Pittsburgh in Pictures!

BEAUTIFUL PITTSBURGH

The week before Halloween, I made a quick trip to Pittsburgh to visit my beautiful sister and fantastic brother-in-law and their family. It was fantastic!  I observed in my time in the 'Burgh that the key to the vistas is the rivers. The rivers provide a break in the scenery and allow you to admire the city lights, the rolling hills, and the millions of trees!

The picture above and the others that I'm wearing this outfit in were taken at Mt. Washington. Bryan took a night off his studies to help show me the town.  This was one of the best stops! I loved the view! Especially at night -- there's just something about the city lights that's beautiful!

I know these pictures are blurry I know, forgive me. 

But isn't the content of the picture worth the blur? 

Isn't Camilla a darling?

 

There is a fro-yo shop below Bryan's lab, so after he gave me the grand-tour of his lab, we went to get some. For Dawn and Bryan this was a experience native to Pittsburgh, which is something I cannot forgive them for.  THEY LIVED IN UTAH and the FIRST time they had Fro-Yo was in Pittsburgh. That's like living in the South and having your first BBQ in Wyoming. So while I do love their cute fro-yo place, it's like comparing a candle to a bonfire - there's just no comparison to the fro-yo places of Utah.

Aren't they sweet?!

We made Halloween cookies, but it turns out Dawn and I could improve our cookie making skills. I was distracted and added too much flour and Dawn misread the recipe and added too much cream to the frosting, BUT they were delicious and fun to make Camilla is a pro-decorator.

 We also made Camilla's Halloween costume - she was a super hero and it was so cute and fun to make. Dawn is a fantastic mom and goes all out for her babies -- considering she hates Halloween, it was quite the sacrifice to travel to the 'burbs, pick out the fabric, and sew the costume!

We went out to eat and got Camilla grilled cheese sandwich and some broccolini. It was a GOURMET sandwich, which Camilla didn't eat. She did seem to enjoy the broccolini though!

We also visited this really tall building on a college campus--see below. It's one thing to take the babes on BYU campus, it's a totally different thing to take them to a normal campus. I felt like we stuck out, but we braved it anyway, for something to do!  It was so fun to adventure around Pittsburgh with Dawn, and I'm so glad they let me sleep on their couch for a whole week!

Asian Adventures of Two Amuricans

Since arriving home, I've been craving Chinese food from China Town (our local Chinese place), but, alas, we blew our eating-out budget at a small diner/grill in Yellowstone, where I had, no lie, the BEST bacon cheese-burger I've ever had (also the the only). It was amazing. It could have been the intense hunger or it might have been the burger. Either way, I was dying of love for this burger while my parents choked down their grilled chicken sandwiches. Sad healthy choices.

The Best Burger. Ever.

And now we will return to the main subject of this post.

So I've been craving in particular this amazing beef and broccoli stir-fry.  So I decided that my mom and I would make this along with fried rice.  So we got out our elk roast and thawed it all day long and I cooked some rice to make fried rice with later today.   Then I headed out the door to Toni's house to have a Girl's Only Party with sweet Toni, Aubrey and Brynn.

I showed up at 6 and barely stopped my parents from eating left-overs.  I pulled up my recipes and was determined that we would eat this TONIGHT. We looked at the recipes and quickly realized we were missing some key ingredients.  So we decided to go rouge! Our experiment as Asian cooks switched to Asian chefs! We threw in ingredients at our leisure and created what I would call two wonderful dishes. New recipes are so much more fun now that my taste-buds are dying, and I'm less of a picky eater! The elk still tasted a little elky, but the broccoli and rice were spot on!

Not bad for two Amuricans

Although, it turns out you can't please everybody.

That's ketchup folks!

In Which I Weigh In: Modesty

It seems that in recent months my Facebook news-feed has been filled with videos, quotes, and shared blog posts about modesty.  I'm not sure if this is a topic that actually concerns that world at large or just the few, the proud, the Mormons.  Regardless, the topic of modesty is, and has been for quite some time, an interest of mine.

