"Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." - Helen Keller

So I haven't blogged in a month because it has been a whirlwind of craziness. I chose this quote mainly because it's from Helen Keller and I was recently reminded of how much I love her. You've heard it before, but she is so incredible. Luckily for me, I have like 1/8 of her difficulties and so I know I'll make it through this hectic, but exciting, semester.  

Onto some of the things I've done/thought about recently: 

• New Year's Resolutions: If you have read my blog in years past, you know that I kind of like having a year motto instead of a resolution. So here are a few of my life mottos this year:
•  Be a fountain, not a drain. I love this! Instead of draining people with your negativity, focus on the positive and being creative with your problems. Last year I was definitely a drain nearly 100% of the time, and the time has come to change that! 
• A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for. Or in other more lofty words of Nelson Mandela, "May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." This is inspired by a video about the boss women of 2013 (which you can watch later on in this blog post) about being brave. I really really really (can you tell how much?) don't want to lead a safe life. It would be really easy just to stay in Colorado my whole life, especially because it's still my favorite state. But I want to explore the world. And find who I am in different places. (Let's just say my DC self was the best and Provo self is the worst and leave it at that!) I want to fully face my fears and be afraid of something and still do it. #dreambig
• Complaining is not a conversation. After last year, I became stuck in this mentality that because I felt like my life sucked that it gave me license to complain about it to everyone. It got quite embarrassing. One time I was sitting in my Shakespeare class and some girl asked me how I was and I literally told her everything that was frustrating in my life. #notcool. So this year, I hope to cultivate happier conversations about happy things. Hold me accountable people!
• Count of Monte Cristo-While I was home I watched this with my dad and Colin because they love it. And I loved it a lot too! One of my favorite parts is when one of the characters asserts, "I don't believe in God" and another person answers,"It doesn't matter. He believes in you." When I've had my down moments in the gospel recently, I come back to this quote a lot. No matter what I'm doing, my Heavenly Father believes in me, which gives me the greatest confidence in the future because he knows me better than I know myself. Also I loved this quote (which my dad shared with me when I got a C in biology, but now I know the context!): "Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome, do your worst, for I will do mine." Love it! It's a good mantra!

• Compassion. Recently I've been thinking more and more about the word compassion. Why do I have to go through certain experiences while others seem to be skating through life? I know everyone has trials but sometimes it seems like some people got the easy ones. However, I recently stumbled across this quote: "God is using your present circumstances to make you more useful for later roles in his unfolding story."-Loui Giglic. It made me think about how lucky I am to a. have the opportunity to have these trials and b. how great it will be to help people in my future who are experiencing the same kind of trial.  Well if I had to sit home many Friday nights by myself in my apartment, feeling like a loser, then that means that somebody I know in the future will likely be doing the same and I can give them support. I'll know how to comfort people who don't get asked out on dates, or who have family problems or who feel exceptionally lonely at times or someone who has nearly all their best friends get married within three months of each other. And doesn't that fact alone make it worth it? I really like this increased definition of compassion and trials because it makes it seems that they not only refine me, but by extension help so many others in the future. I also liked this adage: "No one heals themselves by wounding another." I have a really big tendency to lash out at people when I'm hurting. (Although I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this, it makes me feel pretty bad!) 
• GRE. Yep, I took that sucker over Christmas break. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty rough. But the good news is that it's over and my grad apps are officially complete! Cross your fingers!
• Marisa's Wedding. Marisa's wedding was Saturday, the day after finals ended, so it was a bit stressful. The good news is that it was so much fun! Because it was supposed to snow on Saturday, we drove up to her aunt's house where we consumed pizza and cookie dough and talked/laughed with Marisa's mom about saved text messages from milestones in their relationship. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to this roommate of mine. Her actual wedding day was really fun too (minus how cold it was). We took some pictures and then Alex, Linds and I spent like 2 hours in Barnes and Noble before the dinner taking these stupid quizzes out of a book. Then we ate a delicious dinner and sent our girl off in style!
• The Nutcracker. The past semester I told my Omi that the only thing I wanted for Christmas was for all the girls to go see the Nutcracker for Christmas. Well luckily for me, my Omi is awesome and we got tickets to see it! We took the light rail downtown, talking about books and such and then we went to Cheesecake Factory. This was my first experience with this restaurant and it was DELICIOUS. I seriously dream about their cheesecake still. It was so good and it was fun to be around my cousins and everyone because I rarely see them. Then we headed to the theater and watched the Nutcracker. I don't know why I love this so much, but I think it's because of the costumes. Basically it was the perfect night and I am so so so thankful that my Omi gave me this gift! 
• Cassie and Greys. So Cassie and I had one of the best hanging out sessions of all time. We went to Red Robin where I gobbled down a turkey burger faster than you can say Lightning McQueen. Then we went to our favorite store (Target, if you didn't know, you should be ashamed) and bought mugs. We then made our Grey's Anatomy quote mugs. They are too cute for words. Seriously. (seriously). Just look at the photo: 

