Different Flavors

A few weeks ago, I was feeling so over the internet. Everywhere I turned in the world of social media, there just seemed to be meanness, bitterness, bullying and arrogance. I am the type of person who really absorbs the energy of others too, so I try to be really careful about not only who I'm chilling with in person, but also about who is filling up my feed on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter. When I see someone on Facebook complaining a lot or posting really angry things, I've found there is nothing wrong with hiding their posts from my wall. I don't need their negative energy in my life. It's just silly.

I recently even thought about deleting my social media accounts, taking a hiatus, but then I thought, "No Kelsey, don't let the negative and angry people win. Don't let them rule the internet." So there's that. I'm still here, trying to send a little sliver of my own love and optimism into this (sometimes vicious) world wide web. That's the thing, while there are a lot of meanies on the internet, I also see a lot of love and goodness being spread around by people, and I adore that. But dude, the bullying and shaming has got to stop. It's crazy to me how cruel people will be when they can hide behind a computer or phone screen. The sad part is, I think a lot of bullies have built their confidence up so much while hiding behind a screen, that the bullying is even coming across in face-to-face interaction.

After deciding to stay on social media, I had to take a step back and look at myself. What kind of material was I posting on my own accounts? Could I be more positive? Was I being the bully sometimes? The answer to both of those questions is: yes. The thing is, we all get passionate about certain topics and we all want to believe that the way we do things is best. Maybe the way I do things is best for me, but I need to realize that it's not going to be best for everyone (and that's totally cool). I'm LDS. Being religious makes me feel happy and whole. Are my beliefs going to make everyone happy? Probably not. I'm an avid runner. If you don't run, does that make you stupid? No, that idea is stupid. I love animals and could play with them all day. If you don't like animals or you are allergic, does that automatically make you a jerk? No. I got married young. Should everyone get married young? Of course not.

I'm hearing talk all the time of being more "open-minded". The truth is, we live in a society where no one is truly open-minded. We don't know how to respect the opinions and lifestyles of others. We are turning into a people so concerned with being heard and respected that we are forgetting to listen and be respectful. Someone can live a different lifestyle than me and be happy. More so, someone can live a different lifestyle than me and be a super good person.

I really love ice cream. Like, I really love it. I love it so much that we even had Cold Stone Creamery at our wedding. My very favorite flavor at Cold Stone is Chocolate Devotion (chocolate freak over here). It's chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings, and brownie mixed in. YUM. Do I think every single person needs to order Chocolate Devotion just because it's my favorite? No! There are a lot of people who are not going to love eating that much chocolate. I get that. But it's still my favorite and it makes me the happiest. Sure, there are other flavors I like but there's nothing that hits the palate quite like Chocolate Devotion. On one occasion, I had a friend tell me how great Birthday Cake Remix was. I NEEDED to order it. Well, I try my best to be open-minded so I gave Birthday Cake Remix a shot. It was just okay. With every bite of cake batter though, I found myself wishing it was chocolate-flavored. So I didn't love Birthday Cake Remix. Guess what? I'm still friends with the girl who does love it. And she loves me even though I have an unhealthy obsession with chocolate.

 I realize that religious beliefs, political opinions and lifestyle choices are much more complex than ice cream flavors. But you know what's never complex? Kindness. We need more of that. We need less people worried about being right and more people worried about being kind.

I recently met another girl who was my same age (24). She didn't seem very happy with life, at least not to me, but maybe I was wrong. Who am I to judge? I was trying to be friendly, asking her questions about herself. In return, she was sort of rude. The only thing she asked me was this, "So you're only 24? Isn't that a little young to be married?" I really wanted to be snarky back and say, "Aren't you a little old to not have a job and be living with your parents still?" But I didn't say that . . . because I'm trying to practice this thing called choosing kindness. So I just smiled and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty young, but I'm also really happy."

It's amazing that you can go into an ice cream parlor and choose from a variety of flavors and toppings to make exactly what it is you are craving. Pick your flavor and enjoy it. Stop letting it melt away all over your filthy hand while you're busy judging what others choose to put in their own cone (or cup, because I'm not a huge ice cream cone fan).

