Sunday, May 25, 2014

all the new things.

There is almost never a middle ground, it seems, for my life. When one thing is new, EVERYTHING ELSE decides that it needs to be new too. And I can never quite discern which thing decided to be new first.

For example: Last year, around February, I decided that it was high time that I went to the Singles Ward. And around that same time, stupid drama was happening at work and I was done with Softlines and wanted to be switched to Instocks (my first choice was ACTUALLY Pricing, but, I'm actually really glad that I ended up on Instocks. I think the task was more my speed). And the fruition of those two decisions happened at the exact same time. My first Sunday in the Singles Ward was two days before my first day on Instocks.

And now, I have a new calling and a new job at the same time! This time though, I know that the calling came first. Barely. I got sustained a week and a half before I got the new job. But, I got set apart (which is when a calling becomes a real thing, I think) two days before I start my new job.

It just amazes me that this is how it always seems to happen for me. It's almost as if I plan it. Or maybe, it's Heavenly Father who plans it (more likely). I still have yet to understand the why or any of that. And honestly, don't know that it's that important if I ever do. Just, an interesting happenstance, I suppose. It freaks me out every time because I have to figure out how to adjust my life to all the new things, but I guess I do well under pressure? I'm still not really sure about that one. But, it's been said to me before.

Anyway,  I hope you all have a lovely Sunday evening, and a lovely Memorial Day, and a lovely week in general. :)

Cheers!
     Reille K.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

change.

Change is a really scary thing. And it's been on my mind A LOT lately. 

Change is an interesting thing. It either shuts someone down or wakes them up. Some people cannot for the life of them, handle change. In any capacity. They are so attached to their routine and the way they do things, that they fall apart when something HAS to change or when it DOES change. But there are also those people that react to change as if they are waking up from the perfect sleep. They are so invigorated and ready for the challenge and they can hardly WAIT to get started and get into the fray of it all. 

We get so used to our everyday life that when it's going to be different, it's hard to adjust. We have to adjust the way we do everything! The way we think about making plans with people. The way we eat and when we eat. We have to do everything in our lives differently even if that's not what's changing. 

We get stuck in a rut without even realizing it. And then we have to bump our way out of those ruts when we (or someone else) decides that it's time for a change. It's rough for a while but then you get to smooth ground again and you're good to go! Right? 

How do you deal with it? Do you accept it willingly and take the challenge and run with it? Do you discuss your struggles and victories with only those around you? Or do you take it up with Heavenly Father too? Do you give credit where credit is due? Are you grateful for the opportunity to improve or mad that you have to turn your life upside down? Do you just shut down and hope that no one will notice? Do you fight against it with all your might? Do you accept the change gracefully and hope that you'll figure it out eventually? 

In my experience, it's different every time. Depending on where you're at in life. How the change came about; did you chase after the change and make it happen? Or did it just fall into your lap? That can make a difference in how you deal with it! But in all reality, it's up to you. It's up to you whether you're going to cast yourself as the victim, or the hero(ine) in this story. 

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

is this even real life?

For the past week and a half I have been in a constant state of, "Is this even real life? I cannot even believe it. It's just too good to be true!"

In my last post I said I might have an announcement, and I do! And it's a good announcement...

It all started with a joke at the dinner table. We were talking about work or school or something, and I turned to my dad and said, "I should just come work at Bear River!" And then a couple days later, he texted me and asked if I was serious about what I said. And not really thinking much of it, I was like, Yeah, sure! I wouldn't mind trying. Totally not thinking I would get the job. So I wrote a resume-- because I didn't even have a resume yet, thank you, Pinterest-- and sent it to the head of HR and she called me the next day and set up an interview. And then that Wednesday I interviewed and it went really well. She asked me back for a second interview with the Executive Board and wow. That was a bit scary, but about an hour later they called and offered me the job! 

