Facing Fears

Last weekend, Brian and I talked my mom and sisters into going skiing with us. My fifteen-year-old sister had been a handful of times. My youngest sister had never been. My mom went once when she was in high school. We decided going for just half the day would be a wise plan.

It's funny how different my sisters are. Lexi is fearless. She rarely thinks about the consequences of her actions, she just acts on passion and willpower. It's something that more often than not gets her in trouble, but I also think it's a gift. I'm jealous that she can try things without being intimidated by fear. Even though she's only been skiing a few times, you would never guess it. She always wants to go on a harder run, she always goes faster than the rest of us, and she's the first to laugh at anyone who falls down.

Then there is Chloe. Chloe is sweet and careful about many things. She's shy around new people, she can get her feelings hurt easily, and the last thing she ever wants to do is hurt someone else's feelings. She is also very timid when it comes to trying new things. Even though she didn't straight out say it (remember, she probably didn't want to hurt our feelings), Chloe did not want to be on the mountain that day with skis strapped to her feet.

As we approached the ski lift for our first run of the day, I let the cool breeze whip at my bare cheeks and I took in the site of tall white cliffs that wore piercing evergreen trees as accessories. I hadn't been skiing since I was 13. In the past few years, I'd tried getting into snowboarding, although I wasn't that good. Brian and I decided after years of snowboarding, we should give skiing a go. I was sure I would be fine transitioning to skiing, but I was still a bit nervous. I could feel the fear burning in the pit of my stomach as our turn to get on the lift got closer and closer. I was afraid . . . but I'd never admit it. I'm somewhere in between my two sisters. I'm the one who often acts brave but the pace of my heartbeat would tell otherwise.

I looked down at Chloe and saw that her eyes were brimming with tears. I asked her if she was okay.

"I don't want to get on the lift! I'm afraid of heights," she cried.

My mom comforted her while I tried to be all profound and said, "It's okay, Chlo. It's good to do things that scare us."

We persuaded Chloe to get on the lift. She kept her eyes closed the whole time. On our first run down, Chloe picked up speed and couldn't stop. She sat down and Brian skied down the mountain with all his might, trying to catch her. After some coaching from Brian, Chlo figured out the magical slowing down power of plowing. We went on a few more runs. Chloe looked more confident. She was no longer afraid. I even thought she was maybe enjoying herself.

When we reached the end of the day with only a few minutes left until the lifts would close, we decided to head in to the lodge and return our ski rentals.

Chloe tugged on my glove and said with excitement, "Will you go one last time with me?"

I was thrilled to hear her ask. We hurried for the lift (she still closed her eyes) and took one last ride. She looked so graceful and had a perfect run. On the car ride back home, Chloe kept asking my mom when they could go skiing again.

Oh, and you never would have guessed it was only my mom's second time skiing. She only fell once, and that one time occurred because she decided to run over me. So yeah, we both crashed pretty good on that one. Then she just sprawled out on the snow and laughed. I couldn't get too mad at her for the whole incident ;).    

Truth Tuesday

• I'm thinking I'll make Fohawk Friday a regular thing. 

• On Friday, I tried a new soup recipe. Taco soup. Turns out the recipe I followed made enough to feed a whole army. We ate it for the next three days and even invited people over to help us finish it off. You'd think we would be sick of soup. But then we were like, "Soup feeds a lot of people. Let's make a new soup and invite our neighbor friends over." So that happened last night. BWell and I tried a chicken enchilada soup and it was great. To top off the soup party, one of our sweet neighbors brought HOMEMADE bread. And my other dear friend brought the most delicious dessert that gave me an instant sugar high. So basically, soup parties are good things. You should take part in a soup party. Find the taco soup recipe I used here and the chicken enchilada recipe here. 

• I've never seen an episode of "Breaking Bad" or "New Girl" or anything else that's cool for that matter. I don't watch much TV. 

• I interviewed a world champion arm wrestling woman yesterday. Being a journalist is my favorite thing. 

• Tomorrow will mark four years since Brian and I went on our first date. Time flies when you're having fun. 

• The best way, and basically the only way, to keep my house clean is to invite people over.

• Pink proved at the Grammy's, yet again, why she's the coolest. Her performance was probably my favorite. Taylor rocked it too . . . but you just can't beat the acrobatics while singing act. 

