That Time We Went To Hawaii-Part 1

The hula lady at church told us that aloha meant breath of life. Yes, there was a hula lady at the Nondenominational Christian church we went to. And yes, my sisters asked us a million times afterwards why we don't say things like, "Thank you, Jesus," during prayers at our church.

Oh, family vacations. They are simply the best. The time we spent driving around the Big Island in our rental van, hoping we weren't lost, laughing, and listening to my younger sisters bicker will be cherished forever.

That insane hike we went on during our first day on the island will also be cherished forever. I know my calf muscles cherished it. After hiking down and looking at some breath-taking waterfalls and patting the backs of some wild horses, we walked to the shore and enjoyed the black sand beach. The dark sand seemed to sparkle as the sun reflected off of it. And it felt so refreshing to just mush the sand in between my toes. It also felt refreshing as well as exhilarating to force my tired legs to sprint into the booming waves. We all laughed as the water came in, knocking us over, cooling our bodies and filling our nostrils with salt. Other tourists watched us and laughed.

And can I just say, it amazes me how pretty this world is? The lushness, the dampness, the sunniness. . .everything about Hawaii was just the break I needed. I needed that breath of ocean air and that time to just reflect on life a little.

After finally hiking back up from the beach, we found the perfect little Mexican bar. I had Mahi Mahi tacos and we all practically overdosed on chips and salsa. Then we went grocery shopping so we could enjoy bowl after bowl of cereal, as well as every variety of m&m you could possibly imagine. Oh, and we had a henna kit. So We decorated each other with henna designs. It was lovely. The whole trip was lovely. So lovely I thought it'd be a shame to shove it all together in one blog post.

   

Walking My Cat

source

I know what your thoughts at this exact moment are.

First, you are probably thinking: "Is that a cat harness? And is it actually called a 'Come With Me Kitty'?"

Yes, that is a cat harness and yes, it is called a 'Come With Me Kitty'.

You are also thinking: "Is this for real?"

And yes, it's very real.

Now you might possibly be thinking, "What kind of idiot would actually buy that?"

The Wellers are. We are the idiots who purchased the 'Come With Me Kitty' harness. Our tender little hearts just thought, "Oh, poor Luna should get the opportunity to explore the great outdoors just as a dog does." So we ordered that cat harness online and it arrived on our doorstep last Friday. Sunday we got brave and decided to test the waters with the harness and took Luna to the park.

I now know what it feels like to be the weirdo at the park, guys. Everyone there stared. Some even pointed. Many adults walked up to us in awe (others trying not to laugh) commenting that they'd never seen anyone walk a cat before. Many little girls wandered up to us and asked, "Can I pet your kitty?"

Luna mostly walked us. When we tried to pull her in our desired direction, she just gave us a big-eyed stare and plopped over to the ground in defeat.

We will probably be putting the 'Come With Me Kitty' away in a drawer for a while, as well as avoid the park. Brian and I need the chance to rebuild our self-esteem and confidence. So does Luna.

 

My Name is Kelsey, and I'm Rebellious

According to hair experts, word on the street is that a girl is supposed to lighten her hair for spring. Well, I felt like being a rebel. So I dyed my hair dark. So dark it might be considered black.

Being rebellious never felt so good. It feels so good I even pulled what Brian calls my gangster-platypus-face. Speaking of Brian, he is the one who dyed my head of hair over the weekend. Don't fret, ladies, I'm working on convincing him to open his own salon.

Sunday Best: The Spring of Things

The weather in Northern Utah has just been awesome this week. I mean, people in Cali and Florida would still be wearing sweaters and boots probably, but not here. It was above 60 degrees almost every day this week, which means it was time to shed the layers, and sport some sandals and blind people with all the white skin we've been hiding. Utah has these crazy mood swings though, so who knows, it could just snow this week.

top: Smith's Market, capris: American Eagle Outfitters, sandals: Fashion Box, scarf: TaiPan, earrings: Vanity

So thank you, Utah, for gracing us with some of your beauty. I loved the fact that I got to wear capris and sandals on Friday. Of course I couldn't completely put my trust in your hands, because you have crazy spring time mood swings, so I still wore a scarf. 

