Cliche = Truth= Best Day of My Life

Luckily our photographers made us appear highly attractive....

Because although we are genuinely happy....

We are also genuinely special....

and highly awesome.

This is just a SA-WEET picture.

Chuck Taylor = Best Man

My dress made me a babe, and well....he was my James Bond even before the bow tie.

THEY'RE HUGE!

Do you think anyone will notice if I casually stick my finger up your nose?

wind + lip gloss = hair stuck to mouth

I got your back babe

Now I got your back so much that my face is on it

My flowers smell looooovelyyyy, as well as look incredible

This is our most graceful dip-kiss yet. Yesssssssss.

He makes me laugh. I love it. Life is good.

Okay. Let's be honest. He is so attractive that it hurts. You know it does. I need an aspirin too.

"Goooood day Sunshine!"

We've got a long, wonderful way to go.
Not a bad view either. Wink.

I'm Cool Too....

I have noticed lately that lists seem to be the cool thing to do. Well, I'm cool.

• Girl outings are fantastic. Don't get me wrong, I like boys, but there isn't anything like a trip with just the good ol' gals.
• I'm getting to the point with everything going on in my life that I have had to turn on the "I don't care too much" mode in order to not go crazy....I wonder how my grades will be...
• I have officially decided that Ches and I want to be that awesome couple that takes hilarious pictures wherever we go. We may need to invest in a new camera.
• I want to build an epic fort, but I don't want to clean it up.
• The two previous posts were inspired by the blog of a stellar girl that I don't even know, I kinda want to be like said girl when I grow up. (That means that after I'm married I may end up occasionally calling Chesley "husband")
• My life is so good. So many excellent things have been taking place for me. I am a very blessed person.
• My love for old musicals has been recently revived. In the last few days I have enjoyed crying over the deaths of Tony and Bernardo, being creeped out by the pedophilish behavior of Fred Astaire, and falling in love with a somewhat depressed and emaciated, yet painfully beautiful Frank Sinatra. I'm basically in love.
• Not having your boss at work can be the pits, but when you realized that she would have been oober upset about how much had not been done the day before, you become grateful for the chance to make up the slack without her being stressed out of her brain. My boss is the best. She doesn't need more stress.
• My favorite asian, Hannah, is taking the GRE today. She'll rock it. She's amazing.
• I am unashamedly addicted to sushi, but am irredeemably poor. I may as well be Jekyll and Hyde.
• I feel rather satisfied with my first blog list

Welcome to Everyone Else's Life

So, a few weeks ago a good friend who has been going through a hard time found me on campus and proceeded to tell me what was making his life difficult. I am afraid he met me at a rather bad time, and as he was listing his stresses and concerns in a rather distressed manner, I snapped, and in a moment that I should have been sympathetic these were the words that tumbled out of my mouth in reply. "Well, welcome to everyone else's life", and then I turned my complete attention back to squirting ketchup onto the hot dog that I really couldn't afford to buy, but was starving so was doing it anyway. The poor guy could say nothing in reply. It was one of my few really jerkish moments in life. He kind of awkwardly said what he could and then left. How rude of me eh? I was sitting there worried about my own problems, so I let the frustration of someone elses complaining turn me in to a Mr. meanyjerkface. Lame. I gonna have to remember that next time I don't get the reaction I want from someone I am whining to. The non-budgeted hot dog was delicious by the way.

So, About that shiny thing....

Yeah, well. The shiny thing found me. Me, lonely me, standing there in my vertical line mourning the loss of my nice circle. And then, the shiny thing, get this, flew back my direction and smacked me right in the face. Rude huh? I kind of left a big dent in my skull, but I have embraced the dent. That's right. I am happy to be getting married forever to Chesley Eugene Lewis. Here are some lovely pictures.
Awwww. Look at the sound of music shot. Just previously we had been singing about the live hills, and throwing Chesley's brother Tanner over cliffs. It was a good day.

I was being very upset in this picture because he had taken me from my family to "go to a ReAL Salt Lake game" Pfff. Well, the game wasn't until the next day. We showed up to an empty stadium. Smooooth.


This picture is from when we took a trip to Portland to visit his mission. We got to swim in public water fountains, which was basically one of my dreams. So it was one of those Walk to Rememeber kind of moments. Although I didn't get to pull my shirt over my shoulder, and have him put on a sticky butterfly tattoo. Dang. I should have thought of that.

The Things That Beckon...