The most recent uproar has been this post, in which a women with three sons and daughter, writes to teenage girls of the world letting them know that the provocative selfies they post on Facebook are actually viewed by people, in particular young teenage boys. And their parents (awkward). Girls who post such things are blocked, no second chances in that home.

As you can imagine, there have been several rebuttals to that post.  I read one in particular that I thought was well-thought out and also had some good points. She basically says boys can see girls in a respectable way after such pictures have been viewed and that people should be given second, third, and fourth chances.

After reading both posts, I would like to share my take on modesty.

1. Modesty is about motives and attitude. One time I saw two girls in bikinis. One of them was modest (which is not to say that I believe bikinis are modest clothing - but rather a statement about the attitude of modesty).  Those two girls wearing bikinis were different.  One of the girls was wearing her bikini with the intent to show off her hot bod to all those wrestlers sharing our hotel. Her body was helping her get attention and she liked it.  The second girl was wearing a bikini simply because it was the swimsuit she brought.  She did not appear to be seeking attention in the least. It was here that I learned that the specific clothes you are wearing have less to do with modesty than why you are wearing them***.  Are you clothes enhancing your full self - mind, spirit and body? Or are they being worn for the sole purpose of showing off that hot bod of yours?  When these are your motives, just about any clothing could be immodest -- no matter how skimpy or covering.  You are a daughter of God -- your body is housing a SPIRIT -- something divine. I wonder if our eternal spiritual selves (the part of ourselves that can remember living with God as just a Spirit person) cringe a little when our physical bodies are used for such short-sighted purposes such as high-lighting our bodies in a purely physical way.  You don't need to be a display - your body is given to you create, to do, and to accomplish great things. Don't sell yourself short thinking that your body was meant to be only an object to be looked at - you are in all reality better than that. 
2. It's not hottest. Stop telling me that. Now to everyone that has ever said, "Modest is Hottest." It's not. We know that. So you can just stop.  I will not be hotter or sexier or more seductive by being modest. BUT THAT'S OKAY! I do want to be attractive, but I want to be attractive in a way that compels someone to know more than just my appearance.  Hot implies to me a limited perspective. It's something you say about a model/actor/actress/someone you see across the room. So maybe we could all just stop pretending that modest is hot, because honestly that's not the goal.  Modest is respectable, wholesome, and pure, but it's not really hot. So let's just let that phrase go... and soon...
3. I'm not doing it for you, but I am aware of you. For all the ladies out there that say I shouldn't have to dress so that the young men out there can keep their minds out of the gutter: YOU ARE RIGHT. You don't.  For me, modesty is about understanding my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I have a potential to become something much like Him.  He has given me this body as a gift with a purpose.  Knowing these two things helps me to know that my body should be cared for and covered up.  With that said, it's very Cain-like of us to say, it's not my problem what's going on in somebody else's head. Can't we all help each other succeed?  So while I dress the way I do for myself and because I know who I am (a daughter of God), there is definitely added bonus that you get to be your brother's keeper in just a small way! (This blog-post talks about Young Men talking responsibility for their own thoughts! I love this article!)  So if the men of the world help themselves by keeping their minds clean and the women of the world keep themselves clean -- we're all winning! Cool huh?

My Testimony of Modesty:
    As I've said, modesty has been a topic I have studied for a while now.  The things I was hearing just weren't making me feel motivated to be modest.  So I thought to myself, what would I tell my 14-year-old self that would make me want to be modest for more than just obedience purposes? Then I went to work figuring that out.  And for me it all comes back to the Plan of Salvation. I have been given a body with a purpose to progress and return back to my Heavenly Father. This body I have is a further extension of the spirit I have had for much longer! To respect my spirit and the Father that gave me this body, I wear modest things. I know that I have been blessed by this choice.

***Disclaimer: I think the clothes you are wearing are IMPORTANT.  I think the Prophets and Apostles have given us guidelines to help us understand in a world that would easily confuse us as to what's appropriate and what's modest.  The statements made in #1 are simply me exploring the doctrine BEHIND the guidelines.

