Absence of Abduction

Dear audience that I do not have,

No worries. I am still alive and well. I am so sorry to inform you I have not been abducted or murdered or imprisoned or turned into a duck, no, not even a duck that can type. I have been embracing the end of the semester and the start of not one, but TWO jobs. Did I mention I got hired at the upholstery shop? Because I did. First day experience? Made myself a shop apron to get used the machine, spent two hours stuffing my face at a student employee appreciation barbecue (stuffing = seconds of everything, including the 500 calorie cookie/ice cream sandwiches and helping to organize a heist with my fellow employees to fill a t-shirt I won with a dozen more ice cream sandwiches for the break room freezer...don't worry about it), winning a free t-shirt and flowers in a raffle at said barbecue, and still getting to put down an eight hour work day though the only "work" I REALLY did was winding some webbing and washing a couple of shelves. Anywho, just wanted you to know why I refuse to post lately. Well, it's not actually that I refuse to...I just don't have time. Or anything to say really...other than the word STRESSED! in all caps. Like that. Final number one tomorrow. BRING IT.

Love, Me

PS - I also got a letter. I've read it many a time. It's delicious. Actually...I think I might have gotten two since I last posted. Embarrassing...and irrelevant. Ta ta!

BUT I WANNA FIGURE IT OUT NOW!

Ugh. How much of my life revolves around that fact? I hate waiting. I've always hated waiting. I think I'm the least patient person in the world. And now that I've finally picked a major and things are falling into place, I want to know the rest of the picture - just half of it isn't good enough. BUH! I know what I have to get done...just a couple more decisions to make and questions to get answered...and then more decisions to make and questions to get answered...WHY CAN'T IT JUST MAKE SENSE AND BE PERFECT?! Sigh...one day at a time. One day at a time. FYI, I am not angry. Seriously. I'm smiling and shaking my head as I type this post that is half dead serious half ridiculously sarcastic. I am truly very happy. It's just a little like when you're golfing and you hit a great putt but the ball stops just a few feet short of the hole - sure, you're all lined up and set to go and it's full proof, but why can't that ball just keep rolling? Why does there have to be a break? I must be having a valuable lesson taught to me again. But it's okay. At least the ball made it that far. I could still be in the trees.

Fantas-magic

Dear world,

Here are the reasons why my life is amazing right now.

Elder Jacob Tyrel Titensor, called to serve in the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission, Mongolian-speaking, leaving May 11, 2011.

Sister Kristin Jean Bowles, called to serve in the Peru Lima North mission, Spanish-speaking, leaving June 22, 2011.

These are two of my dearest friends in the whole wide world. They both got their mission calls today and I was able to be there for both as they opened them. I am so incredibly proud of them that I could cry, and I most likely will some time. I am so grateful for missionary work. Every day the Spirit teaches me one more reason that it is important, and I become even more grateful for those who are willing to serve and who bless so many lives. It inspires me to follow the mantra, "Every member a missionary," and reach out to my peers. Congrats Jake and Kristin!

I'd love to leave this post on that note, but I must bear the rest of my good news because I can hardly contain it any longer. I declared a major! As of yesterday afternoon I am studying art history. Though it has not been officially declared, I will potentially be minoring in chemistry. Random combination? No. It will allow me to work anywhere in the world doing art conservation. Dream job? I think so. I am so relieved to have a direction to go and a goal to keep in sight that I hardly mind going to classes anymore. Suddenly school has a purpose. I am so grateful for the blessings and miracles that have happened over the last couple days that have allowed this change to take place in a way that left me feeling so much at peace.

And that, my friends, is why my life is amazing right now.

Sincerely, Keri

Miracles

I just read the LDS Church's update on the earthquake in Japan found here and I must say after this morning's early-morning post of sadness and despair, I am now greatly at peace. The Lord protects His church. These may be the last days, but the righteous will be strengthened.

-All missionaries accounted for.

-95% of members accounted for thus far, communication still difficult in contacting the rest. No confirmed deaths of members reported thus far.

-No significant damage to the Tokyo temple.

