Living the Dream

Budget Stress: Good-Better-Best

2011-12-05T01:07:00.000-07:00

My return to Idaho is less than a month away.

(Okay, it's 27 days living, but only 20 days of work. Not that I'm counting or anything. Geeze. Happy now?)

I am ecstatic to once again be in the land of sunshine, family, and friends. Unfortunately, I will also be in the predicament of real-life-big-kid stress again. S. T. R. E. S. S.

Life has recently uncovered some major flaws in the "Mand-o-lin Budget for a Job-Free Semester"...

1. Airplane tickets to/from Alaska = mucho dinero.

2. Cars cost money even when you don't drive them.

3. Grocery costs nearly triple when you decide to be allergic to gluten and dairy.

5. I repel technology. My new laptop has decided to malfunction in the motherboard area.

AKA- I get to buy myself a new computer! Again! Joy!

4. Spending all of the money I have allotted myself this year would stress me out.
Stress-free money is saved money.

Simply put- I love to buy things, but spending money stresses me out.
Big time.

Don't worry, I don't understand it either.

I realize I am certifiably insane, but "mental-breakdown-recuperation-fund" is another one of those things missing in my budget.
Let's not go there, my friends.

In working towards a solution to this problem, I have put together some "Good, Better, Best" scenarios.

Enjoy...

GOOD: Sell my body for money. (Otherwise known as donate plasma). If I can shrink my grocery bill to fit to the plasma amount then things would be peachy. I could transfer the 'food' fund to the 'keep-in-my-account-indefinitely-to-make-me-happy' fiund. Lovely. The downside- if I eat more than I sell then I will want to get a job just to make sure I don't run out of money. This would mean remaining a productive member of society, and we all know how dreadful that is.

BETTER: Find some old people that live in castles and such. Adopt them as extra grandparents. Find a gypsy to hypnotize the old people... Badda-bing-badda-boom- money.

BEST: Run away and live in the mountains as a nomad. I just bought a new tent, and am really super duper excited to use it. Why not make it my home?! Seriously though, cheapest house ever. No mortgage, no rent. I would catch my own meat and pick my own berries. This would give me the opportunity to hike all day long, shower in waterfalls, drink natural spring water on the rocks (literally), and sleep under the stars every single night. If I die? Two words: Natural. Selection.

That is my plan to sweet success. *Patent pending.*

<3 Living the Dream,
-MK

REMEMBER:

Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

2011-12-02T02:15:00.000-07:00

I am purely ecstatic about the Christmas season that has come once again! This is the time of year that I feel people more openly acknowledge and express their love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, openly. While there will always be some that contest this happy season, I am grateful for all the opportunities that if affords me, personally. Christmas time brings an entire month for the human race to exude love and hope without fear of rejection or ostracism. Another blessing that comes along with this season is Christmas music. I realize there are some haters out there, but I find it incredible that in this day and age it is still socially acceptable to play music revolving around the Lord in public venues. To me, this is an incredible blessing. I hope that as we go throughout this season we can remember the true meaning of Christmas and share it with a smile on our faces and love in our hearts.

While I realize the constant reminder of our mother's inappropriate gestures with Santa can get old, and listening to electronic dogs bark out jingle bells can be obnoxious, it is all just a give and take for me. I will take an occasional Chipmunk serenade in order to hear truly magnificent proclamations of truth, such as the one below.

Some food for thought.... Enjoy!

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth.

Long lay the world, in sin and error pining,

'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angels' voices!

O night divine, O night when Christ was born;

O night divine, O night, O night Divine.

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming,

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.

So led by the light of a star sweetly gleaming,

Here come the wise men from Orient land.

The King of Kinds lay thus in lowly manger;

In all our trials born to be our friend.

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger,

Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another;

His law is love and His gospel is peace.

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;

And in His name all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus rain we,

Let all within us praise His holy name.

Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever,

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

<3 Living the Dream

-MK

Anticipation Station

2011-11-12T00:41:00.000-07:00

I cannot contain my excitement any longer.

In less than 2 months I will be moving back to Idaho!

I will definitely miss Alaska's people, wildlife, scenery, my family, and my dog.

I will probably not miss,the freezing cold, non-pack-able snow, and the lack of sunlight winter has brought though.

Rexburg will be like a tropical vacation.

Seriously.

I love my life of econ and friends. I love seeing a temple everyday. I love getting to run away to UT to see my Grandma, Grandpa, and extended family. I love only being 4 hours away from family get-togethers and parties. I love that I'll live less than 5 minutes from Ry. I love that we'll go to the same school. I love having parties for no reason at all. I love buying 10 pounds of potatoes for $5. I love hearing inspired words everyday. I love that I will still be able to visit Grandpa Jim regularly to talk, clean his grave, and leave happy things. I love hearing devotionals weekly. I love visiting teaching. I love moving. I love change. I love love.

BIG NEWS- I have decided to move. I love Davenport Apartments and all of the girls I have lived with, but am ready for a change. Frequent parties will still be held at my place... my new place. I plan to see you there.

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

REMEMBER: We don't quit playing because we grow old.... we grow old because we quit playing.

...because of the brave.

2011-11-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to be an American,

where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died,

who gave that right to me.

I'm so thankful for those who

have served,

are serving,

or will serve.

Land of the free,

because of the brave.

God Bless the USA!

Thank you.

Grandpa Gossett Grandpa Jim

Grandpa Van Ryan Kilburn

Death via Education

2011-11-07T12:49:00.001-07:00

I hope ya'll are having a great Monday morning.

If not, I have something that should brighten your mood....

Class registration for BYU-Idaho started today, and due to my mass amounts of credits, I am eligible to register tomorrow. Since most of my classes are upper level, there are only 1 or 2 class times to choose from.

This has made things just lovely.

Example: Managerial Economics is only offered from 8-930 on Tues/Thurs....to make matters even more lovely, the dean of the econ department, Bro. Hirschi, is the instructor. He is way awesome, but this means Mandy will need to get her butt to class early and remain awake and alert the entire time.

This is going to be rough folks.

I am a lame student that prefers taking classes starting at 9 or 10:15. I then stay in the econ lab doing homework until 6 or so.... but from 6-1:30 or so is my party/work time.

Looks like my party time will be starting earlier and hopefully ending earlier...

If you have ever been my roommate I'm sure you are experiencing near death via laughter.

On the upside, I have plenty of time to show my dear econ lab some lovin during the crazy long breaks between my classes. Hopefully I take advantage of that, rather than swiftly assuming the 3 minute walk back to my lovely bed.

I think I can. I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.

You may now place your bets on my total number of tardies and skips.

If that hasn't completely elated you,

BIG NEWS- I am no longer a T.Swizzle hater.

Weird, right?! I don't really know when / how this happened. It is just a random realization I had the other day when my little sister was humming a Swift song. I can enjoy occasional Swizzy sing-alongs.

This is for reals. I realize this would be nearly impossible to believe if you have ever lived with, dated, or even known me.

I'm just as surprised as you are.

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

REMEMBER: A day without make-up is a fine day indeed.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-28T17:24:00.001-06:00

It's my day off, so our agenda today consisted of yoga pants, movies, and warm chocolate chip cookies. Heavenly.

I've experimented with a couple gluten free cookie mixes, but never found anything awesome. I don't like how gluten free cookies end up looking like greasy flat blobs. This time I took my hunt to Google, who helped me discover "The Baking Beauties", and this delicious recipe...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup margarine (softened)

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs
1 tsp GF vanilla
2.25 cups GF flour mix (I used Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose baking flour.)
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinammon
2 cups GF oats (I used Bob's Red Mill GF Quick Oats.)
2 cups chocolate chips (I just poured one bag in.)

DIRECTIONS:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Cream margarine and brown sugar.
-Add eggs one-by-one.
-Stir in vanilla.
-Mix in xantham gum, baking powder, baking soda, and cinammon.
-Add flour.
-Add oats.
-Add chocolate chips.
-Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet*
-Bake for approximately 11 minutes.

