Things. Just Things.

So I must confess. I haven't been on here in a long time. I know, I'm guilty of abandoning you. BUT I'm back. At least for a little while. I promise that when my life isn't as stressful as it is right now, you will have much more to read. Summer will be a great time to blog about everything on my mind. But right now, I wanna give you a preview. Because I have quite a few things on my mind.

<----- This right here is a map of the world. Yeah. I'm sure you already knew this but this pertains to my thoughts a lot. The world. It's so huge. It's so vibrant and so lovely. But it's almost too huge. And too lovely. Because it's making me want to travel more than anything. I don't want to sit here in this one small corner of our lovely planet. I wanna see all of it. I'm a wanderer. I get bored of a place after a while. I keep thinking about everything else I could be seeing and experiencing and I wonder if I am stuck here. I've never had an emotional attachment to something so random. But I find myself getting upset from time to time when I think about how I will probably never get to see all of the world. There's no way. I'm just so tiny and there's only so much time and it's just not enough. But I'm not gonna let that get me down. I'm young. I have a long life ahead of me and I don't want to spend it here feeling sorry for myself. I have decided that I want to see as much of the world as my life will let me. I know I'm just one of a billion people my age thinking the same thing. But it's something I find myself really passionate about. I love traveling. I love seeing different cultures and looking at everything in a different perspective.

I've always been a traveler. Ever since I was young, I have wanted to see the world. I've already been to England and France and Australia. But it's not enough. I want to go back. I want to see all of Europe. Everything. I don't want to waste any more time sitting here dreaming about it. There's only one problem: money. Traveling is an expensive passion. And the way to get money is to get a job, and the way to get a job is to get a college degree and the way to get a major. And that's where my other problem comes in. What can I major in, where I can see the world, and save it. Yes, that's right. I said save. This is going to sound foolish. But I just want to save the world. This semester I'm in a geography class and it's teaching me about all the issues going on in the world. AND THERE'S A LOT! I just get sad when I think about all the bad things happening in the world, like ethnic cleansing in Europe (and other places for that matter), blood diamonds in Africa, genocide in Cambodia, the censorship of China and Russia, everything. I want to save everyone. But I don't know what to major in to make that happen. I've been asking around what would Captain Planet major in and I've gotten a few answers. I've gotten Anthropology (which I'm still considering) and Environmental Science which I'm actually really considering. I know it's not necessarily traveling material but the world is going green. And I want to jump on that bandwagon and make it happen. I dunno. Let me know if you have any ideas about possible majors that can help  me make the difference in this world. Or majors that will allow me to travel and at least experience life in a different perspective.

Enough about my mid-life (or mid-beginning of my life?) crisis. I have another weird thing going on right now. I... am feeling very crafty. Like, I'm not artistic what so ever. But the inner artist in me is screaming. I want to make things. I wanna make a quilt over summer. I wanna make clothes. I want to create a mural on my wall in my apartment of all the things I love. I wanna paint something like a bench or a wall or something. I've been addicted to Pinterest ever since I've gotten it and today I found the cutest paint swatches. It's not like real paint, so I guess it's not paint swatches but more or less color swatches to get creative ideas flowing. Like check out these colors:

These colors come from this site called design-seeds.com and they really call out to me. I love bright colors. My favorite colors are in fact yellow and blue. But looking at these colors just makes me want to play and make things and just be colorful. I dunno. I am in this strange mood I tell you.

OH! One last thing to tell you about. So I know everyone has heard about it and maybe even watched it but I think I am completely obsessed with the Royal Wedding. It's kind of bizarre since it's already over and like old news and I can't really do anything about it..... But I love it! I absolutely ADORE Kate (or shall I say Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) and everything about her. She's adorable and like perfect for the royal family. I think Princess Diana would be so proud of her and Prince William. I love it. I honestly would kill to be her best friend. I would live vicariously though her.... which I kind of do... 

THEY ARE TOO CUTE!!!!!

Anywho! That's all I have for right now. But I will be back. Don't fret. 

My Big Fat To Do List

I've realized that I love making to-do lists. It's the most organized part about my life. And that's it. I'm pretty sure I got it from my mom but it's something I do often. I don't necessarily do all that I have to do, but at least I know what it is that I have to do. It's just a matter of how fast I'm going to get them done.

