Oh Christmas, how do I love thee so?

Oh Christmas, how do I love thee so? Let me count the ways...

I love riding the sleds with my cute niece.

I love playing pranks

I love ice skating with the family

And playing Crack The Whip

I love visiting with friends

I love playing dress-up with my awesome niece

And I love seeing random elk at Scheels

Oh Christmas. Wonderful Christmas. I sure do love you!!!

My Invisible Friends

Today my friends came to visit! Ivan, Chester, Phill, Lucy, Noel. They are so great. I took them to see the famous USU Bull

They had to stop for a picture on the stairs. Then Noel decided that she wanted a turn at riding the bull. And why not? She's invisible. No one was going to get her in trouble!

Then I took them for a tour of campus. Ivan had to show off his balancing skills

Noel tried climbing one of the trees

But then she was so tired! So she sat down to rest for a minute.

Then we dared her to try licking the flag pole. (You can tell she didn't grow up with a lot of snow.)

Her tongue got stuck to the pole and we had to help her out.

Then I took to them to the famous Utah State A. Noel and Ivan wanted to become true aggies, and of course we couldn't tell them no.

Then Matthew wanted to give it a shot. So Noel volunteered to kiss him.

But then I couldn't turn down the opportunity to join in the fun. So Ivan agreed to kiss me.

After that, we went back to the TSC to warm up for a little while. Ivan started showing off again. He jumped up on the handrail and tried to slide down.

Then Noel found the couch up on the 3rd floor and watched some TV while Kevin and Ivan played some foozeball.

Then we all went outside and the guys had a snowball fight.

After the snowball fight, we needed to get back to being productive for the day. So our friends said goodbye and headed home. I'm so glad they came!!!

...It's kind of like being a homeless bum

College life... Isn't it the greatest? It's almost like being a homeless bum.

As college students we couch surf. (I mean, who actually sleeps at their own apartment when you have friends with couches?)

We wear sweats and slippers in public. (Who needs to look dignified anyway?)

We beg for money. (Namely from our parents.)

And we pounce as soon as we hear the words "free food".

Fortunately, I have only done two of the previous four pitiful activities. (You can just guess which ones.) But last week I set a new PR for how many free meals I had in one day, and I feel like it might be worth bragging about.

It started out with ASUSU giving away free sandwiches as bribery for people to come up to their offices and talk to them. Well, lucky for me, I already all my time there anyway. So I reaped the benefits of the situation. Thank you ASUSU.

Then there was a "Lunch and Learn" at the business building. The student chapter of SHRM was hosting a resume workshop. So I went and got some tips about building a good resume and creating my personal brand, then I got to enjoy some delicious Texas Roadhouse. Thank you SHRM for feeding me so well.

Later that night, I was with Spencer and he said that Clayton was at the end-of-semester social for the AIS club (also in the business building). He said that they were serving pizza and that Clayton had invited him to come. As Spencer's adopted little sister, I got to go along for the ride. So we looked the event location up on the school's website, then headed up to campus. We got there just in time to grab the last few pieces of pizza, some sweets, and chocolate milk before the party ended. Thank you Clayton, Spencer, and the AIS club for the pizza.

So the moral of the story... being a college student (or a homeless bum) can be kind of fun. Now I feel even more inspired to move to Florida where I can be a beach bum/professional dumpster diver. :)

Rantings of an Economist- Part 2

The semester is nearly over. That means the end of economics classes with my hilarious professor. So here is a second post dedicated to him and his perspective on life. Enjoy these rantings of an economist:

"If you want to make a lot of money, you need to work for the government or be productive. I took the government route. But I recommend most of you take the productive route."

"If you're short and lousy at shooting, you're probably not playing college basketball. If you're short and can't shoot, there is no point to your existence." (This was while explaining why it's good if the opposing team fouls your short players in the final minutes of a game. Because if a guy is short, he must be a really good shot or he wouldn't be playing.)

"We should have Hollywood take over the government. Then everyone in the government would be really good looking."

"Light houses are just decoration now. They're like earrings on the coast."

"If you want to blame someone in our country, find the median voter and kick his ass."

"It's just as wrong to eat a car as it is to eat a horse."

"Trying to measure happiness is like trying to measure how much people enjoy eating snickers."

"Oprah is one of our cultural over-lords. Her and Taylor Swift."

I hope you've enjoyed this edition of Rantings of an Economist. I'm sorry that this is the end of the series.

Glimpses Into my Childhood

Here's a good reflective post for you. I felt like writing about some of my memories from my wonderful childhood.

