A week of inspirational stories.

Working in the news, it's not very often that we are able to lead our news broadcasts with good news. 
Ever heard the saying, "If it bleeds, it leads."  That's a little bit over the top, but for the most part-- true.

This week, the Special Olympics World Winter Games were held right here, in Boise!  Hundreds of athletes from all across the world were here.  I'm talking Qatar, Yemen, Afghanistan and even Gibraltar to name a few!  It was incredible having all these athletes here!  Every story we aired about these games this week, brought me to tears.  They are so touching, and everyone who watches really gets to see what sportsmanship is all about. 

The Opening Ceremonies were something else.  A huge coming together of countries, and people... along with some wonderful performances... a great start to such an incredible week!

 

 

Feb. 7, 2009

As for memorable and eye opening events...

How about the team from Gibraltar that didn't have enough helmets for their entire team...  The Canadian team stepped in, and gave them their old ones so that Gibraltar could compete!

Or how about the mother and daughter duo on the ice rink.  One athlete began ice skating because the rink was within walking distance from her house... her mother saw how much she loved the sport-- and wanted it to try it too.  Now, here they are, competing as a "Unified team" at the World Winter games.

Towns all over Idaho hosted events for these games... and the mountains served as an incredible backdrop in some of these stories.  Take a look here at the "Torch Parade" down Dollar Mountain in Sun Valley, ID.  After seeing this, I know I missed out on one heck of a celebration.

-----

There are Special Olympics competitions that happen in cities across the United States... they have both summer, and winter games, and I truly encourage EVERYONE to get out there and be a fan.  It will truly change your life. 

I leave you now with the news story I did back in Grand Forks, ND in 2005... which is what opened my eyes to these games.

**WARNING:  It was one of my first news stories... don't judge it by quality.  =)

Always,

I don't have an accent... YOU DO!

I don't know how many times people hear I'm from North Dakota... and all of a sudden they blurt out "Noooorth Dakooooota."

In case you didn't know.

I know for a fact I don't even say it like that.  Most people just assume since they've seen the movie Fargo they know what they're talking about... well... I'm glad that I grew up just one hour away, but have never seen the movie Fargo.  I'm nervous to see where people get all those Nodak stereotypes from... I might then just know what they are really thinking about me when they learn where I was raised!

My roommate Brandy claims that I have an accent, even though her closest friends can't even hear it...  She insists I say "Dakoooota" and "beg" instead of "bag"... but really, she seems to be the only one who ever calls me out on it.  She must be a pretty good listener.  =)

Another thing you've probably heard-- is that it is FLAT.  That, unfortunately... is true.

Moving from ND to Boise, ID.

On an airplane last week, I heard a guy behind me telling the guy sitting next to him that when he lived in ND, he watched his wife leave him for three days.  One of the best bad jokes I've ever heard.

One great thing about growing up in the Peace Garden State... is that it is essentially crime-free. 

I've worked in television news since high school, and aside from one really horrible incident that happened in North Dakota, it's pretty low key.  A burglary will be the top news story for days... and here in Boise, I feel like we have some kind of home burglary or gas station hold-up every day!  So when I double check and triple check our doors to make sure they are locked at night... I get made fun of. 

Excuse me for wanting to feel safe in the big city!  I'm just a girl from small-town Nooooorth Dakooooota!

Always,

Celebrate life

"You can shed tears that he is gone,

or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back,

or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him only that he has gone,

or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,

Or you can do what he'd want:

Smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

-David Harkins

Jam packed week of FUN!

I am home from Minneapolis!!!

The trip was even better than expected!  So many people turned out to meet us for New Years... 

My friends and I spent the whole evening at a German bar, dancing the Polka with a group of elders... and it was more fun than any club or keg would have been!

 

All was great until Elderly Polka Dancer #2 (Blue shirt) decided I was going to be his NYE kiss...  but... I'd rather not go into details about that. =/ 

Anyway, just yesterday, a friend of mine happened to come across a video of Polka Dancer #2 dancing with another young lady that night on Youtube:

So basically, Polka Dancer #2 gets around. =)

MOVING ON...