*Note: For baking GF I cover the cookie-sheet with foil (to avoid cross-contamination) and a little baking spray. Works magically.

RESULT:
Delicious! I hope you try and enjoy these little babies. You should share your opinion/experience with me.
:)

<3 Living the Dream,
-MK

REMEMBER: "Make-up can only make you look pretty on the outside but it doesn't help if you're ugly on the inside...unless you eat the make-up." -Audrey Hepburn

Ode to Joy

2011-10-16T00:57:00.004-06:00

Rest in Peace- Grandpa James "Jim-bo" Kilburn

My Grandpa Jim passed away earlier this afternoon. I am so happy for him, as he has needed this for awhile, but I am very selfishly sad for me.

I am so grateful that he was able to go painlessly during an afternoon nap. He had been happily enduring for quite awhile now, and it was his time.

I love him.

Growing up, it was this wonderful man who instilled in me an appreciation for "good-minton", croquet,

tether-ball, newspapers, pickled vegetables, catching grasshoppers, and diving into floaties in a freezing cold wading pool. He was always overjoyed to spend time with his grand-kids, and never missed an opportunity to do so. His positive outlook on life was simply contagious. I will always picture him with a camera around his neck and a smile on his face.

I am so grateful to be able to still hear him exclaim, "Hi, honey!" as if seeing me was the most important thing he ever did, and will always remember grandpa replying to the question 'how are you?' with an enormous smile and a...

"Better than I deserve, as usual."

I have been so blessed to be in Rexburg near him. During this time he has been my reliable date for, afternoons, Bingo, even Valentines Day. I love him so much. He was always there with a listening ear, ready for all of my stories, and always able to offer words of encouragement and advice. He has seen me through the ups and downs of the past two years. Happiness was always shared whenever things went right, and hugs were always offered when I needed to escape from real life. No matter the time, day or night, he was there for me.

He may have not remembered me for the past few years, but he was always friendly and inviting. I am so grateful to have been able to be going to college so close to him. I got to experience him as more than just a Grandpa, as a true friend as well. It was like my home away from home. He always overflowed with glowing compliments, and never missed an opportunity to tell me I was beautiful or made his day. Such a great example of being happy despite everything.

Since his rest-home days we have always had each other's backs, creating some pretty memorable experiences. Like the times I verbally assaulted the nurses and staff, or the time he gave the male CNA he thought was my boyfriend a talking to. I will be forever grateful for the laughs we shared. I will never forget all the frantic bathroom searches in order to find where he had gotten himself lost, or the female resident that always yelled at us for smiling too much during exercise time. It was all so great!

I have always felt a strong connection with my grandpa, because we have many similarities. Out of all my family members we are definitely the most alike. We both are extremely stubborn and independent, we'd rather save money and live little than spend what we've got, we laugh at our own jokes, have a great appreciation for the macarena, prefer to be outside, love the water, are overjoyed by pickles and apples, love to work, and definitely love to play. We both would be lost without my dad, happiness seems to come easier to us, and we are both Kilburn's.
Being a Kilburn is an awesome thing and I hope we can do it as proud as my grandpa has.

My grandpa Jim truly embodied the words of President Monson,

"Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows."

I love you, Grandpa. You will be greatly missed.

Heels. Head. Standards.

2011-10-09T03:23:00.003-06:00

A square peg in a round hole....

You all know the saying. I assume you are familiar with the feeling as well.

Why do we do this sometimes?

(I say we, as if I am not the only one... humor me.)

Like when you know something/someone isn't for you, yet you keep trying in hopes of that changing the inevitable? Interesting how that is.... we either apply more pressure on the peg in order to get it into the hole, or we compromise, lower our standards, and sand down the sides of our peg.

Oftentimes I realize when something isn't quite right or when I get the answer I wasn't exactly hoping for. Depending on my level on desire, I keep trying and pursuing that thing, as if asking God if He would like to change His mind about the item at hand. Silly. Stupid. Waste of time. God doesn't change His mind.

We mustn't forget:

Heels: Confidence. Nobody deserves your love more than you do. High heels do wonders for your mood (and butt). They instantly make you feel 100% better about whatever outfit you are wearing. Heels promote strutting, showing people what you're made of, and tackling all of life's problems. As my girl Audrey Hepburn says, "Happiest girls are the prettiest girls." This applies to males as well, (even if they only wear heels in private).

Head: Resilience. Erase all negativity of thought. You are a child of God. At some point we all fall, fail, cry, and hurt... that is a given. How you handle misfortune is your choice. Don't let life get you down. Choose gratitude and happiness for every day you live. As the love of my life, Rocky Balboa says, "It ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward."

Standards: Remember who you are and what that means. You deserve the very best, but nobody is going to hand it to you. Never compromise your standards for any thing or person, ever. You'd rather wait longer than settle for something less that eternal joy. Never settle. As Dr.Seuss says, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." Never forget that each moment you have the opportunity to be a good example.

I promise you that the Lord has a plan for each one of us. We don't always know what that plan entails, but if we press forward with faith, I know that everything will fall in to place.

Embrace your peg!

<3 Living the Dream,
-MK

REMEMBER: Carry on.

When Sleep doesn't come.

2011-10-01T03:56:00.002-06:00

Currently I am extremely tired yet unable to sleep. While it is frustrating, I think it is self inflicted. My mind is going about 100 miles a minute... my idea to solve this: write it out. Perhaps dishing all the thoughts can help bring the happy slumber.

You may want to skip this one. All it contains are the brutally honest thoughts on my mind.
AKA- Boring I'm sure.

1. General Conference. It is in the morning! I am so grateful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is a huge opportunity to listen to what the Lord would have us know and do via our living prophets. Conference starts in only 6 hours now... one of those silly things brought about by the Alaskan time difference. The first session starts at 8 am and the second at noon, an odd comparison to the 11 am and 3 pm times of Minnesota. There are quite a few things I would like to hear addressed this conference, and am so grateful to have LDS.org in order to research things whenever I would like. I am also reminiscent of last session of conference....I was fortunate enough to watch it with someone I love and am missing quite a lot right now. I am grateful to be able to watch this session with more people I love, AKA my family. This time is a little different for me, because I can't exactly pinpoint what I need to take away from this conference, but am excited to find out. Conference is a blessed time. While I know we all have different things on our mind, I know our questions can all be answered if we sincerely and faithfully listen to the words spoken this weekend.

2. Heartbreak. Yes, I know, pathetic and girly of me, right? (I told you that you didn't want to read this.) Anyways....all I'm saying is that love is a good thing, whether or not it works out in the end. I guess it is a fortunate thing, heartbreak that is, because it reminds us of the privilege we had of having loved in the first place. I guess the feeling of letting someone down or the realization that you are walking away from so many potential things is one of the hardest parts for me. But, sometimes you gotta leave when you gotta leave. The hardest part is knowing that someone you love may not want to be a part of your life anymore....that's a tough pill to swallow. Maybe what they say is true, maybe true lovers can't remain friends. Hard. Like Charlie Brown says, "Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love." Once you reach a certain point there isn't much you can do, except have faith in the future. I am grateful to love, and hope to always continue to do so.

3. Mission. I really want to go on one!! I guess that's basically all I have to say on this topic. I had a dream the other night that I got my call to Australia....it was so intense. *One should note that I hardly ever remember my dreams, so this was extra special. Anyways, I am grateful for the people I know that are serving and that will serve. There are so many people out there needing to hear that they are loved. Let's hope I can get my health in order and the money saved. I'm sure what's meant to be will be. Where there's a will there's a way!

4. Work. I have a great boss, some great coworkers, and I love payday! My theory on why we are paid every other week: to remind us that we love our jobs. It's like getting your batteries refreshed. Random, but I get a lot of money taken out of my checks here, so I'm thinking my tax return will be bomb, and probably an answer to future prayers. :) Don't you love how life works out?

