mates of state [the Deluxe Edition (complete with Special Features!)]

monday night i had the privilege/opportunity/delight to see one of my all-time favorite bands in the whole wide world in the hottest [temperature-wise], lamest venue in all of utah.

my sister, kirsten, and i were supposed to go together and we were both so excited we could hardly stand it. she even made a cool shirt for the occasion.

but then she got sick.

with pneumonia.

and decided that she shouldn't go.

i was heartbroken.

and even though i had fun, i felt guilty all night because i knew she was supposed to be standing next to me, jumping up and down and screaming along to all the songs they played.

did i mention that she bought our tickets?

it was a [for lack of a better word] sucky situation.

luckily my friend and old roommate, brenda, was able to come with me!

we had a great time watching a crazy/ill-tempered magician do tricks

and a band called free energy [with a seriously adorable bassist (what is it with me and bassists??)] perform

and then

kori gardner and jason hammel took the stage

and it was

Pure

Magic.

they started out the show with "the re-arranger" [one of my all-time faves] and it took everything i had in me not to scream along because i had my camera in one hand filming the song and my phone in the other hand with kirsten on the other end [there's nothing worse than my off-key sing-screaming--believe me].

the rest of the show is kind of a blur to me now, but my favorite song of the night [hands down] was "for the actor". i don't know if it's because a married couple who got engaged onstage during last summer's mates of state tour announced their presence right before the song was performed or if it's just a magical song in general. but i have never smiled so much because of music.

unfortunately, due to lack of food/water/cool air, my friend brenda fainted and we had to leave early, but i didn't care because i saw them in person playing my favorite songs and for the first time in a very long time, i was deliriously happy.

if they come to a city near you, GO. it is well worth it!

is it seriously wednesday/the last day of june already?

the finished product

before

after

i bought this sweater a couple years ago at an old navy outlet store. it's a really, really weird color. when i bought it, it looked mustard yellow. but i guess it's lime green-ish? chartreuse? every-female-owned-vw-bug-green? anyway, even though it's a weird color, i still love it. however, the washer in my old house apparently did not and decided to bleach-stain it on the sleeves and part of the neckline.

so, after a little clothing surgery, it's a whole new article of clothing!

even though its covered in imperfections, i have worn it in public! twice!

on to the next ill-fitting/messed up piece of clothing!

second of third: food tuesday!

recipe tuesday!

i adore sandwiches.

aside from empanadas from morochos and in-n-out, it's probably my favorite meal.

this particular sandwich was heavenly and was consumed at a family dinner shortly before my departure to south america last summer.

all you need is:

good artisan bread

avocado

roasted red peppers

tomatos

cheese

onions [grilled or uncooked (raw?)]

olive oil

pesto

toothpicks

and a grill [foreman or otherwise]

this "recipe" is pretty self-explanatory. i mean, who doesn't know how to make a sandwich?

but, here are some instructions:

1. lightly brush one side of each slice of bread with olive oil, and arrange toppings evenly [or unevenly--whatever you want!] and carefully place on grill.

2. once cheese is melted and bread is toasted, take sandwich halves off the grill and swiftly put them together and stick a couple of toothpicks in it to hold everything in.

3. cut in half diagonally. because, as i learned from my bestie alyx, it's just not a sandwich unless it's cut diagonally.

it's a great summer meal and perfectly lovely when paired with a salad of some sort and a blackberry izze.

the first of three: making up for monday

due to a crazy monday [MATES OF STATE (more on that later)], here is monday's post a day late.

what i'm working on:

this is The Pile.

right now, a skirt kari got at a thrift store for me is in that pile waiting to be lengthened along with a sweater i wore to kirk and eva's wedding that is being transformed into a cardigan.

i would show some Before pictures, but i always forget to do that.

this week i'm also working on:

-drinking more water

-taking more Before photos

-listening to more vinyl

-reading a conference talk a day

and

-using my time more wisely.

hopefully by thursday i'll have some After photos to share!

an announcement, an exclamation, and enlightenment

dearest twelve (12!!) readers:

remember a little while ago when i posted a bunch of goals i wanted to accomplish? and one of them was blogging more?

that went well.

i think i have posted three times since that entry and two of those entries have been sounds of summer installments.

this realization gave me an epiphany [or, as michael scott says, an "epiphery"].

if i want to post more, i should have some sort of blogging schedule.

so, i compiled a list of possible themes for each day, and after much deliberation and thought, i have decided that:

1. monday is now officially "what i'm working on day!"