The whole trip went by WAY too fast... but it was so incredibly great to see all my friends from back home!  I can't wait to do it again!!

If you'd like to check out more pictures... don't worry, I am a Historian... I took hundreds.  You can check them out by clicking the following links:

NYE in MSP

NYE in MSP Part Deux

Everything else in MSP =)

My flight on Saturday night was delayed a few hours because of horrible weather in Minneapolis (But what's new right??)... I didn't end up getting into Boise until after 2 AM...  but that didn't stop me!  I was up bright and early at 7 AM to meet a group of friends to go skiing!

Bogus Basin, Jan 4, 2009

Bogus Basin was FREEZING on Sunday...  There is a pair of $60 mittens I've really been wanting... but wasn't able to justify buying them until Sunday, when I nearly lost my fingers to frost bite.

The slopes were super icy, and the temps were ridiculous, but it was a great time, and a good crew nonetheless!

To sum it all up, I'm VERY excited that it's 2009-- and I have great feelings about this year! I hope all of you feel the same way, and I hope you had a fun and safe New Year's Eve!

Always,

Oh and... 2 days...

UNTIL I HAVE A NEW ROOMIE!!!!

=) a;sldkfhasdlkgha'sdgha'sdglkhas'fdghasfd'g!!!!!!

Always,

Dos, zwei, deux, TWO!

Two days until Minneapolis!!!

A;SLDGHAS'LGKHAS'FDGLKHASF'GKLHAS'GLKHASD'FGKA

(I pound my keyboard to show excitement.)

My friends and I decided we will spend Friday riding the city bus all over the Twin Cities, exploring, and with any luck, getting lost!

Melissa and I will reminisce about the time we had taken the overnight flight from Seattle to Minneapolis... and tried to take the city bus to our car at our friends house so we wouldn't have to wake him up for a ride at 6 AM... we ended up lost on the metro system for four hours, in 40 below weather, with all of our luggage.

You try lugging 3 bags with roller wheels, through the snow in downtown Minneapolis at 6 AM.  Not so much fun.  After getting on several wrong buses, someone finally told us that there was a "bus help line" that you could call if you were lost.  You tell them where you are, and they tell you exactly what you need to do and where to go. 

We were so tired, and so frustrated... that our bus driver had to get on the phone with the help line because we had no idea where we were... and couldn't process what the person on the other end was telling us.

Ahhh, memories... =)

Always,

Countdown continues...3.

I am in one of those moods where I am so excited that I don't even know what to do with myself!

I leave for Minneapolis, MN in 3 days!

My company gives us two weeks of paid vacation each year, and last year... I made the huge mistake of using all of mine in the first couple months of the year.

So, I haven't been able to leave Idaho since April! Anyway, this will be my first time seeing some of my friends in nearly two years!

My best friend of all time, Melissa, who has been going to graduate school in Louisiana is going to be there!

The picture on the left is one of Melissa's birthday parties. I'm in the stripes. =)

I'm spending my entire Sunday, cleaning, doing laundry and packing... did you know that Northwest Airlines/Delta charges for even one checked bag now?! I refuse to pay to check a bag... so I'm packing early to weed out all the stuff I'd normally pack at the last minute and not use.

---------

My last trip to the Twin Cities, I met a few members of a my favorite band, Sister Hazel! (See pictures below):

I met a lot of interesting people on that trip... (See pictures below):

And I'm sure I will this go-around as well!!!!!

But more than anything, I'm excited to see Melissa, Andrea, Matt, Callie, Shawn, and Megan... all friends from back home... AND WE ARE GOING TO BUFFALO WILD WINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not sure I'll have much time to post until I get back, so I hope you all have a very happy and safe New Years Eve! And... don't do anything I wouldn't do!

Always,

Kels

Emotional day!

Two postings in one day!  Wow, i'm really on a roll...

So a couple days ago, I heard some really crappy news... not going to share it, but it really hit me this afternoon and I couldn't shake it...

