Fluming (it's a real word)

I'm craving crunchy leaves and combat boots but since it's still high 90 degree weather, I better pull back on the reins. So what's a girl to do? Keep doing summer shenanigans even though the majority of my friends and family are now in school mode? Meh, maybe. Perhaps it's time to hit up the pool alone and read a book, and in the process I can reminisce about the summer memories when times were slow and the livin' easy.

A reoccurring summer memory for me is lazy days spent at the flume. What is a flume, you ask? Well, it's about to get country up in here. The flume is a staple of summers spent in my hometown, in the lovely state of Idaho. It's where the canal goes across the road, and it's sketchy to say the least. The water is filthy and sometimes devil children stop in  the middle and gather moss from the water, then throw it over the flume wall on passing cars. When I was a teenager, there were boards above the flume so you could carefully walk back to go down again. It was quite the balancing act and if you fell, you would either hit metal bars and then fall back into the flume water, or I suppose you could fall off the flume altogether and take the thirty feet drop to the road. Since those days the boards started to go missing, nails grew rusty, so nowadays the kids get out of the canal, walk through a field and cross the road. Less exciting but much safer. The higher the canal water is, the more fun fluming is. That's because the water is faster so it pulls you through the flume at a quicker speed.

I have such fond memories of the flume. There were summers where Jace and I would rush to finish our work in the yard so we could spend the afternoon there. I would meet up with friends there, or cute boys. One summer night, my friends and I jumped in fully clothed. On another occasion, I had a moss/mud fight with a group of people and I swear I cleaned mud out of my ears for a month.

I'm glad I fit in some fluming with the family for the summer of 2013. If you want to experience fluming, let me know. I'll take you before fall really hits us.    

Truth Tuesday

Oh, just me being all American Girl on July 4th. 

• I suck at blogging nowadays. If you haven't noticed. But I made a new header and other shenanigans and I really like it. So that's nice.  

• For some reason, I always go in a panic after the 4th of July passes. It seems like the summer always whizzes by after Independence Day, so I start going bonkers thinking of all the things I need to accomplish before summer ends. Some things on the list are: float the river, go camping, go on a horse ride, put lights up on our patio, make it to a carnival, and play night games. What's left on your summer list? 

• Our 4th of July was excellent. We were in a parade for BWell's business. Check out our awesome float here. Then we had a barbecue with Brian's family. Both his sister from Baltimore and brother from the Bay Area were here with their families so it was exciting to spend time with them. We also cooled off in the water during the hot afternoon hours. The night was completed by watching the fireworks explode over the lake while we were all on the boat. I captured the grand finale on my phone, so check it out! 

• Speaking of video on Instagram, how does everyone feel about that? I was pretty thrilled because this means now I can delete my Vine. At the same time though, watching short, jumpy, out-of-focus videos kinda makes me nauseous.

• I'm working on a story about student loan rates doubling and how this will impact students in our area. As I was looking up things online, I ran across so many things where Republicans were blaming the Democrats and the Democrats said it was the Republicans fault. And honestly, it all just sort of ticked me off. I don't care whose fault it is, just try to work together for ten freaking seconds and fix the problem. I know, I know, if I think I'm so smart then maybe I should run for office. My point here is basically that I think political parties are a horrible idea. If anything, I feel they just divide our country. I'm not a Democrat. I'm not a Republican. I'm an American, dang it. 

• On Friday night, we were in Idaho at my parents' house and there were tornado warnings. I guess there's a first for everything. Needless to say, we didn't need to bunker down but there were tons of "Wizard of Oz" jokes floating around. The storm did ruin our plans of sleeping on the trampoline though. Instead we took advantage of the storm by staying up late to watch The Ring and we ate tons of popcorn.

• My brother leaves on his mission at the end of this month. I'm going to have an anxiety attack. 

• My boss found this gem of a video today and I about fell over with laughter. Those poor children. Can I get a dinosaur costume like this somewhere? Talk about the best Halloween costume ever.  

That's all I've got. Happy Tuesday, friends!

How Lovely to Meet You

I am terrible at introductions. I don't know what it is, but when it comes time for me to introduce myself and what I'm all about, I freeze up. I hardly remember my own name, let alone how old I am.

