Creative Writing part 2

41 Days Down…690 Days to Go

Today is the day! I thought as I was getting ready for school. I hadn’t physically talked to him in six weeks, and now I was going to hear his voice from the Salt Lake City airport.

My brother is the sibling I am closest to, and not just in age, although that probably helped a little. Since the age gap between my two youngest sisters and me ranges from nine to eleven years, and I fought with my closest-in-age sister so much to the point of pure hatred while growing up, my brother was the only sibling I could truly hang around with. He understood me in ways no one ever could, and sometimes gave me advice on things I should have been giving him advice on. My brother is currently serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico. It was a tear-filled day when we dropped him off at the Missionary Training Center in August. Since then, all communication has been via email. But that wouldn’t be the case on this day.

I was anxious. I was prepared. My family was prepared; my brother was to call my parents (who were on a business trip/vacation in Hawaii) first, then me, then my sisters at home. I had told my brother via email it didn’t matter what time he called—I was going to tell my teachers that if I randomly jumped up and left the room, it was because he was calling. I didn’t really care how the whole process went down; I just wanted to hear my brother’s voice.

I got up to campus and waited impatiently for my first teacher to show up so I could explain the situation to him. I even explained it to the guy sitting next to me. Finally, finally, my teacher walked through the door. I immediately stood up to go explain that my brother was leaving the MTC that day and would be calling me from the airport, the only problem being I had no idea exactly what time he would be calling. My teacher was very forgiving and said to go ahead and leave if or when he called.

I sat in that class paying more attention to my phone screen than the lesson. I knew the phone call most likely wouldn’t come between the time of 7:45 and 8:45 in the morning, but I wanted to be prepared just in case. I kept surreptitiously glancing at my phone, looking for any sign that he had called. Eventually I changed my phone’s settings from ‘silent’ to ‘vibrate’ and decided to hold it in my hand at all times; I surely wouldn’t miss his call.

The day progressed much like it did during my first class: I explained to my two remaining teachers the situation, they were fine with me leaving for the call, and I stared at my phone in my hands, waiting for the call to come. I was getting impatient. Both my mom and my sister were texting me, asking if he had called. I kept asking my mom if he had called her; she repeatedly and disappointedly said no. About halfway through my last class of the day, I had given up hopes of talking to him that morning, but still held out hope for his call to come from the airport in Phoenix during his layover.

Then suddenly the screen on my phone lit up. I excitedly looked down, not recognizing that my phone hadn’t vibrated, and was instantly disappointed. My phone relayed the message to me that I had a missed call and voicemail from a Utah phone number. My heart sank. I had missed his call. I missed my one and only shot to talk to my brother before Christmas. I leapt out of my seat, most likely giving my teacher the illusion that my brother was calling, and left the room. I immediately listened to the voicemail, hoping and praying there would be another opportunity for me to actually talk to my brother.

My brother, still his normal self regardless of being a missionary, told me I sucked for not answering his call. I heard the words I was looking for: he would try calling during his layover in Phoenix. I smiled just at the sound of his voice on a message. I immediately tried calling the number his call came from. The first time I tried, it rang for a while before it sounded like someone picked up, but there was no one there. The second and subsequent times I tried, I got a busy signal. Figuring he was on the phone with another member of my family, I went back to my class.

I texted my mom and sister, letting them know he had tried calling me but I missed it. My mom scolded me for not having my phone on ringer mode, and I tried explaining that I had it on vibrate but my phone didn’t show that he was calling; it immediately brought up the screen saying I had missed the call. I have never hated the flaws of technology more than in that moment.

I went about the rest of my day after class got out. I turned my phone onto full ringer—there was no way I would miss his call this time. I sat around my apartment like I usually do on any normal day, furthering my master skills of procrastinating doing my homework.

Hours passed, and I was worried that I wouldn't even get a phone call from him while he was in Phoenix. My mom had texted me saying he had talked to my Nana (as she was the caretaker of my sisters while my parents were in Hawaii) and had called her. I had almost lost hope; surely he had to be talking to my dad and then my sisters, and by the time he would be done with them it would be time for him to fly to Mexico. I still kept sight on my phone while working on other things, still kept it on 'ringer' mode, but mentally prepared myself to not be disappointed when he didn't call.

I was in the middle of working on something when I heard my phone ring. My heart leapt, and I ran to go answer it. My phone told me that it was a Phoenix number calling me. This was it! I answered excitedly, ready to talk to my only brother. The biggest smile was on my face during the entire conversation, which wasn't much of anything significant. I asked him how his past week in the MTC was and how his travels had been so far. He explained that our conversation had to be short because he still had to call my dad and my sisters, and only had fifteen minutes until his flight to Mexico since the other missionaries he was travelling with had taken up all of the time. I told him I didn't care, and that I was happy to just be talking to him. Near the end I started getting teary-eyed, and it didn't help when he said "think of us doing 'the Wal-Mart pose' whenever you're sad or whenever you miss me." Thinking about that even now still makes me teary-eyed. We said our goodbyes and hung up, and some tears spilled over onto my cheeks. I texted my mom and my sister to let them know that I was able to talk to him and that he would probably call them soon.