Play the following video before reading on (just to give you the full effect):

 

Music playing?  Good.

So, tonight, this song, and what I saw on my drive home was really sort of a perfect storm... because I needed a pick-me-up...

Well, I was driving over a bridge that gave me a whole view of the city lights, and the lights in the foothills (Truly gorgeous if you've ever been to Boise)...  this song coincidentally playing in the background, then I get a look at Table Rock:

That is a picture of Table Rock in the daylight-- at night, the cross is lit up... and you can't see the mountain, so it looks like a lit up cross just floating in the sky...

Then I look in another direction, and see the lights reflecting off the snow of Bogus Basin (A ski resort tucked away in the foothills)... the snow glowing from the lights is truly magical...

Well, with the song playing, the city lights, the Table Rock cross, and the glowing snow from Bogus Basin, I truly realized how lucky I am.

I think about North Dakota, and I miss my friends a lot... and some things that have happened this year, haven't been in my favor... but I've done more growing up this past year in Boise, than I ever would have done in North Dakota... and I am truly grateful for that.

The worst break-up I hope I never experience again has really tested me, and tonight-- for some reason, all those scenes and that song helped me remember how strong I am and how lucky I am to be where I'm at, and have all the things that I do. 

I honestly believe that despite some things not working out how I had hoped, I am right where I am supposed to be.

There is no light without the dark, no happy without the sad, and no good without the bad... and I guess I just needed a reminder of that tonight.

That also reminds me of some of my favorite song lyrics:

"Sometime's I sleep with all the lights on... it helps me to appreciate the night.  I hear people talk about life all the time, how they remember times so sad... don't you think life would be awfully boring... if the good times were all that we had." - Pat Green, "Crazy"

That song is highly recommended. =)

Always,

Kels

 

Love life.

So... frustrating...

One huge pet peeve of mine... is buying airline tickets... their pricing makes NO SENSE. 

Let me talk you through this...

It's always cheaper to fly Alaska Airlines out of Boise... but Alaska Airlines doesn't fly into my hometown of Grand Forks, ND... so in order to fly into Grand Forks, I have to hop on a Northwest Airlines flight to fly from Minneapolis to Grand Forks.

Grand Forks is a 5 hour drive from Minneapolis.  It's a little more than 300 miles.

So, when I go to book an airline ticket from Boise to Minneapolis (1500 miles)... it's $155.  Great deal! Wow!  I'm impressed...

Okay, BUT... why would it cost $500 to book an airline ticket from Minneapolis to Grand Forks?!  Grand Forks is obviously MUCH closer to Minneapolis than Boise is... why does the ticket cost 3 times as much??? 

Another thing... have any of you ever tried to book a one way ticket?  One way tickets often cost more than round trip tickets do!  That makes no sense to me at all either!!  Why are we forced to pay a roundtrip price if we are going one direction... yet getting what feels like a discount if you book a round trip ticket?  I might as well book the round trip ticket, and just skip out on the return flight.

Never fear, I somehow managed to find a roundtrip deal to Minneapolis, coming back on Saturday, Jan. 3 instead of Jan. 4 (one of the busiest travel days of the year)... just 8 days before my trip... for only $350!  Lucky me! 

This New Years is guaranteed to be the best New Years of my life!  Several of my closest friends are all meeting up in Minneapolis to ring in the New Year together!  Friends I haven't seen in more than a year and a half!

 

                   Melissa, Pauly & I

                             New Years 2006

I'll definitely be sure to let ya'll know if the trip lives up to my expectations!  Do you have any plans for the upcoming holidays?

Merry Christmas and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Cheers!

Kels

Someone tagged me!

 

I'm pretty new to this blog thing... I've been writing in this for a little while, but nobody had ever read my stuff before... but apparently someone at One Girl Revolution has been reading because:

So, the little picture here says the I have to share seven random facts about myself... which shouldn't be too tough, but choosing just 7 is the hard part.  Here we go!