Sunday Best: Paisley Print & Other Nonsense

top: Target, leggings: Maurices, boots: gift

I have a crush on paisley print all of the sudden. It hit me out of nowhere.

Also, I kind of hate doing Sunday Best posts because they make me feel conceited (really, blogging in general is starting to make me feel conceited). But I DO think it's important to feel beautiful and to express yourself. I think one's style can accomplish both of those things. I'm just glad I only pose like an idiot for outfit pictures once a week.

I washed my hair with baking soda last night after reading this article. I'll let you know how it goes. I have dry and course hair naturally so I'm hoping this solution will help. Also, I once watched this mini documentary about beauty products and how many harmful things are in them . . . it almost made me want to quit makeup and hair products cold turkey.

And now that I'm on the topic of hair, I'm almost 100% set on shaving part of my head. Undercuts, baby. Go ahead and add to those who have said, "You'll look like Miley Cyrus." It only fuels the fire and makes me want to do it more. And I'll probably start acting out like Miley too. Just keep me away from all construction sites where there may be wrecking balls in the area.

That could make for an interesting Sunday Best post.

Shuffle

Because when I have nothing good to say, I let my music do the talking . . .

1. Elastic Heart - Sia

2. Team - Lorde

3. Life of the Party - A Rocket to the Moon

4. Your Song - Ellie Goulding 

5. The Boys of Summer - Don Henley 

6. This I Promise You - Anthem Lights

7. Heaven - Brandi Carlile 

8. Think Twice - Eve 6

9. Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce

10. Make You Feel My Love - Adele

Also, below is an amateur sketch of myself created by the husband. Talk about raw and wild talent, am I right?

   Ha ha.

Little Bird Book Review: And Then There Were None

A-

Since the beginning of this blog's life, I've always had what book I'm currently reading on the sidebar. Sometimes it's there for months and months . . . other times only a few days . . . before I change it out for a new read. I've always been a huge fan of reading. When I was just little (first and second grade) I began reading Shakespeare and Greek Mythology. I started out as an only child (I'm the oldest). Once I learned how to read, I found that I didn't have to play by myself when turning through the pages of a book. The characters in the stories I read became my friends.

I've toyed with the idea of doing book reviews on A Little Bird Told Me for a while now. And finally the other day, I was like, "What the heck. I'm doing it." So hopefully there will be a bookworm or two out there who can enjoy these posts. Otherwise, I'll just do them for myself. After all, this is my blog and I'm greedy.

I recently read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and I finished it in two days. I should also add, I'm a very slow reader. I'm the type that has to stop after every sentence so I can imagine what's going on. I couldn't get enough of this book. It doesn't help my case since I'm a total murder mystery junkie and Agatha Christie is said to be the "Queen of Mystery".

The story begins with 10 mysterious characters receiving invitations to the same island. Some are invited to the island for vacation, others for employment. Once all the characters arrive, they soon find out that their trip to the island is not what they originally signed up for. One by one, each character ends up dead. While the characters are trapped on the island, awaiting their fate, they must try to discover who the killer is. 

I couldn't put this book down. Not only are the characters within trying to figure out who the murderer is, I was doing so as the reader. It seemed like each time I'd figured it out, the character I was suspicious of would die next. The book caught me by surprise and had (what I thought to be) a very unexpected ending.

I do wish there had been a bit more character development. I understand that Christie doesn't want to reveal too much about any of the victims, in order to keep the killer a secret. However, I didn't even have an idea of what any of the characters looked like. How old were they? What color of hair did they have? I am the type of reader that needs descriptions. Names alone do not work for me. The first portion of the book, I had to keep turning back to remember which character was which. For this reason, I gave it an A- instead of a solid A.  

It's an easy read with less than 300 pages. Pick it up and give it a read. Just make sure you're not home alone . . .    

Truth Tuesday

• After I returned from a busy day of work today, I planted my moon cactus. I thought moon cactus was a pretty dreamy name. You know . . . like . . . ohhhh, a moon cactus, how romantic. Then when Brian saw it, he laughed and said it looked like a penis. Then I think he felt bad because he told me it was cute. Now I look at it and just think, "Awe, there's my cute penis sitting on the shelf in my kitchen."

• I've been in this weird rut lately. Probably because it's January and the air quality in Utah is terrible. 

