Conference Weekend: Partyin, partyin, YEAH!

I am in love. I am totally and completely in love and nothing anyone says will ever make me feel otherwise.

I am totally in love with this dang church I am proud to be a member of. Seriously! Conference this year was SO good!!!

This year I was determined to listen to every single session of conference and take notes too. That in and of itself made the experience noticeably better - just taking notes. I had 3 questions in mind and all of them were answered over and over in many different ways.

And, even questions that I was too afraid to actually ask, but questions I've just had about life - those were answered too.

The first session on Saturday was arguably the best, at least for me. And here is why:

As some of you may know, I was pretty affected by the tabernacle burning down. Everyone was sad, but for me it felt like somebody had died. I don't know why, but for the first week every time somebody mentioned it, I would tear up. And then in the months afterwards even when I drove past it I would get sad. I was even afraid to do the promenade because I would be directly facing the burnt remains of the tabernacle, and I was certain that I would probably burst into tears. Dumb, but that's just how it was.

So... :) ... you can imagine my reaction when President Monson (who is officially my favorite person ever) announced that they were going to rebuild the tabernacle into Provo's second temple.

A temple!! What a blessing!! I have never before cried during conference, but as soon as he announced that I burst into tears. Everyone in my family did. There was nothing more perfect that they could have done with the tabernacle. I...am so excited. And, now I totally know where I want to get married. Like, for sure. I will not get married until that temple (calling it a temple is so exciting! :D) is finished.

So, a note to my future husband: I love you, and I respect your opinion, but we are getting married in the Provo Tabernacle Temple. No matter what. So...deal with it.

If you really think about it, is there any more perfect way for that to have happened? A couple analogies I talked about with my dad were these: First, the tabernacle burns down. In other words, it experiences a temporal death. But then, it is resurrected into a celestial being. Just like what will happen to us, as long as we are faithful.

The other analogy is that, in our own lives, we will experience painful things like getting burned down to the ground. Or, a better way to say that is a "refiners fire." We'll experience trials and hardships that will leave us feeling, perhaps, like an empty shell. But then we can take those experiences and turn into something beautiful and wonderful like a temple.

But really, I seriously can't even begin to describe how excited I am about it. I was floating on cloud 9 for the rest of the session. And Elder Uchtdorf's talk at the end just sealed the deal. I was crying during that one too. I don't even know why. But it just gave me so much reassurance about my life. It's okay if I am not perfect. And it's okay if I'm not as smart as or as pretty as or as talented as everyone else. "You matter to Him."  :D What a great experience it was to listen to that talk.

Unfortunately, I had to go to work right after his talk ended. In fact, I was late to work, but I didn't even care. I was still so happy about everything that I had heard. Except my shift ended at 5:30, and the second session was between 2 and 4. I was determined not to miss it, no matter what.

I endured work, and then at 1:59 my co-worker and I were frantic. Nobody else seemed to care, but both of us were desperate to watch conference. We ran back and pled with our boss to let us watch conference on our computers. She agreed, but only if the other 4 people working with us were okay with it.

So we ran out, and asked if they were okay with us watching it, just in the corner, with the volume turned down so that only we could hear it. Everyone was okay with it...except for one girl. She told us that she hated conference, and would be offended if we tried to watch it. She didn't stop there though. The rest of the time, she proceeded to tell us how stupid mormons are.

After being on a spiritual high, I was determined not to let that get to me. So I just read previous conference talks whenever it got slow, and ignored the deragatory conversations that were going on. But dang it all, I was determined to watch and take notes on EVERY session!! So my co-worker and I knew that as soon as this girl left, we would be able to watch conference. So I kept the live streaming internet broadcast up on my computer, muted, and watched in agony as each speaker shared special messages that I was forbidden from hearing. And I waited for something to happen, or change. For a subtitles button to magically appear. Anything. I wasn't trying to blow things out of proportion, but I was still so affected by the first session, it was killing me to think of what I was missing in the second session.

Eventually, my friend and I convinced the girl to leave early, and then we were able to catch the last hour. Then, thanks to technology, we were able to rewind it and watch most of the first hour. And I even took notes on reciept paper. The second session was really good too. I loved Elder Christofferson's talk. We were right in the middle of it when the phone rang, and we had to pause it. And it was like waking up, almost. The spirit was pretty strong with just the two of us in the office, watching all of the conference talks.

So eventually, when I got home from work and had eaten dinner and all of that good stuff, my dad left for the priesthood session. Which left my mom and I free to do whatever for 2 hours. We decided to go car shopping, just for kicks. Which basically meant go to the Nissan dealership and drool over the cars that I have yet to be able to afford. So, that was pretty fun. I learned that the Nissan LEAF will be available in the spring, but in the meantime I should probably just buy a cute little Versa.