When I think of my childhood I think of riding snowmobiles and four-wheelers. We used to tie a sled behind the snowmobile and pull it around the neighborhood or field. It was always so fun. We'd sit 2-3 kids on it, and see how far we could tilt it to the side without flipping it over. The best part is, that we still do it. When we go sledding still, Jashley and I will share a sled. We're so big now that we're crammed on there in really uncomfortable positions, but hey! it still works.

Another activity that I associate with my childhood, is playing night games. I remember during the summer trying to play night games with my sisters and neighbors almost every night. We would always pow-wow at Robertson's house, and pick a game. Then we would start playing, and end up arguing for a very long time about whether or not the little kids had to split up or if they could stay in a pack. Usually by the time that we finished arguing, no one cared anymore and we'd find something else to do. So basically there wasn't a whole lot of playing going on, but it's the thought that counts. Something else that goes right along with this is sleeping on the trampoline. During the summer, my sisters and I would sleep on the tramp as often as mom and dad would let us. To this day, it's still my favorite place to sleep.

One of my favorite games to play with my neighbors was Pirates. We'd split into teams with Cameron, Brett, and Adam Moore, and one group would be the pirates and the others would be the good guys. The pirates would catch the good guys and hold them captive on "their ship" (either the trampoline or the swing set.) Then the other good guys had to go rescue them. It was always so fun, but I remember that somehow it always turned into a game of house.  

When I was little kid I used to do this weird thing where I'd sit on the kitchen floor, pull my legs up to my chest so my feet weren't touching the ground, and spin. I'd sit there forever just spinning around in circles, sitting on the kitchen floor. It was really rather fun. You should try it sometime.

One of the most bizarre memories of my childhood was coming downstairs in the middle of the night once and finding Emily and Jashley, in Emily's formal dresses and having cowboy-style shoot outs while Le sat on the couch rolling with laughter. They'd provide the sound effects from The Good, the Bad, the Ugly (The one that I used to have as my ringtone, if that helps any), then they'd draw their imaginary guns from their hip-holsters and shoot each other. To this day, I still don't know why they were dressed in formal dresses, or why they were shooting each other, but I guess that's just the type of thing that we did in my family.

Another great memory from my childhood was when I learned my first swear word. I was watching the movie While You Were Sleeping. There's a part where one of the old men asks "What the hell is going on here?!" I thought that was funny, and that I was clever by quoting this movie. So I went and asked Jashley "Hey Jashley, what the hell is going on here?!" She laughed and told me to go tell Emily. I thought she laughed because I was funny, so I went and asked Emily "Hey Emily, What the hell is going on here?!" Emily also laughed and told me to go tell mom and dad. I thought I was supposed to go tell them because it was such a good one that they thought everyone should hear it. Apparently it was, but not in the way that I was thinking. So I went and asked my parents "Hey! What the hell is going on here?!" Then I got in trouble. Thank you Jashley and Emily.

All of these stories make me laugh. I had the best childhood a person could ever ask for. Great family, friends, neighbors, all living in a wonderful neighborhood. What more could a person want?

The girl who fainted

The day started out fine. Kelsey left the dentist office that morning feeling happy as can be. One her way to catch the bus, she sent a text to her mom saying "Wow! That laughing gas is good stuff!"

She felt slightly weak as she hustled across campus to meet up with her group members. She entered the business building study room as Eric, Jeff, and Jenny were finalizing their power point for the presentation they were to give on workplace bullying. The group moved together to the classroom where they were to set up for their presentation.

Jenny began the group presentation by asking the class-members what types of workplace bullying they had witnessed before. Eric followed her by defining what workplace bullying actually is, and giving examples of the different types of bullying. Then Kelsey spoke about the legal aspects of workplace bullying. She stumbled over her words a little bit, but the presentation continued as planned. After Kelsey's two bits, Jeff began telling the class about some strategies to avoid workplace bullying. That was where things took a turn for the worse.

While Jeff was asking for feedback on a given scenario, Kelsey's ears started ringing, and she started feeling disoriented. She shifted her weight and clasped onto the edge of the counter. She lost focus of what was going on, and the next thing she knew she was sitting on the ground and her group members and teacher were gathered around her. Her ears were ringing so terribly that it was almost a physical pain. Her friends helped her get to her feet, and Jenny walked her to the bathroom to recompose herself.

To comfort Kelsey, Jenny said that she had gone down really gracefully. Jenny had thought that Kelsey was bending over to pick a pencil off the ground, but then Kelsey slumped over and slid down the front of the table she had been holding on to. After the group had rushed over and gathered around, Kelsey had opened her eyes and regained consciousness.

