Tumblr

I just rediscovered my old tumblr account and I am totally having an awesome time. Granted, I may be on a Harry Potter kick at the moment, but I still am in love. Don't hate Potter, ok? These are some of the fun things I have found and posted to my tumblr:

My tumblr is dedicated to the good things in life. It's all about having fun and enjoying what there is around you. I hope you take a gander and maybe I'll start sharing some more posts with you. 

=) 

My journey.

In preparation for General Conference, I want to share with you a story. I wrote this on mormon.org a while back. It is my story of how I joined the church and how I came to know for myself that this is true: 


 I'm a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was raised in a "non-denominational" church. I grew up being told what to believe and I thought that was normal. I thought everyone believed. As I got into high school, I become friends with members of this church. I was drawn to them. They were always so happy and so effervescent. I wanted to be like that. I wanted to feel what they felt every day.

My older brother received a Book of Mormon from one of these friends and I saw his whole life change as he continued to read from this book. Missionaries came in and out of our house and my brother was baptized. I wanted to see what it was about. I wanted to discover what Taylor had already discovered. I started to read. I felt in every fiber of my being that this was and is the true church of Jesus Christ. I was soon baptized and everything felt amazing.

Sadly, I fell away from the church within a year of my baptism. I became depressed and didn't want anything to do with it. I tried to attend the church I went to before I was baptized but it didn't feel complete. No matter how hard I searched for happiness in that time, I couldn't find it. I was completely lost. I wasn't sure what to believe. I got so low that I felt like life couldn't go on if God didn't tell me what to do. For the first time in a really long time I got down on my knees and prayed. I prayed for strength and direction. I prayed for help.

Within the week missionaries knocked on my door. I was hesitant at first, thinking that God was crazy to send them to my house. But soon my heart was softened. The missionaries were able to convince me to come back to church. One Sunday. That's all they asked. Then before I said yes, they gave me a passage from the Book of Mormon to read. It was Mosiah 27:28-29. It reads, "Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God. My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more."

The impact of that passage was more than I could describe. I was in awe. The words felt like they were meant for me. I wanted the pain to go away. I wanted to "behold the marvelous of God" again. I accepted the invitation to come back to church. My life is so blessed. I am so grateful for the missionaries. Without them, I never would have felt complete in my religion. I feel like everything is where it is supposed to be. The peace felt from being a part of something so amazing trumps anything I have ever felt.


I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is the true church on this earth. I know that God sent his son to live among us and to die for us so that we may return to live with our Father in Heaven. I know that the Book of Mormon is word of God and that Joseph Smith restored the Church with the proper authority. This Church changed my life and I know that if you pray with a sincere heart to learn the truth, it can change yours too. 

You can call me Flex.

BowFlex that is. Nick and I have been trying to live a healthier life style. You know the drill. Eat better. More veggies. More fruit. Less sugar. Blah blah. Work out. Sweat. Be in pain. Blah blah. So, let's focus on that painful part.

We have been surfin the web looking for low price exercise equipment so we don't have to go to the gym around tons of strangers and people who stare. Instead, we want to work out in our garage. Now, I am totally cool with the eating better (every now and then I beg for cookies or frozen yogurt, but who cares?! I want a reward). We've been pretty good this last month in our goals. As far as the exercise goes.... I'm not totally cool with it. BUT I have a super awesome encouraging husband who makes the "work" half better. We bought a Bow Flex Extreme 2 (I think) and I have been fiddling with it for the last three days (three days straight is a record in my book). I am totally feeling the burn.

While I have no idea what I am doing, Nick is throwing work out jargon in my face and it's all going right over my head. We decided that we want to find some good work outs that focus on each muscle in the body and put them together in a binder divided by muscle groups (legs, arms, back, etc.) and then into individual muscles (triceps, biceps, calves, etc.). I'm thinking of putting a "stretches" section in there too.

I think that this binder will be a huge learning experience for me. And while I search the web, please share some sites you know of! It'd be a HUGE help. So, please tell me:


What are your favorite/not-so favorite things about living healthy? 

Friday Nights

The hubs and I try to go out once a week on a date. Sometimes it's Friday, others it's Saturday. But mostly Friday.

Anywho, I found a great idea online somewhere (I totally forgot where...I'm horrible, I know) to make a date jar. What is a date jar? A jar full of date ideas! We sat down last Friday for our at-home picnic date and constructed our own date jar. We decided that on every date we would pull out a new idea and plan for that the next week. So, after our secretive writing and jar filling, we drew a date for this week!

I think I'm going to add a page at the top of my blog so I can update you guys on what we're doing! That way if you're ever in a pickle you can look and see what we do for fun!

I love you! I can't wait to see where this takes us!

First stop, Oakland Temple.

Fall

Ok. So every single year people get all "hooplah" over Autumn.... I must confess, I am one of those people. I mean, people cover up and I don't have to see anything unwanted. But a better reason for the season is all of the festivities.