-Church already discussing how best to send aid.

The Lord watches over His people. I am so grateful for this gospel.

"We express our love and support to the people of Japan as they deal with this terrible tragedy. Our prayers, and the prayers of millions of Latter-day Saints across the world, are with them as they begin to recover from this disaster." --The First Presidency

For Japan.

On Friday, March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake measuring 8.9 struck the country of Japan and triggered enormous tsunamis up and down the coast and across the Pacific.

How do you even begin to recover from something like this?

This is no rural area. This is not devastating because it was a country with no defense. This was Japan. This was a country of skyscrapers and technology and world power. Half of it is literally gone; completely washed away by the world's most natural element: water. This is devastating because it shows how utterly fragile we all are, whether we live in Haiti or the United States or Japan. There is no defense. How do you prepare for something like this? How do you survive something like this? How comprehend something like this?

How do you even begin to recover from something like this?

I know this happened days ago and I'm just now saying something...all I can say is that the enormity of this situation is oh, so slowly sinking in as each day goes by and more footage and photos flash across my screen. Suddenly, I'm overwhelmed. How do you even begin to recover from something like this? Where do you start picking up the debris and hauling out the misplaced boats and rebuilding entire cities? It seems beyond my comprehension. Here I sit in my little basement apartment, fat from spaghetti and pie, and on the other side of the world millions of people wonder where their next home will be as they ration out water. How can I possibly extend my heart and my hope to them? What can I say? What can I do? Can I even begin to understand what it must be like?

I feel helpless sitting on the outside looking in.

For Japan: You are in our thoughts, in our hearts, in our prayers. The world weeps with you. We are ready to help you begin again.

If I can feel this much pain and sorrow for a crisis so far away from home, I can't help but shudder in anticipation of what must be headed our way. It seems that this is only the beginning.

Oops.

It's so funny when you keep thinking that your research paper is due in April so you haven't done any research on it but you decide you should probably find out exactly when it is due so you ask your professor when it is due and he says, "The 23rd. Have you started your research yet?" and you sheepishly admit that you haven't but you only admit to that fact because it can't be too embarrassing since it's still not due for a month therefore probably nobody has started their research and the teacher kindly says, "Let me know if you need any help," and you walk away smiling because he was so kind and you wonder if you should drop by the library this weekend and you decide not to because you still have plenty of time to procrastinate and you walk to your next class and decide to check your email and there's an email from the TA in the same class that just came that announces the due date of the research paper is the 23rd and you laugh to yourself because you realize a lot of people must have been asking after class and all of the sudden it hits you that the semester ends before April 23rd and therefore the paper must obviously be due March 23rd and that happens to be next week.

Yep. That's funny. Almost as funny as the fact that the entire paragraph above is one sentence. Funny.

Hey kids!

I'm a slacker. Life has been interesting lately, so full of ups and downs and directions that have no names. BUT I need to post. So here's some randoms of life:

-Five weeks left in the semester. Thank goodness.

-If anyone know an easy way to get $1100.00, please let me know. I'm dying to do this sewing class spring term...

-Six months since I created this blog, and consequently...other anniversaries.

-Letter numero tres.

-Felt like spring a little this week..."HERE COMES THE SUN, DA-DA-DOO-DOO!"

-Extremely grateful to have grown closer to people I consider my true friends. Where have you people been all my life? What? Right there? How did I not notice? Yeah. I feel blessed.

-Making an effort to be more spiritually in tune with my Father in Heaven. I realized I've been a major, major slacker lately, and that's not fair on SO many levels. The Gospel is true and it is a beautiful thing.

And now because I love posting pictures (it makes my blog more colorful) here are some fun pics from my new favorite wintertime adventure: Midway Ice Castles! I went a few weekends ago with Kristin and Nellie and they are absolutely BEAUTIFUL. How is it possible that these things exist?! Much fun. Especially for someone with a fancy camera who misses taking pictures of life. (Clarence is not worth toting around BYU, and what is there to take pictures of anyway?) Enough of my rambling. Enjoy.