1.  My cat, Punkin, is the love of my life...

2.  I hate the cold more than anything, but ironically miss North Dakota terribly.

3. I am a little OCD.  If someone taps my right shoulder, they must tap my left shoulder to make it even.  If someone touches their nose, I have to touch mine... I do not like anything to touch my belly button. (Very weird, I know... I can't explain it.)

4. Fourth of July is my favorite holiday.

5. If I could eat egg rolls every day for the rest of my life without gaining 500 pounds, I would.

6.  Glacier National Park and Lake Metigoshe tie in the race for my favorite places on Earth.

7.  I love my cell phone more than I should.

----------------

So now, I'm supposed to list 7 people who have blogs... that I want to see repeat this little list/survey/thing on their blogs...  Unfortunately, I don't really know many people who have blogs... and one of them (Brandy) has already filled it out...

So we'll just see how many I can find, and pretend like it's 7:

Bizzy

Annie

Dawn

Ranae

Have a splendid day everyone, I'm off to Smokey Mountain for some BBQ Chicken pizza!!!!!!

Always,

Kels

Retiring the snow pants...

 

Many of you who have skied with me before... have seen how awesome my snow pants are.

Since I didn't think I was going to turn into such a ski bum, I decided that buying my own snow pants wasn't a necessity... so...

Courtesy of my mom, and Northwest Airlines... low and behold...

THE SNOW PANTS.

 

I'm not sorry to announce... that these awesome bibs are retiring... and since I have my own season pass, and my own ski gear... I think it's only right that I get my own snow pants.  Sad, yes, but it will spare me a little humiliation this season.

They will only come out of retirement temporarily for any trip to Tamarack, and ONLY if they are accompanied by Alison's dad's snow boots... just because I strongly believe in tradition.

Our trip to Tamarack is just a month away... so until then, snow pants... Good night, and good luck!

See you all on the mountain!!

Good-bye Chet... =(

 

Back in July I posted a blog about my volunteering at my grandma's nursing home...  I'm not able to volunteer anymore because my work schedule has changed, but I still go there several times a week to visit everybody...

Today, I heard the bad news that my good buddy Chet passed away yesterday morning.  He has been in an out of the hospital a few times lately, and just wasn't doing very well.  Even though he was loved at the nursing home, and was always loving life... i'm sure Chet's in a better place now.

I wish I could've spoken to him before it happened... his family had been visiting a lot and my mom and I never had the opportunity to go in and say HI.

I'll never forget how his face would light up when I'd help him with his Pokeno card... "Thanks Darlin!  I wouldn't have won without you!" all the whilst rubbing my leg. =)  Just stopping by his room to ask how he was doing would make him light up.

Here's are some excerpts from an earlier blog, written July 12, 2008, about Chester Burpo:

"After blackjack, my mom and I start setting up the room for Pokeno. For those of you who don't know, Pokeno is BINGO, but with playing cards... you have a card with 25 pictures of playing cards on it, and when the caller holds up a card, and it's pictured on your card... you cover it. Pretty easy, except... my job is to basically play 20 cards at once-- all around the room. =) My mom calls the cards, and I have to wander around the room, by certain people who can't see the cards or pay attention for very long, and make sure they got it covered. One day, this man Chester (Chet), was playing and he couldn't really see his card... so I just hung out with him, made sure he had everything my mom called and... he won 3 times. Now Chet and I are inseparable. =)

This last Wednesday I went to find Chet because he didn't show up for Pokeno... I went to his room, and found out that he had had pneumonia all week. =( He invited me in and he must've been feeling much better because he kept hitting on me, like the Good Ol' healthy Chet I knew.

Let me tell you though, Chet has a picture of himself as a man about my age in his room-- and he was pretty damn cute!

