The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 3

This is great and all. I mean really. I don't regret it but holy cow. A LOT OF WORK. haha

 

 

Here are a bunch of pictures that document the healing and changing of the piercing (and also the growing out of my red hair...) It is August now and I did it in the beginning of April so that is (April, May, June, July, August halfway) 4.5ish months. Just halfway through the 8-12 month healing time. And let me tell you, when they say it will be 8-12 months before it is healed, they mean it will be 8-12 months before it is healed. I mean really. Really. Really. I heal pretty completely and quickly and this is still healing. Very much still healing.

The bottom one I would say is 87% healed. The middle one I have no clue since I have not changed that one...haha. The top one is maybe 49% healed. It gets the most irritated because it is the one getting caught in my hair and all that. So it has been slow going for that one. The middle one...well we will see...haha

Overall I do love it. But it is a lot of time before it can be really enjoyed.

Update: I have now changed them all at least once, some of them multiple times. I have horseshoe like rings in the top and bottom and I am letting the middle one heal some more with the new stud I put in last weekend. I am trying to figure out which style of earring I like so I bought this: It has a million things I have no need for....but there were plenty I can try out in my ear just to check out styles before I lay a lotta $$ down for some really high quality nice ones. So far I am enjoying trying them all out. 

The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 2

If you missed The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 1 <-- There it is
So day one was a breeze. Second hole hurt like the dickens and it got hot, but mostly it was fine. Ya know...

Day 2

...Aiya. Not fun. Hurts. Sore. I mean, you just put three holes through your ear. Sheesh. You can't smile. It hurts too bad. Smiling smooshes it all up and OUCH. Still not much you can't handle. It's freaking swollen and yucky but still...it's just been over a day. Just don't lay on it cause that is bad. Also make sure you are cleaning it. Clean it good, but not too much.

Day 3...

Day 3 I thought it was infected or going to get infected. I got paranoid. My ear was red and I thought I was seeing that streaky thing that happens when you get a really bad infection and it moves into the blood stream. Also it is hotter than you remember it being yesterday...Seriously paranoid. What if I go septic and die? That would teach me for making poor decisions, wouldn't it? Holy crap. I am going to die.

Spend like 7 hours Googling "infected piercing", "piercing infection", "triple forward helix infected" "get rid of piercing infection" and all sorts of combinations of those words. You read that you should not use Neosporin even though you think that's crap cause that junk works on everything. You read not to use rubbing alcohol cause it's too harsh. Well what can I do to make it not kill me?! Salt soak! That seems to be the key. Salt soak!

So there I go, doing salt soaks every day with warm water to make sure I am not getting an infection. I want to smile. I can't smile still cause it hurts.

Keep going with The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 3

The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 1

Alright you trendy folks who are wanting the triple forward helix piercing. Listen up so you know what you are getting yourself into.

I'll break it down for you so you can make an informed decision about this (major) piercing.

Day 1: 
I don't know about you guys but I wasn't thinking too hard about this whole thing. I had decided like the week before that I wanted it. I knew it was not the most responsible decision, but I also realized that I have never made an irresponsible decision in my life and that my young years were runnin' out. So I decided to do it and then I did it. Not much thought in between.

So I get there and say to the tattooed & pierced lady with purple asymmetrical hair, half leopard printed, "I want the triple forward helix." There we have it. She said she didn't know if she had the supplies and she would check. Again, not thinking about what I was actually getting into. Just wanted it. That was all. There we go. HA! I feel like my sister Lindsay.

So she got the stuff and told me to come on back. Still not thinking about it. I sat in the chair and looked away so my ear was facing her. She cleaned it, marked it with a pen, gave me a mirror and asked if that was good. I said yes and she got started.

When she was about to stab me through she would say, take a deep breath in. I would take that deep breath in and then she would stab me through. The first one was not bad at all. Just like my other piercings, a pinch and then it was ok. It would get hot but ya know, its all good. I thought, "Yeah man, this is cool. Not too bad."

So then, she got the second one ready, told me to breath then stabbed me through. This time it hurt. It hurt a whole ton. Worst thing ever. So bad. At that point I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to get the third one. I wanted to quit. I got all sweaty and blehhhhh. Ew. Sweaty and hot and gross. HA! So fun. So fun!

Anyways, then they did the third one and it was as bad as the first. AKA fine. Didn't hurt. Then she started soaking up the blood in my ear. Awesome. Lots of blood in and around my ear. Awesome.

She said, "______ will tell you about aftercare." No idea what his name was but he mumbled about showering and cleaning and don't touch, salt soak with the stuff they gave me. 8 weeks before I can change them and 8-12 months before they heal totally. Blah blah.

So then I went and paid for the piercing and walked out. This is what it looked like right after:

It felt fine. I mean really hot and swelling but what the heck did you expect after putting 3 holes in your ear in the same place...AIYA!

So I got home a few hours later and cleaned it up:

Didn't seem like anything I couldn't handle. I knew day 2 would be reallllllyyyy fun.

Check out The Truth About Triple Forward Helices - 2

College was not "fun"

You know what?

Until this, my senior year, I never would have used the word "fun" to describe college. It more just "was".

Like, "Yeah. I am in college. I'm studying anthropology. Its cool. I love my classes. Everything else is alright. Could be better, could be worse."

Now it goes more like this, "Yeah. I am in college. I am an anthropology major and I love it! And I freaking love my life. I basically have a 24 hour party 7 days a week. It is so much fun. Holy crap."