This will not be me. I promise. :)

I've decided to post my to-do list for this week. And when I say "this week", there's no promise that all will them will get done, it's just a broad time that I hope for most of them to be done by. Some of the things probably won't even be do-able in one week. But, we will see.


Kelli's Big Fat To-Do List: Week of March 21st-28th

• Laundry: There are probably about two loads. I just want to make sure that I do them instead of waiting for MOUNDS of laundry to pile up and I have about 7 loads like I had last time.
• Finish putting up decorations: I have about four up right now and I still need to put up about five maybe? I'm not sure on exact numbers but there are a few. I've got empty spaces on the walls and plenty of decorations to fill them with!
• GRY (Geography) study guide: On Thursday I have a test over South and Southwest Asia as well as North Africa. Now not only do I have to know the locations of major rivers, cities and other physical geography in the area but I also must know things culturally like religions and warfare going on. Since this is the Middle East area, there is A LOT to remember so please do be wishing me luck on the test.
• Get started on ANT 227 (Biological Anthropology) homework: Since I was not doing so great at the beginning of this semester in this class, I am DETERMINED to bring my grade up. I have a good feeling that this is the one class I will be focusing on the most for the rest of the semester. Granted, I need to make sure I'm doing everything I can for the rest of my classes but I am going to work super hard in this one. This next section we will be going over is primates so maybe it will be interesting enough to me that I just remember things.
• GST (Gender Studies) readings: I have a take home test this week which should not be easy but that means I need to catch up on a few readings. I'm not too far behind but I do have some articles and poems to read. This is not a class I am too worried about. It's actually an interesting one.
• Work out Faculty Program: I am currently in the process of planning a faculty sustainability program for my residence hall but it's kind of hard to work out because I want to make sure people will attend so I need to have it at the right time. The problem with that is, he is not really available at nights which is when most residents are not busy. I'm really afraid to have this be a failure of a program. I know residents in Kentwood are kind of busy and don't come to many events but HOPEFULLY I can pull this through and it won't be stupid to the Sustainability Coordinator here at my school. BLAH!
• Make calls about Summer positions at SLU: I really need a job over this summer and even next year at SLU. I am hoping to get a campus job but I'm not quite sure how to go about getting one. SLU is a much more challenging school so I need to focus on studies. However, SLU is also a very expensive school. So, I'm hoping by getting a campus job, they will respect my first job as a student and allow me to bring homework to work on when it's not too busy. I feel as though it's almost bad work ethic to plan to not do my job and get paid to but when it comes to being a student, there's simply not enough hours in the day to work and be a student and have some sanity or social life. I would love to take any kind of job at SLU, especially working with their Residence Life there since I know a bit about the good ol' ResLife work force. I could be a summer RA/Conference Assistant or maybe a Security Desk Assistant. And if that doesn't work, I am  more than willing to work at their bookstore or anywhere else in their Student Center. I just need a job!
• Attend Tunnel of Oppression: This one will be easy. I plan to go with some other people on Thursday night so it will be easy to go. I am looking forward to going since I did not go to the one last year. I am sure it will be very eye-opening and I hope I can convince quite a few residents to go. :)
• Clean/Pick-Up-Around my room: It's not too bad yet so I'm quite proud of that. I just need to make sure that it stays cleaner than it did last semester. So far, so good!
• Pack for STL this weekend: This weekend I am going back home and I need to pack some things that I will not be needing for the rest of the summer. Last year, I literally had to move ALL OF MY STUFF on the day of moving back. So to prevent a lot of panic and stress, I am moving my stuff back home, little by little. 

Okay, so I can't really think of other things that I need to do but I'm sure I will add more sometime later in the week. Hopefully by this week's TILT, I will be able to report a lot of these done! :)

TILT: Things I Love Thursday (As Adopted by Ashley)

Yeah, I'm deciding to do Things I Love Thursday. It's a good way to make sure I write once a week and it's also a good way to stay positive. Thanks Ashley for the idea!

Things that are coming up:
-Spring!!! The weather is great! I am loving the heat and the feeling that snow MIGHT be gone for a good while *knocks on wood*
-Street Clean. This Saturday I will be volunteering at a street clean right in my backyard! This will be getting us points so that we can take back 1st place in Green Games and earn Kentwood a treadmill or elliptical!
-Tunnel of Oppression. Next week is Tunnel of Oppression and it will be my first time going. Tunnel is an in your face look at different groups being oppressed. It's essentially a simulation where you go from room to room seeing just how this specific group is oppressed. It will be an emotional thing but I think it will be a good event to attend. :)
-Dinner with my brother. Not this weekend but next weekend I will be going back home to St. Louis because my brother, whom I haven't seen in a good 15 years, will be in town! I'm nervous because I'm kind of shy around people I don't see often so I have a feeling I will be awkward. But I will try very hard not to be awkward. I can't wait to see him.

