Time Flies Like an Arrow. Fruit Flies like a Banana.

Time truly does fly so quickly! I've been in Alaska since the very beginning of May and now I'm on the down hill of going back to Utah! Where did the summer go?!

I have so many favorite memories, experiences and blessings that have occurred over the past couple months and it would take ages to name them all but I wanted to point out a few of my favorites:

Rusty B.
He melts my heart quicker then butter on warm gluten-free bread.
He makes me laugh so SO so much.
He stresses me out when he tries to jump off couches, trampolines and tree-houses.
He goes to church with me every single Sunday and sings the songs with me.
He screams like a girl whenever you splash water on him. (Whoops..)
He runs up to me at the most random times. Hugs my neck really REALLY tight
and tells me that he loves me.

Reilly Sue Sue.
She is my sensitive angel princess.
She is the creative storyteller who will play games with me for hours.
She is the cat-whisperer and animal activist.
She is the shy yet adventurous girl who looks for ways to have more fun.
She is the only one who can read my emotions and ask me thought provoking questions.
She takes care of everyone. Always.
She starts laughing really hard and you just start laughing because of her laugh.
She is my heart.

Regan "Sweetie Plum."

Her quick wit will have you rolling on the floor from laughter.
Her spontaneous personality is wanted by everyone in order to have a good time.
Her compliments are said in statement form.
You can never doubt that she's telling the truth.
Her desire to be "the cool cat" is just a mask for her "sweetie plum" heart.
Her acceptance of you is long-lasting. Once you're "in," you're "in."
Her hugs are enveloping and so pure.

 I love being a Nanny in Alaska.

Tender Mercies

It's interesting to think about the different places that we each receive our inspiration.

I usually just jump on the band-wagon and copy all my friends...

But today, I really wanted to just express my absolute gratitude!

The point is, I could start a "Tender Mercies" Blog and have something to post 

EVERY DAY.

That is how much the Lord has been watching out for me!

 I don't know if I just never noticed before...

But I am definitely aware of sooooo many great things that I just want to shout them from the rooftops!

1) I got to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

2) I survived 18 months! (Hardy har har... hard hard.)

3) I'm now at college again! Taking wonderful classes that I love!

4) I have my own room even though I pay less for a shared-room! (Woot!)

5) All my roommates are saints.

6) My scholarship that hadn't lasted through my mission has been blown out of the water by some miraculous grants that God (or the "Grant Fairies") have blessed me with

7) The laundry at my apartment is now FREE! (And believe me... it adds up!)

8) My counselor from before my mission is still available so she's helping me overcome difficulties

9) My mentoring job is literally the best job for me in the WoRLd! I love it!

10) Even though I'm alone, I'm not lonely. That has been the greatest tender mercy... 

PEACE.

I promise that if you start counting your blessings, you will be overwhelmed.

The greatest blessing that I have is my relationship & testimony of Jesus Christ. 

He's so real! 

He's sooooooooooo loving & caring & willing. 

I am so grateful.

And to end it all... A photo that still has me laughing:

Two Cats Walk Around The Block...

"We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence."

-Joseph Roux

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand."

-Henri Nouwen

"Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend."

-Plautus 

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit."

-Albert Schweitzer

Being A Grown-Up

Some days are harder than others.

Some days are good.

My Favorite Things About Being an Adult:

1) Can do whatever

2) You feel a tad more mature

3) Dont have to ask permission

4) Everything is up to you

5) Eat whatever, whenever

Dislikes of Being an Adult:

1) Bills.

2) Work.

3) You don't have summer off

4) You spend a lot of time alone.

So what do you think? Ready to be an adult and have the weight of the world on your shoulders?

Soul-mates

Do you believe in soulmates?

"Once, a long, long time ago, all people had four legs and two heads. And then the gods threw down thunderbolts and split everyone into two. Each half then had two legs and one head. But the separation left both sides with a desperate yearning to be reunited. Because they each shared the same soul. And ever since then, all people spend their lives searching for the other half of their soul."

Short question with so many different answers!

Some replies from my friends and co-workers and complete strangers:

"YES!"

"Absolutely!"

"no."

"Of corse not!"

"Always! Ha, did you find yours?"

"why do you always ask random questions?" (my favorite reply)

When asked to go more in depth with their answers, I had some interesting thoughts. 

"We make out soul mates. No one person is perfect for us. We become perfect for each other over time. There are lots of people we are compatible with and over time we come to be soul mates through our interactions and changing to be better."

"I believe that there is someone out there that will love you and you'll love them forever, a perfect match... but I also believe that our experiences change us so that person isn't a set person. There isn't only one man/woman for one person."

"You know what, sometimes I feel like Heavenly Father has ways of helping us find the person in our lives that can help us, and it just works out! So, in a way, YES, I do believe in soul-mates."

"No, I do not believe in soul-mates because I don't think they even exist. Marriages are about way more than just initial spark and common interests."

"I believe everyone has multiple soul-mates. If things don't work out with the first one, you still have another chance. But people are snow flakes, not puzzle pieces. We don't fit "precisely" with anyone. And that's how it should be, otherwise we wouldn't need other people."

