Thursday, March 29, 2012

You're So Vein

A good friend sent me this video and said that it reminded her of me.


Apparently I am in good company (with Miss Glinda the Good herself), because I have the same problem. Don't try to deny it. The proof is in the pictures.









HAHAHA! Now all you will ever see when you look at pictures of me is a vein. That's OK. Apparently you need them to live. They take blood to your heart or something important like that ; ) 

I also have a bit of a lisp - and sometimes when I don't where my contacts a lazy eye. I honestly remember watching the video from when I was in the Jr. Miss Pageant and suddenly bursting into tears because I realized that I have a lisp...and a giant vein that divides my face in half. Don't laugh. It was a very traumatic moment at the time. Welcome to being yourslef, Katelyn Michael. I think I had been living in denial for 17 years of my life. 

The point is - everyone has things that they wish they could change about themself. There are two types of imperfections: The ones that you can change and make better and the ones that you cannot because that is the way you are genetically programed to be. If you are bitter and upset about the things that you CAN change, you are foolish because you can change them! If you are bitter and upset about the things that you cannot change, you are foolish because you cannot change them. 

This is true of everything in life, not just physical attributes. I was talking to a friend last night about how almost one year later - yes, I am openly admitting online that next month I will reach my one year home form the mission mark, I still feel awkward at times. Not that I want to be in the mission field or am stuck in the mission, although I do miss it dearly. I just have never felt as put together and on top of things and in control as I did before my mission. 

I think it is because I have been stuck in a constant phase of transitioning - transitioning from the mission field to being home, transitioning from home back to BYU, trying to transition into Grad School and work. It has never stopped. I think I came to a life changing epiphany last night: the imperfections of life never go away once you become an adult. The transitions never stop. That is what life is: A constant phase of transitioning and dealing with trials and imperfections. 

I heard the following quote form Gordon B. Hinckley years ago. It says...

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. Most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.


"Life is like an old-time rail journey — delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride."


At first I thought to myself, WHAT A DEPRESSING THOUGHT! President Hinckley was an eternal optimist. How can he think like that? Now, years later, I realize how truly prophetic his words are. The scriptures tell us that we are meant to have joy, but that is all eventual. Along the way we will have a lot of hard times. The gospel is meant to help us through the hard times, and not to take them away. 


We are not meant to live in ignorance and be happy go lucky like I was before my mission. We are here to experience things and go through trials. I guess we should all just accept that and move on and help each other. Happiness is not living trial or stress free. It is knowing that even in your trials God loves you and everything will be alright in the end. Come what may love and love it, right? 




Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Of Nuns and Gospel and All Things Awesome...

I think I am going to take a social dance class next semester before I graduate. Wouldn't that be fun? I want to be able to DANCE. I want to shake my thang like little miss Gladys Knight...


She is so cool! I wish I had that kind of soul. My dream is to turn on General Conference and see her leading the MOTAB choir in a gospel number. Praises to God as they were meant to be sung! 

Ever since I lived in the south I have fallen in love with Gospel music. It is my favorite. I want to be able to belt it out like miss Lauren Hill does in Sister Act: Back in the habit.  Check it out. 





Speaking of Sister Act: Remember how adorable this is? Besides gospel music, nuns are another fascination of mine. I am not even joking. I think they are the most festive and adorable people ever. Mostly that is because I love Sister Act, The Sound of Music, and The Trouble With Angles...all excellent movies and all about nuns. I am sure real nuns are nothing like they are portrayed in the movies. Still....I would give anything to travel to New York and see Miss Raven Symone in Sister Act on Broadway.


Since I probably won't be able to do that I will just enjoy the movie - and watch Gladys and Dancing with the Stars. I have not been an avid follower of the show in the past, but the season primer on Monday was absolutely AMAZING. Which brings me back to my original point: I want to dance. Look how charming these men are! 




and this adorable little Brit


They are all awesome, right? Might I remind you that this is week one. Yeah. I want to dance like them.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Nostalgia

For some reason my friend and I got to talking the other day about our childhood and she asked me to tell her some stories from when I was a little girl. She didn't actually believe that a place so idealistic as Royal City, Washington and family events so incredible as Sunday nights at Pa and Grandma Jean's house actually exist - mini corn dogs and all. After that conversation my heart just ached to go home. I miss it so much. Spring is such a beautiful time of year on the farm. I will probably not marry a farmer and therefore am doomed to live in the city my entire life, but I am so thankful for my country roots...



This will always be home



They will always be home...




I even miss this place - free soda and gasoline most of all. Which of course, isn't really free. I just am not the one that pays for it. 

Sometimes I even miss this place


I have been so nostalgic as of late. I REALLY miss this place too...

More specifically I miss THIS place... 



AND this place...



Most of all THIS place...

The sad part is I don't think that I am really nostalgic for the actual people or places, although I love them dearly and they may help some. I am nostalgic for times. Times of my past that won't come again.

I want to actually be a little girl running around barefoot in the fields again.
I miss fishing and picking cherries and playing No Bears Are Out Tonight.
I want to be a missionary, sweating bullets in the blasted Houston humidity again.
I miss the thunderstorms and the Southern hospitality, and the beautiful sea of blue bonnets. 

