a letter and a list

dear new crush:

i think you're cute.

and nice.

and so hardcore.

could we get to know each other a little better?

WBS!

--kellie

ps: i think it's a little weird that we lived in [kind of] the same place when we were younger.

and that you proclaimed proverbs 3:5-6 as your favorite scripture today in sunday school because i said the exact same thing at fhe last monday.

coincidence?

i think not.

-------------------------------

why i'm smiling: a list

1. fresh [cheap] produce

2. picking up a guitar for the first time in a very, very long time

3. killing cherub rock on rock band

4. she & him [specifically this song]

5. church

6. vanilla yogurt + dark chocolate chips

7. cooking

8. adoption news

9. listening to gillian welch and conor oberst's rendition of "lua" over and over

10. the new testament

11. getting answers to questions

12. working out at 8:30pm on a saturday night

13. laughing with hannah, lyndee, and mary

14. making my bed everyday

15. my new, cheerful, rosy curtains

16. going to bed early

17. burberry the beat

18. meeting new people

19. being called mom [even if it's in an fhe context]

20. having a clean room

success?

this is the finished product.

it's way too big for my pillow,

crookedly sewn,

and completely flawed.

but i'm still proud of it--in all its imperfect glory.

joy: a list

1. i learned every ounce of information written on the flashcards pictured above, allowing me to

2. pass the three huge tests i had this week;

3. i have awesome roommates and

4. great friends;

5. i love my classes;

6. my ward is wonderful;

7. i don't even mind the snow [!].

life is funny.

i spent hours crying about my return to rexburg the day before i left home,

only to find that i am happier than i've ever been [in idaho].

what has made you happy today?

cortinas nuevas

these are my new curtains.

i made them from a thrifted sheet i've had for forever.

they're a little sheer, but they're infinitely better than the curtains that were originally in my room [mostly because they cover the entire window].

i'm pretty proud of these curtains because

a) i didn't use a tape measure of any kind and they're the perfect size,

b) they complement the decor,

c) when the sun shines in my window, they make my room look rosy and wonderful.

success!

joyeaux anniversaire!

today is my mom's birthday.

she's the greatest mom in the world.

not only does she bake the most delectable treats in the world,

she is an amazing seamstress,

a dedicated grandma,

completely selfless,

and she deals with my daily phone calls and grumpy moods.

basically, she's a saint.

and i love her more than i can adequately say. she's my best friend and my confidante and i'm so blessed to have her in my life.

happy birthday, mom!

ps: your package will be sent on monday. sorry!

short and sweet

1. check this out! so cool!

2. expect pictures of my new curtains tomorrow!

i'm a big girl now!

i take a multi-vitamin,

spend hours doing homework,

cook meals for one,

drink cups of ginger tea when there's a tingle in my throat,

sew my own curtains,

and have even found myself using the phrase, "back when i was your age..." TWICE.

i feel like a real grown-up.

----------------------------------

in other news...

i'm attempting to cover this jimmy eat world song.

my very first sewing project will [hopefully] be done tomorrow.

it lightly snowed all day today and i enjoyed it [???!!!!!???].

i learned how to draw perspective today in my art history class and it BLEW MY MIND.

i'm growing more and more nervous about whether or not byu-idaho will let me change my major. a guy from my ward came over last night and he said he petitioned to change his major and it was no big deal.

but he had only 70 credits.

i have 104.

[eek!]

he said that it's not the end of the world if you're majoring in something you don't like.

he obviously doesn't know me

at

all.

the other day, i walked into my house and my roommate said, "wow! you're wearing pants! is this the first time you've ever worn pants to school?"

it wasn't.

but what can i say?

i love dresses.

i talked to plaid-shirt yesterday.

he's kind of forgetful [which is all the more endearing[.

i missed one opportunity to talk to said boy last week when he left his binder in class and the girl next to me grabbed it before i could and gave it to the teacher instead of trying to catch up to him to return it [which was my plan].

but yesterday, i was in luck.

because yesterday he left his jacket in class.

i watched him leave as i put my own coat on and looked forlornly behind me where he usually sits and thought to myself, "self, you will never muster up the courage to talk to plaid-shirt."

and then i saw it.

a navy blue quilted jacket.

i nervously zipped up my coat, and briskly walked out of the classroom, caught up to coatless plaid-shirt, and said,

"hey, i think you left your coat in the classroom."

and he, looking confused, replied,

"....i did?"

and i felt stupid.

but then he realized that he didn't have his jacket on and said,

"oh my goodness, i did. thank you so much for telling me!"

mission:accomplished.

it must be football season.

seen in broulims on 16 january 2010

who can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile?

my sisters have been talking about the mary tyler moore show for a while now.

i don't know why it took me so long to catch on!

this show is amazing!

i'm only halfway through season one, but i've already learned that...

1. rhoda has some serious style [and what's with all the fat jokes?? she's not fat!]

2. i want mary's apartment

3. ted baxter never fails to make me laugh

and

4. this show is 30 years old and it's still relatable.

watch it.

you won't regret it.

*photo found here

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-i can't stop listening to "don't play that song" by aretha franklin.

I WANT HER VOICE.

-whip it was even better the second time.

if i ever get to be on a roller derby team, my name will be akilla the hun.

-whenever i make a to-do list, i find myself adding things to the list that i've already done just so i can check them off and feel good about myself.

weird?

