seventeen.

and no, i am not referring to the magazine. seventeen is, in fact, the number of days until kimball and i are sealed in the mesa,arizona temple! when did it get this close!? somewhere in between the proposal, the crazy semester, thanksgiving and finals i'm guessing. i must say we've had tons of support from roommates, friends and family. and i could not have done anything without kimballs realistic perspective explaining that losing my shoe doesn't mean the world will crumble. having christmas soon is a blessing and a curse. adding another list of to-do's isn't my idea of fun right now but christmas music and shopping always makes me happy so it evens out nicely. now let's just pray i don't break out, chip all my nails off or rip someones head off in the next three weeks! my apartment is 3/4 empty as we slowly but surely move into our new place so i've become very creative with meals, outfit choice, and storage space. three more days, four more finals, a ton of packing and lots of cleaning until christmas in virginia and temple time!! i've decided that this post is completely scattered and somewhat pointless--not unlike everything else that i've said and done lately. so i'll close here and hopefully regain some whit and structure for the next post!

because i am blessed.

give a girl a break.

among all the hustle and bustle of wedding planning i've been trying to sell my apartment contract, kimball and i don't want to be even more dirt poor than the average newly wed. luckily, he was able to sell his but mine still has no takers. it doesn't help that three other girls are trying to sell their contracts! so here is my plea- talk to everyone you know attending byu or living in/moving to provo and help me sell my contract. it should sell itself with the amazing ward, great roommates and 1o minute walk to byu but i'm cutting down the price to $340winter/275springsummer in hopes that it'll sell quicker. pray we are able to find a buyer! we need to get this sold before we get married so if you can help in any way please do so! despite the yucky situation, i have a loving fiancee and support group helping me in more ways than i can count; thanks guys :) because i am blessed.

if i left it up to him.

i'm sitting at kimballs kitchen table looking at wedding cake options, showing him ones i like every once in a while. not seeming very interested i decided i'd stop bugging him about it. i was very wrong. soon he had his own list of cake options to show me. and yes, you guessed it, they are as follows.

mario and tupac..

even though these ideas are absolutely ridiculous i'm grateful for a fiancee who keeps me laughing, especially during the monotonous planning days. because i am blessed :)

hi barbie, hey ken.

being the person that HAS to dress up every halloween i was a bit nervous when the 27th of october rolled around and we still had no idea what we were going to dress up as. i tried to think of famous couples that we could emulate with the least amount of effort- barbie and ken came to mind. realizing that i had nothing pink we ran to D.I. where i found the oh-so-barbie bag as seen in the picture. can i just say that the provo D.I. is EXTREMELY picked over? so disappointing. but kimball came up with a great idea to do preppy barbie and ken! so we headed home and rummaged through our closets. this is what we found :) the one of two articles of pink clothing i own and a skirt i bought a long time ago at a thrift store. kimball had no problem finding some pleated khakis and a polo ;) after stealing a pink scrunchy from my roommate as well as the bright blue eye shadow we were pretty much good to go.

we tried to look barbie-ish and plastic but it didn't go over perfectly seeing that people asked us if we were "a suburban couple from the 80's"...i guess that's partially right! others got it and thought it was cute. for a last minute costume comprised of our own clothes i think we did just dandy.

i'm happy to have a finace who is willing to look silly with me :) because i am blessed.

a little less wisdom.

got my wisdom teef out. this is just out of surgery..still don't understand what's going on. i bled through those gauze pads SO fast on our hour drive home from the bountiful office. and don't worry, when we finally got 15 minutes away we ran into traffic. by then i had already whipped out the napkins from the glove compartment..gross.

day two: this morning i felt great, stopped taking the pain meds and went shopping. by 7 o'clock that night i realized how stupid that was! a little chubby and a lot in pain.