Now on to things I love:

I love Pinterest. Like a lot. I'm probably on it more than I am on Facebook now-a-days. It's like online vision boards that can be inspiring or just nice to look at. I notice a lot of times that it makes me want to cook or have a baby. Haha! I think because there is always a cute baby somewhere on the page and very delicious looking food.
I love taking tests and knowing you did well, not just thinking it. Today I took a test in Biological Anthropology over cell division and genetics and I seriously kicked ass. I wrote detailed answers and were quick to write them. I don't think I got a 100% but I am positive I got an A. If I didn't get an A, I will be shocked. But a high B is totally acceptable!
I love seeing old friends. Today I spent my day with big in my sorority and my former RA and overall one of my best friends, Kayla. It was great to see her since I don't get to often. I feel like around her I can vent and be goofy and random and we just don't really care about anyone else. It's nice. I feel like with my job I am so worried about how people are seeing me and I wonder "Am I doing it right? Am I being a good role model?" even though I put on a front that I don't really care. I always still worry about that. But getting away was very nice for a night.
I love PoHo. PoHo, or Potter's House, is a coffee shop here on campus that is so freaking delicious. My favorite drink is called "The King" and it's peanut butter, chocolate and bananas. Can you say "YUMMMMMM"? Yes, I think you should. It's just a great little RA getaway and it's free for a little while at least!
I love thinking about the future. That is a kind of silly statement but I'm ridiculously excited about the next year. I got a call from my Transfer Coordinator at SLU and it was like a reality of this big decision. It's also nice to know my Transfer Coordinator is actually wanting to help me. :) I'm so excited to be a Billiken it's ridiculous.

Well, I can't think of other things to love at the moment but I think it's because I'm ridiculously tired. :)

I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day. Be sure and tell me how it was!

Long Time No See

So I've realized it's been quite a long time since I wrote on here. I apologize. I made a goal to write on my blog at least once a week and I have failed already. But I also made a goal to only post positive thoughts. That goal I have kept thus far. And that's kind of the reason I have been gone. A lot of stuff has happened since the last time I wrote. Some of the stuff isn't the best of stuff. So instead of whining or being negative, I opted not to write. But it's been a while and I am focusing on the positivity of things. While the stupid situation I am in now is currently happening still, I can only look on the bright side of things. Yeah, it kind of sucks but in the end, everything will be great and for the better. I've got a great group of friends and people who support me through everything and I don't know what I would do without them. Life would suck right now without Kyla, Ashley, Sarah, Elizabeth, Grace, Kayla and a few others. YES, that was a total shout out to them because they very well deserve it. Thanks guys.

Now for the positivity.

A lot of things have been on my mind lately. One being Saint Louis University. I am so freaking pumped about going there it is a little ridiculous. It's Spring Break this week and I am stuck here in St. Louis which isn't a bad thing since I do love The Lou. Kyla came in today from Springfield for a few hours and we decided to go visit SLU and my lovely friend Chloe gave us a grand tour of the place. I absolutely love the place. There are sculptures and statues everywhere. And FOUNTAINS! We have one fountain (maybe two if you count the one by Juanita K) but there are a billion at least at SLU. Okay so that is exaggeratory but there are quite a few of them. And apparently in the spring there are tons of flowers around campus too. I am so excited. I like the fact that I had to cross a giant street to get around. I love hearing the sirens and cars honking. I love the city. I like the fact that I walked around and looked up to see more skyscrapers. I love the atmosphere of the place and I just wanna go there now! :)

 This statue here is at Saint Louis University and it's one of my favorites. I think it's a favorite just because of what my friend called it. Chloe called it "the fountain floozy" and it's because well, her pose and the fact that she's in a fountain. She said it was really ironic that if you are in the right spot you can see the college church through her legs. Can you say "AWKWARD"? :) There are a few other sculptures and fountains that you must see. But that means coming to visit me when I'm there next year. It seriously cannot come any sooner. That way I can pass awkward statues all the time and just be used to it by then.


