The Adventures of Dick and Jane

I think it is due time for another funny 'Chloe story'. Perhaps if I write enough of these, I can compile them into a book and give it to her when she grows up to be a young lady. Then she can be embarrassed.

Hopefully this funny story will brighten your Monday. Not that Mondays are all that bad. Poor Monday just has a bad reputation is all. I actually like my Mondays. They are my easiest school day of the week.

My dad was the only witness to this certain story, so I will tell it to the best of my abilities. Also, to some people the story might be a bit crude. Not really though. Plus, you must remember, we are dealing with the innocent mind of an eight year old here.

Chloe was doing her nightly reading as part of her homework. She had gone through her timings and her math, so now she was left to read her book in order to get a parents' initials on her calendar. Mom was not home that evening, so Dad was held responsible to make sure Chlo finished her homework. Dad decided it would be a good idea to have Chloe read her library book out loud to him. So they nestled themselves by the fire to read a book together. How precious. Chloe began to read, without having problems pronouncing any words.

Suddenly, Chloe stopped mid-sentence. Dad was alarmed and wondered if Chloe had came to a difficult word.

"Do you need help," Dad asked.

Chloe's already big eyes had grown even bigger as she peered up at Dad. She slowly shook her head no, that she did not need help.

"Well, what's wrong then? Why don't you keep reading?"

Chloe whispered, as if telling a secret to Dad, "I am not supposed to say that word."

Dad was confused.

"It's a bad word, Dad. I can't say it."

Dad knew this could not be so. There would not be any bad words in a children's book. Sure that Chloe was mistaken, Dad prompted Chloe to tell him what the 'bad word' was.

Chloe's cheeks turned pink and with a guilty face she softly said, "It says Dick."

Dad could not hold back his laughter. He then comforted Chloe by explaining to her that Dick was the boy's name, so in this story it was not bad.

Don't ask me how Chloe knew dick was not a nice word. I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Russian Dancing and Big Ships

I spent the weekend at home in sweet, sweet Idaho. It was great being with my family for a bit. I spent some time dancing to this little gem below with my sisters.




Try it! I guarantee you'll burn a few calories. Plus it is fun. Make sure you pause my music at the bottom, though. Now go for it, get your Rasputin on!

Oh, and only FOUR MORE DAYS until I leave Utah to be greeted by this lovely thing. . .

I am excited to say the least. Pray for me that I'll be able to focus in school the next four days.

Blind Ladies and Armless Men

For the past week, it has been elections time at USU. I am not sure yet what my opinion is on elections. I guess it changes on a day to day basis. I just do not appreciate being stopped a million times as I try going from one class to the next by people that try to manipulate me into voting for them.

However, I know a couple people who are running this year and they are magnificent human beings. So, obviously, I have shown my support for these humans I know. When I say, "showing support", that means I was telling everyone I was friends with who they should vote for. I was not to the point that I was promoting anyone via facebook or anything. But then, something happened that just pushed me over the edge a little bit. Basically, one more person acting super fake so they could get a vote from me. Not only did it press my limits, but I also found it pretty amusing. So I made the decision to show my support through my facebook status. I will admit, I added a slightly sarcastic comment into it. It was not very rude. I even got second opinions, and they said it was very much appropriate. So I let the little arrow on the computer screen wander over to the 'Share' button.

Bad idea.

That evening, I checked my facebook to find a message in my inbox. It was from some girl that I did not know. I did not even have any mutual friends with her. Strange. Basically, it was a very rude and immature message regarding my opinion of who to vote in for office. She went off about how I was 'scared to lose, because I was going to lose'.

Lose what? The key to my apartment? Yep, I sure am scared of that. I have gotten myself locked out on more than one occasion and it is pretty embarrassing. Seriously, what is this girl talking about?

Then she called me a few choice words that I do not ever remember being called (at least to my face) in my life. My eyes just went big as I stared at the insults this girl threw out at me. For half a second, I felt really bad. Then I realized that I had nothing to feel bad about, and I laughed out loud at the girl's immaturity.

I was going to ignore the message, but I could not resist, so I wrote a reply.

It was actually very nice. Almost so nice, it was mean. Ya know what I am talking about?

I told her that it was too bad she couldn't really know who I was as a person before she started calling me swear words, because I was actually pretty nice. Then I told her to have a nice day.

She sent another message.

All that one said was,

"Loser."

Good one.

I found myself slightly irritated at this girl the rest of the night.

Until I realized it wasn't doing me any good worrying about some girl I didn't even know.

Why let her get in my way of being in a happy mood?

