Really...29?

On this May 29th of 2008 I turn 29 years (young not old!). It was great, I was up with my mom last night at midnight; for whatever reason I don't know, but we were talking about what time I was born so we pulled out my baby book and there it was...4:40 a.m. on May 29, 1979!!! No wonder I am always early for things, being born that early in the morning just stuck with me :)

Till I write again, take care!

Get off my ass...

So, let me just start by saying this one is a total ranting session. From the moment that Carrie and I arrived in Utah (Provo to be exact), I have come to realize that speed limits really do not have any meaning here. It was a Sunday evening and I was going a tiny bit over the speed limit but just to keep from having people hit me. They were truly flying past me at well over the speed limit. It was insane. So, I thought okay this must just be a weird moment. But ever since then I have literally been having people on my ass driving everywhere. Now, I am not a slow driver but I am also not a driver that is going to chance getting a speeding ticket so I go just slightly over the limit. But seriously, this has been a phenomenon that I do not remember nor do I care to keep up with. Oh, what to do...I know...driver faster!!! I will be sure to keep you posted on if this is just something that continues or if I will simply get sucked into it all!

Till I write again, take care!

I didn't move to North Carolina, I moved to UTAH!!!

Hi all,

I know it has been a while but what a crazy few weeks I have been through, and I mean crazy. I finally arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday May 18th after a long weekend of moving, emotions, drinking, and eating!!! Oh yeah, did I mention a lack of true sleep. My sister Carrie arrived late on Friday the 16th and we went back to my apartment and after she uttered the words, "Wow, we still have a ton of work to do," my heart sank a bit. But really it was just random little things and cleaning to take care of (or so I thought). We got up early on Saturday and I went to graduation to say some last goodbyes and to see my students walk. I am so proud of all of them! Carrie, bless her heart, stayed back and busted butt in cleaning and final packing. After graduation, Kim and I went and then we all busted butt in finishing up getting ready for the movers.


Okay, the movers...my anxiety was well deserved for this move. The showed up on time, that was nice, they had a sense of humor, that was nice, but the charging me for extra tape and the fact that I had one flight of stairs, please. Oh yeah, and I was over my cubic feet that I had put down so I had to pay extra and I had to end up making the call on whether or not I was going to take something or donate it, or just simply put it by the dumpsters for someone else to find. And find people did; with in 10 minutes of putting a vacuum and a standing fan out there, they were gone. That was just crazy to me. But all was said and done and my little studio apartment of five years, the place I called home, was all wrapped up and keys turned in by 2pm.


Later that night, we went to some friends for a BBQ. A big thank you to Peter and Linda for hosting and thank you to Kim, Scott, Kayce, Morgan, Jenn and Birch for coming out to raise your glass with me one more time as a Colorado resident (not the last time, I am sure of that).

The drive home to Utah seemed really long this time and I don't think it was just because we took the scenic route. But I had one of my best friends and some really good music with me. Come to find out that I am a horrible passenger on road trips; not because I slept or anything but because I got BORED. I mean I got really bored for that two hour period when I wasn't driving. Therefore, when we stopped again, I had to get back behind the wheel to keep me doing something. Guess that could be a good thing for others when they take road trips with me.

Well, I have plenty more to add to catch up but I will try to break those up.

Till I write again, take care.

Skip Utah, I am moving to North Carolina...

The day before the big adventure of hiring a moving company, I may never do that again. So, I am checking in because I have not got my final time for the movers to come on Saturday and in talking to this guy from dispatch, he says that I need to come down and pay the rest of my bill of $4,000. Well that was my first clue. After I try to tell him that is not my price and I have payed my price, he tries to tell me that in moving to North Carolina it is going to cost me that much. Well the anxiety set in and so did the anger. I was calm though, I always am!!! In the end, I think I should still be moving to Utah. I guess we will wait and see when I am waiting for the moving truck to arrive at my mom's house in Utah. Seriously...that was the last thing I needed on a day like this (a day full of emotions and anxiety).

On another note, today was my last day at work. It was a tough day for me. I just want to thank everyone for all the wonderful things they have said and done for me. I thought it was going to be hard to tell everyone that I would be leaving in two months. Well, I think it was harder to go through this last week and my last day. Good thing...I get to see everyone for one last brief moment tomorrow during graduation. Yeah!!!!!! I will truly miss my campus family but I will come back to visit.

On top of the emotions I have had with leaving my coworkers, I have also had to say goodbye to my students. That in it self has been hard. I am so proud of each and everyone of them and I am so lucky to be able to call them my students! Thank you to all of you for making a difference in my life and I can't wait to hear about all the amazing things you are going to be doing. I am so excited to see some of them walk tomorrow.

Okay, I am off to pick up my sister, Carrie, who was delayed for two hours. But she will be here and I can't wait, I really need the help...cleaning and packing :)

Till I write again, take care!

Got to love the Elm! Going to miss the Elm!!!

One awesome addition to my life here in Denver has been the Elm, my local bar and hang out. There has been plenty of my time in Denver spent at this one location; summer early release afternoons, after opening weekend, during graduation, and just for fun. So, I found it fitting to have one more happy hour at the Elm tonight. There were many that couldn't make it and we definitely missed you. But for those that were able to come, thank you and I am so glad we could be there together. With my mild OCD behaviors, I started taking pictures with everyone before they left, here are some of the memories of my last happy hour as a local at the Elm...

