Keli's

http://www.ourladiesroom.com/page/monthly-featured-sister-for

2010-09-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

check it out...i was featured for this month :) http://www.ourladiesroom.com/page/monthly-featured-sister-for

I WON!! I WON!!

2010-07-05T16:01:00.000-05:00

Sooo....I am a member of Our Ladies Room. It is a site for LDS women.. I have probably sent every LDS woman I know an invite..(or at least everyone who I have an address for).. anyhow..
They are always having contests and giveaways. I actually WON something!! YAY!!

First::::: I won 1st place in a contest and won a Glass and Iron Work Votive :)

Then I entered a swimsuit giveaway and won THIS::: It is from SHADE CLOTHING

I love it!! :) I just got it in the mail... It is made really, really well...I was very impressed.

SistaBags

2010-05-06T21:04:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine has been making and selling these cute bags... check them out.

$Money is donated from the sales of the Breast Cancer Awareness, Cervical Cancer Awareness and

Autism Awareness Bags...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sistabags

They can also be customized..with fabric, color or trim... They will make it how YOU want it!! :)

BREAST CANCER:

AUTISM AWARENESS

MARDI GRAS

FLOWER POWER

SAINTS

Another year, another parade...

2009-02-24T20:37:00.005-06:00

Yep! It's THAT time!!

~I'd rather be....anywhere else!~

But...in the south..Ya just gotta!

This is our 1st parade:

Youngsville, LA

Madie, Hayden and I went to the Dressler's to eat and hang out and wait for the parade to start. They live on the route! While waiting, the kids enjoyed "The DITCH!"

Can I get a smile???

Hayden hanging out "on the other side of the ditch" with Jennifer Woolsey. He realized he could catch a lot back there!!

Whoo Hoo!!! A FOOTBALL!!!

Our 2nd & 3rd Mardi Gras Parade

Lafayette, LA

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

and yes...I actually took a picture!

I looked down, and there it was.

Why??

Okay... so, first ya have to find a place to sit and wait...

Parade starts at 1pm.

so we sit..and wait..

and wait...

and wait..

2pm...

Madie brought her Nintendo DS..

are you serious???

well..ya gotta do something while you are

waiting..

and waiting..

and waiting...

Smile for the camera! Can you just SMILE... just ONCE???

Supporting the Boy Scouts Fundraiser!

Nachos & Cheese

and still waiting..

2:30....

They must be REALLY bored!

They have now covered me in pokey little things..they found in the grass.

My favorite part of Mardi Gras parades is "People Watching"~

This is what I call

"The Crap Cart"

You can see these rolling down the road...

covered in really expensive CHEAP Crap!

I think this may have been a first for me. I can understand the message..however, it just seemed a little out of place..

Preaching to a bunch of Drunks.

FINALLY!!!

We got to the parade route at about 12:30..

and if Finally got to us at about 3pm!

Many floats were already out of beads..

Whoohooo!!

Throw me something!

Hey!!

wooooohhoooooo

~madie says.. Mom! That was NOT worth waiting 2 hours for!~

Lafayette, LA

TRASHED!!!

and..

once again..

another year, another parade..

~I'd rather be...anywhere else!~

..and what the heck am I supposed to do with all those beads??

Need I say more?

2009-02-18T22:23:00.003-06:00

I believe these pictures speak for themselves!!!!!

I think some creature just crawled up in me and took possession of my body.

PLEASE MAKE IT STOP

Are you serious??

2009-02-15T20:34:00.005-06:00

Oh my goodness! Yesterday was just one thing after another. I had to run into walmart for MILK!!.. Just milk.. and maybe some bread...