"No I don't. I think people have multiple other people they are compatible with and its up to you to find them!"

What do you think? Do you believe there is a "special someone" out there waiting for you?!

Life Is Short

29,445 More days until I am 100 years old.
Most likely, I will be dead before then.
That's it.
That's all the time I have.

Treat every moment as if it's your last.
Tell those you love how you feel.
Stand up for yourself.
Hug your family.
Forgive and forget.

You never know when it's your time to go.
I have less than 29,445 days to become who I am.
Today,
I'm going to start living.

My Bucket is Full

Inspired by a dear friend.

I've always loved the idea of having a bucket list.

Something that is attainable and believable. 

On August 2, 2010... KayKay and I made our BL's.

And this is/was mine:

-Go to all the LDS temples in the world

-Get kissed in the rain

-Marry my soulmate for eternity

-Meet the Pope

-Swim with dolphins

-See a duckbill platypus

-Get a puppy as a present (with a big red bow)

-Adopt children.

-Ride a giraffe

-Raise a chicken egg

-Catch a fish with my bare hands

-Donate my blood (DID it! Nov 2010)

-Have a child be named after me

-Ride on a train

-See the white house in Washington D.C.

-Touch a corpse

Isn't it interesting the things that are important to us at certain times in our lives?! I love thinking about it.

What kind of things are on your bucket list?!

Discourage.ment.

You are beautiful, no matter what they say.
Yes, words...can't bring you down.
Don't you bring me down today.

Yucky weekend.
Highlight = seeing Obnette.
Downside = getting sick.

I talked to my parents a lot today.
That always helps.
Except one little thing...
My Dad warned me that I'm showing signs of depression.

Is it just because of this time of year?
Last year around this time... I was a wreck.
Crying constantly.
Emotional rollar-coaster.

It's not like my life is hard.
Physically,
Spritually,
Mentally... I can handle it.

But then comes the BiG "E"...
emotionally.

pfffft.
I wanna figure this out!
And quickly.
Because I hate feeling this way.

And I don't hate a lot of things..

In Natick

Hi,
I'm Kelsey and I live in Natick, Mass
Every time I wake up, I think I'm on vacation.
Or on a bad vacation.
I never really thought through about how BORING and LONELY living on your own is.
My desire is to go to college. Have sweet, awesome roommates and just party
But I guess I've done to much of that already.
So I live in Natick.
Cute little town, full of cute people.
I wish I could show you pictures but since I'm on the library computer.. I can't.
I don't know when I'll get the chance to blog again, but just know one thing.
Everything and anything in my life that has gone right or even wrong,
is because God wanted me there.
I am where I am supposed to be.
Even if I'm misirable.
I'm thankful.

Word Barf.

There is so much on my mind that i seriously don't know where to start.

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In case you didn't see my previous post, I'm moving to Boston.

I need to pack/clean out everything/pack some more.

I need to get my wisdom teeth taken out.

I need to buy my airline ticket.

I need to bribe my Dad to buy it for me.

I need to say good-bye to everyone.

I need to cry about leaving.

Cause I haven't yet, and it feels like it's stuck inside me.

Weird, I know.

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I'm such an addictive personality. 

I seriously wonder what is wrong with me at times...

The Bachelorette, Psych, Monk, Lie to me, Quantum Leap.. 

You name it, I've been addicted.

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Levi left this morning/afternoon for the MTC.

I'm SUPER proud of him, but sad that he'll be gone.

BUT! Before he left, we got to go to the temple and he confirm/baptized me!

I have always loved going to the temple with him.

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I LOVE TO LAUGH.

Everytime I can make someone laugh, or visa versa, my WHOLE day is 100x better.

I made my grandma do the "snort" laugh (you know what i'm talking about?)

and I loved it! I miss her a TON.

Even if she doesn't want me to marry a Mexican or black man.

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My friends are amazing.

Every single one.

I am overly blessed.

Sometimes I wonder, "Would I be MY friend if I wasn't me?"

Does that make sense?

Every part of my personality can come to life with different individuals!

My Psych Buddy.

My Teacher of Greatness.

My All-Day-Everyday-and-Still-Loving-it Sister.

My Secret Lover. (you know who you are..Mykaka)

I am just SOOOOOOO grateful for my friends.

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Thanks everyone.

Go with the flow

It's 3:03am.
I'm sitting all alone in my dark house with only the typing of keys and blowing fan to keep me awake.
I am utterly exhausted, sunburned and with a head cold to boot.
One word,
Idaho.
(sorry guys, not Wyoming! haha)
I'll have pictures to show and stories to tell,
but for right now, I just wanted to say a little something about God.

Honestly, those who know me, know that I dislike hiking/camping/out-doors-dirty-stuff

but for some reason, when Michelle asked me to go to her family reunion up in Idaho,

I said yes.

For sure, I wouldn't do it again anytime soon....

But I'm grateful for the experience and to learn more personally that God is always watching out for me.

ALWAYS.

