  I'm trying to remember to pray prayers of gratitude more often.  I pray for those I know who are struggling.  I pray for help to improve myself.

I feel like this should be an English essay.  I feel like I need to use smoother transitions and somehow appropriately sum up my feelings instead of end abruptly.  But, I'm not submitting this for a grade, so really I can do things how I want :)

Just remember happiness is all good and dandy.  It really is.  Remember to rejoice, pray, and be grateful.  But also remember that sadness, trials, and tears are wonderful things too.

2011 - what a crazy year!

2011 was such a crazy year full of ups and downs.  I've learned lots of valuable lessons...and am sure 2012 will bring plenty more!  Sometimes it hurts to learn...and that's when it feels like learning.  I think the more pleasurable way of learning is called "fun" and the year has had plenty of that!

January


I started my second semester of college!  Sociology, psychology, humanities, and chemistry.  I could only remember 1 of 4 and had to look them up.  How sad is that?


Miss Katie Plott {Janie and Kylee's friend from home} visited Logan.  She dyed my hair for the first time.  I remember I was kind of nervous...what if I hated it?!  Good thing I love it!

I'm not capable of not pulling faces.

Um...January doesn't really stick out to me...it was almost a year ago!

February

February was the month I started blogging!  Nothing too special...but it's a way to remember life :)

Kylee, Sarah, Katie, and I went to a basketball game...super early!  We didn't realize we'd have to wait outside for so long!  It was freezing.  But Aggie games are always great.

And I made these lovely gems.  Heath {better than sex} cupcakes!  SOooo yummy.  Messy.  And a pain in the butt to make...but delicious nonetheless.

March


March was INSANE!  I was out of Logan more than I was in Logan, but it was so much fun!

I went to California (posts 1, 2, 3, and 4).  San Francisco is such a beautiful city.  I'm so grateful Eryka's step-dad offered to take my parents and I on a tour of the city!  He knew the ins and outs and was great at navigating since he knew the city so well.

I tried my first bowl of clam chowder.  Delicious!

Ghirardelli Square.  Chocolate is always divine

Lombard Street

But we didn't go to California just to sight-see...we went for a wedding!

Daniel and Eryka make a gorgeous couple {you can follow their blog here}

It also included friends who made me feel awful.  But more importantly it included friends who reminded me of how special I am.  It makes me tear up just thinking about them.  Thanks Sarah, Janie, and especially Kylee.  Kylee knew how to make me talk when others didn't.  And she knew what to say.

That month we also met the boys across the hall.  Yep.  It took us until March even though we had been living there since August.  Pathetic...but that's life haha :)

And I went down to Bountiful for work a bunch.  It was just for training...every Thursday.  Not the most convenient...but it's better than not having a job!

April


Stephanie and Eric got engaged on April Fools Day.

The roommates and I met Biggest Loser contestants and worked out with Brett {from the show}. Yep.  He was pretty awesome.  Or maybe pretty and awesome.

The roommates and the boys across the hall went to Lagoon.  I went on Skycoaster for my first time.  So scary...but SO fun! {you would think I'd have gone on it before now...considering it was my fifth year working there...}

There was bacon-shaped cake.  And schedule planning for the fall.  And taking webcam pictures like I belong on 16 and Pregnant {except I don't!} {april blogs}

Oh and I found ducks in a parking lot by the stadium.  I like ducks :)

May


Finals could not be over soon enough!  I was SO ready to move home.  Packing was a beast.  But thankfully once I got home I had family who brought all my stuff inside our home under ten minutes!  I wish taking it to my car would have gone that fast!

The weekend after I got home my family participated in Race for the Cure.  I've participated before, but it was a different feeling this year since breast cancer had hit home.  Aunt Tracey is an amazing lady!

love this family!

love them!

I find {this} post funny.  In it I comment on how, depending on the day, you interact with some pretty interesting characters.  And at the end I say "Life is pretty quiet.  Not uneventful...but lacking major events."

