"Does this needle make my blood seem thick?" and other concerns

When you go to the hospital as often as I do you learn things about your body that you couldn't learn otherwise. Nurses and doctors often make comments about my body that I'm not exactly sure how to take like:

• "You have really thick tissue." Umm, what exactly does that mean? What tissue are you talking about? Fat tissue? Skin tissue? Vein tissue? Do I need to do something about my thick tissue? Or is that just your excuse for not being able to start an IV? Is that why needles hurt me so badly?

• "You have veins that roll, are a mile deep, and shrink." Umm, I'm sorry my veins suck. I didn't even know that my body was a mile deep ;). What would you like me to do to fix these problems? I've asked my veins to stay still, come to the surface, and stay big; so far they haven't complied. When I design my next body I'll request good veins and thin tissue ;) Once again I can't help but wonder if this is really my fault or if you just suck at your job.

• "Wow your jugular vein doesn't go all the way down to your heart on this side!" Yet again God decided to play a cruel trick on my doctors and nurses and not place veins where they are supposed to be.

• "Your port moves, is slanted, is almost impossible to access, and clots over easily. It's probably because the surgeon placed it in breast tissue not "other" tissue and you have so many platelets in your blood." I'm sorry that I have big boobs and the surgeon chose to place my port near them (and near my heart which I think was the actual goal). And I'm sorry I have a blood disorder that causes my blood to break down quickly and causes me to have a high platelet count. Dang genetics - they ruin everything ;). How would you like me to fix these problems?

• "Your blood is really thick today." Umm, is that a good thing or a bad thing? What effects the thickness of my blood? Is that the thick tissue you were talking about?

• "You have lots of scar tissue." What can I say, you weren't the first person to try to poke me there and you probably won't be the last.

I guess that's the difficult thing about having an imperfect body it makes things difficult for the doctors and nurses to do their job. It's not their fault my body is so difficult. But it's not my fault either. So I can't blame them and they can't blame me.

Funny Stories

Sometimes I wonder if we take security a little too far.  A little while ago I read this article about a Mass. woman says TSA confiscated frosted cupcake | ksl.com and it reminded me of this SNL skit http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/4x9d.  So I thought I would share it.  Enjoy.  :)

To Put It Bluntly - Your Liver Isn't Going To Kill You - Your Heart Is Going To Kill You

Part of my parents smooth talking to get me out of the hospital last week was that I had to agree to go to the doctors office to prove to them that - you know - I hadn't died yet.

So I did.

I went to the doctor's office, hoping there wouldn't be another crazy adventure like the week before.  My doctor, Dr. P. came into my room and he looked at me incredulously "What happened?"

I didn't know what to say.  "Well, I came for my regular doctors appointment and they drew my blood and an hour later they were freaking out and wanting to admit me to the hospital."

Dr. P. sat down in the chair next to mine and said in his awesome heavy czech accent "Kelsi I want you to understand something.  I'm not worried about your liver.  Your liver could kill you, but it won't.  To put it bluntly - your liver isn't going to kill you - your heart will."

"Oh.  Ok."

Dr. P. then continued on to explain to me about how he wrote the reference sheet about PKD that all the other doctors read to find out about PKD when someone weird like me comes in.  So all the other doctors don't know what they're talking about.

Basically, my Dr. P. is the Dr. House of hematology. (You know minus the drug addiction, the limp, the getting the diagnosis wrong the first three times of diagnosising and the patient almost dying and the amazing good looks. And he also has more than one patient per week, which is sad for me because it would be awesome if I was my doctors only patient.)

Dr. House is so attractive!

Actually I really do believe him that most other doctors don't know what they're talking about when it comes to someone weird like me.  I'm a rarity.  That's why I get to play fun games like "Stump The Medical Student" or "Stump the Nurse" or "Stump The Nurse Practitioner/Physicians Assistant" or "Stump The Doctor".  I'm confusing.  I make them panic.  I shouldn't be functioning like I function.  I really should be dead.  I actually didn't have to explain to Dr. P. about what my blood disorder is and what my normal treatment is and such.  He already knew it all.  Plus some more. Which is great for me.

Dr. P. continued to tell me about the necessity of getting rid of my iron - so that my heart doesn't kill me.  The good news is that I'm not going to die anytime soon - contrary to what I heard on Thursday.

Just a refresher my liver isn't going to kill me

I have one of the two organs pictured here and that organ isn't going to kill me.

 But my heart will kill me (if we don't do something about it.  So we're doing something about it.)

The organ that might actually kill me.

