Let's Chat for a Minute

I KNOW. I DIDN'T POST YESTERDAY. I was busy living my life, my apologies. But, I'm giving you a serious-town big girl blog post to make up for it!

I've been pondering this topic a lot lately, but, to fully understand where I'm coming from, I think we need to rewind back to when I met Rob (Rob is Clayton's fiancée, Clayton is my bestie). We were discussing how someone could go from being totally cool with someone close to them being Gay to not being cool with it at all. I remember making the comment, "I don't understand how people can be so malleable,". Clayton and Rob both liked that comment and blah blah blah, that part is all that pertains to this chat of ours here. And by chat, I mean, I'm typing at you.

They made that comment significant to me, and I have thought about it off and on since that night. I looked up the definition of malleable and found this:

Malleable:
adjective
1. capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
2. adaptable or tractable: the malleable mind of a child.

Synonyms: impressionable, moldable, flexible, pliable.

Okay, so we understand WHAT malleable means now, let's go back to that first comment, "I don't understand how people can be so malleable,". As I've thought about this, I've realized, I was wrong! DUH, people HAVE to be malleable. The people that AREN'T malleable are those ones that drive the people around them absolutely bonkers because they won't listen to what other people have to say, won't consider any opinion besides their own, or ALWAYS have to be correct. In other words, the worst kind of closed-mindedness. The rude kind.

We are all humans, right? So in turn, we are all malleable. We are changed by what we see, hear, feel, touch. We grow and learn and develop. We are all malleable! And, in realizing this, I've also realized that this can be for the good and also for the bad. We can be influenced by the good and great and wonderful and in turn become more good and great and wonderful; OR we can be influenced by the awful and evil and mean and become more awful and evil and mean. That's why it is so important that we pay attention to what we are letting influence us in the books we read, the people we surround ourselves with, the music we listen to, the movies we watch... basically, all the general INPUT that we receive, so we can in turn, have a desirable OUTPUT. Ya feel me?

I just want to challenge each of you to evaluate your input. Evaluate those things that are molding you even when you are unaware of it. Are those things that you feel are good and great and wonderful? Are those things that you want to carry with you for the rest of your life?

I hope everyone has a great week!

Cheers,
     Reille K.

5 things that make me probably the creepiest person.

Creepy? Or well-informed. I just creeped on someone and then realized that I am probably ultra creepy. I mean, I was creeping, after all. But, this isn't the first time I have felt like that, so I thought I would share some things that make me probably more creepy than average.

1. I remember details... Like, hardcore. To the point that people don't remember saying anything about something and I will mention it and they are all, "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!" "Uhh, you told me..."

2. I Facebook stalk like nobody's business... All I need is someone's first name and the first three letters of their last name and I can and WILL find someone on Facebook and stalk the crap out of them. Give me half an hour and I will know A LOT about that person. And I obviously have no shame about my Facebook stalking tendencies/abilities.

3. I spend a lot of time observing people...  I find it fascinating to watch how people move and live and speak. So, I spend a lot of time SEEING people, and you catch on to a lot that way. You also overhear a lot of things that you wish you hadn't... and could have died happy not knowing. It's a blessing and a curse.

4. I know a lot of weird things... and sometimes the things that I know about creep those around me out. I know so much because if I've never heard of something, I go research it. For example, menstruation cups. DON'T GO LOOK THOSE UP. I made that mistake, and forever wish I were the kind of person that could have seen that phrase and just been like, oh, maybe it was a typo? And went on my merry way. But I'm not.

5. I really love Edgar Allan Poe... And that makes me creepy to people, I guess. I mean... I can kind of see it. But I think he's a genius.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Cheers,
     Reille K.

5 TV shows that I can't get enough of

It's a reaaaaal shorty today. I have next to no motivation to do anything but watch TV. Which is precisely what I'm going to talk about. 5 TV shows that I could watch all day.

1. Grey's Anatomy

2. New Girl

3. Pretty Little Liars

4. Duck Dynasty

5. Vampire Diaries

5 of my favorite...