day three: yeah..not rocking. bruising is starting and i am officially "a cute little rabbit" according to my mother. kimball says Dr. Chandler came out and announced that he got all four impacted, unsurfaced teeth out in 15 minutes. while impressive, kimball is convinced that if the doctor wasn't preoccupied with beating his PR maybe i wouldn't be so black and blue, so to speak. (oh, and enjoy the blonde, mascara-less eyelashes).

day seven: one week later and the swelling is pretty much gone but the bruising is not my best friend. with engagements in a week i'm a little bit freaked out that i'm gonna have a green and yellow face! we went and got "bruise relief". lets pray that wasn't a rip off and will actually do it's job!

although this experience hasn't been the most pleasant and i wasn't the most pleasant person during the last week (medication makes me not so fun, poor kimball) it was such a blessing to have good health care and a wonderful support system to lie to me about how "cute" i looked even though we all know i looked ridiculous. because i am blessed :)

the greatest love story is your own.

this is going to be the ultimate "because i am blessed" post. why? because i get to marry my very best friend and for that reason alone i am truly blessed. kimball andrew hicks proposed last night and i said yes! well..actually i said "of course" but, same thing :). SO from the start! last october kimball and i met for the first time at a halloween ward roller-skate/dance party. it was just a small exchange of names with thoughts of "he/she is cute" running through our heads. the following months found us running into each other at random activities and soon we became friends. each of us went home (virginia and arizona) for the christmas and returned for the winter semester. we continued our friendship and he even tried to set me up with his best friend but, that same night, realized he might want to keep me to himself. we went on our first date soon after and from then on it was a blur. pretty much every little thing was done with one another. i went home for spring and he was home in july but we quickly reconnected in late july after a ward dance party (i can't seem to stay away when he busts out his moves...j/k) after that we were literally inseparable. during the break, before the fall semester started, we both went home and told our families all about each other. it became evident to them that this wasn't a little college fling. upon returning we told each other we loved each other! lets rewind a bit...a few days before we went home for the break we spent the day in salt lake city around temple square. that night we went to a meteor shower (pictures of that in a prior post). we later figured out that that night was the night we both realized we loved each other :) on the same night!! are we not the cutest thing!?!?!? back to now..or last night rather, i had THE worst day yesterday so kimball suggested we take the night off and just relax. he strategically told me to shower and get into something cute to make me feel better. after doing so he suggested we go up to the canyon to star gaze. we took some blankets and made our way up to the spot we fell in love. as we snuggled we discussed why we loved each other and how we would bring our kids to this spot and tell them this is where we fell in love. after a bit he mentioned his feet were freezing and off the blanket. i got up to straighten the blanket out when kimball asked me if something was out in the distance. being extremely scared of the dark (and it was pitch black) i immediately turned around to see what he was talking about. not seeing anything i told him that was mean and he knew it would scare me! i turned around to my beautiful boyfriend kneeling down. "i want another reason to bring our kids here, will you marry me?" i immediately started bawling and kneeled down with him as we hugged and kissed through the tears. finally, i calmed down enough for him to actually put the ring on my finger. so there it is ya'll! i get him, forever! december 30th my best friend and i will be sealed for time and all eternity in the mesa, arizona temple :) because i am blessed.

dunkball.

kimball and friends gathered together on this blessed labor day morning to partake in some dunkball. you don't know what dunkball is!? it's okay, neither does the rest of the world. but to these boys..i'm sorry, men, dunkball is not only a sport, its a way of life. (that may be a bit too dramatic.) let me explain, or try to.. there is a mental health hospital near byu (comforting, right?) with a court with hoops that adjust in height. i'm not positive when they figured this out but they did and someone came to the conclusion that if they lowered it enough they could dunk on it just like the crazy 7 foot 3 inch men in the NBA. kimball not only attends and dunks but he continues with the theme and dresses the part (as seen in the pictures). i think the basketball shorts and utah jersey (hahahaha) accompanied by the do rag(i know that is probably spelled wrong, don't patronize me), chains, watch, sweat bands and baller hat truly help him with his skillz. as you can tell I am not so much a thug with my jean hat, vans and all-american get up but he loves me just the same. there really is no point to this post except to show all of you how legit kimball is and brag about how blessed i am. of course, thats sort of what my blog is about :)

us making a valiant effort at being "thug" and failing miserably. (i should speak for myself)

kimball looking thug while not even trying.