Workin' Kids

I am such a wild college kid. Wanna know why?



Well, I'm spending my weekend at the 'Home & Garden Show'. Brian set up an Allstate booth. I came for a couple hours last night, and now I'm here with the hard working husband all day today. I am standing in for the secretary who couldn't make it today. By the way, Brian's secretary is no other than Shay Baybay. After I got married and could no longer be roommates with Shayla, I did the next best thing and got Brian to hire her. That girl will just never escape me.

 So if you're around and are into home and gardening stuff, come say, "Oh hey!". And we'll say oh hey back and give you free water bottles and pens and we'll even let you enter a drawing to win a kindle fire. Sounds like fun, right? Well, it is.

Snap, we are such grown-ups!

The House on the Corner

source

When I was small and had an imagination bigger than life, I used to peak through our fence and across our pasture at the huge house that sat perfectly on the corner of the block. I loved that house. I imagined it had millions of rooms inside. A large balcony wrapped its way around the entire house and tall bushy trees also stood guard around the yard. I always daydreamed about that house. But something I loved more than the house itself was the lady who lived there.

My friend told me the lady was once a model. I don't know if that was really true, but I believed her any ways. I figured she could have been a model because the lady was the most magnificent thing I'd ever seen. During church, I would turn around in our pew and just stare at her where she sat a few pews back. She was very tall. At least she seemed very tall when I was oh so tiny. She was slender and wore classy dresses, and often times had a colorful scarf tied neatly around her neck. Even though she was an older lady (maybe she was in her fifties or sixties, I'm not sure, when you're a kid adults are all just adults) she still wore her dark hair long, and she would wrap it all up around her head. It looked perfect. She left me in complete awe every time I saw her. I told my parents that when I got old enough, I wanted to be her maid and clean the millions of rooms inside her big, pretty house.

My parents were quite amused by this, and they even let me ride my bike to the house once. When I pulled my bike up to their driveway, I just stood and stared for several minutes, trying to work up some courage. I then walked to the burrow pit and picked a handful of dandelions to present when the door was answered. I remember knocking on the door and feeling my heart pound through my body with pure excitement. When the door was answered, I presented my bouquet of weeds and was invited inside the mysterious mansion. My jaw dropped wide open as I looked around at the high ceilings, winding staircase, Persian rugs, and the huge head of a moose that hung from the mantle. Before I left, I was given an Idaho Spud. It was my first time having an Idaho Spud, so I thought they must be some special treat that only rich people could get. I told my mom so and she let me believe it, until I saw the stacks of Idaho Spuds in the grocery store's candy aisle months later.

Last weekend, my mom called and told me the lady passed away. I felt strange. It's not like I had a real relationship with this lady (no, I never ended up becoming her maid), but I guess it was just unsettling to me for a moment that people die. Someone involved in one of my childhood memories is gone from the world, so I guess it truly is nothing but a memory now. And it makes me a little solemn, thinking that one day, everything will just be a memory. One day these college days that I complain so often about will just be a memory. The times of being a newlywed with my pal will become a memory. Things that have not even happened yet will all become fond memories. Things that once were so real and vivid will all be stories to tell and moments to reminisce about. And I guess that's just a hard thing to wrap my mind around.

Perhaps one day I'll be in the neighborhood and take a drive around the block and past that home I adored so much. Maybe I'll even leave a bouquet of dandelions on the doorstep. Heck, I'll even buy an Idaho Spud after.

Truth Tuesday

Some Hawaiian sky

• Never in my life have I longed for summer so badly. This has been a rough semester of school. The finish line is in sight, and I'm going to collapse after I cross it. 

