Ode to Joy

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.

My name means "luckiest person ever" in Egyptian.

"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

"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