As I was leaving the room I told him to "Have a great day!" and he goes "You too! But wait a second.... what if I didn't say that back, would you be offended?" and I go "Well, not offended... but I would've thought you didn't hear me." and he goes "See, that's America." He went into this long profound lecture about American's always wanting to "settle the score." It makes sense to me, and is really something to think about, but it was too profound for me to be able to type into words. =)

I wish I could explain in words how great this feeling is... but even after my Grandma checks out and comes back home, which she could soon (she's doing so well!), i'm going to keep volunteering...
I don't want Chet hitting on anyone but me!"

--------

I'll miss you Chet!  Your good attitude, and your smile will always keep me going.

RIP.

Always,

Kels

Remember these songs??

 

"Brick" by Ben Folds Five

I never knew what this song was about... but at 10 years old, I was belting it out.  Apparently I began supporting abortion at a young age.

"Time of your Life" by Green Day

Great tune... will never get old.  I actually remember listening to this song in Glacier National Park and when they said "Take the photographs and still frames in your mind" I tried to mentally take a snapshot of a mountain... and it worked... I think of that every single time I hear this song.

"Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band

Another one of those... little did I know I was singing about hiking up a girl's skirt... but still, great tune.

"All My Life" by KC & JoJo

Probably the cheesiest song i've ever heard... and reminds me all too much of thinking I was in love in 8th grade and seeing the guy I was in love with dancing with my best friend.

"No Rain" by Blind Melon

Whenever you feel out of place... just think, you could be dressed in a home-made costume with a ridiculous striped stocking on your head and harry potter glasses, running through the streets like a homeless bumblebee.

"Spider Webs" by No Doubt

I got grounded because Melissa and I kept changing my family's answering machine message to the chorus of this song... I wonder how many other girls actually did that.

"Black Hole Sun" by Sound Garden

I thought melting my Barbie dolls on a barbecue grill was the coolest thing ever... until I got caught.

"Gansta's Paradise" by Coolio

I hated Coolio.  H-A-T-E-D Coolio.  And in 6th grade I pretended to like him because all the cool kids did.  I regret that decision every single day of my life.

"Bitch" by Meredith Brooks

I got to say the word "Bitch" when I sang along with this song... so it was probably the coolest song ever.  Just like Melissa used to blast a song by Alanis Morisette so the cute next door neighbor would think she's cool for playing a song with the word bitch in it.

I love hearing songs that take me back to a certain time and place... it's as close as we'll ever get to reliving our childhood.

Kenny Chesney describes this feeling best in the song "I Go Back":

"We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives...
Takes us to another place and time.
So I go back to a pew, preacher, and a choir
Singing about God, brimstone, and fire...
And the smell of Sunday chicken after church.
And I go back to the loss of a real good friend,
And the sixteen summers I shared with him...
Now "Only The Good Die Young" stops me in my tracks...
Every time I hear that song, I go back, I go back."

What songs take you back and why??  Think about it... and get back to me!

Always,

Kels

A look back...

I was going through my favorite pictures... and I thought i'd share my top ten!

All the pictures i've chosen, have great stories behind them... that remind me of how much fun I have, and how great my friends are!

10. This is Alison and I at Cascade Lake near Donnelly, and McCall, ID. It was about 80 degrees... but we had been rummaging through the cabin closet, digging up our old dress-up favorites!

9.  Springfest: My best friend since childhood, Melissa & I... "You'll do."

8.  First day of work at KTVB... One word: "Heyyyyyyy!"

 

7.  Bizzy, Matt and I at Charlie Brown's in Grand Forks... The red, white and blue was a total coincidence!

6.  11 AM, "Hangover Breakfast" at Blue Moose after another crazy night out... and Pat is drinking AGAIN!

5.  Sunday night tradition at B-Dubs.

4.  10 AM on my 21st birthday-- on Melissa and Andrea's balcony.

8 AM - 3 for 1's at McMenamy's...

9 AM - Milo's Survey of Broadcasting class... after 3 for 1's at McMenamy's.

10 AM - Found another homeless shopping cart.

3.  Trip back to GF just in time for St. Patty's Day... "And we didn't even have one drink!" ... Just shots.

2.  Making a hilarious discovery about who one of MFC's random hookups was... Note: MFC is a code name, and no, it is not Milo.