As (maybe) mentioned in a previous post (or maybe on my Rocks & Twigs & Things sister blog), I made a goal to be more social this year and I am pretty sure that that is happening and that is why I am having so much fun all the time.
**Now I really do not mind being by myself - in fact I love it. I prefer it most of the time, but right now this whole social thing is working**

Anyway. I have had more fun in the month and a half ish of this semester than I had in the previous two years combined.
Someone finally got me to Country Swing Club this year and that is a beautiful thing. It is a good time and I love it. It is fun.
I also am tutoring for athletics now and I love my football players. They are hilarious and entertaining (and sometimes even focus on doing their school work :) and I love the few hours a week I spend helping them keep up their grades. They are FUN.
Another thing that is making life so fun. I am living in the moment. Very little forethought into my life these days. For example, yesterday. I had watched conference in the morning, Joseph came over in between session and we (aka he) had lunch (when I was supposed to be doing homework!) and then we watched the second session at Cassie's. Afterwards we three had a very long and philosophical conversation about God (when I was supposed to be doing homework!) We left Cassie's and instead of going home and doing homework like I knew I seriously should have....I went grocery shopping with Joseph (...again...). We shopped and then as he dropped me off afterwards at like 10 to 6:00, I got a text from mi amiga Kim. She said she had tickets to this Diwali Night here at UW. The tickets were to the dinner starting at 7:30 but the cultural part was going on from 5:00 onward. So I hurried and texted Zane to see if he was going to priesthood or if he wanted to go to Diwali Night with me. He was in so I took the tickets and we had an awesome time at Diwali Night. I REALLY SHOULD HAVE DONE HOMEWORK. I REALLY NEEDED TO DO HOMEWORK.

I was on the phone with my mom this week and she said to me, "You have been yawning a lot lately." So I kind of explained how I had been of the attitude "What the hey? I am in college! I am young! Let's have some fun!" I then told her how I thought I was done with that lifestyle since I was so bloody tired. She basically chastised me for being such an old lady all the time and that I really needed to act my age and keep making poor life decisions because I wouldn't always be able to do so with so little consequence.

But I have continued on the live in the moment lifestyle where between going to bed or doing homework and going to hang out with Joseph or go to Diwali Night or Shari's for game night with the girls, I choose the non-sleeping & non-homework route. And life has been fun. College is finally fun.

Now it isn't all sunshine and daisies since I am pretty sure my grades are taking a hit. But I sure can hear my mom saying, "It is about damn time."




AND RED SOX ARE KILLIN IT

An assignment for my class: part II

Humitrophis – I have no idea what the actual word for these things are. They are the little glass stone things that are put in jars and bowls as decoration and stuff. When my sister was a toddler she decided they were called humitrophises. It was great. She loved to play with them and my other siblings and I learned to love playing with them as well. We spent an embarrassing amount of time when we were kids playing with those little glass stone things. Whenever I see one I resist the urge to take it and play with it like I used to.

Baseball – Until recently, my brother and baseball were one in the same. I have gone to more baseball games than most 19-year old girls. My brother played middle infield and occasionally outfield. I idolized him growing up so I loved baseball. I love it still. Baseballs remind me of Christian. They always will.

White dresses and Blue blazers – Sounds like a wedding right? Well it is not. It was my high school graduation. I went to a private school so we didn’t do the whole cap and gown thing. The girls wore white dresses (knee-length or longer with sleeves!) and the boys wore khakis, a white collared shirt, and a blue blazer with the Waterford patch on the pocket. I did not cry during my graduation, but I got close. I had known my peers for years and years, some since I was 2 or 3. We were also the first class at Waterford where everyone who began the year ended it and graduated in years and years. Teachers couldn’t remember the last time a whole class graduated together. I will be in a store and see a white dress and think to myself “That would have been a good dress for graduation”.

My youngest sister has a very slow paced walk. Her heels touch first. Her head and shoulders are upright and straight. Her eyes are generally up, not looking at the ground as she steps. She has long legs so her steps are very long. Her arms slightly sway along her sides.

My sister is active, she moves a lot, even when seated. She grew up with almost all male friends, she plays on a boys baseball team so she has some mannerisms or characteristics that one would associate with boys like the way she sits and runs. She uses her face a lot to express herself.

My sister has a youthful voice. I noticed she emphasizes consonants a lot. More so than your average person.  When she is frustrated her voice elevates in volume and pitch.

When my sister walks into the kitchen, her first response is to look for food.

I see that my sister has some food on her face and it looks like she hasn’t brushed her hair in a while. Her nails are pink and blue. She has swirly earrings. She is young.

I have short steps since I have short legs. I have short arms so they swing a lot. My head projects forward when I walk.

When I stand it is apparent how short my arms are. As when I am walking, my head projects forward. Usually I cross one leg behind the other weight-bearing leg.

When I sit, I move a lot because of my back problems. I generally lean back in the chair unless there is a table and then I rest elbows/head on table. Sometimes I cross one leg under the other.

When I speak, I use equal long words and then rapid shorter words that rise in pitch during the points I want to emphasize.

I use the words/phrases:

Grow up

Junk

I don’t see a problem with that

Ain’t nobody got time for that

Poop. Everywhere, always

I really like the words:

Junk

Kylee

I sound a lot like my sisters. Well, they sound a lot like me since I came first.

I think others perceive me as short, compact, confident – because I keep my head up, I strut a little. I keep eye contact; I have bold/confident mannerisms like that. 

An assignment for my class: part I

Mac 'n Ramen – Growing up, my parents both worked so we had a nanny or my older siblings took care of us younger siblings. The go to meal was Kraft macaroni and cheese. One day, my older brother mixed Kraft Macaroni and Ramen. That then was the go to meal and I still eat it as a college student. The mixed fake cheese and fake chicken flavoring smell reminds me of my childhood. Yummy.

Grandparents - I can recognize my grandparents smell anywhere. It smells dusty, a little floral, like old people, and like Vaseline lotion. I have a scarf that my grandmother crocheted for me and every time I wear it I smell their house. It makes me happy.

Hospital – I hate the smell of the hospital. You rarely ever get good new there. It’s awful. It smells like medicine, illness, old people, white, false cleanliness (even though you can't possibly imagine the awful stuff everywhere, always). It reminds me of the day I was there when I was 15 years old and they told me I had 2 herniated discs in my back and Degenerative Disc Disease. They said I wouldn’t play sports again. I didn’t cry until I got home and was making Ramen noodles. I hate the smell of hospitals.