On Wednesday nights, I have a class that is pretty small. Last night, we went through the entire class and we each introduced ourselves. It was simple. We were to tell our name, our major, and where we were from. Then the TA would ask each person a random question he wanted answered. A few students threw in extra things about themselves. One girl mentioned she was half Japanese. Another told us about her achievements. And I sat, half listening and breaking a cold sweat, while I tried to think up something witty I could say when it came to my turn. Everything I thought of either sounded lame or I would be plain bragging about myself. Not that I have anything that grand to brag about, I just didn't want to come across as proud or arrogant. So I decided to keep things simple, and I would see what the TA asked me. Perhaps he would ask me something pertaining to my exciting major like the most interesting story I had covered, or what I planned on doing after graduation. Or maybe he would ask me what my favorite hobby was. I would bank on making myself sound interesting through answering the TA's question. Perfect.

Then came my turn. I said something like, "Hi, everyone. My name is Kelsey Keller (I left out Weller since I still haven't changed my name with the University). I am majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in sociology, and I am from Weston, Idaho."

Then I waited for my question.

The TA then asked, "Okay, I have a serious question for you. How many potato farmers were there in your hometown?"

Everyone laughed. Except for me. I didn't think it was funny. Actually, I was pissed. But I tried my best to pleasantly smile and answer, "Actually, there was only one potato farmer where I lived."

I really wanted to go on and ask him where he served his mission. Because I know he is not LDS, although he is from Utah. I wanted to prove a point that he was stereotyping, but I decided that would not be the wisest thing to do. Especially on the first day of class. So with that, my turn was over.

And I was bugged the remainder of class because I would be remembered by my classmates as the potato farmer.

So if I could go back in time, perhaps I would say something like this:

My name is Kelsey Keller Weller. That's right, my name is its own little poem. I am majoring in broadcast journalism, minoring in sociology, and I will graduate in May. I am still not so sure what to do from there, but I have a few fun career options. I've done some freelance work for several news stations, but I've also done some wedding and engagement videos too. I am part of the Aggie Radio News Team. I am also a peer mentor for a group of freshmen students. I ran on the track & field team here at USU, but then decided to get more involved with my major instead. I married a great guy about a year and a half ago. So yes, I'm married, but I am a fun married person. My husband owns an Allstate insurance agency. Oh, and my husband's name is Brian, but I often call him BWell or Bri Guy. And we have the sweetest little kitty named Luna. She has all the good traits of a cat, and otherwise, acts like a dog. Her favorite thing to do is play fetch. I am from Weston, Idaho and I went to a very small high school. My graduating class was 42. But I loved how small it was. I love to read, write, sing with my husband, hike, run, travel, and do yoga. The coolest place I have ever traveled to is Ethiopia. Brian proposed to me on the beach in Mexico. I like pulling pranks and I love food. All food. Except for green beans. But I will eat them if they are given to me. Oh, and I'm terrible at math. I still use my fingers for simple addition. I also have a random sense of humor, so if I laugh at something when no one else is laughing, you will know why. I get distracted easily and I can't multitask to save my life. I have a wild imagination.  

However, I can't go back in time. So I will hold the title proudly as "the girl who grows potatoes" until next Wednesday's class time. Until then, I feel a lot better now that I've gotten this off my chest. And I hope you've learned your lesson. Never assume someone you meet from Idaho grows potatoes or even likes potatoes. Because Idahoans have bad tempers.

Truth Tuesday

• Just about every other thing I've pinned on Pinterest lately has something to do with pine cones.

• My favorite thing is when I get text messages from my mom. She usually texts me super nice and thoughtful things. Thanks for making my day, Mom! 

• I can't help but wonder if this lady is for real. Either way, super funny. If only moving the deer xing signs would actually solve the problem. 

• Now I love all those classic Christmas songs, but this original is truly a new favorite. So fun, right? 

• Guys, I'm not crazy about Michael Buble. I actually change the radio station when he comes on. I know, it's like I committed a sin or something by admitting that. 

• Thanksgiving break was not good for me. I now have no motivation for school. Instead of working on homework in between classes today, guess what I did? I slept. I don't even like taking naps. But today I sure liked it. 

• Embarrassing fact: sometimes when I'm in a melancholy mood, I listen to this song. Dorky, right? I may have even imagined it playing along to my life today as I walked across campus and the sun was setting. 

• I totally think I need this shirt. Idaho pride, baby. 

• I feel as if I'll never get used to it being dark at 5 pm. Why's it gotta be so dark all the time?  

A Hillbilly Thanksgiving

 That would be my mom on a long board. She has mean skills ;). 