The next day, Sunday, conference wasn't any different than it had been in the past for me. I was still taking notes, but nothing super intense happened like on Saturday. I just crocheted a hat, and ate a bunch of ice cream. Like I usually do. It was still great though, and I was super sad when it ended.

But seriously, this has been probably my best conference experience ever. So many of  my questions were answered and I'm so determined to become a better person now.

And yeah...my favorite part was really the tabernacle/temple news. Seriously, I looked back over my life and I couldn't think of a moment where I was happier. There are a few that have come close, but seriously, I can't get over it. What a blessing.

So...I hope you all had a great conference experience too :)

Love,
Kaela :)

The Allegory of My High School Experience.

Interpret that however you want.

Love,
Kaela

P.S. Now that I've learned how to scan in the oddball pictures that I draw, I feel like my blogs might get a little more exciting and/or colorful.

Dumb.

So, today I got home and I was all "Yeeah man! I've got time to do my homework!" because I don't have work today. And then the little procrastinator devil inside of me was like, "but Kaela...when was the last time you watched X-Files??" and I was all, "okay, so I'll watch X-Files while I eat my beef Top Ramen that I was craving the entire drive home, and I'll sit in front of the TV and eat it like the lazy slob I am." for the record, I also ate an apple, so I wasn't being too unhealthy.

So I watched X-Files. And then my dad got on the computer, so I was all, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to watch one more..." so I got started, and then like ten minutes later my dad got off and I was all, "I can't just stop watching right now. Mulder is wearing a skank tank AND he's totally doped up on LSD." Which I am not, by the way. Wearing a skank tank. In fact I'm wearing a sweater. Nor am I doped up on LSD. I would attribute this...whatever this is...to complete and utter sleep deprivation. Because last night I was all, "10:00!! Yeeah man, let's take ten pages of Psych notes!" Anyways, I finished my episode, and it was a cliff hanger. At the end, it said, "to be continued" And Mulder was M.I.A. And I was all, "I could probably watch one more episode." but I didn't! That's right, I exercised control.

But then I got on the computer and I was all...Pottermore!! So I logged in and my dumb internet blocker still won't let me do potions. Which is about the only thing I can do right now anyways. So checked my email, and got on EHS, but didn't actually do any work. I also got on SparkNotes, because I was/still am, slowly working my way towards writing this 3 to 5 page essay that is due tomorrow. I honestly forsee myself writing my article...tomorrow morning. Just kidding! I'll do it today.

Anyways, then I was all, I want to buy some Toms. So I got onto Toms.com and drooled over all the shoes that I want to buy. And then I was all, "as long as I'm wasting my time, I might as well blog about all the random crap going on in my mind. And then wondered what will happen once I'm pregnant, as far as my arms go. I'm short, so I'm pretty sure my belly is going to stick out about a mile, and I'll be like a T-Rex. So my arms will be too short for my body. It'll look something like this.

That's a picture of me, trying to do laundry. Yep. And for the record, that's what my hair looks like. Not necessarily that messy, and not necessarily that color. It actually doesn't look much different from my natural color. Whatever. Maybe...the dye...is sinking into my brain.

So when I was uploading this picture I caught a glimpse of one of my prom pictures. And I was all, look at this gross pregnant picture of me with unidentifiable hair and a dice laundry basket. Go away, prom picture that is all makeup-y and dress-y and not pregnant and gross.

I'm not saying I'm pregnant, but my efforts to get ready today amounted to like...zero. I rolled out of bed and stared at a wall for at least half an hour, and then drove to school. I was literally out of clothes, too. I had worn everything I owned, so that's why laundry is on my mind. Because that is one thing that got done today. Observe.

So...now half my clothes are on my floor, and half are in the washing machine. And some are on my bed, but I don't know if those are clean or not. Oh nells, college is going to be great. But the point is, I accomplished something today. And there is a picture of my room. In case any of you wondered what it looked like.

And now it's 3:45, and I have to leave in 2 hours, and all I've written is one paragraph of my essay. It's not even part of my essay. It's one paragraph of my ideas of what I'm going to write for my essay. Oh, world.

And for the record, you can do anything with paint. No longer do I have to explain my motives. I can just draw a picture.

So...I'm done with real paragraph of my essay, and halfway through my article. Woof. And...I just realized I have internship homework due tomorrow too! So I'm done procrastinating and feeling a little more sane. So, I'm peacing out.

Pain.

The title of this post may suggest that I am about to write an emotional, depressing poem about my feelings.

Well I'm not. This post is about bugs.