Needless to say.. walmart is brilliant in their placement of product..(We all know they have "professionals" brought in to arrange things precisely the way it needs to be in order for customers to spend way more money!.. It is all their fault!!) I had to walk all the way to the back of the store and pass isles and isles of other things...SO..I also got bread (might as well.. I am here!), garlic bread (it will be good with our Spaghetti & meatballs), Chocolate Nut Fudge Icecream (I should have stayed away from that isle..it was a compulsive purchase! I was actually looking for Mardi Gras Ice cream.. but there was None!!!!), Tostitos (because I have a jar of sauce and no chips!), Blueberry Frosted Mini Wheats (I passed the isle and remember I was almost out!).

So.. I went in to buy milk and walked out with 5 extra items! I HATE how they do that to me!! I get into the speedy checkout line behind someone who OBVIOUSLY has more than 20 items. Can't people read signs??? I do the quick lane switch.

I check out... throw my stuff in the buggy (shopping cart)... Did i forget a bag?? I have been known to do that!..

As I push my cart out the store I figured I would just grab my 3 bags and leave the cart, instead of pushing it out to my car. I was in RUSH mode! It was getting late, I had to pick up Madie's friend to sleep over, and I still had to get home a cook dinner.

I grab my bag of milk and lift it and next thing I realize...there is milk all over the ground! I stood there for what felt like 1 minute in a state of momentary shock (although it was probably only 3 seconds)..My milk exploded..DANG IT!!! What a mess!

I snatch the milk up and quickly carry it to the garbage can about 10 feet away..leaving a trail behind me. The hole to the garbage can was too small to push the milk though. My hands were full of my other bags so I put it on the ground next to it... (a nice person picked it up, took off the lid, and put it inside)

Ya know the greeter that stands there greeting people?? well.. I figured I should clue her in so she could get the clean-up crew to come and sprinkle their Magic powder and clean up my mess. (did you know they have a special powder they use for liquid messes??!!) She was quite intensely involved with her return label sticker gun...slllowwwlly... putting a return sticker on another customer's item. I felt my problem was a little more urgent.. seeing that milk was slowing spreading across the entrance way to the buggies... a law suit just waiting to happen! She was so involved with her stickers she did not notice, see, or hear the mess happening around her.

Thankfully the Manager (or someone in an authority position) walked in, saw the mess, and walked off... lol! gee... thanks!! I need my milk!!! I just came in for some DANG MILK!!!! Can I at least go get me another one?? I walk swiftly to the back of the store...again! Grab a gallon of 2% milk..again. Walk to the front of the store...again! Wave at the "greeter" and walk out with my milk!

A little while later: I thawed out my meatballs...got my water boiling for noodles (I wish I realized I needed noodles while I was at the store! We will just have to have 1/4 box of spirals, 1/2 box of shells and 1/3 box of rotini all mixed together). A noodle is a noodle!! I grab one of the boxes and somehow pulled it a little too hard and GASP!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!! I CAN'T BREATH!!! I think I might pass out... OHH the pain... the horrible, pounding, aching pain that is running through the nerves in my finger!! HOLY CRAP!!!!!!! I know I did NOT just bust my finger AGAIN!!!

back a few months....November... right before Thanksgiving Holidays..........

I bought Madie a pair of jeans from Limited Too and they forgot to take the security bar off (yet I walked right out of the store without sounding the alarm...so much for those working!!!). I figure I can just pry it off myself instead of making ANOTHER trip into Lafayette, to the mall, through all the traffic...just to get the freakin plastic popped off. So, I grab a butter knife in one hand (my right) and the plastic security bar from hell in my other hand and I start to prying...

It was like I was watching it happen in slow motion and I could not stop it! There was blood ..not just a little blood...But BLOOD pouring out of my finger onto the counter and all down my hand. OHHHHH HOOOLLLLYYYYY CRAP!!!! okay... just breathe!!! Hmm... no pain..okay, that is a good thing...Right??? Am I in shock? No...I am okay... Breathe!!! I wonder if I can just wrap it up and put a band aid on it... or if I need to go to the ER. I don't wanna go to the ER! I just crawled out of bed! My hair is on the top of my head, I have last night's makeup on....whyyyyy????

