i made eye contact with you eleven times last sunday.

i counted.

and if it wasn't for my parents insisting
that i spend new years eve with them,

i'd willingly fly out to australia to kiss you at midnight.

Reader's Digest Version of My '09.

To start this off, let me begin by confessing:

the picture above is kind of what my entire holiday vacation has looked like.

i happen to be very, very, very lucky,

however...(this is where the confession sets in)

the other day i was in an absolutely wicked and terrible mood.

i didn't really have any good reason to be either -

especially considering i have constantly been seeing some of the most beautiful places on earth; unfortunately, my weaknesses still got the best of me,

and i made rather unpleasant company.

luckily, this confession has a happy ending,

because it didn't take long for me to start thumbing through my life in lists book -

and as i began a new list, i was able to gain a whole new perspective.

here is a part of that list.

the list of things i loved about twenty-oh-nine.
i love that i got to see my favorite city in the world. twice.

(especially when i got to visit valentines day with my dad)
boston, i will always love you.

i love the 1,001 memories i made in just 100 days of summer;
especially the night where i was halfway eaten alive by mosquitoes after jumping into a lake while wearing my yellow dress.

(i love that my best friend had to push me me in so i would actually do it too.)

i love that i discovered a new love for strawberry shortcake cupcakes.

and i love that my love for zac efron has never died. and i don't think it ever will.

i love that i took a nap in central park on a summer afternoon just two weeks before another school year started.

i love that i just realized i could cross 22 things off my

"things to do before i die list"

(including: flying over the northern part of New Zealand in a helicopter!

Freeeeak. So. So. Cool)

and yet I have added 78 things to that same list too.

i love my french professor still.
yes, monsieur lawrence, it is true.
i really, really loved you.

i love the sunday dinner tradition that was started this past fall with all my darling, charming but mainly dorky friends.

i even love all the jokes about "spells i put on the chicken" after food poisoning three people.

i love my best friends who always remained a phone call away,

even when they got married to their other best friends.

i love that thanks to taylor swift,

my friends and i have reinvested our friday nights into

making more silly music videos.

i love that i spent the last week of december totally sore and sunburned.

(kind of. this was me just trying to be super optimistic)

i love that even though i've had to say goodbye to people that i love more than anything,
i know that they're still there, and always will be.

i love that after all the tears it cost -

i will still take a years worth of important lessons with me.

i love that at the close of another year,
as i sat and tried to write the usual christmas card greetings,
i couldn't find the time to write everything

i wanted to say to everyone i love,
because i've been so blessed to meet so many good people.

and lastly...

i love that there was something about this year that i will never forget.
maybe it's because i grew up a tiny bit more,
or maybe it's just because i grew to love life
(no matter how hard, or how imperfect)
just a tiny bit more too.

and now that the end of the year has finally come,

a new decade is getting ready to begin.

in fact, considering my location this new years eve,

i will be among the firsts in the entire world

to celebrate the beginning of a new year,

(which merits me making a lot of wishes at midnight, don't you think?)

anyway, before i end i've come to one final conclusion:

there may be some parts of 2009 i'd like to leave behind -

but there sure is a lot, lot more i'd like to take with me.

and as for 2010...
well, i really can't wait for you either.

Merry Wishes & Happy Christmas.

"Again Christmas, abiding point of return. Set apart by its mystery, mood and magic, the season seems, in a way to stand outside of time. All that is dear, that is lasting, renews its hold on us: we are home again."
-Elizabeth Bowen

And as I type this I am sitting in my second home, far away, in New Zealand.

Can't wait for my very first Christmas on the beach!

(And if I'm not here in the meantime...)
I want to wish you all a very merry and magical Christmas,
and a warm and bright new year!

If you haven't been able to tell,
Christmas really is my favorite time of year;
I've always wondered why there is something so special in the air,
and why there is something inside of me that seems to just start glowing -
but I think Elizabeth Bowen illustrated my feelings beautifully when she says,
we are home again.

No matter where that may be.

Worth More Than Gold.

I was talking with some friends last night over a fine meal at Wendys,
and aside from the usual topics of:
kissing, school, kissing, funny stories, and kissing...
these were some of the things that were listed on the (quote)
"worth more than gold" list.

Number 1: Girls.
(but that's because the boy-girl ratio was 3:1)

Number 2: Mountain Dew.
(gross)

Number 3: James Bond.
(that's only because my friend Heaston was there)

Number 4: Fix & Mix frosites.
(yayayay)

Number 5: Friends.
(and i can definitely agree with that one)

but lately, my number one is:
sleep.

i love it. i love it. i lovvvvvvve it.

i love waking up at two in the morning knowing that my alarm
clock won't be going off for a while.
and i love it even more when i'm getting into bed
and it's not already two in the morning.