I was driving up to Manti with my mom, dad, aunt and uncle today. For the entire 2 hour car ride, we talked about 2 things. Food, and tarantula hawks.

You may be wondering, what is a Tarantula Hawk? The first time I heard that name I was all, huh?

 

A flying bird spider would be pretty creepy. But the Tarantula Hawk is actually a wasp, and it looks something like this.

And now you're probably thinking, "Wow, really Kaela? That's just a little wasp. Stop being such a baby." Well guess what? There is nothing "little" about this disgusting creature. Take a look at this!

Yeah! That's pretty freaking gross! As if that isn't enough, here is a little background on our friend, there Tarantula Hawk.

The reason they are called Tarantula Hawks is: Tarantula, because they eat tarantulas, and hawk, I assume has something to do with their size, or maybe somebody decided that they are more gross than a spider bird. Because here is the life of a Tarantula Hawk:

First, the female tarantula hawk will find a tarantula, or other large spider, and then fight it, sting the crap out of it, leaving it paralyzed, and then drag it back to her cave of death. After that, she will lay an egg on it. The egg hatches, and then burrows inside the paralyzed tarantula eating everything except for the spider's major organs. That way the spider will stay fresh for the baby wasp for as long as possible. Once the wasp becomes an adult, it tears it's way out of the tarantula and continues this grotesque circle of life.

Why am I blogging about this?? Because it is completely grotesque and alien and unreal! I've just gotta say that evolution is totally messed up. But there is a reason this post is called "Pain"

According to some guy named Justin Schmit, there is only one sting that is more painful than a Tarantula Hawk, and that is the sting of a bullet ant. The sting of a Tarantula Hawk is about as painful, he says, as a toaster bath. And I'm not just saying that because of my weird obsession with toaster baths...I'm saying it as a fact. He also said that even if you are really pain tolerant, you'd still scream your head off for 3 minutes.

So pretty much...it's like the cruciatus curse.

Ew.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

I feel like I haven't written in a while. Maybe I have. I don't know.

So...here's what's on my mind:

Hair
Recently, I've become sort of obsessed with coloring my hair. I'm going in again on Wednesday to get more highlights. I'm only in the beginning stages of the hair coloring addiction, but bottom line...I love it. I can't wait for my hair to actually look different.

Graduation
Yeah, yeah, I know it's 9 months away...maybe. The other day I realized that if I pass all of my classes this semester, then I'll have completed all my graduation requirements. food for thought.

Work
The day has finally come where I got that long awaited raise. Working the office during the off season at 7 Peaks is so chill, and way better than everything else I was doing before. Only downfall are the nasty people that I sometimes encounter. For example, the nasty lady who called me a smart A yesterday. That was not fun.

School
School is on my mind simply because I can't decide if I want to be out of it or not. One thing is for sure, I am absolutely in love with my Psychology class. That's 1 of 2 things holding me back from graduating early right now. But yeah...way too much homework, that's for sure. BUT. I'm actually really enjoying Journalism this year. Like, it's going a lot better than it was last year or how I expected it to. Even though I had a dream last night that VanOrden tried to throw me off the top of Hogwarts. Which brings me to my final thought...

POTTERMORE!!!!!!!!!
Slightly obsessed doesn't even begin to cover it. I am absolutely in love with Pottermore. I couldn't be happier with my wand (Ash, unicorn hair, 11 inches) and it took me 45 minutes to take a 7 question quiz, but I was eventually sorted into Gryffindor. Which I'm feeling is pretty crazy.


And I'll throw this in as an afterthought. But, my cousin got married this week, and pretty much all I've been able to think about is 


Weddings
I'm kind of slightly obsessed with the idea of weddings. Pretty much all I could think about this weekend was weddings. I came to the conclusion that I don't want to get married, I just want a wedding. You can stone me for that statement, it's okay. I just want...like a hundred million weddings. This is making less and less sense.

peeeeaaaacccceeeee.
Kaela :) 

    

This is my life now.

So, I was walking across a parking lot and I got to thinking about my blog name, "Kaela, the Tennis Playing Dinosaur." And I realized that 1- This title is partially incorrect/outdated and 2 - I haven't blogged in a while.

So here is an update on my life...sort of.

First off, I've started up a few new things, and sadly, made an end to some others.

I knew before I tried out for the tennis team that I wouldn't make it, because as a senior, I would have to make Varsity, which wasn't going to happen since I didn't practice all summer. Also I was going to be pretty busy this year anyways. When I tried out for the team, I was assuming that I would be taking on a job at Journeys during the school year. (Which didn't end up happening, btw. So if anyone knows anyone who is hiring...) But I tried out for the team anyways.

