When I am finished with spring semester, I will live on my bicycle and in cafe west.
When I graduate, I will never, ever live in Utah County again. And I will avoid University Avenue and Parkway like the plague.
When I get married, my husband and I are going to join a bowling league.*
And when I take Megyn Kelly's job on Fox News, I will spend a week every summer vacationing here, here and here.

Daydreaming is what happens when you work afternoons and it's sunny outside.

--

*We'll nickname our bowling balls and wear sweet matching bowling shoes, too.

*I discussed these specific details over dinner last night with already married friends planning on joining my league.

And yes, I drew that picture for all of you.

kind of like fate.

Remember how I went on my first bike ride last weekend?
Remember how Kylie named her bike Eleanor?

--

So is it any wonder why we freaked out after we saw this poster of someone on a bike with the word Eleanor underneath, while on our bike ride?? (!!!)

Freaked out is an understatement.
We called it fate.

the ship of dreams.

"It was called the ship of dreams, and it was, it really was."
Cue Celine Dion.

I totally forgot to mention the day I went to see Titanic in 3D. It was great. And I cried. Not half as much as the pre-teens who sat behind us (who clearly must have been seeing it for the first time ((hysterically sobbing)) but nevertheless, it made me cry and I sure liked it a whole lot.

Even more exciting news: Max and I have tickets for our own maiden voyage on the Titanic, (at least that's what I refer to it as during most of our conversations.) What I'm really talking about though, is our booked honeymoon for an 8 day piece of heaven//cruise to... Alaska.

When it comes to honeymoon planning, I feel like I am now an official honeymoon afficianado. All the planning, searching, researching (expedia, travelzoo, jetblue) California? Cozumel? Hawaii? Costa Rica? Yes, we searched them all. But it wasn't until several friends and family started suggesting Alaska that I saw Max get the most excited -- which ended up getting me the most excited, too.

(We even spent an hours worth at the DI finding matching Alaska shirts. Mine was green and gross and a size too small, but my excitement got in the way of that horrible $2 dollar purchase. It will do for now.)

When I daydreamed of a honeymoon years ago, I planned mine to be something along the lines of a swiss chalet in the Swiss Alps with a whole mountain to ourselves. Unfortunately, we haven't won the lottery yet -- so that won't do. But something that involves the ability to cuddle and eat and eat and cuddle and then take a voyage off shore through the Tracy Arm passageway or to the Butchart Gardens in British Columbia... sign me up.

Polar bears, glaciers, whales, and dolphins -- we'll see it all. All from the Rhapsody of the Seas, or what I like to call, the Titanic II -- both as first time cruisers! (any tips?)

All I know is this:

Planning a wedding is fun.

Planning a honeymoon? Lots and lots of fun.

a little bit of my bucket list.

I started compiling a list of things I wanted to do before I die my freshman year of high school,
(which is why at age 15 I included "go clubbing" and "wear leg warmers"... really kelsie?)
Since then, however, the list has grown to over 14 pages long, and thankfully, it's a little bit more ambitious as well.

And just a few months ago, I came across the following quote:

It takes just as long to be great as it does to be mediocre.

I don't know who said it, and I don't know where I read it, but I swear that it was as inspiring as meeting Mahatma Gandhi or Diane Sawyer. Like fireworks exploded.
(and okay, maybe that's pushing it...) but reading that made me realize that it takes just as much time to actually do something, as it does to not do something... if that makes sense.

I initially thought a lot about this ongoing bucket list of mine when I read the quote above, and I started to think a lot about what I really wanted to do as well. And as much as I'd love to drive the Autobahn or own a pet monkey (again, think: age 15) - I narrowed in on some of the things that were 1. financially possible and 2. actually feasible.

And just so you know, running has equaled death in my book for most of my life. But just like the rest of the world, that didn't mean I didn't include "run a marathon" on my own to do before I die list.

So after a combination of the quote above, a new pair of running shoes, a whopping $80 dollar registration fee, (and after several months of training so far), I just registered for my first-ever marathon in St.G this upcoming October. And I can hardly contain my excitement.