Okay... let me take a look. BREATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Madie!".. I say as calmly as I can... "I need you to get a bandage for me"... "MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Oh my gosh!!! Do I need to call 911? Should I call dad?" shhhh...quit freakin out!!!..... Breathe!!!!!!! Ohh...I am starting to feel some pain.....

I wrap my finger.. very tightly to stop the bleeding. (Too tightly I later learned..as my finger tip turned purple!) I manage to put on some jeans, shirt, and my flip flops, call a friend to get my kids, and call Keith at work to let him know I was going to the quick care clinic because I sliced my finger open! "Do I need to leave work and meet you at the hospital?" uhhh...NO!! it is just a finger! :)

7 stitches!!! SEVEN stitches is what it took to sew up that butter knife cut! It cut deep! It was pretty bad!!

Months of healing... the pain, the nerves regenerating, scar tissue... did I mention the pain...

................standing in my pantry pulling a box of noodles out and banging...ramming.. my finger..THAT finger, my scarred up, hurt finger!!... into a corner on the shelf... BREATHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Family Outing

2009-02-15T18:33:00.009-06:00

5:00 pm: "Kids!! Get some clothes on and put your shoes on! We are going somewhere!" ...Where are we going?... "It's a surprise! Just get dressed....and put clothes on that you can wear into town!!! Make sure it matches!!! And get your jacket." ...But..where are we going??...

It's a Surprise!!!

5:30 pm.. On the road! Kids are wondering where we are going. They can not handle the suspense. 100 questions begins!! Are we going to the movies? bowling? Cart Ranch? Cajun Dome?... It's a SURPRISE! Dang it!!

Keith does not like me taking pictures of him. It is almost impossible to get a good pic...without him making a face!

Yeah, me taking a pic of myself. They are usually the only ones I have!

MADIE & HAYDEN melting their brains!!

6:00 pm... Where are we going????? Well..... there is a clown! "Are we going to the Circus??"

IT STINKS!!!!!!! EWWW!!!!

Gotta get some tickets!!!

WHY???? Can yall just behave and not lick the poles? Do I have to beat yall in public?? ha!

They must have seen A Christmas Story too many times this year!

And no..it was not cold.

The only thing their tongues would stick to would be the funky germs!

It's a RODEO!!! Look at all those TRUCKS! It looks like a Redneck Truck Convention!

You can't go on a Family Outing and not buy overly priced sugar!!

Cotton Candy.. $5.00

(do you wanna leave a tip sir?..uhh..ssuure..$2.00)

Coke..$3.00

Sugar High..PRICELESS!!

Just what my kids need!

Okay everyone..look.. let me take a picture of yall...

Hayden!!!!!!! get your head out the way!!! :)

Yall are so crazy! (you must take after your dad!!)

Contemplating Bull Riding Look..It's me..again.. taking a picture of ME!

This was by far the CRAZIEST EVENT of the night!

A redneck wedding!!

Right there in the middle of the Rodeo.

A truck pulls out with the groom and his men on the back of the truck and the bride was inside. She gets out of the truck, in her white wedding gown, onto the manure covered red dirt.

ARE YOU SERIOUS???

"Look mom!! That Bull is giving the other one a piggy back ride!"

Uh, yeah...

Piggy Back Ride!!!

It is hard to see..however, in the back.. you can see a bull ..uh..giving a piggy back ride to another one...ewww!!!

And, yeah.. leave it to me to try to get a picture of it!! LOL!

Totally Random Pics of me

2009-01-25T20:34:00.006-06:00

I am usually the one taking all the pictures so there are rarely any of me unless I take them myself... and we all know how those turn out :) I normally do not enjoy sharing those because the either show a double chin(s), a wild nose hair or the flab under my arms.... lol... ( I take great shots of myself!) Well.... these are NOT much better. But hey, what am I supposed to do with all those "bad shots"? You know, the blurry ones, the red eyes, the half open eyes, the morning ones... ... all the ones that you want to press delete..but you keep them anyways. lol Well... I figured I should do SOMETHING with them...why not blog them! Me, Madie and Hayden were playing Jenga and seeing if we could beat 32 rows. We did!! we made it to 34!!! woohoo!!! It made me a little anxious and nervous... as you will be able to see. Hayden makes me so nervous! He pokes and pulls and makes the tower wiggle and move all over....just about gives me a panic attack...lol

>It is fun playing with Madie and Hayden. They always make me laugh.