thug love.

the final count down..

kimball and i have officially been away from each other for eleven days. leaving us with two days to go..the countdown begins. (as if the countdown hasn't been going from the moment we were away from each other) the first three days he was in virginia his phone was dead and he had no charger. we went primitive with his house phone at night until he got a hold of a charger that fit his phone. oh blesses technology, how lost we would be without you. so basically he stays up super late (he is 2 hours ahead of utah time and 3 ahead of az time!!) so he doesn't ruin any of my plans at night (which without him are usually really lame) and then we talk, on average, for 2 to 3 hours. yes, we still find things to talk about. quite easily actually :) and as grateful as i am for phones to talk on i just really want him back. the first few days it was like can't wait to see you! but now it's just annoying. i find myself literally saying "please just come home" almost every night. i sound like a sob story and so overdramatic and i agree that i am a bit over the top but for those of you who know me i am not a dramatic person. i'm kind of just ready (really ready) for him to come back so we can do everything together again. we never realized how much we loved doing even the mundane things together until we weren't there to do them together. kimball makes everything better just by being there. i feel a disclaimer coming on; i looooved being home! i always love being home! i am so glad i had time with my family and kat. between sewing and sister outings and lunch with various friends i was loving arizona but i am very happy to be back in p-town. tomorrow will be oh so fun as i carry boxes that are way too heavy for my weak little arms out of kimballs apartment and into my new apartment in the quad (i'm sad to be leaving the street..) but after getting settled in it will only be a matter of hours until kimball is back! and then we can continue in the fun, i feel a dance party will erupt soon after his arrival. thats generally how we roll (see corresponding picture). so happy to have someone that makes me so happy :) because i am blessed.

Finals are over!! To celebrate Kimball, being the sweetest guy ever, planned the rest of the weekend :) of course my camera came everywhere we went....

kimball found out i had never been to cabelas and was determined to "fix" that :) we thought about getting this one but settled for a old school one costing around 25 grand..just kidding.

bees game!! kimball and i both LOVE baseball and luckily there was one more home game we were able to grab tickets for. it was, obviously, really fun despite the bees loss :( but it was okay because they played nola (the new orleans team) which is my nick name! p.s. notice the alternating black and white..i may have also had a yellow cardigan with me :)

so last winter i took a bowling class..yes a bowling class. you'd think this would make me amazing, right!? wrong. i got worse! since then kimball and i have gone a few times and i taught him a couple things i learned. of course it works for him; he demolishes me EVERY TIME. so much for a semester of practice!

my favorite :) there was a meteor shower lasting all last week that was supposed to be amaaazing. we drove up to vivian park and soon found many others had the same idea (oh college towns) so we set up our blankets among the other awed students and watched as the sky fell down. it was just cool enough for jackets and blankets; i can't believe i'm about to admit this but i'm excited for fall and winter. i've had a wonderful summer but i know how much kimball loves his winters so i suppose it's his turn. plus, i love fall clothes :) so, back to this night.. i, being me, wanted to take a picture..in the dark..in the middle of a bunch of other people trying to watch stars. kimball laughed (as he should have) but flattered me and took one..it turned out HORRIBLE. so we tried again, sending a huge flash, yet again, out over the masses. again, the picture was no bueno. third times a charm? hahah i was praying! we were laughing so hard as we snapped this third picture and decided it was cute enough to stop there :) such a beautiful night full of wish making.

so grateful for such a beautiful person in my life who takes such good care of me and never fails to make me smile.

because i am blessed.

prancing through fields of flowers..sort of.