When I Feel Fine I'm Dying And When I Feel Like I'm Dying I'm Fine

At least, that's what some doctors (who were treating me at the time) told me the other day.

I went to my routine doctors appointment.  My blood was drawn like normal and then I waited for a shot of medication and to hear if I was going to be bled today.

I waited for an hour.

Then a lady in a white doctors coat called my name.  I walked over to her thinking that she was just going to take me to get my shot like she was supposed to. Her words stopped me cold "We're admitting you to the hospital right now."

"What? Why?  I don't even feel sick." You know, except for the strange sinking sensation in my stomach, but I think that was just from the information I was hearing.

"Yeah your billirubin doubled and we think your kidneys are going to fail."

"Oh.  Ok."  I know, great response. She walked away to arrange me going up to the hospital while I walked, dazed, over to the window while reaching for my phone. I called my parents, still confused. "Hey I'm getting admitted to the hospital.  Just thought you might want to know."

"What?  Why?" (My response exactly!)

"Um, apparently my billirubin doubled in the past two weeks and my organs are going to be failing or something. I don't know, something dumb like that.  Honestly, I'm kind of confuzzled about the whole situation."

"Ok well let us know what's going on and we'll get there when we can."

"Alright."  A few minutes later I was ushered into a patient room and told to wait.  You see they had already filled out all the paper work to get me admitted to the hospital there just weren't any available beds.  I was ok with this because I felt fine so I wasn't really in any sort of rush to get up to the hospital.  The way I saw it, they should probably save those beds for someone who was actually feeling sick.  But apparently I would be feeling sick soon.  At least I assumed that I'd feel sick if my organs started failing.  But what do I know?  Apparently my organs have failed before, but I don't really remember those moments, but I assume I felt sick before said organ failure.  But we all know what assuming does.

So I waited some more in the patient room.  I texted my parents, my roommates, surfed the internet on my iPod, and I even took pictures on my iPod. This nice skinny little brunette nurse practitioner came into the room and introduced herself to me.  She said I was being admitted to the hospital, which I already knew.  I could tell she was super nervous, like hyperventilating nervous. She asked me how I was feeling.

"Fine.  I don't feel sick at all."

Yeah.  She didn't believe me.

She listed off symptom after symptom.

"Nope I don't have that symptom."

"Haven't noticed that symptom."

"I feel good.  No complaints."

 She asked me "So when did you first notice you were jaundice?"  Well that's a tough question for me to answer, you know, considering I've always been yellow.  So I told her that.  "Well when did you first notice you were getting more yellow than usual?"

"Umm, I didn't."

"Well had anyone mentioned it to you?"

"Well my mom did tell me I should ask what my billirubin is today..."  Ms. Nurse Practitioner laughed so hard.

I asked her "So exactly what are you guys going to do to get rid of the billirubin?  And how long am I going to be hospitalized?"

"I don't know on either count.  They (the doctors upstairs in the actual hospital portion of the building)are looking on the internet to try and figure out what they're going to do with you. And I don't know how long you'll be in the hospital. Oh and your doctor is out of the country . . . actually I don't know where he is or when he'll get back or how to get a hold of him . . . so you'll have a different doctor."

(Why are my doctors always out of the country whenever anything exciting happens to me?)


"Oh.  Ok." (Don't I have just the best responses?) Ms. Nurse Practitioner continued on to see if she could feel my spleen.  That was actually my bad.  I always forget to tell people that I'm missing a spleen.  And they always freak out when they find out.  And Ms. Nurse Practitioner was no exception.

"Oh ok.  I did see these scars over here (pointing to my gall bladder surgery scars) so I wondered."

"Haha actually those scars are from when my gall bladder was removed."

"What?!?!  No spleen or gall bladder?!?!  You've had a lovely life haven't you?" She continued to comment on just how jaundice I was looking - even the inside of my mouth was yellow.  "The good thing about being yellow is that you already have your Halloween costume." She laughed and then continued on to tell me about the time she had to put leeches on a guy who had his big toe surgeically removed to replace his toe. Yeah.

Then she asked my favorite question "Why are you in such a good mood?"

Hmm well let's think about that for a second.  Maybe, just maybe, it could be because I don't feel sick. Maybe.

Maybe it's because this is kind of a funny situation to be in - feeling fine and being admitted to the hospital.  I mean, it's a little bit of a weird situation.  Maybe it's because I was either because I was going to cry because I was nervous about being in this odd situation, or I was going to laugh about it.  I'd prefer to laugh.  Or maybe it's because every time I go to the doctor with my dad and he's nervous he makes jokes and laughs about it.  It's his coping mechanism.  I think it's mine too now. I'm used to laughing in weird situations like being at the emergency room from midnight until 3 am.  The only way I know how to deal with it is to laugh through it. Maybe it's because I was kind of bored and again, I'm like my dad in the fact that when I get bored I start making jokes and laughing.