It is incredible to me how clearly and with much resolve this bowl of jelly bellies pierced the minds of the gnomes in my stomach that control what I crave. When I sat down at this computer 10 minutes ago, the bowl was half full, and contained many vibrant colors and mind boggling flavors. With my will power sitting in a crumpled deflated heap on my lap, I now officially declare that the popcorn ones are the best flavor. The worst part of this story....(beside the fact that there was only ONE popcorn jelly bean) is the fact that.....this bowl of many flavors was not mine...it belongs to my dear sweet room mate, so, in remorse I write this letter.

Dear dear sweet room mate,
I am sorry I ate your jelly beans.
They were so yummy and delicious.
Except for the coffee and black licorice flavors. Yuck.
I hope you will forgive me,
and keepy stocking up on Jelly Bellies
Sincerely,
Me

The Simple Life

I recently had the opportunity to attend a remarkably extraordinary wedding reception. (Yes I know that those words together are kind of redundant, but it was crazy!) The father of the bride is known to make a huge amount of money, and so no expense was spared. I did not know either the bride or the groom, so I had a really interesting perspective of what was going on. Before I delve into the deeper meaning I am trying to get across here let me describe this reception to you.
The first thing I see when I walk into the driveway is a prowler with weddings gifts stacked in it. I see a blue striped photo booth with a cute girl in a little red jacket handing out tickets for the activities. Everything was bright and happy like in the movies you watch as a kid. Right behind the ticket booth was a full fledged fair sized ferris wheel. I found my inner child when I realized how badly I wanted a ride. There were game booths manned by pretty girls wearing jackets that were uniform with the one the girl in the ticket booth adorned. Little kids walked around with intricate balloon hats and vests because they had found the magic balloon lady wandering around making balloon gifts for everyone. There was popcorn, cotton candy, drink booths, icecream and more. The tables where we sat down to eat our huge meal were decorated with huge flower bouquets and hand pulled candy. There was a photo booth where you could go in as many times as you want, and it would spit out the four picture strips. There was a dance floor laid out right next to the swimming pool designed to look like a red rock waterfall. It was crazy. People walked around with expensive clothes, tanned skin, and lots and lots of long bleached blonde hair. (I think I may have been one of two caucasian girls with dark hair there)
And there we were. The Utah Four. Two country boys with their wranglers, boots, and baseball caps, and the girls in bermudah shorts and t-shirts. For the first few seconds I thought about feeling out of place, but then I looked over at Spencer, and saw his beeming countenance, and decided to be happy to be exactly who I am, and have a grand time indeed doing it. And we did. We had an absolute blast, and met a lot of great people. As we were helping clean up afterward one girl mentioned to me feeling really inferior to that atmosphere and those people because she knew she would never have anything close to that caliber of a wedding reception. I thought about it for a minute. Thought about the people I'd watched all night long, and I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be nothing like them. We had met some incredibly Chirst-like people. The families of both the bride and the groom were so fantastic to us. But as I watched the other guests at the reception, I was saddened by how much IN the world they seemed to be. The wealthy have such problems that I would never want to battle. They battle with pride in a way I hope to never understand. They battle the fight for social standing. I simply always want to be happy to be me, and to have people I love around. As I watched the men there, I was so proud to be there with Spencer who is the most humble and good man that I know. It is good to know men like him still exist.
Really, the point is, I want my life to be simple. I don't want bookoo bucks or fancy things. I like my life.

Otter Pops...

...are purdy much the sustenance of summer living. Put your canine teeth into the corner of the plastic and tear off the top. No hanky panky with the scissors. Use your thumb and middle fingers to push the goodess up past the wrapper, bite down a half inch into the plastic, pull back to slide the frozen glob into your mouth, and enjoy as heaven ensues. Is there a friendlier Popsicle? I submit that there is not. Just take a look at those adorable otter faces, and you will immediately want it to be within you. One per partaking never satisfies; the partaker must intake at least three of those otter characterized frozen flavored sugars sticks in order to build enough will power to not eat four or five. They go on the "your turn to buy list" in the apartment that rotates through the roommates, along with toilet paper and dish soap. There are many reasons why life could be dubbed good, but this, this makes life exceptional.

Expectations

Are high expectations a bad thing? I've been told that it isn't fair to expect too much of people. I've been told I'm uptight and prudish because of high standard and expectation. Is that fair? I expect a certain level of conduct out of myself, and so I like to surround myself with people who make that goal easier to accomplish. I like to think that isn't bad.
Well, whatever the general thought may be on the subject, I am not going to back down from that high standard. I won't try and shove it on anyone who doesn't want to be part of it. I understand that it isn't always the easiest way to live, but the rewards that will ultimately result from it are of far more worth than the approval of people around me.