on the way to the manti pageant a few weekends ago we passed by mona, ut where we saw a sign displaying a 5K that would occur on the 10th of july for the Young Living Lavender essential oils. sarah, jasmine and i automatically knew we wanted to participate. a few weeks later the race popped into my head and we looked into it further. making a dream a reality we all registered (but did no prior running in the week hah) and got our race packet all picked up the night before. waking up at 5 30 am we got dressed, stretched and made our way to mona. the race started at about 7 and we were off RUNNING THROUGH LAVENDER FIELDS. glorious? i would say so. there were over a thousand people and the spirit of the race and the smell of lavender surrounded us. upon finishing we devoured the most delicious blueberry cinnamon muffins (i will be googling that recipe). the left picture is me looking like a mom with my capri spandex and jacket tied around my waist before the race. to the right is during the race with the beautiful sun coming to say hello (of course i took pictures while we ran) the top photo is right before the start of the race, just getting excited(and trying to fully wake up) and the bottom is right after we finished; feelin' good and strong :) it was an awesome experience and felt so good to be up early and out in nature with two people whom i love so very dearly. i've made it a goal to participate in more of these kinds of things and dare i post this, i want to do a 10K and ultimately a half marathon. that is my limit i am afraid and even a half i'm not sure is doable with my old woman knees. but we will see :) i feel so blessed to have modern medicine that enables me to participate in experiences like these. because i am blessed.

patriotic people.

so i look extremely vain by posting these pictures BUT i just had to and laugh because here in provo july 4th was ALL weekend. saturday, sunday AND monday were a holiday here. hence the three different outfits. for a girl who doesn't own much red i did fairly well. (i had to rock the old navy overalls at the parade; it's like a sin to not wear old navy around the 4th!) saturday was the stadium of fire, sunday people camped out (picture above) on university to get good spots for the parade (and just because it's a fun adventure to do so) and then monday was the parade. the whole weekend with my roommates and friends was exactly what i needed. so grateful for them and for the caliber of people who surround me. because i am blessed.

first friday art stroll.

so my buddy nathan told me of this art stroll thats going on all year long down center street. different businesses get involved and every first friday of the month they open their doors to artists and pedestrians who wanna come check it out! it was extremely interesting and there were so many different, amazing pieces. i love that i live in an area where things like this happen all the time and have friends who are artsy fartsy like me :) because i am blessed.

berry sweet.

blackberries and raspberries. two berries that never get enough credit. one hears of strawberries and blueberries galore; they've stolen the spotlight for years. i, myself, have been blind to the beauty that this picture encompasses my entire life. that is, until my cousin, gregs, homecoming. aunt roxanne, not a discriminator of berries, introduced me to the delicious, decadent, delectable things you see above. as my tongue pressed down and the juice filled my mouth i knew i was a goner. from that moment on i had to get my fix. blackberries became a common occupant of my refrigerator at home. when i returned to school i knew my love affair would dwindle. as a "poor college student" it was a harsh but true reality that i would not always be able to stock my fridge with my blackish blue little friends. BUT as i visited a corner market down my street one day i found the most beautiful thing; cartons of blackberries for ninety nine cents. yes; 99 cents. i got two. and a carton of raspberries (at full price). i indulged myself in these berries thinking as soon as they were completely depleted i would return and get some more. well, the time came and i returned to this corner market to find that prices HAD RETURNED TO NORMAL. normal meaning out of a students price range (well, at least out of our budget if we all went through them as fast as i did). Feeling the need to express my misery i logged onto facebook and, like most other lame college student, went to work creating a status conveying my distress and promptly forgetting i had done so. sunday rolls around and at church a friend swaggers up to me and informs me that blackberries are on sale at smiths. completely confused i stare at him in awe. for the next two hours i rack my mind trying to figure out how this individual would know of my love for blackberries. after church i promptly fall asleep (it had been a long night the night before). when i awoke i was famished and made my way to the kitchen to grab a bite before choir and what do i find? blackberries. i am later told that a friend in my ward had dropped them by for me when i was asleep. more confused than ever i am determined to find the source from which this information was given. that night at ward prayer i approach the quad of my apartment complex with a handful of my black buddies and confront the man who had dropped them by. cutting to the chase i demanded he tell me how he knew. after playing around and watching me struggle for a while he finally admitted that he had seen it on facebook. obviously it hit me after that that i had, in fact, posted that status. this is the second time in a week that my facebook status has gotten me something i needed/wanted. i am beginning to realize how influential facebook is. i will make sure and be careful what i post next so my friends don't think i am trying to take advantage of them. but for now i feel very blessed to have friends who love me enough to help a girl out. what a blessing it is to live somewhere where i am constantly being watched over. oh, how i love my ward family.