BOOKS. I love reading, because it's a way to escape this world and be part of any world you choose, if only for 15 minutes. No matter what book you're reading, it's magical, in that sense. Here are 5 of my favorite books/authors.

1. Sarah Dessen... is my ALL TIME favorite author and there are only two books of hers that I don't love reading and re-reading until I am falling apart. I can only ever remember that I don't like Dreamland and I can never remember the other one until I start reading it. But I especially love The Truth about Forever and Just Listen and Along for the Ride. And let's be real, pretty much all of her books. They just... they get me.

2. Harry Potter... I love all of them. It's been a while since I read them, simply because I know it will make me a little bit sad. This is one of the few instances where I think the movies did the books justice to a certain point. Like, I love the movies just as much as I love the books. And really, who doesn't love Harry Potter? They do magic and save lives and there are super cool creatures left and right and it's just awesome, okay?

3. Divergent... by Veronica Roth. And while we're at it, Insurgent (the 2nd book in the series) and Allegiant (the 3rd book) just came out too. I just started Allegiant but so far, it's living up. Like, it literally JUST came out. This week. It's a dystopian novel about a society that is split up into "factions" and there's a faction centered on selflessness, happiness, learning, fearlessness, and... telling the truth. It's a perfect blend of the teen romance stuff to keep the girls reading and the action-y, fighting bits to keep boys reading.

4. The Mortal Instruments... by Cassandra Clare. I find those books absolutely marvelous as well. I just love the concept and I love the demons and angels and all that jazz. I still haven't seen the movie, because I don't want to see the actors as the characters when I re-read them. And I feel like these could go under this as well, The Time-Clock Princess series, it's a spin off of The Mortal Instruments. I actually like the Princess series more, because I prefer the Victorian era and the enemy. But, they're both wonderful.

5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower... by Stephen Chbosky. Goodness Glaciers, I just love that book. And I think the movie COMPLETELY lives up to the book. Seriously, go read it and cry and be happy and laugh. It's the saddest, most beautiful, and yet happiest book ever. I absolutely love it.

I totally cheated and said WAYYY more than 5 books or authors. Ha! But these are pretty much all of my favorite books. If you read one because of this, let me know how you like it! :)

Cheers,
Reille K.

5 things... I love about being LDS.

Or, for those of you who don't know what "LDS" is, MORMON (you never know who might see this, so best to cover ALL the bases).

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I absolutely love it. I am far from perfect, but I know that that's okay! That's what I'm here to do, strive to become better. Here are 5 specific things that I love about the Gospel.

1. I love... going to the Temple. It's my absolute favorite, I think. It's so peaceful there and I just... I feel so close to heaven. PLUS, I get to be part of giving people the gift of sacred ordinances that they missed out on during their mortal life. Even if they don't accept it on the other side, I know that I'm being of service to them. Also, sometimes there are cute boys there... performing the ordinances and then you can look at their nametag and come home to Facebook stalk them! Did I actually do this today? Yes, yes I did. He's leaving for his mission in a week from tomorrow, so nothing is going to happen, but HEY, it was an educational experience. :)

2. I love... that we get to take the Sacrament every Sunday and renew covenants that we've made. It wasn't until I really USED the Atonement in a big way, that I understood how amazing this opportunity is. It's become my favorite part of church, and, not to sound... conceited? I'm really proud of myself for getting to this point. The way I got here wasn't ideal, but, it's part of me now, and I wouldn't be where I am without it.

3. I love... that Families are Forever. Because I love my family to pieces, and we're all far away from each other. So it's nice to know that even with all that, we still have eternity to be together and we can probably play all the card games and make all the crafts we've ever wanted to when we're all in heaven.

4. I love... the knowledge that I have of the after-life. This year, I think I've finally figured it out. I finally GOT IT, the concept of being so extremely happy and excited for people that die. It sounds really cold, but it's actually the complete opposite of that. They don't have to experience all the horrible things that are in this world anymore, and they get to be reunited with loved ones. It's AWFUL to be left behind, but, those left behind just aren't ready yet. My dad said something when his Mom died earlier this year that really stuck with me. I asked him if he was sad that his mom died, and he replied, "No, it's not my life to be sad over. I have no ownership over it." And it's true. Plus, in her situation, I was overjoyed with her and was wishing that I could witness the reunion between her and my grandpa. He died in 1957... or maybe '58? So she's been alone for a LOOONG time.

