Once upon a time...

Welp people of the world, I am happily off the market! That's right, Justin proposed to me over the Christmas holiday. He's the best and I'm thrilled to have a real, actual, honest-to-goodness BFF. Justin is my best friend forever. I can't wait to marry him.

  Want to know the story? Of course you do. It's a good story. Here it is:

Justin and I had been planning on going to Cedar City for a few days during our Christmas break. I love Cedar City and SUU and Justin shares that infatuation. On our way, Justin told me that he wanted to stop by SUU to visit an old friend. I'll admit, I was annoyed. The purpose of our trip was to be with family, and though I love old friends, this was Christmas and Christmas is synonymous with family.

We arrived in Cedar and after about an hour and a half, Justin wanted to go to SUU. Once again, I was annoyed and even tried to talk my way out of going with him.

• First, we went into the bookstore to "make sure it was open."  That was my mom's excuse to get me to go with him. Sneaky mom. 
•  Then we talked to some old friends which was very nice but not the one the Justin was expecting.
• Then Justin got a text from the friend saying he was on upper campus and to meet him there.

Once again, annoyed.  I thought he should come to us.

When we got to the Hunter Conference Center, Justin decided to take a detour to see the Great Hall. Now I was perplexed. I figured Justin must be feeling sentimental.

The first door to the Great Hall was locked. I thought, "yeah, it's about a half hour before they close for Christmas." (Thanks for loving me Justin, sometimes I can be a grump) Then to my utmost surprise, Justin opened the second door revealing a dozen of the most luscious red roses I've ever seen.

Welcoming me into the room was the best "proposal playlist" I could have ever dreamed of. Next to the roses was a beautiful digital picture frame displaying some of my favorite pictures of us. All of this was surrounded by Christmas lights and poinsettias in the most beautiful room on campus.

That was when I figured out what was happening.

Justin told me about how this place was special to him. We went to a dance there and we both realized how wonderful the other one was.

Then he knelt down, presented a stunning ring and asked me to marry him. I said "yes I will!"

To top it off, when we walked out of the Great Hall, my family was there waiting for us. I couldn't have been happier. Justin really knows how to make me feel like a million bucks.

Justin had called my brother earlier that day and orchestrated this amazing day. Thanks to the best brother and fiance I could ask for.

And thus begins the most exciting adventure of my life.

Home for the Holidays

I had a GREAT opportunity over the Thanksgiving holiday. Not only did I get to stuff myself silly, I got to take care of two little doggies without homes.

I volunteer at the Humane Society of Utah and for the holidays they ask the volunteers to take a doggy home because they don't get as much TLC over the breaks. I took home Sammy the 1 year old Chihuahua/Yorkshire Terrier mix and Gretchen the 6 year old Dachshund.

They were the most exciting guests I could ask for over the holiday. They followed me around like I was their mother duck. So cute.

Gretchen is a bundle of energy that everyone can love. She's adorable. She loves all the attention you can give her. She only held still for about a second while I took this photo of her sleeping

Sammy is a timid little guy but once he warms up to you, he'll be the best companion you've ever had. Sammy loves to have his belly rubbed and to cuddle up on your lap. He is a sweetheart!

If you are interested in one of these little guys contact the Humane Society of Utah!

Dumb Facebook Posts

I feel like Facebook makes most people look really dumb even though they try really hard to look cool on it.

First:

Albums of only you

I'm sorry but your album of 100 webcam pictures of yourself is not flattering... and it never will be. It just proves that you are slightly vain and like to take too many pictures of yourself. Get a significant other or a pet, then people can at least comment on how adorable you two are together.

To the girl on TRAX who takes pictures of herself on her phone for a solid hour every day: You pull the same "blue steal" face for every picture. Are you expecting one of those pictures to look better than the other?

Second:
Politics

Everyone seems to have an opinion on politics which rocks my socks off. I love politics and enjoy reading your opinions. It just really bothers me when someone says something "related" to politics, when really they just want people to comment on their post. Forgive me for not taking you seriously when you say, "Occupy Wall Street is dumber."

Third:
Vague emotional posts. 

I feel like Facebook is kind of like asking "how are you?" to random people. If someone were to respond with awful, I wouldn't know how to respond.  Similarly, I don't know what to say when you post "Life is so hard" on your Facebook. I'd like to read about your big events, humorous thoughts, insights and such. A vague post that says "so exhausted" is just another way of getting people to post on your wall. Please, elaborate people. You can't give me a sneak peak and then not explain it!

World, keep posting! I love to read about it! Just, you know, be wise in your posting. Moderation in all things.

I just think this is funny.