My trampoline – So many good memories (some including injuries) have happened on my trampoline. I remember my first back flip out there and the countless attempts at a perfect back flip 180. The times we would put the sprinkler by the tramp and dump dish soap so the surface became a huge, bubbly, slip and slide. That trampoline defines my childhood.

Harley Davidson – My dad has had Harleys since before I was born. So many of his shirts are from various Harley shops around the country. I can picture the way he lets his beard grow out when he’s taking a Harley trip to Yellowstone, Sturgis, or the Grand Canyon. I got my Harley license the year I graduated high school and now we can ride them together, with me not as a passenger. Harleys will ALWAYS remind me of my father.

Scratches on the Suburban tail light – This was my first car accident. Oh dear, it was terrible. It was the December after I got my license in August. I was going to go Christmas shopping with my cousin, Taylor. It was nighttime and I was reversing out of the garage to go pick her up. I couldn’t see the mailbox. I backed into it and it basically exploded. There were bricks up to 15 feet away. No one was home, my parents were in a movie and I couldn’t get a hold of them. I had a panic attack and cried and called my brother. He rushed home and laughed when he saw the mailbox. It was a shocking experience for me, but I smile when I think about it now.

Rusty and Rosie – These were the little rodent characters (I don’t know what animal they actually are) that were used by the elementary school that I went to to teach children various concepts. They had VHS movies we would watch and CDs to listen to. I can still sing many of the songs from Rusty and Rosie. I probably learned a lot from them and when my little sisters listen to the CD’s I can sing along.

The Beatles – When I hear any Beatles songs I think of my dad. End of story. The Beatles are the soundtrack to our car rides and Harley trips. Whether it be CD’s, iTunes, or Youtube videos I have heard every Beatles song ever. Beatles make me think of my dad.

Crowd cheering for me – When I was a senior in high school I was the varsity point guard until I broke my finger and had to get surgery. The night before I got surgery we had a home game and I was in a splint and bandaged up. I got my parents, the athletic trainer, and the coaches permission to play for a little bit since I was getting surgery the next day and they could just fix any more damage anyway. Well I played a little at the beginning of the game and then my coach took me out. In the fourth quarter, with just 2 or 3 minutes left, our entire fan section started cheering “WE WANT KYLEE! WE WANT KYLEE!”. My coach looked and me and said, "Get in there". I finished the last few minutes of my last ever game. That sound of the crowd still brings me to tears when I think about it. It was incredible.

Touchscreen

Lindsays blog

It's Become Somewhat of a Tradition

So, I did not have a blog last year at this time, but if I had, I would have written about this. 

There I was, in my dorm on a Wednesday at the end of February when my friend Janae texted me and asked if I wanted to eat dinner at her brothers house the next evening, Thursday. I said yes cause I had basically been in my room for three weeks straight with no human contact. 

The next day Janae and her brother (Allen) picked me up outside the dorms and we went to Walmart to get some stuff for quesadillas. Then we went to his apartment where his roommate (Pace) was awaiting us (dinner). We had a lovely dinner and had all the basic conversation since I had no idea who these two boys were. It was just the usual “where’d you grow up?”, “how many siblings?”, “ what’s your major?” talk. Then towards the end of dinner Allen says, “Kylee, I have an important question to ask you.” I was super confused cause who asks an important question to someone an hour after they meet? But he asked if I had been asked to the Brown and Gold Ball. The Brown and Gold ball is an LDS sponsored activity for the whole university at a hotel here in Laramie. I had not been asked cause I didn't really get out much…heheh. I asked when it was, he said this Saturday (as in two days), I asked what time. He said doors open at 6:00, dinner at 6:30, speakers at 7:15, then dancing at 8:00. Honestly I didn’t see away out so I said yes.

Anyway, that is how I ended up going to the Brown and Gold Ball last year

 Fast forward a year later. So Brown and Gold is today. Up until yesterday afternoon I was not planning on going. BUT...I get a text yesterday from Pace (yes, the same Pace from last year) saying he has some extra tickets and a cousin if I wasn't doing anything. So...I said yes. Once again, I have no idea who this guy is (I do know Pace this year though, and his wife Ashley (not the other girl in the picture)) but I am going to a formal dance with him. I decided to make going with strangers to the B&G somewhat of a tradition. 

Also, if you are wondering about the dress situation - last year I went on friday after classes with my friend Cassie, to Maurice's and got that dress in the picture for the B&G. This year, I wised up. I figured after last year anything could happen so when I went home last weekend, I brought one of my sisters winter formal dresses back with me JUST IN CASE. HAHA I am so smart. This year I didn't even get 48 hours notice...it was more like 26 hours notice. So good thing I learned the lesson that a lady should always have an outfit on hand that she can wear to a formal event. 

This is what living in the moment is like! I am very excited for this dance tonight. Last year it turned out better than I could have ever imagined. :)

Scars: Part 1

Through my life I have found that scars hold infinite words. Many of these marks stay permanently with their host until after death. They remind of times past. They cannot be escaped. They are you.

Scars are reminders of the stories of your life. They are little relics that mark the day. Tiny little pieces that map out where you've been in life.

Each scar has a different story to tell. Some tell of bad times. Scary times. Times that would better be forgotten. Some scars you wish would leave.

Some scars are what is left from a good day. A day spent living in the moment. Some scars you wouldn't trade for flawless skin because it makes you smile when you are reminded of that incredible, probably reckless, day.

I have both.

The stories behind scars are infinite. There are infinite ways to mar the skin. There are infinite memories that go with a single individuals flaws.

Some are scars of repair and progress. Some are scars of destruction. I have both.

Scars can go unnoticed until later. Some you will remember the exact time and place of the injury. I have both.

