Well...

If anyone still reads my yearly blog posts, you are a true friend! You will find bountiful luck in the foreseeable future...

QUICK UPDATE:
-I got married! I have the most amazing and adorable husband!
-My life is still crazy and I freakin love it!
-I started a new blog... http://dnkelley.blogspot.com/
-This will be my last update on this blog!

I will try not to ever go 9 months between posts, unless I die, and then I can't really help how often my blog is updated.

LOVES!

Big Changes!

Hi friends and family,

who actually still care to read my blog...

LOTS of things are changing in my life.

Like I am getting married

to the greatest guy I know!

We are SUPER excited!!!

So obviously that'e whats new with me....

Some 2010 Happenings...

I sound like a broken record. But, one day in the near future I want to making blogging a priority again. Not just me writing about my day to day life, which is actually pretty great and definitely worth talking about, but I want to actually read about my amazing friends and families great lives. I miss you all, please don't assume you aren't being thought about. I just hardly have enough time to think about blogging let alone do it. Now, am I saying I am so great and important that I am too good for friends and blogs... No no no! I'm just saying my time management SUCKS!

Well, for those of you who haven't lost faith in my blogging abilities and don't care that I haven't read any of your blogs in months, here's some highlights via collages of photos including concerts, trips, girls nights, great dates, family outings, etc:

First, I'm 27! YiKEs!!! My friends and family made it a great week! My cute friends threw me a fancy shoe party with sushi, cupcakes, laughs, and a great night out. Then my family spoiled me with yummy food, great gifts, the Hogle Zoo, and FIREWORKS! I might be the luckiest 27 year old ever!



Then we celebrated my amazing grandparents 50th wedding anniversary in Heber, Ut. It was so much fun and such a great way to celebrate two incredible people and a marriage that defines the word love. I have such a fun family, I wish we could spend more time together.

Here's a little more of the rest...

AND, here's hoping this is one of my last pathetic cliff notes excuses for a blog update.

Happy June 23rd!

This may or may not seem like the strangest post I've ever written. But I really feel like I just need to get it out...

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world today! I have an awesome family, amazing friends, 2 great jobs, a beautiful house, and literally everything a girl could realistically want. I am sooo freaking blessed, but I'll come back to that. This next part is where you're all gonna think I have lost it...

I am overwhelmed with gratitude for Billy today. It was 2 years ago today that he left, and a week or so after that a good friend said to me "one day you will look back on this experience and be glad" yep, I was pissed, I thought "how could you ever say that, he is my husband and my life is over". But, I had no idea how right she was! I have learned so much, and grown more in the last 2 years than I ever thought was possible. Because of Billy leaving I have met people I never would have met that have changed my life, done things I never even dreamed I could, I have become a person who is truly proud of myself and the independence I have gained, and strengthened other relationships that will hold a special place in my heart. I will be forever grateful to him for that. But more than that I am so grateful for the friends and family who sat with me when I was devastated that my life was over, got me out of the house when all I wanted to do was lay in bed all day, gave me books that helped them, gave great advice, shared inspiring songs, told me stories, let me vent, made me laugh when all I could do was cry, held my hand and encouraged me to move on, and validated every feeling I have had good or not. I am grateful for the incredible people I have met at Thanksgiving Point, and I am so blessed to have a job that I love so much. I love all of the amazing women I have met working at Amara and so blessed to have great clients who listened to my venting and still kept coming back. I would not change a single thing about this journey.

I literally thank God everyday for my life… I am so lucky. I know life isn’t always easy and it can always get worse, but from the “worse” there is so much to learn and amazing experiences to have. For the last 2 years I haven’t been the kind of friend, daughter, sister, or person I ultimately want to be, I haven’t said thank you enough, returned calls, taken care of others, or been there when I should be. But just know I love all of you, and I am finally in a place where being better at all of that is going to be easier. I know this all sounds like a big mushy gooey rant but I really just felt like I needed to share these feelings today. I am so glad that I am finally having days when I wake up and smile, I fully attribute that to each of you. I will never be able to fully express in words the gratitude I feel for you and your love and support.

Thanks for indulging in my “testimony moment”, I am glad you all didn’t see me sob like a baby the whole time I wrote it.

I LOVE YOU!!!

WOW!

Did you miss my face!?

How does life go by so damn fast... Well, I will try harder to keep up ;)

SO... here's what's been happening:

-Work, at Thanksgiving Point and Amara (staying VERY busy)

-Finishing the basement (photos coming)

-DAMN DIET, yes I am doing it again, hence (re)finding ways to occupy my time so I don't eat my arm.

-Checking off the "Bucket List"

That's it for today... Lots of love!

My Reminder...

We all need one on occasion.

Some people say, Life SUCKS and then you DIE. Those people are FALSE!

Life sucks, and then your dog dies, your kitchen starts on fire, your basement floods, your car is stolen or broken into, a close friend moves away, you lose your job, you break your arm, you get traffic tickets, crash cars, you fight with your parents, your children get sick, your car breaks down, your identity is stolen, you get cancer, your spouse leaves you, you get divorced, you lose your home, you lose a parent, you lose a child, you have a stroke, your stocks and investments take a nose dive, you get laid off, the government takes your retirement, you grow old alone or with a spouse that doesn't remember you, AND THEN YOU DIE...

We are all untouchable until fate and karma crash the party. I've learned that first hand. We can watch our backs, and secure our fences, but good or bad, life happens! We could focus on the negative and that makes life seem really sad. Or you could stop to recognize the simple blessings that life brings. I am so blessed to be reminded of this when it seems I am feeling at my lowest. Thank goodness for tender mercies. Like the birth of a new born baby girl, watching my brother make his dreams come true despite the 'hazards', taking an hour out of a crazy schedule to enjoy the beauty around me, learning lessons of strength from tiny children. I could spend the rest of my life focusing on all the storms in my life, because they're will always be rain on the horizon. Or I can try and find the sweet silver lining.