It all happened so quickly and I am so excited and nervous and ready and a little scared. And uncomfortable. I have been seriously stuck in a rut lately. And I'm stoked to not have to work on Sunday's anymore. I'm just... I am in awe of how much Heavenly Father has blessed me right now. And I don't know what to do with my arms (which happens in real life, A LOT, like, what do you do with your arms?!). And I have a grown up job where I have to wear business attire! And I get to look cute at work and not get cuts and bruises all over my body! And have un-nameable dirt from boxes all over me!

I am a little bummed that I won't have Wednesday's off anymore so I can't go to the temple every Wednesday morning and I am so going to miss all my temple worker friends SO MUCH. Because they are just the cutest and I love them. And I can no longer go to lunch with my Grandma and Dana. And I won't have that extra 10% discount at Target anymore, which is a bummer. But hey. The bigger picture is pretty freaking great.

Soooo, that's the announcement. I quit Target. And my last day is the 23rd. And I have a new job. And I am so blessed and scared and excited. And I can't even believe it.

I hope you guys have the greatest rest of the week!

Cheers,
     Reille K.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

mother's day diy.

So, guys. I totally made my mother's day prezzie and I got it from Pinterest and I thought I would show you guys like, a little DIY thing for it. Is that cool? Or is it lame? I guess we may never know.

Anyway, I did a bleach pen t-shirt! And obviously I chose a shirt in my mom's favorite color.

Things you'll need:
-t-shirt or clothing item of your choice
-bleach pen
-a big piece of cardboard
-wax paper
-tape
-any stencils or patterns if you are not a free-hander like myself.

First, you'll want to cut the cardboard so it will fit nicely inside the shirt or pants that you're working with. Mostly just so things will stay in place and not get shifty on you.

Then, if you plan on re-using your cardboard like I do, cover it with wax paper and tape it down in all the spots that are kinda roll-y still so it won't get in the way of you drawing.

Then you put the shirt on the cardboard and tape on any stencils that you want so they don't shift.

 Before you start drawing, make sure you shake the pen really well so it's an even consistency and so the bleach-y part is all mixed with the gel-y part. And then have at it! Draw to your hearts content.



Right after I finished drawing.
Right before I rinsed off the
bleach.
I let mine set for about 10 minutes, but you can go longer or shorter. You can even let the bleach dry all the way if you want the color to be white white white. If you don't let all the bleach dry, it comes out different colors. Which, mine has a little bit of a teal color in the middle of some of it, which is a result of having thicker lines or globby bits of bleach gel on those parts. And the longer you leave it on there, the thicker your letters or design will be, because the bleach kinda seeps a little bit and gets soaked into the fibers of the cloth. And you can see in the pictures how you can tell that the color is changing and you can see what it's going to look like as it goes on.

An example of the color
variation.
  When it's as dried as you would like, rinse off the bleach with COLD water, to stop the bleaching process. COLD water. That way, you're good to go to wash it with other stuff if you want. Or, if you're paranoid, like me, you can wash and dry it by itself. :)



Once you've rinsed it, like I said, go ahead and wash and dry as normal. And that's it! Ta-da! You have a cool unique shirt that no one else will have!


Finished product!
I went with a lime theme because that's my mom's favorite color. And I also went with a joke-y present because of a recent conversation I had with my mom. Basically, she's just the best, and I don't tell her nearly as often as I should how much I appreciate and love her. Even though some days she drives me up the wall, she's still the best Momma for me.

Anyway, I hope everyone has an awesome week! I may have an announcement later this week, and I may not. Look for a post on probably Wednesday. :)

Cheers!
     Reille K. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday, May 3, 2014

vegas.

Once upon a time, I went to Vegas for the first time ever with my bestie, Jessica, for my 20th birthday. Yes, 20th. And everyone thought I was the weirdest little weird, because what's the point if you aren't 21? Well, the point is, there's more to do in Vegas than drinking and gambling, and even if I WAS 21, I still wouldn't have done any of that stuff. Yeah? Yeah. 