My forehead: I have a few scars on my forehead.
The small pink, smooth piece of my head came from an accident on the trampoline. I was young, 8 or 9. I was jumping on the tramp with my neighbor, Geoff. In the course of jumping around, he landed, open mouthed, on me. His front tooth split my forehead and I had to get stitches. 5 of them. My parents were out of town and we had a babysitter who rushed me to the ER.
The next one on my forehead began as a fairly perfect circle. It has since reshaped into a small oblong dent. That one is from an incident involving a hot glue gun....

My chest: My chest used to be heavily scarred from a third degree burn I got in Spain. It bubbled and blistered at the time. Randomly bursting and dampening my shirts with pus. Then the peeling began. Skin fell off like paper. It has since faded and been replaced by new, unblemished skin.

My arms: My left elbow is scarred from road rash. This one is textured from the damage of the asphalt. Part of it is bumpy and greyish pink while the other part is smooth pale pink. Liza and I were riding the Vespa around the neighborhood. We went to turn around the baseball diamond in the church parking lot when we hit gravel and went down. We rode home bloody and a little stunned. I have a scar on my left hip from the same wreck.

My hands: I have a lot on my hands.
I have a white scar shaped like an "r" on the middle finger of my right hand from a lacrosse game. I decided to guard the goalie as she left her crease to clear the ball down the field. For those of you who don't know, the goalie is off limits when she is in her little circle in the goal, but once she leaves, she is fair game to check at. She came out, I went after her. She threw the ball down field as I was moving to check her stick. That finger got caught in between the two metal sticks and ripped the skin. It was just a gross hanging flap of skin until it healed into the "r" that it now is.

I have another three scars on the ring finger of my left hand. These are from a broken finger resulting in surgical pins being put in. I love and hate this scar. I hate it because it ended my high school basketball career during the one season in a long time we actually had a chance to go somewhere. I hate it because my finger is no longer straight from the break. This finger....arguably the most important finger if you ever plan on marrying is bigger and crookeder than the rest. I love this scar because during my time out I learned to be the "flag bearer" for my team. And three little pinkish white dots looks pretty rad.

The next one was on the back of my right hand. It is barely visible now. Lindsay has the exact same scar on her hand, just at a different angle. I was making banana bread and when I went to take the break out of the oven my hand grazed the scalding rack. Lindsay's scar is from the same oven rack at a different time. She scars worse than I do so hers is still very visible. When mine was still there, angry and dark pink we could line our hands up so that they matched perfectly.

Each one is unique, special. Like me.

Sunshine's Writing

This is an english assignment my sister, Regan, did.