It's rough, it sucks, it makes me cry, it hurts, it gives me anxiety, it's complicated, it's lonely, it's amazing, it makes you laugh, it gives you chills, it makes you smile, it's an answer to a prayer, and though just coping might be harder than you can begin to imagine... IT'S YOUR CHOICE.

I choose life, because I am occasionally reminded that its so worth it, no matter how much I fall.

Sorry, for my melodramatic post... I needed a journal moment.

LONG Time NO Blog...

Not that any of you are losing sleep over my absence...

But check it out... HERE I AM!

So here's my synopsis for April and a little May:

My friend Camie got some "FREEEEEE" tickets to the Britney/Pussycat Dolls concert, one day I wanna be HOT like a Pussycat Doll!

My friend Melissa had empty seats in front of her and Britt, so we sat for the last half with them! Thanks friends!!!

Aden invited me to come watch him play soccer and after the game we went to Fat Cats for pizza and bowling. And YES, your reading the score right... My 4 year old boyfriend killed me, and he was so humble about it! I love you A!!!

I got to go to PCMC to visit another love in my life! Jack had surgery on his cute little feet, and after his surgery he was his typical cheery self, can you blame me for loving him sooo much?!

My awesome girl friends went on a little weekend getaway to St.George and we had soooo much fun, despite the fact that I still had my downer moments. I couldn't ask for better friends. The best part is they let me go to not only 1 but 2 Sephora's... That's love!

THE BROTHER GRADUATED!!!! YAY! GO UTE!!!

A Crazy Busy Exciting Time...

The last few weeks have been super!!!

A couple Sundays ago I took Gator (the dog) up American Fork Canyon, it was a beautiful day, He loved every second until he got slapped for pulling me into the freezing cold reservoir, but we're OK now. He apologized, we had a good talk and It won't happen again. The only pics I got were on my phone so I'm sorry for the crappy quality.

I got to visit Alta View's Emergency Room, what a lovely trip that was! I got acrylic in my eye, and it got really bad so I had to go have Dr. Creepy molest my eye with a cotton swab and then hose my face down with saline and I'll probably end up paying 70,000 dollars for the experience. But it was fairly quick and my eye is as good as new now!

It's my friend Melissa's birthday this month and she will be in Texas for the majority of it, so we celebrated a little before she left. We got pedicures, and went to the NEW NORDSTROM!!!! It was truly a religious experience... I was physically overwhelmed. I'm trying so hard to think of words to describe the emotion... NOTHIN, speechless! I think I would have quite literally DIED if and gone to Nord's Heaven if I had been in any place to purchase ANYTHING. But my wish list grew drastically, and the BISTRO there... SOOO YUMMY! Then we celebrated John (Melissa's brother) birthday with some Cheesecake Factory where we met BABE, ya that's her name! CUTE HUH? She was an extraordinary lady. She even sang Happy Birthday with us, and when I say sang, I mean SCREAMED completely off key! Then we hit The HOGLE ZOO, I love love love the zoo... But this week was a bad time to go. Not many animals out, not even the Elephants! And we missed the train, but the carousel was a good time.

I got to go to DISNEY ON ICE!!!! YAY! I know, I know, I am like a 10 year old trapped in a 25 year old body! BUT I don't want to grow up... EVER!


Also, as many of you know, I am getting ready to start rejoining the single world and learning how to date as an adult! (YEP, its real intense!) So the other night while watching the very sophisticated and intellectually inspirational VH1 I came across a new show called TOUGH LOVE, it's hilarious! I am literally every person on the show in some way or another, and so are a lot of you... So don't judge! But seriously, these women can't figure out why they are still single and none of them think THEY are the problem, it's fascinating! My favorite might be the girl who fishes for compliments and then cant graciously accept one! I'm so serious right now, its disgustingly awesome!

I also went to the SCRAPBOOK EXPO last weekend!!! And made lots more pages without pictures... WOW am I grateful for that! It was a blast, thanks CAM I loved hanging out. (pics to come)

And TODAY is my friend HEATHERS birthday so we celebrated with a girls night out! Erin and I were not drinking, we just look a little tipsy!

Well, that's about it! The only other excitement in my life is that March Madness is in full swing and I am counting down to a PHONE UPGRADE!!!

The Last Few Weeks...

I haven't been a very good blogger lately, but great things are happening...

Last week it was Kristen's birthday and we went to Rascal Flatts! It was so much fun. Probably their best concert yet! Jessica Simpson opened and I don't care what the mean gossip magazines say... SHE IS HOT! I want to have her awesome legs. We had a blast, I love ya Kri, thanks for hanging out with me.

Then this last Wednesday I went to the Jazz-Rockets game with my friends, the Prince/Beeson clan. Elliot Yamin sang the national anthem, and Elder Uchtdorf was there. Thanks friends so much for taking me... I gad a blast cheering for the Rockets even though they lost. AND, the Pie was delicious!

Mostly there's just little things happening in my life... Seeing movies, spring cleaning, hanging out with friends, trying to NOT be a SOCIAL REJECT, and missing Erin since she moved away from me (I'm super excited for you though, and you can't get rid of me that easy)

I have also started my Bucket List, so stay tuned for that, I am gonna start bustin out some amazing events in my life, be prepared to be impressed ;)

Another FLASHBACK Friday!!!

Me and My favorite person... I love my BROTHER!