In Mississippi at the Camp. My daddy was teaching me how to drive the 4wheeler. It was a little different than the other ones. Had to shift it with your foot...real fun though!!!! It is so pretty there!

WHO KNOWS!!! I was obviously doing what I do best....lol!!!! On the computer! Looks like I just showered. Me in my "natural beauty".. ha!! no makeup. I love, love, LOVE my robe. Treated myself to Victoria's Secret~ It is my all time favorite robe...i even sleep in it sometimes. It is that comfortable. Hayden was showing me something and Madie was obviously taking pics.. thanks! See.. this is one picture I would have never shown anyone.

Oh my....This is a funny picture! Me, my dad and in front of my dad was my little sister Katie. Three of us on that 4wheeler! My dad wanted to take us on a ride. It lasted for a good 30 minutes. Going fast, over bumps, making it quite exciting..especially for katie who was sitting in the front with her feet up top and no way to truly hold on good. She thought she peed on herself. (which she did NOT) We were laughing so hard.

Christmas day... yeah, it is a shot i took of myself. But hey... I think it was only 1 of maybe 6 pictures that I had of me on Christmas day. lol. I just showered..in my robe again. See... I really like my robe! I was taking pics of the kids and trying to get video too.

Another "self photography" :) Christmas morning. It was 6am. We had been up since 5am. I was crawling back into bed! Cute huh? and uhh..yeah, I slept with my makeup on. "They say" (whoever they is) that when you sleep with makeup on it ages you. gasp!!!! Also..if you sleep with mascara on little bugs get in your lashes and feed on it at night. grosssss!!!!!! I normally take my makeup off... It was a late night! :)

I/s320/Christmas+Day+093.JPG" border=0> Oh, this is a really lovely picture! I was opening my christmas gift that keith got me. A really really cool decorative box. I love that kind of stuff :) It was HEAVY!! I think I was even saying "ohhh, it's heavy". :)

Yeah, a gift for me. I like gifts, especially when they are a surprise! That is one of those half open eye pictures that you would never share with anyone... but hey..whatever!

.JPG" border=0> After hours of cooking...we finally eat! At first i thought there was something interfering with Madie's picture...but I realize it is just the steam coming off of her food! :) Yeah, that is 2 rolls on my plate!

" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vX46ODBBd_c/SX0h0kJCTUI/AAAAAAAAAO0/RPDXIT4qc1Q/s320/100_0040.jpg" border=0> Madie caught me!

I didn't say take a picture of the paper towels! I said come and GET them!!! I hate when my counters get cluttered with stuff when i am cooking. It drives me crazy. BUT...it WAS Christmas and I just had to accept the fact that my entire house was destroyed in a matter of hours. Breathe!!!!!

Oh yeah, this is a really good one. Back profile! See how i normally wear my hair at home? Why even grow it out if it is going to sit on top of my head? geez!!

St6g7zg/s320/100_0010.jpg" border=0> And last of all.... the "Side-Profile" picture that we all love so much! Thanks Madie! This picture is not as obvious as some others....however, I will still explain the prominant bump on my nose. I have a "nose hump" LOL...

When i was 3 years old I pulled a table down on myself and it landed on my nose.. and broke it. OHHH..(lightbulb moment)....so that means my nose will be PERFECT one day... yeah! :) lol. It is not a big deal to me though... it is just a nose. At least I can still smell with it. I am not obsessed with it.. Just thought i would share a little tidbit of information with ya...