I always find myself nervously smiling/laughing at my new doctors office.

Soon I found myself going upstairs to the hospital and to my room.  The room was completely dark and the nurse who took me there just left me in the dark room.  So I set down my purse and started looking for light switches. You wouldn't think it would be that hard.  It was.  I swear they were all hidden.  The one light switch I could find was painted bright red.  If there is one thing I've learned in my life it is that you NEVER flip the RED light switch.  It's just the rule.  Any TV show or movie you watch nothing good comes from touching/flipping the red light switch.  It's just common sense. If you flip the red switch something bad has to happen.  It's like inviting armageddon to begin, right there in your hospital room.  Or there is going to be a drop door that will appear the second you flip the red switch and you're going to fall to your certain death.  Or a pack of wild dogs will be released and start attacking you if you flip the red switch. Or (probably more likely) there will be a loud alarm that will sound and I'll be surrounded by security or maybe doctors and nurses in a panic who think that I'm dying right that second, if you flip the red switch.  So because I knew nothing good could come from flipping the red switch I decided to search the room for another switch.  I didn't find one before the nurse came in saying "You must be so bored you're wandering around here."

Don't Flip It!

Light Switch Of Death!

"No, actually I just can't figure out how to get the lights on."

Yeah, all I had to do was flip the red light switch.

Eventually, my hosptital doctors came in. They reiterated the fact that my doctor was in some undisclosed/unreachable/unknown location and then they asked me what was up. I explained the whole situation, they listened. After deliberating why I had been taken off some medication last month, deliberating about my cold the previous week, and asking me about my (practically non-existent) "glucose-diet" ("You mean the one where I'm supposed to drink soda - which I hate - and eat candy bars - which I love?") They determined that I probably wasn't going to die (whew!) but that they wanted to keep me over night - you know - so that they could watch if I did die (but they weren't going to do anything to prevent me from dying).  Thanks to some smooth talking from my parents, I was able to break out of there and not stay over night.  (YAY!) My parents are way better at talking to doctors than I am.  I think I'm going to have to work on that.

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

Quick Political Thoughts

Recently I was on stumbleupon, which is one of my favorite time waster/procrastinator/boredom buster sites ever.  While there I stumbled upon this Amazing Blog Post which pretty much sums up America's problems nice and neatly into one little letter.  I couldn't agree more with Professor O'Hare so I had to share.

I also recently found a new favorite quote:

"Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman are both Mormons.  One of them could be the next President.  The other one is Jon Huntsman." - Stephen Colbert

Big University, Big City, Little Lessons, and my Little Playlist

Did you know that the University of Utah campus is 6 times bigger than the BYU campus?

I didn't.

But I learned that this week in Institute.

Institute is amazing by the way.

Just in case you were wondering.

I would recommend the Gospel and the Productive Life class.

We're only two classes in and my mind has already been blown away.

Seriously.

People on big campuses and in big cities don't say hi to people as they walk by.

And they look at you like your insane if you say hello to them.

True story.

 I not only found all of my classes, the library, and the institute building but I also found the grocery store this week, all by myself.

I was impressed.

I'm starting to recognize people from my ward, institute class, and classes.

I rode the bus to class for the first time ever in my entire life.  (OK, so it was actually a campus shuttle and I was already on campus, but I'm counting it, because I really have never rode the bus to school).

I'm going to have super strong leg muscles by the end of the year from walking to class.

I've already had more mail the past week then I had all last year.

Applying for jobs is a pain.

But a necessary pain.

On my to do/see list:

• Temple Square/Downtown Salt Lake/Church Headquarters
• Ride Trax
• London Store

My Playlist this week:
"Don't Forget To Remember Me" by Carrie Underwood (my theme song from when I moved away to SUU)

"Holding On" by Cherie Call (my theme song from when I moved to St. George)

"Movin' Out" by Billy Joel (because it's about moving, sort of, it has a good beat, and I just like it!)

"Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift (my theme song for moving this week. i'm also learning how to play this on the piano.)

"This One's For The Girls" by Martina McBride (this one came out when I was 13 and my mom related to the 42 part even though she wasn't that old then, now I relate much better to the 25 part.)