 While they were baking, we sat and colored. I literally could not have picked a better way to spend time with her. It was so relaxing and perfect and wonderful. 

• Christmas Eve/Christmas. Christmas Eve was spent with my Omi and Papa. It was really fun because we saw Frozen which was absolutely adorable and perfect. We ate some delicious food (and I may have drank too much eggnog and gotten queasy). We then played Taboo and it yielded some hilarious results. I had the the word "olympics" and I was describing it to Laurel, so I said this is happening in a few months in Russia. Her answer? Revolution! Then there were several jabs against me! My sister had the word, "date" and she said this is something Kelsey never does. #rude. haha but then we watched Muppet Christmas Carol and it was awesome. The good news is that I got the One Direction movie from my mom, so my life was made when my mom, Laurel and I watched it a few days later..The next morning my siblings and I headed up to my grandma's house for our traditional brunch.(Also as an aside, my dad got me a B&N gift card, so I obviously ordered Hillary's memoir due out in June this year). I had my perfect Grinch waffle (I've literally had one every single Christmas morning since I can remember) and then we just hung out until Mason called. We talked to him for about 45 minutes and it was so wonderful to hear his voice! Love that guy and I miss him so much! It was so good to hang out with everyone there! It was a good Christmas. 
• Madison's wedding. Yep, basically I helped people get married over break. I got to watch her cute little niece for a few hours while she went through the temple and it reminded me that not all children are demons. She was adorable! We then went out to lunch where I consumed entirely too many breadsticks! I also got to see my roommate from summer 2012, Angel, and catch up with her. It was awesome. The day of the wedding my sister and I watched the kids in the temple waiting room, which got a little sketch but luckily there was tons of moms there that helped. We took some excellent pictures and then later we helped with the reception. I was put in charge of cutting the cake, but luckily my previous Brownies leader stepped up to help me. Then it was all over too soon and we said goodbye! :( The good news is that I wore my yellow dress and got compliments, so apparently I don't look horrendous in yellow. 
• Reading Institute. The day before Madison's wedding, I got an interview invitation for a job that I applied to, the Reading Institute. Basically you travel around the Denver area (and Alaska) and teach kids how to love reading. So basically my dream job! I interviewed with them two weeks ago and it was pretty rigorous- an hour long! I find out very soon if I get it, so cross your fingers because it also pays well!
• Brazilian food. For part of my Christmas present from my dad, it included a trip to a new restaurant. (Yes, I love food.) We were supposed to go to the Yak and Yeti because it was a reference to bigfoot but it turns out it was predominantly Indian food which makes me sick, so we opted for a Brazilian restaurant instead in honor of Mason. It was so delicious!! The owner was incredibly nice and the food was really good. I even tried this ball made of cheese! (True story.) It was super delicious and I can't wait for Mason to get back so we can take him there. 
• New Weekend Traditions. Lindsey and I decided to start some new weekend traditions. Basically this means we added a new creeper activity (which cannot be discussed on this blog!) and eating at a new restaurant. Last week we tried Emmanuel's where I had a sensational shrimp burrito and then we tried a new shake place. It was delicious!