penny for your thoughts.

remember the sundays growing up when you were DYING from boredom? all the book of mormon old school movies had been watched (for the seven hundredth time) , you've read for as long as your active little body could handle, you even took a bike ride around the block a couple of times. what now?! this is when the creative juices really started flowing. you could find something extremely simple and consume hours turning it into something new. or you could paint your siblings faces like clowns or dress your brother up in girl clothing..but thats a different story. point being; you never really know what you can do with something "useless" until you're pushed to the edge of sanity (maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration). this last sunday was a blast from the past in the mckinnon household. braden was home but feeling sick and therefore completely unable to entertain me. turning to the only source of enjoyment i could think of at the moment i went to the cupboard. there, i found a food storage bin of dried apple slices. sounded pretty good so i took 'em out. upon opening the container the smell reached my nostrils in a second flat, if not less. deciding to ignore the strong stench i dug in. they were chewy. they were not supposed to be. i looked at the date on the side..may 9 of 2003!! (i wish you could cap lock numbers). deciding this was just a bit too old i chiseled, yes, with a knife i literally chiseled, away the residue. and thats when the brilliant idea came to me. i would use this failure to make a success at remedying my boredom. i immediately remembered as a child making coin jars to put coins in to save up for a bike or cd or..whatever it was at the time. and even though i don't have something i am looking to save up for at this distinct moment it couldn't hurt, right? so i decided on a penny jar. digging through my scrap book stuff i grabbed everything and proceeded to take the next hour to mess around with different patterns, scissors shapes and colors to produce this here penny jar. i am proud to inform you that i now have 207 pennies in that jar and will continue to add to it until it is filled to the brim. by that time i am sure that i will have something in mind to spend the money on. until then it will grow heavier and heavier in the corner of my room. i would like to open an invitation to all that read this as well; you are more than welcome at any time to donate to my cute penny jar :) i'm glad i was able to find something that captured my thoughts and busied my hands for a little while. what a wonderful thing crafts are! i'm so blessed to have the time and means to create fun little things like this. because i am blessed.

.melon.wars.

so one night my sister(adopted), sarah waldron, and i visited our brothers(also adopted) taylor and brady. walking into their apartment we took notice of a BIG knife in bradys hand and a watermelon on the table..knowing full well that fun was included upon walking into any area containing tay and brady we knew we were in for a treat. after slicing the said watermelon into four equal parts we decided merely eating the watermelon in a civil manner would be against everything we believed in. a watermelon eating contest was pronounced and as we hovered over the sink we waited for the starting signal. smashing our faces in, after the signal was given, we began to laugh at the horrible substance that filled our mouths. the watermelon was soggy.."like a soggy sock" said taylor. as i'm attempting to eat this thing as fast as i can i ask myself why i am eating something that tastes so foul? as the thought continues i hear a squeal and look over to taylor shoving his watermelon in sarahs face.

it was on.

juice.chunks.dribblage.slipping,falling.smashing.

it was all inclusive in this full-on melon war. after a good while things settled down. whether we have our endurance to thank for this or the disappearing watermelon, i do not know. looking at each other we couldn't help but just crack up all over again. so if you would but take your attention to the 3 pictures above you will see the initial picture of us getting pumped up for the "eating competition" following that is the post-war picture and then sarah and i just...being sarah and i :) these are the things that make my life great. love my friends and the crazy things they get me in to. ps. notice the glasses are off in the second picture and my hair is literally soaking wet. p.p.s. brady had just cleaned the whole kitchen that day..needless to say we had to do it all over again after this :))

because i am blessed.