Till I write again, take care!

What do you mean there is no water?

So, I find out last night that there was a water line break at my complex and Denver Water has shut off the water. Okay I say to myself, it will be back up in the morning. Little did I know! So, I wake up early just to make sure and I see that there is no water STILL!!! Then I step outside to see if I see any of the work being done and low and behold the sprinklers are on! Are you kidding me. The sprinklers are on in front of the building that has no water running!!! Really, I mean come on have a little common courtesy for those of us experiencing the problem! Oh, and it is 6:30 p.m. and I STILL HAVE NO WATER!!! :( But life is what you make of it and attitude is everything; so, I made the best of my situation and of course I got a good laugh out of it. I mean my last 4 days in this apartment and I loose water, who else would that happen to.

But on a lighter note...today, they had a farewell party for me in my office and tons of co-workers and students stopped by to say "till I see you again". It was great. I just can't thank everyone enough for everything they have done for me and all the appreciation they have shown me. I am truly going to miss this place and all the wonderful people. Life is also about making a difference in the lives of others and I can say that many people here at JWU and in Denver have MADE A DIFFERENCE IN MY LIFE!!!

Till I write again, take care.

Soon there will be no more countdown & Thank You's!

So, day 5 of my countdown came and went. I remember when I still had two months. But today was a good day, only a few tears.

It started this morning when I got to have coffee with a mentor of mine, Jackie, and that was a great kick off to my day. Thank you Jackie for everything you have done for me and I am so proud to be able to call you my friend.

Then my old boss, Matt stopped by. That was great. True to Matt form, he calls and makes me think that I won't get to see him before I go and less than two minutes after getting off the phone, there he is walking into my office. Thank you Matt for all you have and continue to do for me. You are my friend and I will miss you.

After that I got to have some time with my current boss Tony. While we have had a short time together, you have done a lot for me and my professional development. Thank you for everything and you and the new CLI team are going to do amazing things.

Tomorrow I will only have 3 days left at JWU and only 4 in Colorado. While I have all of these emotions and feelings, I am so excited to be going home to be with my family. I guess if I look at it there will be no more countdown for my time here in Colorado but there will be a countdown for something else. The countdown till I start a job, till we go to Jamaica for Melanie's wedding, till we see Gov't Mule, till...I get to come back to Denver to see all my friends.

Thank you everyone for everything. I am truly humbled by the relationships I have formed here. If you are ever in Utah, I expect you to call.

Till I write again, take care!

Flight of the Yellow Butterfly

Yesterday I started this blog and did not know what to title my page so I simply called it Kellie's Page. However, in thinking about why I started this blog, to document my new adventures, and after talking with Jenn and Kim at lunch I decided to name it something new. Then a sign came, I saw a butterfly fluttering away. Recently I have been letting things present themselves to me and I know that the title of my blog is very small, but I let it present itself to me.

On a side note, it is clear that I love butterflies and for many reasons. Reasons which I will save for later. But recently, a group of us were coming up with code names and I dubed myself the "Yellow Butterfly". Again, things have been presenting themselves to me lately and I open and welcome to these signs.

A big thank you goes out to my friend "the girl with big...dogs".

Till I write again, take care.

It all started last night when...

Saturday, May 10th was my last night out on the town with my friends and favorite local band, Schmocter! A night to remember! I was talking with my friend Tom about my move and all the new things that I will get to experience and do when I am back home in Utah with my family and friends. And, he really got me to thinking about tracking this new adventure.

Well, after a few really compelling comments from Tom in support of me starting this blog (and a small ceremony) here I am starting it the next day. I guess that's what making a promise is all about!

In honor of taking time to document the happenings of my life here I go...

There has been a great deal of events going on in my last two months here in Colorado, but I will try to go back and cover those as I go along.

So let me start with this weekend! On Friday, the 9th I went to Phil Lesh and Friends with Scott for his birthday and for my last show at the Fillmore as a resident of Colorado!!! The music was on and the joint was jumping but the venue...come on Fillmore, don't tell me you don't have some kind of ventilation system in that place! The funny thing about this evening was that I forgot my regular eye glasses so I had to spend the entire night wearing my sunglasses. In the end, it wasn't that bad and I now know that I can wear my sunglasses in the evening if I am in a pinch!!!

Saturday was a great day...I finally got my couch out of my apartment. Thank you Kim and Scott. Now that it is gone, it feels like I have a a lot less to put on the moving truck.

Then the night really kicks off when we get to The Walnut room to see Schmocter!!! I will truly miss going to Schmocter shows in downtown Denver. But the music was groovin' that night. Schmocter keep up the good work, you guys are creating something magical. And they even have merchandise...Schmocter t-shirts!!! You can see me sporting one with the guys from the band.

Thanks for an awesome evening guys and thank you to everyone that made it down that night for one last time with me, and thank you to those that got their feet a dancin' in the back. You count on me for a little (okay a lot of) groovin' when the music is right!

I will not bore you with the details of my adventures after the show but if you would like a good laugh ask Kim or Scott about Denny's!!!

Till I write again, take care!