Downward Facing Dog

I'm a lucky duck. I've got an amazing boyfriend who is willing to go along with my whimsical cravings and sometimes even more whimsical behavior. While riding the train home, I told the amazing Justin Nelson that I was excited because my long awaited yoga DVD was supposed to arrive that day.  I then told him how much I was craving pizza.  What did Justin do? He bought a pizza, changed into some over-sized gym shorts and did 40 minutes of yoga with me. Best boyfriend ever.

I wish I had documented the experience as it was quite hilarious. Alas, I didn't take any pictures so this will have to suffice.

First of all, if you haven't tried out Rodney Yee's yoga DVDs, you're missing out. I'm new to yoga and this tough but manageable.  Plus, I can't afford to spend $125 a month for in person yoga lessons so paying $10 for a DVD is awesome.

This is the DVD I got. It's great.

Yoga quite literally knocked Justin's socks off. He was so impressed with it that while in the downward facing dog pose, I heard "Oh no! My sock!" Thud. Sock, off.  Any yoga-like meditation that was happening ended in that moment with riotous laughter.

The downward facing dog: Justin's favorite pose.

We thought we looked like hot stuff. But I'm sure we really just looked like a tangle of spaghetti noodles.

This is what we thought we looked like 

This is what we actually looked like

Needless to say, I will strongly encourage Justin to be my yoga partner... forever.  Never fear Justin, with me and Rodney, you too can do this:

And just because I'm a little vain, I just want the world to know that I did yoga with my brother in front of Stonehenge.

My Warrior One pose could use a little work but still, this is cool.

I still play dress up

I love Halloween.  Sadly, I have the misfortune of being in class this Halloween. That is an outright crime against partying! How am I supposed to dress up and have fun if I'm stuck in class? OUTRAGE!

Because I am pouting right now, I am also reminiscing on all the fantastic Halloweens that I've had over the years. Admittedly, I haven't always been such an awesome costume designer. I went through a "too cool for school phase" that resulted in a tragic loss of awesomeness. Cowboys, who needs them? Vampires, cliche. Such lame costumes have no place on a blog like this. Now it's all about channeling the awesomeness. That's right, awesomeness.

The following is just a sampling of my Halloweens over the past few years.

80's night. Though not for Halloween, it was during that time of the year. 2008

Cleopatra. Yep. That's my mom's prom dress.  2009

Poison Ivy.  Again, not on Halloween, but like I said, I still play dress up. 2010

Oompa Loompas. To date, this is still the best costume I've ever done. 2010

Smurfs. We made those hats. Hand stitched them in fact. 2011

Zombie run. Coolest running experience ever. 2011

People step it up. No more lame costumes! Channel your inner awesomeness. The impossible can become possible if you are AWESOME!

Reasons to love and hate the changing temperatures

Temperature is dropping here in Utah. This both excites me, causing fits of giggles to erupt inside me, and ushers dysphoria that is utterly unimaginable. Now the only question is, should I focus on the excitement or the dysphoria? First I'll settle for dysphoria.

What could bring such dismay to a typically adventurous and life-loving soul?  Well to begin...

The inevitable winter weight gain. Every year I say it won't happen and guess what happens? Weight is, in fact, gained. This happens to the best of us and there is only one person I know who can escape it, and I happen to be dating him. Never have I been more jealous of a man.  I have an action plan this year though - don't gain weight.

I wish this wasn't the story of my life.

Trying to look cool after falling on ice.  As you scrape the dirt, snow and salt off your backside and look around as if nothing happened, all you can think inside is "Did anyone see that?"

How cute!

Taking an hour to get ready to go outside... for five minutes. Don't get me wrong, I love coats and jackets. They are quite possibly my favorite piece of clothing. However, it's annoying that you have to put on half your wardrobe to stay warm when you go outside to get the mail. Lame.

"I can't put my arm's down!"

Getting sick. What's worse than being cooped up all day in a house and not even being able to eat your favorite foods. That is unless you'd like to see it again. Runny noses, coughing, cough syrups that taste like a well used car tire, vomiting, who needs that?

Saving the best for last, I give you the reasons that the dropping temperatures makes me so excited:

Fabulous food weather.  Pumpkin is in season and that means fabulous food. Pumpkin bread, pie, cookies, shakes, soup, and every other delectable treat that comes from this amazing gourd. Aside from pumpkin, it's soup, homemade bread, gravy, pie, hot cocoa, apple cider, cinnamon, and turkey season. Ooh it makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

OOOHH PUMPKIN!

Warms the heart and soul.

Holiday season! Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Can life get any better than dressing up in wild costumes, feasting on homemade meals that are so big you can't move afterward because you've eaten so much, getting presents from a mysterious man wearing a lot of red and most importantly realizing and giving thanks for the wonderful things in life. Holiday season also means family time, and that is the best part.

That is my hair. No wigs for this girl

I love Christmas time!

