Rock Your Socks

These little girls are going to rock your socks off- trust me!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7HJOTVA-t0&feature=channel

Wow! I know.

And all shall know the wonder...

Sunday afternoon will forever be on my mind as one of the best theatre experiences I have EVER had. Sunday I got to see the Tony Award Winner of 2007...

I have nothing but GOOD things to say... nay, not good- EXCELLENT. It such a beautiful, beautiful musical. I refuse to give anything away if you haven't seen it, but it is a musical that deals with so many issues that teens face- sexuality, first love, puberty, angst, confusion... the list goes on, but this musical takes it all on. And it has some of the best music, written by the INCREDIBLE Duncan Sheik! He is a music genius!!

My seat was FANTABULOUS! Here is a seating chart so you can see just how good it was:

Ok, look at the purple... and then find L on the right... YEP! I was THERE! This is the second closet I have ever been to the stage, and it was worth every penny!!

My cast was nothing short of miraculous. Their energy was amazing. Their acting real and raw. The voices were powerful and moving.

Christy and Kyle as Wendela (Vendala) and Melchior, were sensational!!

The B**** of Living was my FAVORITE number!! Those boys were INSANE!

And yes, the girls who awesome!! I love Gabby, in the red. I wish they would let her solo more- because she was FIERCE!

Sigh. I left my HEART with this musical. It was everything I was hoping it to be and more. If you live in HTown, it will be there til the 18th... GET A TICKET! And if you do- call me and I'll go with you. You can make it my graduation present. :)

And here is a video, since I don't leave you lacking, do i?! :) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-yvzGjTvKo

This is my cast singing The B**** of Living. Gotta love 'em!!!!!!!!!

Kelly's FAVORITE things #2

Ok, I know, I know...

It hasn't even been 24 hours. I'm going crazy. I'm super homesick. I have no connection to the room mate who is living with me at the moment. I don't really have any friends who are here, so I have no one to talk to. I have been in my room all day long. Alone. It's been a horribly depressing day.

But- on a happier note, I have another favorite thing! If you know me, you know all about it. But I've been missing it terribly- which I find myself missing when I am homesick or wish I could be anywhere else.

And what is it?? What could it possibly be?!

Yes. One of my favorite places of all time is the most amazing place in the world: The Houston Zoo. I want to work there. I love it more than any other place. I would go every week if I could.

Here are reasons that I love it:
1) The carnivores!!!! I worked in Carnivores the summer before my senior year of high school. It seems like so long ago- but it was the best summer I have ever had. It defenitely a blessing from the Lord. My dad and I were talking about the zoo the other day, and he told me that the Zoo was the one thing that I was passionate about. I mean, I did other things that I loved, but the Zoo was the one place that I would wake up at 6am for with no complaint. I scooped poop with a smile. I fell in love with EVERY animal that I met and got to work with.

Pandu and Jammu

Nieve

Miracle

2) The campers! I had the most fun teaching Zoo Camp the summer before I started college. It was so much fun, and I learned a LOT and I found out that I really love to teach kids. I especially love to teach kids about how wonderful animals are and how they can help save animals. The kids were precious, the days were HOT but the rewards were AMAZING. :)

The little blonde boy in front is my favorite camper- Julian. He was SO cute!

3) Ok, my favorite animal of ALL time was a Zebra named Adam. He came when I called him. He tried to follow me when it was time for me to leave. He loved me. I loved him. I miss him so much!

So, now you know. The zoo is the best place in the whole entire world! If you haven't been since you were a kid, then you have really missed out because the zoo is better than it's EVER been! I love it, and I hope you love it too!

Kelly's FAVORITE things #1

I will be updating you from time to time on things that I REALLY love. Like, silly things. Or yummy things. Or serious things. Who knows?! And who knows when you will get this kind of update? I guess when I feel like it.

So... without further ado...

My favorite thing #1:

AMERICAN GIRL DOLLS!!!!!


Hahaha. Yes, laugh yourself silly, but I truly love these dolls and books and yes, even movies! I went in my dad's closet when I was home, which used to be my mom's, and I got down my box that has them in it. I have 3: Kirsten (my first... I think I was in 3rd grade? Maybe?), a "look a like" doll, which they call Just Like You. She has brown hair and blue eyes. I know, she looks just like me. :)
The 3rd doll I have is Felicity. I LOVE her. She is my favorite! I bought her with my babysitting money in Middle School. Back when they were only, like, 70 dollars. Oh how times have changed.