Then I went a step further and decided maybe the girl was not as huge a jerk as she had sounded. I mean, she called me a loser (along with some other things) and I don't feel like I am a loser. Perhaps this girl was merely having a bad day and she decided to take it out on me. I mean, I am a pretty easy target, after all. I am just some girl on facebook she doesn't even know and maybe will never see. Yep, easy target.

And maybe she was having more than just one bad day. Maybe this girl has a hard life with lots of depressing challenges. Perhaps these challenges have made her a tad bitter.

I read a story from my sociology book that really made me stop and think. The narrator is an elderly woman who lives near New York City. She suffers from spinal meningitis and is also blind. Let me share it with you:

"You ask me if people are really different today than in the '20s and '30s. Not too much. They are still fearful of the handicapped. I don't know if fearful is the right word, but uncomfortable at least. But I can understand it somewhat; it happened to me. I once asked a man to tell me which staircase to use to get from the subway out to the street. He started giving me directions that were confusing, and I said, 'Do you mind taking me?' He said, 'Not at all.' He grabbed me on the side with my dog on it, so I asked him to take my other arm. And he said, 'I'm sorry, I have no other arm.' And I said, 'That's all right, I'll hold onto the jacket.' It felt funny hanging onto the sleeve without the arm in it."

My point is, everyone has problems. Maybe some problems are more obvious than others, but that does not make them harder or easier. Maybe the rude facebook girl was blind or armless on the inside. Or maybe she really is missing an arm. I honestly have no idea.

The Quest of Buying Groceries

Grocery shopping.

It is one of the few things I despise.

I love food though.

So you'd think a huge store full of all kinds of food would be heaven on earth for me, right?

Wrong!

It is something I am very bad at indeed. Something I put off for as long as possible. Today I had no choice but to make the great journey to Smith's. My cupboards were running bare and I was running out of options for food. I mean, I had an end piece of bread with peanut butter smeared on it for breakfast. That is not the ideal Kelsey breakfast. End pieces of bread are saved for feeding ducks. I am not supposed to actually eat those.

So I set foot in the store. Not alone of course. I avoid going grocery shopping alone at all costs.

Why?

Well, because I get distracted easily. And I never understand how exactly grocery stores organize everything, so I wander around for great amounts of time trying to locate the refried beans.

Really, I am a huge mess when it comes to grocery shopping.

I even worked in a grocery store one summer! I liked it alright, but I was not extremely skilled at my job. There were countless times ladies came through my register with strange vegetables I had never set my eyes on before. I would stare at the thing, totally stumped to what it could be, and then I would ask the lady, defeated-like, what the strange plant was called.

Or there was the time a guy asked for something and I was searching for the price of it on my list of 'soil and gardening supplies' only to discover it was a brand of cigarettes. Boy, did I feel like an idiot.

Some more of my grocery shopper problems. . .

Without fail, I always forget my 'go green' grocery bags, which means I am forced into getting more of those ugly plastic bags.

Also, I have finally learned that grabbing a cart as you come in is okay. For a while, I stuck to using the grocery baskets, only to fill it so full with food I thought the handle might break. I now just get the cart the first time. I have learned from past mistakes.

I do not know how to shop for food either. I have this phobia of spending money. At the grocery store, I look around and all I see is food I want to stuff my face with, along with prices. Prices. So many prices. Sometimes I try to make a grocery list, but that never works out as well as I imagine it to.

Also, I have been eating healthy lately. Which has caused me to eat less. Which is causing me to lose weight. My legs are getting scrawny. I have never had scrawny legs. I refuse to have scrawny legs. Yes, I actually feel like I am getting too skinny. So enough with the health foods. Bring on the beef, carbs, and muscle milk. Bring on the protein. I won't lie, eating healthy is not fun. For me, eating is one of the many things that makes life interesting and amusing. There is nothing interesting or amusing about eating a bowl of granola. Or a plate of peas and carrots. That, my friends, is boring and sad food. No offense to granola, peas, and carrots. They are like those friends that you like to check up on once in a while, but when you hang out with them it is kind of painful.

I have gotten very bored with eating healthy. It has gotten to the point that I do not even want to waste time eating because I get so bored. Sad, huh? So I am starting to buy a few more fatty foods to mix with my healthy foods. Bring on a couple pounds!

Another horrible thing about grocery shopping, is that I tend to forget my pin number right as I swipe my card to pay. I realize it is pretty pathetic for an 'adult' like myself to forget my pin, but it has happened more than once. Then I have to press the different possibilities of buttons until it works. Yes, that has actually happened to me.

Today I conquered the quest of buying groceries. Hopefully I will not return for a while. At least now I am excited to eat in the morning. I have all kinds of new and exciting foods stacked in my cupboard.