320/100_0006.jpg" border=0> There are some of my "reject" pictures! The ones that take up space on my computer because I dont want to delete them and yet, I would never actually think of sharing them with other people... But hey... that is what blogs are for right???

Mardi Gras

2009-01-24T19:26:00.004-06:00

I'm a Southern girl...Born and raised in Louisiana.

Louisiana is known for many things:

The City of New Orleans~ The French Quarter

JAZZ

Food~ Crawfish, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Red Beans & Rice, Po'Boys, Beignets, Pralines, Seafood, Grits, Hot Sauce~ Tabasco, King Cakes!

Popeye's, Copeland's, Quaint Restaurants

Hurricanes, Swamps, Humidity

LSU~SAINTS

and

MARDI GRAS!!! Parades, beads, throws, floats, crews, parties & balls.

Growing up I loved going to the parades. Being a child I can remember running up to the long 18 wheeler floats that were decorated to whatever theme they had for that year. Men, Women and children would be hanging over the edges of the floats throwing gobs and gobs of beads, toys, cups (my favorite), candy, underwear, spears, stuffed animals, roses....etc....etc...etc....

Oh, and the crazy things people would do for plastic beads!

Push, shove, argue, flash...yes, boobs!!

I don't know how more children were not run over by those big 18 wheeler trucks.

100's and 100's of floats. All day long.

Through the years... it just gets old. (at least for me!)

The ONLY thing I look forward to now with Mardi Gras season is my all time favorite

BLUE BELL ~MARDI GRAS~ ICECREAM!!!

Yes... this is about my favorite Ice cream!

Blue Bell is a Southern Ice Cream company.

from http://www.bluebell.com/

And although Blue Bell is only available in about 20% of the nation’s supermarkets, it ranks as one of the top three best selling ice creams in the country. Our products are sold in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. No matter how much the market grows, quality standards never change and are never diluted or compromised. That's why, people who are lucky enough to live where they can buy Blue Bell Ice Cream, say it's "the best ice cream in the country."

And..I must agree! It is "the best ice cream in the country!"

A few years ago they came out with a New, limited Ice cream just in time for Mardi Gras season.. It is called "Mardi Gras".

I LOVE trying new flavors so I bought it and tried it and LOVED IT! Since it is seasonal I had to make sure I always had a tub in my freezer!

Mardi Gras passed, the Ice Cream was no longer made.. and I was sad.

Last year...it was Mardi Gras time again!!! Woohooo....My icecream!!!

I looked and looked and looked for that ice cream and could not find it anywhere! :(

A week ago I was at wal-mart (shock) and walked passed the freezer section and there at the end of the isle, behind the fogged up freezer doors... In all its beautiful PURPLE AND GREEN COLORS...It was calling my name!!!!! :)

I got just a little excited as you can probably imagine.

IT WAS BACK!!

I bought one. And before than one ran out... I bought another one. I just ate the last cup of my second container. (GASP) ~somehow I still fit into my jeans.

Here it is:

Mardi Gras Ice Cream

Almond Flavored Ice Cream with

Amaretto Sauce and Candy Sprinkles

mmmmmmmmmm...

Back Yard Burning

2009-01-10T17:02:00.003-06:00

I finally got around to my "Paper Situation"! You know, all the paper that piles up for years.. receipts, bill stubs, carbon copy checks, medical bills, etc... Boxes and boxes of Paper!!

I had my shredder out and I was determined to purge!

Well, I got tired of going through and sorting what I needed to shred and what could just be thrown into the garbage, so we had a backyard bonfire and burned it!

The kids had fun!!

Keith getting the flame going. The kids gathered pine straw and twigs from the yard.

WooHoo!! FIRE!!! We got it going and the Burning begins!

Stacks and stacks of old bills and shreds. Who said we had to keep that stuff???

Hayden, Keith and Madie

Madie behind the smoke screen.

Hayden enjoyed reading what he was burning. Lol!

The only pictures of me are the ones I take of myself.