It was the best nine minutes of my life to that point. I was slightly angry and upset that our conversation was cut short due to the amount of calls he had to make and due to the other missionaries taking up all of the time. But I kept it in perspective that I get to receive an email from him every week, and if the timing is right I would even be able to have a small conversation with him. Good thing there are currently only 77 days until Christmas and I can talk to him on the phone again…maybe even Skype with him.

Fall 2013 Roommates

These lovely ladies are my roommates for the semester, and I love them to death. Unfortunately, the day we took the pictures, it was super windy and yucky outside, so we had to take them inside a building on campus. Hopefully sometime soon we can get some outdoor shots. Many thanks to Ashley's boyfriend, John, for being our photographer. *Note: all "captions" are strictly left/right. Whatever words I say do not belong to the image above it. Enjoy :)

Us as a group. Aren't we adorable?

 Really, though. Aren't we adorable?

These next few are of the people who share rooms. These two lovelies are Jessica W. and Ashley. They're pretty fantastic.

These next two are Jessica C. (yes, we have two Jessica's) and Diana. Diana is a brand new freshman, but she's totally cool, unlike other brand new freshmen. And then Jessica is just always cool. :) with this picture, we had them leaning away from each other like they were forced to be together.

 Not sure why there are weird lines in the middle of the picture...oh well. Aren't they just gorgeous? And adorable?

This is Meghin and I. We're too cool for picture-taking. She's pretty cool, even if I think she's about to murder me in my sleep due to my messiness ;) just kidding. But really. I love her.

 Also, we're adorable.

 We are the Rexburg Von Trapp family. We'll be performing Thursdays from 3:15 to 3:18. $10 admission.

 We're just adorable always. The end.

This actually worked out really well (although I'm not sure why Jessica took off her glasses). Yay for perfect formation!

Creative Writing part 1

Enjoy!

"He wants her to notice him as more than her quirky best friend. He has noticed her every day since they first met five years ago. She walked into the classroom that day with an aura of confidence so strong that he, the most shy and unconfident person to walk the planet, felt like he could do anything. He could not look away from the twelve-year-old beauty. Luckily, there was an empty seat next to him, which she took. She offered the traditional pleasantries one gives when they meet someone new. He could only stare at her. They have had at least one class together every year since—he thought the gods of love must have wanted them together. They quickly became best friends, doing everything under the sun with one another. He wants more than friendship, and now that they are both about to graduate high school and go their separate ways, he will do anything to make her see they were meant for each other.

She wants him to notice her as more than his best friend who happens to be a girl. She thought he was weird when they first met, since he hadn’t been able to say a word when she introduced herself. But that opinion was replaced once she started getting to know him and spending time with him. They did everything with each other, including homework and watching movies. They even went on each other’s family vacations. They were each other’s first cuddle, thanks to the scary movie that made her lean into his shoulder to shield her eyes; he then wrapped his arm around her. They were each other’s first kiss at the age of fifteen; he wanted to see what all of his friends were making such a big deal out of. She wants more than friendship, and now that they are both about to graduate high school and go their separate ways, she will do anything to make him see that they belong together.

They both want to be together as more than friends. Time has run out, and they are both willing to do whatever it takes to finally begin a relationship. He has already turned down a scholarship to his dream school in order to follow her wherever she chooses to go. She has decided to turn down her acceptance to a prestigious Ivy-league school in order to follow him wherever he chooses to go. He has decided that he will tell her how he really feels after they go to the unofficial senior party tonight. She has decided to tell him how she really feels tonight at the non-school-sponsored senior party. They both stress and worry during the party about how the conversation will go. 'I love you,' he says in the car as they are leaving. 'I love you too,' she happily replies. They start planning their future. What neither of them planned on was the drunk driver that collided with them head-on, instantly killing them."

It's beginning to look and feel a lot like winter...

I made this picture today. The top left is from yesterday--the storm circled was a giant rainstorm that passed through us and apparently turned to snow right after. The top right was the clouds today. You know how clouds are dark grey when it's gonna rain and light grey when it's gonna snow? These clouds were light grey. Luckily it didn't snow. The bottom left was the temperature around 6:00 tonight (and my weather app says it's only supposed to be in the early-to-mid 30's tonight...hence the hoodie I'm wearing to bed). The bottom right was the freeze warning (for plants) that is in effect until 3 AM tomorrow.

I'm not ready for winter...but I have a feeling we're going to be hit early and hit hard. I'm planning on wearing a sweater (first of the season!) and boots tomorrow, especially since it will only be 40 degrees when I walk to class.

Also, I wanted to listen to Christmas music today. What the freak is up with that?

Second day of Fall Semester 2013

Woke up originally at about 4:30 due to the storm. (Yep. Rexburg has storms.) Went back to sleep until 6:00, where I showered, got dressed, and did my makeup and hair. I barely had enough time to eat a yogurt cup before my alarm telling me to leave for class went off at 7:30. Looks like I'll be waking up at 5:45 every day.

