I Hate To Be Negative But November Is By Far The Worst Month For College Students

It's the truth.  It's the worst month of the entire year if you're a college student.  It's when the semester starts to wrap up with papers and projects coming out the wazoo!  It's also when college students start cramming in last minute extra credit and start studying for finals (or at least start thinking and stressing about finals).  Then if you're me, or crazy like me, you start a new job, volunteering, and new weekly medical treatments during this last month of the semester.  Because you know that November is supposed to be the craziest/hardest month of the semester, so you should probably try to make it crazier/harder in any way possible.  Because you're just smart like that. Not to mention that Novemember is when it starts to get super dark and cold and wintry.  Which means walking in the cold, windy, and snowy wetness of winter.  And if you're anything like me, all you can think about is how you probably won't see the sun again until April.  If you're lucky.

That's why I am so glad that Thanksgiving is in November.  Because if it wasn't, I would just continue on with all of my crazy negativity and stressing.  It gives me a chance to look at life and be like "Yes it's crappy, but it could be worse.  It could be raining." (I had to throw a Young Frankenstein quote in.  Just for fun).  It gives me a chance to look for the silver lining in the clouds of November that life really is good, and even all of my challenges have good things about them.  And it gives you an excuse to take a break for a couple of days and stuff your face with food and chill with family.

Yay for Thanksgiving!  I can't wait!

First's, Thank You's, and Other Randomness

I've had some firsts this week.

First time going to the gym all by myself at night in the big city.

First time going running. (A result of being scared to death by the above first. Those of you who know me know that I do NOT run.  Ever.  I think my mom thought I'd gone crazy or was sick or got replaced by someone else because her daughter doesn't run.)

First time going bike riding. (In a LONG time).

First time getting on the wrong shuttle. (No worries though, I had plenty of time and eventually got where I was going.)

First homework assignment at the U.

First time class has been cancelled for a football game. (And to answer the question you must be asking, no I didn't go.)

First job interview. (In a long time.)

First time writing a resume. (In a long time.)

First time going up to my grandparent's land and camping. (In a long time.)

First time helping/watching my uncle and cousin figure out how to turn around a horse trailer.

First time waiting until after dark to help pick up my other uncle and cousin from their horseback riding expedition.

First time going up to "the land" without my allergies driving me crazy.  (Thank you knock-off Walgreens Claritin.)

First time going to a church that was so full that I got pushed into the corner of the Relief Society room for sacrament meeting, heard my uncles phone go off to the Steve Miller Band, and watched kids guess what a lady was drawing on the white board and then vigorously erase the drawing.

First time driving rush hour traffic on a Friday evening past a car accident.

First time getting locked out of my apartment.

First quizzes of the new semester.

Not everything this week was a first.  I got to hang out with Grandma H. just the two of us which we've been able to do more often lately.  I really like hanging out just the two of us.  Thanks for inviting me up for the weekend Grandma! And feeding me good food that I didn't have to cook myself.  You're awesome!

I also need to shout out a big Thank You to Aunt Judy for inviting me over to Sunday dinner a couple of weeks ago and again sending me home with lots of yummy, healthy food.  This isn't the first time you've been so kind to me and I'm sure it won't be the last.

I've gotten so many invites for dinner and to help out if I need anything that I know I'm going to be set for a long time.  I feel so loved and I can't wait to hang out with all of my family on such a personal basis.  I feel so blessed.  I know I've got so many people looking out for me.  I think that's probably the only reason my Mom hasn't gone crazy is because she know's I've got such a great support system with my wonderful family who are there in case I need anything.  It's comforting for me too.

Just in case this post wasn't long enough for you, I thought I'd add in a link to Kid History - Episode 6.  I love Kid History and this episode featured some smoothies that reminded me of one of my cousins classic "Green Smoothies" which I love but the kids reactions to them are so funny.

Song for the long weekend:
"Take a Back Road" - Rodney Atkins

Awesome weekend

This past weekend was amazing!

First my roomies came down to the sunny south to visit! They came early in the morning so we could play before I had to work that afternoon. We ha breakfast at Dennys and while we waited forever for our food we talked and laughed and caught up on old times. After breakfast we went to walmart to make a care packet for one of our awesome roomies who wasn't able to make the trip. While there we browsed through walkways super collection of $5 movies, played with the toys (so many tangled toys!) we stopped and smelled the candles, looked at the fake flowers, and took pictures with lamp shades on our heads! Yeah we're super silly! I had so much fun and it brought me back to last year! I love and miss those girls so much! I want to go back to my home away from home with my family away from family!

After work my family and I played an epic game of monopoly. I won for the first time ever! Yeah I kicked their butts! I was so happy!

Then on Sunday I got a ride to church with my super handsome neighbor and his friends sat by me during sacrament meeting. This is the first time since moving down that somebody has sat with me during sacrament and it meant more to me then they'll probably ever know. Then I taught my first Sunday school lesson. So intimidating! There were so many people in my class! I don't think I made much sense during my lesson I was kind of all over the place (it was kind of like random thoughts with Kelsi guided by the lesson manual and the spirit). And I was shaking like crazy during the whole lesson!  I learned a lot while preparing for the lesson, I just don't know that I was able to transfer everything I learned to my huge intimidating class. But it's over (for a week at least). I guess this is a chance for me to develop a new talent for teaching?