We were watching the kids have fun.

BURN PILE!!

Time to put the fire out! Why is it that we keep paper? Paper, paper, paper!! It piles up and then we don't know what to do with it so it ends up in a box..the box ends up in a closet until the closet is too full. Then it ends up in the garage .. until it finally ends up in the attic.. taking up space..just sitting and sitting for years! Who needs the receipt from a water bill from 5 years ago?

Why?

Paper clutter is so unnecessary!

Butterflies

2009-01-05T01:08:00.006-06:00

"Without butterflies the world would soon have few flowers."

I LOVE butterflies!

There is something about a Butterfly that brings me happiness. I am not sure if it is the symbolism it represents or the miracle of the caterpillar's transformation into something so exquisitely beautiful. Every time I see a butterfly I think about this beautiful world Heavenly Father has given me to enjoy and the small and simple pleasures he has given me to lift my spirit.

When I see a butterfly fluttering about I am reminded of my own personal journey through this life. I sometimes feel like the little fuzzy worm trying to figure it all out.....

"Butterfly-- that word," she thought. "Tell me, sir, what is a butterfly?" "It's what you are meant to become. It flies with beautiful wings and joins the earth to heaven. It drinks only nectar from the flowers and carries the seeds of love from one flower to another."

"Without butterflies the world would soon have few flowers."

"It can't be true!" gasped Yellow. "How can I believe there's a butterfly inside you or me when all I see is a fuzzy worm?"

I sometimes feel like that fuzzy little worm. So unsure, so afraid...feeling so unworthy of the beauty that I know I am inside.

There have been a few times in my life that I have spun a cocoon around myself. Closed myself into a dark little space, away from the world..feeling so alone, so desperate for a way out..yet quite comfortable wrapped up in the dark. Time passes slowly at first.. then....hours turn into days, which turn into weeks and then months...and then a year passes by... life passes by!

The miracle comes when I am able to look back and see the change... see the transformation. Witness the beauty of the butterfly within my own life.

I have spent the last few years wrapped up in my own little cocoon.. protecting myself the only way I know how. While inside...during very dark times I have felt the pain of growth. I have felt myself being stretched to my limit. Yet, I have felt myself wrapped in something comforting. Like being wrapped in my father's protective arms.

I know of the pain and growth that occurs inside the caterpillar's cocoon. I know the strength and the work it takes for the caterpillar to finally let go and become the beautiful butterfly it was created to be.

I have not fully emerged from my cocoon ... But I AM learning to let go!

And through the mercy and love of God I hope to become what He created me to be.. His Beautiful Butterfly!!

(((::::::Now you can see some of my butterflies::::::)))

This book, Hope for the Flowers, is one of my favorites!

The quotes I used above are from this book.

I have this Butterfly on the front of my scriptures. I received this Book of Mormon from my parents when I was in high school. They had my name engraved upon its cover. This book, more than any other book I have read in my life, has brought me so much comfort, peace, guidance, assurance, and a testimony of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the miracle of His atonement.

The Miracle of Change!

My husband, Keith... knowing how much I love butterflies AND really cool boxes..got me this for christmas. It is now one of my favorite boxes.

Madie knows me well! She bought this little key chain for me last year at school, using the tickets she had earned throughout the school year. When she saw it she thought of me.

It makes me happy. :)

Hayden made this little magnet for me last year at school. He was so happy to give me the picture he drew with the butterfly because he knows I love butterflies!

Out of the blue, my little sister Carrie gave this to me as a gift. For no special occasion at all.. just because she loves me. She saw it and knew that I would love it. It hangs on the wall.. I still have not found the perfect place for it yet. But I will!!

My kids got ~Bendaroos~ for Christmas. Madie made me a butterfly. I stuck it to the inside of my closet door so I can see it every day.

I keep this little butterfly by my kitchen sink. It comes in handy when I need to take off jewelry to wash dishes. :) Plus it is pretty.