On Top of Heaven

   It was shaping out to be the worst night of her life. The venue, the food, the people, the lights, and the smell. It was horrible. It reeked of teenagers. Sweaty, hot, musty, all underneath a layer of ten different perfume smells. Lavender, Rose, Mango, Citrus. The people were clumsy like a bunch of one year old toddlers after a treat. The older senior boys, drunk off of the Budweiser they got at the bar across the street walked around the venue with alcohol breath and whispered in the girls ears, telling them the were beautiful and asking if they would come home with them that night. The girls, chipper and ditsy with bright dresses that dragged across the floor for the boys to step on and soil. Some girls didn’t know how to walk in their six inch stilettos and wobbled, their ankles shaking like a small branch in a windstorm. Other girls pinned their hair in the reflection of the window and wiped makeup smudges from their eyes. The younger kids, too nervous to do or say anything, congregated at the tables and ate the stale cheese and meat, and gulped down glasses of water trying to stay hydrated in the hot, tight venue. It was all typical. And it all was pointless. Pink and green lights had flashed in her eyes giving her a headache. The music pounded in her ears filling her brain and pushing any thought she could muster up from her head. She ached to take off the red heels that dug into her ankles every time she stood up to fix her skirt. Her long hair made her neck hot and sticky. She wanted to pull it into a bun and run home. But she knew it was too much to ask. She hardly got out. This was the first time in a six months she had been to a school activity. And she regretted choosing this one.  “Having a good time?”, the principal, Mr. Grayton asked her. He had been sitting in a corner watching the kids making sure they didn’t run off together or dance on the tables. She took a moment to try to comprehend what he had said. She could hardly hear over the booming sound of the speakers. After she had pieced it together she smiled her big smile with perfect teeth and replied “Yes. This is by far the best dance we’ve had this year.” They both knew she hadn’t been to any but she held her ground and smiled up at him. “So glad to hear that! Glad you could make it.” She sat down at the table amongst the freshman. She smirked at them. They had all treated this dance as a fashion show. The bright colors, the poofy hair, the makeup that melted off of their faces. It was indeed laughable. She had never put that much effort into her look. She imagined them getting up early that morning, gathering at a friends house and spending every hour from then until the dance to curl their hair and cake on makeup. How let down they must be now, She thought. So primped and done up. Only to sit at a table and make useless small talk and give out fake compliments to the other girls.  She refused to socialize. No one asked her to dance and no one told her how beautiful she was that night. No one asked where she bought the dress and no one asked who her date was. It’s not that she was disliked or hated in anyway.  People just knew better.
                 She was attractive. That she knew. Her mother used to tell her on a daily basis how lovely she was. Her dark brown hair fell to her elbows. Her white teeth looked like pearls in the off chance that she did smile. And her skin smooth as silk never had an ounce of makeup on it and still looked like she had walked out of a magazine. Girls used to talk to her. Boys used to like her. But she was introverted. She never liked the girls. And the few times she hung out with the girls she found that they talked to their phones more than they did each other. When her aunt told her to spend time with the girls Tess would say “Their focus is off.” and walk away
                    She hadn’t been asked to the dance because everyone expected her to stay home like she always did.  This particular night she had been prompted to go. She convinced herself it wouldn’t kill her so she slipped on her white simple dress that fell barely above her knees and swung around her when she walked.
                    “Hey,Tess!” some boy said. A boy about half a foot taller than she was and about a foot taller if she took her heels off. He was thin and had big eyes. She couldn’t tell what color because the lights flashed every direction. His teeth were big and his smile was huge. It reminded her of someone “Hey,T! How do you like the dance?” She hardly made out his voice underneath the loud buzzing speakers. “My name is Tess.” She replied. “What?!” “Tess!” she said. No one called her “T” but her father. She was frustrated and wanted to end the conversation. He tilted his head like a bird. She decided to let it go and sat and looked at him. “Want a drink,T?” he shouted through the music. She shook her head. She didn’t know why he had started talking to her. Did he think she was lonely? She wasn’t. She didn’t need pity. “I’ll be back with a drink!” he shouted. She rolled her eyes as he maneuvered through the crowd, stepping on people’s feet, and hopping around like it was a land mine. As soon as he was out of sight she sank into her own world. The music blurred into one giant sound, thick as mud and the smell morphed into a giant aroma cloud. The lights were all just white flashes behind her closed eyelids. She had no idea how long she had stayed like this but when she became aware the boy was sitting next to her with two cups of water. His was half empty. Hers was still full to the top. “You awake,T?” he asked her. She nodded and drank her punch. “This is awful.” she said with pucker. He laughed and drank the rest of his, “Who are you?” she asked “Sam.” He said “It’s Samuel..  but I like Sam.” He didn’t look at her when he said this. He looked into the crowd of people as if he didn’t even know she was there. “How do you know me?” she asked. “I sit behind you in Math... or Science.... maybe sewing?” “I’m not in sewing.” She said. “Hmm... must be Math.” He said with a smile. She came to the conclusion that talking to him was better than hopping around like a fool on the dance floor with the drunken, groggy  teenagers. “How long are you staying?”. “I don’t know yet.” she said. “Have you been to the bar across the street?” he asked her. “No.” she said quickly.
               She had been in a bar once with her dad. She remembered that day perfectly. She had been about eight or nine when she had seen the old, rundown building. And she liked the look of it. “Is that a house?” she had asked her dad. “Nope, but I used to go there when I was a kid.” Her dad said “Would you like to go in?” They walked in and she smelled the cigarettes and fermenting barley. The men in there were sticky and had stains on their shirts and hair on their faces. One looked at her and smiled with brown teeth and asked her name. Her dad had pushed her along. She liked it in there. She sat at the bar stool and imagined being a waitress there. But when she looked around she realized there were no waitresses. No women at all. Only big men who looked like they had somewhere to be but chose to drink smelly drinks instead. “What will it be sir?” A big man with two chins said to her father. He had dark circles under his eyes and his fingers were fat and held a dirty rag. “I’ll have a water and one Heineken.” The man looked at Tess and smiled. “First time in a bar?” he smiled. She was too shy to say anything so she looked down at her green boots with mud still on them. She felt sorry that she had tracked mud in there. But when she looked around her the whole floor was covered in dirt and straw wrappers. She felt less sorry. The man returned a minute later with a tall glass of water and a glass of brown smelly and had lots of foam at the top that spilled on the counter when he placed it in front of her father. “Have a good one.” he said and stomped away. His hands still clasping his dirty rag. She took a drink from her cup and watched her father drink from his. He spilled a little on his plaid shirt. He looked like the other men in this bar but cleaner. “It still looks the same.” Her dad said. “I came here with friends when I was a little bit older than you... It smells the same too. Less lively.” She didn’t have any reply so she sat swinging her legs at the bar stool. She drank more of her water and looked at her dad’s cup and wondered if it tasted how it smelled. “Try some.” He smiled. She did. She was upset to realize it did in fact taste like it smelled. She cringed and drank more of her water. “It’s an acquired taste.” He laughed and as soon as he drank the last drop of his beer they left the smelly building she loved and she never went in again. But that was back when her father was still alive.
                 She shook her head and came back into reality.  “No bar then.” Samuel said. “There is an ice cream place. Just there. The small building that’s lit up.”  She stared at him, then to where he was pointing. Just out the window she saw a little shop, hardly big enough to be a store. She looked closer and saw a couple walking out of it. A short man, smaller than his girlfriend who had short blond hair and a long black coat. Neither looked all that excited to be near each other but they held hands as if it were standard procedure . She hated seeing couples like that.They were nothing like her father and mother had been. “Ice cream?” Sam persisted. “I don’t know you.” was all that came out of Tess’s mouth. She was busy watching the couple walk like robots down the street. “I do. Your name is Tess.” She sighed and rested her face on her hands. “...no ice cream.” Sam concluded. But he didn’t leave. He sat there and watched the people dance. He laughed occasionally.  And smiled at the boys and girls, tangled in a giant knot that moved with the music. She observed him. She had never seen him. She had only heard of one Samuel at her school and he never showed up and the days he did he made a loud booming entrance in her Calculus class and thought he was funny when he stole the teachers things from the desk. But this couldn’t be him. She stared at him for a while until she heard another voice trying to make its way through the music. She turned her head. There was a girl smiling at her. Tess thought she was here to pay her a fake compliment and leave. But she didn’t seem to be looking at her dress or shoes or anything. She was asking a question. “Mind if I sit?” the girl managed to yell. Tess nodded even though she did mind. Samuel introduced himself. She introduced herself as “Grace”. She had bright red lipstick on. The color her Tess’s mom used to wear.  And a dress made from lace. Her hair was brown like Tess’s but fell just  little shorter. “Are you guys each other’s dates?” Grace asked motioning back and forth between the two. Samuel looked at Tess and smiled. It reminded her of her father. The way he would smile when told Tess’s mother that they didn’t go out and buy candy. It was a game and he smiled the same sneaky smile at her. “I just met her,” He said with the same smile.. “This is T.” He said. Tess smiled and looked at grace. She could see Grace’s earrings. They were shaped like birds. She liked them, and imagined them flying off right then and there. Grace started talking about the dance, and how she had come with a date but he got drunk and left with a friend. She didn’t seem sad about it. She kept the same red lipped smile throughout the story. She spoke to them like she was talking to an old friend. Tess always envied people who could do that. Tess’s mother had always had that skill. It ended up working in her favor when Tess wanted something from the store but it cost too much. Her mother would strike a bargain right then and there with the owner and she would leave with a new sweater or necklace. She ended with stating how badly she wanted to leave but her date had taken her keys and she was stuck until she found someone to go with. Tess liked Grace. She seemed nice and inviting. The kind of girl she would spend time with. When Grace was finished talking Samuel told her his story. But rather than listening Grace Interrupted. “Guys come with me!” she said and before they could say anything she was making her way to the door. Samuel stood up immediately and followed like a puppy. Tess was reluctant but Samuel turned and made a face that indicated that he would not leave Tess alone if she didn’t join. She followed. She pushed her way passed the teenagers. She might have stepped on seven feet and tipped over eight beer cans but she kept moving as soon as she walked out the door she felt amazing. The wind blew her hair off of her wet sweaty neck and the thick sweaty, floral aroma was gone. The flashing lights were replaced with simple street lights that hardly lit up the ground around them. As if they were too afraid to light up all the way. Some flickered which made this image all too accurate. She turned to see Grace just as relieved as she was. Samuel was smiling at them both. “Where to, Grace?” he asked with a shrug of his shoulders. Grace smiled and took off her cream colored shoes. Tess did the same. It felt nice. The cold cement on sore feet. It was like walking on hot nails and then stepping on cool silk. It made the girls smile. Grace threw her shoes away. Just like that. As if they had been a half eaten candy bar. Tess laughed and dropped her shoes to the side of her. Grace started walking down the street while the two kids followed. Tess felt odd following two strangers around the town but she found herself laughing at them and telling them about herself. It was something Tess hadn’t done. She explained how pointless these activities seemed. And about her family, she even recalled telling them about her Parents. She hadn’t spoken about them for almost three years. Although she thought  about them every day. In the middle of one of Samuel's jokes Grace stopped dead in her tracks and smiled big. “This is it.” she said. Tess turned her head and looked where Grace was looking. A dark alley way. It was wet and and cold. Parked at the end of the alley was a black truck with a smashed windshield. Tess thought she should have felt scared. But she didn’t. She just walked. They all walked down the alley until they saw a ladder. Grace looked at the two of them and started climbing up. Tess followed and this time Samuel was reluctant. “I’ll slip. I know I’m gonna die. This is it for me.” Grace laughed and motioned for him to come up. “You either follow us or stay down here in the dark alleyway, alone.” Tess said. Sam looked around him. He touched the beaten car and cringed. “I hate wrecked cars.” Tess looked down at him. He looked sad. Tess hated wrecked cars too. Too many bad memories associated with them. Samuel looked longingly at the car. Like he wanted to get in it. But he shook his head and joined the two girls. Grace was more than half way up she looked around and giggled. The giggle made Tess’s head jolt. She looked at grace. The giggle sounded like her mother. The little trill on her voice that sounded like a xylophone. It made Tess smile. She missed the sound of her mom. The two girls looked down at Samuel. He was nervous. He slipped every time he took one step higher. It was painful for the girls to watch but eventually they got to the top of the ladder. Tess climbed over the wall and looked around her. She was amazed. The whole town lit up below her. It was like looking down on heaven rather than up. Grace was giggling again. She helped Samuel tumble over the wall. She patted his shirt off and they walked to where Tess was. “Beautiful isn’t it, T.” Grace breathed. Tess turned to them and nodded. Her white teeth so perfect and straight showing so bright like the lights around her. “I come here all the time. I love being able to see the world. I feel like I’m in control and I can steer.” Samuel nodded “It’s nice not to be in the passenger. I can decide what I want for once.” Tess looked at the other end of the building. It seemed so far. “Wanna race?” asked Grace when she saw Tess looking. Tess began to run and so did Samuel and Grace. Tess ran as fast as she could. She ran through a puddle that almost went up to her calves. But it didn’t stop her. Water dripped from her body and her heart pounded. She laughed and laughed. She could hear Grace laughing, just like her mom used to. And she heard Samuel “Wait up T! Wait up.” Just like her dad. She felt at home. When she finally reached the other end of the building she turned to look at Grace and Samuel. But when she turned.... no one was there. And she was alone on the rooftop.

