back to the basics.

going back through my beliefs... what do i really believe? here begins my list, starting from the bare bones, and working up from there. 


God
Jesus Christ as my savior
i'm a sinner, i can't attain heaven on my own
i need God's mercy and grace
the Bible is God's word

101 small pleasures you can enjoy every day:

I have taken it upon myself to complete the list (with a little help from my friends) and will be documenting it here :) Although it is a list made up elsewhere, I think their point is very true - lets make the most of every single day and take nothing for granted. <3 k. 

coloring (yes, grown-ups can do it, too) 

                                (3/25/10)

crisp cotton sheets

While traveling in Italy, we had a lot of nice crisp sheets in hotel rooms, which are just perfect after a long day of walking and sightseeing! (4/4)

soft skin

old family recipes

the first daffodils of spring

sleeping in

an exercise endorphin high

window boxes

a perfect cup of coffee

a genuine compliment (giving or receiving)

the way babies smell

a handwritten letter

waking up in a good mood...for no real reason

singing in the shower

finding a couple forgotten dollars in your pocket

Definitely did this last wednesday- found 17 dollars in a sweatshirt pocket! It was rather nice to have a little extra, not to mention lunch! (3/3)

doing something nice for your neighbor

a home cooked meal

laughing

movie theater popcorn

playing hookey

a bubble bath

swimming

an afternoon nap

street musicians

your favorite song

saying thank you

helping someone in need

old fashioned photo booths

fresh whipped cream

inspiring blogs

a glass of wine

rainy afternoons

the funny things kids say

a novel you can get lost in

I read Nicholas Sparks' novel "The Last Song" and finished it in one night - totally absorbed me until 3am in the morning! And then read it again. (4/5)

finding the perfect piece of clothing...on sale

clean laundry

the wind in your hair

treating the person behind you at the drive-thru

sharing an umbrella

Mom and I shared an umbrella on the roof of our hotel while watching in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday! So cold, but such a beautiful view! (4/3)

the smell of lavender

We went to the "Lavender House" in Italy - its a store that has everything lavender - it smelled SO good. (4/6)

a long walk that clears your head

a bear hug

The Beatles

smiling at a stranger

eating with chopsticks (Chinese food optional)

butterflies

So I have absolutely no idea whether this means the kind that fly around and have been the subject of many paintings, from 1st graders to monet, or the kind that love to fly around in your stomach.. but I'm gonna go with the second one. :) Today I got to talk to my amazing boyfoshizzle - just thinking about the future made the butterflies flutter <3  
(3.26.10)

staying in your pj's all day

singing along to the radio and knowing all the words

fresh herbs

ordering in pizza

happy endings...even if they're fictional

flying a kite

puppies

root beer floats

holding open the door...

...or having someone hold the door for you

fountain soda

white, fluffy towels

sunshine

spending an afternoon at a museum

really great advice

green lights all the way home

the sound of rain hitting the windows

sitting in a booth

holding hands

a great hair day with no effort

building a fort with your kids

when someone falls asleep with their head on your shoulder

fireflies

the perfect taco

geraniums on a windowsill

slow dancing

the smell of fresh-baked bread

cheesy, uplifting musicals

great stories

the smell of gasoline

the cold side of the pillow

love letters

old friends...

...new friends

a pull-through parking space

I got one of these today at Paradise Bakery - I will admit I was sorta looking for one, but being able to just pull straight through made a super sucky day just a little better. Just a little glimpse of the silver lining. 
3.26.10

a baguette -- crisp on the outside, airy on the inside

when a dog licks your hand

sitting at the counter at an old-fashioned diner

using your favorite dishes

reading your child a bedtime story

Girl Scout Cookies

flossing

kissing someone you love

the smell of onions and garlic cooking

hot chocolate

jumping in puddles

old photographs

birds hopping on the sidewalk

Ella Fitzgerald

a spoonful of peanut butter straight from the jar

your softest t-shirt

a new magazine in the mail

fireplaces

having exact change

bacon and pancakes cooking on Saturday morning

Light and Darkness

There may be black,

And there may be white

But surely if both exist back to back,

Within them hides a shadowy grey night.

Light battles with the dark,

A combined Technicolor,

Winning for hours shown only on tree bark,

Releasing a sunburst of bright color,

Splashed across the sky with a painter’s mark,

Before leaving at sea the sailor,

Blindly floating in the echoless dark.

Subdued.

But not defeated.

Dark grows strong,

Encroaching even upon the bright colored blotches,

But light does not falter in the wrong,

Impaling the dark with flaming spear of wishes,

Leaving bright dots of hope in lovesong,

Scattered across the body of dark clashes.