I found this lamp at an Antique Shop! When I saw it I loved it and I had to have it. It is such a beautiful, small, colorful lamp. The base of it is a butterfly too. Kinda cool!

I had someone suggest that I keep a little notepad on me at all times for when I have thoughts or ideas or if someone says something that I want to remember. I can then go back later and reflect on those things.. and remember the things that would have been forgotten throughout the day. When I saw this little notepad I thought it was perfect. It is small and fits in my purse and of course... it has butterflies!!

I run across little things like this and have to have it. I love to go to Antique shops and Flea Markets. I am always on the lookout for Butterflies. I love this one especially because I also have a thing for blue and white!

If you haven't noticed yet, I am a collector of many things! I also LOVE little jars, small boxes and trinkets you can hide things in. This one is really cool. It is purple glass with little carvings on the bottom that look like butterflies.

I have more....but I will stop now. So there ya go....you just learned a little something about me. :)

I LOVE Butterflies!

Starting over...

2008-12-28T18:40:00.002-06:00

I had GRAND aspirations with my blogspot! I had a great idea that I would start from the beginning of my life... and go through my childhood, my teen years, dating Keith, college, kids, military... and all the phases of my life.... LOL!!! Well...Little did i realize.. that was way more involved than I had expected. Looking for old photos, scanning, writing up information.. So.. I begin again.. And I begin TODAY.. in the Here and Now.. That is about all I can handle anyways! :) Now, on to blogging my life now... as it is...

Growing Up!

2008-09-30T20:15:00.004-05:00

Ten years have passed.. I am growing up! I shared a room with my big sister Christy who was 16 years old. (6 years older than me) I love my big sister and I loved sharing a room with her. I felt so big and grown. In this picture I was 9 or 10 years old. We were at a church activity in the park. I won first place!! two times! One for catching the chicken that was let loose..we had to run around and try to catch this chicken that was freaking out!! I got it! and the other ribbon??? probably for running fast. :) My mom would put our hair up in these little pink foam curlers at night and we would have to sleep (barely!!) with them in our hair. I hated those things. They were so uncomfortable. But I must have liked my hair curly because I let her do it over and over again for church. Me..Katie and Carrie.. my younger sisters. Here I am in 5th grade! My school picture! I liked 5th grade. The boys called me "poochy".. because there was a toy (yes, it was a dog).. that had ears.. and when i would wear my hair in pony tails I guess they figured we looked alike. lol!! I enjoyed running. And i could run FAST! On our field day at school we had a race with boys and girls. I beat the biggest, tallest, fastest boy! yeah me!! My siblings... Cori , Katie, Me and Carrie I loved to play soccer. I started playing when I was around 10 years old. I played Forward and usually Center. I could run fast and kick that ball. I loved to make goals. I played for years... I LOVED playing a game after a big rain. It was so much fun kicking mud all over and slipping and sliding. I would be a mess afterwards!