 
The drive down was super windy, and they closed the freeway twice in the four days we were gone. And I finally got to sit in the HUGE Beaver Valley chair. High school Me felt like I was part of the "in-crowd" for sure. It was fun and nice to go at whatever pace we wanted to because we were in charge and we could stop for whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. 

We went to The Tournament of Kings, which was a blast. We sat by a Canadian named Matt, NAND Merlin hit on me at the beginning of the he show. Which, was awesomely uncomfortable. There was a spotlight on me, and we know how much I hate attention. Ha! But, it was still flattering. And we went to the Shark Reef Aquarium, which is the only predator based aquarium. So basically, SHARKS, right? So, obviously, I was SO THERE. Because sharks are my favorite and are the absolute best. I managed to hold the tears in, even though I was so excited. I did manage to get makeup all over their glass because I had my face pressed up against it so I could see better though. I touched rays, and horseshoe crabs. And they had more than one shark tunnel, and see-through floors so the sharks could swim underneath you, which they did. And they had so many different kinds of sharks that were all established so they were nice and big and beautiful. And a ginormous sea turtle, which was so majestic. Obviously I found the coolest adult t-shirt with sharks on it and bought it.

We weren't allowed to take pictures once
the show started, so I got what I could.
 
We also went to the Titanic exhibit, which was cool in a different way. I've always known a lot about the Titanic, but somehow, I forget it the most. I forget that 2,000 people died on that boat. And I forget that it was supposed to be so super safe. And I forget that some peoples family members didn't even know they were on the boat at all. They were all on their way to a better life. And it ended so abruptly. And that makes me a little sad and also never want to go on a cruise. Just kidding, I still want to go on a cruise. Around the Greek Isles. But the exhibit was super cool. I enjoyed doing that. We went to a super expensive buffet, and took a nap after (what else would you do, right?)  I tried crab legs, and decided that in the he case of all seafood, unless the work is already done for you and you're just reaping the benefits, it's not worth it. 
 
We walked most of the strip and people watched and ogled all the beautiful hotels/casinos. We decided which ones we would stay in if we were ever rich enough. We saw a small Liberache exhibit, which was beautiful. It took dedication to wear all that super heavy beaded clothing on stage. I love that the hotels are all themed, and there is a theme for everyone. They just need a strictly underwater one now, kind of like the one in A Goofy Movie, and they can call it the Triton or the Grotto, and my life will be complete. Yes to the Mermaids, No to the water beds though. Those are difficult to sleep on. We spoke to beautiful Irish men about how unruly hair can be. We made poor poor poor choices when it came to footwear. And regretted it tremendously. 
We went to church in Jessica's old ward, which was a fun experience for me. The vibe in church in other states is different than it is in Utah. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there. Also, their chapels are tiny! But everyone is really nice, and I had a really good time. And we met up withJ's old high school friends. Which, was interesting. I really liked most of them, so, at least there's that. And we ate yummy food all weekend, and it was just a super fun experience. Also, we missed the bomb threat that happened at Target by a few hours, which, thank goodness. Because that would have sucked. And we also missed the drama that naturally followed. So, that was nice. 
Going to Vegas is like going to a different planet. They have no open container laws and everyone always has a drink firmly... "Firmly" in their hands (or on a necklace and around their necks). Inside of the casinos, the air is pungent with the smell of all the millions of cigarettes in there. I said that I bet a bunch of people who work in casinos get lung cancer even if they never once smoked. Probably true. And people would be drunk, full on drunk, so early in the day! It amazed me that all these people would spend all this money to go to Vegas, spend so much money doing stuff, spend so much money gambling, and buying drinks and stuff, just to be drunk the entire time and most likely not even remember it. It kills me. I just, don't get it. I decided it's not regulated because it's like The Purge, but instead of illegal things like murder and torture and stuff, it's reckless behavior. Interesting, right? 
All that being said, I really enjoyed it there, and I think we have stumbled upon a new tradition. We did a lot, but we still missed quite a bit. And we can always re-do some stuff! 

Thanks for stopping by!
Cheers,
     Reille K. :)