*A HOP, SKIP, & A JUMP TO BICKNELL, UTAH*

On the spur of the moment... Val, Wayne, and I decided to jump in the car and headed south. We ALL needed a weekend away and were desperate for some Red Rock. Wayne gave us the idea of staying in "Bicknell, Utah"...ever heard of it? Neither had I. It's smack in the middle of several different places that we thought of going. We took a different route then the norm. It was like a back road that was more scenic. It was great! We ended up going to Captial Reef & Goblin Valley. Both are amazing! We laughed and laughed like little kids and had the best time. All of us kept saying, "I SO needed this trip." All three of us love photography, so basically thats what did the most. Pull over...stop...take picture's...eat good food...sing songs...and repeat. :) I love both Val & Wanga to death and that's what really made the trip.

Here are a handful of my favorite shots. Yay for Bicknell!

ps. There are 3 pictures of the same pie on here. It will not leave my blog. I tried 3 times to take the extras off. I guess your just going to have to wish you were there to taste it! YUMMMMMMM!

*CAT HAIR*

PREPARE TO PEE YOUR PANTS!

My friend sent me this link and I laughed until I was sick! It is the most funny/disturbing/rediculous site I have ever seen. Those poor cat's!

Make sure you check out the *About us* part of the website. Can you say Coo-Coo?!!
(And no, I would NEVER torment my cats like this!) hahahaha

http://www.kittywigs.com/

*TITHING*

In High School I found myself trying really hard to teach myself the importance of paying my tithing. I had a plain white envelope with the word *Tithing* on it. On the back of the envelope I gave myself the stern rebuke, "Do not touch! This is the Lords money KIM!" Those words were suppose to give me the power and courage to not "Rob the Lord" of those Tithes & Offerings.

Well, being tempted one day I came to commit the sin of stealing from the stash. But then I suddenly saw that there, under my own encouragment to choose the right, these words were written below...

"Thanks, Love the Lord."

I would have guessed that the Lord had really written me a thank you note if it wasn't for the recognizable handwriting of my sister, Jen. She's always been such a clever little bastage! Our whole family got a kick out of that and I still laugh my head off over it. What a funny girl!

Jen, your ACE and I heart you! Thanks for being the Lords mouth piece from time to time. :D

*I COVET*

I WANT this purse! I saw it in this photograph and it was like MAGIC. Like it was meant to be mine. So I did a search to find it. I found one similar for, oh, TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS! I guess the stars are not aligning for us to be together.

Any of my friends in New York want to keep an eye out for a knock off?!

*Pouting*

*JOURNALS*

So I stole this idea from my best mate, Wayne. I thought it was really kool and decided I would make it a part of my blog. (Thanks W.D. ;)

I started keeping a journal at age 8. And in my early teenage years, I was given the counsel to keep a book of rememberance all my days. I can honestly say, that so far, I have been 100% obedient. I have in my possession over 30 journals. No joke! Most of my most precious moments in life are written on paper. I like to call them "Kim's Golden plates" hahaah Truthfully, they are THAT special to me for more then one reason. One of those reasons came less two years ago. I went into the hospital to do ECT. (Electric shock therapy) for my depression. After 16 sessions of being electrocuted (If you can laugh at it...you can live with it)I had lost a GREAT deal of both short and long term memory. Coming home I felt so lost and soon after I started re-reading my journals and feeling like I was reading about someone else's life. It was crazy! I found myself laughing, in tears, in awe, and feeling very blessed that the I had been told to keep a record of my life. I also saw myself from a different perspective which was a neat experience.

So, with that much said, every so often, I'm going to go back in time and read/write one of my journal entries from the past on this blog. I think it will be fun and very interesting.

Today I'm going to share a page from my first journal! A gorgeous Hello Kitty Diary! hahaha Here we go!