Yet in the midst of dark captures,

His face shines down,

Conquering more darkness than millions of punctures,

Lighting the path with His crown,

Leading through adventures,

Until the light becomes known,

And us the light recaptures.

my one word.

love. 

go down, death

Weep not, weep not, She is not dead; She's resting in the bosom of Jesus. Heart-broken husband—weep no more; Grief-stricken son—weep no more; She's only just gone home. Day before yesterday morning, God was looking down from his great, high heaven, Looking down on all his children, And his eye fell on Sister Caroline, Tossing on her bed of pain. And God's big heart was touched with pity, With the everlasting pity. And God sat back on his throne, And he commanded that tall, bright angel standing at his right hand: Call me Death! And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice That broke like a clap of thunder: Call Death!—Call Death! And the echo sounded down the streets of heaven Till it reached away back to that shadowy place, Where Death waits with his pale, white horses. And Death heard the summons, And he leaped on his fastest horse, Pale as a sheet in the moonlight. Up the golden street Death galloped, And the hoof of his horse struck fire from the gold, But they didn't make no sound. Up Death rode to the Great White Throne, And waited for God's command. And God said: Go down, Death, go down, Go down to Savannah, Georgia, Down in Yamacraw, And find Sister Caroline. She's borne the burden and heat of the day, She's labored long in my vineyard, And she's tired— She's weary— Go down, Death, and bring her to me. And Death didn't say a word, But he loosed the reins on his pale, white horse, And he clamped the spurs to his bloodless sides, And out and down he rode, Through heaven's pearly gates, Past suns and moons and stars; On Death rode, And the foam from his horse was like a comet in the sky; On Death rode, Leaving the lightning's flash behind; Straight on down he came. While we were watching round her bed, She turned her eyes and looked away, She saw what we couldn't see; She saw Old Death. She saw Old Death. Coming like a falling star. But Death didn't frighten Sister Caroline; He looked to her like a welcome friend. And she whispered to us: I'm going home, And she smiled and closed her eyes. And Death took her up like a baby, And she lay in his icy arms, But she didn't feel no chill. And Death began to ride again— Up beyond the evening star, Out beyond the morning star, Into the glittering light of glory, On to the Great White Throne. And there he laid Sister Caroline On the loving breast of Jesus. And Jesus took his own hand and wiped away her tears, And he smoothed the furrows from her face, And the angels sang a little song, And Jesus rocked her in his arms, And kept a-saying: Take your rest, Take your rest, take your rest. Weep not—weep not, She is not dead; She's resting in the bosom of Jesus. -James Weldon Johnson.

graduation party theme:

half name stealing, beanie baby sharing, swimming, emergency saving, dancing, mummy riding, double trauma planning, birthday laughing, surfing, shopping, shoe trying on-ing, picture taking, cd buying (hush sounding), relative sharing, flying, pal package sending, phone bill raising, credit card maxing (plane tickets), itunes swapping, boy talking, plotting, bubble blowing, math solving, marshmallow microwaving/eating, graduating, cloned, carbon copied girls. 

<3 kelsey and shelby. 


blast from the past - graduation, T minus a year and a half! 

poetry contest: flower of love.

in the heart of every girl,
there lies a seed down deep,
surrounded by glass,
prince-proof, no more, no less.
this seed lies restless,
awaiting its day,
to be released from chains,
set free from bonds,
by true love's touch.
awakened from sleep,
the seed begins to grow and bloom.
delicate petals with strength of steel,
break through the glass,
cut the ropes,
tear the bonds.
set free at last, it pushes upward,
showing its color on rosy cheeks,
its intrinsic joy in twinkling eyes,
and its passion in every gentle touch.
-kelsey elmore. 

bible. b-i-b-l-e. bible.

okay, so its official, i'm afraid of a book. one little red book. the front reads "LIVE: Holy Bible"- when i already have close to around 10+ bibles, one could begin to wonder why i just bought another one. but i needed to. every bible i've ever had, for the most part, has felt untouchable and off-limits to my color and creativity. it was there to read when i needed to find something for school, but otherwise served as a wonderful dust collector. but now i'm befuddled. my bible came with stickers?? yep. and it has creative space. and pictures. and quotes. and poems. and art. and... stuff that attracts me. that allows me to bring God's word to my life.  i can finally draw, write, and color. highlight, underline, and circle. box, square, and emphasize. decorate, read, listen. 

i'm 15 for a moment
caught in between 10 and 20
and i'm just dreaming
counting the ways to where you are
i'm 22 for a moment
she feels better than ever
and we're on fire
making our way back from mars
15 there's still time for you
time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
when you only got 100 years to live
i'm 33 for a moment
still the man, but you see i'm a they
a kid on the way
a family on my mind
i'm 45 for a moment
the sea is high
and i'm heading into a crisis
chasing the years of my life
15 there's still time for you
time to buy, time to lose yourself
within a morning star
15 i'm all right with you
15, there's never a wish better than this
when you only got 100 years to live
half time goes by
suddenly you’re wise
another blink of an eye
67 is gone
the sun is getting high
we're moving on...
i'm 99 for a moment
dying for just another moment
and i'm just dreaming
counting the ways to where you are
15 there's still time for you
22 i feel her too
33 you’re on your way
Every day's a new day...
15 there's still time for you
time to buy and time to choose
hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
when you only got 100 years to live