• I've been stressing about my future lately. After doing a self-evaluation, I think it's time to stop stressing and trust in some things greater than myself. It will all work out. It always does. :) 

• Brian used to eat really healthy before he met me. Then he met me and his life was destroyed and his calorie intake skyrocketed. I just love food is all. I love to indulge in it. I love letting all the flavor just soak into my taste buds. However, I've decided to help Brian out by finding our way onto this healthy food path. It will be quite the journey, and I guarantee that I'm going to wander from the path on various occasions, but it might be fun to try eating healthier. Healthy food is not as fun to eat. But I will admit, I made a salad over the weekend and after eating it I felt quite. . .refreshed. It was different. And nice. 

• I am one of those people who won't shop at Wal-Mart. I had a professor tell us once that we all have to have one thing we hate. His was Mac computers. Mine is Wal-Mart. And TOM shoes. And Twilight. But I won't rant about my hates. I'll keep them to myself. 

• My mother is funny. My sister told me the other day she was looking up things on the computer to say instead of 'good' or 'bad' when people ask you how you are. So I decided to test her research the other day and I asked her how she was. She looked at the sky, squinted her eyes and thought for a second until she excitedly replied, "I'm so happy that I'm trying not to dance." I dare you to say that to the next person that asks how you are.

How are you any ways? Happy Tuesday night!

Sunday Best: Luck of the Irish

I suppose it's time to get back into the swing of things. Spring break is over, and I'll be waking up early for class tomorrow morning. I guess I'll start getting into the swing of things by posting my usual Sunday Best. Yesterday (Saturday) was the first day in a while that I've actually been dolled up in an actual outfit. Before that it was beach wear while on our trip, and when we got home it was old t-shirts and jeans so I could pack things and scrub floors. So it felt good to put some green on and celebrate a little St. Patrick's Day.

 shirt: maurices, skirt: Forever21, belt: JC Penny's, boots: Zappos, earrings: Claire's 

Side note: We took these pics in front of our glorious new apartment. It's very quaint and doesn't have drab white walls, which basically makes my heart sing. I love me some color! More about our move and the new place in the future!  

Because 11 is a Number Too

I was tagged in this random 11 things post by the wonderful and talented Katie Mae. You ought to check her blog out. She recently got married, and her sarcastic humor is a breath of fresh air among all those other people who try too hard to be funny. Serious.

Any ways, I don't get the significance of the number 11 throughout this post. I guess 11 just wants to be heard. It's always five stars for this, or ten random things about me that, or if you had three wishes what would they be nonsense. So maybe 11 was just getting crabby wondering what exactly made numbers 3, 5, and 10 better. And the answer is nothing. Those numbers did nothing to become better than 11. So in this post, number 11 gets all the glory.

Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules.

2. Post a photo of yourself and 11 random things.

3. Answer the questions set for you in the original post.

4. Create 11 new questions and tag 11 people to answer them.

5. Go to their blog/twitter/facebook and tell them you've tagged them.

That is a picture of my blue-shorts-covered butt. And if that offended any of you. . . .

. . .here is a picture of my face. Along with my best friend known as the camera. But it's one of those best friends who you spend a lot of time with, but they always stab you in the back. It's not a healthy friendship and who knows how long it will last.

11 Random Things About Kelsey Keller Weller (that's me)

1. I sleep in the fetal position. And sometimes I wear night gowns while I sleep in the fetal position.

2. I am a small-town Idaho girl and proud of it. There is something wonderful about growing up in a small community and then going out into the big world. Plus, I know how to shoot a gun, build a fire, and get my hands dirty. Things big world people don't know how to do.

3. I am a major people-pleaser. Sometimes I wonder if the word no is in my vocabulary.

4. I can't throw things away if they have sentimental value of any kind. I cling to birthday cards and movie tickets. I'm not a pack-rat. Just a memory-keeper.