Also, when I was picking a head of lettuce, the rain makers came on. I don't know what they are really called. I am sure the correct name for them is NOT rain makers though. It sounds better than saying the sprayer-things-that-water-the-fruits-and-veggies though. They came right on and sprayed my hands. And I laughed a little, because I remembered how I would wait for them to come on when I was a kid. That is back when grocery shopping was fun for me. When I got to follow Mom around and I always got to pick out a treat after the shopping was through.

Maybe I should start rewarding myself with a treat like old times. Positive reinforcement is always good.

Oh, I just remembered grocery shopping was not always fun when I was a kid. The first time I cracked my chin open (it's been cracked open three times) I was in a grocery store. I was playing around on the front of the cart like little kids do, and whacked my chin pretty hard. I faintly remember it happening actually. Blood everywhere and I was screaming. I think the cashier was mad too, but maybe I am just making that up.

Now I am just rambling. That means it is time to stop. I will blame this whole post on aftershock from grocery shopping.

I know this picture is creepy. That's the whole point.

Five Feel Goods

Time to start another week. No big. Since we got Monday off from school, that means I get to go back to school feeling like it is Monday, but really it will already be Tuesday!! Wonderful. Having Mondays off always makes me feel happy.

Oh, and here are five other things that made me feel happy the past week!

These lovely rose earrings are MINE. The best part (besides the fact they are lovely)? I got them for free! Talk about something to make your whole day awesome! If you live in or near Logan, I suggest you become a fan of Violet Hill Boutique on facebook. Then you can win a weekly giveaway like I did.

Vintage hats have been an obsession of mine as of late. They make me happy. Basically anything vintage makes me happy. I find these hats so classy. I am convinced I was born in the wrong time era. I wanted to be alive when people were still so very classy. On a cheery note, I may pounce and purchase one of these wonderful hats. I am just waiting for the right moment.

Hershey's Hugs and Kisses truly make me smile. I have decided the Hugs are my favorite. It is just the perfect twist of white chocolate on milk chocolate. It's a sliver of heaven wrapped in foil. Honestly, they are the cutest candy ever. Such an odd shape, wrapped in foil, with a clever, little flag sprouting out the top. Yep, adorable.

My leg warmers make me a happy girl. Especially with all this snow we got last week. Whether I am wearing them outside with my boots, or wearing them in my apartment to keep my feet warm, they do wonders.

You can't see it very well, but the necklace around my neck has made me feel wonderful! Brian gave me this necklace for Valentine's Day. It is extra special, too, because it belonged to his grandma. It is an emerald with a diamond above it. I love it and I am very flattered that Bri would give it to me. I love old jewelry that has a story behind it.

Everyone have a happy week! I am planning on having one myself.

I Wanna Be Beyoncé

So the other day, while riding the bus home after my classes, I was listening to my ipod as I so often do. It was on shuffle. Beyonce came on singing, "If I Were A Boy". I forgot all about this incredible song. Then I remembered the incredible music video that went along with it. So I randomly decided I wanted to share this work of art with you.

This video is genius. . .

Also, I have made it beyond 100 posts. Everyone be proud.

I Have Been Converted

That's right, folks.

I have been converted to the holiday of Valentine's Day. I have learned to now appreciate it for exactly what it is.

I have discovered this strange holiday is much more than a celebration for couples. It is a celebration of this little thing called

LOVE.

It is a celebration of that word that is so powerful that we, as the human race, don't even fully understand it. Yet we still feel it. It is universal. It is in all cultures. It is the ultimate secret to finding happiness. It is the thing we all yearn to give and also receive.

It is almost godlike, really. To love. It is the thing that drives us to be something beyond just one person living within our own selfish life, and care about the person next to us instead.

I think I love it.

I understand that Valentine's Day can really, well, suck for single people. In high school, most of my Valentine's Days were spent at state basketball. So they weren't even celebrated.

One year, I gave my friends and teammates a VDay gift. It was a "Grow Your Own Boyfriend" since we were all single at the time. We tested one of the boyfriends out by putting him in the sink full with water overnight. It was a little, flimsy, red man. In the morning. . .he wasn't so little. He had expanded and was taking up most of the sink. So we turned him over to the bathtub. Much more room to grow. He got pretty huge and it was also pretty disgusting. We got a good laugh out of it though.

The next year at state basketball, I remember waking up early to catch the bus. The booster club always had snacks and money for us that were passed around the bus right before we departed for Boise. Along with my things from the booster club, I also got a gigantic heart. "What is this," I wondered. As I looked closer, I saw that this giant Valentine heart was from my family. Each of them had signed it, saying things like they loved me, Happy Valentine's Day, good luck at state, we'll be cheering you on. Even Chloe signed it. At the time, all she could write was her name. Along with those creepy people that little kids first learn to draw. Ya know, the ones with the circle head and they just have arms and legs growing right out of their head?