In fact, I'd even go as far as to say...
that this has all been more exciting (and rewarding) than wearing leg warmers, owning a pet monkey, and eating a whole bag of marshmallows (yes, that's #23 on the list) ... alllll combined.

rather: summer reading and such.

Summer means a lot of things, like t-shirts and shorts and ice cream, but the other part of it would probably be reading.

And because my New Zealand getaway is coming up (more on that next time most likely!) I not only have the lemonade park, Barnes & Noble, and my comfy, cozy bed (where I spend late nights buried under the covers just so I can find out what happens next) But I also have a 13 hour plane ride, six week getaway, no school/no work (talk about heaven) on the beach, on the balcony, or again, buried under my bed covers 7,000 miles away - where I will probably make even more time for reading.

Last summer, when I asked my main"go-to" reading kindred spirit (my darling boss Elin) which book I should read next, she suggested The Book Thief. Has anyone read it? Snap I loved it. I cried the last fifteen pages with a roll of toilet paper next to me because I couldn't find tissues. And today as I browsed online over some "to read this summer" book titles, The Book Thief was on one of the lists, with the following critique:

"If you want a fast read, this book is not for you. If you only like happy endings [then] this book is not for you... [But] if you love to read, and if you love to care about the characters you read about, and if you love to eat words like they're ice cream, and if you love to have your heart broken and mended on the same page, this book is for you."

That's all I really have to say about that. I love it like ice cream.

But the real reason I'm writing about all of this, is because it's time to go to all of you --
What books would you recommend? Anything and everything.It's starting to feel a tiny bit like summer, and that means a lot of things, (like t-shirts and shorts and ice cream) but most especially reading.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah is the most frustrating word to spell in the English language if you ask me.
That and restaurant and cinnamon.

But onto more important things:

After one heck of a long week (and it's only Wednesday), surrounded by notebooks, textbooks, and multicolored study guides sprawled across my bed, I was finally able to walk out of the testing center and ask myself, "Is this semester really over?"
My response made me want to faint with joy.
After a semester of Hemingway, stats (just typing that raises my blood pressure), acceptance letters, kissing assignments, and a considerable amount of credits completed, I can finally hear the hallelujah chorus singing.

And now that I am one semester closer to completing this thing called higher education, I will celebrate in the only way I know how:
Shorts and a t-shirt and ice cream... even though the temperature will probably be somewhere around 58 degrees, and the rain seems to be sticking around too. But just to pretend "school is out for the summer," I will wear my summertime attire and get a kong cone perhaps, just like we used to when we were 16.

Can I start my weekend on a Thursday?

photo

rain rain go away.

The rain after a glorious weekend,
the melt-your-brain studying for finals morning, noon and night,
10 minutes late to a final this morning... 10 minutes late to a final? might as well have worn a sign on my forehead: most worthless student ever.
and most especially... the fact that I completely erased everything on my hard drive. think: five hundred thousand videos and pictures... gone. I hyperventilated, and then I sat on my bed in a state of denial, completely emotionless for an hour.
In other words, the start of this week hasn't been so great.
And I'm still in a state of denial.

Luckily, there have been a few things that have cheered me up despite the rainy weather and my significant/tragic loss, so I thought I'd share just a few:

-Another one of our "Eat Pray Love" nights has been scheduled for the weekend. We experimented with this idea a few weeks ago, and all this simply means is: we ate, we prayed (well, we basically just blessed the food) and we loved our love movie of choice. Usually we celebrate the end of winter semester by tagging suicide rock, but the rainy forecast might call for a rain check, which is fine when you have nights like these.

-I just found out that Josh Hutcherson will star as Peeta in the upcoming movie trilogy: The Hunger Games. I'm already in love with the character, now I'm in love with his face.

-A YouTube classic. It's funnier after the sixth and seventh and eighth time you watch it.

-Gah. I spent more than I should have, but I just fell in love with my summer swimsuit. Anthropologie, you can do no wrong.

-Three Cups of Tea. I call it, my first reading book of the summer! (even though spring semester starts in a week and I have another 6ish weeks of schoolwork to go)... regardless, the name will stick. Has anyone else read it? In some ways it reminds me of The Kite Runner -- but I think I might like it a tiny bit more. An English Professor recommended it last semester, and I am thoroughly enjoying it already.