After Kelsey had recovered from the event, she walked with Jenny back to the classroom. They sat through the rest of the class, and then reconvened with Eric and Jeff to discuss their next project. Eric told Kelsey that when she had collapsed, he had rushed over to her, but then realized that he did not know what to do once he got there. He said that in that moment, he did not remember any of his boy scout first aid training, and did not remember what to do with someone who had lost consciousness.
Jeff on the other hand said that when he saw Kelsey collapse, he started towards her, but then decided to keep his distance because he did not want her to feel too crowded when she came back around. The group joked that she had collapsed at the perfect moment. Jeff had just concluded and they had asked the class for questions, and that was when Kelsey slumped over and lost consciousness.

After discussing the event with her friends, Kelsey was feeling slightly less mortified at the fact that she had passed out and collapsed in front of 40 of her classmates. Although she would forever remember it as the most embarrassing moment of her life.

Rantings of an Economist

My Microeconomics professor is hilarious. We'll be sitting in class, and he'll go off on a random tangent for like 5 minutes, then refocus and continue with the lecture. When he does this, you can almost see the gears turning in his mind. As we've gone through the semester, I've kept notes of some of the funny things he's said. Hopefully they aren't "you had to be there" quotes. I tried to get ones that would just be funny in general.

"Jimmy Carter was a terrible president. And he was killed by a giant swimming rabbit. I'm serious. Look it up on the internet."

He has a theory that if you don't know what something is made out of, you can assume that it's made out of corn. Exhibit A) "Slurpies. What's in slurpies? Probly corn. Yeah! High fructose CORN syrup!"

"Anyone who's got any use for their guns: hunting, defending themselves,..... doing some murdering..... They aren't going to sell them."

Once someone asked if there was some way to come up with some formula for the government to calculate tax rates. Here are his reasons for why the answer is no: "1) the world is a complicated place 2) no one listens to economists anyway."

"Gregory Peck is nearly dead. He's not as great as he once was, but he's still awesome. you should show him some respect."

When discussing why politicians are too smart to believe all the things they say: "The fact that politicians provide this crap leads me to infer that there's demand for it."

"Let's be honest, losing a minimum wage job is only barely worse than keeping it."

"You want to ride a motorbike? Don't wear a helmet! We have a high demand for your organs."

In reference to Idaho: "You work hard, do well, then you have to screw something on your car that says 'famous potatoes'."

In reference to a picture of Joseph Schumpeter: "You look at this guy and you think 'yeah, he could be an ass-hole'."

"No one takes AIDS medicine for fun. It's not a good recreational drug."

"They've convinced us that if you refuse to pay for a diamond, you are a bad, bad person."

"You didn't buy the 120 pack of crayons and memorize the names? Apparently I was kind of obsessive as a child."

"Baseball doesn't need a salary cap; it's all randomness, so it doesn't really matter. It's not like football and basketball."

I hope you have enjoyed my documentation of the random rantings of an economist. Maybe I'll write another post at the end of the semester.

We did the mash! It was the Monster Mash.

Happy Halloween everybody! I finally did something that's actually worth blogging about! I had a Halloween party. Here's how it went down.

Step 1) Dress up like a Latin Dancer

Step 2) Crank up the Halloween tunes

Step 3) Have friends over.

Step 4) See how many tootsie-rolls you can fit into your mouth.

Step 5) Play a game of mouse trap

Step 6) Throw tootsie-rolls at each other and made a big mess

Step 7) Blog about it.

Mix that all together, let it sit, and you're due for a grand ole' time!

Christmas in October???

I believe that all holidays are created equal. And each one has the right to be celebrated in it's own special way.

Independence day has it's fireworks.

April Fools has it's practical jokes

 

Birthdays have their cakes

BUT there's only one holiday that you can start celebrating whenever you want. Some people celebrate the day after Thanksgiving, some celebrate all year long. But personally, I start celebrating somewhere around..... today. Break out the Christmas music, Santa's coming to town!!!!

I love Halloween, I really do. But today when I heard one Christmas song, I couldn't help myself. I had to pull up all the Christmas music on my iTunes. I love it. I could listen to it all year. Everything from O Holy Night, to All I Want for Christmas is You, to My Grown-up Christmas List. If it's about Christmas, I love it. Today someone said it's too early to break it out because you will get sick of it. That is a lie. I will never get sick of it. I love it too much!!!!! Yay for Christmas music!!!!!

To help you get in the spirit of things, here are a few links to get you started.

Grown Up Christmas List

Santa's Got a Brand New Bag

O Holy Night

Sleigh Ride (The best version of this song.)

There and Back Again (Not quite a Hobbit's tale)

I once swore that it would be over my dead body if I ever set foot in Laramie. Well this weekend I went to Laramie. And I'm still alive!!! My sister and her husband were blessing their daughter in Cheyenne, so I had my mom drop me off in Laramie on the way.