1. Who doesn't love pumpkin patches?

2. Who doesn't love apple cider and/or hot cocoa?

3. Who doesn't love wearing jeans and boots?

4. HELLO! Fun Fall crafts!

5. Leaves aren't a festivity but you can make them a festivity by jumping in them.


Shoot, my list could go on and on and on and on..... But for now, I'll share some cute outfit pins I have found on Pinterest for Autumn. (and a cute ring for good measure)

Au revoir!

All images can be found on my Pinterest board. I'm too lazy to source these right now. Go there if you want to know. K? =) 

Baby

Last Thursday morning, I woke up to a text from a dear friend saying my sister was going to have her baby any minute. I don't think I ever got dressed so quickly! I left my house with a friend at about 7:30 AM. Boy, was I out of it! But I didn't mind. I got to the hospital and waited and waited until about 9:30 (I normally don't get up until 9 so those two hours were a long wait! Don't hate on me.) and found out she was pushing! My sister was having her baby! I was going to be an aunt! SO awesome! So, we welcomed baby at 10:02 AM. Here she is. Say hi to my niece!

Yes, her onesie says "somebunny loves me." Yes, she is cute. And yes, her pants have a bunny on the butt. 

I love her. 

Me. ABC. Boom. Done.

So, my sister is preparing to give birth any minute, so this is all I have for you. While I get to know my new baby niece, you can get to know me. See ya later! 

PS. Everyone is doing it. And by "it" I mean this A-Z fact thing. It's fun! You should do it too! K bye! 





Age: 20
Bed size: CalKing baby! It's divine.
Chore you hate: Vacuuming the stairs. Hate. It.
Dogs: I am totally in love with animals. I am a cat person though. Not to hate on the barkers! I have always looooved dogs.
Essential start of your day: Prayer.
Favorite color: Blue and yellow. (and sometimes pink.)
Gold or silver: SILVER
Height: 5'6"
Instruments I play (or have played): Violin, marimba, xylophone, chimes... any percussion keyboard pretty much. I dabble on piano and guitar.
Job title: Stay at home wifey.
Kids: Someday, please.
Live: in Cali!
Mom's name: Cathy.
Nickname: Kels.... (real original. haha. but don't call me that. it's for special people only. sorry) The hubs calls me all kinds of names like the Kelsinator, sweetheart, muffin... etc.
Overnight hospital stays: none of my own.
Pet peeve: When people don't do things they said they would.
Quote from a movie: All of Moulin Rouge.
Right or left handed: Righty.
Siblings: 2 bros. 4 step sistahs.
Time you wake up: When my hubs gets up for work. Then I go back to sleep and wake up an hour or two later.
Underwear: The kind that doesn't ride up please.
Vegetables you dislike: Cooked carrots, broccoli, and a few more. But those two mostly.
What makes you run late: The fact that I change my outfit at least 3 times before deciding what to wear.
X-rays you've had done: Teef.
Yummy food you make: French toast.... desserts. Anything sweet.
Zoo animal: Leopard! and flamingos.

Family Home Evening

I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints when I was 16 years old. So, I never grew up with this weekly FHE thing. Honestly, I had no idea what the fuss was all about. I would think to myself Why on earth would you spend time together at the same time every single week? That's just weird. I totally overlooked it and never made the effort to focus on spending time with my family. I don't want you guys to think I didn't spend time with them. We played many board games and laughed and watched movies and hung out all the time. But the idea of family home evening kind of sounded like mandatory fun.

So, four years went by and now I'm married to my best friend. We have regular family home evenings. I crave that time we have together. It's just as awesome as our date nights. So why the change of heart? Soon after we were married, we bought a book called Family Home Evening for Newlyweds by Deborah Pace Rowley. I still didn't understand what the fuss was. I mean, we spent every evening together. Why should we call Monday nights something special? When we got the book, I sat down to uncover the mysteries of FHE. As I flipped through the 80+ ideas in the book, I found my heart fluttering with excitement. I read new ways to learn about my eternal companion, ways to strengthen my testimony, and ways to grow in love and friendship. I couldn't wait until Monday. Ever since I opened that book, we have had steady family home evenings and I cherish the moments we spend together during that time. It's an evening to learn and grow together. An evening set aside to uplift and challenge each other. An evening to move forward in building the future of Zion and preparing ourselves for eternity. It's an evening I love more than ever. 

I am grateful for my husband. I am grateful for the gospel. I thank my Heavenly Father for the growth I feel every time we have a spiritual discussion. Those discussions and little revelations would never have happened if we didn't set aside time to spend together. 

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church on this earth. I know that Jesus Christ died so that we may all live with our Heavenly Father again. I know that families can be together now and for all eternity. And for these things, I am grateful. 

Wants

Last night as I crawled into bed to cuddle with the hubs, I couldn't stop thinking about how other people are influencing my life. I thought about all of my friends who are parents now or expecting. I thought about all of those couples celebrating their (insert number here) anniversary. I realized how much those people have actually influenced my wants. I "want" to celebrate our anniversary. I "want" to have a baby.