-Oh, and lets not forget: we have a holiday to celebrate! Easter Sunday in my book means a fancy brunch of some sort (and by fancy I mean blueberry muffins and orange juice), and maybe even a new white summery dress. I'm mainly looking forward to spending time with friends and family; I think we might even make a trip up to see The Spoken Word on Sunday morning, which is always a special Sunday thing.

-And finally... a new kindred spirit has emerged in my life. We kind of have a funny past, but after he told me we could go see JB in theaters again tomorrow night... well, now we're friends forever, I say.



So perhaps losing one gabillion memories isn't as bad when you can at least look forward to making another bajillion more. Either way, lesson learned.


photo

this should come as no surprise.

I took thelma out for her very first ride of 2k11, and it was as wonderful as I thought it would be. I once heard someone ask a friend in class, "Who did you fall in love with for the first time?" and she replied, "Oh it was with my bicycle" -- I thought about that this afternoon as I pedaled all the way to center street and back.

And lets be honest, spring is worth celebrating. And if there is anyone who adores springtime and red bicycles with wicker baskets as much as me, it would probably be ee cummings. So because this is a favorite, and because it's a tradition -- after spending a whole day riding my bicycle, and a whole night watching love movies on the balcony (picnic basket/twinkle lights/Ewan McGregor singing and all), this poem is most definitely worth sharing.

--

sweet spring is yourtime is my time is our time 
for springtime is love time
and viva sweet love

(all the merry little birds are
flying in the floating in the
very spirits singing in
are winging in the blossoming)
lovers go and lovers come
awandering awondering
but any two are perfectly
alone there's nobody else alive

...

(secretly adoring shyly
tiny winging darting floating
merry in the blossoming
always joyful selves are singing)
sweet spring is yourtime is my time is our time 
for springtime is lovetime
and viva sweet love

-ee cummings

really, though... viva sweet love.

politcally incorrect most likely, but i'll give it a go.

(picture from our girls trip to visit this lovely lady back east two years ago...can't believe it's been that long!)

This year on my new years resolution list, I added: watch the morning news.

This was mainly because a lot of the information I get about current affairs is usually from my parents stressing out about the U. S. of A far, far away; so I decided that I'd like to become more aware because it's important (for me, at least) to be informed, and to think about things for myself.

And I don't like to get too political, mainly because as I've mentioned before, once I get going, I really get going, and then blogging would become more aggravating than relaxing... (just ask my friend Austin about our discussions on becoming future presidential campaign running mates, I tend to get overanxious) -- however I just have a few things to say for today, simply because it matters to me.

1. Donald Trump (future president? really?) - Although agreeable on several issues, (like your plan of action regarding China) you need to drop the "birthing" issue when it comes to Obama. He wasn't my first choice either, and I think he's creating a financial disaster (understatement), but whether he was born in Kenya or Hawaii is beside the point now.

2. I am really, really liking a lot of what Mitt Romney has had to say lately.

3. Obama, I like you when I see you interviewed on TV -- a lot. Especially on the Ellen Degeneres show. I wish you were my next door neighbor, even.
But just not the president.

Also on my new years resolution list: (of course) finish the Harry Potter series. And to be honest, regardless of my political frustrations, at the moment Professor Umbridge is far more aggravating than any other political person or party or debate I know*
And she's fictional.


*(except maybe universal health care)

this afternoon and this evening.

i spent this afternoon rotating between making two failed batches of cinnamon rolls, talking to my parents on the phone, and sitting on the couch having a much needed life evaluation/discussion.

and then kylie and i sat in bed watching meet me in st. louis and decided instead of jennifer aniston or kate beckinsale, we'd rather look and sing like judy garland.

and a lot of things about today has made me think about a lot of things tonight.

and the only reason i'm up so late thinking about all of this, is because i'm waiting for my hair to dry and that takes a while (like hours) -- so i decided to make the most of this unnecessary amount of time i devote in keeping my hair healthy, and sort out my messy backpack.

i almost threw everything away, except for a pop quiz i found which i forever plan on keeping because of the first question:

on which page did you shed your first tear in 'great expectations'?

yes, this is the professor who gave us the assignment to kiss somebody as if it were the first time; and yes, i most certainly still adore him. when i was given this pop quiz in class, i remember feeling like professor walker must have stolen my book and saw that i had page 53 turned down.

