ornaments.

this gets me every time.

hiatus.

remember when i used to blog once or twice or thrice in a typical week?

blogging just seems exhausting to me now.

i can never think of anything witty or clever or poignant to say [not that i said anything of the sort previously].

i get home from work and the last thing i want to do is write about my day.


welcome to the mundane life, kellie.

i really am happy, though.
i couldn't ask for a more pleasant working environment or nicer coworkers.
and it's nice to have something to do every day.
and to make money doing it everyday [should that be one word or two?].

regarding the twilight saga: new moon, hair, surprise visits, and a simple request.

dad: so, how was the movie?
mom: it was velveeta--bad cheese.

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

monkey: you know what? my cousin's dad's hair is made of salt and pepper.

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

the other day, an old friend from high school came into my work establishment on a whim.
i was genuinely happy to see her and we proceeded to talk for about ten minutes [when i should have been working--shhhhh].
even though i haven't seen her or even talked with her in about a year, it felt as though no time had passed as we chatted.

isn't it wonderful when that happens? i much prefer that to the awkwardness that seeps out of the pores of friendships that have gone stale over the course of time.

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

is there a man out there who could pretend to be my fiance so i could enter/win this contest?
megan and i would be very appreciative.
because learning beyonce's moves from her music video just isn't working.

i can't believe...

...the swell season is playing in slc tonight without my knowledge.

it's 6:50pm.

i almost bought a ticket online and raced up to salt lake [they're playing at 8],

but they're all sold out [of course].



i'm so mad i could cry.

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

in no particular order.

i miss these people.
so so so much.

[photos of may-may/lyndee/nikki/joe-face/jon+justin/alyx/talia stolen from facebook. the remaining were taken by me.]

[ps: don't you hate it when you spend time formatting everything only to find it completely messed up after it's published?
yeah.
me too.]

i'm born to be contrary.

my best friend, justin, posted recently about a playlist he has in his itunes library.

the above playlist is my "three" playlist as of this week.

photos, sweat, and tears.

ever since i got back from ecuador, i've wanted to print all my photos and put them in an album.

i originally wanted to make one, but i a) have never made a book before and b) think it would be cheaper and easier to just buy one.

so, i took a look on etsy for some ideas.

i found a photo album made from an antique door from lisbon [pictured below and found here],


a simple, lime green album with polka dot lining [pictured below and found here],


a twelve-by-twelve custom-made album that would easily fit all my photos [found here],

a beautiful hand-painted refillable scrapbook/photo album [pictured below and found here]


and this cool album with a photo of a lake stitched onto the front [pictured below and found here].


but after looking at prices [especially the album made in portugal], and reading this tutorial, i think i've decided to take the elements i like in all of these albums and make my own.

i'll probably regret this decision the second it gets difficult, but the only way i'll be able to get exactly what i want is if i make it myself.

right?


right.

------------------------------
in other news...

1. remember this post about the infamous headband?
i tried it again.
it still looks dumb.
i think i'm doing something wrong.

2. a friend of mine in ecuador told me via facebook that one of the little girls in the main orphanage i worked in keeps asking about me.
i didn't think she'd remember me after i left [let alone any of the other kids], and as i told my mom about it, i sobbed at the kitchen table for a few minutes just thinking about all my kids in cuenca [and, yes, it was pretty embarrassing, but it's okay because a) it was my mom i was crying in front of and b) she's used to me crying].
i miss them all so much.
i wish i could hug and kiss them all right now and tell them how much i love them and how special and wonderful and amazing they are.
i wish i could adopt them all and take care of them and comfort them when they cry and hold them for as long as i want whenever i want and take them to disneyland and picnics in the park and shopping for new shoes and clothes that actually fit and love them forever and ever.

but i can't.

and that breaks my heart.

regardless of this, though, i'm grateful everyday for my experiences in ecuador.
for the friendships i made,
the lessons i learned,
the babies i held,
the dance parties we had,
and all the sticky hands, slobbery kisses, and big hugs.

my heart is with those children.
and i'll never ever forget them.

you're the funny little frog in my throat.

this week i...

got a job,
finally borrowed god help the girl from the library [i cannot stop listening to this song],
spent quality time with the ninos,
celebrated a very special boy's birthday,
had a riveting conversation with my niece about chucking peanut shells off the top of the eiffel tower,
made another trip to the post office,
found a scar on my hand,
watched this video over and over,
wore skirts mostly every day,
felt grown-up,
and started reading the harry potter series all over again.


in other words, it was a good week.

i woke up with this song in my head this morning.

weird.

now now now now now now now

don't you love it when you're listening to your ipod whilst doing dishes and every song is a song you're in the mood for and you don't have to walk over to the ihome and press the next song button with wet and soapy hands?
me too.

hence this playlist.
have a listen to the songs of the fifth of november.