5. Victoria's Secret. There are NO Vicky's in the entire state of Alaska. In fact, the nearest one is over 1300 miles away. Yes, I am disgruntled about this, but even more so I am concerned. Does this mean Alaskans don't wear underwear? Such a sickening thought. I don't know where else one would buy bras and panties. I love me some underwear and am praying that The Secret will ship to Alaska...if not we are going to have some major issues.

6. Urban Outfitters and J.Crew. Add these babies to the list of stores nowhere near. I have resorted to browsing their sites, have become addicted to this online experience, and am fairly certain I will have to take Urban up on their free shipping policy to anywhere in the US (hoping AK counts). No, I'm sure ya'll can't tell today was payday. Anyways, this girl has got to get some more clothes! It's supposed to snow 3 days this week and I don't have a coat or boots yet. I am in massive need of more leggings, scarves, and sweaters. Quit rolling your eyes. I wear leggings as pants and I like it. All my former roommates can attest to my "unique" style. Whatev. I am Mandy and I like odd things.

7. DVR. I'm grateful to be able to record conference to watch and re-watch. This heathen has to work tomorrow, so I am grateful to be able to still listen to the 2nd half of tomorrow's block at a later time.

8. Sleep. I want some. Going to pray and try again. Goodnight lovelies.

<3 Living the Dream,
-MK

REMEMBER: Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.

Novice Alaskan

2011-09-23T02:36:00.000-06:00

We all know the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do...."

I have been blessed to be able to experience new and exciting things, people, places, and ways of life. I love trying new things. I feel like oftentimes we don't want to try in fear of failure and embarrassment. Stop thinking that! There is no shame in trying something new. Worst case scenario you don't enjoy it, who cares?! How else would you truly know? Be daring.

I realize that I have lived and loved many different places, it's true. I don't think there is anything wrong with enjoying experiencing different lifestyles. I love it! I am so grateful for it.
My life is incredible.

Let's talk about ALASKA- I love this place! I have been so blessed to be introduced to so many different people and lifestyles. I realize I have only been here a short while, but am grateful to have been welcomed with open arms. I want to especially shout out to the Taylor family. These people are wonderful, fun, loving, and will always be considered family to me. I love ya'll, thank you. <3

Today was my day off so I took the Alaskan drivers license test and passed with flying colors. 100%. Yeaya! You can all rest assured that I know the laws... whether or not I abide is a different story. While doing this I also registered as an Alaskan voter. Step 1 towards being Alaskan: Complete.

Bradley shot a massive caribou this weekend and I have been so excited about it. I got to go to the Taylor's and experience cutting the meat off of a dead beast. Awesome! Totally disgusting. Blood everywhere. I loved it! No joke, I had so much fun. I am so grateful the Taylor's let me join in. You are probably shocked that I cut meat off a dead animal and enjoyed it. I may be shocked as well. This gun-shy hippie had fun. Step 2 towards being Alaskan: Complete.

Yup, it's official, I am a novice Alaskan! Happy!

I love my life. I have the best family and friends that anyone could ask for. I am the luckiest person.

<3 Living the Dream,
-MK

REMEMBER:

My name means "luckiest person ever" in Egyptian.

2011-09-18T22:54:00.001-06:00

"In all of living have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."

-Gordon B. Hinckley

I am so blessed.

There have been many awesome things in my life this week.
Some highlights:

I have had multiple opportunities to spend time with wonderful people this week. I was able to have some goofy girl time and some crazy adventure time. I am grateful to be in Alaska. I love the people and am grateful for the opportunities here.

I should probably talk to ya'll about the dead moose parts I touched this week. Yup. I definitely did....and kind of liked it. Aside from the evil odor they were exuding it was awesome. I was reminded of the dissection portions of science classes. That was my favorite part, so I am excited to experience this more. I am grateful for the kind people of Alaska that have been letting me join in on their adventures and learn more about the dreamy Alaskan way of life. I love it.

I had a big-fatty-massively-important prayer be answered this week. I know I am loved and that He believes in me because He prepared a way for me despite my imperfections.

Tuesday evening my mom told me that she had seen a 'help wanted' sign at the store in town. I hurriedly printed out a copy of my resume (which is probably unnecessary in Delta Junction, Alaska, but a formality I followed nonetheless,) and went to the store. I submitted an application and went home hoping to get an interview within the week. Ten minutes later I received a phone call. Ten minutes! No joke. I am the most blessed person I know. This phone call was Heaven-sent. The owner of the store told me that she had a full-time position available and would love to have me fill it. She told me that she would pay me 80% more than I had been previously making and that I would also receive tips. I was told I could wear whatever I wanted, could have Sundays off, and could start the next day if I wanted. YES! I definitely could oblige to that.

This is a great opportunity for me. While there are a few things I wouldn't mind changing about the job, I am so grateful to have it! Beggars can't be choosers, especially in a small town. I am making bank and am grateful to be able to save up enough money to get me through the school year without working. I have never done that and am excited to be able to spend even more time in my beloved econ lab. No, you are actually not sensing sarcasm in that statement. I love economics! I am hoping to return to those good grades I used to receive a scholarship for. I may even have the time to double major now. I have been wanting that for quite some time and may make that dream a reality. I have been working and going to school full-time ever since I was 15 years old and am grateful to get a little break soon. My life is wonderful. I am the luckiest person on the planet!

I have been thinking a lot about angels and miracles lately, and was so blessed to have those topics discussed in church today. While there are many doctrinal complexities I have yet to unravel, I am still grateful. I believe that gratitude is a key component to recognizing the miracles and angels in our lives. I believe that whatever we seek we shall find. If you believe the world is a horrible place then you will recognize all of its flaws before you see all the beauty it holds. I believe that there are angels among us that answer our prayers. I believe that if we follow God's plan we can be angels for other people. I am so grateful for the times that I have been able to help another soul and am so grateful for the incredible angels that work mighty miracles in my life. I believe that if we choose to, we can recognize miracles constantly in our lives. Nearly everything can be viewed as a miracle if we have gratitude in our hearts.

I hope that we can all follow President Hinckley's counsel and try a little harder to be a little better.

I believe that this life is all about choices. I believe that we can choose what we want to be. I believe that happiness is a choice, and that gratitude is the quickest way to reach it.

These are just some random happy thoughts of today.

Forgive me for my rambles.

<3 Living the Dream,
-MK

REMEMBER: Faith precedes the miracle.

September 12th

2011-09-12T15:15:00.001-06:00

"Today you are alive, for today you should be grateful."

There have been many significant things that have happened on this date (September 12) throughout History...

1952: Monster sighting in Flatwoods, West Virginia. For this, I'm sure you are grateful.

1992: NASA launched Space Shuttle Endeavor on STS-47 marking the 50th shuttle mission. On board were the first African-American woman in space, the first Japanese citizen to fly a US spaceship, and the first married couple in space. We should always be thankful for the 'firsts' of anything.

Ben Folds

Hans Zimmer

We can thank today for birthing the musical talents of Barry White, Hans Zimmer, Ben Folds, and Jennifer Hudson.

Fans of football and baseball can thank today for birthing Ki-Jana Carter, Daniel Muir, Clayton Richard, Andrew Luck, and Freddie Freeman.

Fans of 'The Fast and the Furious' and just gorgeous men in general can worship today for granting us Paul Walker.

Hallelujah!
Sing praises!
....quit drooling.

All mankind should be thankful for the life and legacy of Johnny Cash, aka "The Man in Black". On this date in 2003 Mr. Cash was taken from us.
I love this man!

Also, today is Christian Feast Day, so quit feeling like a fatty ya'll! ;-)

Today is officially the first frost of the season at the Kilburn party pad in Alaska. Yeaya Winter!

I'm ready for winter sports/adventures.

The moral of this post: There is something wonderful about every day we live. Live it, embrace it, love it.

There's no better time to choose happiness!

May God Bless.

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

REMEMBER: "Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." -President Thomas S. Monson

And so it goes.

2011-09-08T23:33:00.003-06:00

Some happies of today...