5. I love... that in this Gospel, no matter who you are or where you're from, we're all friends. We understand that we all have a common goal, and even if you have nothing else in common with someone, you have THIS. And THIS is a pretty big thing. Lately, I've been feeling this the most when I go to the temple. Anyone that passes as I'm walking in and out always greets me, even though we are virtually strangers. All the temple workers themselves act as if they were expecting you to come calling. I just love all the friendliness.

5 goals for this week.

I don't know that I've ever really been very good at setting goals and actually following through with them. I really feel like I'm not good at it. But, one thing I DO know from my limited goal setting/goal reaching experience, is that if you set a goal and don't plan out your attack, nothing gets done. But, if you have a plan of attack, it's much easier to keep yourself to your goals, as it gives you some sense of accountability, even if it's just with yourself. Personally, blogging about it helps too. :)

To plan for my goals, I just planned out my week on paper. If things change a little bit, then it's fine, but at least I have something to go off of. I would show you the picture I took of it, but blogger hasn't been letting me upload pictures for the last month or so. It's just freaks out and has to reopen the tab. It's dumb. But anyway...

I made 5 goals for myself this week, to keep in tradition with my whole "5 things" thing.

Here they are:

1. Blog everyday... because I need to. For myself, more than anyone else. My blog helps keep me focused and less insane. It's my outlet, and for some reason I haven't been utilizing it as much as I probably should.

2. Clean my room/my purse... I know, it's weird to combine those two things. But to be honest, when I'm not home, I live out of my purse. All girls do. And my purse is MESSY. And if my surroundings are disorganized, I'm disorganized. So, gotta fix that.

3. Laundry- Washed, Folded, and Put Away... Guys. I'm ridiculous. I'm so good at getting my laundry washed, but I fail epically at folding it and putting it away. Like, I still have my laundry from LAST week to fold and put away.

4. Write Danielle... because I love that girl and I miss her and she's been out for a month and I still haven't done it. Actually, I wrote her yesterday and sent the letter off today. So, ONE GOAL DOWN! Already, I'm impressed with myself a little bit.

5. Start Mosaic... I made a mosaic for my sister for her birthday, and she loved it. A lot. Enough that she has commissioned me to do another one for her and she wants to pay me for it. WHOA. And I really want to be done with it before he comes in November. Like, I would really like to be done with it by the end of October. And I have all the stuff for it, I just need to DO it.

There we have it. 5 goals for the week.

Do you guys plan out your week or your days? Do you find it helpful to plan out how you're going to achieve your goals? Do you guys like the new look? Even my favicon is new! (If you don't know what a favicon is, I don't blame you, it's the little icon next to the URL and usually in the tab as well.)

Anyway, I look forward to this week! I hope you all have a good one. :)

Cheers,
     Reille K.

It's a new thing I'm going to try.

I think, I've just been lame lately. Like, I do things with my time and I am happy and stuff, but, when those closest to me that I don't see often/haven't seen in a while ask me? I got nothin'. Which is lame. Like, I feel like I haven't been able to contribute much to conversations lately, and I dislike that A LOT.

BECAUSE I'M AN INTERESTING PERSON. OKAY?

So, I think I'm going to try something out. With blogging. I got the idea from Megan's new blog (I think). 5 things. I'm going to post 5 THINGS every day. Whether they be thoughts, experiences, things I can see, things I wish I had seen, things I did, etc. The list goes on and on and on. Because it helps me remember. Writing things out. And I have a journal, but, I don't have enough time/motivation to put as much work into it as I would like. And as much as I love hand-written things, typing is faster and easier on my fingers. :)

SO, starting Monday. I'm doing a 5 things... thing.

Look forward to it, okay? :)

Have a good weekend everyone! Have some fun for me too, since I work this weekend. And I teach. And I have the treat for ward prayer. And I still haven't prepared my lesson... :)

Cheers,
     Reille K.