5. If I could have any talent I do not have, I would want to be able to paint and draw.

6. I have naturally curly hair. In high school when I ran for activities manager, my slogan was "go with the fro" and I ratted my hair huge. I won.

7. When I was little, like two or three years old, I had two pet rabbits. They lived out in our barn. Then one day, I went crying to my mom because the bunnies were dead. When she asked me what had happened, I replied through tears and wails, "I hugged them dead!" Apparently I loved them too hard and mauled them to death.

8. I squeal a lot. I squeal when I'm excited. I squeal when I'm scared. I squeal when I lift heavy objects. It's just my natural response to a lot of things. And Brian laughs at it. Every time. (I had to come back and add something to this, because I just now thought of it. When I was just tiny, like still in a crib, my parents came in to hug me good night and said, "Kelsey, give us a big squeeze." Little did I know they wanted a hug. Instead I made a high pitched squeaking noise so I could give them their 'big squeak'. My family and family friends alike would then constantly ask me to give them a big squeeze. Perhaps that's where all the squealing started.)

9. If I rebelled for a day, I would get a tattoo.

10. I want to one day live in a cottage with a picket fence surrounding it. And there will be two pygmy goats tied to the fence so they can eat the weeds.

11. I have a black cat named Luna. If you ever read this blog, you most likely know about her already. Before we had her, her name was Moonlight so many people think we named her Luna since it means moon in Spanish. That's nice, but she's actually named after Luna Lovegood. Because she's strange. I'm sure if she was a person, she'd be like Luna Lovegood. Which is wonderful, since Luna is my favorite character in the Harry Potter books.

Katie's Questions and My Answers 

1. If you could relive one year of your life, what year would it be?

Answer: My senior year of high school. So I could show more love to a few of my dear friends who haven't made the best decisions since. And I can't help but miss playing sports competitively all the time. 

2. Favorite book?

Answer: Totally a tough one. I'm kind of a bookworm. I might have to say The Giver. It's an easy read, but such a deep and moving idea. And I also love Les Miserables. It's one of the greatest books that will probably ever exist. 

3. Describe your favorite outfit. . .

Answer: Depends on the day and my mood. I always love a good pair of dark wash skinny jeans, or a light knee-length skirt. Paired with some worn boots. And a statement blouse with a long, dangling charm necklace. Mmmm. 

4. What brings you the greatest happiness? 

Answer: Succeeding at something that takes a lot of work. Or helping to make others happy. 

5. What is your dream job? 

Answer: Honestly. . .I would love to just write. Sit in a creative nook and just write books. Be my own boss. Love life. I would also love to start a nonprofit organization.  

6.  What is your ideal way to spend a Saturday with no work or school? 

Answer: Supposing it's nice outside, I would go on a long hike. Then a swim. Then a picnic. Then when night came, dinner over a fire with s'mores for dessert. Then some star gazing while cuddling in a quilt with BWell. Can you tell I'm excited for summer? 

7. If you had three days and an unlimited amount of money, what would you do? 

Answer: Put enough money aside to make sure I could put all my future kids through college. And besides that, I don't really know. Money stresses me out. If I had more than three days then I'd just travel the world. 

8. Pretend you're 10 years younger. Is there something about the present you that would surprise you? 

Answer: So I would be 11. Hmmm. I would be surprised that I'm married to a blonde man. I would also be surprised that I'm even married. 

9. What is your favorite quote? 

Answer: Oh, I have so so many! Here are just a few: 

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

-Audrey Hepburn 

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” 
― Albert Einstein

 "By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer we often find the answer to our own.” 
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

10. What is one of your guilty pleasures?

Answer: I'll give you two. Back rubs and a glass of Simply Orange in the morning. 

11. If a taco and a grilled cheese got in a fight, who would win? 

Answer: If the grilled cheese came with a bowl of tomato soup, then it would put up a good fight. But the taco would still win.