• Last semester of college! Though I am taking 18 credits and working, I am in love with this semester! I love nearly all my classes, but most especially my Lit and Film class. We seriously watched the best episode of Downton the first day, so I knew it was going to be awesome. I am also in love with my theory class. We've learned more about Plato, Aristotle and Nietzsche, all of whom have excellent points (there will be more on this another time). The first week of class (which is hard to believe was only two weeks ago. Haven't I been back for 2 months??) was crazy but I liked it. Ellie came over and we watched the 1D movie and ate pizza, so it was a perfect "welcome back to Provo" activity. Marisa came over for the Golden Globes and we made Hillary Clinton's recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I also watched the Iron Lady with Meryl Streep where I literally cried at the end. I was sitting by myself late at night and the scene where she says goodbye to the ghost of her husband literally made me sob. She was such an incredible boss lady! Holy guacamole. She raised twins and was the first (and only!) female Prime Minister. I loved the scene where her husband proposed to her because he loved her for who she was and didn't care that she was never going to be the type of wife that stayed home all the time. It was perfect to see that kind of relationship. Also I admire her for her lack of letting people change her opinion on things. The lady was "not fur turning!" So basically this semester has been INFINITELY better than last year. 
• DC Reunion. We had to mourn the fact that we were in Provo instead of DC, so this previous weekend, my Washington Seminar pals and I gathered at Kinard's house and drank hot chocolate and ate cinnamon rolls while reminiscing about the good old days. Everyone had some pretty boss futures after they graduate and it was exciting to see that! I love these people!
• Park City/Sundance. Yesterday Ellie, Lindsey and I headed up to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival. We walked around Main Street just exploring and saw a few 'famous'ish people from TV shows and such. while we were standing around, I looked up and saw my friend Sara Myers! It was exciting to see her! While we were taking a picture, Maggie Gyllenhaal walked right behind us! So that was kind of cool. We then walked down to the library to meet... my roommate Chelsea from DC! While we were waiting, Bill Hader walked right in front of us. Chelsea got there and we sat and talked for about a half hour. It was soooo good to see her. It's so nice to be around someone who just one hundred percent gets you. She is seriously my soul sista and a boss woman.While we were chatting, we saw Bill Hader again and Luke Wilson. (And other people who I didn't know!) At this point, it was starting to get cold, so we peaced and I said goodbye to Chels. So happy I could see her again! I wish she lived in Provo! Apparently we aren't super good celeb stalkers because we left after that! We headed to Los Hermanos (new restaurant numero dos!) and consumed too many chips and salsa before eating some chocolate pumpkin bread later on in our apartment. Basically it was a pretty good weekend and the good news is we still have tomorrow! 

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past month: 

Colin tried on my bridesmaid dress and randomly matched with Laurel. He's so weird!

Madison and I (with a Mitchell Bird creeping in the background!)

#besties

Mitch is always creeping in on our friendship!

Marisa's bridesmaids!

Marisa's wedding. I loved her dress!

Linds... aka my salvation last semester!

Cheesecake Factory with (most) of the girls on my mom's side!

NUTCRACKER!!

Seester, mom and Omi! Thanks again!!

The Nutcracker was incredible!

Park City/Sundance with Ellie and Linds!

I ran into Sara there!

And my DC roomie, Chels! :)

She's one of my favorite people ever!

So here's to a fresh new year where I am going to be brave. Also, you should probably watch this video about all the boss things women accomplished last year:

Also this was my jam during my last few weeks of 2013 and will be featured in my movie about my life: