my new baby

As you may or may not know I have three...actually six kids...wow where does the time go?!

there is Millie...full name- Mildred Bernadette Macbook, Pro-one of my bffs for sure.  She ALWAYS has my back.

also-Canon..who got seriously injured last September, but still takes A-MAZING, B.E.A.U.T-FUL photos.

Then there is DJ B-rooke-my 125 GB iPod.  She is a wonderful little girl and I couldn't dance it out without her.

And of course we cannot forget the Champ...who was once stolen...that was a rough (almost) 4 weeks and began my STRONG disappointment and dislike of the NSLPD

And of course my two MOST FAVORITE KIDS OF ALL...

Well now there is a new kid on the block and I think my two most favorite kids of all...with parental permission of course and when they are old enough...I'm looking at you Lyla Lu...may end up loving the newest edition to my little family more than me.

Here she is...I am still working on a name...suggestions will be taken into consideration...

Can't wait for our adventures my friend!

hair today, gone tomorrow

As I may have mentioned previously my aunt Steph is one of my most favorite people on the planet...one of the most influential in my life.  She is currently battling ovarian cancer.  She was diagnosed back in February(?) and started chemo a few weeks ago and as often times happens with chemotherapy her hair started falling out.  So my cousin shaved the rest off for her this past week.

I've often thought that losing your hair while battle cancer is just adding insult to injury.  I mean, I do believe it is just hair, but come on...a life threatening disease AND you have to lose your hair?!  I mean it seems like such a small thing, the hair...but hair really is a huge part of our cultural.  We spend, hundreds, even thousands of dollars to get it "just right", only to decide after a while that a completely different style and color is "just right".  There are musicals (which is fantastic) and movies (which was then turned into a musical and then redone again as a movie musical) and documentaries (so, so interesting and awesome) and songs (WAY too many to comment on) all about hair.  When we describe someone we almost always refer to their hair color, length, style, bang, no bangs...hair is a HUGE part of our lives...so to lose it IS really a big deal.

My aunt Steph, like I said, has been so influential in my life...in helping me become the person I am today.  And so, as a kind of thank you to her, and because I know that no thank you will ever cover all that she has done for me and because I know it isn't easy for her to lose her hair...

my friend Erin was nice enough to do the honors.

As for the actual hair cutting experience itself...I loved it.  Erin and I were laughing and talking the whole time...about hair, about life, about love and the gospel and acceptance.  It was a great way to spend an evening.  We cut it outside so I didn't have a mirror to see the first cut or the many that came after...Erin took pictures while she cut and then we went in to the bathroom so I could take a look. I think she was a little nervous about my reaction...and if I'm being honest, I was a little nervous too...but I looked at it and rubbed my head (which I can't stop doing) and it was fine.  I mean, it really was just hair (which I am donating to locks of love because it is...was...long enough!!!)  Erin suggested we go get dinner and try it out in public...I kept forgetting I didn't have much hair anymore, until two girls at dinner could not stop staring at me.  Other than that...it was fine.

So Steph, anytime you want to go out in public, I am happy to go along so you don't feel so alone :)  I also went to the grocery store last night...I didn't really notice if people were looking...as you may or may not know I LOVE the grocery store and get a bit focused when I am there, so I was somewhat oblivious to whether or not people stared.

So there you have it...and here are a few more photos...

the first cut...

half a mullet

profile of half mullet...I think this was Erin's favorite stage...

ready for the razor!

and we're done!

In trying to come up with a title for this post, clever or not, I had no words...so I'm not really sure how this post will go...lacking for words and all...but here goes.

This little girl makes my heart melt anytime I lay eyes on her.  I feel like all true joy is bottled up inside of her and when you look at her you get a taste of it.  Seriously...I can be in the lowest of lows or foulest of all moods and one look at this little girl and I have a smile on my face.  

I don't know how to explain it and I feel as if there are no words to describe the awesome sauce that is this little lady.

Looking at her takes all the cares and stresses away, even if only from my mind...not in actual reality...although she very well may have super powers...so I will not put it past her. She is my little super hero...that is for sure...there is my title!  My little superhero.  I am so grateful for her.  I'm especially grateful that she FINALLY has warmed up to me...I've been warmed up to her since July 15th 2011, 10:00pm.