1.  BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BONUS PICTURE-- JUST FOR HALLOWEEN!

Daniella and I trick-or-treating in 2007... MFC knows how to treat the kids!

Hope you enjoyed my trip down memory lane!!!!!!! 

Thanks for coming and have a nice day!

Always,

Kels

Loving life...

 

I've been doing my research... and I've decide to compile the best "Love Life" quotes... and song lyrics, to get you thinking-- and so that I can look back on them whenever I need to remember just how lucky I am to be here.

Lately, I've been working way too many hours-- crappy ones, but I've been trying to make the most of it... and even when it seems like I might just die, something happens to make me remember just how great my life really is, and that my "problems" really aren't problems at all.

 Clocktower Pond, Boise, Idaho; July 2008

Quotes:

"If I think more about death than some other people, it is probably because I love life more than they do." - Angelina Jolie

"Love life, engage in it, give it all you've got.  Love it with a passion, because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it." - Maya Angelou

"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." - Bruce Lee

"Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it." - Mother Teresa

"There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle... The other is as if everything is." - Albert Einstein

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count... It's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln

"Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today." - James Dean

"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending." - Maria Robinson

Table Rock, Idaho; May 2008

Song lyrics:

"I want to live... so I could feel the ground beneath me, really taste this air I'm breathing, and know that I'm alive." - Josh Gracin, "I Want to Live"

"Sometime's I sleep with all the lights on... it helps me to appreciate the night.  I hear people talk about life all the time, how they remember times so sad... don't you think life would be awfully boring... if the good times were all that we had." - Pat Green, "Crazy"

"Have you ever danced in the rain, or thanked the sun just for shining?  Take it all in, the world's a show...  What do you say, we both go and seize the day, because what's your hurry anyway?" - Sister Hazel, "Change Your Mind"

"I'm what I am, and I'm what I'm not but I'm sure happy with what I've got... I live to love, and I laugh a lot, and that's all I need." - Kenny Chesney, "Never Wanted Nothin' More"

"You've got to leave me now, you've got to go alone... you've got to chase a dream... one that's all your own, before it slips away." - Nickel Creek, "When You Come Back Down"

"Time is a wheel in constant motion, always rolling us along... tell me, who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone." LeAnn Womack, "I Hope You Dance"

"You can't really smile until you've shed some tears... I could die today, or I might live on for years." - Darryl Worley, "Awful Beautiful Life"

 Donnelly, Idaho; January 2008

The economy is getting on my last nerve!

I know complaining about the economy isn't going to change anything... but my heart is breaking as this economic crisis continues.

I've spent the evening getting caught up on the news from my hometown of Grand Forks, ND... only to find that one of the best downtown bars, with the best drink specials, The Cuckoo's Nest, is closing. It had recently gone smoke free, and that may be a reason less people are going there... but to me, that's a GOOD thing! Unfortunately, the bar closing isn't.

Another closure... Boston's Gourmet Pizza restaurant... home to the best BBQ chicken pizza i've ever had! Huge beers, not so good of service, but excellent calzones... unfortunately, it's turning into a Space Aliens.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Schuster, Grand Forks Herald.

Grand Forks doesn't need a Space Aliens... it needs places with nice, big, beer mugs.

And last... but certainly not least... and most important to me... The University of North Dakota School of Communication is being "reorganized".

After the holidays, there will be no more Comm. department! The teachers are going to be in different departments, still teaching Comm. classes... and they say everything will be fine... but in all reality, if you think about it....

No Comm. department, means they won't be attracting many Communication students. Those students will look elsewhere for the program, and eventually they won't have enough students to even keep the comm. classes going anymore.

I think that's their final plan, to completely get rid of the program and its devastating to the teachers, to those of us who have graduated from the program... or even those who might not get that chance.

What is next? Something needs to be done. The economic crisis is reaching places that I never thought it would in a million years. When I learned of the Great Depression in 11th grade history, I never thought I might be facing the same situation.