When it comes down to it, I really don't. I have been living through the wants of others and it's tiring. As I was laying in the arms of my beloved, I realized what I actually, truly want. I want to live my life focusing on the now. I haven't been married for five years or one year or six months or even four months. We are still newlyweds and that is what I want. It's what I need. I need to strengthen what I have. I am so in love with my husband. I want to cherish this new adventure we have together before we add to our little family or even before that one year anniversary.

So many people have been asking me how the married life is. Let me tell you.

Married life is a learning process. It's full of fun and joy. It's full of love and laughter. Pain and challenge. Hurt feelings and honest apologies. I feel like every single day is an adventure waiting to happen. Every new discovery makes my heart leap. Every time I let my guard down, he is there for me. We are there to teach and to learn from each other. I love being married. I love the challenges it brings, the day-to-day nonsense, the steady date nights, the constant love and affection. But most of all, I love that I have my best friend by my side forever.


And that's all I want.

Happy Birthday.

Can you believe that this pup is TWO?! Because I can't. My little brother is two and I can't even celebrate with him. Last year, for his first birthday we got together with his brother to celebrate. Cupcakes and all (although I don't really think that's good for him...). It's also a bittersweet day because his other brother passed away one year ago. We all didn't think he would make it to one, but he showed us! Stubborn little guy.

Well, here's to you, boys and girl. Dexter, Gunner, Marleau, and Isis. We miss you, Mar. Happy birthday.

You still couldn't open those beautiful eyes of yours.

Isis, Gun, and Deckie aka besties

Rest in peace, Mar. We all miss you.

The day we brought you home

Never gettin tired of our cameras

You always made us play with you. No matter what....

Always taking on bigger things.

Or smaller things...

Always with your BFF, Gus

Miss you, Booger. You brought so much excitement in the world. By excitement, I kind of mean terror, but I love you anyway.
Happy birthday.

Au revoir. 

Music Memories

Thanks to Lauren over at Busy Bee Lauren, I have a great idea for a post. Here are some wonderful memories and/or feelings brought by songs. It's amazing that music can be so nostalgic.

"I Want You" - Savage Garden

When I was little, my parents were really really close friends with another military family. My brothers and I were the same age as their kids. It was like instant best friends. One weekend they came to visit and we had a yard sale. The whole time, we were outside listening to Savage Garden on a tape and playing with all of the stuff set out for sale. Basically, this song reminds me of all of the awesome memories I have with that amazing family. 

"Snap Yo Fingers" - Lil Jon (Clean version) 

This song was the song that changed my life. A little dramatic? Eh, so be it. In high school I showed up super reserved and quiet. When I heard this song, I couldn't stop from snappin' my fingahs. My inner thug came out and I became more open with dancing and with everything pretty much. I owe my awkward outgoing-ish personality to this song. To this day, people still quote some Lil Jon lyrics in my honor. 

"For Good" - Wicked Soundtrack

This song is dedicated to few of my friends. Friends that I have loved and lost. Friends that always have a spot in my heart. One friend I didn't lose completely. She is one of my very best friends. No matter the distance, she's always there. We always pick right back up where we left off. We sang this song together for an audition and I couldn't ask for a better partner. I miss you, friend. And to those that I have loved and lost, I am very fond of the memories we share. Thank you. 

"Testify to Love" - Avalon

More often than not I have this song stuck in my head. But who's complaining? I grew up listening to this song. The summer before my freshman year of high school Avalon came to our county fair. And the show was FREE! Holy crap. I about had a heart attack. I got into the fair for free for having some of my homemade jam in a contest. So, I went with my 4H friend to the fair. We caught the band checking out the rabbit tent and long story short I had a wicked bruise from tripping over the bleachers trying to follow them. One of the best days ever. 

Austin Powers Theme Song

I went on a cruise with amazing people. As our parents were out doing adult things on the ship, the six or so of us kids were doing super fun things. Like attending an Austin Powers dance class. Best. Class. Ever. Only three of us were brave enough to get onstage to get groovy, baby. I was among those three. And boy, did I get groovy! Every time I hear or see Austin Powers in any way, I think of this song and the bonding of awesome dancing. 

"Hey, Soul Sister" - Train

One hot summer night, driving home from a YSA soccer activity with Nick, we were rocking out to the radio. We were best friends. I knew at this point that I loved him. All I wanted was to be with him. This song came on the radio and he started singing and dancing his heart out. Something magical happened. I was in the passenger seat, laughing and watching him. Feeling my love for him grow more and more by the second. He glanced over and I could see it in his eyes that he felt the same way. I knew he loved me. 

I have a lot more songs and memories that I could share with you, but I think that's a good note to leave on. =) So, while I am basking in my love, tell me some songs that you hold dear. I would love to listen! 

Until next time, friends. 

Au revior. <3