-100 years, five for fighting. 

phrase of the day.

while reading through my apush text, i came upon my phrase of the day. possibly of the week, maybe even month. foppish dandy. 

leaving.

beginnings so joyful, endings so sorrowful. coming so easily, the end sneaking up like a thief in the night. a great burst of hope surges forth, ebbing with the tide, still there, held there by God, but pulled back by the end. 


i got to see him this week, and now this chapter is coming to a close. yet not the close of our book, i do hope, but the beginning of the second book in the series, written by love. love, so often personified, is mistakenly so. how can something that has the ability to cause such pain not be real? personification is unnecessary. love can heal, glue, stab, cut. 


love is like a marshmallow, sweet to the taste, sticky and thick in the inside, powdery, light and fluffy on the outside, and causes cavities in some cases, has no affect in others, yet still in others causes severe hyperness. ponder this, my dear reader, as we begin this new year. 

colors.

the number of colors that one person sees in a day could only be counted by God. hundreds. thousands. millions. millions of billions. even in one glance, numerous colors make up a picture in the brain. and yet, while this may sound so mind boggling, how are you just now realizing this? its been sixteen years and some two hundred days since i've been born, and i'm just now seeing this. 
the colors fascinate me. the blues, the hues of blue. the shades of those hues. the brightness of those hues. it all combines so easily, yet not until one attempts to replicate the amazing collage of color does one realize how intricate it all truly is. 
i just bought highlighters. thirteen of them, to be exact. and now i have a problem. a small problem for most, but for me, a big problem. which color to use? i want them all. all at once. all over. each one holds its own, while reflecting the color of the highlighter next to it. 
such is the way my brain sees.  

christmas.

so, although it is technically the 18th of december here, in tokyo it's the 19th, so we're gonna go with that. its 6 days until christmas - this fact has slowly but surely crept up on me, scaring me today as i looked at the calendar. just for the fun of it... this is my "kelsey to-do before christmas/tennessee" list. 


1. pack.
2. laundry. (actually should do this before packing..).
3. finish sewing/making stuffed bunny. 
4. christmas shopping for the parents. 
5. practice and perfect piano pieces. 
6. read act one of our town.
7. finish down drawing.
8. finish charcoal drawing.
9. start a painting.
10. read at least one or two books (depending on the length). 
11. find new music.
12. take last final on monday (ew.).
14. skip number 13 because it's too cool for school. 
15. put in hours at work.
16. sleep. er.. sleep is number one. 


aanyways. this is my list... wish me luck. 

messed up swiss army.

"the swiss have an interesting army. five hundred years without a war. pretty lucky for them. ever see that little swiss army knife they have to fight with? not much of a weapon there. corkscrews. bottle openers. 'come on, buddy, let's go. you get past me,the guy in back of me, he's got a spoon. Back off. I've got the toe clippers right here.'" --Jerry Seinfeld


sadly i feel as if all i had to fight school with, is a swiss army knife. oh hey test, i've got a spoon! i'm so gonna take you down... maybe i'll use the toe clippers and cut you to pieces.. really dangerous stuff right? 

the rhodora

on being asked, whence is the flower?

in may, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
i found the fresh rhodora in the woods,
spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook,
to please the desert and the sluggish brook.
the purple petals, fallen in the pool,
made the black water with their beauty gay;
here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
and court the flower that cheapens his array.
rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
this charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
then Beauty is its own excuse for being:
why thou wert there, o rival of the rose!
i never thought to ask, I never knew:
but, in my simple ignorance, suppose
the self-same Power that brought me there brought you. 


-ralph waldo emerson 

tokyo time

**notice: all times posted on this blog are in tokyo time, as i find it easier to live by one universal time. my boyfriend picked tokyo, thus... so you won't be confused as i just was, its earlier than what it says. ciao!**

trust and beauty.

trust is a funny thing. it can take years to build, yet can be broken in an instant. when built up, it has irresistible strength. when broken into tiny shards and fragments, it can be detrimental. built up, it carries great potential for a flowering relationship, the glue that holds together the pieces in rough times. broken into shards, it has the potential to draw blood. 
beauty too, is a funny thing. so subjective to the individual eye, so criticized in the bearer, so plentiful in the eyes of God. for many it hides in the shadow of the window. behind the thick aquarium glass lay the seeds of beauty, in the shadow of the glass. on view for others to see, hidden from itself. when the glass of trust breaks, the shards find their way into the hearts of the seeds, the blood of beauty free flowing.