Truth Tuesday

• I have no photo for this post . . . which means no one will probably read it. I know how hard it was for some people to move on from picture books to chapter books. 

• I wore a nice button-up blouse to work today. Well, I thought it was nice until I looked down and realized that the shirt kept opening up in between two of the buttons, perfectly exposing my right boob. It was the most awkward day at work for me, I sat clinging my shirt shut while I sat in my studio recording. I'll probably get fired now for indecent exposure. 

• When I got home this evening, a guy was walking his dog and he just let it take a dump right in my neighbors' yard. I was super annoyed. He just let it poop and then he kept walking. I wanted to yell, "Hey, are you going to clean that up?" But I couldn't bring myself to do it because I didn't want to sound like a prude. What do you do in that situation? Anyway, I made the mistake of not saying anything. Then I felt super guilty. So I got my little gardening shovel and crossed the road, searched all over their grass for the giant dog turds, and scooped them up. I probably looked like such a fool . . . but I did a nice thing . . . right? I am sooooo relieved that no one came out of their house to ask what I was doing in their yard. 

• We had chocolate chip pancakes for dinner tonight. It was awesome. 

• I absolutely love documentaries. One of my favorite college classes was actually one where we learned all about documentaries and even made a few of our own. Any suggestions of good ones to watch? 

• Now that the Winter Olympics are over, I feel like I have no point of using Twitter. I use it for work and that's basically it. Actually, I got a Twitter account all because my boss told me to. I really just think Twitter is weird.  In the words of Mr. Griffith from the movie "Easy A": "I don't know what your generation's fascination is with documenting your every thought... but I can assure you, they're not all diamonds. "Roman is having an OK day, and bought a Coke Zero at the gas station. Raise the roof." Who gives a rat's ass?"  

Truth Tuesday

• I recently received a card in the mail from the post office. It stated they were holding a card for me that didn't have enough postage. I would have to come in and pay for my mail from unknown sender. Today I went in and paid $1.87 for a greasy envelope which contained a crushed up Oreo. It was from my brother. Don't tell him . . . but I didn't eat it. I smelled it just because I felt guilty. 

• I made homemade Oreos for our Opening Ceremonies party with our friends. While making them, I got the bright idea to make red, white and blue frosting. It's a little bit pathetic how proud I was of myself. 

• I'm sorry (actually, no I'm not), but people who post passive-aggressive statuses on Facebook are pathetic. We've all seen it. An upset person gets on Facebook and posts a status so that the person they are upset with will see it and feel bad. But the upset person didn't say any names or anything like that, so they don't have to own up to doing anything wrong. In my opinion, this is way worse than talking about someone behind their back. Seriously, instead of being a coward and hiding behind your Facebook profile, confront the person you are mad at to their face. Then you'll save all the rest of us from feeling awkward when we read your rage-filled status. 

• Okay, I really am sorry. You're not pathetic if you do that. You maybe just make poor Facebook decisions. Just think before you post, yeah? 

• I went to do the dishes a few days ago (there were dishes piled on dishes in the sink). I moved a plate to find a MASSIVE spider. I panicked. I'm totally comfortable with little spiders and try to avoid killing them. But when the thing is as big as my ear, that's sort of a problem. I called Brian so he could walk me through killing it. He told me to wash it down the sink and turn the disposal on. I put my phone on speaker and set it on the table. I told Brian to stay on the line while I committed the murder, just in case the spider attacked. I grabbed the sprayer and let the water gush out. The spider quickly dashed under a bowl. I screamed. I sprayed. I screamed. I sprayed. Water flew in all directions. I finally killed the beast. I was shaken up to say the least. Later when Brian got home, with a smile on his face, he guiltily told me he'd had his phone on speaker. Everyone at the office was listening to me. He's lucky I didn't do him in like I did with that spider. 

• I'm over the top dog-hungry right now and I think I'm cursed. Every time I park somewhere, the car next to me has a dog in the backseat. Not only that, but each and every time, I lock eyes with the dog and then I want it. I'm going to dognap someone's dog from their car soon if I don't get help. Brian and I were going to get a dog for Christmas but we put it off because we thought it would be better to wait until spring. Spring is coming, guys. Spring equals dog. 