I'm really good at looking amazing on the first day(s) of classes. After that, I don't care, unless there's a hot guy in one of them (which, so far, there aren't). 

Walked to my first class (during which the wind screwed up my hair :( ), which was Editing. There were only three guys, and the only one who was attractive looked pretty short. Oh well. First off, my teacher sounds exactly like Phil Dunphy from "Modern Family". So I already like him. Then he's pretty hilarious. He gave us a quiz, and on one of the questions he said, "If anyone gets this right, I will pledge allegiance to every flag outside."

And there were several more than in my picture (apparently it's Constitution Day?). 

However, after I introduced myself to the class, he said, "I have something to say about your preposition use...but I won't." Looks like I need to brush up on my grammar :\ I hope this class won't make me feel like the most inadequate English major...

The teacher let class out half an hour early, so I walked over to the bookstore to read my assignment for Creative Writing since all of my books are currently being shipped. Read that (almost fell asleep), and I most likely will need to brush up on it again somehow before class tomorrow.

Then I went to my Children's Lit class. I'm pretty sure I was the only person who wasn't majoring in Early Childhood Ed or something of that area. Also there were only two guys. And I'm not sure how I feel about this class, because I will have to read SIXTY (yes, 6-0) books this semester. Granted, most of them are just 10 pages or so, but still. SIXTY. This prevents me from reading "Allegiant" when it comes out in October. No bueno. 

Then I came home, and now I shall eat food. Because I'm starving. I'm also contemplating a nap...I could barely keep my eyes open when reading my Creative Writing text and during Children's Lit.

All in all, I think this semester will be a good one, so long as I stay focused and manage my time wisely. And get enough sleep.

First day of Fall Semester 2013

Well. I woke up at 5:45 with ease, which was surprising since I have been training myself to wake up early for the past month to no avail. I ate my breakfast, did my makeup, curled my hair, got dressed (in a super cute "first day of school" outfit, obviously), and then read a book before I left for class at 7:15.

Everyday is plaid day at BYUI. Seriously. So many people were wearing plaid. In my Creative Writing class, I sat next to a girl who was wearing it, who was sitting next to a guy wearing it. Anyway. Am I not adorable?

I went to my first class (the first portion of Doctrine and Covenants). If the teacher is always as energetic as he was today, I will never fall asleep. He has a 5.0 rating on ratemyprofessors.com (which is basically unheard of), so I'm excited to see if he lives up to the rating. 

My second class (Fundamentals of Research and Presentation--try saying that five times fast) was significantly more low-key than my first. There are only 25 people in the class, and the teacher reminds me of Robin Williams (based on a voice he did in "Mrs. Doubtfire"...also sort of his face). I can already tell this class will be taking up a lot of my time, so this semester should be interesting based on that fact alone. However, it should help me open my eyes to what exactly I want to do in my editing career when I graduate, which is always a good thing.

My third and final class of the day (Creative Writing) will probably be my favorite based on the teacher. He is hilarious. Also, apparently he grew up in my hometown, so we spent about two minutes reminiscing about Riverton. He went to both my elementary and middle schools, which is slightly disturbing since he's 39. I'm really excited about this class, because I want to be a better writer in order to be a better editor. My teacher shared a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald that I loved: "You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you have something to say."

I came home at 11:15 (the one and only perk of having 7:45 classes) and finished my book...which was a bad idea because now I have to wait until October 22 to read the third one...grr. Then I went to the bank, paid some rent, paid my car payment, and got a book for one of my classes (unfortunately it isn't the one I need for tonight's homework). 

All in all, it was a relatively good day, and I'm hoping tomorrow is the same. Only time will tell.

Also, I live in the Smith this semester.

Here is proof:

Should be an interesting experience.

Fall 2013 goals.

It's that time of the year again...I guess. Here are my goals for the next three months.

• Make new friends. I don't care how many I do make. I just need to meet new people.
• Workout three times a week. Even if its just 20 crunches in my room. I just need to get healthier.
• Try to eat something healthy (healthier than pizza, at least) every day.
• Work 25 hours every week, if not more.
• Save as much money as possible just in case I can't find a job in Utah.
• Find a job in Utah, since I'm moving back there for the winter.
• Go to a BYU football game. (OCTOBER 12TH!! Possibly.)
• Go to the temple every two weeks.
• Read scriptures and pray daily.
• 3.0 final GPA for the semester, because I need to get my cumulative one up.
• No overall grade lower than a C. I really need to be doing better in school.
• Read three books, not counting the ones I have to read for school.
• Get caught up in rent and stay on top of my bills.
• Write in my story at least once.
• Take lots of pictures, and post them on here.
• No dates. Now some might be going, "but Kelsi, you always want to go on dates. What's wrong with you?" Nothing is wrong. I've just decided to take this semester and focus on me, myself, and I. I need to learn to love myself before I can expect anyone outside of family and roommates to love me. If I get asked on dates, that'd be cool, and I would obviously go. And if I really want to, I'll ask a guy on a date. But I'm not going to make it a goal to go on a certain amount, and I'm not going to expect to go on any dates.

Hopefully I can stay on top of these goals better than I did last semester.