Trying out was pretty fun. I play much better when I'm not under pressure, and since I wasn't under any pressure, I just went out there and had fun. My coach offered to put me on JV, but I figured I wouldn't be able to be dedicated to the team, which would have been pretty lame of me.

So, long story short, I'm not on the tennis team this year. Weep. My heart goes out to all of my old teammates, and I hope they all have a rockin season.

I still love to play though, so if anyone wants to go hit sometime, just hit me up! No pun intended...

So I'm not doing tennis. But for my senior year, I HAD to do something extracurricular. Here's how my thought process went:

I need something extra curricular to do.
I've always wanted to learn how to play the drums.
I don't have a first period...

And that is the story of how I ended up in Percussion. Crazy, huh? I'm still a little weirded out by it. I never would have guessed that I would end up in band. But I'm actually really excited. I love the people in the class, and I think it'll be a total party. Hopefully I won't be too much of a hopeless case at everything I have to learn, which is a lot. So...wish me luck!

I'm also learning how to crochet. It's kind of a big deal. Actually, I'm super bad at it. I tried to make a hat, and it ended up looking like a sack you would hide an elf in. So....I dunno. If anyone wants to teach me how to crochet, don't hesitate. I really want to make a scarf. Or a sweater. Actually I REALLY want to learn how to make a sweater. Heh!

So school is starting soon, right? Believe me, I've done my fair share of weeping over this. But I was able to formulate a schedule that will fit my basic need of not wanting to be at school...at all. And it goes something like this.

ODD:
Early morning (I know, right?)
Percussion (Wish me luck...)
AP Stats (Yep, it's Sweetwood.)
AP Psych (Soooo stoked)
Go home!!

EVEN:
Early morning
Internship/free period (I'll explain that in a sec)
Journalism (this will be interesting...)
AP English Lit (still not sure exactly why I opted to take this class)
Go home!!

So I've got 3 hard classes....and then a bunch of free periods. So let me explain my internship.

I get to do an internship for LDS Family Services. I'm SO EXCITED for that. Second semester I'm looking at doing an internship for the Police Department, but I'll decide more about that in December. My internship this semester will be in the evenings, which is great because that means I have more time to be at the internship, and then I also get a free second period, which means I get to sleep in every other monday.

Bottom line, I'm way super sad that summer is coming to an end. It feels like it went by way, WAY too fast. :/ But I'm actually pretty excited for my senior year in high school. I can't believe I'm already there! I used to think seniors were so old and mature...but now I'm one...and I still feel like a kid. Which I guess I still am, for approximately another 10 months and 16 days. But who's counting?

The point is, this is my last year of public education and being less responsible for myself than I will be in the very near future. So I'm going to make it the best that I can. Come what may. Even if aliens invade the planet. Then I will just go all Katy Perry and see what happens. Kiss. Me. K-k-kiss me.

Anyways...

Peace!

Vaca - shun.

So...I was gone for a while...cuz I was on this little thing called a Vaca - shun. And I call it a vaca - shun because I didn't interact with human civilization for a while.

Okay so I actually did. First I went on a week long vacation which consisted of a night in Vegas where we saw Phantom of the Opera, and then a 4 day cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. It was a super fun and super eye opening experience. Here are some pictures.



This was the hotel where we saw Phantom: The Venetian. It was exciting.

This is just my favorite building in Vegas...because it is cool looking. Yep.

This is a sunset in Long Beach. California is great, but not as amazing as everyone else makes it out to be.

This was our water slide on the ship...that I didn't go on. Sad day, I know.

This is Catalina. If I am ever filthy rich, I will have a house here.

This was the beach in Ensenada. It's okay to be jealous on this one.

I met these AWESOME fellow Utah Mormons on the ship. It was quite a relief. And in that picture, we are totally playing poker. Just setting a good example.

So that's a little bit of what the cruise was like. Basically, there were a lot of cool sights, and I spent a butt load of money in Ensenada, and people everywhere were smoking and drinking and it was kind of nasty. But still a cool experience.

And then I went to girls camp, which was total opposite of the cruise!

I didn't take really any good pictures of that, but suffice to say it was quite an experience. The week went by really quickly, and I came home smelling like a wet dog. Um...it was pretty dang spiritual. A lot of pretty cool stuff like that happened. And it was my last year, so as far as last years go it was pretty sweet! I actually didn't do much camp stuff. Like certification and whatever. I did get my liahona award, though, which for  those of you outside my stake, it's basically an award you get for completing 4 years of camp, reading the book of mormon, writing an essay about your favorite book of mormon character, and memorizing a bunch of value stuff. So, it was pretty cool!

That's about it. I'm not really going into detail cuz, there's too much. Haha!

Peace!