First I hung out with Kirsten and Austin for a few hours. We watched the first episode of Once Upon a Time. It was pretty great. We played Mario Kart, which I am still lousy at. It was fun time.

Then I went out for a few hours with another friend. I won't say much about that because it wasn't the most pleasant experience, and if I start talking about it I will go on a total rampage. The only thing worth mentioning is that I tried Applebee's wings for the first time. I was surprised at how good they were.

The next morning Austin made an absolutely fabulous breakfast. Then the three of us went to the UW homecoming parade. It was actually a pretty fun parade. And there was lots of candy to be claimed. All the kids around us were leaving the tootsie rolls. I was more than glad to take them though. But I do have to admit that it was weird to see so much brown and yellow instead of blue. I think I'll still take my Aggie Blue any day.

After the parade, I went to Mazie Lewis' house and then we went shopping with her sister Sadie. It was a really fun day. At the end of the day, I went to the football game with my dad, Stan, and Kevin. The first half was a super good game, but as soon as halftime hit, it started raining cats and dogs. But we didn't drive all the way there to get rained out. We went and sat where the over head section hangs over the lower section, and we stayed dry for the rest of the game. The best part of the game was when they played the Gangnam Style song and everyone started dancing. I had no idea that song was so popular. I thought it was just a funny song that my friend Phil liked. But no, apparently it's kinda a big deal. I seriously started laughing so hard.

At the end of the day, I have to admit that Laramie isn't as terrible as I thought it was. I still stand by my statement that I would never in a million years go to school there. But it's not a terrible place to visit. Laramie, you have redeemed yourself ever so slightly in my eyes.

Dreams to Dream

Since my life has been so uneventful lately, I've kinda taken to reflective posts. I told Kylee that I would try to remember my dreams this week so I could write a post about them. But I have failed to remember my dreams. So I've decided to blog about some of my more memorable dreams.

Most Quoted/Mocked:  "Help me you jerk!"

This one was great. In middle school I had a dream that I was running around trying to put together a picnic. I remember that it was a weird picnic because everything was extra big. It seemed like it was a giant's picnic or something. Anyway, I was running around with my arms full of stuff, when I stopped to talk to Brandon Taylor and Elio Merino for a minute. Then all of a sudden I felt a tickling on my arm. There was a massive, massive spider crawling up my arm. I started freaking out, but because my arms were full I couldn't do anything about it. And Brandon and Elio just sat there looking at me. So I dropped my stuff, punched Brandon in the stomach (hard enough that he doubled over in pain), and yelled "Help me you jerk!!!".

That's all I remember. But I remember it because I told it to Merrilyn and Erin that week and they thought it was so hilarious. And forever more, we quoted and mocked that dream.


Most Frequent: T-Rex attack

Did you ever have a recurring dream as a child? One that would come back again, and again, and again? I did. It would always start out where I'd be doing something at the church with my friends or family. Then someone would scream that there was a T-Rex coming to get us. So we'd go climb on the stage in the gym, and there was some sort of secret passageway there. We'd go through the trap door and then suddenly, the scene would change from the church to the food pantry at my childhood home. In my dream, the pantry was usually filled with couches or something like that, so it was very homey looking. Then the T-Rex would poke his head through the door, but he could never get his body through. Sometimes he would get some of my friends, sometimes he wouldn't. But every time, he would come at me, and I would wake up right before he would get me.

This is probly one of my favorite dreams just because as terrifying as it is, it makes me smile at the memory of it. And I blame it fully on the fact that I liked to watch Jurassic Park.

This is me. This is who I am.

"I am Grandpa Boyd's granddaughter, the spitting image of my father, and when the day is done my family's still my biggest fans. Sometimes I'm clueless and I'm clumsy, but I've got friends who love me, and they know just where I stand. It's all a part of me, and that's who I am."

This morning as I was trying to think of what to blog, my sister suggested that I write a reflective post. So I got thinking and decided to write a post about what makes me who I am.

I am...a tough country girl.

I may not be a complete tomboy, but I've always considered myself pretty tough and not much of a girly-girl. You would think that with 5 sisters, I would be a very girly-girl, but not so much. I grew up playing in the mountains and working around the "farm". With out any sons to help with the hard work around the house and farm, my dad had to call on his daughters to help him. So I grew up always working outside with my dad. I love wearing my leather gloves because they make me feel hard-core. I think I'm one of the tougher girls in my family and I've always had a little bit of a proud attitude. I'd like to think that any work guys can do, I can do too (not that I necessarily will though).

I am... independent.