Reversal in Time

This is from my dear friend Aspen tree. She is amaza-zing. I recommend clicking on the link at the beginning of her post so that you can hear her reading the piece.

It is beautiful.

 Reversal in Time

Flashback: Mountain Home Idaho

I am maybe two or three years old toddling around the back yard.

The back yard of the little yellow house in Mountain Home Idaho where my grandparents lived. It has two HUGE apricot trees and lots of grass and a chain link fence where there is a garden and then a dirt path behind that.

We used to go there every year and help my grandma gather up all the apricots that had fallen to the ground so they didn't ferment and get wretchedly old and disgusting.

I say "we". It was me, little Kylee, maybe baby Lindsay, I don't remember if she was born yet. Christian, Ben, Nathan, my parents, and Amy may have been there. A three year old's memory just  isn't that good.

So I am toddling around the yard, cute as a button, and my siblings are just covered in apricot juice as they pick up all the fruit from this back yard. They fill up 10 gallon buckets that were basically as tall as I am of nasty rotten fruit as my grandma watches on and I run around probably tripping over my chubby legs and the uncollected fruit.

My family didn't want to touch me since they were sticky with apricot juice so I ran around and probably played in some of the nasty fruit or tried to get through the chain link fence into the garden behind.

I'm not sure if I remember this from my own tiny three year old brain or of the many stories and pictures of these events have meshed into my memory bank as true memories.

Does it matter?


Merry Christmas!