• On Saturday, I spent the day go-carting with my mom and sisters. It was such a fun girls' day and we were exhausted afterwards. On one of the races, I made the mistake of not putting my visor down on my helmet and a piece of tire went in my eye. It was worth it. 

• Sometimes I think about how much fun it would be to create a blog under an alias and just write crazy things. Don't worry, I won't actually do it. 

• BWell and I really want a dog. Throughout the day, I send him pictures of dogs from Four Paws. I really want to adopt them all . . . especially the homely ones. 

• I can't stop watching Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. It's becoming a problem. I think up these scenarios of someone attacking me and what I would do to escape. 

Sunday Best: Birthday Coat & a Winner

coat: Target, jeans: Vanity, boots: thrifted 

I fell in love with this coat the minute I saw it at Target months ago. However, as much as I loved the vintage look and the cozy fur collar, I told myself I didn't need a new coat. 

A month went by and the coat was sold out. Little did I know, Brian was busy on a wild goose chase trying to find the coat somewhere in my size. He finally found one after calling a Target in the Salt Lake area. Someone had returned the coat.

Brian gave me the coat for my birthday. Needless to say, I was beyond surprised. This coat is one I will cherish forever. 

I also should apologize because I'm late announcing the winner of a Millie Made leather bracelet. Thanks to everyone who entered. I loved reading about your words for 2014. Words sure are powerful.

The winner chosen at random is:

Congratulations, Rebekah! Email me at mrskellwell@gmail.com with your wrist measurement and mailing address. I'll get your bracelet to you as soon as I can. Feel free to also explain what design and colors you would like. 

Truth Tuesday

• I often accidentally call Luna, my cat, Chloe. Chloe is my little sister. 

• I have this fear of talking on the phone, which is pretty funny since a big part of my job is calling lots of people I don't know.

• Today I sent a text message meant for my husband to a guy I was setting up an interview with. Talk about awkward. I shouldn't be allowed to text people.  

• I can't eat with chopsticks. I wish I could but my fingers just don't work that way. Perhaps one day I will master the art of eating with chopsticks. 

• I also technically don't write with a pencil/pen correctly either. Probably another sign that my fingers don't function like a normal person's. My kindergarten teacher was on my back forever about holding my pencil the right way but she never broke me. Still to this day, I clutch that pencil with all five fingers. 

• I read this article about feminism and it totally rocks. Everyone should read it. 

• We got new armchairs and check out how cute they are! We got them for a pretty good deal too. Today I was talking to a friend about decorating my house and I mentioned it'd be nice to have tons of money so I could blow it on decorations. Then she said, "Yeah, but it's kind of exciting to go on the search for little treasures that are affordable." And I thought to myself that she is totally correct. I'm pretty certain if I were a millionaire, I would still search for the perfect throw pillow at Ross. I enjoy the adrenaline rush of a good treasure hunt. 

Don't forget to enter to win a custom made leather bracelet! Winner will be announced this coming Friday.

Millie Made Giveaway

I'm not one to normally do giveaways on this blog of mine. However, this giveaway is under special circumstances since the lady behind Millie Made is my lovely mama! My talented mother, Camille Keller, is one of the most creative human beings I know. She started a new hobby of making leather jewelry. After making so many new bracelets that she couldn't wear them all, I encouraged her to open a shop. Then voila, Mille Made was born.

Millie Made provides beautiful handmade jewelry at affordable prices. Most popular are the leather cuffs. Millie Made also believes in the power of words and what a positive impact words can have on our lives. That's why each bracelet includes a special word stamped into the leather.

I know it is a common thing for people to choose a "word of the year". This would be a perfect way to wear your word of 2014 with you at all times, to keep you motivated. Whatever the word (as long as it's not too lengthy) it can be stamped wherever you'd like on the bracelet. Wear your word on the front of the bracelet for all to see, or the word can be stamped on the inside of the bracelet so it can be your sacred secret.

One winner of a custom made leather cuff from Millie Made will be chosen at random. I will announce that winner on Friday, January 17th.

One entry per person. To be eligible to win, you:

1. MUST be a follower of A Little Bird Told Me
2. MUST like Millie Made on Facebook.
3. Leave a comment below with the word you would want on your bracelet and a reason why you chose that word.

Feel free to also comment on what you would want the bracelet to look like (design and colors), but I will for sure get that information (along with your wrist measurement) if you are our winner. Feel free to peruse through Millie Made's Etsy Shop for more ideas. She also makes the tiniest and most adorable newborn cuffs for both boys and girls.