Soon I will be done at BYU and miss the good ol' days of being at The Y. Everyone should just enjoy whatever time of life they are in. It is special and unique and it will never come again. Be happy now and cherish you life where ever you are along the path. 

Thursday, March 1, 2012

March

I have been wanting to blog for a while and have several post in mind but I am just going to combine them all into one epic post. Can you believe that it is March today? We are almost 1/4 done with the year 2012. Time is a crazy thing. The fact that we have to add one day to the calendar every four years because a complete rotation around the sun actually takes 365 days AND 6 hours is crazy. It blows my mind.

I hope that everyone had a fantastic Leap Day. I know I did. Ailsa picked me up from the MTC and took me to Blackjack to get some pizza. They were handing out free T-shirts for Leap Day and if you wear your shirt when you go in to order a pizza any time from now on out you get a free order of breadsticks. Legit.

Here is the update on my life: Valentine's Day was lovely. Check out this sweet Valentine Package from my family in Washington...


Those cupcakes were DELICIOUS and if you don't have a one of THESE, you should get one. It's really cool. It makes cooking with batter clean and you can make perfect circles and really nice shapes with your pancakes. Way to go, Martha Stewart. Also: I have Nicki Manaj nails. 

I went to a lovely Lonely Hearts Club Party that a couple of adorable girls in the ward put on. It was fun. We made paper bag Valentine mail boxes. Isn't the one that I made cute? 


Here are some of my favorite Valentines people made me...



It's upside down : ( I don't know how to flip it. It says...

Krazy
Awesome
Terific
Elegant


My personal favorite: "Love is just a series of random chemical impulses in the brain...Happy V Day or whatever." I almost wet myself. 

For President's Day Weekend Riley, Alyssa, Kenzie and I drove down to Saint George and met up with Lindsey, Mom, and Dad. It was an awesome trip. The weather was absolutely beautiful and we got to enjoy each other's company and hike around in the beautiful red canyons. Yeah. You see, we know how to live. 






While we were in Saint George we received some incredible news. We received a couple pieces of incredible news actually. Our family is being very blessed right now. 

INTRODUCING: The newest (and hottest) BYU COUGAR in the family. Lindsey McCall is coming to The Y. We are six for six people. True blue through and through. Jace worried us for awhile. Luckily out of state tuition for U of U is not cheap. He saw the light. I am so proud of this here little woman and all that she has accomplished. I cannot wait to have her in the same city as me. My one and only beautiful sister is coming. Now we just need to get her on a mission and we can all be RM BYU Cougars together : D No pressure, Babe. 

Also: THIS GUY officially has a release date. Ya viene el primer dia de Agosto! August FIRST! 

Mom, dad, and Lindsita stoked him in Vegas before they came up to St. George. Yup. They sure did visit the mission office and take pictures outside of his apartment. They are lucky he was not around!!! How many times have they been to Texas? Yeah. That's what I thought... Elder Christensen actually called us the day my family was in Vegas (at the request of his mission preisdent's wife) to get some needed insurance information to be able to visit a doctor, so my mom got to talk to him for a few minutes. We were so close! 

Here is a picture of Riley just because we love him and he is SO HANDSOME. He is also graduating soon. GOOD for him. 


Not much else is going on. In school I have learned how to test hearing on an audiometer and fit a hearing aid. I am not sure why I had to wait through three years of college to learn that stuff, but classes are good. I am also starting to look into graduate schools. I am open to options if you have any great ideas. 

I finished reading Mujercitas, which is little women in Spanish. I really enjoyed it, although I think most of the classics that are written in English are better in their native language.  It is good practice though and I love learning new words. 

I used to be a real movie person, but I have kind of given up hope on movies. I have not really been excited about seeing a movie since this summer when I saw The Help and Harry Potter and that is only because I read the books first and loved them. Nothing has really been appealing to me, so I have switched to television for now.  

I LOVE PARENTHOOD. Seriously. I tear up almost every week. This show is so real. It reminds me of my own crazy family because we are all close. I have not watched most of the first part of the series because I was gone, but my mom introduced me over Thanksgiving Break and I am hooked. It is like a real, dramatized version of Modern Family, which I am sorry to say is really not that funny anymore. Parenthood is good though, and I am not even a parent. I still love the show. 








Also: Once upon a time. I was not really sure at first if this show was going to be good and I was not convinced after watching the primer. I am a convert now. The Valentine episode that they did with Belle from Beauty and The Beast was BEAUTIFUL. I loved it. If you love fairytales, you should watch this show. 





I think I am going to try and do Ragnar this year, so I need to start training. Lindsey - will you train me? I am so happy that they weather will be nice soon so that I can run outside. Now you are all caught up! 

WAIT! How could I forget one of the most important things??? 


STEPHANIE IS HOME FROM HER MISSION! Three years later and we are still best friends. Everyone who comments needs to put a reason WHY Steph should move back down to Provo this Spring and live with me. I think that "Katelyn Christensen lives here" is a good enough reason. I am so happy to have her home and I love our midnight FB chats. Welcome Home, Bestie. Way to Return with honor.