*August 16, 1984*

"Well Sherri had her baby. Two O clock in morning. My friend slept over. We were up the whole night. First we waited until my little sister Jeni was asleep. THEN we played family fued. It was fun. Then we decided to get some rest. We started to fall asleep and then the phone rang. We both ran to the phone and it was Pam. Then it was my mom. It's a BOY! 9 pounds 5 ounces 21 inches. Well his name is Dallas Robert Curtis. He is so cute. I love him alot. He does not cry much he just wimpers. Sherri came home from the hospital at 7:00 he was in his green pajamas. Before Sherri came home I had to go to stars. It was booring. We have a performance tomorrow and thats why we had to practice. That's all."

(I highlighted my favorite parts :)

hahah I find it interesting that tomorrow is Dallas's Birthday. (that page is literally the one I turned to! kool!) 24 years ago I wrote about a little baby in green jammys. How excited I was to have my first nephew and little did I know what he would really mean to me. The years have passed and I have watched him grow into a great man of God. He truly is a modern day Moroni. His influence on me has been great and I feel blessed to be his Aunt. Happy Birthday, Dallas! :)

On a ending note, what would my family do without me? I am the family historian because you are all lazy butts when it comes to keeping a journal! The details of Dallas wearing green pj'z are crucial to future generations! God bless me and golden plates! ;)

ps. Dallas, I bought you a new pair of green jammy's. I'm sure the others are worn out. They have footy's and everything! heh heh

*MR. BLEU*

I love my little nephew, Bleu, so much! He has this really tender little spirit and everything about him just touches people's hearts. He is the kind of little boy who will sit on your lap and talk to you about anything. He makes the funniest expressions and sometimes I laugh so hard at things he says. His imagination is so cute and creative. I really feel a special little bond with him.
My sister took these pictures of us this week at Grandmas house. I think they show how much I love him. :)

*CHRISTIAN THE LION*

So many people have already seen this, but I just LOVE it. It touched my heart so much. It's worth watching again. :)

*A VERY SPECIAL PEN*

Two days ago I went to read my scriptures before bed and found an older Book Of Mormon of mine. I have a new set now but sometimes I like to look at the old ones because I've marked different things. So, I open up the book to where a pen was marking the page. I then stopped and stared. Two seconds later I was busting up laughing. Helaman chapter 1 had a *Viagra* pen that was being used to save the last place I had been reading. Bah hahahah I got this pen from a friend who's roomate worked for some pharmacy and had brought home a 4 foot empty container that had *Viagra* written on it. It sat proudly on top of their t.v. and it was the big joke at their pad. He also brought a handful of pens. Obviously some kind of promotional thing. So I stole my friends pen because I thought it was funny. For those of you who may be thinking this story is fabricated and that it's my own pen that I got from my doctors office, let me remind you of two things.
#1 Women do not use Viagra. They use something with a different name (see, I don't even know what it's called.) #2 I am a 34 year old, single, MOLLY MORMON. If I need something like *Viagra* in the future...I'll be sure to blog about it! :) Until then, my pen is going to stay where it is. Tucked nicely in my scriptures for a future day when I need a good laugh. :D

(Although, it would be funny if I stuck it in my purse and used it to sign for groceries or other purposes. ha ha I would love to see the look on peoples faces!)

*A HEART ATTACK :)*

When you have an illness, it is really difficult for family & friends to know exactly how to help. I have been on both side's of the fence and I always have searched my heart for way's to lift or help carry the burdens of others. Not always an easy task. But usually, it is the small simple things that actually lift and sustain us the most. A great example came this week from my brothers family. I was so sick and and so frustrated with this neverending battle of depression. It had been several nights since I had slept and that causes a lack of appetite. Which then triggers all the others things. At these moments when I feel I literally can't take one more second, something from heaven will come to strengthen my back and my will to go forward.

I got a text from my niece to go open my front door. And as I did, I saw that it was covered in hearts! They had messages of hope and love for me. My heart was so full and even now it is full of gratitude and thanks for the incredible support system that I have. I keep thinking of when the Lord spoke to the Prophet Joseph in one of his greatest times of need and spoke these words of comfort;

"7 My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
8 And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.
9 Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands."

D&C 121:17-9

Truly, my friend's & family have stood by me and continue to. I am so thankful!