Happy commenting! I wish everyone could win! These bracelets are beauties and my mom puts much love in each individual piece.

PS- Sorry for the Christmas decorations. Believe it or not, I FINALLY took our trees down this weekend.

Sunday Best: Dots

top: Forever 21, skirt: The Sister Shop, tights: TJ Maxx, flats: Head Over Heels, necklace: Smith's Marketplace coat: Delia's

You know that saying, "I never met a polka dot I didn't like?" Well, I can see exactly where that person was coming from. I mean, polka dots. Love them. They are so loud and fun, yet versatile. 

I once did an interview at this store called The Sister Shop. It's a store in my town that sells clothes for sister missionaries of the LDS church. 

I went there thinking, "Yikes, all these clothes will probably be uglyyyy." 

But I walked through the door and this pencil skirt covered in polka dots was the first thing I saw. It was like the clouds opened up and angels sang, "Kelsey, buy that skirt!!!" 

And you never question singing angels. So I bought it. I'm now a firm believer in The Sister Shop. 

Also, the coat I wore with this outfit is, yes, missing a button. I have a problem and can't part with things. I've had that blasted coat since I was 16. I figure I'll just keep my eyes open for another grey button and then sew that puppy on there. Problem solved. 

Happy Sunday. 

Reflecting on 2013

I love looking ahead to a new year. A fresh start. But it's also fun to look back on the last year and smile at the fun memories, remember the hardships and just realize how much of an impact 12 months can have. Here's a quick look at my 2013. 

In January, we started what would be our last semester EVER of school. I spent as many days as I could snowboarding with my little brother at Beaver Mountain and we even took our friend from Ethiopia for his first time on the slopes.

February was spent doing lots of homework . . . including homework for my billiards class. I became a little obsessed and drug Brian to the pool hall on more than one occasion. It payed off though because I ended up winning our eight ball tournament in my billiards class. On top of school work, I also started my job as a morning deejay on Utah's VFX. In other words, my social life quickly died in the month of February since I had to go in to the studio every morning at 5:30 and then straight to classes after. My bedtime ended up being at 9:30 pm. It was all worth it though since I LOVE my job. Brian also got called into the bishopric during this month. Needless to say, we saw a lot less of each other.

With March came Spring Break. Conveniently enough, Brian had Allstate meetings in Las Vegas that very same week. I took time off from work and we made a trip out of it. While BWell went to meetings all morning, I spent time by the pool reading. We also went to the Beatles Love Show, something that's been high on my bucket list for a very long time. We also ate lots of good food, visited the dolphins at The Mirage, went shopping, and did a bit of gambling. In the month of March, I also had a neat experience where I got to do a few stories for Channel 4 News. We're talking shooting, writing and editing. It was high stress but great fun.

In April, I surprised Brian for his birthday with a weekend getaway to St. George. His birthday also happened to be the weekend before finals week. So we didn't study hardly at all for our last finals. Instead, we went swimming and spent time hiking in Zion National Park. Worth it. I also jumped on the ombre hair bandwagon. Oh, and I dyed a streak of my hair Aggie Blue too.

May was an exciting month! We both earned our degrees from Utah State University. Brian was nice enough to walk with me so we didn't have to suffer through two separate ceremonies. During this month, my mom, my aunt, Brian, and I ran the Ogden Half Marathon. It poured rain during the entire race. In May, I also started writing for Cache Valley Daily and my brother received his mission call to California. 

The month of June brought a few fun trips. We spent a weekend in Park City at Sundance Resort. We stayed in a cozy small cabin and watched some Robert Redford films. We also hiked to Stewart Falls and did some shopping at the outlets. We went to Lake Powell for a few days with Brian's family in the month of June as well. BWell also opened up his second insurance office and it was all celebrating over here. I also started serving as an Activity Days Leader in my church ward. Brian and I also decided to start looking into purchasing a house but we kept it on the down low.

July was a month filled with family time. Brian's siblings came to Utah for Independence Day. We hung out with them and watched fireworks that night on the boat. We also spent as much time as possible with Jace before he left on his mission at the end of the month. We went fluming, swimming and mountain exploring with my family. I also served as Assistant Camp Director for girls' camp and July was the month of camping. We had an amazing time and ate like queens. Toward the end of July, we had our annual party with my mom's family at Bear Lake. Only a couple days after Bear Lake, my dashing brother packed his bags and we dropped him off at the MTC, saying goodbye for two years. 