Fall and winter clothing. Let's be frank. People dress better in the winter. Styles are classier and better kept and not to mention more modest. It's easier to be a slob during the warmer months. Turtlenecks, tights, jackets/coats, scarves, boots are so sleek and attractive if worn correctly.

Fun season based activities. Carving pumpkins, going on a hayride, weaving through a corn maze, making gingerbread houses, sledding, ice skating. Oh the list could go on forever of fun things that are available only during this time of the year. You only have a limited time to experience these things each year, so get to it!

I carved this. OK not really, but I want to.

This just goes to show that you should come sledding with me.

Sesame Street: G

This is absolutely hilarious. Sesame Street is the coolest thing since sliced bread.

#1 Place To See

This is my next destination. Don't worry, I will definitely be trying to jump from boat to boat. That looks like kid's stuff. I could do it.
 

Can't guess where it is? Here are some more pictures:

I'll be visiting this place, don't you worry.

You can bet that I'll be hangin' with these guys.

You can bet I'll eat something out of these:

And I might even hang out with this guy:

I'll definitely be buying one of these head dresses and wear it proudly.

If you haven't figured it out yet, my #1 place to visit on my bucket list is...

THAILAND

From North to South and South to North

I hold certain places dear to my heart, all of which have the fondest of memories attached to them. For example, there was a tree just outside the fence in my family home where I spent my tween to teenage years. That tree was my sanctuary. When my young and highly hormone driven emotions would get the best of me, I'd climb that tree and think. I'd always sit on a certain branch that was big enough to hold me but small enough that those bigger and older than me couldn't sit on it too. Sometimes my imagination would take over
my thoughts and I would travel the entire world all the while never leave my favorite tree. I loved that tree.

The picture to the right is of me by my tree. At this point I was getting to be the the bigger and older person that the tree branch probably couldn't support.

Anyway, my point of this blog post was not to reminisce on trees. I noticed the other day as I was driving back to my apartment in Northern Utah from my home in southern Utah how much my perception has changed. When I was a young girl, going to southern Utah meant adventure. It was so exciting to go south because it always meant we were going to do something exciting as a family. Going home (north) meant the end of an adventure and was therefore not as exciting but still welcome.

After my parents announced that we'd be moving to southern Utah, the south didn't hold quite the same grandeur. It then became a pleasure to go up north. Going north meant old friends, familiar faces and places. Going back south was almost a punishment. Like I was being exiled to Elba.

Elba (aka the south) soon turned to my very own America. (I know, I'm using two different historical stories and places but still, you'll understand) Instead of feeling exiled, I suddenly had all the freedom in the world. The south meant growing and learning and FUN! Going up north was still a pleasure but not as much of a yearning as it had been before.

Interestingly enough, northern Utah is now like going back to elementary school after a long break. I have wonderful people welcoming me and taking me under their wing, but the north represents responsibility and lack of time. Going from south to north is now a lot harder than it has ever been while going from the north to the south is an occasion to look forward to.

In the end, I'm just rambling about how it's odd how places and even directions can be associated with emotions. Now don't get me wrong, I like the north, especially the people who are here. I couldn't ask for more wonderful people to be with me in northern Utah. I love them all very much and that is what makes going north nothing like Elba. However, the south will forever and always hold a special place in my heart.

I like this.

I think this is a great pick-me-up during the hard times.

http://lds.org/pages/god-is-our-father?lang=eng

Master of Public Administration

I figured this was probably a big deal in my life so I'd post on it. I am heading off to the University of Utah for my Master's in Public Administration. I am really excited to start this fall. Now the only big question is what my emphasis should be. I'm debating right now between higher education and health administration. I worked with the Leavitt Center and fell in love with higher education administration, however, I also did a year long internship with a public health department and also fell in love with that. Luckily I don't have to officially decide for at least one semester, but due to scheduling conflicts in my courses, I may have to declare one a little earlier than I anticipated. Shoot.

All I have left to do is move to Salt Lake, find a job and start another two years of school. Which by the way may end up turning into a lot more since I am now contemplating getting a joint doctoral degree with my master's degree. I just love making decisions.

My brother just finished the program and really enjoyed it so I am looking forward to it a little more. I am super excited to be able to see him more often when I move up to Salt Lake!

Kelsey is bored

I sympathize with Jeffery. Here I am being bored. I get off work early in the day and lack things to do until later in the evening when everyone else is free. If you can't tell, I'm not exactly a sedentary person. I like to be doing things. Sure, I can appreciate a day of doing nothing, but today I'd really like to be doing something. Therefore, I have found a lovely list of synonyms for the word bored. Please be enlightened on the many ways that you can say that you are uninterested in your current situation.