*WASHINGTON*

I had the opportunity to go to Port Angeles, Forks, and La Push Washington for a "girls only" Twilight trip. There are no words to express the beauty that I beheld. I would love to share the details of the trip but not only are there far too many to share, but I am super sick right now.
I took 300 photos, but I'm only going to show my favorite one. *Raising my glass* I say, "Here's to the beauty of the earth!"

*TRENDS GONE WRONG*

(My personal opinion starting at top of page)

1- What in the "H" are those shoes? Not only is "Osama 'bin Shoppin'" wearing them, but so is everyone else. I think my sister might have had a similar pair in the 80's and I guarantee I thought they were horrible then too.

2- The beaded/braided headbands. Unless you or I are Indian princess's, NO one should be allowed to wear these.

3-Bug eye/Humongous glasses. I know how many of you have these and at the risk of offending you, they are hideous. If you want to use them instead of sunscreen, more power to ya. Obviously they cover up most of your face.

4- Leggings?! No, no, and NO! Everytime I see someone wearing these, I assume they are off to their ballet class.

5-High waisted "MOM JEANS." Don't you remember when your mom use to wear these high-waisted huggers? If your tempted to buy these, watch this!

http://www.hulu.com/watch/10333/saturday-night-live-mom-jeans

6-And in the lead, comes the Trends of Katie Holmes. Not only is she responsible for the "Bang Movement" (I totally fell into that trap. Some of you look great with bangs, but I looked like I was 12!) And now she is attempting to bring back the baggy *Fold & Roll* Jean. Wow. I'm speechless. (Oh, I failed to mention the socks with the shoes!)

So, as your choosing which trends you would like to follow, I offer the words from the Prophet Jacob;

"Oh be wise, what can I say more?"

(btw, there is no mockery of this scripture. It happens to be one of my favorites and I think it applys to EVERYTHING! ;)

*I HEART GLASSES*

So, I LOVE glasses. Even though I don't need to wear them, I still do. I found these little gems at a store in San Fran. The pic is of me trying to decide whether or not I truly like them. I DO! My mom wore a pair similar to them when she was my age. I remember looking at her picture and thinking they were so nerdy! And now I'm wearing the same kind. I'm sure the day will come when I say, "I was such a nerd to wear those!" hahhaha

ps. I know that's my "mirror face" that I am famously known for! Stop laughing!!! :P

*TRUMAN G. MADSEN & THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH*

(I wrote this on June 29th 2008)

One of my greatest modern day heros is Truman G. Madsen. He is truly one of the greatest Mormon philosophers of our time. The man is brilliant. And I am always trying to get my hands on anything that he has written or said. I love the cd's I have that he did on the Prophet Joseph Smith. I have gained a deep testimony and love for the prophet since I've listened to these cd's. (I highly recommend them!) I have books and journals full of quotes as I've listened and studied. This week I wrote down something that Truman shared about a man outside the church and his words on Joseph Smith. When I find these little treasures, I like to share them...

"A book has appeared by one of the greatest literary critics in the world today, Harold Bloom. An author and professor at two prestige’s universities, Yale & New York. Paraphrasing his conclusion on Joseph Smiths writings and life;

“Not in the history of America do we have anyone who can reach his stature. The greatest religious minds of America, including David Thoreau, William James the founder of the great Baptist movement, Emerson and others are by comparison, pygmies, (sp?) and this essentially because of the product of his mind."

”Bloom doesn’t even want to argue the question of where their ideas came from, doesn’t even want to beg the question of whether there was any divine inspiration. He simply says, look at the product and you know that nothing short of wonder is possible for this man."

~Truman G. Madsen

Photos,

Truman G. Madsen

Harold Bloom

Joseph Smith (I believe this was painted by Liz Lemon Swindel...but I'm not sure)

*BELLA'S BRACELET*

The *Twilight* nerd strikes again! hahha My niece & I bought these bracelets and we think they are RAD. Everytime I look at it, I think "TEAM EDWARD!" Bah hahahhah
My blog is not always going to be about Twilight, but this month it will be! This month holds many Twilight surprises! ...wait and see! heh heh heh