Bingo and Santa

Wow. So I haven't written in a while! But here I am now for a few :)

Today was a very good day! Well, I woke up to 2 feet of sparkly

white snow (so now we're hoping it stays so we can have a 'White Christmas') and it was just beautiful! And also a very sweet neighbor kid came and shoveled our walks because Jonah isn't able to from his collar bone injury/surgery. He touched my heart with his generosity. But on days like these I'd rather just stay inside and not have to drive anywhere. I'm one who absolutely does not like driving in such dire conditions; slick roads just scare me.... Today I had a pretty good reason to want to go out, though:

When I went off to college to SUU, I had to quit my CNA job at Hobble Creek Rehab and Nursing. Obviously Cedar City (being a 3 hour drive) is too far for me to commute to work :P Therefore quitting was necessary. I was pretty sad though. I would miss my residents, my friends. I was excited to have a whole month off for Christmas break, however. I asked if during that time of being home if I would be able to get my job back, temporarily to work and earn some money over the break.

Well, about a month or so ago, I got an email from my mom informing that she had just found out that they were going to be tearing my nursing home down to rebuild so they had moved my residents to 2 different places :( This was sad news: I realized that I might not be able to get a job anymore as well. They had to lay a few aids off, so why would they hire me? I was right, but still talked to them and filled out an application with them as well as with another nursing home in Payson.

Well I've entered the 2nd week of my break and I still hadn't heard anythi

ng from either. I'm really desperate for a job and something to do during the day so I have been babysitting 3 times already and was even asking to help at the UPS Store (if they needed me, which they didn't). But Lo and Behold! Today I got a call from the lady I used to work for. When I saw her name pop up on my phone there was a little hope! The reason I hadn't heard from her was because she had just had a major hip replacement and today was her first day back to work. She knew I needed a job and she needed temporary help as well.

Basically the recreational therapist woman, Jessica, found a job elsewhere and today was her last day. Melanie (my boss) was calling to see if I would mind filling in until they could find someone else to replace her. So basically, instead of being a CNA again, I am going to help with games and activities and entertainment for the residents! I get to see and be with my residents (plus about 20 new ones I am meeting) without having to do the grungy work! :D I'm so so excited!

Today was great; since Christmas is coming fast, I wrapped presents from "Santa" for the residents that people had brought in so they could have a Christmas. I also (with the help of Jessica) played Bingo with them, and gave little chocolate candies for prizes! I also got to see some of my favorite residents (I know, I know I shouldn't pick favorites....but sometimes you can't help it!) and one in particular, actually remembered who I was after months of not seeing her! I was surprised cuz normally she wouldn't remember people! So that made me happy :)

I am excited to FINALLY have a job, which will give me something productive to do during the day. And it will be good because it's not a worthless job serving food at a fast food place, but rather working with people who really need the love and attention. And I'm most happy to be giving it!

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas, and remember the TRUE meaning, giving of yourself selflessly.

--Kelsie

Sore.

Last night I got to go to the Swing Dance club....it was SO much fun! But I learned yet another new thing: even girls use muscles when swing dancing! Today when I woke up my back, abs, arms, quads, etc. were sore from everything. Kinda crazy, right?

Well today, to make things "all better" I went to the weight room for an hour and a half! I haven't done that in forever! But it was enjoyable and made me wanna try to make it a regular ordeal so I can get back into shape. Now though, I'm uber sore. Like UBER. Tomorrow is gonna rock! I won't be able to move! haha

Tomorrow is also gonna rock cuz I get to see my mommy for the first time in a MONTH! I can't even believe I have been away from home for a whole month. Time flew by so fast! Wow.

Love you mommy....and can't wait to see you!

The Life of a College Student

Haha okay wow. So....I told ya it would be hard for me to write! I have not written in months :/ My bad. Well here I am today writing a blog while taking a break from the tediousness of my homework. blah.

College thus far has been a good experience for me; much better than what I ever thought it was going to be. I came being scared and timid. I didn't want to leave my family. But now I realize that I can do it. I can live on my own! It isn't so bad after all. I think my mother cried more than I did :)

So.....things I am learning while at college:

1. Don't stay up too late, especially if you have an 8:30 a.m. class the next morning. UNLESS you get ahead and are able to skip every once in a while ;)

2. Make a variety of friends. Talk to everyone! I have met so many different people that are all so neat -- it is crazy!! I have friends from places such as Holland, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and of course the United States. I have friends of all different cultures and ethnicities: blacks, whites, Asians, etc.

3. Make sure to figure out what your priorities are, otherwise distractions come easily.

4. Work before play.

5. Let me repeat: work BEFORE play.

6. My roommates are not as scary as I thought! Haha ok, scary isn't the right word, but I thought it was gonna be where people ate my food and we'd be getting mad at each other. So not true. I got blessed with AMAZING roommates. They are so great!