Now, why do I love them so much??

1) They are POSITIVE role models for girls!! There are a lot of things out there that break my heart for this generation of kids. But American Girl Dolls are just such happy, positive reminders for girls that they BE anything and DO anything. Wonderful, wonderful!

2) Umm... they are SO cute!! Like, really, really cute! How can you not go Aww? When you see them?!

3) They all have books that go along with them, which encouarge girls to read! And you know how much I love reading.

4) There are 4 movies: Samantha, Felicity, Molly and Kit. There will also be a movie coming out soon with the new Girl of the Year, Chrissa. I find them very cute and entertaining- check them out!

5) They have their own STORE!!!!! No one knows how badly I want to go to this store! I found that there is one in Dallas, so I may need some girls to road trip with me up there. It must be a pretty amazing place. :)

To date, 9 American Girls, 5 Best Friends of American Girl Dolls, and they have had 7 "Girl of the Year" dolls to date, with the current Girl of the Year, Chrissa, having 2 Best Friends. I know! 2!!!
Here is a pic of Chrissa and her friends:

Are they not PRECIOUS?!

Ok, so now you know. I still love dolls! If I could, I would own them ALL. No lie. And if I ever find one, for like, REALLY cheap- heck yes I will buy it! I hope that one day I will have a little girl who loves dolls and American girls as much as I do!

The Year in Review

Here is my year in review:


January: I start the year out with only one roomie instead of two. :( Ash moves back home to student teach. Val and I begin to really get to know each other. Start out my year as ASC VP.

February - April: Anything? Anybody? No?...

May: Study Abroad in Switzerland. AMAZING! I was a homesick basket case, though, so it's no big surprise that I didn't make any "best friends" on this trip.

June: Have to miss Ash's wedding for a "cousins" wedding. Longest car ride of my life.

Val gets married. Go the wrong way for, like, 20 minutes and go 80 down the freeway so that I can make it just in time. She was beautiful!!

July: Summer School at A&M. I almost die from Statistics. Computer is stolen... pretty darn suckish. Thanks robbers- thanks a lot.

August: I am finally a SENIOR! WHOOP! Get OBSESSED with all things Beijing Olympics. Watch Michael Phelps make history! I can't believe I have to wait another 4 years.

September: Start my Method's semester at Cypress Grove Intermediate, 5th grade English. I left my heart with those children. Aggie Ring Day! Get my picture on the front page of the Bryan Eagle. Go to the ER for the first time in my life. Just a ulcer... no biggie. :)

October: The twins are born!! October 6th we welcome Campbell and Colby into our family.

November: Elephant Walk. Didn't walk- just took my pic with some pretty awesome elephants. Thanksgiving. I turn 22.

December: Banquet out of ASC. Best 2 1/2 years of college! Go to my first ASC formal and LOVE it. Christmas roles around.

Well. What do you think? Was it a good year? Did I miss anything important? :)

2008 has been fun but I can't help but think that 2009 has some wonderful things in store for me!! Have a Happy New Year all!

The TRUE meaning of Christmas?

I have been absent from the blog world for a while lately because of many things... but mainly because I haven't had anything important to say. Christmas put me in a funk- like I feel like it always does. I try to remind myself at the end of every Christmas that I need to spend the next one being more appreciative, more loving, more than what I really am. And I always end up bitter and crabby and a little frustrated.

Let me start off by saying that my family is wonderful, but also a little frustrating. Just a little. I may have blogged about this before, or told you about this before, but my dad and siblings and I (and my mom) are the only strong Christians in our family. If you asked anyone in my family if they were going to heaven when they die they would say Yes, but if you asked them why... they couldn't tell you. And that breaks my heart. But it shows up so much in their daily lives. In what they spend their time on, their money on, their priorities on. The first thing they say to me on Christmas morning is, "What did you get for Christmas?!" Now, I will be the first to admit, I love presents. I thinking gift giving is the love language that appeals to me the most, because gifts really show how much people care about you. The more heartfelt, homemade, personal, thoughtful the better. I don't need flashy bells and whistles. It just kind of throws Christmas into this commercial holiday when that's all people want to hear about. JESUS was born on Christmas day. He came into this world just so he could die for us. It was the best gift we have ever been given. I skim over this detail too a lot of the time. But this year, it was important for me to remember this fact.

