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?).

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

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.

happy april fools day!

taken 22 years ago on my very first [fake?] birthday post cake-smashing

i'm sure my mom will deny this,

but last night as i was drifting off into dreamland i had a

Staggering

Thought.

what if my birthday was really april 2nd, but i've been april fooled my whole life into believing that my birthday is actually today?

did i blow your mind?

thought so.

in other news, my [supposed] birthday has been wonderful and it's only 10:31am!

i was woken up by many birthday texts,

i received two amazing gift cards courtesy of mama and papa j,

and i even had a FULL CONVERSATION with plaid shirt.

what a day!

and it's only going to get better!

destino

did you know that salvador dali and walt disney teamed up to create an animated short film in 1948?

[watch it in full screen.

it is awesome.]

la la la la la

i had a completely incredible weekend.

i would love to write about it, but my skirt needs a zipper, my head needs some excedrin, and my eyes need some sleep.

two thoughts to tide you over until the blessed weekend update:

1. tonight we have fhe at our bishop's home. i guess the activity is hot-tubbing. weird?

2. it has been a particularly blustery, cloudy day in my neck of the woods. so, obviously, i chose "warmth of the sun" by the beach boys to accompany me home after class. summer, please.

today,

my bishop came up to me after sacrament meeting had ended, took my hand, and said, "the Lord told me during this meeting that i needed to tell you how much He cares about you. He loves you. don't forget that."

i hope i never forget.

i understand that this was for a good cause...

but seriously?

i'm pretty sure i used this picture for your last birthday...

today is my oldest sister's birthday!

kirsten is someone i really admire.

she's brave, courageous, a phenomenal and loving mother to three beautiful kids, super talented in the craft/sewing/freezerpaperstenciling realm, supportive, and has the cutest house.

i remember how much i looked up to her when i was little. i wanted to look like her, act like her, and even have a room knee-deep in clothes like her [one out of three isn't bad].

it's funny how some things don't change.

kirsten, i hope you had a superb birthday! i can't wait to go home and go thrifting [and maybe yardsale-ing] and lunching and singstar-ing and ddr-ing with you! i love you, big sis!

right now...

i'm listening to this song on repeat because...

i'm applying for a nannying/live-in educator job for an lds family that lives just outside of the big apple!

i'm in an empire state of mind.

wish me luck!

oh, the irony.

we have had a surprisingly mild winter this year.

last week was so nice, it felt like spring.

i didn't wear a winter coat at all.

yesterday was especially beautiful.

at night, all i needed was my osso sweatshirt.

i was so happy about this that i almost posted yesterday about how winter is finally over and spring has sprung.

and then today...

today it snowed.

WHEN WILL IT END?!?

our mountain

on saturday, we hiked r mountain

[it's rexburg's version of the y, only tinier].

it was awesome and scary and absolutely beautiful.

for dad

dear dad:

i think you will LOVE this!

love,

kellie

happy friday!

when i found out my [only]class was cancelled today, i felt like dancing like this dude:

seven (7) letters

dear plaid-shirt:

you completely made my day today.

let's talk again.

and soon.

you're funny.

sincerely,

me

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

dear mother nature:

i have never seen such gorgeous weather during this time of year in rexburg.

thank you, thank you, thank you for the rain yesterday and the warmth of the sun today.

lovelovelove,

me

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

dear anthony from project runway:

can we be best friends?