7. I love getting letters!

8. Laundry is NOT fun. Especially when you have to pay for every load no matter the size. It's helpful when you combine sometimes with your roommates to save yourself grief. I just wanna publicly thank my wonderful mother who did all my laundry for 18 years. You are the best. It sucks. I feel your pain.

9. The library can be a good place to do your homework....it is quiet. But sometimes you meet cool, new people there, and they become your friend and then you start talking and become distracted.

10. There is a TON to do! So many social events and clubs. Something is going on 24/7 it seems like!

11. Even though we are in Utah, not everyone is LDS. And sometimes.....well let's just say you don't know what you are gonna get at the dances. So sometimes, it just might be a good thing for you to leave -- unless you wanna see some not-so-pleasant things :P

12. Church is like the meat market I hear. Each year fresh new meat comes in....and the men swarm. Ha! Lucky for me....it hasn't been bad.

13. I like the boys that open doors for me :)

14. Stay motivated and exercise. Or don't, and feel like turd.

15. Grocery shopping is like an adventure. I kinda like it! hahaa

16. I love institute!

So there are just a few things I have learned and noticed since bein here. I have also realized not all boys are bad!! I have actually gone on about 4 dates since getting here....and they have been really fun. Here are some pictures:

College really has been flying by pretty fast -- I mean I am in my 4th week already! Before I know it, I will be graduated and a nurse :)

Well good bye for now :)

I will try my best to write more often!

~~KELSIE~~

Oh How I Love Missionary Work!

I just wanted to write about how much I love missionary work!!!! Oh how I LOVE IT!!!

At my job the past couple of days I have had the opportunity for some great missionary work. One of our newer resident's (Irma) husband comes to see her every day. He misses her, and the change of her being at the nursing home has been hard on him. They moved here with their daughter and son-in-law from California, but he and his wife are originally from Argentina. Anyway. So whenever I work I get to see him. We have become good buddies :) He's a way cute little old man! He's about 72 and his wife is 70, so they've been married a long time.  Irma mostly spouts off in Spanish because she's starting to forget her English, so it's nice when he is there so he can help translate for us. 


Whenever I take my dinner break I go and sit by them cuz they're usually chillin out in the dining room at a table. Ruben (Irma's husband) absolutely adores me! He says he always looks forward to the times when I work, and he dreads when I have to go off to college because he will really miss me, and the help I give to his wife etc, etc. He says I'm the best! He is such a funny guy.


So, it started yesterday. We got talking religion. Somehow I knew he wasn't LDS and later found out he is Catholic--well kinda cuz he's not active in that religion anymore. But we got talking and I told him about the plan of salvation and that families can be together forever, I explained the purposed of baptism. I told him about patriarchal blessings and the temple. I also explained a little about temple work. He asked questions here and there and I did my very best to answer as correct as possible. (Oh and btw his daughter who lives here is LDS and they've given him a Spanish and English BOM and he tried reading it years ago, but said it was really hard for him to understand and concentrate....) but yeah. We got talking about many different church related things. He seemed interested. And tonight was even more awesome! I brought my regular set of scriptures and also my mini BOM to work with me and I also found some scripture verses before work and on my dinner break we talked more and I had him read some of the scriptures I found. He seems really interested and said he thinks what it says is true. So that's a good start! He promised me he would read the BOM (at least try starting again) and he even took home my little BOM set to borrow until when I work Sunday! (The reason he took mine is because last night he looked for his, but realised he left them in Cali) I am going to start working on marking another BOM for him tonight to get to him by Monday. I'm hoping if I mark and write some things in different places that it'll be easier for him to understand and concentrate.

I got emotional partway through our conversation.... he said it was all just hard for him lately with his wife being gone and that he couldn't hardly ever eat from being upset. He just was having a hard time understanding WHY all of this was happening to him. I told him about Joseph Smith, and the scripture found in D&C about how all of our challenges are for our good. The Lord has a purpose for everything. Then I got emotional.... I told him maybe, just maybe the reason his wife was like this and in the nursing home, is so he'd get the chance to meet me. Maybe the Lord wanted him to hear the gospel again from me because I could get to him and teach it to him in a way his family hadn't been able to.. Later after we talked he thanked me, and sweetly said "I think you're my angel." Then he gave me a big hug. It was so neat!

Anyway. It was a really neat experience, and I just wanted to share it with ya'll. I'm excited to find out how far he gets in reading when I next see him Sunday, and I am excited to give him another copy with my testimony in it! :) :)

July!

It's July!!

Wow, I sure have not written in a while....but I kind of expected that. I just haven't known what to write!