Football opener today!!! Can't believe Satan prevailed against the Saints...lame. No more wins please, Cheeseheads!

I decided to make a Vikings blanket the other day. It's pretty bomb. I'm so ready to kick Packer trash this season.

Funny story: I have been skipping the bread and only taking the water during the sacrament because, of course, I'm allergic. I was waiting for the Branch President to return from his travels to ask what he would prefer I do. My parents met him....and found out all of the sacrament bread is gluten-free because there is another little girl in the ward allergic as well. I was skipping it for nothing. Happy! No special 'weird' sacrament for me!

Had a job interview this morning...should know within a week. Dolla dolla bill ya'll.

On my mind:
I love my life. Alaska is beautiful, wonderful, and friendly. I am so glad I decided to stay, it was definitely the right decision. I still really want to go on a mission so we will see what happens. I got 4 months to make money before I head back to BYUI.

Congrats to Ry for scoring a a job today! Atta boy! He is the best big brother, I love him! I am grateful for all he does for me, and am thankful our chats. He never holds anything back and oftentimes I really need to hear what he has to say. I have the best family ever. I have the best friends ever. I am the luckiest / most blessed person I know!

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

REMEMBER: Never quit trying. You're gunna make it after all.

And...

2011-09-02T17:06:00.002-06:00

I'm refunding the plane ticket and am going to stay and play in the other USA for a little bit longer,

because...

On my current agenda is to...

I will really miss all of my friends and family but feel like this is the best choice for me right now.

No worries though, I will be back in Idaho come January, ready for fun.

I love you all.

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

REMEMBER:

In Alaska We....

2011-09-01T01:17:00.001-06:00

I LOVE ALASKA!

This place is so different. I often find a giggle and smile about how different it really is.

I thought I would share a few of the reasons with you...

1. I can see Russians from my house. (Pun intended. I can't see the country but we have plenty of the people.)

2. Eating caribou, moose, buffalo, and bear is commonly accepted. (I have eaten the caribou and moose so far...and I like it.)

3. People talk about how warm it is when it's 55 degrees. (and I'm wearing a coat.)

4. You don't need a permit to carry a gun. (Everyone is packing. We have no cops only troopers.)

5. The "Welcome to Delta" sign fell down the other day. (and is still down.)

6. While at a cute "stamping party," the topic of Rexburg's massive size, city factor, and pure intimidation were seriously discussed.

These are just some of the reasons why I love Alaska.

For those wanting to come: COME!

For those thinking we're nuts: Just keep on laughing.

(^She is not one of my reasons. haha)

<3 Living the Dream,
-MK

REMEMBER: You can't control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

2011-08-30T03:18:00.001-06:00

The biggest question on my mind right now is whether or not to return to Idaho this weekend. I am off-track and don't start my next semester until January. I have a refundable plane ticket and have been praying hard about this. We will see whether I get a definitive answer or get the opportunity to exercise my faith and agency.

I am the type of person that goes more by intuition than reason, so I have decided to do a little pro/con action to help me rationalize....

ALASKA:

I feel like I may have not fulfilled my purpose here...

Cons: 1. I don't know many people...yet.

2. Dark winter months.

3. No jobs that can help boost my resume.

Pros: 1. I feel like there is still a lot I have yet to
explore and discover here.

2. I love our branch and would love to get to

know everyone even better.

3. It's gorgeous with plenty of places for

outdoor adventures.

4. Get to drive the F150 and see gorgeous
tucks constantly... <3

5. I love my family and get to be with my

dog.

6. This place forces me to slow down, and we all know I need to get better at that.

7. Job prospects at Fort Greeley or I can always substitute teach= a job guaranteed.

8. I'd make much more money here, jobs pay far better. Also, no rent!

9. My momma has a sewing machine... meaning fab crafting possibilities.

IDAHO:

I feel like it might be time to take the jump...

Cons: 1. Job uncertainty.

2. Living expenses.

3. Certain drama I wouldn't mind avoiding...

Pros: 1. Living with Ry and Kim.

2. My car and independence.

3. Have interviews lined up for jobs that can

help my resume.

4. Get to be in warm weather again.

5. Grandpa Jim <3

6. Much closer to my extended family.

7. Friends.

8. Friends.

9. Did I say friends yet? I love so many

people in Idaho.

10. My possessions are in ID waiting for me...meaning less storage unit rent$.

11. Idaho is beautiful and there are many adventures to be had.

12. Football season, need I say more?

Hmmmm.....

The Clash: Should I Stay or Should I Go

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

Remember: "Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." - Thomas S. Monson

Roadtrips & Changes

2011-08-25T20:22:00.002-06:00

Hello friends!

Sorry about my lack of posts lately. This massive fatty should hopefully catch you up...

Last I blogged I was heading home to Minneapolis in the morning. I did that. I loved that.

As per planned I only spent a short amount of time in MN. My days consisted of helping my family prepare to move, with the occasional sneak-away to see my lovelies. I can definitely say that Minnesota has a special place in my heart. I love it.

I can't wait to return. ASAP!

Due to some unexpected truck issues, we ended up heading out later than planned. We bid farewell to our cities August 7th, and opened a new chapter in our book of life.

I love road-trips. To me they are one of those little treasures wherein one can really, honestly, truly experience life and peace.

The world is a wonderful place.

Change is something I really like so this trip was fairly easy for me to enjoy. I am a very blessed girl. Other members of my lovely fam would like to kick 'change' in the face. Despite our ups and downs we made it alive.

A success in my book.

Our route included going over to North Dakota then cutting up to Canada to drive the Alaskan Highway 1.

Surprisingly enough the borders weren't too bad to cross. After reading horror stories online where people had to unload their trucks and pay officers $180 an hour to search all their belongings, we were all a bit worried about this endeavor. But, it was a breeze. Pull up to the window, give the man paperwork/passports, go inside to register guns, welcome to Canada / Alaska.

BREAKING NEWS: Canada is magnificent!

Not only is the scenery spectacular, but the mass amounts of Ford trucks as well. I imagine Heaven could potentially be like this. : )

The 55 hours of driving we anticipated from Google.Maps was quite an underestimate.

Things that can slow one down when cruising:

1. Two large moving trucks with trailers driving 45-60 mph.

2. Said trucks and trailers needing 6 tires replaced by the end of our little trip.

3. Huge storms day after day.

Breaks in the rain provided opportune moments of beauty. Don't dismay, we got plenty of time to take mass amounts of pictures.

(You were worried. I could tell.)

Can I just say, I think the above picture of Katie is one of my very favorites.

Also, can I just say that I love my family.

Answer: Yes!

It's my blog. I can say whatever I want.

Word.

We drove, drove, and drove, and when we were tired of that and our bums were completely numb, guess what we did?....Kept on driving. haha

We made it to Delta Junction, Alaska, late Saturday afternoon, got the keys to our new party pad, and had mass amounts of happy Mormons to help unload the trucks.

For those of you who are counting that means 7 days of driving.

This whole Alaskan experience is great....different but great.

There are a total of zero stoplights in our town, something completely foreign to us. Delta consists of a missile base, an automotive supply stores, a couple shelves worth of an overpriced grocery store, a library, coffee, and a couple gas stations that charge $4 a gallon....that's about it.

We are only 2 hours from North Pole and Fairbanks though, so we get to sneak away to stoplights occasionally.

Great things about Alaska...

-Light. When we got here we had daylight until midnight, now we lose it about 10:30, still awesome.

-Trucks. Everywhere. Bomb.

-Scenery. Gorgeous. always.

-Wildlife. Birds, Caribou, Bison, and plenty of Moose (above pic).

While I really like it here, I have decided to take a leap of faith and move back to Rexburg with my brother to get a big-kid job and be with friends.

My flight leaves next Friday, Sept 2nd, and I will be arriving back in Idaho on Saturday afternoon.

That's the plan for now. I'll let you know.

: )

Here's to the longest post ever! Hurraaah!