Elementary School Days

2008-09-29T23:28:00.002-05:00

School days... I lived out on Lee Road...wayyy out where, when you say "going to town".. you really meant... GOING TO TOWN! We lived in the country!! In 1st grade I won THE BEST COLORED PICTURE in my class :) ...which, by the way, I still have in my "babybox"..... This is a picture of me in 1st or 2nd grade. (6/7yr old) No front teeth, sporting my dragon shirt and red pants! "Country Living" was way too far from New Orleans where my dad worked. So we moved back to town! :) THIRD GRADE: LIFE LESSON::: Me and my all time favorite "Crayon purse"! Shaped like a crayon!! I felt so big having a purse of my own. And it was so cool. I could put all my little things in it. I took it to school with me in 3rd grade. I was in Mrs Washington's class, a strict teacher. I sat around a few boys who would sometimes tease and talk to me. I left the classroom to go to some kind of girls assembly and the boys were left in the room. When we came back my purse was gone! . . I looked all around my desk, in my desk, Where was my purse??? It had my stuff in it and that was MY purse! The boys were snickering. I wanted my purse back! Noone would confess to taking it. Noone said a word about it. ~I do not remember telling the teacher; however, if I had she did nothing about it because I never saw my little crayon purse ever again. I was so sad, hurt, upset and shocked that someone would take something that belonged to me. I can remember my feelings.. even today. I WAS 8!! My favorite Number even till this day! I love the number 8.. 8 was when i was baptised and there are 8 people in my immediate family. I LOVE MY FAMILY :) CHOOSE THE RIGHT! My class at church was called CTR. I was preparing to be baptised at church. I would then be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was learning what it meant and what I would be promising my Heavenly Father when I get baptised. This is me in my class. WHY my mom had my hair cut like this I will NEVER know! I look like my little brother~ Cori! (Note: my socks!! lol) FOURTH GRADE picture!! more hair! yeah! Did I forget it was picture day??? 9 years old!! I was big! I started keeping a journal around this time. ~~And I still continue to write in journals. I have a box full from the time I was a little girl, all through school and teenage years and falling in love, to College and Marriage, on to Military Life and Moving around, being a new mom, trials and depression, Faith and testimonies...My life written down.. in journals!~~ yikes!! :) I was reading my journal from 4th grade.. I called a boy! HOLY! YOUNG!! I wrote about my friends.. liking them one day and not liking them the next. LOL! More pictures of me around this time. I loved wearing my moms "twist bead" necklace.. three bead necklaces twisted together!! AWESOME!! :) Are those gray shoes or really dirty white?

Little Girls, Little Girls!!

2008-08-20T21:25:00.009-05:00

I was a very shy child... imagine that! I would hide behind, or under, my mother's dress so I would not be seen. I did not like people talking to me because I would turn all shades of red and purple! I spent a lot of time by myself..doing my own thing. I loved to cut out my own paper dolls and work on cut and paste books. I could spend hours with a bunch of catalogs.

Because I was so shy I guess I was not seen as much. My mother one day had a friend over visiting and her friend asked who I was... my mom said "that's keli"... the woman had no idea I existed! :)

I love my little house on the prairie dress!! :) Notice my hair...??? I cut it myself!

Little something about me....When I was around 3 years old I broke my nose!! I was hanging onto the edge of a table and pulled it down on top of my face.. hit me right in the nose. It broke and bled. That is why I now have a little bump on my nose. :)

As a babe....

2008-08-20T21:13:00.006-05:00

My mom said... as a baby I seemed sad, like I wanted to go back home to my Heavenly Father.

Look at that wispy hair. Stood straight up.

This is an old picture.. has black marks on it. :(

My sister Christy was 6 years old and my brother Kevin was 4 years old when I was brought home from the hospital.

Shortly after I was born my parents took a trip to Salt Lake City and had us all sealed together in the LDS Salt Lake City Temple. My eternal family :)

June 28, 1974

2008-08-17T18:40:00.003-05:00

It all began on June 28, 1974...well, actually 9 months before that... but we will start the day I was actually born! My mom drove herself to her regular Dr. appointment and was admitted because I was ready to move out of that dark little space! My dad came to the hospital from work to be there at my arrival! It was somewhere around 4 in the afternoon when my dad saw, for the first time, a little birthmark hiding in the small patch of wispy hair on the top of my head. And there my life began.... cold..naked...a helpless little baby girl ... with 10 fingers and 10 toes.. entering into a world... and a family! My Dad, Willie Willard Powell My Mom, Anita K McWhorter Powell Christy Michelle Powell Michael Kevin Powell... and.. ME :) These are "obviously" NOT pictures of me... however, I imagine it was quite like this in the 70's.

The Beginning...

2008-08-17T14:24:00.004-05:00

I stare at the blank page before me and wonder where to begin. I can't start in the middle of the story And work my way to the end.. You will miss the parts that are exciting.. the parts that make me who i am.. So, i start 34 years ago... I start where it all began....