You Haven't Lived till You've Lived in Colorado

At least that's what the Coloradans will tell you.  

For example, I went hiking in Colorado, with a group of Coloradans.  At least three people from the group/that knew about the hike said, "This is your first hike right?" in actual astonishment at my lack of hiking experience.

As if to say that if you haven't hiked in Colorado, you haven't actually hiked. 

They also call the Continental Divide Trail the Colorado Trail there.  (Let me remind you the Continental Divide spans the CONTINENT, lest you forget.) Talk about extreme amounts of state-pride.  My friend Amanda calls it "state-ism" (like nationalism on a state level). And Colorado has a pretty bad case of it (we'll be fair and say Texas takes the cake though).

As a girl with her own state pride, I must remind you that the Rockies also run through Wyoming, and although we don't have any 14-ers, we do boast the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains outside of Colorado, coming in at 13,800 feet. (Who even cares about that extra 200 feet anyway?)  And I myself have hiked a mountain in Wyoming that comes in at 12,841 feet! Which, by the way, is HIGHER than my Colorado hike.

Life from 12,800 feet

Priceless photo-bomb to show just how rough Wyo-hiking is.

What I'm trying to say is Coloradans are crazy about Colorado.  And while I know that life can and is lived very well there -- turns out it can and is lived very well outside of there as well! 

I will say for Colorado that the prettiest road trip I've ever been on was between Denver and Provo last Saturday. 

Glenwood Canyon was my favorite part of the drive!

Such beautiful mountains and canyons and skies.  So I guess they do have something to be crazy about, and now that I'm back here in Wyoming... I think I may possibly miss them and their state just a little bit, or maybe a lot a bit.

You Know What I Love?

Families.  

I love them.  I love mine and I love other people's. 

That has been one of the highlight's of working at Craig (and the low points, but mostly the high points).  It's truly heart-breaking and heart-warming to see the families at Craig.  As you can imagine, if you end up at one of the top rehab hospitals in the country, something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

So even when your brain stops working and you become virtually a new person, with perhaps a completely different personality, families stand by each other, love each other, and advocate for their injured member.  Even when they don't understand at all what's going on or why the doctors and therapists are doing what their doing. They are there and doing their best to love and support the person they used to love, and still love despite not really knowing them.  

Or when your body stops working and all you've got left is your eyes and your face muscles and that beautiful mind stuck inside a body that for the time being seems useless. And yet your family still leaves their jobs to be at your side so they can move your sip and puff control to your mouth at the click of your tongue and to help you realize that you are more to them than you ever realized.  

You being you is all they ever needed. 

Isn't that both great and terrible? 

Another part of families that I absolutely love is siblings.  Especially the kind that love and respect each other.  It's been so fun to see the siblings I know here in Colorado be together.  It brings me joy in the very middle of my heart.  When they help each other in their callings and save seats for each other and when they do their best to make their sibling look funny or smart or whatever it is their trying to be.  Maybe because I've been family-less for the majority of the summer, I've been more sentimental about the great friendships I see in all the siblings I know.  It's just so sweet and it makes me miss my own sweet siblings who are forever encouraging and confidence-building for me! 

God created families for a reason. I'm so grateful that He also created a way for me to have mine forever! 

One minute of Floating Above it All

This is a selfie I posted on Facebook.  What would compel a girl like me to post a selfie I did in fact take of myself in a bathroom -- note the shower rod -- on Facebook?  This picture was especially special because it was taken about 30 minutes before the next picture and 30 minutes after I woke up. 

And why is that I woke up at 4:00 a.m.?  So I could potentially get my patients up in one of these: 

Turns out the winds were squirrely and therefore we could not take the patients up in the air.  Except for one -- who weaseled his way up into a balloon.  My supervisor for the day thought she'd give me a chance to understand what was going on in the air -- so I weaseled my way into the air as well!! Lucky me right?

For about one minute -- I found myself floating up, up, up and away... and it was very normal feeling.  To be on the ground and then floating above the ground: it was like nothing changed -- no fear or anxiety -- just grounded to floating in the blink of an eye!  .... Until I was unkindly pulled back down to Earth, by the rope that had tethered our balloon the entire time.

