sounds of summer: first installment

i first heard of the band little joy from my first viewing of whip it.

you know the part where bliss is at that party and she goes upstairs and puts on a record and this song plays?

i knew, from that very moment, that i had been introduced to something very special.

fabrizio moretti [of the strokes fame], rodrigo amarante, and binki shapiro's old-timey style, warm sound, lush vocals, and latin influence make this album a dreamy, lay-in-a-hammock-for-hours soundtrack for summer.

check it out.

i dare you to not like it.

big apple red creme

last night i painted my fingernails for the first time in years.

i feel really fancy.

speaking of live music...

who's excited to see these folks for FREE [GRATIS] this summer?

i sure am!

you're the re-arranger.

june 28th.

slc.

who's in?

REALLY?! with seth and amy

this morning my alarm clock woke me up at exactly 8:36 by blasting daddy yankee.

that's usually a pretty nice and un-irritating way to wake up.

but this morning i woke up with a splitting headache.

i [accidentally] hit the snooze button in my exhausted stupor and woke up five minutes later.

furious, i pressed the right button, the music ceased, and i closed my eyes.

i slept for five glorious minutes before i was awakened by something that sounded like someone/thing scurrying around and falling off the roof.

my eyes flew open and my heart raced.

i slowly got out of bed and cautiously walked into the living room, my heart beating a thousand beats per second.

and when i saw the state of the front yard,

i fell to my knees,

threw my hands in the air,

and screamed,

"WHYYYYYYYYYYY?!"

i guess that's what i get for posting this as my facebook status last night:

"my goal for next winter is to construct a life-size replica of R2D2 out of snow."

double feature: Cooking For One Sucks and A List

tonight i made the most delicious cake of my life.

i used this recipe and some strawberries kari left at my house [sorry, sis].

as i sat down at the counter and watched the special features of nacho libre, i took a bite and melted a little bit.

there is nothing in the world quite like a really rich, dense chocolate cake.

as i savored every morsel, i couldn't help but feel a little sorry for myself.

i've been living in my parents' house all by myself for the last two weeks and it has been weird.

and i realized something about myself.

i hate being alone.

don't get me wrong, i LOVE alone time.

i crave it.

but living alone is not all it's cracked up to be.

trust me.

i will say, though, that i will miss dancing around the house in my underwear and blasting taylor swift almost 24/7 (tmi?).

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1. if i had to choose one outfit to wear everyday for the rest of my life, it would be the outfit i'm wearing right this very second: black leggings, oversized men's white v-neck undershirt, mustard yellow cardigan, paisley apron my aunt karen made for my mom years ago, and pearl earrings.

ahhh.....

2. why do i feel the need to bake every sunday?

3. pumping gas is not scary. anymore.

4. it's annoying when you're sitting by yourself at church and five giggling eighteen year-olds crowd your pew, invade your personal space, laugh through sacrament meeting, and put on a handful of lotion thus invading your nose and rendering you completely senseless (smell-less?).

5. everyone and their dog is getting married this summer.

6. i would like to learn how to tapdance just so i can dance to this song.

7. where did this bruise on my forearm come from??

8. tomorrow is my work day. i have a long list of things i need to accomplish before the 'rents return from hawaii.

please pray that i get everything done!

9. i think i'm going to start cooking dinner for my family more often.

10. when is it going to get hot here?? i'm going crazy with this drizzly, gloomy weather!

HOLD UP!

i just realized that i STILL haven't posted these photos from my incredible weekend.

so, without further ado, i bring you...

the holi festival of colors as documented by my lovely hot pink fujifilm.

llamas! one of them tried to bite lisa.

el templo

post-festival. i looked pretty scary.

awkward group photo!

the crowd.

not documented: the chocolate gelato that melted all over me, the expressions on the faces of all the children who saw my scary face, matt belting out "the circle of life" [multiple times] thus fulfilling one of his lost dreams from his childhood, the cow game, sitting at the kitchen table singing the family matters and full house theme songs, mad libs, and all of the white linens that are now pink because of our involvement in this awesome experience.

this time, baby, i'll be bulletproof.

tonight i will be repurposing some old/rarely worn clothing.

i MIGHT post photos, but that really depends on how well they turn out...

because i really have no idea how any of it will turn out.

but it's worth a shot, right?

anyway, the whole point of this post was to show y'all this song.

i've been listening to it constantly.

great sewing muzak.

highlight of the day:

blasting beyonce's "single ladies (put a ring on it)" in the soccermommobile on the way to see the 12:45pm matinee of percy jackson and watching my ten year old niece bust a move in the rearview mirror.