my friend the sun.

sun. mister golden sun. he is coming back to me! these last couple of months the schizophrenic skies have been driving me crazy. wake up in the morning to a beautiful day but don't let it fool you, for but hours later it will be snowing!! ug. please, throw an arizona girl a bone. this being my very first winter semester away from arizona it has been rough to say the least. now, it's not that i don't enjoy the snow! i find it beautiful with is glimmering of light and pure nature. but thats basically where it ends. the issue with me and snow is that well, i am an arizona girl; i don't know what to do with it! you can only kick around and make so many snow angels before your bum goes numb and your hair is soaking wet. so you can imagine my absolute joy as i came out of my 4-5:30 bio lecture to find the sun still in the sky! this hasn't happened for..i can't even remember how long ago. i'm not sure i've seen the sun at all after this class the entire semester to be honest. it was the most blissful moment of the week. a little piece of heaven saved an extra half hour for me to behold. since then, this was monday, i have experienced this once more and it had the same effect on me. it works out quiet nicely, monday and wednesdays are my longest more grueling days. so, having this little bit of literal sunshine is exactly what i need. i realize i have not written a blog lately and feel terrible about it. i vow to be better and not let the excuse of "my life is just not that great right now" get in the way of me not finding something to be grateful for. because, lets face it, my life is beautiful and even on the poopiest days (yes, i just said poopiest) i have so much to be grateful for. as i end this post i just want to reminisce a bit of the glory days. back when i had a summer and the sun was my friend. how exceedingly excited i am to have the opportunity to bask in the arizona sun soon. it will be my first summer break since the summer before 8th grade. though i will technically be back in provo for summer term for school i will live up the spring term in the wonderful states of washington, arizona and california where the sun will be my very best friend. one last thing. BRING ON THE SUN. because i am blessed.

p.s. this picture is via my blackberry pearl more than one year ago. i was in lehi and couldn't help myself. oh arizona sunsets, i am coming for you!

reoccurring nightmare.

one year five months and 24 days. yes, i do remember the exact day i cut all my hair off. 15 inches to be exact. 13 of which were donated to locks of love. living my entire life with long hair i had always wondered what it would be like to have short, spunky hair. i figured i could pull it off and always wanted to donate it. after literally years of saying "okay this time i'm going to donate it" and freaking out at the last second i finally did it. it didn't happen as i had expected but i think it needed to play out this way in order for me to actually go through with it. every time i went to get a hair cut i was told to not cut my hair, my "beautiful, curly, golden hair". so, how did i finally convince everyone to lay off and let me chop it? i didn't. i merely didn't tell a soul. including myself. i, indeed, decided to cut off all my beloved hair on the way to get my hair "trimmed". my stomach literally churned as i drove to "hair do" where i get my hair cut by the lovely and amazingly talented emilee. as i parked and walked in the butterflies didn't go away. still they persisted as i walked in and back to her seat. the usual exchanges were made and then emilee, knowing me, says, "so just a little trim?" i look at her dead in the eye (okay, well dead in the eyes of her reflection in the mirror, i was already sitting down) and said "nope, hack it off." her face erupted in a smile and she then proceeded to ask every variation of "are you sure?" until finally she understood i was not going to change my mind. after shampooing and conditioning (by the way why does that always feel amazing when they do it? i try to imitate them in the shower and it just isn't the same) anyway, we return to THE CHAIR where she whips out her black apron and wraps it around me. braiding my hair and securing it with the same pony tail holder i constrained my hair in when walking through those front salon doors she took her scissors and asked "you ready". i don't remember saying anything just squeezing my eyes shut and feeling the weight fall away from my head. who knew hair could weigh so much!! i do admit that tears came to my eyes. i immediately pushed them back by recounting some lame joke and making myself and emilee laugh. the deed was done. and my hair was gone. so, now lets get to the jist of this post. i loved it. i felt free and kind of rebellious. everyone was shocked to say the least but they eventually got over it and learned to love it. occasionally i would miss it but really i just enjoyed having fun with it, trying new things that would've never worked with my long crazy hair. so now, almost a year and a half later, how do i feel? mixed. someone tell me what to do!! lets add on top of this my reoccurring nightmares! i'll explain; i have these nightmares that my hair is back. long and always perfect (in my dream) and it's blowing in the wind, or some other cliche scene, and then i wake up and it's gone. it's not really there. for the first few times this dream came to me i literally cried (that shouldn't surprise you) not hard crying, just a little tear-age of the eyes as i realize that my hair wont grow back over night. so here's the thing. i somewhat hate the length it's at right now. BUT i really want to donate again! so..grow out and chop off? or just chop off? or just live with it and let it grow out and see if i like it a little longer? bleh. i hate hair. (that's a lie) but if you have an opinion let me know! (ps i don't care how old this post is by the time you read it, comment, because i'll most likely still be trying to make this decision months from now.) i do not regret donating it, at all. it was an amazing experience and when i realize how my hair blessed someone else i realize how silly it is for me to really care about a few inches of lost hair. at least i can grow hair! at least i am healthy and don't have to deal with treatments and things way beyond my maturity level. i'm so glad i could do this for someone else, even though i'll never know who it ended up with, i know it helped. and i am so happy i could help