• I'm thinking I'll start a new career in cat photography . . . 

But come on, don't tell me that's not the best thing you've seen all day. I love Luna.  

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. 

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.

Truth Tuesday

• I am quite proud of this ridiculous photo above. I arranged the heart out of the leaves that were, at the time, taking over my lawn. Then I started snapping photos. I obviously had to get my feet in the picture because, duh, that's cute or something. Then a guy drove past my fence on his bike and stared at me and I felt super ridiculous. Don't mind me, biker dude, I'm just making hearts out of piles of leaves. I'm an adult. 

• Speaking of that, today before Brian and I went to a meeting, I ran to the bathroom mirror to quickly apply lipstick and said, "Sorry, I need to put this on so I'll feel like an adult." Honestly, do you ever hit a certain point where you actually feel like an adult? I kind of hope I don't.  

• I think I like room temperature water. 

• This week, I've been feeling so overwhelmed yet so thankful all at the same time. It's a weird mixture of emotions. 

• A couple nights ago, I walked out to my driveway to get in my car and a couple was walking past on the sidewalk. They startled me. I wasn't expecting a couple to be there in the darkness strolling past my car. I jumped and I screamed. It was embarrassing. 

• I bought Snowflake Ritz Crackers at the store instead of the regular ones and it was basically the highlight of the day. 

• That was a lie. It wasn't the highlight of my day. But pretty close. 

• BWell brought home a deep fryer and now we want to deep fry everything in sight. We're Americans and that's how Americans gotta eat. Okay, I'm kidding. We actually strive to eat healthy for the most part. However, we do want to experiment. We've mostly just been making fries. So, friends, what do you like deep fried? I think I need to try some deep fried Oreos because I've never had them. 

• I'm going to Selena Gomez's concert this week. Yeah, that's totally happening. When you're ready, come and get it. 

Aint No Party Like a Halloween Party

Brian and I have put on a Halloween party for the past three years (so basically every Halloween we've ever been married). One ridiculous thing I really love about our marriage is the fact that both of us have this yearning for being party planners. We are both all about inviting people over and making sure they have a good time. We have a ways to go until we are pros at throwing parties, but I must say that this year's Halloween party was the best yet. It helps when you have great friends to make it fun. I've decided it also helps when you live in a house and not an apartment. Our bungalow has a really good setup for parties. Big open living room connected to a big open dining room. Expect plenty of parties in the future. On top of that, I read that according to a study, when a group of people were put in a yellow room together, they were more boisterous and ate more food. Yellow is the party color. Our living room ceiling . . . bright yellow. Score.

The magical part about this party, was that hardly any of the couples knew one another. They were all our friends but not friends with each another. However, by the end of the night, I think everyone knew more than they wanted to know about the other couples.

Here is a rundown of our successful party.

We invited every couple to bring a treat or drink of some kind. We made an event on Facebook so people could notify everyone what they would bring. That way we wouldn't all show up with drinks.

I made chocolate covered strawberry . . . creatures. They were originally supposed to be ghosts, but things went south.

The treats were great because as everyone started arriving, they could grab a plate of food, sit down and get to know other couples.

Once everyone got their fill of food and most of our friends had arrived, we played our first game. Truth or Dare Jenga. We took the classic game of Jenga and numbered all the blocks. Since there are about 53 blocks, we didn't actually think of truths and dares for all of them but we did for a little over half. There were things connected to the blocks such as, "tell us how you make a PB&J sandwich using a Dracula accent", "stare at the person across from you for a full minute", "eat a spoonful of mustard", "what's something disturbing about yourself that no one else knows". Just dumb stuff like that. If a person pulled a block with no truth or dare, they were off the hook. We didn't really have a punishment for what happened to the person who knocked down the blocks, so at last minute we decided that person would have to kiss Luna (our cat). It was a fun game to start on and got people laughing.

Then we played the Newlywed Game - Halloween Edition. This game was hilarious. Some of the questions were slightly off-colored which made it funnier. And hey, all the couples there but one were married. The unmarried couple were super good sports about it. This game lasted a long time since we did a round with the ladies and a round with the men, but I don't think anyone ever got bored.

I'd say the Weller Halloween Party of 2013 was a success. Come over again soon, friends. We also requested that everyone wear costumes. We should have done a costume contest because look how grand everyone looked . . .

After much debating this year, BWell and I decided on Mario and Luigi costumes. We made our hats and found shirts and suspenders for cheap. The stick-on mustaches were a fun touch, though it was hard to smile and my upper lip got sweaty. Overall, a super easy costume. To be a bit more original, we made Mario Kart cars out of cardboard. Brian got all technical and made a wooden base with handles on the inside. Since he worked so hard on them, I now feel like I need to keep them forever? 

Dear Halloween, you're almost as good as Christmas. Catch you next year. 

   

Cafe Spooky

This past Tuesday was my last time doing Activity Days. Since we've moved to our new house, that also means it is time to move on to a new church ward. I wanted the girls to see where I would be living now, so we decided to have a Halloween dinner at the Weller bungalow. Last week, I went out for lunch with the other leaders and we planned the menu. We started getting pretty into it. We created menus and called our high-end restaurant "Cafe Spooky". Some of the things we came up with for food may have been over the top, but the girls loved it. That's what really matters, right?

I took such care in setting the table for them and I even let them use my new teacups I thrifted last week. They were all giggles and Luna enjoyed the extra attention she received from the little girls.

Our appetizers, created by the talented lady who is taking my spot as a leader, were "mini pumpkins" and "spooky ghosts" . . .

Then for the main course, we had bread sticks with Mac&Cheese. The Mac&Cheese was dyed green and we called it "fresh gopher guts". I made way too much Mac&Cheese. When I went to put it in a Tupperware to save, Brian disgustingly said, " I am NOT eating that." The gopher guts were too much for him to handle. There isn't a photo of the Mac&Cheese, so use your imagination, but I do have a photo of the bread sticks that we renamed "witch fingers" . . .

Then one of the other leaders made this adorable cake that we called "graveyard dirt" . . .

When the time came to go home, I gave all the girls a personal hand-written letter and told them goodbye. One of the girls was pretty confused.

"Why are you leaving?"

I then explained to her that Brian and I moved.

"Where did you move to?"

"The house we are standing in, silly."

Also, when I gave my short farewell speech, one girl rubbed my arm and sarcastically said, "There, there. Don't cry."

Those scoundrels.

I sure will miss my church calling and my sweet partner, Sami Jo. Both the women who were my partners while I served in Activity Days ended up being my best friends in the ward, which I'm so grateful for. I'll especially miss those sweet young gals who have influenced my life. I hope I influenced theirs in some way. Can I just adopt them? Sami, I want to adopt you too.  

Truth Tuesday

• One of my favorite sounds in the whole wide world is frogs singing at night. I guess they're more croaking than singing, but whatever, I'm trying to make this sound whimsical. 

• The only time I sincerely enjoy grocery shopping is on scorching hot summer days. The grocery store is always nice and cool. Especially the soda and beer aisle. I always make sure I take a leisurely stroll down the beer aisle when it's piping hot outside. 

• My old email address is crazy8fatbutt@aol.com. To make a long story short, my mom made it for me when I was fourteen or so and she thought she was super hilarious. It's one of the more embarrassing things in my life when people find out about this old address. And now I am confessing it to the world. There, maybe it will no longer embarrass me.

• My brother, the missionary, (who leaves tomorrow) would like a million fake "Dear Johns" from girls. If you are not a creepy missionary stalker and would like to send him one, lemme know. 

• I had Oreos and milk for breakfast and I've felt awful about it all day. No more treats and lots more veggies for me for the remainder of the week. 

• I promise sometimes I'm actually healthy. 

• I've been on a scary movie kick. I need more good suggestions of things to watch (please no gore just for the sake of gore and please no cheesy endings that ruin the entire movie). 

Welp, have a good Tuesday/practically Wednesday

This random photo is me at Bear Lake this past weekend. There will be a post in the near future about that excitement so watch yo back. 

Truth Tuesday

• It's so hot right now. I'm hiding in my dark cool living room and all I want for dinner is salad and Otter Pops. Sometimes it amazes me that this weird area I live in reaches the hundreds in the summertime and then can be below freezing during the winter months. Talk about extremes. 

• Want to scare off creepy guys? Maybe you should buy these hairy leggings. This is a real thing in China, guys. 

• It amazes me how small babies are. My sister-in-law is having a baby and I've been putting some things together for her shower. Looking at baby clothes just blows my mind. It blows my mind even more to think that I once fit into something as tiny as a newborn onesie. Like, whoa. 

• Imagine Dragons on Pandora is a good thing. Try it for yourself. 

• I cannot believe Independence Day is this week. This summer is flying by. I'm excited for the fun in the sun with family as we celebrate one of my very favorite holidays. 

• My current food obsession is chocolate shakes. I'm talkin' a real old fashioned shake here. Yum, so good. 

• One day, I will own a pool table. 

• I made Muddy Buddies for the first time yesterday. Don't ask me how I went for 22 years of my life not making those.

• Brian and I recently went on a date to a monster truck show. It was intense and I should have brought some earplugs. I wore my best monster truck attire . . . camouflage pants, snap back, and my jean vest. At the end of the show, one of the trucks rolled over. While I was grabbing Brian's shoulder, gasping, and asking if the driver was alright, everyone around us was cheering. It's ridiculous what human beings do for entertainment sometimes. Oh, the driver was fine, just fyi.    

Around a Fire

Summer always truly starts for me after the first fire. Going to the pool and getting a sunburn, wearing shorts for the first time of the year, and eating corn on the cob are all signs of summer too, but a fire where people I love are gathered around it is the first sign.

My high school year summer breaks are filled with memories of fires. Coming from a small town where over half the kids had to work their tails off all day on farms, we didn't always spend our days at the pool, the lakes, shopping, or whatever else. Sure, there were times for those things. But a summer night fire was a regular thing for us all. When the sun started setting and the work for the day was over, we were set free for the night. If I wasn't sending a text out about a fire somewhere, I was receiving a text. It was always an open invitation too, you were expected to pass the message along in hopes that a load of people would show up. Sometimes there was food. Sometimes not. Sometimes we met at the lakes where the fire was on the beach, close to the water. Other times we would make a journey up a canyon, across rough dirt roads that you needed four-wheel drive to survive on, and we would start a fire on some mountain top, overlooking the valley. And then there were times we kept things simple and met up at the park where camp chairs, blankets, and picnic tables were pulled around a fire pit. 

It might sound a little lame to some people, but it wasn't. We loved it. We would all bring food to contribute and pig out and sometimes we would just sit around the fire, stare into the flames and think our seventeen year old lives were the greatest and most significant things ever (ha). If things got really rowdy, boys would show up with bottle rockets and throw them into the fire. They would then shoot off randomly and it was the most terrifying thing ever. On one occasion, an old sofa some people brought started on fire due to a bottle rocket. It was quickly put out. Just remembering some of these things makes me shake my head and wonder how in the world we all survived without starting a forest fire. 

Although food cooked over an open flame is great and there were nights filled with dancing and lighting things on fire, my favorite memories of those fires were the hours of conversation. It's funny how much closer you can feel to people when you talk to them around a fire with a moon and stars over your head. 

Although I am a bit older now and we don't invite the whole town, I still love having fires on any given summer night. A few weeks ago, we had our first of the year up Logan Canyon. We found the perfect camp site and invited our friends Rauren (Richie and Lauren) and Jayla (Jace and Shayla) . . . and we can't forget baby Claire! 

Everyone made food contributions so we could have a tasty dinner. We sat around, laughed, and talked. That troublemaker Claire wanted to toss bottle rockets in the fire but we had to stop her. Richie and Laur will have their hands full with that girl ;).

Now I will leave you with "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys since it says the word fire, but mostly just since I love it.

Because I Care. Duh.

I'm in Sin City right now. As I type this post, I'm looking out a huge window over all the flashy buildings. I'm just waiting for Brian to get out of a business meeting so we can go down to the pool and let our pasty bodies see some sun.

And since I probably won't be posting again while I'm on my little vacation, I thought I would at least leave you all with a treat. I went to a blogger meetup last week and the gals there were super fly. You will want to check out their blogs for pure entertainment and enlightenment. You won't be disappointed.

^^that's us, becoming pals^^

And here are the bloggity blogs: 

sincerely, laura

This Little Blonde

Happiness Is

Imma Walking Fashion Crime

and sam sam

words, ramblings, and the random

K. Until next time. I'm gonna go get a sunburn now. 

Imma Sugar Addict

You've probably noticed by now but I love eating treats. My friends once bet me in high school that I couldn't last a day without sugar. Being defiant as I am, I boldly stated I could and would. So I quit eating my precious treats for a day. I made it, but it was awful. By that evening, I was on the couch with the chills and a major migraine. My mom brought me a glass of water and announced in wonderment, "Kelsey, I think you are experiencing sugar withdrawals." And then I probably cried and ate a candy bar.

I wish that story was a lie, but it's not. It's pure truth. My name is Kelsey Keller Weller and sugar is my crack. Needless to say, I like baking. Not so much baking, but just baking so I can have a treat to eat. And when I want treats to eat, I want them stat. So some of my favorite recipes are the super basic and simple ones. These chocolate crackle cookies became a fast favorite of mine. They also became a fast favorite of my nine to eleven year old Primary kids. Two of them even asked me for the recipe. That's why I love my Primary kids. They make me feel like a baking champion, even though I am usually making recipes basic enough for they themselves to master.

What you'll need:

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine brownie mix, 1 cup of flour, 3 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil. Set powdered sugar (around 3/4 cup) aside in a separate bowl. For each cookie, take a scoop of dough and place it in the bowl of  powdered sugar. Roll gently, coating with powdered sugar. Bake 11-13 minutes. Then devour.

Also, if you don't get a brownie mix that has chocolate chips already included, you'll want to add some chocolate chips. Just believe me.

And on a totally unrelated note, I want to point out that today is the annual "Spread the Word to End the Word" awareness day. Read more about their cause here. I feel very strongly about ending the derogatory use of the R-word. I worked with mentally disabled kids for two years and they left such a positive impact on my life. People with handicaps are often some of the brightest, most capable, sweetest people. They are just like us, they just might struggle in a different way. So please don't use words that mock or bring down my friends, okay? I'll admit that the R-word was once a part of my vocabulary. I was ignorant. Once I surrounded myself with these amazing people, I quit using the word completely.

So spread the word to end the word and bake some cookies. That's my life lesson for the day.

Camping In

I don't know what came over me.

 I found myself wanting scary stories told over a bonfire.
 Sleeping on the ground under stars.
I found myself wanting summer over the weekend.

 So I came up with a temporary fix. I politely begged Brian to go on a camp in with me. Essentially like a camp out, only indoors.

We put our gas stove to use and made s'mores. Typically, I am afraid of that oven. I've never had a gas stove until this apartment. And I always just associate gas stoves with carbon monoxide poisonings. I can't even tell you how many times a day I obsessively check to make sure all the switches on the oven are off. I would just hate to accidentally kill myself with a kitchen appliance, ya know? But Saturday night, I was grateful for the gas stove when in it assisted us in roasting some delightful mallows. Then we rearranged the furniture in our living room to make a spot in the center of the room for our air mattress. After blowing it up and piling it with blankets and pillows, we cuddled, snacked on s'mores, and watched Argo (which won the very deserving award of best picture at the Oscars on Sunday, although I do still love Les Miserables).

T'was a very fine camp in, indeed. Although, I will admit that we wimped out and abandoned the air mattress for our comfortable bed upstairs once the movie ended. That's one luxury you can't enjoy on a camp out.

How do you handle "spring fever"? Do you talk people into having camp ins like I did?