Questions for Tagged Peeps 

1. If you were a punctuation mark, what would you be and why? 

2. If you had to be blind or deaf, which would you choose? 

3. What is your dream vacation? 

4. If you could have any animal as a pet, what animal would it be? 

5. If you had a theme song, what song would it be and why? 

6. Are you a morning bird or a night owl? 

7. If you could live in a different time period, which would you choose? 

8. In the future, you have a child. If this child is a boy, what would you name him? If she is a girl, what do you name her? 

9. What are your top three most favorite holidays? 

10. How about your favorite restaurant? 

11. What was your favorite Halloween costume as a child? Or as an adult. Whatever. 

The 11 Lovely Human Beings I Tag 

1. Camille Keller Gatherings Along the Way

2. Lexi Keller Chasing Rainbows 

3. Megan Bongiovi YOUNG. and in LOVE. 

4. Shayla Alder Life Through My Eyes 

5. Jessica Stodtmeister the luckiest 

6. Bailey Johnson Every Day with Bailey Rae 

7. Sara Garlick Whatever you are- Be a good one 

8. Lauren Jepsen Robins and Ruth 

9. Rachel Ruppert Simply Sardonic 

10. Sydney Curtis Sydney B. 

11. Randee Hafen Paper Window Dreams 

Don't feel like you have to tag 11 people, because that was kind of hard. You can tag four. Or one. Or none. 

Excuse My Absence

I've been in Hawaii for the last week. Just got back yesterday. And when I go on vacations, I really go on vacation meaning I'm almost impossible to get in touch with. I keep my phone off and my laptop closed. The one piece of technology I continue using is my camera and occasionally my iPod. Apparently I hate technology so much while vacationing that I lost my phone on the trip. It fell out of my pocket on the plane. And after the kind flight attendants assisted me in climbing around on our hands and knees through the aisles and finding nothing, I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Oh well. I don't like my cell phone that much any ways." But I really don't. I just hate that anyone and everyone can get a hold of me whenever they want. I might like cell phones more now though, because today Brian got me a new phone and this one is a smart phone. The phone I lost was a razor, you see. The phone that everyone had in middle school, back when the razor was so cool, and back when I didn't even have a cell phone yet. So apparently I'm moving up in the world. I'm so excited to play Words with Friends now. It will be glorious.

 I got a bit off topic, but that was basically the story of why I haven't been blogging. Because I traded in being a blogger for being a beach bum for a while and it was oh so nice. The vacation ended way too soon. But maybe that's because I was dreading coming back to Utah since we now have to move to a new apartment. Bummer. I despise moving. Especially when I'm all jet-lagged. So again, you may not be hearing from me for the next few days since I'll be vacuuming carpets and organizing pots and pans. How splendid. On a positive note, I now have a walk-in closet. I always dreamed of what it would feel like to have my own walk-in closet. Back in high school, I was jealous of my friends with walk-ins, although I never admitted that to any of them. Now I have my very own. I hung my clothes in it today and about drooled on the floor. I think I could just live in there and be happy. I'm really moving up in the world: a smart phone and a walk-in closet all in the same week.

I hope to document my adventure in Paradise real soon. And get moved into my new place real soon. And figure out how to work my new phone real soon. But aside from all the things I must get done real soon, I am a very lucky little girl. Brian and I actually realized when we were on our flight going to Hawaii that it had been exactly a year since he proposed to me on a sandy beach in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. And a year later we were on our way to Hawaii. I have a feeling I have many adventures ahead of me being married to that BWell of mine.

Beach in Mexico 

Beach in Hawaii 

Snow Angel

Source: lostbirdfound.typepad.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

My Saturday should have been spent doing all my homework, but I have been spending every Saturday for basically this entire school year doing homework. And I'm just not a fan. So Saturday morning, we woke up before the sun and met up with Brian's mom to enjoy the fresh snow we got. The snowboarding was great, the company glorious, and the mountains so lovely. I fried all the taste buds off my tongue from hot chocolate at the lodge, but even that was worth it. It really is important to do more of what makes you happy. I'm a true believer in that. Because when you're happier, it's much easier for everything else to fall in place.