"A Place In This World" by Taylor Swift (because I still feel this way sometimes)

"Lessons Learned" by Carrie Underwood (because I have a feeling I'll be learning lessons in this chapter of my life like I have been my whole life)

"Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood (because all of us are in a "temporary home" and in a temporary stage in life and no matter how good or bad it is, it's temporary)

"Uncharted" by Sara Bareilles (because all of this change is uncharted for me).

So that's life so far this week.

Adventure número UNO in NYC

My family an I were blessed to be able to visit NYC but personally I think we experienced more miracles and adventures on the way home from the big apple.

Miracle número UNO: making it to the airport after a two hour shuttle ride around the city picking people up, blocking traffic, and crazy traffic. But we made it.

Miracle número two: we arrived in the terminal about five minutes before 6 pm. Our flight wasn't scheduled until 7:30.

Miracle número tres: empty seats on the flight to Boston that was scheduled to leave at 6.

Miracle número quatre: mom listened close enough to the announcement about being able to get on the 6 o'clock flight to Boston before the storm.

Miracle número five: our seats on the flight ended up being close together and close to the back.

Miracle número six: Peter the perky flight attendant. And that's where our story gets fun! :) like I said Peter was our absolutely hilarious sweddish and gay flight attendant. We were stuck on the tarmac for two hours because of the said storm but it was honestly an enjoyable experience because of Peter. He was talking to us and telling us how he'd prayed that the flight would be grounded and that he was going to have a good talk with god but that he wouldn't pray to him. Then he was talking to my dad and said "I'm looking at you, and you're not perfect". To which my dad replied "I'm perfect, at least that's what my wife says." That cracked Peter up, as well as my family. Peter kept saying "wow I've met a perfect man. He says he's perfect. I'll never forget you, the perfect man." So flirting with my dad! We all just laughed! He also was kind enough to give us drinks and entertain us with tales of how he could've been a cruise ship director and of Orlando.  I think he helped everyone feel better about life on the terminal.

Miracle numero seven: We took off just early enough to MAYBE make our connecting flight. 

Miracle numero eight: Dad was sitting next to another flight attendent, who was kind enough to text her flight attendent friends who were on our connecting flight and ask them to hold the flight so that we could make it.

Miracle numero nine: After running through the terminal, we made it just in time to make our connecting flight! Because of this we were able to make it home in time to get some sleep, then get to work.

NYC!

I have been mentally writing/composing about a bazillion blog posts while in NYC this past week! I have a ton of pictures to share and a lot of stories too!  I honestly don't even know where to begin.  Here's the beginning of a bunch of EPIC posts!  I even changed my background to Central Park in honor of all the awesome New Yorkness headed your way.  The upcoming pictures and stories aren't in any particular order, just how they popped into my head!  Enjoy!  :)

That Awkward Moment When You Accidentally Call The Middle East...

Yeah... let's just say that people at work need to write area codes more clearly... or somebody might mistake a 7 for a 2 and call the wrong number... and that number just might be in the middle east...

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?

The second I read this headline, I knew it was going to be a hilarious article!

Palin: I didn't `mess up' Paul Revere history - ksl.com Palin didn't disappoint!  Just had to share!  :)

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!   

Pre-Date Jitters

That's right I have a date tonight...the first in a long time. Of course as soon as I woke up this morning I jumped up and went to my closet to pick out the perfect outfit...nice but casual. I helped my roommate pick out a perfect outfit as well, jewelry and everything. Then we cleaned the house.  And cleaned.  And cleaned. And cleaned.  Then we got ready.  Katie was kind enough to do my hair for me, cute curls.  As I waited I felt super nervous.  I don't know this guy.  My roommates don't know this guy.  He is my roommates friends roommate.  Luckily, KC ended up being very nice. We had yummy fondue (which the guys ended up experimenting with, of course) and played What If? and told stories.  It was a fun, casual date.  I hope to do more of those more often. 

Thourghly Terrific Thursdays

We like to ride electric shopping carts on Thursdays.  Why? 1. It's service 2. We're awesome like that.

Wacky Wednesdays

We like to spend our Wednesday nights at Institute Missionary nights wearing funny hats and watching Les Miserables (which in my opinion is the best play ever! no questions asked!)  How do you like to spend your Wednesdays?

Just Another Manic Monday

It's Monday and sometimes on Mondays you were red fuzzy socks that don't match your brown and cream shoes at all.  Just because you can.

Sometimes you have to find motivation to work on homework...and end up playing...

I love M&M's!

Sometimes you go to Walmart on Mondays.

