day nineteen - some nicknames.

Day 19 - any nicknames you have and why you have them:

I have a few nicknames, most of them relating somehow to my last name, but not many of them are used very often. Here they are, though:

- Kels - for obvious reasons. Also, due to a permanent 2-year retainer, I have a tiny bit of a lisp and "Kelsey" is kind of hard for me to say.
- K - again, for obvious reasons. This one is used by Emily, and Emily alone.
- Meggie - a variation of my middle name - used only by my uncle Doug (or Douggie, to me).
- Q-dawg - a basketball team nickname
- Mini-Q - a coaching nickname, derived from the fact that my dad is "Q"
- Quinnie - I'm not really sure why.
- K-Quizzy - (pronounced K-Queasy) - because one time in college I dressed up like a thug.
- Coachy - because 14 year old girls like to call their coach something cutesy
- Giant Gorilla - because I work at a daycare and kids are weird
- Sassy Pants - see above
- Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman - because people think they're clever
- Ms. Qdoba ('doba for short) - because I work at a high school and teenagers are weird

I think that's all.

In other news, the sun is shining and it's warm and it's almost spring break and I'm having a great hair day :)

day eighteen - dreams

Day 18 - some plans/dreams/goals that you have:

Well isn't this just the loaded prompt? I have to start with a confession: I always feel really lame when people start the "what is your dream?" conversation, because I feel like I don't really have one. (I know that's lame and probably untrue, but bear with me.) I have dreams of being happy and successful, of getting married and having kids someday, and of someday living in a house instead of an apartment. I have dreams of traveling with my family and growing old with someone and spending a happy retirement occupied with some sort of all-consuming hobby (like scrapbooking or water aerobics or something). But those aren't the kind of dreams being asked about in those conversations. I don't dream of being a doctor or inventing something or running a marathon or going to grad school. My dreams are smaller than that. And for a long time I thought that the small scale of my dreams meant that they were insignificant. I often wondered if there was something wrong with my makeup, that all I longed for was a happy family and not a high-powered career with a completely disposable income attached to it. But that's not true. My dreams are significant. My dreams reflect my heart.

And I believe that my dreams will come true someday.

(Also, how good was Glee tonight!?)

day 17 (plus some random thoughts)

Day 17 - someone you would like to trade lives with for a day.

So...I've spent quite a bit of time thinking about this. (More than I should have, maybe...) and I came up with this - I wouldn't want to trade lives with anyone. There are parts of other people's lives that I occasionally envy (financial security, job security, fantastic relationships, etc.) but for the most part, I am perfectly content with just being...me.

In other news, The Bachelor finale (the most dramatic one ever!) was on last night, and while it is still ridiculously contrived fake tv, there was quite a bit more real life substance to it then I've ever seen before. Some real conversations about real issues, not just "this is such a fairytale, I'm so in love and will be forever" and eye twinkling. I appreciated the little dose of actual reality in reality tv, and wish that the producers of the show would realize that these moments of substance are what most veiwers would actually like to see. However, I know I'm bound to be disappointed when I inevitably start watching next season, despite my best intentions not to.

Unrelated: there needs to be a universal symbol for sarcasm that can be used on facebook, twitter, text messages, etc. Because I far too often get myself in trouble because tone of voice and facial expressions get lost in online translation. I'm going to think of something and try to get it to catch on. It will be so fetch. Who's with me?!?

day sixteen - my short lived modeling career.

Day 16 - some more pictures of yourself:

My friend Jeff Shipley took these photos of me a couple of years ago...and that was the extent of my lucrative modeling career haha. But seriously...he's really talented. Go check him out.

In other (much more serious) news, things in the world are a mess lately, aren't they? My heart just breaks for the people of Japan - what a tragedy. My prayers go out to them, and I just ask for God to be present there. It's hard to imagine any good coming of a tragedy of this magnitude, but with Him, all things are possible.

day fifteen - music!!

Day 15 - put your ipod on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that play:

1) "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson

2) "Over My Head" - The Fray

3) "Find My Way Back Home" - Priscilla Ahn

4) "The Beautiful Letdown" - Switchfoot

5) "Pathetique Movement" - Beethoven

6) "Cowboy In Me" - Tim McGraw

7) "She's Always a Woman" - Billy Joel

8) "Free Fallin' (Live)" - John Mayer

9) "Love Song for a Savior" - Jars of Clay

10) "Soul Meets Body" - Death Cab for Cutie

Happy Saturday!

day fourteen

Day 14 - a picture of you and your family:

I have been infinitely blessed with my family. I could go on and on and on about how much I love them and how wonderful I think they are, but I won't. All I will say is this: everything that is good in my life is tied to them. They are amazing.

(What a devastating and tragic event occured today. May God bless all those in need tonight.)

day thirteen - a letter to someone who has hurt you recently

Dear Public Education Funding and US Economy,

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I hate you guys. I hate living every day embroiled in the uncertainty of whether or not my job will still be around next year. And, I hate the fact that I have a college degree from a fairly prestigious school, but the only jobs available to me are crappy hours, crappy pay, and almost certainly about to be dissolved completely.

Look, I know you probably didn't mean to hurt me. But the thing is, you have. And as much as I wish I was the kind of carefree person who could take all of this uncertainty in stride, I'm really not. Therefore, you are causing my stress level to be infinitely higher than it should be for any normal, single 24 year old.

However, if you start to improve your situation, I don't see why we can't work this out. All I ask is that you guarantee me a job for the next year or two, and start creating an economy that will allow me a prosperous and secure future. I really don't think it's too much to ask, but if you can't meet these requirements, well, there's not really anything I can do about it. But I will be angry, so there's that.

I am quite hopeful that we will be able to work this out...

Your completely powerless friend,

Kelsey M. Quinlan