I really don't think I'm a hillbilly. I wouldn't call my family hillbillies either. But the more I think about it, to a lot of people, we probably seem like hillbillies. So I drink a glass of milk with ever meal, I eat more red meat than what is probably healthy for a person, I can shoot a gun, and perhaps we've pulled small children through the snow on an inner tube tied to the back of a truck before. And yes, my hometown blows up pumpkins with dynamite every year after Halloween. There's no shame in any of that. I know every person out there has a little hillbilly locked up somewhere inside their soul that they just wish they had the courage to release. I am hear to tell you to release that hillbilly. 

This Thanksgiving, we spent it at my parents' house. We had a small dinner with just my parents and siblings and had a lot of fun. My uncle and aunt came that morning so we could get our Thanksgiving basketball scrimmage on. We ate that afternoon and my mom did a fabulous job on the meal. I contributed with my pumpkin roll because I don't know how to make pie. Then after letting our food settle, we hauled the guns and a box of clay pigeons out to the field to do some annual Thanksgiving shooting. Believe it or not, I'm not a bad shot. And Brian is really excellent at flinging those clay pigeons through the air for us to blow up with our guns. 

We took Luna with us to celebrate the holiday. She masterfully made her way onto my parents' roof and prowled around up there for a good portion of the day.

As you can see, I have a lot to be thankful for. I'm especially thankful that November is almost over so my lil bro, Jace, can get rid of his molester mustache. I'm also thankful for all you people who read A Little Bird Told Me. Thanks for entertaining this silly blogging hobby of mine! I hope you all had a splendid Thanksgiving! 

99 Red Balloons

August 15, 2012

My mom's birthday.

A day we made this song a reality.

The day started out with my mom taking us on a ride in her new ranger (her birthday gift from my dad) we tied balloons to the sides and made her wear a tacky crown. After tearing up the mountain, spotting deer, and getting covered in a layer of dust, we ended the ride at the park in town.

It was there my mom's friends had gathered 99 red balloons. My mom and I have both always talked about how cool it would be to actually let go of 99 red balloons just like in the song. She also mentioned it to her friends. And since my mom has fantastic friends (I consider them my friends too), they surprised her with her balloon wish. It was the coolest thing to let them all go and watch as the blue sky quickly filled with red balloons. They quickly floated away until they were just tiny red dots scattered among the clouds.

Someday I want to be just like my mom. She is the best. What other mom would wear a Sleeping Beauty crown all day and get giddy about balloons like a little girl? I love that woman.

Sunday Best: Farmer's Daughter

shades: F21, earrings: Target, dress: thrifted, belt: Head Over Heels, watch: fossil, shoes: O'Neill via Ross

Let's discuss something. I'm a girl of simple things. If you haven't noticed from these Sunday Best posts, my choice of clothing usually consists of things from secondhand stores, Ross, Target, Forever 21, and Old Navy. I buy things on clearance. Always. I'm a scrounger. I keep all my change. I'm very paranoid about the amount of money kept away in my savings. A lot of people would probably consider me a cheap skate.

And I don't have a problem with that.

I think a lot of my conservatism with money is a result of where I come from. You see, I'm a small town Idaho girl. When I first came to school in Utah and people found out I was an Idaho girl, the redneck jokes instantly came out. And the most common question asked (both jokingly and in total seriousness) was, "Oh, so do you live on a farm?"

At first it bugged me. Because quite frankly, I know a lot of Utahns who are more redneck than any of my Idaho friends. And no, I did not live on a farm. But the more I think about it, just because my dad isn't a farmer doesn't mean I don't have that farmer's daughter mentality. You know the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child"? I've seen that happen first hand. I, myself, am a result of it. My high school graduating class had a whopping 42 people in it and I knew each of those 42 people since we were around five years old. I sometimes helped my good friend (who was a farmer's daughter) do her chores. When I was little, I thought it was the grandest thing to ride the four-wheeler, set up gopher traps, and spend evenings on the tractor with my grandpa (who was also a farmer). I spent many summer nights in high school not sure what time my date would pick me up because he had to finish moving pipe first.

And recently my dad bought pigs and sheep. So I guess he's aspiring to be a farmer. So yes, I will proudly accept the title of farmer's daughter. And I will proudly keep buying cheap clothes. If it costs less for me to feel good about how I look then I'm super fine with that.

Also, I just want to mention that I love this dress. Probably one of my favorite summer staples in my closet. And it only cost me four dollars. Thank you, DI.

Three cheers for that small town feel, saving money, and most of all for potatoes!