3-DAY WEEKEND!

i woke up to this song this morning

and i can't stop listening to it because:

a) it's friday!

b) three-day weekend!

c) it makes me happy!

d) it gives me a little hop in my step!

--------------------------

in other news:

-i'm loving bright tights right now. wardrobe staple.

-to add to the above statement, i especially love teal tights paired with my plaid dress.

-last night i heard my roommate listening to a cover of queen's "somebody to love" that RASCAL FLATS DID.

PAIN. AGONY.

-it's funny to listen to my roommates talk about music ["have you heard of jack johnson??"]

-tonight i'm going to see whip it again! BE YOUR OWN HERO!

on repeat/good news!/a letter

i can't get enough of these songs right now.

it's the norm for me to listen to one of these songs five times in a row before reluctantly trying on a different song for size.

not listed: tonight, tonight by smashing pumpkins

----------------------------

good news!

1. apparently i'm a secretly amazing bowler. for our ward social on monday night, we went to the rex [this movie theater/arcade/bowling alley/party place] to bowl and get to know each other. i told my roommates that i was the world's worst bowler, and proved it by getting a gutter ball and then knocking down three measly pins in the first and second frames, respectively.

every other frame was either a strike or a spare [except for the frame where my roommate told me that the number of pins i knocked down would be the number of boys i'd kiss this semester. i got one. haha]

what's up with that?

2. last night, i went to bed at 10:30pm. that hasn't happened since i was in ecuador. it felt good.

-----------------------------

dear school:

i feel like we've been on this rollercoaster-ride of emotions the past four years.

sometimes i liked you,

sometimes i hated you,

but i never loved you

until now.

love,

kellie

BE YOUR OWN HERO.

i just got back from whip it.

IT WAS AMAZING.

go see it.

music make me lose control

last night at approximately eight o'clock, i was grumpy.

for

no

good

reason.

i walked a thousand miles in five-degree weather with my friend stilts,

met a let-down,

ate sundried tomato and basil wheat thins,

and listened to the majority of vampire weekend's new album [courtesy of pitchfork].

but then, a miracle happened.

i went to a dance party at 2-0-GR8 and completely let my hair down.

i danced like a maniac.

and allofasudden, the grumpiness was completely gone.

i most definitely wasn't the smoothest dancer there,

but i didn't care.

because i had so much fun.

thank you hannah, nikki, and lyndee.

for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction.

this morning i had ample time to ready myself for my first class.

i took a shower,

put my face on,

dried my hair,

straightened my hair,

and could not see.

i was past due for a trim.

so i whipped out my scissors and began cutting.

and cutting.

and cutting.

and it looks like a five year-old took some plastic left-handed scissors to them.

looks like i'll be braiding my bangs back for the next month.

---------

in other news,

-i have made a goal this semester to make my bed every day.

because when i make my bed, i want the rest of my room to look nice and neat.

i've been doing it for almost a week (!) and i hate to admit it but,

my mom was right.

-i love my classes [so far] this semester.

-yesterday i ate a banana from ecuador.

-my room is coming together. but my best friend and i are going to start a secret project, so pictures might not be posted for a couple of weeks.

but be excited.

it's the coolest room ever.

my sewing life will never be the same.

today in my sewing class, i learned how to thread/use a serger.

it is very intimidating.

and threading the machine is very, very frustrating the first time around.

and sometimes the needle breaks on your first attempt because you forgot to put the "tree" up.

but the results are pretty cool.

especially when you spend fifteen minutes trying to thread it all by yourself and successfully do it despite claims by the professor that the machine you were using was broken.

victory is sweet.

who knew there was a machine that could finish an edge, cut off excess fabric and use four different spools of thread to do it all?

what a machine.

i realize that is is only 12:32pm and circumstances can change very quickly, but....

today is a great day.

...in which kellie has her first day of school.

today

i meant to take a first day of school picture, but i didn't have anyone to take it for me and i changed outfits [kind of] halfway through the day.

but i liked the outfit i picked out.

today

i walked and walked and walked to broulims and back to felicia's house with a hot pizza in my arms.

it was delicious.

today

i listened to in the aeroplane over the sea and fell in love with it all over again.

the title track is my favorite.

today

i felt intimidated, excited, impatient, antsy, and happy.

but not at the same time.

today

some guys from my ward came over and gave us a plate of cookies.

i don't like milk chocolate--or arrogance.

today

the snow on the roads was melting and i got slush in my flats and my tights got wet.

not fun.

today

i reminisced and realized, once again, how much i miss ecuador.

i miss my babies.

today

i walked into my room and felt so happy.

it's so cute.

today

i saw new faces and met new people.

it felt good.

today

five different strangers said hello to me.

isn't that nice?

and today

i felt okay about being here.

it's a christmas miracle!

from my window

those poor, poor bikes.

"good luck in hell."*

well, i'm back in rexburg.

it's been so good to see my friends again, but it's weird to be here again.

it's also cold [especially walking to and from church--thank goodness for tights],

cloudy,

white,

and tiny.

on a lighter, more positive note, there is a new frozen yogurt place called "twizl berry".

it's just like the fro-yo shops in san diego.

which is weird because eva and i were just talking about those kinds of places and she asked if rexburg had one and i said something to the point of "no, and i don't think it'll ever happen".

boy, was i proved wrong.

here's hoping this semester/year is a good one.

*actual advice given to me by sister kari.