because i am blessed.

p.s.first picture is obviously right after i cut it, before i sent in my hair (i was kind of sad she braided it because then it waved instead of curled, oh well) and the second is spring break senior year, about a year before i cut it all off. note that you cannot even see the end of my hair in that picture. i couldn't find a picture where all my hair was shown hahah thats how long it was ahhh!

ode to the hot dog.

now those who know me would be saying, "ode to the hot dog...kelsey is doing an ode to the hot dog..?" to which i would respond with a resounding yes. i feel a flash from the past is necessary in order to really put into perspective how monumental this occasion truly is. first let me ask; who, as a child, did not like hot dogs? no hand should be raised. see, as a child development major, an avid babysitter and an aunt of 9,almost 10, i am fully aware that the hot dog is a child best friend. the glorious food group that appears on your plate or in your mac n cheese (okay, that is still gross) when mom doesn't have time to make dinner or when the babysitter is hashin out the dinner for the night. but, you see, i was not that little kid. i, brace yourself, did not like hot dogs. not only did i not like them i despised them. with every ounce of hatred my body could muster. i could not stand the taste. cringing, i would feed this hunk of..of whatever it is to these helpless children who knew no better but did what their babysitter told them to do. now the hot dogs were not alone on the list of food forsaken* by the young kelsey ann mckinnon. no, there were others. among them were onions, cheese cake, bell peppers, spinach, pie, meatballs, basically just meat in general, and supreme pizza, just to name a few. yes, i was a picky picky child. let us fast forward to the present. nay, back up a bit to about 5 months ago. i had just moved to provo, ut. a place filled with nothing familiar to me minus my brother, his wife, and the marriott where we stayed every time we came to visit. upon moving there my father had told me there was a hot dog stand that i must try before moving (at the time i was planning on returning to byu-idaho for the winter semester). after hearing him say this i remember saying, "yeah, okay dad" while simultaneously thinking, "kill me now if a hot dog stand is all i have to look forward to in this place." indeed, i was an optimist. now, scooting about another month or so into the future (making this about 4 months ago) my brother, Tyler and his wife, Lindsee decided it was high time for me to actually go to this hot dog stand. i tried to be excited, i promise i did. eventually, the time came and we made our way to my doom..i mean, the hot dog stand. as many of you may have guessed (i say that like people will actually read this) that hot dog stand is j dawgs. arriving i had low expectations and high hopes of somehow getting out of the situation. the line shortened and my stomach tightened, preparing for what was ahead. Ty turned to me and asked what i was going to get on it. "ketchup". i said, not thinking there was a correct and incorrect answer. apparently there was and i had given the latter. my brother, my BLOOD, in that moment told me to leave. if i remember correctly he even pointed towards the door for dramatic effect. all sorts of confused i looked at Linds for help. Ty proceeded to explain that there was a "special sauce" that you HAD to put on it and all sorts of ridiculous toppings that were required or they would throw you out. (obviously that last part was a bit overboard on his part but he was very passionate about the process of dressing your hot dog so i didn't point that out.) proceeding down the line i was told to get a "polish" dawg, not beef. i did as a i was told (like those poor children i babysat) and eventually ended up topping it with special sauce, onions** and pickles. we each get our "dawg" and sit