what a beautiful day.

take somebody to applebees and give them hot wings.

i just got done watching this movie.

i laughed,

i cried,

i smiled,

i sighed.

it was beautiful.

and everyone should watch it.

a confession

hello.

my name is kellie and i was raised in a home where country music was practically banned.

and i just wanted to say

that i've been listening to this album over and over again every day for the past week.

and i love it.

and i don't care what anyone thinks.

whew! that felt good!

i can't get enough of this.

stop fastforward rewind

everyone should be like me and listen to this song on repeat.

it's doing a great job of subsiding my current unexplained nausea.

tgirl + koko = bffs!

i had a date last night.

it was my first date in a long, long time.

so, of course, i was so nervous i couldn't eat anything all day.

i tried everything i could think of to calm down, but nothing helped.

those bald eagles in my stomach just wouldn't stop flying around like crazy.

fortunately, i was hanging out with my sister and her kids that day, so they were able to keep my mind off of the whole situation for a little while.

but as the time to leave got closer and closer i started getting more and more nervous.

finally, i asked my precocious ten year-old niece for some advice.

she does ballet and jazz and performs a lot, so she's an expert at handling nerves.

she gave me the best advice.

i wish i had recorded her whole pep talk because it was incredible and funny and just what i needed.

she did tell me, though, that playing with or talking to a friend, playing a fun game, and thinking positively are key for putting nerves at bay.

she even wrote some words advice on a little piece of paper and slipped it in my jeans pocket to remind me to think positively and to relax and just have fun.

she's the best.

sometimes i feel like she's the aunt and i'm the niece.

tomorrow when she and her mom and brothers come down for their weekly grandparent visit, we're going to bake something delicious.

no boys allowed!

i couldn't be more excited.

ps: the date went VERY well, just in case you were wondering!

the sounds of the city, baby, seem to disappear.

i've been listening to this song nonstop.

isn't carl wilson cute??

ps: check out she&him's cover.

astronaut mike dexter

"i want someone who will be monogamous and nice to his mother. and i want someone who likes musicals but knows to just shut his mouth when i'm watching lost. and i want someone who thinks being really into cars is lame and strip clubs are gross. i want someone who will actually empty the dishwasher instead of just taking out forks as needed... like i do. i want someone with clean hands and feet! and beefy forearms like a disney prince! and i want him to genuinely like me even when i'm old. and that's what i want."

--liz lemon as portrayed by the great tina fey on 30rock

is that really too much to ask for, world?

sabes que estoy colgando en tus manos?

i'm missing this place a lot.

i think it's because i've been listening to these songs on repeat.

i have spent this month feeling sorry for myself.

i am still unemployed.
i was given false hope when one of the places i applied to called me today only to tell me that since i'm only in utah for the summer, they don't want me.
all of my dearest friends [except for a select few in provo i haven't seen yet (my fault)] are in idaho.
i'm bored all the time.
and my room is a disaster.

today, though, was by far the hardest.

i am currently dejunking my room.
so far, i've thrown/given away a bunch of junk [including a very incriminating journal from my junior year of high school (which probably should have been burned)].
i found myself at 3pm sitting in the midst of it all, feeling completely overwhelmed and depressed.
i looked over at my bedside table and saw a huge stack of papers hiding in the bottom shelf.
as i took them out, stacks at a time, i found treasures:
a drawing of harry potter and ginny weasley holding hands given to me by my oldest niece,
countless birthday cards ranging from 1990-2006,
pictures and pictures and pictures,
old school papers,
journals,
and a stack of postcards from exotic places sent to me by my dad when i was a baby.

as i read every word on every page/card/postcard, i was overcome with emotion.
i began to ask myself why i was feeling this way when i had so much to be grateful for.
all of those papers and cards reminded me that i was loved and appreciated.
i have a great family and awesome friends and the glorious message of the gospel.



as i pondered this today and gave thanks for everything [and everyone] i have in my life, this little gem popped up in my google reader. i love mormon messages and i used to watch them on sundays last semester as i got ready for church. they are inspiring and strengthening and tearjerking. but this one spoke to me. as i watched this particular video earlier tonight, i couldn't hold back my tears. it was exactly what i needed to hear and see. i can't imagine having to endure such a heartbreaking, painful trial. i don't think i could do it. but, stephanie and christian nielson endured and are still enduring. and their faith is strong. hearing their testimonies about trials in life strengthened mine and i hope they strengthen yours.