It has been suggested by some that I am too independent for my own good. But I'm a 20 year-old single girl, what do you expect? I am really independent though. I think I am so independent because even though in the grand scheme of things, I am the youngest in my family, growing up, I felt like I was more of the middle child. My memories of growing up are of the oldest three grown and out of the house, so Jashley was the responsible oldest, Cortney was the spoiled youngest, and I was the middle child who just did my own thing. No one really cared too much whether I came or went, and I was alright with that. I also think that my independence is a little more engrained in me than just that though. As early as elementary school, I decided that I didn't like the lunches my mom would make for me, so I'd wake up half an hour early to make my own lunch. That's just how I've always been.

I am... a masochist.

I remember the first time my dad called me a masochist I was so offended. But now I realize how right he was, and I embrace it. I know I'm a masochist. I think it comes in part from my pride. I really, really love the satisfaction that comes from a good but painful workout. And I kill myself over my schoolwork, but again, I find it somewhat satisfying. I don't have an explanation for why I am a masochist. I just know that I am.

I am...a picky eater.

People always talk about my poor mom and how they don't know how she ever cooked for me and my sisters. But what they don't realize, is that my mom is the reason I am a picky eater. She never cooked with onions, so I don't like onions. And she never cooked spicy food, so I'm not very accustomed to spicy foods. But I am trying to broaden my horizons now. Mock me all you want.

I am... smart.

Ok, so I'm not going to pretend to be some super genius or anything. But I think that I have been labeled as being "the brains of the family". And I know why. Literacy makes kids smarter, right? Well I read a lot as a kid. And do you know why I read a lot as a kid? Because I refused to be shown up by my best friend. In 1st grade, the really good readers got to have their reading time with the 2nd graders, and Courtney Walker was one of those kids. Well I wasn't having any of that. There was no way that she was going to upstage me. So that year I worked really hard to be a good reader, and it stuck with me for the rest of forever. I also think that part of it was because of speech therapy. I was in speech therapy from age 4 to age 12, and I was always really self-conscious about it. I felt like I had to be extra smart in the classroom so that kids didn't think I had to leave everyday b/c I was dumb.

I am... Kelsey.

I say weird things like "holy snaws." I like my four-wheelers and snowmobiles. I'm a morning person. I love music and dancing. I am a sports fan. I love baking. I love Sesame Street music and Care Bears. I have a secret desire to be a beach bum/professional dumpster-diver. I am a student. And I am a Mormon. :) Take it or leave it. This is me. This is who I am.

Just keep running...

Once upon a time I set a goal to run three 5K races this year. This was a big deal for me because I am not a runner in any way, shape, or form. And I am marginal on whether I even want to be a runner. But I did it!!!! I finished my 3rd race this weekend. I was so proud of myself. So now I am going to tell you about my races.

First was the Lewiston Border Run on the 4th of July.

Why it was fun: I did it with my friends Josh and Spencer
Why it was a big deal: This was the first time that I ever ran a legitimate 5K without stopping.
My time: 34:32
Great Story: After the race, there was a parade. But the parade wrapped around like 3 blocks and we were trapped there trying to get out so that I could make it to work on time. Spencer was stressed and Josh was yelling, and I was just trying to figure out why we hadn't anticipated this situation earlier.

Second was the Swift Creek 5K in good Ole' Star Valley

Why it was fun: I ran it with lots of people from my past life.
Why it was a big deal: It was a new PR, by a lot.
My time: 31:38
Great Story: It was freezing cold up the canyon. For the 20-30 minutes that we were all standing at the starting line, I was shaking like a leaf. I thought I was going to get hypothermia and die before the race ever started.


Third was the Top of Utah 5K

Why it was fun: I got to experience what it was like to run a super competitive race.
Why it was a big deal: It's the TOU. Hello. By definition it is a big deal. And I got a freaking awesome shirt from it.
My time: 37:10
Great Story: There was a guy who kept running past me, then slowing to walk, then passing me again. It was super annoying. On the up-hill part of the course, I passed him for reals. I didn't see him cross the finish line, but I'm pretty sure I owned him by a lot.


So now the question is: Should I keep running? To run, or not to run? That is the question. I'm thinking of running the First Dam run in November. But the question with that is whether I should do the fun, easy 5K, or should I actually challenge myself and do the 10K. It's still up in the air.

The Dating Game

For some reason dating seems to be a hot topic as of lately. So I figured I'd blog about it.

Dating is an interesting game. Tonight a friend of mine asked if I am more of a fisherman or the fish. I told him that I'm more like the frog that sits on the log watching everyone else go fishing. So here are some of my thoughts from my observations of the fishing game.

The Hunter, and the Hunted.

Guys say they want girls to just tell them what they think. They say they don't like trying to figure out what in the world we're thinking. Yet, they also say they like the chase. If a girl is too eager or willing to date them, they lose interest in her. Guys, do you want us to tell you that we like you, or do you want us to make you work for it?