i don't mean to seem like i care about material things.

i love going to the post office.
i don't love the long lines so much, but a little part of me always gets so excited to mail off a package or note or something for someone.
i recently went to the post office to mail off some packages for some friends and included these little quilted cards.
i wasn't one hundred percent happy with them [especially after looking at the examples on the tutorial], but it's the thought that counts, right?

my next project is this.
i'm excited to start it.
but first, my ill sewing machine must be diagnosed and fixed.

please pray for gertrude.

ps: i can't stop listening to this song [kirsten--i think this would have been a good pick for t's dance recital]. i recently rediscovered it and it's like leftover halloween candy [although it's a lot better for me]. i'm addicted.
i'm also addicted to the swell season's new album,
candy cane cocoa with mini marshmallows,
christopher guest films,
and gilmore girls.

a list.

ten(+1!!!!) things i love right now.
1. strict joy.
2. spicy red lentil dal made at 9:30pm.
3. catching fire.
4. kittens inspired by kittens.
5. retro dubai.
6. the little boy from valentin.
7. the orem library.
8. ice water.
9. friends who come down for the weekend.
10. sewing.
11. going to the post office.

cuenca, je t'aime. [part II]

when does it get easier?
those kids are all i think about.

i just want to go back.

i was watching sabrina [the one with julia ormond and harrison ford and greg kinnear] the other day and julia ormond's character said something about paris that hit me.
she said, quoting gertrude stein, "america is my country and paris is my hometown."
i feel that way about cuenca.

a two year-old's prayer

jenn: thanks for family.
sam: yeah...
jenn: thanks for fun day.
sam: yeah...
jenn: thanks for lucy.
sam: no... yeah...
jenn: thanks for Jesus.
sam: i saw him!
jenn: really?
sam: he was in our house!
jenn: ...he was?
sam: he fixed our window.

it's love.

i borrowed the first season of gilmore girls from my sister.
i plan to watch seasons one to five while i'm home.

so far, i've seen sookie and jackson's first date [a favorite episode],
the saga of rory and dean [hate him],
sparks between lorelai and luke [it kills me that it takes them FOUR SEASONS to get together],
and...

the town troubador.

oh, man... i'm crushing hardcore on this man.
i can't wait until the episode when the new town troubadour [who plays mr. rosso in freaks and geeks--genius] comes into stars hollow and he gets the guy kicked out.

he checks everything off my list:
glasses, musical talent, mysterious, cute face/hair...

i'm in love.
too bad he's a fictional character.

anyone know of a man like the town troubadour?

boo.

i hate halloween.

why can't america just celebrate the day of the dead instead?

mi cuaderno

i've never been much of a journal-writer.
i have been given many journals in my lifetime, and with each blank book comes excitement and determination to fill every page with my thoughts, dreams, and secrets.
and with each blank book comes one week of dedicated journalwriting,
complete with embarrassing entries [subject matter: boys, drama, what i got for christmas],
and either a disinterest or complete disregard for the practice.

after many years of failed journaling, i have finally discovered the problem:

every single journal i've ever had has intimidated me.

it sounds stupid! but it's true! promise!
you see, it all started with one of the first journals i ever received.
it was beautiful; a dark brown cover with "J O U R N A L" printed across the top [like so] above a picture of Jesus and pages and pages of cream-colored paper with charcoal lines for words and the date.
but it was too beautiful.
i remember writing on the very first page and messing up.
i was heartbroken.
on top of that, my handwriting was [and, arguably, still is] terrible and i remember telling myself that no journal that beautiful on the outside deserves to be so ugly on the inside.

and ever since then, every journal i receive, although much appreciated, is at one time or another completely forgotten because of that traumatizing experience [if you can even call it that].

there are minute details of my life that will never be remembered all because i was too intimidated to record them.

what a shame.

before i left for ecuador, though, i received some inspiration by buying a "fat lil notebook" [pictured above] in black.
at the time, i didn't know why i even bought it. it seemed... weird.
but someone upstairs must have known the significant impact that little notebook would have on me.

because it changed my life.

i wasn't a completely faithful and dedicated journaler, but i recorded what i felt was important.
and, most importantly, i wasn't afraid to make mistakes.
i wasn't intimidated by its small stature or familiar aqua lines.

i couldn't be more grateful for the orem target that carried this heaven-sent item straight into my arms.
and heart.

[and the cheesy tribute to the fat lil notebook ends.... here.]

soco amaretto lime

two weeks before i left rexburg, i found an old pentax pc-33 at DI.
i bought two rolls of film and made a goal to fill up both rolls with photos of people and places and things that i love.
i finally got them developed last night and spent hours scanning them into my parents' computer, smiling with each one.

i love the people in them
and i love the look and feel of tangible photos
and of taking a photo without really knowing how it's going to turn out until it's developed.

i think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.