WBS!

kellie

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

dear sewing class:

i'm sorry for having beef with you last week.

please be nice to me as i'm getting ready to attach the collar to the neck of my shirt.

because, honestly, i'm scared.

see you soon!

me

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

dear friday:

i'm so excited to see you tomorrow and once again reinstate my usual friday morning tradition of waking up at 8 and watching all my favorite shows on hulu before my 11:30 class.

thank you for coming so quickly!

i love you.

kellie

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

dear utah:

i'll see you in five weeks! and i couldn't be happier!

kindest regards,

me

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

dear daily yahoo crosswords:

i can't get through the day without you.

thanks for the challenge.

yours,

kellie

a revelation.

image found here

was andrew bird...

influenced by this song?

vladimir horowitz, you're my hero.

mrs. hall, the sixth grade teacher at two rock elementary school, was scary.

everyone dreaded sixth grade because of her infamous Research Project.

said project was biographical and included the following:

-a twelve page paper about the person

-a timeline marking important events in the life of the person [with pictures, if possible]

-a fifteen minute speech AS the person [complete with costume]

-an activity or quiz for the class to participate in that has something to do with your person and why he or she was important

-and a handmade doll mounted on a cardboard background.

we moved to two rock, california when i was eleven.

right before the sixth grade.

when i heard of mrs. hall's reputation and INSANE research project, i was terrified, overwhelmed, and completely unprepared for such a task.

but i realized that with this project, as with most things in life, it was completed little by little and despite my trepidation, i did it! i'm still proud of the work i did in that class and had completely forgotten about that project until today at 12:20pm in my humanities 202 class.

right now, we're learning about the romantic period in music. we've been listening to a lot of puccini and wagner.

today, we listened to rachmaninoff.

my professor told us that rachmaninoff's piano concertos are the most difficult piano pieces to date and that you are a true professional pianist when you can play them.

to demonstrate this, he showed us a video of the subject of my 6th grade project, vladimir horowitz.

i realized while i was watching that i had never seen him play because back in 1998, youtube didn't even exist.

and after watching, i can say that my respect for this man has grown exponentially.

not only did he successfully and beautifully place this piece, HE DID IT FROM MEMORY.

see for yourself:

commercial break!

i have three tests and one presentation this week.

ugh.

i've been killing two birds with one stone by listening to the music i have to know for my humanities class while studying the art works i have to know for tomorrow's exam.

and i cannot stop listening to this song:

so beautiful.

armchair apocrypha

i'm not a huge andrew bird fan,

but this video blows me away.

can it just be spring already?

i long for the day when i can wear...

this

this

this

and this

without getting frostbite.

difficulties: a list

it's very, very difficult at the moment to:

1. have patience.

2. live with a bunch of girls [don't get me wrong... i love my roomies, but i don't love the dirty kitchen/hairy bathroom/drama].

3. get out of bed in the morning when it's FREEZING in the house.

4. go to class when it's FRIGID outside.

5. not fall asleep in my art history class now that the lighting is fixed in the lecture hall [which means that all the lights are turned off except for the ambience lights on each side of the room].

6. remember that i'm halfway done with this semester and soon i will be home enjoying warm weather, family, and delicious food.

7. have the motivation to do homework for my non-art history classes.

8. keep my room clean [although i cleaned it today].

i am most definitely in a slump.

the novelty of being here has worn off.

i find that my biggest form of entertainment lately is reading the scroll and making fun of the headlines [ex. "Apartment unity conquers differences", "Shoppers turn frugal, coupon clip to save", and (my personal favorite) "Fire alarm interrupts rappers". i'm pretty sure that last one was done purposefully as a form of intervention. REXBURG DOES NOT YIELD RAPPERS.] and articles.

only one year left.

i can do it.

right?

kellie and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

today was a little rough.

i went to the advising center to figure out my class plan for my proposed major change and was there for over an hour.

even though i was told that i have a good chance of changing my major [regardless of the fact that the amount of credits i have will be close to The Number when i graduate],

and even though i planned out all of my classes and figured out that i will be done with school next april,

i left the office feeling so angry.

angry at the school,

angry at the stupid policies and hoops i have to jump through to achieve my dream,

and angry because the looks i got from the lady at the advising center when i told her the amount of credits i have right now made me feel really self-conscious.

and then i went to the sewing lab to pick up some stuff and i accidentally walked in on a class and the teacher got mad at me and told me to wait outside until they were done.