The "Friend Zone"

Lately I've heard several guys complaining about the "Friend Zone". The Friend Zone does stink. I always kind of feel bad for guys who are stuck in a girl's Friend Zone. But do guys realize that sometimes girls have the same problem? I mean girls have guy-friends that they like but know would never date them. I think the difference is that girls don't have an official name for that situation like "The Friend Zone" But it really is tricky. I want to say that everyone should give their friends a chance, because everyone wants to marry their best friend, right? But I feel like I am hypocritical by saying so, because I know that there are guys that are in my "Friend Zone".

Hanging Out

We've all heard the talks about how we need to spend more time dating and less time hanging out. I totally agree with this. The problem with hanging out is that it seems to be a never ending cycle. Guys won't ask girls out on dates, so girls just hang out with them. But then, because they are hanging out with them, guys don't have to ask them on dates, so they hang out some more. It is never ending. I don't think I could say if guys ore girls are more responsible for this cycle. But I would say that this cycle is what creates the "Friend Zone" (See previous paragraph).

Love Confessions

This is directly related to the question in "The Hunter, and the Hunted" Should we play hard to get, or should we just tell a person when we like them? I think the biggest fear that people have in confessing their love for someone is that it will freak the person out and they will run away. But let's be honest, as long as they aren't a complete stranger, it can't be that bad. I wish that more people would confess their love fore each other.

"We'll just see if it goes anywhere"

One of the most frustrating things about the dating game is when people say "We'll just see if it goes anywhere" and then don't do anything about it. I hate when people do that. It's like saying, that instead of casting your line into the water, you're just going to sit on the shore and see if a fish jumps into your lap and cooks itself. It's not going to happen. If you like someone and want something to happen, you've got to at least let them know that you're interested. Nothing is ever going to happen if nothing changes.

Welp, there you go folks. There's my soapbox. Now get out there and date.

The feel of an acid-filled bee sting

I was going to post about my whole Labor Day weekend, but instead I decided to just post about this one event because I think it is more interesting.

It begins on a dark night, where a dark man waits... (ok, not really. But can you name that movie???) So a couple years ago I had a wart on my foot from the Jackson Rec Center (don't go swimming there). After 9 months of trying to kill it, I finally went to the doctor and he gave me this medicine that was supposed to make me allergic to the wart virus so that if I ever got one again, my immune system would attack it before it could really do anything. Well now a couple years later, that has proven to be false.

I got a wart on my finger, I think from work. But because I wasn't "supposed" to get warts anymore I just thought it was a really obnoxious sore/scab that just wouldn't go away. It wasn't until about a week ago that the idea of a wart entered my head. So while I was at my sister's house this weekend, my mom went and got a wart remover and decided that we were going to freeze it off (despite my request for the gel wart remover.)

There we were sitting around Bethany's kitchen with Mom trying to freeze my wart, me fighting it, and everyone else enjoying the show. I felt like a 6 year-old getting my teeth pulled out all over again. Every time that my mom went for it, I'd jerk away. After a few minutes of this, Bethany offered these kind words of comfort, "Don't worry Kelsey. It will just feel like a bee sting filled with fluid acid." Thank you for that. That makes me feel a lot better about it. When I still struggled to hold still, Bethany came over, wrapped her arms around me to keep me from moving, and hollered at my mom to hurry and do it.

She let me go, and I was able to hold still on my own. We froze it off. But I wasn't too happy with Cortney standing next to me counting to 20 while I yelled in pain.

I'm pretty sure this is about what I looked like.

The next day we decided to freeze off what I thought was the start of another wart. But because that one had a little crack in the skin, it hurt like none other. My brother-in-law was giving a tour of the house to his brother/brother's fiance while we froze that one off. I'm sure they thought we were absolutely crazy because I was screaming bloody murder. The expression that kept coming to mind was "Oh! For the Love! It burns!" That second wart turned out not to be a wart, but rather just turned into a massive blister.

Moral of the story: Don't get warts...or a bee sting filled with acidic fluid.

Reality Check: School

Remember that time that I was a Freshman and I always tried to pull off the appearance of an upperclassman? Then one day I woke up and I really was an upperclassman. And I thought "Holy snaws! How did that happen?!" Well that day was this week.

School started this week. Another summer bites the dust. As I walked around campus I found it oddly easy to pinpoint the freshmen walking around. That was when I realized that I'm not just a Junior. I'm an upperclassman. That seems so bizarre to me. My college career is half over. I don't feel like I'm that old or mature, but at the same time...I do. It's weird.