(and sorry)

My final requests for now:

1. Come visit Alaska, the land where we have all of these wildflowers in our yard.

2. Love living that lovely life of yours.

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

Remember: It's far easier to add chapters to our story than to subtract them.

Bye Bye Burg

2011-07-21T21:49:00.001-06:00

In the morning I hit the road for marvelous Minnesota.

It is a bittersweet feeling because I love Idaho, am ready to soak up some Minnesota, and will soon be moving to Alaska. I am so fortunate and blessed, life is so wonderful!

Throwing Alaska into the mix has made this move rather abnormal for me. For the first time I am unable to take all of my belongings with me. By the grace of God I was able to pack everything I 'need' for potentially the next five months into two suitcases. Quit being impressed, I have omitted the fact that these suitcases are massive...still, it is an achievement for me. I have a clothing/shoe illness but am not ready to take the step past admitting it. :-)

I am seriously the luckiest person alive. I know I say that a lot, but it's really so true. Everything has worked out. I am so grateful for the people that have helped make things happen. I have a hard time asking for help, but had to bite the humble bullet and do it this time. Massive shout out to my awesome brother and his wife who will be moving here in a little over a month. They are going to pull my stuff out of storage and keep it and my car at their new house for me until my return. Also, my lovely friend Lisa is housing my car for me, my homegirl Jenny is giving me a ride home, my bestie/roommate April has ensured I don't pull my hairs out, and the BYU-I bulletin board helped me find a ride for the luggage and passenger that were supposed to be riding in my car with me. Yup, I definitely qualify as blessed.

While I am excited for the adventures that await, I am going to miss all of my Rexburg lovelies.

A friend asked me how I can enjoy moving so often since I don't have one real place to call home. This gem immediately popped into my head. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros explain home as simply 'wherever I'm with you.' I am grateful for my wonderful, goofy, loving, crazy family. We stick together and make it work. Home is where we are. I love it! Check it out...

<3 Living the dream,

-MK

Big News!

2011-07-18T02:34:00.001-06:00

Big News Friends!

Friday I head home to the lovely heaven we call Minnesota. I am so excited to see the people and cities whom I love and adore. But... great opportunities await the Kilburn family in Alaska, so on August 4th we will begin loading the trucks for our next big adventure.

After much prayer, my wonderful dad has received and accepted a fabulous job offer in Delta Junction, Alaska. I am so proud of him and am so excited for our family.

As for me, concrete plans are still up in the air. I will be returning to Minnesota the end of the week and then will be accompanying my lovely fam-bam to the great white north the beginning of the month. I may return to Idaho in September or I may wait until January....for now I will wait and see where life takes me. :-)

Love your life!

<3 Living the dream,
-MK

Remember: Not all who wander are lost.

Peace Out Potter

2011-07-18T01:37:00.001-06:00

Disclaimer: If you are still in the fetal position crying in distress over the ending of Harry Potter saga discontinue reading this post.

Yesterday my lovely friend and I went to view the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga.

Somewhere amidst the Facebook statuses dreading the end of childhood as we know it and the hysterical sobs coming from the stranger seated next to me in the theater I got to pondering on this phenomenon....

I have come to realize this simple fact: I am not a devoted fan of H.P.
Sure, I loved the books... but admittedly didn't join the H.P. crazy-train until the first 4 books had already come out. Go ahead, call me a failure. Alas, I got thinking about this curious incidence. I am not the mythical/magical type, so what got me to enjoy something so fictional? For half the movie I could think of nothing else. My short attention span was not helping in my attempt to relish the end of the Harry Potter legend. There I was, stuck pondering the difference between my lukewarm feelings towards the movie, and the female next to me wiping tears off by the palm-full. Finally it dawned on me. My dad.

Yes! Finally, this is it! My wonderful father is the reason I continued to enjoy H.P. In the beginning he would read the books right after me, then we would spend countless conversations discussing the plots, characters, and possible conspiracies. Later on in the series he ended up reading the books to me at night. I loved H.P. because it was a fun connection with my dad. Unfortunately the movies could not carry on this gusto. I enjoyed the 1st and 4th movies, but the rest I could watch once and be done. Sitting in the theater I realized it was because they simply lacked the fun feeling I got from sharing the experience with my dad.

So while I hope that it was the perfect ending to you childhood or whatever else you were expecting, I will continue on my merry way, unscathed. The movie was fine; nothing particularly special. The ending of Harry Potter does in no way taint my childhood. I loved it, every bit.

Thank you for sharing your love of reading with me, Dad, I love you.

<3 Living the Dream

-MK

Shine*

2011-07-12T23:55:00.002-06:00

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Nelson Mandela

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

Remember: Never compromise your principles and standards, be strong and shine. :-)

Keep on keeping on.

2011-07-11T13:04:00.009-06:00

"The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet."
-James Openheim

"Happiness consists more in conveniences of pleasure that occur everyday than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom."
-Benjamin Franklin

"What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner."
-Colette

Regrets. Are they truly necessary? I refuse to regret, because I feel it only discounts the opportunities I have recieved to learn and grow. Perhaps learning the hard way isn't always wrong. I am grateful for all of the choices and experiences I have in my life because they help shape who I am.

Love, live, and learn.

I've been thinking about peace lately, inner peace. I am ecstatic to have inner peace come naturally for me. I am so content and feel so much joy it is insane. I have no reason not to be happy. I am so grateful for my life and for all the many blessings I have. I am seriously the luckiest person alive!

I sincerely hope that we are all truly happy. No need to mosey along in the wasteland of ingratitude and discontentment. Choose happiness. While I may not know exactly what I am doing and exactly where my life is headed at the moment, alll is well. It is enough for me. Keep moving forward. While it sounds cliche, as long as you stay true to yourself you will be okay. No need to compromise and waste time unhappy. "For every minute you spend discontent you lose 60 seconds of happiness."

"Peace comes from within. Don't seek it without." -Buddha

<3 Living the dream,

-MK

Remember: It's not about how you fell, but about how you got back up and kept on keeping on.

Gluten Free Fun

2011-07-11T12:31:00.004-06:00

"Research has shown that as many as 40% of all Americans may be gluten sensitive..."

Intriguing, right?! Check out this article, 'The Many Heads Of Gluten Sensitivity' to find out more.

Please share your thoughts! :-)

PIZZA:

    My roommate and I decided to go all out the other night and experiment making our first gluten free pizza. We cheated and used a box of "Gluten-Free-Pantry French Bread and Pizza Mix" to make the crust. Then garbaged it up. :-)

RESULTS: Delish! The crust tasted different, but wasn't unloveable. It was a little thicker than I prefer, but next time we will get it pro. Also, my pinneapple huntch was delectable so we ended up plastering both pizza's with fruity goodness.

COOKIES:
   We also made gluten free chocolate chip cookies for the first time the other day. Again, we cheated and used "Pamela's Chocolate Chunk Cookies Mix"
   Not going to lie, when the dough looked like Gook, (that slimy stuff we all played with as kids), I was totally turned off. On the upside, there was no need to tempt ourselves with raw eggs. :-)

RESULTS: Surprisingly enough these little buggers are pretty good. I've had better, but these quenched the craving.....for now. :-)

<3 Living the dream,
-MK

Let Freedom Dream

2011-07-05T15:05:00.006-06:00

"The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.

....Freedom is simply the chance to be better."

I live the dream daily. July 4th is no exception... this year was magnificent!

A group of lovely friends and I had hopes of floating the Teton River. With dollar-store tubes in tow we headed over to Teton, Idaho. In all theory our plan was brilliant. After consulting google.earth, our lovely planning gurus planned the perfect location for our adventure.

The original plan: Pack two cars full of people, drive to the end of the river where we were planning to end our float to drop one car off, squish everyone into the remaining car, and drive to the upper end of the river to begin our floating extravaganza.

Sounds awesome right?! We thought so too! So we carried it out as planned.....until we got to our predetermined starting point. A couple of our groupies got cold feet upon arrival and decided they would prefer to not float down the freezing river on dollar store tubes. I definitely respect that. I was not born with the worrier gene, and it can sometimes get me in trouble.