In August, we celebrated our second anniversary. It seems like we spent every weekend hiking. I also went to my very first Bees' game and we went with our friends Jace and Shay. August was also fair time. It also felt very satisfying when everyone went back to school but we didn't have to.  

September. Ah, September. This was the month we bought our bungalow. As soon as we were handed the keys, we ran over to Home Depot and bought paint. We had a lot of work ahead of us. From there on out, we spent all of September prepping our home. We repainted nearly every room in the house. Boy, it was a lot of work. But it was worth it. From all the painting, packing and other manual labor, my arm muscles grew and Brian and I grew closer together too. 

October is always a favorite month and this year's didn't fail me. We moved into our new old house and continued working to make it our home. The first week of October, I went to Brave Girls' Camp with my mom. We created art in a little barn in Idaho, surrounded by women from all over the world. We entered the barn as strangers and left as sisters. BWell and I went a little overboard on Halloween. We dressed like zombies and donated canned food for our town's Zombie Walk (an annual event for our local food pantry). We were glued to our television watching scary movies. We wrapped up the month and the Halloween holiday with a friend Halloween party. 

Basically the whole month of November, I was battling a bad cold but that didn't stop me from fitting in some fun. I went to a Selena Gomez concert with my mom and sisters. We also took my sister, Chloe, to her first USU football game. We hosted Thanksgiving at our bungalow and that was quite an adventure. Thankfully, Brian's family is awesome in the kitchen . . . so they brought the food to us. After getting so sick of my longer hair that I wanted to pull it out, I chopped it all off instead. In November, I also wrote a blog post that went viral. That was a strange experience.  

December was filled with everything Christmas. We were able to spend a lot of time with our families. We finally got to meet our sweet little baby niece and we Skyped with my brother on Christmas Day. We also hosted way too many parties. By the end of the month, I think we just wanted to lock our doors and hide inside for a while. We bought ourselves an early Christmas present . . . a treadmill! Hello to working out at home. In between Christmas and New Year's, I celebrated my 23rd birthday. 

******

To be honest, 2013 wasn't my best year. On the surface, it looks great. I earned my degree and bought my first house. I still have good health and all the necessities of life, so I can't really complain. However, 2013 was a hard year for me personally. I experienced lots of doubt and faced my insecurities head on. I battled through some dark patches where I felt completely alone and the hardest part was that during the dark patches, I had to go on with life acting like there was nothing wrong at all. Looking back, I don't really know how I made it through a couple of the past months, through a handful of the last 365 days. But I did it. I kept taking steps forward, praying I'd see some light again. And now there is light all around and light all ahead for the year of 2014. I know this paragraph is very ambiguous. Perhaps one day many days from now, I'll be more comfortable with the trials I faced to talk about them. Or perhaps they'll always stay as they are now, between me and God. Either way, I just wanted to share that I had those days--months--where I just wanted to throw in the towel. We all have them even if we never talk about them. Looking back on 2013, I definitely wouldn't want to relive it . . . but I'm grateful I lived through it once. Hardships bring growth, and I've seen that in myself. When I look in the mirror now, I don't just see a person. I see a soul. And I see souls of others now when I look around me. I'm grateful that 2013 taught me to see the world with different eyes.

Happy 2014! May we all celebrate the good days and be grateful for the hard days.    

Truth Tuesday

• I realized I never shared our Christmas card on this here blog. So behold, rest your eyes on this beauty, with miniature donkeys included:

• I try to be a nice person. However, sometimes fashion bloggers make my skin crawl. There are a couple that I faithfully read. My favorite is probably Kendi Everyday. Not only does she wear cute clothes, but she seems like she'd be a cool person to hang out with. I also have a girl crush on The Awkward Girls. 

• We have a fake Christmas tree, mostly out of convenience. However, after watching some videos of how quickly real trees burn down I think I'll stick to my fake one. Watch for yourself.

• Sorry half of this post is about Christmas. I'm in denial that it's over. 

• If you like murder mysteries, you probably need to read And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I finished it so quickly and I still can't stop thinking about it. Just don't read it at night when you're all alone. I made that mistake and I was all jumpy the rest of the night until Brian got home. Luna tried her best to protect me.