So my classes are good. I've got 4 classes plus office hours every day except Friday. Here's a rundown of my schedule: M/W:
Western Swing Class,
Microeconomics,
Office Hours,
Intro to Human Resource Management,
College Algebra.

Then on Tues/Thurs I've got:
Office Hours,
Mission Prep,
Leadership,
Math Recitation,
Natural Disasters.

And Friday I only have Econ and Office Hours. Thank heavens.

Now let's go a little more in-depth. Swing is totally a blast, but I sweat to death by the time I'm done. Econ is Econ; what else is there to say? HR is going to be a really good class. I like the subject, and I've got a really good group to work with all semester. Math: gag me with a spoon.

I like Mission Prep, but it stresses me out. Leadership is going to be such a great class. My teacher is stellar. I like my Recitation leader a lot. And Natural Disasters I think might be annoying b/c people ask stupid, insignificant questions for the whole class period.

All in all, this has the potential to be a great semester. Although, I will be super busy. I'm only a week in and I'm already wondering what I was thinking taking 17 credits, and working both my internship and continuing with my summer job. I know I sound like a lazy/spoiled brat, but how do people do that??? It really is beyond me. Wish me luck!

Knee deep in the water somewhere

A day spent at the lake, is a day lived to it's fullest. Today was one of those days. I spent the day on my uncle's boat with my aunt & uncle, and cousins. We only went ashore to rescue a poor lamb that was caught in the mud.

We got "Chops" out of the mud and carried her up the beach a little ways, and left her with a pile of grass to regain her strength. I felt bad for her. She was exhausted a looking really worn down. But hopefully she made it out alright and doesn't run into any trouble tonight.


We spent the rest of the day on the water. I went knee-boarding a couple times. It was so much fun.

It was super great. We stopped for lunch. And I don't think there is anything better than sitting out on the lake, eating your lunch and listening to some tunes on the big speakers. That really is my own kind of paradise. After lunch, we all jumped in the lake and played some catch with a football.

 I came home looking a little sunburned, but oh so happy. :)

Education Week...BYU-I Style

I love Education week. I don't think I can say that enough. I do. I love all of the different classes that you can go to. They cover everything from doctrinal teachings of the Post-mortal world, to feel-good lectures about how to just be a happier person. You can go to any of them that you want. I really do wish that I had Hermione's time turner though, so that I could attend multiple classes in the same hour. But since I cannot, how about I just tell you about some of my favorite classes?

Phillip Allred did a really good series on death and the spirit world, as well as the resurrection and judgement. I really liked his classes because he used lots of quotes from general authorities to teach, and then he just elaborated and explained them for us. I learned a lot in his class.

I went to another course by Bruce Satterfield about how we developed our divine potential before we came to this earth. That was a really interesting course for me. It was a topic that isn't always well talked about, because there is so much that we don't know about it.

The next class I went to that I really enjoyed was by Ted Bair. It was on the creation, and then a course on the Garden of Eden and the Fall. I really liked that one a lot. That was another one that I learned a lot in. It is interesting to think about, and I agree with the teacher that it will be interesting to know more about it someday.

One of my favorite classes was on the appearances of Christ during the 2nd Coming. That was SO interesting to me. That is something that I've never really understood, but the teacher really clarified it for me. He taught how there will be 4 appearances, and he told us the order that they will be in. I loved it b/c it really helped me understand how it will all work. So cool!

Now, my very most favorite class was a mission-prep type class. Robert Wahlquist taught about preparing for a mission and deciding to serve a mission. It really made me want even more to serve a mission. He told us that the two most important messages that we have to share are that Jesus is the Christ, and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Then he pointed and me and said, "Come up here, which do you want to bear your testimony of?" I chose Christ. So I went up and bore my testimony about Christ. It was actually really good for me, b/c it gave me a little more confidence in my ability to bear my testimony. But it also made me realize that I am lacking on other aspects of my testimony. But still, it was such a good class.

If you can't tell, my favorites are obviously the classes that focus on doctrinal topics. I prefer quotes from general authorities to stories that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. That's just my left brain talking though. All the classes I went to were good. These were just a few of them. I just love Education Week. You just can't go wrong there.

You're my best friend! - you're mine too...

This morning I got an email from Elysha, and it made me cry a little bit. I just love her so much. Then I wondered why all my best friends are gone or leaving. So I decided to dedicate a blog post to my best friends and how great they are.

 Kirsten has been my best friend for the longest. We've been friends since 4th grade when we were both scrawny, four-eyed, buck-toothed little kids. Some of my best memories of Kirsten are playing her Harry Potterr board game, dressing up like superfans, and going to state basketball. We've had countless late night talks in my parents theater room. This is embarrassing, but she taught me everything I know about boys. I even remember her giving me advice on how to go about holding a boys hand. She gave me lots advice on relationships when I was dating my first boyfriend. We have we have common enemies and some common allies. She is a crazy runner and she has inspired me to start running. I remember the first time I really tried running for fun she told me that it was all mind over matter.that advice is what has kept me running. I love Kirsten.