2. tuesday is "what i'm eating/recipe day!"

3. wednesday is "wardrobe day!"

4. thursday is "the finished product day!"

5. friday is, and will remain for the rest of the summer, "sounds of summer day!"

6. and saturday is "gratis [free] day!"

i think this will be a good motivator for me to have something to work on every day and hopefully will be enjoyable for all twelve of you to read.

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

in other news...

tomorrow i get to see not only three of my very best friends in the whole wide world, but i also get to see these guys LIVE [courtesy of sister kirsten--thanks, sis]!

i'm so excited i can hardly stand it.

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

"There is help. There is happiness. There really is light at the end of the tunnel. It is the Light of the World, the Bright and Morning Star, the 'light that is endless, that can never be darkened.' It is the very Son of God Himself. In loving praise far beyond Romeo's reach, we say, 'What light through yonder window breaks?' It is the return of hope, and Jesus is the Sun. To any who may be struggling to see that light and find that hope, I say: Hold on. Keep trying. God loves you. Things will improve. Christ comes to you in His 'more excellent ministry' with a future of 'better promises.' He is your 'high priest of good things to come.'"

--Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "An High Priest of Good Things to Come", October 1999 General Conference--

sasha fierce

i recently checked out beyonce's live album i am... yours at the library and i have come to a conclusion: beyonce is the ella fitzgerald of my generation.

don't believe me? watch this.

and here's my favorite beyonce song just for fun:

sounds of summer: fifth installment

i have found that there isn't a single song in my music library that doesn't remind me of something or someone or some time.

for instance, whenever i hear tom petty's song "it'll all work out", i immediately think of winter semester of 2008 [or as i like to refer to it, the semester from hell]. sometimes listening to that song was the only thing that held me together.

but whenever i listen to this album from jens lekman, i think of last summer. it was the best summer of my life. memories of bike rides, snow cones, long car rides all over madison county, playing at the spray park, burritos at ramires play through my mind like a filmstrip and it makes me smile.

but enough about me.

this album is a story about first kisses, lost loves, heartbreak, and friendship.

that alone screams summer to me.

but it's the instrumentation and arrangement that really make it stand out to me as the perfect summer soundtrack. ukuleles, harps, pianos, guitars, and a wide variety of percussion along with a latin, caribbean, and 1960s influence make it an interesting and unique sound that is a joy to listen to.

listen to it during a picnic in the park with good friends.

i guarantee it'll make you want to dress like you're stuck in the 1960s and eat ice cream and go on a long bike ride.

isn't that what summer's all about?

favorite tracks:

"sipping on the sweet nectar"

"the opposite of hallelujah"

"a postcard to nina"

"i'm leaving you because i don't love you"

"your arms around me"

"shirin"

"kanske ar jag kar i dig"

sounds of summer: fourth installment

i was introduced to yelle by my niece. she was doing a jazz routine to "je veux te voir" for her dance recital and i fell in love with the song.

but it wasn't until about two days ago that i knew who sang it.

i found a copy of her album "pop-ups" at the library and loved every single track.

it's french electro-pop at its finest and has kind of an 80s feel to it.

it's the perfect getting-ready-to-go-out/driving-around-town-in-a-convertible-with-the-top-down-with-your-girlfriends album.

every track is pleasantly upbeat and danceable.

and that, my friends, is what summer music is all about.

favorite tracks:

"ce jeu"

"tu es beau"

"je veux te voir"

there are no men out there!

i guess i've been doing the whole flirting thing wrong.

note to self: start carrying around a small stuffed animal.

i'm feeling the pull.

i've been home from ecuador for over seven months now.

every once a while, someone will ask me if i would ever go back.

i used to say no.

i think if someone had asked me today, i would have emphatically said, "YES!" because i missed my ninos a lot tonight [granted, i did look at all of my pictures from ecuador, so that may be a factor].

i think i need to start planning a new adventure.

one that will begin after i graduate from college.

and i think it needs to take place in europe.

we shall see...

creATE.

last week was my niece's tenth birthday. my gift to her was the annual mix cd and some headbands i added rosettes to.

i realized as i sat in my hot pink plastic ikea desk chair that it had been a long, long time since i had used my hands in that way.

i missed getting glue on my fingers and cutting up little scraps of magazines and working with a needle and thread.

i missed the feeling of accomplishment and pride [the good kind] of looking at a finished product and realizing you made something visually appealing.

so tonight, i made some goals for myself.

and i'm going to share them right here, right now.