Usually, i'd just start a petition and rally a bunch of people to help make this better... but I am completely helpless... and it sucks.

9/11

"Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward and freedom will be defended."

- President Bush, Sept. 11, 2001.

It's been three days since the 7th anniversary of 9/11... and on the History Channel right now, there have been several documentaries airing.

The one i'm watching right now is of amateur video of everything that happened that day... and it reminds me of why we went to war. That can't happen again. This anniversary is a good reminder of why were are in a War on Terror--

"Make no mistake: The United States will hunt down and punish those responsible for these cowardly acts." - President Bush, Sept. 11, 2001.

We can't stop until the job is done.

Take a look at the following pictures-- and use them as a reminder of why we are at war. All the lives lost so far, will have been for nothing if we don't finish what was started 7 years ago.

Never forget.

One year celebration...

It dawned on me...hahaha, I used Melissa's middle name, and Dawn's first name in a sentence...

Okay but seriously, it dawned on me that this weekend... will be my one year anniversary of moving to Boise!

I moved out here at the end of August with everythi ng that I could possibly fit into my little '95 Buick Century... so I came out here with basically nothing.

It's absolutely amazing to me how much i've grown... I got hired to my first job out of college, just two days after I got here... and to my disbelief, I still work there. There have been a lot of downs-- and not as many ups in the last year with my job, but lately, everything has been looking up... and I'm ready for whatever they throw at me.

In the last year i've also met some great people... and had some very good times doing things that I could never do before... drive 10 minutes and be at a lake to waterski, wakeboard and drink beer all day on a boat, or drive two hours and be in the mountains that remind me of places I could only go with my family on vacations when I was younger.

I've also single-handedly furnished my own apartment, that actually looks NICE and homey, and clean... one that when people walk in, they tell me how much they love it!

And i've even bought my first car, and it's actually nice. It's not one that I make jokes about everytime I am about to get in... "Pedro, my *insert racial slur here** ride."

Either way... i'm so proud of myself-- for having done everything on my own the last year... and I didn't think i'd be staying in Boise long. It initially started out as a temporary move while Sean was in Afghanistan, and it has turned into a place that I know i'll be for a very long time.

And thanks to my amazing friends that i've met in Boise... that have showed me everything it has to offer.

To celebrate my one year anniversary in the "City of Trees"... I will be drinking all day long at Tour de Fat, dressed up like a CHAMPION in a goofy outfit.

P.S.

I still don't agree with Boise being called the "City of Trees"... we live in the desert, and if you look around... and in the foothills, everyone knows that the trees that are here-- aren't here by choice... I think Boise should be called "The City of tons to do, and lots to drink."


Kels

What a facebook message can do... =)

About two weeks ago, one of my best friends from back home in Grand Forks, ND left me a message on my "facebook wall."

What she didn't realize-- is that it would end up being the very message I turn to when i'm in need of a smile.

Thank you Bizzy!! I miss you too!!!!!

"The pink zippy reminds me of you...

Journey reminds me of you...

Bermuda shorts remind me of you...

Bicardi Raz reminds me of you...

Stuffing egg rolls into my purse reminds me of you...

Nacho cheese dip reminds me of you...

Every where I turn there is a reminder of what once was.

I miss you Kelsey Jacobson!"

- Bizzy Slavens

The legendary pink zippy.

The legendary pink zippy strikes again.

And again.

It is finally mine!

I FINALLY have a new car... and i'm taking any suggestions you might have on what I should name it.

Most of my friends know that all my cars have had names that do them justice-- Big Blue, Pedro, Rosie (my grandpa named this one).

The day I bought my new car! Friday, July 25, 2008.
















After weeks and weeks of B.S... dealing with loans, stupid people, insurance, etc... it is finally mine. I have yet to drive it with the top up-- that's not really my style. =)

Now, all I have to do is drive very very safely for the next 3 years... if I crash this one, i'll pretty much be biking and taking the bus... until I turn 25. I'm not even exaggerating.

If anyone has a good name suggestion for my new partner in crime, let me know!

Kels