Boy, I'm tired

It is almost the end. The semester is almost over, and boy, am I ready for the end. Right now I'm so physically tired that I can't even begin to think about the pages and pages I need to write tonight for a research paper that is due on Friday. It seems like every semester I start to burn out a little faster. It happened about midterm this time around. I'm hoping the summer will help me out in building up my enthusiasm for school again. I know I have to finish, but with only two years behind, and three years to go, it's lookin' like a long road. Good thing I'm not gonna be a doctor.

Individuality

I don't know how many of you know that I have a little side hobby (it's really not even something I do often enough to call a hobby....) of writing poetry. Here's a little taste for ya :) Enjoy.

Individuality

One chip in the bag
made me throw up
my whole meal. My
fingers were caked
with the residue of it's companions,
proving I'd partaken
many. But that one,
that last one, got me
good. It must have been
angry. Maybe I'd eaten
the chip that had been it's
neighbor slice in the
potato. Maybe they were
friends, or, perhaps, all
small pieces of the same.
I'm not sure how a
sliced potato works itself
out. Is it still one potato?
Maybe it's become many individuals.
I don't know, but that one piece
of potato caught itself on
the walls of my throat
and stayed, and clung,
and stayed, until I brought
It's self...or it's friends..
back up to greet it.
Except, the burger and
veggies came up too. They
might still count as separate.
Or do they now count as
one acidy sloppy whole?

The Shiny Thing

You know, I am in a very interesting stage in my life. I know being a college student is really kind of weird for everyone because you don't really belong at home anymore, but you know you aren't going to be at school in that drab apartment forever either. So where do I really belong right now? What is my identity? I have found my home away from home in my friends. I don't care what anyone else says I DO happen to have the best best friends in the world. I have made a set of siblings in Mark Sam and Jenelyn who, weirdly enough, are getting married to each other soon. Good things they aren't like siblings to each other :) When I found out that they were getting married (and I've known for a while. Secrets are HARD) something dawned on me. There go my last two very best friends in the whole world off into married land where singles cannot follow. Drat. Every single (no pun intended) one of the four girls that I felt closest to as friend in the last two years will have all bitten the dust within nine months. I know this is beginning to sounds like I am not happy for them. That is not the case! They have found incredible young men! Coli, Michelle, and Moe, I'm a little partial to Mark Sam because he is my brother, so I think Jenelyn is the luckiest, but you all did very well too! :D Coli, you can just see how much Scott adores you when you two are in a room together. Michelle, I love watching you and Jason laugh together. Moe, you and Paul were pretty much matched in heaven. The internet can do good things :) Jenelyn, take good care of my big brother please. I think he likes you. ANYWAY.....I love every single one of these people. Then why can't I shake the feeling of being left behind? It is like I was standing in a happy circle living and laughing with these eight people, and then they all saw something shiny at the same time, and I didn't see it, so they all ran away at the exact same time to catch the shiny thing, and then I was the only one still standing in the circle....except it wasn't a circle anymore. Just me. A vertical line instead of a circle. By myself. All of my friends chasing the shiny thing. I wouldn't want to hold them back from the shiny thing for a second, but....all at once...? I think it is probably the doing of the Big Man Upstairs, which means I HAVE to be okay with it....He probably thinks it's funny. Teaching me patience or something. I don't even want to get married this very second, but do I have to be left alone?! Well, the answer is clearly......There is no clear answer!
Okay. Phew. I'm done getting my selfish rant out. I feel better. You four girls are incredible! I am so glad that you found worthy men! Now you have to help me find one! Kapish? :D
Peace Out

Be Still

Any of you that know me very well know that I am typically a very happy, goofy, gooberish sort of person. That has not been the case for the last couple of days. I have been an extremely quiet, somber kind of mood. I'm not depressed or anything, just....quiet.

Gordon B. Hinckley has 9 'Be's that a lot of you know about. In my state of pensiveness I have thought a little bit about one of them.

Have you ever sat back and considered what it means to 'be still'? This 'be' has always stuck out a lot to me and I have never quite known why. I think I am beginning to understand. Life is crazy. Reponsibility is crazy. School is crazy. Relationships of any kind are crazy. Even when you are working hard to have all of the right priorities in your life there are times when your mind never stops, and without realizing it you become exauhsted. You are so concentrated on doing good, that you let yourself get on overload. We would go crazy if we constantly lived our lives like this.

