Radness as of late

I had a few rad things happen to me lately, and wanted to jot them down.

Things that are amazingly rad:
* Attractive bank tellers. Especially when they're at banks that are open later than usual when you really need some cash.
* Getting asked to dance. I got asked to dance 4 times tonight!!!! Holy cow!! Hooray for going Contra dancing for the first time, ever.
* TEMPLES! I'm so excited to receive my endowment on the 27th! CRAZY AMAZING!!
* My awesome family! I GET TO SEE THEM IN LESS THAN A WEEEEEEK!!!!!!
* Finding an extra quilt by accident RIGHT when the weather gets super cold.
* Bethany Dillon. I loves her musics. They're quite radtastic.
* My lovely Carmen San Diego coat that I wear FREAKING EVERYDAY!
* White Elephant parties. Oh boy, I'm stoked for this year's Sorensen Bash.
* Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie. It's pretty much the most Homer-sound-worthy substance known to man.
* AMAZING Christmas parties thrown by neat people at church! The party on Saturday was probably the best non-Sorensen party that I've ever, EVER been to. That's saying something.
* Kitties.

And I don't count this with the rad-list, but I'll give it an honorable mention. Remember The Princess Bride? I TOTALLY saw an R.O.U.S. in downtown Oakland. What's an R.O.U.S., you ask? A Rodent of Unusual Size. I was on my commute home a couple days ago when this freaking possum the size of my aunt's dog goes waltzing across the street. It was freaking disguisting. Anyway, I'd show you a Fireswamp clip from youtube, but there seems to be a dearth of them. So here's a few of my favorite scenes:

Gratitude Week Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday!

I'm grateful for friends. I've said this before, but I truly, TRULY am surrounded by phenomenal people wherever I go! Whether we're going to Denny's, making paper cranes, or watching TV, there's nothing that compares to being with people I love, and who love me!

I'm grateful for silly t-shirts. They crack me up!

I'm grateful for my Carmen San Diego jacket! It makes me happy on the inside of my heart. And my face.

I'm grateful for my teachers. They really care about all of our education, and help me out a TON.

I'm grateful for the scriptures! It's wonderful to be able to flip them open to the perfect passage that I didn't know I needed to hear right then. There's so much in there that I've been finding lately that's absolutely blown my mind with the awesomeness.

I'm grateful for Bethany Dillon, India.Arie, and Switchfoot. I really admire what they stand for and what they do.

I'm grateful for Thoroughly Modern Millie. It really, REALLY makes me want to dance in an elevator. Really badly.

I'm grateful for the Beatles. I haven't appreciated them much until recently, and I've only just scratched the surface of their radness.

I'm grateful for all the leaders in my church, whether they're Prophets, Apostles, Bishops, Relief Society Presidents, or my Tutoring Committee Co-chair, Paul. When I follow their council, things work out for me. It's increderific! :D

Gratitude Week part Monday

I'm grateful for the power of optimism. It's a law of my life - when I believe with all my heart that things are going to work out, things get better and work out. That's been happening all the time this week - kindness from friends, calls from my family, charity from teachers. I'm loved in so many ways!

I'm grateful for my health. I've had great health through all my life which has allowed me to follow my dreams, so I'm grateful!

I'm grateful for sunshine! Things always seem better after sitting in the sunlight for a few minutes. I'm grateful for people who are sunshine in my life. I'm also grateful for people who see sunshine in me! That's come up a lot this year and it's a kick!

Gratitude Week Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

After a delay, I want to continue my gratitude week!

I'm grateful for the power of Jesus Christ to heal without a scar. I'm grateful that even when I act in ways which don't work for me, and even when I represent Christ in a way that he would not act, he forgives me and gathers me under his wings. I'm grateful for the chance to change, for the chance to learn who he TRULY is, not just my arrogant portrayal.

I'm grateful for my family! They never give up on me. I'm grateful for my mom, who lets me be whoever I want to be and loves me no matter what. I'm grateful for my dad, who supports me through thick and thin, laughs at my jokes, and makes me feel like the beautiful, empowered, rad woman that I am. I'm grateful for Mike, Laura, and Ella and the beautiful time it was my privilege to share with them. I'm grateful for LIZ!!! She looks out for me. She always, ALWAYS has and I'm grateful to her! I'm grateful for my wonderful aunts and uncles who have watched me grow and have given me so much love along the way. I'm grateful for cousins who are as close as siblings, who laugh with me, cry with me, and blow up snowmen with me.

I'm grateful for friends! Holy cow. I'm grateful for people who could hold a grudge who choose not to. I am SO GRATEFUL for people who believe in me when I choose to not believe in myself. I'm grateful for New Era Trainings. I'm grateful for what it stands for, and the world of possibilities that I've been able to reawaken in myself from my experiences there. I'm grateful for what my family and friends have been able to experience as a result of me going through this so far. I'm excited for new possibilities for the future!

I'm grateful for dancing! For YEARS I told myself that I can't dance, but I finally, FINALLY have begun to give myself a chance, and I really LOVE DANCING!!!

I'm grateful for strength, courage and wisdom. I've recently rediscovered that I'm chalk full of all of them - even when I think I'm not.

I'm grateful for the healing power of art, in all its forms. I'm SO grateful for music, oil pastels, paint, clay and pencils.

I'm grateful for my computer! It's taken some hard knocks over the last couple weeks, and it's still standing strong.

I'm grateful for being able to hang out in a tank top and feel freaking sexy.

I'm grateful to be beautiful.

Things I'm thankful for!

I was reading a friend's blog, and got inspired by her entries before Thanksgiving where she talked about things that she's grateful for. It's time for....wait for it....

GRATITUDE WEEK!

I'm SO GRATEFUL for all the awesome, wonderful, BEAUTIFUL people that I've gotten to meet this year! Holy cow, I've been so blessed, especially lately! People love me, and through their love I have grown TREMENDOUSLY and I've had SO much fun! It really amazes me that I haven't quite been here for a year yet. With all the people I've met and the experiences I've had, it feels like it's been enough to fill up lifetimes and novels.

I'm also grateful for all of the wonderful friends that I've been able to keep in contact with from before this year - My beautiful family including my WONDERFUL cousins, MY NEW BABY NIECE, Best friends, old roommates, old bishops and friends from church, friends from High School, friends from college, etc. etc. have supported me SO incredibly well not only this year, but through all my life. I love you all!

I'm grateful for my talent in art. It's been downright therapeutic to reawaken my artistic expression. I've been able to create pieces that have literally changed my life and go to museums that have helped me heal from old battle scars that I've picked up along the way. Through this I've learned that there is truly meaning in everything.

More tomorrow.

Posted by one who often complains of the cold...

I found this on a friend's blog, and it seriously made me cry. Neal A. Maxwell's so rad!!

Let us not then complain of the heat.

In the 1979 February Ensign, Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote:

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.'

"This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions.

"Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. [emphasis added] There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."

Here's the full article if you're interested:

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=1846d0640b96b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Yay!

Well, the election's over, I'm done with my homework, and my tummy's actually full, so that means that I have *dun dun DUUUUN...* LEGITIMATE FREETIME! Wow. This has been long awaited in the world of Kathydom. So I'm using it to show you some things that I did in my class:




(This one's inspired by the fanTASTic Lolcats.


I made this guy in class today. I loves me some Calvin and Hobbes!