This world is so pretty. I love my mountains.  

Truth Tuesday

Would you look at that, it's Tuesday again. That means it's time for another Truth Tuesday from yours truly.

• I skipped my African Dance class tonight. My excuses: I had a headache. And it was a blizzard outside. And I just wanted to stay home and be lazy with Brian. 

• As much as I want it to be sunny and cheery, there's just something romantic about a snow storm. I just want to stay cooped up inside, wrapped in a blanket with Brian, and have a little Mumford & Sons playing in the background. 

• I wanted to get some colored pants at Old Navy, but the only sizes that were left were a bunch of huge sizes. Then I saw these adorable mint colored capris in the girl section. Brian grabbed the biggest size and bet I could fit in them. He was right. I did fit in them. And I bought them! But I still feel slightly self-conscious that I bought little girl pants for myself. . .  

• Brian and I ate Oreos tonight in honor of Oreo's 100th birthday. Oreos are my favorite.

• I've made the decision to grow my hair out. Cheer me on. It's gonna be a rough battle.

• There is never enough time in a day. I still need to pack for our trip, get caught up on reading for a class, and we're moving next week and I don't even know where to start. Yet here I am, blogging. Maybe one day I'll get caught up on everything. And what a glorious day that will be.

As of Late

1) A cozy doily sweater I created. My mom made one too. Maybe one day I'll show off more pictures of both our sweaters.
2) Me and my cousin, Megan. We went on a date with our husbands to the movie This Means War. We liked it. Very humorous with a twist of action. Although I liked Tom Hardy's character a billion times more than Chris Pine's.
3) A silly kitty all curled up in a ball. We love our Luna.
4) Skookie goodness. We make them lots. Especially since we got two sets of them from our wedding. We put them all to good use.
5) A lovely and very flattering chest shot of myself (sarcasm). Taken by Brian. He's so funny.
6) A potted plant my mom gave us for Valentine's Day. And it is still very much alive! Are you proud of us, Mom? 

Therapeutic

I feel guilty that I've neglected my blog so much lately. If I could, I would blog every day. It's kind of relaxing. Like doing yoga. Or lifting weights. Or running. But blogging doesn't make you strong and athletic like those other things I named. And lately, I just haven't had much time for relaxing things. I have been fitting in as much yoga, weight lifting, and running as possible. But blogging has been going on the back burner.

Right now, I'm actually running on about three hours of sleep. Let's just say it's been a long day and I haven't been able to think very clearly. I guess it's true what they say, that sleep is important. But I just had to finish all that homework I was behind on. Procrastination will be the death of me.

Despite the no sleep and no time thing, today marks seven months of marriage for BWell and me. Which counts for something. We celebrated (okay, we were just too lazy to cook) by going to Sizzler for dinner. And now we're in bed, watching a movie, and I bet I fall asleep soon. But Brian is used to that. After seven months of marriage, he has learned that I can never stay awake through a whole movie if we start it after nine. But he forgives me and still loves me.

Dear Brian,

I love how disoriented you are in the mornings, and how you whimper when I try tickling you to wake you up. I love it when you tell me how beautiful I am. I love how concerned you get about making sure Luna always has enough food and water. I love how you're always so willing to help others and give of your time.

Oh yeah, and I love you! Happy seven months, babe.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

Source: faveprettythings.blogspot.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Kelsey on Pinterest

Source: quote-book.tumblr.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

                                                                                                                            

Source: connect.in.com via Kelsey on Pinterest

To the man with an imagination bigger than life! I know I'm a day late . . .but I couldn't forget one of my favorite famous people of all time! I haven't been to The Lorax yet, but Brian and I plan on going soon. After I get caught up on school work, that is.