I'm starting to see this as a metaphor for my summer -- I've been flying high for a few short months in the beautiful state of Colorado -- and I'll very shortly be pulled back down to a jobless, directionless reality! 

I guess the only thing to do is enjoy the rest of this ride!! 

Three Reasons Why Life Isn't That Bad

Remember my last post -- the one where I was hating on one of God's most abundant creations? Although, I'm actually really not a tree fan, I usually can find in my heart to give them a break and not write blog-posts about my deep-rooted (get it?) loathing.  The problem on Thursday was I was lonely and crying AND I got pulled over a dumb reason, so all my frustration and sadness came out in one tree-hating post.  So today.. one week later, I'm feeling a lot better and I'm excited to fill you in on recent events!

I've made quite a few friends down here in the great state of CO, so it's been fun getting out and doing fun things with them.   Things like:

An early morning hiking adventure!

   I use the term hiking adventure loosely.  Apparently walking through trees can be considered hiking in these parts.  WITH THAT SAID it was a nice walk through some nice trees with some beautiful vistas like the one above.  Apparently the legit hikes around here are only 14-ers (which I think means it takes 14 hours?), so I'm gonna have to get in shape real soon to do some real hiking!  ... we'll see if that one happens. ever.
   One funny thing: that some of the rocks were tagged with spray paint.  Like somebody needed to mark their territory all the way out here. What a waste of spray paint, am-I-right?

Disclaimer: the hike was easy, but I wanted to look intense -- hence the poses. 

Bonus of easy hiking: looking like a million bucks when you want to take a photo of yourself! :)

A late night Rockies game:

I accidentally talked too much while we were watching said game, but I always like going to sporting events in person for the experience! So it was worth it to me -- probably not for the people sitting near me that had to hear me talking, talking, talking.  But it's always nice to see the Rockies win.  It feels rewards after years and years of listening to static-y, barely-there, radio announcers talk about Rockies games to see that this team is worth something, at least sometimes.

That we won!!

And going to the Cheesecake Factory --- only for cheese cake! With this sweet girl who is also one of the four lucky people who I call my BEST friends!

Isn't she great?

Stacey came for the weekend.  Literally. She flew in Saturday and left Sunday.  We made the most of it-- getting some fancy brunch, buying matching cardigans that look smashing on both of us, and Stacey meeting all my best friends down here! It was soooooooooooooooooooooo much fun to show her around and show all my friendy-friends down here what cool people I know.  She's the best!

So while life does have it's ups and downs --- I am doing great overall down here in the Centennial State! (ha ha ha -- lamest state nick-name ever am-I-right? It's got NOTHING on Wyoming -- please read that with no sarcasm, because I would much rather be the Equality State than the Centennial State, blech.)

5 Reasons Trees Are the Worst

1. They block the view. 
• For instance, say you wanted to see the fireworks on the Fourth of July, you can hear them all around you, but for some reason you can't see anything. One word: trees.
• Or maybe you had a great view as a child outside your bedroom window, and your dad decides to plant a tree.  And you can no longer see anything. But leaves.
2. They hide things.
• Like moose when you are hiking or rapists when you are running.
3. They fall over and hurt people.
• During storms and hurricanes and at summer camps.
• And during the season finale of the show "Providence" that one time.
4. They add to peoples list of worries:
• Am I killing a tree if I write this note to my best friend? 
• Am I wasting a tree's life by making confetti for my favorite un-officialy holiday?
• There is already too much to worry about people -- don't let trees get to you.
5. They burn down.
• Which adds to forest fires, and houses burning down, and sadness everywhere. 

Good thing they provide oxygen, or I would be totally over this whole tree thing.

Happy Independence Day

High Rollin' in C-Rad/My Dad is the best!

Last night I attended my first ever cocktail/fundraiser party! I won a ticket in a raffle at work to go to the "Phamaly Circle of Stars Gala" (everything inside the quotes can be read pretentiously).  When I got the information about the ticket, surprise surprise, it was cocktail attire.