This is pre-warm to Brookie...

WARMED UP TO BROOKIE!


These two pictures were actually taken on the same day within seconds of each other, but they are such a good illustration of before and after.  

my awesome sauce sister Kell Bell

You can read all of Kelli's emails from her mission on her blog, but this one I just really wanted to share on my blog so that all can know her awesome sauceness! I know they are kind of long, but I promise, totally worth the read...

Danger?! I laugh in the face of danger!

actually, i ran away.

this week was everything BUT normal.  i ran around like a chicken with its head chopped of and now am just praying i have a little extra time to take a nap.  let me give you all a short synopsis and if you so desire, in 6 weeks i will give you the play-by-play.

MONDAY- "the normalest day of the week."

a member of our bishoprics house got broken into and robbed in the middle of the night.

TUESDAY- "the heist"

we got home at 10:15 p.m. (curfew is 10:30).  i opened the door and saw everything thrown everywhere.  i thought, "someone broke in and may still be here."  so, i turned around, opened the gate, and went running down the street.  the assistants came and drove us to pres' house to spend the night.

WEDNESDAY- "and in the mornin' i'm makin' waffles!"

i got to sleep in an extra half and hour and hna king made us waffles for breakfast.  getting robbed sure has its benefits.  we went home and the cops came to file a report.  they were very fresh(?) (what is the word in English for flirty old men?)  that night we slept at the hermanas' house 15 minutes away.

THURSDAY- "the heist II"

we walked out of our last lesson and the whole neighborhood was out in the street and alarms going off everywhere.  another house had been broken into.You 

FRIDAY- "Transvestite Pride Day"

i went to renew my visa.  at the international police dpt two or three cross dressers walked in about every  five minutes.  they all seemed to know each other, ha.  everyday i am more and more convinced my mission would make a great indie movie.

SATURDAY- "tremors"

at about 4:30 a.m. i woke up to this rumbling sound.  my comp shot up from her bed and yelled, "¡hna, terremoto!"  i said, "open the door" and kept on sleeping. 

SUNDAY- "tremors II"

we had finally slept at our house--the window was fixed, we got a metal door put in and our front window chained.  things got a little more normal.  then in the middle of a lesson the earth started shaking.  and kept shaking, and got stronger, and kept shaking.  then the lights went out.

welp, that about sums up what had to have been the strangest, most unproductive week of my mission.  all i have to say is tgim. 

i hope you all have a very normal week.  i love your guts.

love,

kelli jean, hruss.

who wants to be a millionaire?

I came across this today- "If we could sell our experiences for what they cost us, we'd all be millionaires."  It was credited to Abigal Van Buren so I am going to go with that.

It got me thinking a LOT about my experiences.  A millionaire, huh?  I think unknowable-amount-of-money-aire is what I would be.  Let me state right now that I do not think my life is horrible.  I do not think my life is more difficult that other people's lives.  I would assume, perhaps wrongly, but I'm going to assume anyway...that most people would have an endless cash flow if experience could be sold for cash.

I can't sell my experiences, but that doesn't make them valueless.  They are priceless really...even if I could sell them, if that meant giving up the lesson as well, I wouldn't sell them.  I am who I am because of those experiences.  I am not perfect, but I do think that I am so much better off for my experiences...all of them.  I can honestly say that there are some that maybe would only get me a couple bucks...but even those...I don't know if I would want to let them go.  I feel like all experience is worth something.  Even the worst of experiences.  They have somehow added to me, to my character, to the direction of my life...for better or worse.  I think that is what life is though, the better and the worse.

I do not think, by any stretch, that all experience is for the better...but I think that something can be learned in the worse.  I think that maybe I lack regret in my life because I have found something in all of my experiences.  Something made it so, while I can honestly say I am NOT proud of everything I've ever done, I've learned a lesson...am still gleaning lessons from better and worse experiences.  How could I ever give that up?

Someday I am going to stand in front of my Maker and review my book of life over a couple of Mexican Coca Colas (because they are heaven)...and while I will definitely be rushing to show him some things, there will be plenty I will be happy to gloss over.  Yet, those moments, they meant/mean something to me.  They did/do something for/to me.

So while being a millionaire might be fun and allow for some good times...I'll stick with my current cash flow and keep my experience.