So it's Spring Break and I have a few goals for this week. Some have to do with work and some have to do with school and some have to do with just doing something for me and some I just wanna do. Here they are:

1. Read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. So far I am only on the third chapter. But I love it already. I don't know what it is but how well written the story is already has my attention. I really just want to read the book before the movie comes out. The movie... looks magical. And I can't wait. I used to have a problem with Robert Pattinson but I've kinda grown to like him. I feel bad. He's stuck in a character and he just wants to get out. I think he got out a bit when he was in Remember Me but I really think this role is gonna do it for him. The movie is gonna be good. I just have a feeling.
2. Finish my decorations. As a Resident Assistant, I have to make decorations to decorate the hall with. I'm in an upperclassman dorm but it's just easy to do cartoon things. It's easier to trace and it's easier to make it look decent. So I am currently making School House Rock themed decorations. So far I have painted Figure Eight, Interplanet Janet, Verb: That's What's Happening, and Noun Is A Person, Place or Thing. I've got quite a few more to go. It's actually kind of fun painting them. I think it's fun when you actually have time to do them. At school, I don't have time so I feel like it's just added stress. Right now, it's something to do. I enjoy it.
3. Study, Study, Study. I didn't have a single mid term. Sounds great right? However, that means I have a bunch of tests when I get back from Spring Break. That's slightly cruel right? I agree. But it happens. I blame the snow days that pushed us back a bit but I'm okay with it. It's not like I had plans to hit up Florida. So I need to study Geography and Biological Anthropology. Maybe I should do some reading for World Cultures but I don't really feel like doing optional work. :P

Okay, I don't really have a lot of things I want to do. But that's some of it. I will probably add onto my list by the end of the week. 

So one of the things that I did do this week, which was totally spontaneous, was get a tattoo. I know I have a lot of tattoos and it probably shouldn't be a spontaneous activity, but I love it. I have been talking about getting these anchors for a while now. I've wanted an anchor on each foot with a flower on them. One flower would be the color of my mother's birthstone and the other flower would be color of my grandma's birthstone. These kind of represent the fact that they are my anchors in my life. The make me remember where my roots are from and how I was raised and keep me "grounded" so to speak. Not like "Oh you've done a bad thing" grounded but kinda like keeping my head out of the clouds and from getting too carried away with things. My mom and my grandma have been my sanity (and sometimes my insanity) but that's why I love them. This is the tattoo I got on Friday. I went to AllStar Tattoo on Olive Blvd. They are by far my favorite shop. I have had no problems with them. I like how it looks like an old fashioned tattoo but it's not too masculine or ugly. I love the vibrant colors. But my God did it hurt like a bitch. It was probably my most painful one. And I still have to get the other flower. Oh will it be some fun.

Well, it's pretty late and I'm running out of things to talk about. I will try to write something tomorrow but if I don't I promise to at least write by Thursday. I am gonna steal a thing from Ashley and try to do "Things I Love Thursday" or "TILT" and I will share things that I did or learned I loved on Thursday. We will see. :)

OH! And I started a different blog. I still will be doing this one but I've decided to start a blog that is just movie reviews with their trailers for anyone who wishes to follow that. I feel like I watch a billion movies and I have a lot to say about some of them so I figured I would start an individual blog for that. If you want to follow it you can. It's called Much More than a Movie. It's kind of cheesy but I thought why not.

I'm not sure if I wanna keep up with dedications but I do wanna keep up with quotes. So here's a good one I saw on someone's page that I really liked:

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising up every time we fail" 

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blue and White...

I GOT INTO SLU WITH AN $8,000 SCHOLARSHIP!!!!! Yeah I know that was really obnoxious but I felt it necessary since I have been waiting for what seems like forever to find out if I got in or not. It's silly but for a while there I was convinced that I was not good enough. I was letting suspense get me I guess. I'm so excited to start there. I can't wait to be home and close to family and in a city I absolutely love (even though there are times that I get sick of being there). I feel like no matter where you go you will get sick of a place but I think that being close to home and people you love is what is necessary. I got my independence for a few years and now I want to be home. :) I can't wait to be a BILLIKEN!

Since I found out about this news, I have been striving to be overly positive. Tuesday was an off day where I just didn't feel good but overall I can think about is where I am headed and how I am determined to get there on good standing! That means with an improved GPA and an overall happiness to myself. I am planning to go to SLU for another visit with my friend sometime this semester just to see it and hopefully it'll just get me even more excited. Well, I don't have much to say but I wanted everyone to know that I will be a Billiken in no time and life is gonna be good. :) I dedicate this blog to the Billiken: You're probably one of the most awkward mascots but that doesn't change how excited I am to be one!