Sometimes you go on walks with your rommates and notice the beauty around you and practice your (lacking) picture taking skills.

Sometimes you go to amazing concerts with some amazing new muscians!  :)  Due West rocks my socks. Check them out here.

Not pictured adventures: Cooking A Fabulous Experimental Dinner (And smoking out the house in the process.  Opps!), Vanilla Ice's (Yum for $0.25!), and Watching Dr. Horribles Sing Along Blog at the guys house (with Wiccan Subtitles!  So Cool!) If you haven't seen Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog I highly suggest you watch it here and here and here and here and here and finally here.  And please watch it at least three times and you'll love it, nobody likes it the first time.  Anywho, I hope you'll have a Marvelous Monday!

My Dear Husband,

It's true, I'm not married, yet, but I have seen cute letters to future husbands here and I thought I would try it, especially because she won't be writing letters to a future husband anymore.  :)

Dear Husband,

I hope you know I'm a hopeless romantic. 

I love rainstorms, I think they are so romantic.  If I ever text you this "Drop everything now. Meet me in the pouring rain, Kiss me on the sidewalk, Take away the pain." and it's raining, please do just that.  I know it's corney, but it's also cute (in my opinion) and that will make me so happy. (And yes that is from a Taylor Swift song.  Have I mentioned I'm a hopeless romantic?)

I love little kid movies like The Lion King and Tangled and Up and How to Train Your Dragon and Finding Nemo.  We will be watching those on a regular basis.  (I'll let you off the hook for my favorite chick flicks like Pride and Prejudice and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I may even let you off the hook for my cute but really old classic movies.  Maybe.)

I like to sing and dance.  I sing really loudly and badly and I dance really silly.  I hope you will sing and dance and make a fool out of yourself with me.

Sometimes I'm really sarcastic and I don't like being wrong.  I apologize in advance.

I love food, I love to cook, but I hate doing the dishes.  I hope you like to eat and do dishes.  :)

Sometimes I just have to have ice cream.  It's not a want, it's a need.

That's All!

Love,

You're darling future wife!

:)

Fun Times With Colds

Oh the lovely feeling that is the beginning of the common cold.

So much fun.




Me with my miserable cold.

I become quite the big baby when I start to feel the dreaded first symptoms of the common cold.

Homework must be put on hold.

I must complain because "those who do not complain are never pitied" and when could I use more pity than when I have a cold?

And I become sure that I'm probably going to be dying of pneumonia or bronchitis by the end of the week.

Have I ever mentioned I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac?

Webmd is one of my best friends, especially when I start to get sick.

I had been so good this week about not getting my friends, roommates, and family's colds that have been going around for the past two weeks.

And look where it got me.

So I've been on Webmd today looking for the latest cure for the common cold, and I realize I kind of have a dilemma.  They have many suggestions to boost your immune system to fight a cold.

But what do you do when your immune system has this nasty habit of attacking your body? Which then has a tendancy to lead to worse things than a little cold.

Boosting that immune system doesn't seem like a great idea, but maybe that's just me.

I'm sad to break the news to you guys, but there are no new cures to the common cold.

Sorry.

I know my hopes were shattered by that fact.

So here's to a week of cold misery.

Pass the Tylenol Cold please.  :)

What's a girl to do?

Everybody say that the teenage years are the awkward years in life.  And in many ways that's true.

 But I firmly don't believe that's the only awkward time in life. 

I think the "Young Single Adult" years or "Emerging Adult" years or whatever you want to call it are extremely awkward years.  Especially for girls.  Think about it.  This is the time of life when we have to make so many decisions.  And they aren't decisions that don't really matter like "What color of shirt will I wear today?" no their more like "Where should I go to school?" and "What should I major in?" and "Should I go on a mission?"  and "What about marriage (high pitched scream)?"  This is a time of life when you are expected to make decisions on you're own, because guess what, you're an adult now.  And you have to find a job, which isn't easy in these economic times, and provide for yourself. 

Wait, this isn't what I signed up for. 

I wanted everything to just fall into place.

 Options? 

Who wants options? 

They just make life more complicated. 

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's all part of the plan, it's all part of the learning process, it's a little thing we like to call agency.  And most of the time, I'm a huge fan of agency.  It's just on days like this that I get a little discouraged about how everything is going to work out and how I'm going to get through this lovely thing called life.  But then I read things like this and I remember that I need to have hope and faith in the future.  I know that I have gotten direction for my life in the past, and I will continue to get direction in life as I need it.  I just have to remind myself of that fact sometimes, when I realize that my life isn't turning into that fairytale that I always wanted.