I thanked my lucky stars that my sweet mother had thought to buy me a little black dress as a college graduation present - and then I headed off to the stores to find myself a shrug and a clutch. After searching at all the right stores - read JC Penney and Ross's - my sister suggested I give Target a try. So I typed Target into my GPS and showed up at the LARGEST Super Target I have every beheld. It was huge.  I got everything I needed there -- and I was ready to look the part:

Cocktail Ready

Then I showed up at the Gala -- I was offered champagne when I walked through the door (which I declined), I mingled - met some very nice people - ate my hors d'oeuvres - and then watched some live theatre performances, and participated (by watching only) in a live charity auction where they raised thousands and thousands of dollars (although not with one of my tightly squeezed pennies).  My very favorite part of all of it though was get all ready to go! Dressing up is just tooooo much fun! :)

Since it IS Father's Day -- this blurb would not be complete without this portion dedicated to the man that raised me:

I graduated from college this year - thanks to many people, but especially these two:

Therapeutic Recreation is one of those majors that people scoff at -- "she's getting a major in what?!" The word recreation is just a little too 'fun' to be a real job, and I understand where people are coming from, but thankfully I was given two very practical parents who make all kinds of smart decisions say to me "Go for it!"  They have supported my decision even when I doubted it was the right one -- always, always, always saying "Kelli this is perfect for you."  Which really has given me the confidence to move forward to do something that I love! What my dad doesn't know is that he's the one that got me started down this impractical career. 

My dad's a little crazy sometimes and he has a lot of crazy, but really good, ideas. Like the time he decided at the age of 45(ish) to take up back-packing.

He's the leader of his own band!

He and his enthusiasm, and my ever supportive mother, got us to hike with heavy back-packs on, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE, up a giant mountain to this old piece of wreckage.

So happy we've found it after two years and a lot of tears later!

Those trips were horrible, but I came away feeling so extremely empowered and ready to take on the world that I knew there was a power possible in recreation, which led me to therapeutic rec and just so happened to change the entire course of my whole life thus far.... I wonder if he's regretting his crazy back-packing scheme yet?

My dad has also taught soooo much in the course of my 22-years! While looking for these pictures, I found some pictures that represent the pattern for just about all the things my dad has taught me.   It goes something like this:

My sweet dad teaches me all about skill/task/behavior/etc. by standing right next me and guiding me step-by-step through the process.

Then he steps back and gives me a chance to succeed on my own: 

He steps back in to help me through the hard times:

In this case.. touching the fish... blech.

 And then lets me take all the credit:

Proudly disgusted.

 I'm really one lucky girl! :)

Especially since my dad is good for a selfie every once in a while!

That One Time: Todd Goes to Botswana!

I'm realizing that the last year I missed a bunch of huge awesome life events while I was busy being a senior in college, so now I'm playing catch-up!

My sweet, sweet, sweet, studly little brother got his mission call!

I made a cake. It was an abstract globe, and Africa was definitely an after-thought. No joke-- I was seriously ... okay my globe is done.. something's missing... oh Africa! Which is why it's not exactly the correct proportions.

Which is why it's even better that - - HE GOT CALLED TO BOTSWANA GABORONE! English speaking of course, because our Heavenly Father knows my sweet brother very well.  So in exactly two months from yesterday -- that great brother of mine will be in (or flying to maybe) Africa learning how to teach people the Gospel and change people's lives forever!

Kelli's Day

Kelli's Day was an interesting one this year in that I haven't made any friends down here yet, except those required to be my friends -- like Maria my land-lady/roommate and those lovely ladies and gentlemen at work.... So I did the best I could, but I would have to say this was probably one of the worst Kelli's Days I've had in a while. This is fine because the good thing about Kelli's Day is that I could try again later this summer if I really wanted to -- the beauty of making up your own holiday! 

I had a lazy day for most of it. I tried to go a ward activity, but I left pretty early after talking to just about .... no one. My own fault that I lack social skills.  The activity was supposed to take three hours so I suddenly had about three hours to kill! 