We decided to compromise and headed to Monkey Rock, a local swimming favorite. After only a short time at Monkey Rock we decided to float down the end of the little channel and see where it would take us. Upon reaching the end it appeared that there was a river-like body of water flowing. YAY! We concluded it must be the same river we were going to get in before and decided to float it down, but first had to swim back and tell the others.

In the end, four of us decided to grab the key to the car at the bottom of the river, and then sent the rest of the group on their merry way. This worked out wonderfully, because the people that wanted to float could float, and the people that didn't want to could splash around a little more and then head home. Win/win.

I live the dream.

An on-looker might observe that things did not go quite as planned. :) Long story short, we encountered trees, rocks, laughter, and a grand ole time.....until the current stopped and we realized there was a massive dam with logs waiting to greet us. Needless to say we averted the dam and swam quite a ways out to avoid it and get to the shore. We noticed some men on the other side of the dam when we got out and decided to try to ask for directions. Not smart. We couldn't hear a word the man was saying over the loud sound of the water, but could tell the man was panicking. We thought he was telling us not to jump in the dam, so due to our lack of suicidal desires we stepped back from the dam, waved goodbye, and decided to walk on the gently marked path behind us. This path was the only way out on land. It was hilarious. We had 2 pairs of shoes and 4 pairs of feet.....so funny. We followed the trail of horse poop and stickers for awhile until we met up with an old woman and a cop. The cop explained to us that the man friend from the dam thought we had lost a group member. We assured him that we did not lose one member, but were all lost together, he informed us we were on private property and pointed us in the direction of our car. We thought our car would be farely close and were excited. We promised to hurry off the woman's property and continue on our way. Saying we were not close to our car would be an accurate statement. We looked hilarious. Four college kids + swimsuits + five dollarstore floaties+ two pairs of shoes + boonies of Teton, Idaho. While it may not be the most classy thing ever, we were just living the dream. We alternated wearing the shoes, because the ground was incredibly rough, pokey, and hot. I loved it though, the whole thing. Props to the pioneers. I'm so grateful I only had to wear a tankini during this adventure rather than heaps of fabric. We had a grand time. When we got closer to our car we met a charming woman who lent us her bike to ride down and collect the car with. She brought out some cold water for us and we ended up visiting with her for a while. We all fell in love with her sweet personality and made sure to take down the name and address of this good samaritan so we can send her a thank you note and make a return visit in the near future. I am so grateful for the wonderful people that fill this planet. There are so many angels among us and I am so thrilled to have had gotten the opportunity to have one touch my life. Incredible.

Overall the whole adventure was amazing. I would do it the exact same today. No regrets, just lovely memories and a ton of laughter. Laughter truly is the best medicine.

After this adventure we went home, cleaned up, applied mass amounts of aloe to our burning bodies, and headed down to Idaho Falls to continue our 'America: the beautiful day.'

I was pleasantly surprised by the almost traffic we encountered heading down to Idaho Falls. As you know, I am in love with Minneapolis/St. Paul, and traffic is one of those things that I seem to enjoy. I love people, and being surrounded by strangers who are all unique and different yet are gathered for a similar purpose is exhilarating . I am strange, I realize.

First stop: Parking. It was a breeze! Seriously. We found a close, convenient, free spot. Which was an incredible blessing due to the fact that it was 8:30p.m. on the 4th of July and we were in the most popular place in Eastern Idaho. Anywho, we were blessed, got parked, and decided on Chili's for some din-din.

This whole gluten-free diet is really awesome. The only catch is it is very difficult to find food that doesn't have gluten in it, especially at resturaunts. Props to Chili's! They had a lovely little allergen menu that said exactly what was gluten free. Turns out they have 3 different choices that don't have to even be special ordered! I chose the Cobb Salad with no-fat honey mustard dressing. Delish! It was to die for. I mean come on, lettuce, tomato, avacado. Yum!

After this, us dinner groupies walked down to the river to meet up with the rest of our groupies that had already eaten dinner before. (They had eaten pizza, a no go for 'lil Miss Celiac's and another amazing member of my crew.) :) We were at this divine spot exactly opposite the Idaho Falls LDS temple. It was gorgeous. We sat, chatted, and continued living the dream for awhile until the fireworks began.

Upon the beginning of the fireworks show we realized that there was a grove of trees precisely where the fireworks were. We hurriedly grabbed our blankets and relocated. We got the most wonderful impromptu spot ever a few yards up. The fireworks were incredible. The sky was full for like 45 minutes of these beauties. Well done, Mellaluca, thank you! It may have been the best fireworks display I have ever witnessed.

After the show we headed back to the car. About 2.5 hours, 20 miles, and loads of awesome songs later we were back to our humble abode. Once again we were blessed to experience real lovely traffic, rocked out to some great beats, and just continued living the dream.

I hope you did the same! :)

<3 Peace and Love,

-MK

Blooming Loves.

2011-07-05T14:35:00.010-06:00

"Often we assume that the people around us must know how much we love them, but we should never assume, we should let them know. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. One day each of us will run out of tomorrows." -President Thomas S. Monson

"To the world you are someone,
but to someone you are the world."

My random ramble on FRIENDSHIP / FORGIVENESS:

I would simply like to express gratitude for all of the true friends that I have. I love you.

The world is a wonderful place, full of life, love, and beauty....but also ready at a moment's notice to tell us that we are inadequate. Because of this, I choose to have the greatest friends this world has to offer. You are always uplifting, supportive, and make me want to be better. I am so grateful to have you in my life.

I believe true friendship means wanting genuine happiness for someone despite anything.

We all know the saying.... "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." I have been thinking a lot about this recently. I always hope people will change and want better for themselves, so forgiveness is something that I have never struggled with. What I struggle with is recognizing the difference between forgiving someone and opening yourself up to be hurt/used again. While I am trying to find the happy medium, I know that we are all better than that. No one deserves to be put down, used, or disrespected. The role of a friend should be to lift and encourage someone to do and be better. I hope I can be as good of a friend to you as you all are to me.

Thank you for all you do for me.

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

Remember: Attempting to hook up with your best friend's now ex-boyfriend is frowned upon in most cultures. ;)

Gluten-Free Hippie

2011-07-05T11:58:00.013-06:00

"Laughter is the best medicine."

We recently found out I have Celiac's. This is simply a gluten intolerance, easily managed by a change in diet. I am actually quite thrilled to have discovered this, because my body should potentially behave worlds better within only a few short weeks.

Happy!

I am so grateful to live the wonderful life I live. While I prefer to keep things to myself when I am sick, I realized that this causes curiosity and talk to run more rampant.

It is true, I am facing a few challenges medically at the moment, but I promise you all that I am plugging along quite well and plan on continuing to do so for quite awhile. :)

I always struggle with finding the balance between resting and playing, because I really dislike laying back watching life go by. Due to the order's of my doctor, mother, brother, roomates, and friends, I promise that I am really trying to take it easy. I do admit though, I still play. If I am not going to feel well no matter what I do, I would rather be having fun trying to distract myself. Life is to be loved and lived, and that is precisely what I plan to continue to do.
Thank you for all your love and support!

<3 Living the Dream,

-MK

Remember: "It's not dying you should be afraid of, it's never having lived in the first place." :)

Happy. Happy. Joy. Joy.

2011-03-21T23:15:00.006-06:00

First off, I would like to thank everyone that has wished me a happy birthday today!
I seriously have the best friends/family in the world and feel so blessed and loved.

As most of you know, birthdays are not my favorite thing in the world. I am not a fan of all the attention and such that comes with getting older, (Thanks Momma haha).

I am pleased to say that I have successfully made it through the teenage wasteland! I'm sure many of you were hoping and praying that this day would one day arrive, and it has. I am sorry to say that maturity was not given as a going-away present as I exited the wasteland.