down. hesitating, i watch my companions take the first bite. after seeing that they didn't keel over and foam at the mouth i dive in. i do not use the phrase dive in lightly. what happened next is beyond my realm of explanation. i did not, nor do i expect to ever, understand why, how and what was going on in my mouth but i enjoyed it, to say the least. i, kelsey ann mckinnon, like hot dogs. i pause at that sentence and wonder if it is completely valid. do i really like hot dogs? have my taste buds matured (or immatured i suppose) insomuch that i actually find this non-meat meat desirable?couldn't tell you. whether we have the maturation of taste buds or the unique-ness of j dawgs to thank will always be a mystery. see, i do not plan on eating other hot dogs. for anyone who has ever eaten a j dawg you understand why. once you j dawg it, there is no going back. none of this store bought oscar meyer whatever business. it just wont do. now i understand that this post is not alone. i guarantee i could find a jillion and two odes to j dawgs among the wide world of blogging. but i just had to share today because, ladies a gentlemen a phenomenon has occurred this very january 26th of 2010. i, probably the smallest eater you will ever encounter, ate an entire j dawg. by myself. in one sitting. i wish i could be with you as you read that last sentence and applaud; because i am sure that is what is going on at this distinct moment. i would bow if i could somehow do that electronically (thats something to think about!) but for now you will just have to imagine me doing so, maybe with a little special sauce smudged on my cheek. so, today, i am grateful for j dawgs and it's ability to widen my views and tickle my taste buds. and i can bring this experience to you

because i am blessed.

*this list of food is not the same nor as long, though cheese cake and pie still grace the compilation, there are many foods that i have come to know and love over the years.

**take notice that onions are on the list of "no" foods as a child. well that has not changed. so, why did i put them on my j dawg? a question still to be answered. did i hate it? absolutely not. i still enjoy my dawg with onions today.

our beautiful world.

i am a gospel doctrine teacher in my ward up here at school. i taught the creation lesson last sunday and found, once again, that the lesson was mainly for me. preparing for the lesson i was overcome with the time, thought and love our heavenly father put into the creation of this world. everything is perfect. so fitting and purposeful to help us to grow, learn and love here on this earth. living here in provo has opened my eyes to the beauty that surrounds us on a daily basis. one thing i do miss in idaho is the plain beauty of a farming town. i miss going outside and finding, within walking distance, a place where i can whip out my camera or notebook and just be inspired for literally hours. the expansive fields and simplicity of rexburg has always touched me. now in provo i find a different form of what i've always seen, always loved. this picture was taken while i was up in the canyon right after the first snow of this winter. how can one not love provo with the mountains hugging you in, the trees looming over head in such a way that you can't help but look up and smile. whether filled with leaves or bare and gasping out above the road those giants hold years and years of stories. of precious, unforgettable moments of past and present occupants of this town. i feel silly but after living here for five months i will still find myself on the verge of tears merely looking around. thank the heavens for such a wonderful world. for such a beautiful place to call our own. if there is one thing i could ask those who aren't sure they believe in god i would like to ask them if they ever open their eyes and look around. gods hand is everywhere. if we but look.

i know this

because i am blessed.