First, I found a used bookstore.  It was fantastic.  The book places around here are fantastic! I went to the Littleton Library just to check it out, and it was PACKED with books.  Every tiny nook and cranny had more and more books! Can't wait to get a card!!!  The used bookstore was the same way -- I walked in and there were tons of books on the floor at the entrance that they were trying to sort through.  The store itself had tiny walkways in a maze-like fashion between stacks and stacks and stacks of books.  I finally found my place in the back and sat down on a tiny rocking chair to look through all my favorite books! I decided on a book I'd read before that's pretty good! (Front and Center - pictured below!)

I then went to the lake at Ketring park to get tan and read! It was very relaxing, and it was a beautiful view on a beautiful day! Super fun.

Before I went back home I stopped at Goodwill to grab myself a movie and found, after much scouring, the movie Signs -- what a classic right?!

I got home and checked the mail to find two letters -- one from Toni and one from my mom! They are fantastic people! And soooo sweet to remember my fake holiday! Toni made me the cutest banner pictured above and sweet Aubrey sent me two pictures! They are the best. My mom sent me the sweetest note and 20 dollars to add to my Kelli's Day fund.  Now that I'm basically un-employed 20's in the mall really feel like manna from heaven! I was so excited to get mail!!! :) 

I made the cake and heated up my left-over Thai food and had a delightful evening!  

I really hesitate to put this last picture up, but because I trust you, I'll put it up anyway.  This is my friend Maria who shared my day with me! She's so great! :)  Before you ask questions like "Has Kelli been eating at an all-you-can-eat buffet for the last three weeks?" The answer is no I have not been gaining weight like crazy, but I somehow managed to put together the perfect combination of factors (bubbling shirt, awkward head turn AND tilt, and strange angle of the arm) to create the most un-flattering picture ever.  What a talent, am-I-right?

Happy Kelli's Day to you and yours!!!!

I'm Done.

As in Done with classes. Done with school-related stress. Done with cramming my brain with no reference guide. Done!!!

Also I'm DONE with another bucket list item: Get my picture on the Testing Center Web-Cam!! 

My sweet roommate Stacey helped me fulfill my goal, as I prepared for my LAST Final in the Testing Center (which I aced btw -- Testing Center screen judged my performance to be "Awesome!").

See if you can spot me:

The Good and The Bad

Today I:

• checked my email and I got a notice from two (TWO!) libraries that the books I had on hold at each place had come in!
• only to find out the book I really wanted most was turned in - but was somehow lost between the time I got the email saying it was turned in and when I went to pick it up - less than 6 HOURS apart. 

Today I:

• spent an hour and half finishing the formatting on my project that was worth 300 (300!) points!
• only to find out the formatting was wrong after I printed it. 

Today I:

• officially entered my last (last!) week of classes as an undergraduate student at BYU
• only to realize I have one major project left, a final draft of paper due, and four (FOUR!) test left before graduation.

Much to no one's surprise I'm sure, I'm most disappointed about the book being lost! 

And I'm most excited that I turned in the 300 point assignment! 

And overall life is fantastic! 

(and will continue to be so.. hopefully..)

Equal Parts Nostalgia, Cheese, and Gratitude!

Four years ago in May, four best friends graduated from high school:

Chelsea headed out to BYU the summer after high school, so we organized our last hoorah:

We spent on last night together:

What you can't see is the broom Chels has hidden in her bed for protection!

And we began the next phase of our lives: College!!!

Then after three short years, we slowly began entering the next new phases of our lives.

Darcee got married:

 And we were there:

Then Alexa got married:

And we were there:

And, the newest development and the reason for my current reflection, Chelsea is going on a mission:

Sister Akin of the DC South Mission!

And we'll be there via prayer and letters!!

And I'm re-realizing how blessed I am and have been to have these girls as best friends through those (and these) critical years in my life! They each have become examples to me in their own way.  They support me and love me and make me feel like a real person who matters!  I'm just so excited for all of us to start on our next adventures which keep getting bigger and better with age!