This month I am anxiously(?) --or maybe not so anxiously-- awaiting my AP Statistics test score. It is supposed to come in the mail sometime within a few weeks. I'm kinda nervous. Also, this month my mother and I are going down to SUU to my college orientation. I'm excited for that. Especially the fact that I will get to see my cousin, Rya! I haven't seen her in forever!

Another exciting thing going on this month is my childhood BFF, Jana, and I are going to hopefully be getting together and playing! I miss her, so it should be fun. She will be at college in Colorado, so this might be one of the last times we get to do anything :(

There are many exciting things awaiting me this month! I'm excited!

Oh, and I still love my job. :)

Everyone Has Their Own Story

Tomorrow afternoon I am leaving on a Pioneer Trek with my family and my stake. This is the second time that I have had the opportunity to go on this particular trek, and I couldn't be more excited!!! This afternoon I found myself searching for the name of a person from my family history that I could "be" while on the trek, and just learn more about. I decided I'm going to be Mariah Huntsman (Leavitt), who was born on 20 Feb. 1841. She married Dudley Leavitt, and together they had 12 children. Twelve! Wow. My mom said she would be a fun person to be and know more about because her name is where I got my middle name. Kelsie Mariah.

As I go on this trek, I am excited to have Mariah in mind throughout it. It will be neat going through similar things she went through, and knowing that my family was really a part of trekking :) My little brother is going as Orange Decator Leavitt (we are entertained by his name too!) Every person has their own story, and I'm excited to hear some of the others' stories throughout the trek. The stories really are testimony builders, because the people went through so much just to be able to live where they knew the Lord wanted them to live! And they were so happy too!

I'm sure we will come back with great stories to tell and definitely great experiences. Until then............have a happy week! :) While all of you will have the luxuries of a warm, dry, home, and a soft, comfortable bed at night and lots of yummy food.... I will be out sleeping under the stars in the wilderness in a flannel nightgown, eating soup broth for dinner and corn meal for breakfast and just having a wonderful time!

A Little Girl Needs Her Daddy

A little girl needs her Daddy

For many, many things:

Like holding her high off the ground

Where the sunlight sings!

Like being the deep music

That tells her all is right

When she awakens frantic with

The terrors of the night.

Like being the great mountain

That rises in her heart

And shows her how she might get home

When all else falls apart.

Like giving her the love

That is her sea and air,

So diving deep or soaring high

She'll always find

him there.

HAPPY FATHERS' DAY to my wonderful Daddy!!! I love you!!

Thank you for all you have done for our family. You are such a great man, and I'm proud to call you my dad.

I love you!

Change.

Well hello there!

I just decided that since my life is changing so much right now, why not make another change and start a blog? (:

I don't have a lot to say at the moment, and especially nothing life changing like my mother's amazing blog (Mapletonmuse) ... BUT nevertheless, here I am. Now a part of the blogging world! Weird. & the funny thing is, I have no idea what I am going to be blogging about! Or how often I will blog for that matter, so I guess we will all find out as time runs along. (:

So a few weeks ago I graduated from high school. Graduated life isn't as great as I thought it was going to be. I love the summer and the nice break I have from all of my schoolwork, but I find myself with a lot of extra time on my hands and not knowing what to do with it! I even find myself feeling bored, just sitting on my butt at home. My mom says I need to learn how to just sit and relax and read a book or something, instead of go-go-going every second. I guess that is a good idea, but still, what can I say?! I'm a social butterfly! Always have been. And I think I probably always will be!

Anyway. Since I titled this post (or whatever it's called haha) "Change" I should probably talk about some of the changes that have been going on in my life. Well the day before I graduated, I did something I've never done in my life: I colored my hair. I no longer have my virgin hair anymore.. I also cut off 5 inches. Before I went and did it, my mom and I were talking about the whole thing (because I almost chickened out again) and she said something along the lines of "Just do it. You're done with high school and going into a new phase in life. This is just another "statement" to show that you are ready to move on and be done with the drama of high school."

So I said "ok" and she told her friend Taylor (the Latte Boy) that we would be coming in the following Monday to get our hair done. My mom regrets letting me do it...she thinks I look emo now. She initially thought I was going to just get highlights. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted when we first went.. I had a few different ideas, and I ended up asking for a dark brown coloring with natural red highlights in it (because my hair has natural red highlights in it anyway) but it came out much darker than I hoped. Now the waiting process has started and it's slowly lightening up. It is starting to grow on me.

Another big change is last week my mom took me and we opened up a checking account for me! :/ Now I have checks (my cute ones on the way) and my own Debit card!! It's really weird. This summer my parents (well my mom) is going to help teach me how to use my account and manage my money better. I need to learn how to spend my money wisely...and not on junk! (as my mom would say.)

Well I have to go get ready for work now, but maybe someday I will have something superb to say. (: But for now, I'll just make it known unto that I have a blog! I hope you all have a most happy day filled with laughter and sunshine!