So, latley I've chosen to Be Still. I've shut my mouth a little more. I've tried to watch people a little more to see how I can help. I've meditated on my life and my blessings, and understood a little more of how blessed I am. I have been able to have a prayer more continually in my heart, and have had some good converstations with my favorite Man upstairs. He's actually quite a great Guy. :) He knows me pretty well, and helps me discover things about myself all the time.

If any of you are feeling overwhelmed, or like life is too crazy, or if you simply feel as if you need a way to feel closer to your Father in Heaven, try it.

Be Still.

Come on.....Really?

Saying 'like' 44 times in a 5 minute presentation. Is that really necessary? Before long we are going to be communicating through text abbreviations, grunts, and hand signals. I think I want a taser so every time someone says 'like' in an inappropriate context I can zap them. The End.

The People

Sometimes I feel like I get so busy that I forget about 'the people'. I have been busier the last few weeks than I have been maybe my entire life, and when things started to slow down, and I had time to breath again, I started to remember 'the people', how wonderful they are, and what I had been missing or taking for granted about them. Here is a list of some of the people.

Mom: That woman loves me an awful lot. She jokes with me, feeds me, teases me about marrying boys I only talked to once, gives me pouty faces, listens to me whine about everything that I don't really have to whine about, has bigger crushes on anyone I date than I do, and makes the best home made pizza ever known to man, woman, child, baby, or pagan deity.

Dad: Is the most fantastic father ever, and yes my dad could beat up your dad..no...he really could. He always gives me a gigantic hug and a kiss on top of the head when I come home, he likes to take me to the movies, he thinks I look like Hoshi on Star Trek(she's Asian), he growls whenever he sees Michelle Pfeiffer or Angelina Jolie, he loves to laugh more than just about anyone I know, and he does spontaneous Irish jigs in the kitchen. He's the bomb.

Kim: Most patient sister ever. I am pretty sure I was a devil of a little sister. She is on her mission now. I think I'm going to have to get to know a whole new person when she comes home.

Shane Kade Wyatt: Big goobers who love me, and I love them. If you want to know more about why, see previouis posts. Ducks, muscles, hotdogs, and football are frequently involved. Oh, and flatulence.

Grandma: Probably the most angelic person I have ever encountered anywhere. She loves people, loves the Lord, loves me, and pretty much loves everything good. She and I have some very good talks. I learn much from my beautiful grandmother. She even looks like Audrey Hepburn. Go grandma!

Amanda Marie Sutton: Girl. I am almost crying writing about you. This girl is one of the most giving and forgiving people I have ever met. Plus she's HILARIOUS. I am pretty sure I've been close to wetting my pants a few times because of her. Even when time, conflicting schedules, location, and life get going, she is always sure to check up on me. She seems to know just when I need her. I miss her a lot. I especially miss the spandex and the leg wrestling. :)

Jennifer Dawn Beukers: Can you say 'girl who gives the most smile fruit snacks and dollar toys and cheer up kits ever!'? This girl is namazing. I don't think I have ever seen her worried about herself. She has a laugh that is more than contagious. She is going to be an amazing elementary school teacher. I'll send my kids her way for sure!

Whitney Fay Daley: loves lobsters and Will Ferrill (eew). This girl is so strong. Her life is not easy, but she doesn't let anyone know it. She is knows as the happy funny girl who everyone loves. Her faith and strength in the face of difficulty has been a tremendous example to me. I think she might be a saint.....even if she does like Will Ferrill... :D

Melissa Mae Grish: I didn't know it was possible to love six feet of person and red fro so much. This girl has a real and genuine love for life. I was so glad to find a companion in my radom belting of any song that popped into my head. When I hug her it is perdy much planned in the preexistence. She knows the meaning. Love you! You are wonderful!

Dallin Jolley: Juice, Yoga ball, Wal-mart, rides to the church, laughing so hard I fall over, making me say outrageous things, music videos. Dal. I'm pretty sure I laugh 93% more since I've started hanging out with you. You should see the before and after pictures of my abs, but I wont show you because that's awkward....

Catharina Anderson: works harder at her goals than almost anyone I know. I haven't talked to or seen her in a really long time, but I've thought of her often lately. She has a strength that I don't think I will ever understand. There was a time in my life that I could count on her for absolutlely anything, and I never told her how much she means to me. Catharina, I am so grateful to have had you in my life!

Mistie Park: knows how to genuinely be interested in peoples lives and well being. I know I could call Mistie any time at all and she would listen to me. She is a fantastic woman.