Now- present wise, I didn't do too bad if you look at different sides of the gift giving spectrum. First, my dad has a tough time with gift giving. It was my mom's job. But he did really well. He got me some cute PJ's, a beautiful teacher outfit (though the pants were a tad big- but I AM excited that I am no longer a size 10!), a purple sweater and a Point of Grace CD collection. He did so well.

My grandmother wanted to get me teacher supplies for Christmas. :) Awww. She got me an electric pencil sharpener, a tape dispenser, pencils (the yellow kind), and highlighters. lol My dad and I just die laughing, but she was so sweet in thinking about me like that. All of that really will come in handy, and I will think of her every time I sharpen a pencil and get a piece of tape.

My aunt... well, she has the best of intentions but they just fall short. She fills my stocking now that my mom is gone, but she stinks at it. No chocolate. :( Fuzzy socks... which I don't ever wear, but yet always get. Soap... yes, bars of soap. Why? Do I stink? And the soap doesn't even smell good. *sigh* and then gifts- I get "matching" gifts with my cousin. Why?!?!?!?!?!?! Are we still 5? It doesn't matter. And the matching gifts aren't even cute. Yuck. I want people to surprise me, but from now I am making a list... you can follow the list, or just donate the money you would be spending on me to charity.

My brother and sister did great. I got a double boiler (for melting chocolate) from my brother and his wife, and an Astros jersey for my sister! The latter was a HUGE surprise... I didn't think I'd ever get one, but I've always wanted one. And whose Jersey is it??

Yes, the gorgeous Hunter Pence. :) My sister did AMAZING this year. But then again, she always does.
Even my dad's girlfriend did well- a 50$ gift card to Kelly's "heaven on earth". Barnes. Sigh. Thank you!! Someone finally listened to me. Oh, and did I mention I am now a MEMBER of B&N? Yes!

Today my dad and I went and got me a new size in pants and then exchanged my phone for a new one. I will miss my old little mini brick, but now I have a purple phone. It's true! But what is even more amazing is that I have found the most AMAZING website for ringtones. I will share it with you- but you will hate me because you will be addicted now. http://www.pisamba.com

You can download your own songs from your computer, edit them to the part you want, and then send them to your phone. Ooo! I know. It's exciting!

We went to Dallas this weekend. I got to hold my sweet babies. I got lots of sweet baby smiles. I felt torn in two the whole time. Part of me was in Dallas but a bigger part wanted to be here so that I could see Val. She hasn't returned my texts, voicemails or fbook messages, but if she is reading- I am so sorry. I have missed you and I love you and it was not fair to you that I didn't tell you what my weekend plans were or that I didn't call sooner. Please forgive me. :(

Today was good. My sister and brother in law and nieces came over to have dinner and Christmas. Avery is 6 and already reads AMAZINGLY well. She may have enough attitude to keep up my middle schoolers, but she is so funny and sweet (when she wants to be). Ashley is a mess and a half. She's been lieing a lot- like, a lot. And she needs a few good spankings. But I love her. How can you not? Riley, my dog, threw up 3 times today. I'm not really sure what is wrong. Just an upset tummy, I hope. He's been super cuddly and in my lap a lot today, which I guess means he really is a sick puppy.

I'm going back to CS on Thursday. I will be meeting my new teacher on Friday for a few hours to talk about Monday and this semester. I think this will make me feel a lot better about everything. And with my new EZ Grader, I now feel ready to face the world. Well, not really, but I really do love that EZ Grader. :) I set up a teacher blog too, so I will be double blogging from now on, I guess. The address is: msmccreery.blogpot.com

Go check me out. :)

Well, I am off to bed for the night. I love you all! Thank you for keeping up with my life. You are all so wonderful and incredibly important to me.

-KelBel

PS: Does anyone know someone who may want to take some pics of me that I can send off as graduation pics? I can't pay a lot (or any really... if we're being honest), but I would love for someone to help me with pics. Even if you take them with my camera. :)

This is how I feel

I'm a little like Charlie Brown today... "Good Grief!"