(the part when pip begins to cry and hugs joe around the neck as joe responds: 'ever the best of friends; ain't us pip?')

he must have known page 53 made me cry.

and tonight is just a bunch of thoughts, mostly none of which have anything to do with the other, but that's just what happens when you think a lot.

i keep thinking about the advice my dad passed on to me earlier this afternoon, and the interest my mom always takes in my life - whether or not anything exciting has happened. i think about how much more kylie and i are alike than most people think (including ourselves), especially because we are the only two people i know who clap our hands together during the first kiss in a movie. and naturally, i thought about how much i love professor walker and his class discussions.

all while waiting for my my hair to finish drying.
(i told you it takes hours).

and then i realize i have written too much again, and that all i really wanted to do was get on here and pass on the following quote because i felt like it was worth mentioning:

later she remembered all the hours of the afternoon -- one of those uneventful times that seem at the moment only a link between past and future pleasures, but turn out to have been the pleasure itself.
-f. scott fitzgerald

and for once i don't dread monday morning, because monday morning means tomorrow, and tomorrow means another good day.

and that is all.

on and on and on and on.

more than ever, i am determined to have fresh flowers on my table every morning when i have a home of my own. i will continue my new tradition of buying strawberries on a whim, and will ruin the effort of maintaining a new healthy lifestyle by putting the strawberries on top of cupcakes.

i saw a robert pattinson look-a-like at the grocery store and he commented on my sunburn. i only had a sunburn on the right side of my body, from reading ee cummings and harry potter in the park a few days ago. now with the semester winding down, i can finally finish book 5 of the series, although harry, you’re being ornery and it's bugging me.

i had a final muddy muddy session last night with my best friend cousin who leaves to serve an lds mission in tahiti this wednesday. we wrote letters to read to ourselves in 18 months and I taped it in the safest place I know: my journal. she will be the reason i commit to finally learning french.

i bought packets of forget-me-nots at the sunflower market yesterday, on a trip to buy orange juice because of a cold. and even though i do not (yet) have a garden, i love these flowers, and find them to hold a very special place in my heart. frank sinatra sings about them in his song “you make me feel so young” – and thumbelina wears them in her hair. sold.

glenn miller radio station on pandora will take up my 40 free hours within the next two weeks.

la vie en rose – best bike riding song in the world.

and dear everybody in utah county who seemed to be barbecuing last friday:
you made it smell like summer.

so please, dear rainy forecast,
go away.

Meeting President Monson.

Several weeks ago, I was invited by a friend to attend a small wedding dinner for his grandpa who was being remarried after his wife had passed away several years ago. When I arrived, I had the opportunity (and privilege!) to meet President Monson (the prophet of the LDS church) who was also in attendance that evening.

I was so, so, so excited (more like beyond ecstatic) that I forgot to take my camera off of "video mode" to the picture setting.
Which is why we have the results below!


Wedding Dinner from Kelsie Christensen on Vimeo.

(I thought that no flash meant that it was off! Not that the video was on! When I thanked him afterward for the picture, he said he liked my pink camera even though it seemed a little slow - haha. this comment made my night.)

Although I was only able to speak with him briefly, the opportunity to meet the President of the Church meant a lot to me. I will never forget how familiar and kind he was, and how remarkably cheerful and optimistic he seemed as I spoke with him and as I watched him speak with others, too.

With that being said, this weekend is one of my favorites because it's the weekend President Monson and other inspired church leaders will be able to speak to us. Because General Conference only comes twice a year, it's always something I start counting down the days for a few weeks in advance... And best of all, you can watch it here from the comfort of a cozy bed and laptop screen!

So I'll be stocking up on Easter candy for the weekend, mainly Cadbury eggs even though I was supposed to swear off sweets this year (this goal literally lasted all of 4 days) and my pajamas will be the only wardrobe I need.

I'd like to argue that life doesn't get any better, but instead I'll just wish you all a very happy start-to-spring-weekend!