See, Harry Potter nerds for life.

Next up is Jade. Jade and I were roommates my freshman year. But I never appreciated her until we moved to different apartments. Last summer we were inseparable. Some of the best Jade stories are when she crawled around our apartment to take and send to Janel a picture of Janel and the boy she liked. Once she went for a very late night walk, and got to the church before she realized it might not have been a very good idea. And I once saw her rip an entire phone book in half. One of my favorite things about Jade is how she loves everybody, especially boys. It's always kinda fun to keep track which boys she loves at the moment. She also gave me an appreciation for Hello Kitty because she is Asian. She makes the best cupcakes in the whole entire world. Because cupcakes are the happiest food, you could say that Jade spreads happiness. Everything about Jade is great and lovable.

 Last in line is Elysha. Elysha was my FHE sister, then my roommate. When I think of Elysha, I think of laying around my apartment waiting for her to get home so we could get the party started. Or making Amy play the piano for us while we wrote in our journals together. We would always fight because I'm a picky eater and wouldn't eat her food or otterpops. One of My best memories of Elysha is of staying up really late watching the lightening storm and talking. She introduced me to the Logan city library. I still think of her every time I hear the song Friday. One of her special talents that I love so much was her ability to know and love everyone. I swear she could always find someone that she knew or someone who knew someone she knew. Now she is serving a mission in Taiwan and I absolutely love writing and receiving her letters. I would definitely say that I am very much so who I am today because of Elysha. I love her to the moon and back.

 Even though Elysha is in Taiwan, Jade is leaving for Korea, and Kirsten is getting married, they are my best friends and I consider myself so incredibly lucky to be friends with all of them. I don't know what I would do without all of them. I love my best friends so much!!!

Tales of a Human Lobster

Once upon a time I went swimming.

It was fun.

The next day was not fun.

If you can't tell, that is one killer sunburn.

Or the day after. or the day after that.

Now hear me out. I usually allow myself one good sunburn at the beginning of summer just to get my tan going, then I am careful for the rest of the summer. So far in my life that has worked for me. Until now. This sunburn is so bad that it even blistered on top of my shoulder. That has never happened before. Do you know the excruciating pain of having your bra straps rub a second-degree burn all day? I do. It's painful. Very painful. So painful, in fact, that I want to scream every time I move.

Not fun.

It reminds me of the time that I went to Florida, and like a fool thought that as long as I rotated my body often enough I wouldn't get too sunburned. Wrong.

As John Wayne would say "Life is hard. It's harder if you're stupid." I was stupid. I looked like a sun-dried tomato. And it hurt to even wear a shirt. That made for the most uncomfortable plane ride ever.

Moral of the story: wear sunscreen. Being sunburned is possibly the least fun thing ever.

Adventures of a wannabe runner

As many of you know, my best friend Kirsten is a crazy runner and I think she is awesome. Basically my whole goal in life is to be just like her. Ok, not really. But I do think she is pretty awesome. And she does inspire me to run. Therefore I set a goal to run three 5k races this summer. First one is next week. But have I been training? Not really.

 So last week my three friends invited me to go for a 4 mile run with them. At first I thought, "oi. That's a long run. But...maybe it's not THAT long. Ok I'll go." I figured it would probly be a good idea to run once or twice before my race. That was my first mistake. 4 miles is a long run for someone who hasn't ran in like 6 months. My next mistake was thinking that I could keep up with my friends. I was able to keep up with them for the first mile (although we did stop halfway through to stretch). After the first mile I was dying. So I backed off and went my own pace the rest of the way. But I didn't know where the turn-around spot was, and they got so far ahead of me that I couldn't see where they went. So I took a wrong turn and ran 2 blocks before I realized I was going the wrong way. So I turned around and headed home. They all finished 15 minutes before me. It was kinda embarrassing.

The worst part though was the next two days. My legs hurt so bad I didn't even want to walk. They hurt especially bad when I walked down stairs. With every step I would say "ouch. Ouch." and my niece would say "Kewsey what's the matter?" if it didn't hurt so bad, it would've been cute.

The best part was Saturday morning when my legs stopped hurting. I went for another run, but this time only 3 miles and at my own pace. This time I ran 2 whole miles before I had to walk. And even then I only had to walk about 2.5 blocks total off and on. I was so happy and proud of myself. Now I know I can at least make it 5k. Now just to improve my time.

You can just call me Usain Bolt.