Choclate and Ice Cream fixes everything!

Sometimes chocolate and ice cream and listening to good music is all that keeps me sane! 

The Great White North . . . Continued . . .

I had a great time in the Great White North.  I learned a lot.  Like the U of U is HUGE! (Seriously, I got lost driving on campus, walking on campus, and walking in buildings.  Have you ever been in their library?  It's huge, there's a freaking restaurant in there.  Walking through the library reminded me of walking through an airplane terminal.  WOW!)

Parking is pretty much impossible to find in the Great White North, especially if you're looking for free parking.  Just saying.  Gas is less expensive there though (which made me happy!) 

While I was there I didn't get nearly enough/as much looking for housing and jobs done as I was hoping (but then again I do tend to set unrealistic expectations up for myself a lot ok most of the time).  But I did find some good stuff that I was looking for. I applied at a lot of jobs but haven't heard anything back yet, so I guess we'll see. 

I ended up spending most of my time there practicing my big city driving skills and figuring out where things are in relation to each other (have I ever mentioned that I'm directionally challenged?  Because I am.  I even got lost WITH the GPS!) I was able to kind of figure out where things are located in the Great White North and where to get on and off the highway(s) and stuff like that.  

I also spent a lot of time with my family.  My Grandma had her 77th Birthday HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA! So I got to hang out with her and do cool things like watch Tangled until 11:30 pm and go shopping at Kolhs and Walmart and eat at yummy places like the Olive Garden.  She was so kind as to invite me up to her house for the night and we played Mexican Train with the Garfield family.  At the Olive Garden I got to hang out with most of the family, which I hadn't done in a long time.  I learned a lot about my extended family and was able to develop a relationship with them separate from my nuclear family, which was kind of cool I'm not gonna lie.  I also got to hang out a lot with Judy and Wes and I really enjoyed hanging out with them.

Basically the weekend was amazing and I learned a lot of things I wasn't expecting to learn even though I didn't accomplish everything I expected to accomplish.  But that's the way life goes a lot of the time.  Overall, I deem this past weekend a SUCCESS!   

Creativity

I've been listening to this every morning as I get ready for classes and it has got me thinking about creativity.  I have never really thought of myself as a creative person, as a matter of fact I've pretty much always pictured myself as an epic failure at anything remotely creative. 

I play the piano and I play beautifully when it's just for myself, but I epically fail at it whenever anyone else listens (which totally makes it sound like I'm lying about the fact that I can play at all, but I really can, I just freeze up whenever anyone else is around.) But I enjoy playing for myself, and I will play for others when called upon. 

I have never been one for art.  First graders draw better than me.  I'm still learning to color in the lines.  My 4th grade teacher even sat down and gave me a "private lesson on how to color in the lines" once.  Yeah.  I'm that good.

I loved to sew clothes and cross stitch when I was younger.  I fancied myself a little pioneer.  I wasn't very good, but I enjoyed it.  I kind of want to start sewing up again.  I made a quilt this summer and I semi-recently bought some new patterns for clothes.

I love writing/storytelling but again, I'm not super good at it.  If I try to hand write anything, no one else can read it (handwriting was the one thing that was consistently on my report card through out elementary school that I needed to improve on, K-6th grade) and I have this nasty tendency to completely ignore/make-up my own spellings/words/grammar (thank goodness for computers/spell check).  And I don't really like other people reading my writing (that's the hardest part about this blog, I'm putting it out there for anyone to read and judge) because I don't like people correcting/editing/judging my work (and therefore me.  I'm super logical like that.  If anyone tells me I spelled a word wrong I think that means they hate me) but I'm getting better at it.  And I'm really bad at finishing my writing (I'm really good at starting my writing though!) But I enjoy writing lots of different things, stories, poems, thoughts, quotes, journal entries, and blog posts.

I love to cook and I also love to eat.  I'm still a slow cooker (wait, that's not what I meant to say) It takes me a long time to make a meal (I pretty much have to double preparation times on most meals) and I make a lot of mistakes but I really enjoy it anyway.  Eating has always rocked my socks.  I'm not really sure if eating is creative though...

I blog (no really?) which I suppose is somewhat creative, as is journaling. 

I'm not really creative in any other way though.  And I'm not great at the creative projects I do pursue.  But through listening to these thoughts on creativity I'm learning that it's not really about being the best or most creative at whatever creative pursuits you do.  It's about enjoying the process of creating and knowing that it was through your effort that something new was made, no matter the quality.  I'm learning to just enjoy creating no matter the quality of the end result.  As long as I'm enjoying it, nothing else matters. 

Taylor Swift and Jane Austen

Ok let's be honest, I'm a super girly-girl. 

Yep, I'm that girl who thinks that every Taylor Swift song describes her life.

I secretly wish I was Elizabeth Bennett and I wonder when my "Mr. Darcy" is going to come.

I love Chick Flicks.  (Even though I thought Letter's to Juliet was a little over the top)

One of my all time favorite quotes is "Next to being married, a girl likes to be crossed in love a little now and then."

I'm kind of a hopeless romantic.

One of my all time favorite General Conference articles is this one. 

I'm a huge fan of ice cream.

I also love chocolate.

I also love  food in general (you know, with the exception of most fruits, some dairy, and almost all drinks besides water.  But really I'm not picky.)

I love the color pink, like alot.

But that's really who I am, like it or not, right or wrong.