Here and There

"Arthur Henry King has said, 'Love is not just an ecstasy, not just an intense feeling. It is a driving force. It is something that carries us through our life of joyful duty'".
- Dallin H. Oaks, Powerful Ideas - October 1995

I like that a lot.


Do you ever have a song that automatically energizes and makes you go crazy? Well right now that song for me is:

It kills me. So I was doing homework right near here...

...in the basement of this building...

 

...yesterday while listening to thebestpandorastationever...

AND Anyway Radioactive comes on and I have the irrepressible urge to cartwheel and go crazy. SO I DID (if it is irrepressible you can't not do it) right there in the basement of PS. For all those nerds doing homework at 5:00 on a Friday evening (my friend Pace included....) to see!

HA! IT WAS GREAT. So then I was on a music high for the rest of the night.

 I jumped and skipped and sang and total body jammed the walk home with Cassie. IT WAS SO GREAT. SO FREEING. People where watching and I just jammed all the more intensely. Then we went to the basketball game here...

.

...and on the walk I didn't walk. NAY! I RAN AND FLAILED...

I looked a lot like this....

...And then when I got to the crosswalk I cartwheeled across. I turned that bad boy into a cross-cartwheel. AWWW YEAHHHH

WHEWWWW THAT was such a grand adventure I had. And it all started with Imagine Dragons.

I think I am keeping that promise to enjoy life more fully!

LIFE IS GOOD FOLKS!
HAPPY SATURDAY TO YOU

OVER and OUT

Subtotals - Kylee Style

As promised, here is my Subtotals

Number of state championships won: 2. Number of journals filled up: 1.75. Number of watches I own: 1. Number of near-death experiences: 1. Number of times I have known exactly what I want: 1. Number of colleges I applied to: 3. Number of colleges I got into: 3. Number of songs on my iTunes: 2922. Number of Facebook friends: 0. Number of classes passed: 306. Number of broken bones: 4. Number of blind dates: 1. Number of temples attended: 5. Number of times I have read the Harry Potter series all the way through: 11. Number of all-nighters pulled: 1. Number of times feelings acted upon: 449. Number of car wrecks, my fault: 2; not my fault: 2. Number of horses ridden: 17. Number of horses I have fallen off: 12. Number of proms attended: 3. Number of hospital visits: 5. Number of times I have wished I were someone else: 0. Number of times I've been told I have the prettiest eyes: 6,982. Number of dishes washed, by hand: 1,987; in dishwasher: 5,732. Number of songs memorized:156. Number of prayers said: 6,696. Number of prayers answered: 5,000 and counting. Number of callings held: 7. Number of times I forgot: 10,294. Number of siblings, full: 4; half: 4. Number of library runs: 882. Number of flips on trampolines: 943. Number of surgeries: 1. Number of sneezes, explosive: 2,800; suppressed: 1,000. Number of goals, soccer: 3; basketball: 80; lacrosse: 45; volleyball: 9; life: 54,982. Number of Pins pinned: 441 and counting. Number of Pandora stations, used: 5; forgotten: 12. Number of braids: 11,017. Number of textbooks bought, used: 20; forgotten: 13. Number of times donated hair: 3. Number of times donated blood: 0. Number of dogs: 2. Number of cell phones: 8. Number of iPods, lost: 1; stolen: 1; sold: 2. Number of times I've painted my fingernails: 622. Number of falls: 601. Number of letters sent: 82. Number of letters received: 64. Number of kisses, given: 44; received: 107. Number of Chemistry classes: 1. Number of Physics classes: 1. Number of Anthropology classes: 6. Number of times lost: 3,908. Number of baseball games watched: 362. Number of football games watched: 16. Number of miles traveled: 8,162. Number of candles bought: 1. Number of beds slept in: 15. Number of times peed my pants: 19. Number of lies told, major: 2; minor: 45. Number songs that remind me: 110. Number of hours spent in the basement of BS/PS: 100. Number of TV shows I watch: 0. Number of TV shows I wish I could watch: 3. Favorite number: 13. Number of weddings attended: 6.5. Number of times asked if I was a twin: 47. Number of times asked if I was a triplet: 22. Number of feet tall: 5'2". Number of days since I was home: 79. Number of states visited: 15. Number of countries visited: 3. Number of hangnails picked: 623. Number of blog posts: 61. Number of times said goodbye: 1 too many. 

For your funsies/Random thoughts

...Never Gets Old...

This is me!!!!


Conversation I overheard today:
Violet: Did you dress up this weekend?
Cara: Yeah! My boyfriend was Ronald McDonald and I was the Hamburgler.
Violet: Oh that's so clever! I like it.
Cara: Did you dress up?
Violet: Yeah, I was supposed to be a Vampire but my teeth kept falling off so I was just a whore in a cape.
Cara: Eh, its Halloween!
Violet: I know, right? At least I had a cape.

Subtotals

I read this piece Fall 2010 in my senior English class. I recently emailed that teacher to get the piece. I don't know why, but I love it. Keep looking at the blog and maybe I will write my own.