Every single day when I awoke to the sun shining through my tent, it was a day to be......... alive.

On one of the days, I went for a walk on my own.

I was sitting beside this BEAUTIFUL stream that just kept saying to me...

"Go with the Flow."

Just like that, 

"Go with the Flow."

So, to make a long post short, That is my goal ---->  TO GO WITH THE FLOW.

Giraffa Camelopardalis

I think I am in love.

Don't be too shocked because it has been a long time in the making.

But seriously, I LOVE giraffes. 

I want to own one.

Or two.

Maybe a herd.

Pennies for Plasma

When I was born,
(19 years ago from tomorrow)
There were many complications and my mother almost died.
But because of 4 pints of a blood transfusion from members of my families ward,
She lived.
And I did as well.

Today I had the privilege to save lives.
I donated my plasma.
It was a very rigorous process, but in the end, I felt extremely thankful to my Heavenly Father.
We are SO SO blessed.
How much do we take for granted?

"An ounce of blood is worth more than a pound of friendship." -Spanish Proverb

Books change things

Have you ever read a book and realized that your view of the world is suddenly shifted?
Everytime I read the Book of Mormon, I always feel better.
Everytime I read Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens, I realized what I can work on.
Everytime I read Goose Girl, I just feel happy about love and life.

This time, it's called The Alchemist.

"All you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sane, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation. Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there."

"I don't live in either my past or my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present, you'll be a happy man. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living now."

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” You’ve got to find the treasure, so 

that everything you have learned along the way can make sense."

“When you are in love, things make even more sense, he thought.”

“Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the Language of the World."

My favorite quote from the entire book:

“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.”

Everybody should read this book. 

It will change your life.

Camel-Lynn

At this very moment, my family is driving to the airport to drop off my older sister.

Kam-Bam.

It's a weird feeling because I've had it over and over again.

She is moving to Massachusetts and might be gone for a loooong time.

But even after all of the many times that she has left, I still feel sad about it.

Kam cried when she hugged me good-bye.

Wow. I love her.

I remember the summer she was 16.

She worked at a summer-girl-camp and was gone all throughout the week, 

then come home on weekends. 

But this summer (I must of been turning 14) was grandparent summer.

I had been staying with my Grams & Rodge and because of complications, 

didn't come home for about a month.

Anyways.

When I finally got home, my Mom took me to pick up Kam for the weekend.

I'll always remember this moment.

Right when we saw eachother, we burst into tears.

It was the first time we had been apart for so long.

We just hugged and hugged.

She smelled of camp-fire and tacos.

But I still held on to her.

Cherish your families.

We never know how long we have to be together.

"Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. 

 Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, 

yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted."

Everybody has a laughing place

"Laughter gives us distance.
It allows us to step back from an event,
deal with it and then move on."

I'm going to be honest, cause honesty is the best policy.
Life has been hard lately.
Everyday takes effort for me.
What I'm lacking = Ambition.
My entire life has felt like a desire to do what God wants me to do.
But it seems like God wants ME to decide what I want.
And here is the problem.
I want to get an education.
I want to go on a mission.
I want to get married in the temple.
I want to raise a family.

Now is the problem..... $$
My heart seems to be braking. I want to go to school SO BAD.
And yet, I wasn't planning on SVU to bankrupt me.
I wasn't planning on going anywhere BUT SVU.
I wasn't planning on being a failure in life.
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But this isn't supposed to be a depressing post.
Life is good.
Life is sweet.
"An optimist laughs to forget, a pessimist forgets to laugh."
I've been trying to forget my problems, and so I laugh.
Here is the good news people:
In the past two days, I haven't laughed as hard as I did, for more than a year.
Laughter can create happiness and I am happy.
Confused, a tad worried, and ambition-less.
But happy.
Thank-you Moo-Mo & Netty.

melancholy

Pros:

1. My family loves me
2. I am very talented
3. God knows what's up. 
4. I did a load of laundry
5. I've graduated high school

Cons:

1. Officially declined my scholarships from Southern Virginia University
2. Decided no for Weber State
3. Have no summer job
4. Feeling a tad lonely
5. Have no plans for the future
6. Hopeless and confused.

I love to see the temple

A safe haven

A place of peace

Calmness

God's home

When you go to the temple, everything in life seems easier to handle.

"We can find knowledge, understanding, and joy when we attend the temple."

Experience...The Human

Sometimes it feels good to just be quiet
to listen to the wind.
to let the trees talk to you.
wishing you were an angel.
you don't feel sad.
just quiet.
quiet is good.

It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.

-Buddha

Is NEWNESS a word?

I found this amazing henna dye that does wonders!

It's a Light Mountain Natural Light Brown.

And this is what it did:

You may think that it just looks wet (which is what everyone thought.)

But alas,it is just dyed.

I've only had it for one day but so far, so good.

This is my newness for the week.

along with getting another "best friend"

named Adam.

He is an answer to my prayers and a perfect friend.

"We must move from asking God to take care of the things that are breaking our hearts,

 to praying about the things that are breaking His heart."