The Billiken was a charm doll created by an American art teacher and illustrator, Ms. Florence Pretz of St. Louis, Missouri, who is said to have seen the mysterious figure in a dream. In 1908 she patented the Billiken who was elf-like with pointed ears, a mischievous smile and a tuft of hair on his pointed head. His arms were short and he was generally sitting with his legs stretched out in front of him. One point on Billiken luck: To buy a Billiken gives the purchaser luck, but to have one given to you is better luck.

chilly days.

So it's been super freezing and I'm not so sure how I feel about it. In fact, I changed my mind. I hate it. Over the past few days I have been not feeling too good and overall exhausted for some reason or another. It really doesn't help that majority of Missouri had a blizzard Wednesday night/Thursday morning and we STILL had class. I'm pretty sure almost all of Missouri had a snow day but not my school. Instead, class was in full session and there were many bitter students, including myself. BUT it's all over and I'm gonna try to look on the bright side because I'm done with week two of this semester! So far, I'm only slightly behind but that's okay. It's not anything I can't catch up in yet. And since I'm stuck to my dorm this weekend, I will have plenty of time to catch up! 


Just an update on my headaches: I went to see a doctor about my headaches and I finally have some medicine. I have a preventative headache medicine that I'm supposed to take 6 times a day (one with each meal and three before bed), the only problem is, I don't always eat 3 meals so I don't want to take it on an empty stomach. So I have a confession: I haven't started taking it yet... I know, I know. "How are you supposed to get better if you don't take the medicine?" Well, I'm hoping to change that tomorrow starting with a decent breakfast in the morning. :) I also have some medicine for when I get really bad headaches. Luckily, I have not had a really bad one since I went to the doctor on Wednesday. YAY!


Today I finally started on watching my online philosophy lectures. Let me tell you, those lectures are bad. The professor isn't bad. But it's really easy to find yourself distracted. So I'm thinking of spending a day in a library without distractions. Maybe even go over some notes that I took earlier this semester. I will have to give some future feedback on how that works.


Today I went to see the bulldog from last weekend. I've named her Bernice. It's very classic but I named her that because when she sleeps she is literally like Bernie from Weekend at Bernie's. It's so funny and absolutely adorable. I think I seriously spend like two hours at the Petland with this dog. It was hard to leave this time. I fell in love with her. But I simply do not have the space or the money for her. :( 


Right now, I think I'm gonna try to do some reading and if I get some progress, I will reward myself by watching a movie or maybe a nap. :) Sounds like a plan to me. Tonight, I dedicate this blog to the Bernice: you're too sweet. I hope a happy family finds you and lets you sleep in their lap and snore all you want because you're too cute to hate.

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.  

-Ben Williams

Just keep running...

...running running running. It's how most of my Tuesdays are. Since I've chosen not to have Monday, Wednesday or Friday classes due to the constant 4-day weekends, I have to suffer on Tuesdays and Thursdays. But it's a risk I take for such nice weekends. On those days I am stuck in class from 9 to about 3pm, which in all honesty is a typical work day. I'm taking a couple Anthropology classes (which I am in love with!), a Gender Studies class, and a Geography class. I'm also taking an online Philosophy class so I better get to watching those lectures huh?

One of the things I really wanted to share tonight was this movie we watched in Gender Studies. It's called The World According To Garp and it's actually quite amusing. It's Robin Williams first kind of dramatic role and Glenn Close as well. It has it's awkward parts... but it's pretty awesome too. I dunno, maybe I'm just weird but I really like it takes a look at how society perceives genders. There's a lot of random weird scenes. But it's pretty funny. I enjoyed it.

I also wanted to say that I finally scheduled an appointment at Taylor Health and Wellness to get my headaches checked out. I am tired of waking up with these terrible headaches and not getting rid of it. Medicine only calms it down for an hour or so but I need them gone. :) Hopefully they can hook me up with some good medicine or at least tell me what's wrong. This appointment is at 8:30 tomorrow morning so I ought to get some sleep. I think I will dedicate this blog to time: because sometimes there's just not enough of you in the day, and I'm growing to accept that.

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all it's pupils.

-Louis Hector Berlioz