I know in my head I am really not old at all, but it still feels slightly odd and freaky. I am now 20 and can no longer blame my unpredictable, goofy, free-spirited ways of life on my youth....but on the happy side, only one more year until I can go on a mission! :)

Now, where am I on the age map of life? Too old to be young, and too young to be old....I have thus decided to continue to claim youth. I am at that awkward transitional spot in life where now the creepy old men at the laundromat say "If you don't mind me asking" prior to asking my age. Honestly old men, I mind you asking if I don't mind if you ask me....you know?!

My lovely roommate, (who has successfully survived being 20), made me feel extremely happier about this whole situation, she said...

"Right now you are perfect! Yesterday you were a teenager, next year you will legally be an adult, but for now you are a nobody....and nobody's perfect!"

:)

I am really loving this opportunity to be a nobody and plan on living it up!

Come on life, bring on the gray hair and wrinkles!

Vitamin D!

2011-03-15T00:37:00.005-06:00

I have BIG NEWS, and am thinking this may be the first 'personal' posting I have done since my teardown/restart of this blog. Don't get used to it though. I'm a firm believer in real life relationships versus creeping on someone else's internet void. By the way, you really can comment on these posts....I can't tell you how many people talk to me or send me FB messages about something they read. You can comment my loves, it's probably quicker and easier for you.

Today the sun was shining in Rexburg, (which is quite the rare event this time of year), infusing me with happiness despite the wind's attempts at robbing me from that. It was marvelous! Hence the title of this post....Vitamin D! Love it!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, here comes the BIG NEWS!

Happy News #1:
I am officially decided in my educational ways! What, may you ask, is my secret to loving life..?
Major: Financial Economics Minor: Communications
Super happy, right?! I am extremely happy with this decision and am going to run with it to graduation. Yes, I realize you are probably doubting this due to my frequent life plan changes, but for now I am happy, and that is all that really matters.

Happy News #2:
I have decided I really want to go on a mission! I phrase it as such, because I have not received a green light from the 'big guy'. Seeing as I will only be 20 next week, I have to wait a whole year until I could even go. While I would love to say I am definitely going, alas I cannot at this moment in time. All I can say is that I am preparing now to hopefully go, and if I get to it would be amazing! Time will tell.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
WOAH THERE! I have officially dumped all of my most recent thoughts/feelings into the void. I hope you are enjoying your lovely lives....but most of all I hope you are keeping me updated on your lovely lives. :) May our dear friend, Vitamin D, visit you all in the nearest future!

Happiness.

2011-02-23T19:38:00.005-07:00

I am pleased to announce to the internet void, that my life is far better in reality than in my dreams. Holy happiness! I feel as though this deserves a Hallelujah Chorus serenade or something of the sorts. While you are probably wondering as to what we can thank for this magnificent announcement, here it goes....

I have the weirdest dreams imaginable. No, I am not talking about dreams as in aspirations, I am talking about dreams as in sleepy time action. I have never learned about dream interpretations and such, so please let me know if there is anything imperative my dreams are trying to tell me.... Not a night goes by where I do not encounter some sort of 'bad-guy' who proceeds to do what 'bad-guys' do best, (murder, kidnap, punch, stab, etc). Although this is unpleasant during the night, I wake up ecstatic that my real life is far better than my dreams. That is such a happy thing. It makes me happy for each opportunity to start another day in my wonderful life. Midterms or no midterms, I'll take it!

My mind was completely consumed with thoughts of this nature during tonight's run. For over an hour up and down the hills of Rexburg all I could think about was how grateful I am to be living my life. I find this completely hilarious, since it has not been the happiest day, to say the least. I am grateful to be a naturally happy person, so I especially respect the people that have to work harder at being happy, you are much stronger than I am. My life is messy, happy, frustrating, habitual, disgruntled, entertaining, nearly impossible....but perfect all at the same time. I wouldn't give up this experience for anything.

Yes, you have probably concluded this posting is dumb, verging on psychotic. Most likely you are correct. Either way though, I hope we can all be grateful for each new day. I am not saying you have to leap out of bed with a perma-smile never feeling grouchy, but I am saying that perhaps realizing the immense love that God has for us to give us another day on this beautiful planet to live, learn, love, and grow will make us more apt to feeling good. Let's all feel good, do good, and be good.

Lovelies

2011-02-21T16:45:00.006-07:00

Life is lovely. I really do not have any thoughts to share, besides the fact I hope we never let a day go by where we forget to love our lovely lives. There are so many blessings, opportunities, and wonders surrounding us I feel as though we may as well be happy. :)

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This little portion is random, but those that know me tend to know of my sincere love for Sylvester Stallone. If you were unaware prior to reading this, he is the most attractive man ever. Hands. Down.
This weekend we had a 'Rocky' marathon. Needless to say, I was quite ecstatic about the whole situation. Dear Sylvester graced us with his face for an extended period of time...it was magnificent! While this post is quite inconsequential, I hope you enjoy gazing upon the Italian Stallion. :) I love all of the Rocky movies and the fact that they don't get progressively more lame like the majority of sequels....in fact I would argue that they get better and better.

My favorite part of each Rocky:

Rocky I: Sylvester's real claim to fame; Wifey Adrian is adorably awkward (as is he).

Rocky II: Apollo Creed; Baby Rocky; Heavyweight Champ! Word.

Rocky III: Clubber Lang (Mr. T); Thunderlips (Hulk Hogan); Eye of the Tiger; the whole David/Goliath triumph phenomenon

Rocky IV: Rocky + facial hair ( <3 ); Robert Jr is adorable; the Soviet Union; Ivan Drago; the outdoors! Rocky V: Tommy Gun; Rocky's return to good fatherhood; street fighting (need I say more?) Rocky Balboa: He's still got it, folks! :)

Babies having babies...

2011-01-27T15:14:00.008-07:00

LAYLA --> The love of my life. My baby. My gorgeous Golden Retriever.
(You've been introduced in an earlier post.)

Last Thursday, January 20, 2011, my lovely baby had babies!
My love for skype grew immensely as I was able to witness the event for half the night.

Much to our surprise she only had 4 puppies this time around, (as opposed to the 9 she had last summer). Two big fatty girls, a big fatty boy, and a tiny little boy that didn't make it. Since this puppy extravaganza was unexpected, we are just extremely grateful my Layla is healthy and happy!

This is the baby daddy, Elway. He belongs to my family and is Layla's soul mate.
They are seriously the cutest together. Constantly snuggling, wrestling, and running.

My baby had babies...again. :)

Cha cha cha Changes.

2011-01-17T15:58:00.009-07:00

-Minnesota-

This past July through December I returned to the lovely Minnesota, just north of Minneapolis and St. Paul. I am quite ecstatic to announce that I have fallen completely in love.

A few highlights from my time spend frolicking there.... I was blessed to be with my lovely family, I was blessed to have the opportunity to nanny for a couple of the cutest boys on the planet, I was blessed to see some wonderful doctors, I was extremely blessed to attend the best ward ever...(I mean, with a name like Dinkytown how could it not be incredible? haha), and I was blessed to be with the greatest people on the planet. In a nutshell, I am the most blessed person on the planet.

-Christmas- Wedding -New Years-

We went on a massive roadtrip this December (massive due to the scenic route my father chose and the road blockings trying to contain us.) Looking back now, it was quite awesome! I got to spend 4 days in the car with my awesome little brother, Matthew. He is seriously such a stud and I am so grateful to have him in my life. It was such a treat and a blessing.

This wonderful Christmas season I was blessed to be able to spend in Utah with my immediate and extended family. It was wonderful! I was able to meet up with friends, spend much needed time with various family members, and talk to my best friend on Christmas Day. I would have to say, this Christmas has been my favorite of all time. It was spectacular.

On December 27th, 2010 my amazing big brother, Ryan, married my lovely roommate, Kimberly, in the Salt Lake Temple. There were fabulous receptions in Salt Lake City, Utah and then Kuna, Idaho. I am so happy for them and hope them the happiest of lives with the cutest of kids.