...

but i'm 20.

and sleep doesn't come often.

especially as a college student.

especially during finals week.

Make-A-Flake.

I'm spending my Saturday afternoon cutting out paper snow flakes while watching the real ones fall outside my window.

Today can quite possibly be my favorite day of December so far.

Attention Deficit Disorder.

Why It was Impossible to Pay Any Attention in My 11 a.m. class This Morning.

Dear Boy who whistled "Frosty the Snowman" from north to south end of campus while following me the entire way,

Even when we went our separate ways, I kept singing the song to myself because you successfully got it stuck in my head. And I am not a big "frosty the snow man" fan either.

Dear cute boy who sits on the back row and brings Lebron James into every class discussion we have,

You're clever and cute. I especially liked what you had to say today about Baldassare Castiglione, and somehow tie it into Mr. James looking great in an Armani suit. However, you make it hard to pay attention to our professor when you are so much more fun to pay attention to.

Dear Spider on the wall,

You were crawling way too close to me today. All I could do was lean very, very far away from you and hope I didn't look too awkward. Also, thank you for disappearing suddenly. I had to keep checking my hair to make sure you weren't somewhere in there.

Dear Professor,

Machiavelli is interesting, but only to an extent. Since today was day 28 of this discussion, I think I must say that there is truly nothing left to say about him.

Dear Self,

Please start getting to bed earlier so you can write better notes. Looking down at my notebook after class and seeing "kelsie christensen" scribbled in cursive, calligraphy, backwards and with my left hand made me worry a little bit for my upcoming final next week.

Dear snow outside my classroom,

You make my nose red and my ears want to fall off, and you definitely make it hard to get out of bed in the mornings thanks to my ice box bedroom, but stick around... you make everything so much better.

Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! How Could It Be Anything Else?

3 words:
Hot Chocolate. Cinnamon rolls.
And Rolos.

thanks to this ingenious young man
who probably has the most wonderful laugh in the entire world
(and i sometimes even think he is in the
top three cutest boys i know.)

Also.
Being able to watch the movie
It's a Wonderful Life as many times as I'd like.
On the movie cover it reads:
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful!
How could it be anything else?"

I think I'd like to say that to someone some day.

Also.
Outdoor Ice Skating.
Is there anything more romantic?
More magical?
More perfect in time for Christmas?

Negative.

(ps. it's even more fun to go when your friends do this)

Also.
Christmas Cards.
Sending and receiving.
I just started a few today and I love it.

Lastly...
Recognizing what Christmas is really all about,
is really what it's all about.
This message is especially touching.

I Swam In the Ocean with My Jeans On.

and it was probably the "funnest" thing i've done all year.

I also realized something last night as I sat in bed unable to sleep,
(which makes no sense considering i slept a grand total of 47 minutes this past weekend thanks to our haunted hotel room...more on that next time)

i'm really going to miss 2009.
it's been an awfully fun year.

M-I-C-K-E-Y....M-O-U-S-E

Yet another confession:
I am in the middle of another love affair.
(I have them all the time, I know.)
But there are too many things to fall madly in love with in life,
and this certain mouse in no exception.
we even kissed.

Last year I got to go to Disneyland for Thanksgiving with my family before everyone moved far away from each other. The entire trip was magical - and by magical I mean hands down, the most amazing thing I've ever experienced.

Considering D.Land is already the happiest place on earth, add Christmas music, decorations, lights, fireworks, dancing prince and princesses and best of all:
real snow.
Yes, it is probably one of my favorite vacations thus far, and I am packing to leave again tomorrow!

And if all that wasn't already great enough: This insanely talented musician who I've already seen 9 times in concert will be performing in downtown Disney on Saturday night.

Aaaaaannnnnndddd: I get to make the ten hour long drive with this lady and this special lady.

AAAAAANNNNNNNNDDDDD: I get to go eat out on this pier at Huntington beach before heading home for finals week.

Aaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnndddddddddddddd:
best of all.
i am insanely blessed to be alive.
i realize that every morning when i wake up.
i am the happiest girl in the world
who gets to go to the happiest place on earth
during the happiest time of year.

and ps. i promise to post pictures of my third boyfriend (aka my dog jasper) asap.

hugs, loves, and merry wishes to you all this weekend!