• arid, bromidic, bummer, characterless, cloying, colorless, commonplace, dead, drab, drag, drudging, dull, flat, ho hum, humdrum, insipid, interminable, irksome, lifeless, monotonous, moth-eaten, mundane, nothing, nowhere, platitudinous, plebeian, prosaic, repetitious, routine, spiritless, stale, stereotyped, stodgy, stuffy, stupid, tame, tedious, threadbare, tiresome, tiring, trite, unexciting, uninteresting, unvaried, vapid, wearisome, well-worn

It can be said that, for the moment, Jeffery and I are both characterless, bromidic, dull, spiritless, stale and wearisome. I am irked with my current boredom. Perhaps it is time for me to find something to do... or maybe the day will pick up a little later.

P.S. Watching Julian Smith movies, like the earlier shown Jeffery is Bored, is a great way to pass time.

SUU I love you.

I did it! I have finally completed my bachelor of science in political science at Southern Utah University.

Let me just say, I LOVE SUU! I honestly owe everything that I am to SUU and my experiences here. Let me enlighten you on why I make such a bold claim....

In 2006 my parents announced that we would be moving to Cedar City, Utah. After months of trying to sell a house we finally moved at the end of October that year. That was about three months into my senior year of high school. I was devastated and heart broken that my parents would tear me away from my friends who were practically family. I won't lie, my senior year was not easy though I did make some pretty great friends during my short time at Cedar High School that helped me out very much. I still know very few of the people I graduated with. Regardless, I look back on that time as a marvelous period of growth in my life. I learned to spread my wings, love my siblings, and be completely comfortable with who I am and what I stand for.

My decision to come to SUU was completely money driven. I had a goal to not go into debt, but didn't have the money to move out of the house and go to school. I also received a 2 year scholarship at SUU. So naturally, SUU was to be the university I'd attend. That same year one of my dearest friends left for his mission and I felt very alone. I missed him terribly and I didn't want to do anything. I met few people and was so shy I wouldn't even accept help from someone when I was carrying a heavy box (though I am now good friends with this person and was always grateful for the gesture). My first year of college was not much better than my last year of high school but that summer was when things started picking up. Enough of the sappy stuff, right?

I was part of an amazing singles ward. I met new friends who have become some of the closest confidants and life-long friends. I had a blast! This is what college was really about. Sure, my formal education was phenomenal, but the things that I learned outside the classroom helped me become who I am today. Chemistry 1010 never really taught me how to be a better person, but it did teach me that I never want to be a chemist. I guess that was a good thing. Thanks to all of those amazing friends who helped me out of the rut that I was stuck in for far too long.

Well SUU seemed a brighter place my second year. I was familiar with the territory and knew how to play the game a little better. I met more and more people though I still was not exactly extroverted. I moved away from home, spent too much money, gained a lot of weight (lost it! Don't worry) and learned a lot about being a "grown up". Yeah, it was some crazy times.

It was the third year that really changed my life. I had been eying the Political Center on campus for quite sometime. I was a political science student, but didn't really have any connection to politics. So I finally plucked up some courage went straight into the Center and looked for the oldest person there. I announced "hi, who are you and how can I get involved?" Best decision I have ever made. It took a little prodding, but the group finally gave me an idea that they had and told me to run with it. Thus Pizza and Politics was born at SUU. It's a political discussion group complete with free pizza. It started off slow, only about 4 or 5 people per week, but it has grown and grown since! Now the program can hardly afford all of the pizza needed to feed everyone. I was so proud of my work there that I applied to be the Student Director of the Leavitt Center even though I was sure I didn't have much of a chance. Another amazing decision.

To my everlasting surprise, I got the position! I was thrilled. This year I have worked harder than a horse to get the Center to go from unknown to necessary on campus. I believe that has happened though there is still a lot of work to be done for next year's Student Director. Our emailing list and attendance have increased by three times what they were last year. Now I must give credit where credit is deserved though, the Executive and Associate Directors did more for the Center than anyone could ever know. The huge increase in numbers can also be credited to the amazing Executive Council, a group of 9 students who ran the Center. You guys are amazing people and I couldn't have done it without you. Shout out to you guys for being so great! The picture below is of me and the two amazing directors of the Center.

This year, again to my surprise, I was accepted to go on a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for a conference called Education Without Borders. Wow. That was the trip of a lifetime. I learned so much about other cultures, doing something for others and trying everything. It was eye opening! I will never forget the people I met and the lessons I learned.

Well this past year I have become far more outgoing, exciting and I love life more than I could ever say. I have learned more in my four years at SUU than I have anywhere else or at any other time. I've made life changing decisions, played a lot (much to the dismay of my grades at times), and met life long friends. My life is full of the best memories I could ask for. SUU will always hold a special place in my heart.

I love SUU.