I celebrated the best New Years ever with my Uncle and his wonderfully awesome family at Bear Lake. It was beautiful and fun, and let me experience snow and lakes one last time before heading back to Idaho....land of the man-made lakes. haha. I love my family!

-Now-

I would love to tell you I am traveling the world or backpacking through some unknown land... but alas I am back in Rexburg, Idaho.

I go a fabulous University (Brigham Young University - Idaho). It is seriously a great place to be and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be here. I am surrounded with great friends, roommates, instructors, mentors, coworkers, and am once again close to my amazing Grandpa.

This year I have been extremely blessed to recieve an academic scholarship and a BYUI grant, meaning that almost all of my tuition has been paid for. It has been such a blessing to me and I am trying to keep my grades up so that I will qualify for the academic scholarship again next year. I am blessed to be in a great Economics program full of tools for future success. I am trying to re-find my love for Rexburg, due to the fact that I still have around 3 more semesters left. I have faith in my ability to do so.

:)
Life is grand.

Identity.

2010-12-03T20:06:00.006-07:00

I feel as though the topic of "finding yourself" is constantly attacking me via society (mainly peers and movies.) As a result of this nonsense and the fact that I haven't blogged in ages, I am going to dedicate this post to a rant pertaining to identity.
:)

** I am NOT claiming to know the keys to life. I am simply stating who I am and how I feel about that. :)

................................................................................................................................................

My theory, in a nut-shell....

1. "Finding yourself" is not a one time thing, it is a life-long process.
Perhaps life wouldn't be important if we learned everything at once, perhaps we have come to earth to grow and develop, "trial upon trial, experience upon experience." While this makes perfect sense to me, this fundamental to my theory has previously tagged me among the 'youthful inexperienced' by those who contradict. Perhaps that is not a bad thing, I believe I am still youthful, and have no problem admitting that I have not experienced all life has to offer yet. Personally, I feel as though a main problem in society today is the refusal to let life happen in a process. Society is constantly throwing doubts in our minds, telling us that we need to know everything about ourselves right now, telling us that we can never make ourselves or anyone else happy without fully 'finding ourselves.' This is me challenging that. This is me saying, lets allow life to happen. As long as we have determined our moral foundation, the rest is fine to come with time. As for making yourself happy....I strongly believe happiness is a choice. Let's choose it, my friends.

2. Changing throughout life is a wonderful thing.
We grow and change through experiences throughout life. Some of the most influential factors I have found in my life are people, trials, and just experience in general. At least in my life, I add to my list of likes and dislikes upon experiencing things. While some things are new in general, other things reshape preconceived notions and previously decided feelings. I feel this is what keeps life exciting. I enjoy experiencing new things, I enjoy finding new joys, I enjoy trying the foreign. Let's allow ourselves to change, lets use our knowledge to reconstruct our ideas about the world around us. Lets enjoy life. I mean, how frequently do we let new found pleasures become passions? We go through this messy yet blissful life gathering new loves as we go along. I find no shame in that. Love doesn't have to be so complicated. I feel as though we should give and receive true love freely. I always want to live with life and love as my passions.

3. Once you realize you have gotten something very right, you should embrace it and love it.
This particular fundamental to my theory pertains especially to our top priorities. For example, being a 'Mormon' is something that I hold dear in my life. I know that the church is true, and that it is how I can follow God and become my best. Family is another top priority in my life, and I believe that loving family is right and good, no need to change that. Why throw out things in our life that are right, in order to simply 'spice things up'?? Some things are magnificent just the way they are.

......................................................................................................................................................

I know who I am at the moment, and am constantly working towards who I want to be.
Join me. Let's be the best at being us.

The love of a penny.

2010-09-06T20:41:00.006-06:00

So you know all the sayings..... A penny saved it a penny earned; A penny for your thoughts; Penny wise, pound foolish; Find a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck; etc.

I am here to inform you that I FOUND A PENNY THIS MORNING! Yeaya! :)

(**Note that is NOT my hand....that pic is courtesy of google....hence the knarly man thumb.)

So my wayward mind took to some pondering on the penny.....

Why love the penny? Better question, why NOT love the penny! I mean this shiny little chunk is larger than a dime, but worth only a tithes worth of that same dime. It is fascinating. Then I remembered a teacher once told me in chem, (while doing a lab where we destroyed helpless pennies,) that awhile back it costed more to make a penny that $0.01, so they had to re-vamp their formula and take out part of the copper. (I believe, unless of course I am lying right now.) Anyways. How awesome these little buggers are. I mean, excluding only one while naming a price makes you feel like you are paying an entire dollar lense, (EX: $19.99 looks so much less than $20.00).

I wikipedia-d the whole penny action as well as the saying, and pretty much all it said was that the 'Find a penny' rhyme is strangely similar to the 'Find a pin' rhyme. Suck. All I'm saying is that I would way rather have a shiny penny to a pokey pin any day! Dear Wikipedia, for once you have let me down.

While in my 'pondering of the penny' state I happened to hear the song 'If I Die Young' by The Band Perry (fantastic song, exactly what I want if I die young, LOL)...anyways in the song Kimberly Perry sings,

"A penny for my thoughts, oh no I’ll sell them for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I’m a goner
And maybe then you’ll hear the words I been singin’
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin’"

Intriguingly true, right?! I mean my man Mikey Jackson made way more $$ in the 6 months proceeding his death than he did in the decade preceeding. Say what?! Gotta love the craziness of life!

This lucky penny of mine, proved its luck throughout the course of my day. :) I got to spend time with my lovely fam, and do my adorable sister's hair all fancy. I was graced by the beauty of rain and thunderstorms with a magnificent lightening show to boot! Got to see and talk to old friends. Got to spend time with the lovely Sister Larson and Sister Whetton who never cease to make me smile. Got to go to an awesome FHE with an awesome ward. Got to see amazing friends and people whom I love. Got phone calls from my 2 besties in the whole wide world. And the list goes on and on...... :) Twas a mighty fine day! :)

So to wrap up this entirely too lengthy post about a simple penny, I hope to challenge us all to live each day as if we have just been graced by a 'lucky penny'....maybe then we will see more of the blessings God grants us all each day, the beauty that surrounds us, and the opportunities we have to become better day by day. :) I'm going to try this gratitude exploration and I'd invite you to do the same. :)

-Thank you, dear penny, for greeting me with the lovely Lincoln Memorial this fine day!

Peace.Out_MK

Layla

2010-09-06T14:28:00.003-06:00

While many of you have met the love of my life, some have not, so I am dedicating this post to the introduction of my doggy.
:)

Name: LAYLA
Breed: Golden Retriever
Awesome: YES!

What comes to mind when you first think of the name 'Layla'?
.....If you are thinking, Eric Clapton's wonderful voice and magical musical skills, then you are absolutely correct! If you then proceed to think about how much you love the unplugged version, then we were meant to be friends. :)

So my Layla is almost 2 years old, and is seriously the most beautiful doggy you have ever seen. Her coat is fantastic, her tongue ridiculously long and funny, her eyes beautiful, and her personality is a ten! :) I'm in love.

She loves long walks on the trail, baths with warm water, and puddle jumping.....but don't get me wrong, this little lady can hold her own! She pretty much dominates at wrestling with Elway (my parents Golden).

Yes, this is definitely a worth while thing to blog about, I mean how would you have felt if you would have never been introduced via blog to my dog.......extremely sad, that is how!

:)

Well I love you all,

Peace.Out_MK

DISCLAIMER

2010-09-06T14:12:00.005-06:00

If the past is any indicator at how this blog will go, I am extremely sorry already!

I keep getting messages curious to whether or not I have fallen off the planet....I can assure you all that I am still alive and kickin. :)

So....what to blog about? I don't even know, hence this being my 3rd try at a blog, haha, whoops! Ideas would be greatly appreciated, (especially from those of you who peer-pressured my return) :).

Please and thank you!

Peace.Out_MK

Apology......

2010-04-08T19:50:00.001-06:00

I'm re-do-ing this business.
:)
patience please...