1. utilize the bag of zippers lisa got me from DI by recreating this

2. tackle the stack [!!!] of clothing waiting to be repurposed/fixed

3. go thrifting more often to find items with potential

4. blog once a week about these creative endeavors [no matter how ugly they may be]

5. start playing music again every day for thirty minutes

6. tackle the list of songs i would like to cover

7. send more cards/letters/mixcds to friends and family

8. take more photos

there.

it's in writing.

there's no turning back now.

i would like to conclude my remarks with a song:

wake me up before you go-go.

last night i went to my eldest niece's tenth birthday party. it had an Awesome 80s theme and it truly was Awesome.

girls dressed up in 80s garb danced around like maniacs, screamed sang along to billy joel and wham!, and had multiple photo shoots [complete with props].

and it was all created, organized, and executed by my sister, kirsten [hey, kirsten, do you want to plan my 24th birthday party? i want it to be karaoke/sushi/hollywood/jupiter/30 rock themed. that shouldn't be too hard, right?].

she's pretty much a genius.

here's what the whole two hours sounded/looked like:

and here's what i looked like last night:

what a great night.

sounds of summer: third installment

anyone who knows me know that i adore the beach boys.

they played a significant role in my childhood. i used to turn on the stereo in the living room and wait and wait and wait for "kokomo" to come on. i remember hearing "surfer girl" in the car when we were living in oklahoma and thinking it was the most beautiful and romantic song i had ever heard.

it just simply isn't summer without the beach boys.

although all of their albums are fantastic and the perfect soundtracks of summertime, i had to pick pet sounds for this week's installment.

it is, without a doubt, my very favorite beach boys album.

all i have to hear is the intro to "wouldn't it be nice" and a big smile will appear on my face. this album is full of perfect harmonies, captivating and surprising melodies, and the usual summer feel the beach boys are known for.

it's the perfect summer night driving with the windows down album.

if you've never heard the album all the way through, then you are really missing out.

don't even bother checking it out from the library or borrowing it from a friend.

go to your local record store and buy it.

my favorite tracks:

"you still believe in me"

"sloop john b"

"god only knows"

"i just wasn't made for these times"

"caroline, no"

if you're having a bad day, please watch this.

sounds of summer: second installment

if i were to take a spontaneous road trip to california, i think my playlist would consist mostly of the beach boys and vampire weekend's most recent album contra.

it's the perfect beach soundtrack.

with its infectious melodies and toe-tapping beats, it epitomizes all the fun and madness that summer brings.

here's my favorite track.

give it a listen.

if it doesn't make you want to hop in your car and head to the nearest beach, i don't know what will.

first installment here.

a letter

dear byu-idaho:

i hate you with a fiery, burning passion right now.

at the moment, i'm hoping you decline my major change proposal so i don't have to deal with you anymore.

if i have to redo that stupid petition just because you "lost" it... so help me.

i've already had to jump through fifty hoops to complete the stupid thing.

and now i might have to redo it.

curse you.

with much ire,

kellie

ps: please get rid of all student "advisors". they have no idea what they're doing.

in memoriam of memorial weekend

i had the most beautiful weekend!

here's the rundown:

i...

decorated a corner of my room,

got to see hannah and justin and megarilla,

bought the most delicious-smelling lotion in park city,

played a funny joke on hannah in the bathroom at target,

put lots of lip balm on my crusty-crusts,

listened to some beautiful music,

finished the harry potter and the deathly hallows and cried,

ate good food at a petaluma reunion barbecue,

made ice cream,

had a picnic in salt lake,

tried on the tallest heels ever and didn't fall,

got a tattoo during the third hour of church,

played mash,

fell asleep during sherlock holmes,

ate at in-n-out with a couple first-timers,

made fish tacos,

played ddr and singstar with kari, paul, and frances,

wished lyndee was in utah,

and downloaded the new mates of state covers album, "crushes"!

i wish i had taken photographs, but i apparently forgot i had a camera the whole weekend.