I think that was one of the first times the significance of Valentine's Day really hit me. I felt myself smiling as I carefully held my heart. Then I almost got emotional and wanted to cry. My family loved me. I really felt it. Even Jace loved me, although he hated to admit it.

And I loved them. I felt myself loving them and being grateful for special moments with them.

For parents that believe in me and always support me.

For a brother that is one of my best friends. Who I can quote dumb things with and laugh, or have deep, private talks with as well.

For two younger sisters, and the almost motherly instincts I have for them. For learning how to do hair while experimenting on their little, blonde heads. For the times they walked into my room in the middle of the night, asking if they could sleep with me. For the way they make me want to be better so they can have a decent example to follow.

This was my first real experience of Valentine's Day.

Yesterday, my day was stringed with experiences such as this one.

Although the flowers, candy, and "Grow Your Own Boyfriends" are fun, that's not what the holiday is about. That's why I have always had an issue with it. I always thought it was just an excuse to spend money. However, it is about other things.

It's about getting on facebook to see that my mom has changed her profile picture to one from her wedding. To see a twenty-year-old version of herself (same age as me) kissing my dad, who was just a boy at the time. Looking at that picture, and thinking about how these two kids learned to love and raise a family, which I was blessed to be a part of.

It's getting a text from my good friend, and realizing even though there is distance and I don't see her everyday, we are still just as close as ever.

It's about seeing a boy nervously walk up to an apartment door of some lucky girl, fidgeting with a big bouquet of roses.

It's having a mom give me a Valentine at work and thanking me for being so nice to her son.

It's about having a talk with my close friend, and being excited for her as I watch her find happiness.

It's seeing trucks with messages on the windows that say, "I love you, babe!"

It's about running to answer my door when I hear a knock, because I can't wait to see Brian.

It's when Brian pulls a gorgeous necklace from his pocket to put on my neck, and tells me it belonged to his grandmother. Then seeing the way he looks at me, and knowing he cares about me. Then seeing the way he looks at the necklace, and knowing he loves and misses his grandma.

It's about that friend that stays up late showing me how to do stats. Not just because I asked, but because he sincerely wants me to get a good grade on my test the next day.

It's at the end of the day, kneeling at my bed, trying to find the words to tell God thank you for all the love I feel each and every day in my life, and not being able to put that thanks into words.

And knowing that even though my prayer was mostly just crying and smiling, He still loves me too. If He didn't, He wouldn't give us the ability and power to love.

I love Valentine's Day. There. I thought the day I admitted that would never come.

And yes, I made Brian arrows. It's like second grade craft day all over again.

Five Feel Goods

Yay for yet another wonderful weekend!

I spent most of my weekend at Bear Lake for a leadership retreat. For what you ask? My new job as an A-Team member at Utah State University. We help out with new student orientation, basically to sum it up. Saturday night, Trevin and Randee invited D, Brian, and myself over for pizza and games. We then went to USU's Mardi Gras party. The Mardi Gras was not near as good as last year's, but there was an amazing mentalist there who made it all worth going.

Wanna know five things that are making me feel pretty good?

Remember that rug I wanted back in this post: http://krisp4life.blogspot.com/2011/01/five-feel-goods.html

Well, my dad called me the other day to tell me he was buying it for me!! He said he loved me and wanted to buy me a Valentine present. I love that guy. He tries to act tough, but he actually has a huge, soft heart. I am excited about the rug, but I was more thrilled when I saw that it was his work number calling me while I was sitting in my dress and humanities class.

Oh, and he is smiling all awkward like this just to drive me crazy.

I caved and bought this:

and this:


They are from PacSun. I am usually not a huge PacSun fan, but their spring things in the window totally caught my eye. The dress looks much cuter than this picture makes it look, just so you know.




I have been in love with Valentine treats lately.

However, I have never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day itself. It was cool in grade school when we made the fun boxes out of cardboard and paper. I just can't help but be disgusted with it at times. We need a day to celebrate love? Shouldn't that be celebrated every day? I do love the treats though. I wish I had time to make all the cute treats I have came across. Maybe I will in years to come.

I have a new headband that puts a smile on my face. . .and something cute on my head as well.

Thanks to my sister, Lexi, for making it for me! Check out her other cute hair accessories here. Did I mention she is only twelve?

I super love this movie. . .

I plan on watching it tonight with Brian. It was his idea. It is one of the best mushy love movies I have ever taken the time to watch.

Ethiopia Culture

These pictures are for a group project I am doing in a class. I figured this would be the easiest way to get them to my group members. So group members, look over them and take note of which ones you think should be used in the presentation.

The rest of you. . .feel free to take a look.





I love these people.