and i got even angrier.

i stormed out of the clarke on the verge of tears and started to mentally write this blog post.

it was going to be titled "myth vs. reality"

and it was going to be the rant of the decade.

after that, i went to porters and was treated poorly by one of the employees.

all i wanted was some interfacing.

i didn't want any attitude from her.

after THAT, i went home and prepared the lesson for fhe.

it was on elder bednar's talk "and nothing shall offend them".

after reading it and preparing my lesson, i felt a tiny bit better.

then i went to the kitchen and handwashed all the dishes [even though none of them were mine].

and then my fhe bros came over.

and i gave my lesson.

and right after i finished, i felt completely better and completely stupid for choosing to be offended just because i was throwing a pity party for myself [it's my party and i'll cry if i want to].

and THEN, one of my roommates gave me a bracelet she made after hearing i had had a bad day.

isn't it funny how circumstances can change simply by choice?

anyway, i guess the point of this whole post is to remind myself that i can choose to be angry or i can choose to make the best of the dumpy wonderful situation i'm in right now.

i'm pretty sure...

...clothing construction 1 will be the death of me

because

i cannot hand-sew hems for the life of me.

AOWIJE;OI3EJHFNSIKSNMFOPIWJEOD;IQWJD;!!!!!????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!!!!??

it's that time again...

photo from my october 09 trip to san diego

...the time of the mid-winter blues.

the obvious remedy for this illness is visiting a tropical locale and walking barefoot in the sand with the warmth of the sun hitting every inch of exposed skin

instead of

walking in ankle-deep icy puddles with the bone-chilling wind cutting through every layer of clothing you happened to wear that day.

thank goodness i'm heading to the exotic land of utah tomorrow!

six (6) things i've made in the last week [or so]:

1. heart garlands (just in time for v-day)

2. another huge stack of flashcards

3. danish puff pastries smothered in dark chocolate (and crumbs)

4. pajama pants (that i have yet to try on)

5. spaghetti sauce

6. A. HUGE. MESS.

happy tuesday, everyone!

three-day week.

i will be in utah this time on thursday.

princess has her very first auditioned ballet performance this weekend and

i

can't

wait!

i've always loved watching her perform [she's such a ham] because

she always looks like she's having so much fun.

and she looks that way because she IS having so much fun.

I'M SO EXCITED!

i'm feeling the pull.

i want to go on a road trip.

happy anna howard shaw day!

this valentines day, i'll be listening to this song on repeat and eating all the chocolate in my house.

JUST KIDDING!

enjoy this playlist of some of my favorite love songs.

happy valentines day!

here's the thing about having an ihome for an alarm clock...

some mornings, you wake up to this:

200

this is my 200th post.

once i realized i was close to this number, i started thinking about all the options i had to celebrate this momentous occasion.

but i think, because it is

a) tuesday

b) february

c) the eve of a huge art history exam

and

d) 4:46pm with one more class to go before i'm done on campus,

i'll just stick with simplicity and say,

HAPPY 200TH POST, CASTAWAYTHECLOUDS!

and

thank you

[to the ten (10!) people who follow this blog and motivate me to keep writing]

!!!!!

here's to 200 more crazyrandom posts.

everything is rosy.

this morning, i woke up to this song with the sun shining through my little window,

and i felt just like joseph gordon-leavitt's character in this scene of (500) days of summer.

my room!

world, meet my room!

i am super happy with it.

and i'm super happy that it's finally finished!

the perfect snow song.

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

i'm working on getting my room picture-perfect.

expect a second post today with photos of my most favorite room i've ever had.

i hate cooking for one.

proof that i am growing up:

1. i make my bed and clean my room every single day.

2. homework takes first priority.

3. early to bed and early to rise.

4. i take my vitamins every day.

it's weird, but i've really never been happier*.

*except for the 2.5 months i was in ecuador.