Here it is. *it has some profanity*


Burnham, Gregory.  “Subtotals.” Harper's Magazine. July, 1989. 37-38

S U B T O T A L S

Number of refrigerators I've lived with: 18. Number of rotten eggs I've thrown: 1. Number of finger rings I've owned: 3. Number of broken bones: 0. Number of Purple Hearts: 0. Number of times unfaithful to wife: 2. Number of holes in one, big golf: 0; miniature golf:3. Number of consecutive push-ups, maximum: 25. Number of waist size: 32. Number of gray hairs: 4. Number of children: 4. Number of suits, business: 2; swimming: 22. Number of cigarettes smoked: 83. Number of times I've kicked the dog: 6. Number of times caught in the act, any act: 64. Number of postcards sent: 831; received: 416. Number of spider plants that died while under my care: 34. Number of blind dates: 2. Number of jumping jacks: 982,316. Number of headaches: 184. Number of kisses, given: 21,602, received: 20,041. Number of belts: 21. Number of fuckups, bad: 6; not so bad: 1,500. Number of times swore under breath at parents: 838. Number of weeks at church camp: 1. Number of houses owned: 0. Number of houses rented: 12. Number of hunches played: 1,091. Number of compliments, given: 4,051; accepted: 2,249. Number of embarrassing moments: 2,258. Number of states visited: 38. Number of traffic tickets: 3. Number of girlfriends: 4. Number of times fallen off playground equipment, swings: 3; monkey bars: 2; teeter-totter: 1. Number of times flown in dreams: 28. Number of times fallen down stairs: 9. Number of dogs: 1. Number of cats: 7. Number of miracles witnessed: 0. Number of insults, given: 10,038; received: 8,963. Number of wrong telephone numbers dialed: 73. Number of times speechless: 33. Number of times stuck key into electrical socket: 1. Number of birds killed with rocks: 1. Number of times had the wind knocked out of me: 12. Number of times patted on the back: 181. Number of times wished I was dead: 2. Number of times unsure of footing: 458. Number of times fallen asleep reading a book: 513. Number of times born again: 0. Number of times seen double: 28. Number of deja vu experiences: 43. Number of emotional breakdowns: 1; Number of times choked on ones, chicken: 4; fish: 6; other: 3. Number of times didn't believe parents: 23,978. Number of lawn-mowing miles: 3,575. Number of light bulbs changed: 273. Number of childhood home telephone: 384-621-5844. Number of brothers: 32. Number of passes at women: 5. Number of stairs walked, up: 745-821; down: 743,609. Number of hats lost: 9. Number of magazine subscriptions: 41. Number of times seasick: 1. Number of bloody noses: 16. Number of times had sexual intercourse: 4,013. Number of fish caught: 1. Number of time heard The Star Spangled Banner: 2,410. Number of babies held in arms: 9. Number of times I forgot what I was going say: 631.

...kids are literally the worst...

Want kids someday?

No you don't.

27 Reasons Why Kids Are Actually the Worst

Sh*t My Kids Ruined



HAHAHAHAHAH I need to stop looking at these in places where I need to be quiet.

Music

I'm taking this idea from Linds's blog.

If y'all are too lazy to click on her link and read her version, here's what she says:

"I've discovered songs and music have the ability to preserve memories. Well I guess I didn't discover it. I'm pretty sure most people would know what I'm talking about.
 
You put your ipod on shuffle and a song comes on that you haven't heard in forever then alla sudden you're back snowboarding, or on a car ride, or remembering something that happened the moment you were listening to that song."

Here is where I go when I hear these songs or artists:

Skinny Love - Birdy
I am sitting in my dorm room in Orr Hall Freshman year of college watching Vampire Diaries. It is the episode where Jenna dies. I immediately looked the song up and got it. Both versions I think. 

Low - Flo rida
It was basketball sophomore year. It was on our warm up. I remember every home game running lay up lines to this song....It was our jam

Just Dance - Lady Gaga
WOW. This one is a good one. So it had been our song all season long sophomore year soccer. (Blasting it during our team "outings", playing it repeatedly in st george, etc) Then during our stretching circle before the State Championship game it came on. WHAT A GOOD OMEN! Then we won 3A State in PK's. Good day. I think I will always love this song.  

Sleeping with the Lights on - Michael Henry & Justin Robinett
There I am in my lovely car Cheredith listening to the CD Allen gave me. I remember...I had cried as I left his neighborhood and as I got on I-80 to head home for the summer. I had just gotten a handle on myself when this song came on and I lost it all over again. Good times, good times...

Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk Off the Earth - Five Guys and a Guitar Version
HAHA Oh gosh. This one. I hear it and I am back in Allen and Pace's apartment. Allen probably has this one on his most viewed. He asks "Have you seen it!?' and I reply no. So then we watched it probably 9 times. Then some of our other friends came over and we watched it another 15 or so times.

Single Ladies - Beyonce
I am in the Brown's CRV with Madeleine and Elliot. We are on our way to early morning seminary sophomore year. It was at the time of winter/spring that you can feel your world changing. It's beginning to slowly warm up. You are caring less and less about school. It's that spring fever feeling I guess. 

Snow Patrol
It was sub for santa. One family had Snow Patrol CD on the list. Well, I was in charge of that. So I think I bought the CD off iTunes and burned it, made my own awesome label and everything. Now when I hear them, I think of that years sub for santa with the family all at the g-parents.

 

It aint happenin'

Studying is what aint happening. Instead, ENJOY!

Basketball retreat a couple summers ago

BBall retreat again...this is how we entertain ourselves waiting for our din din

Prom Junior year hahahahha How many chins do you count?

WWFND?

This is WFNWD

I killed our mailbox a while back

Yes.

Shirt that was on the floor but I saw a face in it...can you see it?

Dang girl...so prrrty.

HAHAHAHHAA

True story

This is my BFF

Sometimes anything is better than studying

HAHAHAHAHAH

I drew this...I'm so talented

Sunshines pen exploded in her mouth

Such good smiles...

ANYWAY...I really should study s'more cause I have a final tomorrow morning...BLEH.....These pictures make me laugh and I hope they make y'all laugh. (Shout out to my Russian readers!!)

Wish me luck!

3 Short Stories part 2

4. Lindsay and I were in the upstairs hallway. We were throwing stuff at each other. In an attempt to dodge what she was about to throw at me, I turned to run into the bathroom. WELLL, I was only half-way lined up with the door way...so instead of running through the doorway, I ran INTO the door frame. I smacked my forehead sooo hard I had a massive goose egg in the middle of my forehead. Lindsay may have peed laughing. 


5. Lindsay and I are on the tramp. I tell her i cant do a gainer backflip and she says just try it. So i do...and i land on my face and get tramp burn on my face...AWESOME






 6. Rearranging the house on new years day...2010 maybe?