And then the NEXT Saturday....this happens!

If you can't tell, I have a black eye!  Well...had.  That's a story I never talked about on here yet!  Maybe later I'll have to do the story justice...but longish story short...I got punched in the face by a random lady at work!

June


June must have been filled with work.  I can't find pictures.  And there's one blog post.  But work was great.  I love the people I work with and hope most of them will be there this coming summer too!

July


July was full of work, fireworks, and Steph's wedding.

I watched fireworks on top of the rec center with Kevin.

I never got wedding pictures onto my computer...but the wedding was pretty!  And seemed to fit Stephanie perfectly.  The weather was everywhere that day...from blinding sun to pouring rain.  Not the greatest for an outdoor wedding...but we made it work!  I loved having family in town, especially Heather!

August


Some of the old roommates and I went camping up to Hunts property.  It was so much fun!

Did you know I'm a lumberjack?
P.S.  dull axes are awful

4-wheeling fun!

No wonder we're all single... :)

Sleepover fun! 

So bright...we're blinding each other with our beauty!

The best friend left on his LDS mission.

Work went back to weekends.

I moved back to Logan for school.  Met new roommates.  Met new friends.  Settled into my new home.

September


I turned twenty.  No more being a teenager for me!

Finally blogged about my "lovely Logan home" with pictures.

Played A LOT of Just Dance 2.

Went to Cobra Starship with Sierra at the U {for free}

Participated in a Guinness World Record.  World's Longest Kissing Chain? Check.  We also camped on the quad.

Was a big girl and got my car fixed {take 1}

October


What a wonderful month!  Life was quite blissful :)

General Conference.

Source: jengerbreadcreations.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest

Made new friends at the Trophy House {Just Dance, game nights, and movie nights (my fav)}

Home was broken into.  Thankfully it was a prank.  Dumb I1 boys...except we love them still!  But we did learn how to use the deadbolt.

Discovered the wonderfulness of Violet Hill Boutique.

Had a leaf bug on my nose.

And put Pinterest to good use...by actually doing some of the projects I've pinned!

And going to the North Logan Pumpkin Walk was delightful.  So much creativity and hard work!

My car broke {take two}.  Thankfully it was in a parking lot again.  And thankfully it's been working since then {knock on wood}

Best friend came home.

Can I just say how much I loved wearing a tutu?  They are so much fun!  I missed out as a child...but maybe I appreciate it more now?  haha who knows?

What a cute peacock!  I was super jealous of her costume :)

November


I cranked out a huge paper in a day and a half {research and all!}  The teacher thought it was great enough he asked permission to use it as an example for next semester.  Score.

Katie and I celebrated 11:11 on 11/11/11.  We both screamed and freaked out and made a wish like little kids.  I think I remember my wish.  If not, I guess it wasn't that good haha.

Thanksgiving.  Awesome.  I love having a mom that can cook.  And sister/sister-in-law/me that can pitch in.  The only thing that would make it better is having more family here next time!

Football with Dad.  Pressbox seats.  Free lunch.  Also went down to the sideline.  Awesome.

Tried to give blood.  Not super successful.  Gave up after being there for over 2 hours.

December


Roommate Christmas.  I love pretty presents.

I love friends.

Went through mega-stress/worry.  Thankfully everything ended up okay.

Then came a different stress: finals.  After going through the previous week they were {almost} a welcoming sight.  Grades went well.  All A's and one A-.  I was quite content.

Christmas was great!  Church was full of wonderful music.  Later, the nieces came over and we opened presents about 2.  Everything was perfect!  My family knows each other well.

Hanging out with Katie {the roommate} over the break.  And just talking for over three hours.  Love her!

Tomorrow is my sister's birthday {happy birthday Steph!} and New Year's Eve.  It'll be spent with friends welcoming in the new year!

I'm excited for what it has in store.