Hannah Mitsuko Hesley: Han. Han. Han. There are so many things I could say for you, oh one of the orient. Who would have thought that the girl who was sick and absent my first week in EAB would turn out to be one of my most favorite people in the world. I see many things in our future. Odes, viewings of Colin, Michael V, Channing, & others, dry-erase murals, silent soul bonding as we each sit at our computers, W.W.H.D. discussions, and adoration. Have Happa Day. ...Did I get that right....?

Kenneth Spencer Reid: This kid was here for me for so many late night discussions when I thought I was going to go crazy living with all girls. We are excellent eating partners, we love to go out to eat. We are very different from each other, but can talk about pretty much anything. He's pretty much a stud.

Ross Barton Nelson: There are almost no words. Ross is my bosom friend. We are pretty much kindred spirits, and I'm pretty sure he even knows where that phrase comes from :) I'm not sure how we've become as close as we are, but this kid knows me down to the stuff that no one else knows. He takes care of me. He calls me sometimes just to check up. We can be apart for months and pick up like we were never apart. His testimony awes me. This kid knows and loves his savior. Ross. Love you.

Mark (Sam) Summers: You smell of beef and cheese! This boy is the older brother that I always wanted. Really. We even torment each other like siblings. He is picky about the boys I date, and when I have questions, whether they are serious, deep, silly, or ridiculous, I know Mark Sam will be there for me. He's listened to me whine, cry, laugh, be tarded, and pretty much everything else. I adore this kid.

Ashley Hilton: Ashley has got to be the most phenomenal boss ever. She keeps me in line at work, doing what I am supposed to do, but has managed to become my friend as well. I love that we can laugh our heads off at work together, and I especially love that she and Hannah got me to jump on the Naked boat :D She also got me addicted to Lost. I don't know how I feel about that one yet....

Jacob Michael Anderson: Jakey Poo, what wouldn't I do for you? Girls, this kid gives the most phenomenal non-professional back rubs perdy much ever. He is an excellent racquetball teacher, will give rides to Jamba on his awesome little motorcycle, randomly screams very loudly in Spanish, and gives some of the best most heart felt advice I've ever received from a guy friend. His hugs could cheer me up absolutely any day.

Kelby Jay Perry: I don't know that I have ever become such good friends with someone so fast. This kid is sharp. Although he occasionally joins Dallin in making me say outrageous things, :D I am very very glad to have Kelb in pretty much my every day. Kelb, you make me wanna be better than I am. (Watch those hands!)

Lisa Arzella Vincent: make me smile as soon as she is in the same room with me. Lisa knows how to make life enjoyable. Her energy exudes to pretty much everyone around her. You can't help but love her to death. She is really good at giving and receiving awkward hugs, has the prettiest teeth on the planet, has the longest torso ever created under heaven, and I pretty much hope we are friends forever. Losa, I love your face!

Janalie Wilkins: Jan, where would I be without you? You are my other half after all. If you didn't exist I would only be half a person! That would be extremely awkward because either way you split us I would have innards spilling out....gross....I love that I need absolutely zero reserve when I am with you. You know me exactly as I am, as weird and scary as it can be. Thanks for always being there to laugh about boys when we are really sad about them, and making me feel lovely when we all know you are the most attractive one :D We're family. We're gonna be together for Eternity!

Jenelyn Debrah Perry: There are really not words for what this girls has meant to me in the last year. We have the kind of friendship where we can sit completely comfortable in silence one day, and the next day we can hardly keep ourselves from talking to eachother while we are supposed to be doing homework. We have lived together long enough that I have picked up a few of her quirks, and she has picked up a few of mine ( I swear you will say "buddon" by the time we're through with each other!). She is one of the most beautiful girls I know inside and out. Chenyl, I luuuuv yeeew.

and these are the people that have been on my mind. Thank you, and all of those other people that I love, so much for making my life the incredibly blessed one that it is. You make me pretty much the luckiest girl in the world.

I got to look

into the eyes of an Apostle of my Lord today. D. Todd Christofferson presided in the meetings of my home stake's stake conference. I grasped his hand in both of mine, and looked in his smiling eyes and said thank you. He looked directly back into mine and asked me my name. I told him it was Karlie Jean. I could see the love of Christ in his eyes. He is a man of God. Meeting with him made more firm my testimony of the Prophet Thomas S. Monson, his councilors, and the twelve apostles. How amazing that we have such men to govern us. I now have a new love and respect for this man. I hope I can say that I am forever changed by the spirit that he carried with him. That will depend on my diligence in acting on what has been revealed to me.

I know that Elder Christofferson will not remember my name among the hundreds that he greeted today, but I know my Father in Heaven and my Savior both know it well, and are mindful of me. I am grateful.