merry christmas!

merry christmas from my family to yours :) Jesus sure has blessed me this year!

i hope y'all have an amazinggg day! God bless!

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

1. officially finished christmas shopping! {yes, i'm one of those last minute people-partially because i'm always broke!}
2. actually was told I look like a college student today, which is a big accomplishment for me {clint and I will look 12 until we're 50, it's a fact we've just accepted-my younglife girls say I look their age!}
3. phoebe found our bridesmaids dresses-eek! makes it so real! {super excited-but sad she's moving out soon, can't chad just move in? ;) }
4. had dinner with clint's family tonight-BONUS! his mom brought us this coupon book complete with all our favorite restaurants, predators tickets, and free pottery making! {this christmas break will be awesomeeee!}

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

where has the time gone?

wow. i did my first giveaway-then poof I'm gone! life got busy for me, I am now on christmas break and relaxing-it. is. wonderful! 

quick recap: my semester ended on a good note {survived anatomy&&managed to keep my 4.0} on a not-so-good note: I still have no major and no direction. {I should be a senior next fall} recently I've decided to let go of the reins {which if you know me at all, you would know is NOT an easy task for me, I am kiiiiind of a semi-OCD, control-freak planner} and let God lead the way

I'm one of those people that lay in bed and can't fall asleep because I'm thinking of EVERYthing I have to do the next day, planning my week down to the last breath. {anyone else out there like that?-sadly i'm sitting in my room doing it as I type this post ha-pathetic} you new readers are going to quickly realize this blog is my way of "emptying" my mind-sharing all my thoughts {and many confusions} with y'all :) it'll be a way of documenting my long/vague/confusing/who knows where I'll even be tomorrow/exciting journey

ANYWAYS. enough rambling. this was my catch up kelley-you've been gone for months-post :) 

photobooth picture proof that i'm still alive for all you skeptics :)

little squirt is sleeping-she's missed y'all too :)

how have YOU guys been?!

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

iphone or droid?

{enter the "my memories suite" giveaway right here!}

so i've finally jumped on the bandwagon and got a white iphone 4s--my poor droid was dropped many times and had many cracks to prove it. sprint just recently got the iphone (friday, I believe?) and with my upgrade it wasn't TOO expensive for me to make the switch. a friend of mine asked me which i liked better my iphone or droid so i thought i'd do a quick comparison on here! i had an Evo (4g) so definitely not a bad phone, I actually really liked it. granted i'm still learning everything on the iphone i thought i knew it enough to compare the two:

iphone:

-better apps

-can sync your itunes

-layout is sleeker/straight forward (apple has a 

way of making things look cool)

-one word: Siri {i don't know how much i am

actually going to use her, but she's COOL}

-icloud

-better camera

droid:

-you can personalize the layout MUCH more

{layout/organization}

-while text messaging, if you want to go back an edit 

something you can tap the screen and then there are arrows 

to move the cursor where you want it (iPhone does not have that 

so it makes it more difficult to correct a miss 

spelled word or change something you've typed)

-can make groups for contacts

-more widgets {quicklinks}

-still has a good camera

putting aside the fact that the iPhone is the "cool" phone to have right now, they're both pretty great phones-you just have to decide what aspects of a phone you want more-do you like designing it to fit you or would you like to use it as an ipod? because other than that they're pretty similar

which do you have/what are y'alls opinion on them?

sharptop cove!

what. a. weekend. it was amazing but SO tiring. I can count on my hands how many hours of sleep I got the entire weekend--but definitely worth it! I got to spend so much time with my incredible young life girls, hear an amazing speaker, listen to an incredible musician {Lee Younger}, laugh at great skits, and spend time with God in such a beautiful place!

i think i learned just HOW much I am going to have to rely on Him in my life and I am TOTALLY okay with that--and I got to see Him impact so many people around me-such a beautiful sight to see :)

 {isn't it such an incredible place? wish i could live there year long!}

{the BLOB!}

 {bus ride was fun and loud! ha}

 {we got in a flour fight!}

{our ride on the big swing!}

i wouldn't have wanted to spend my weekend any other way! one of the best parts was when jaci, haley, and i started dueling and threw each other into the pond-keep in mind it was low 70s-in the mountains-water freezing! i haven't laughed that hard in a long time-God has blessed me with such an incredible community! how'd y'all spend your weekend?!

*don't forget to enter the giveaway!! right here: my memories giveaway!!

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

review and My Memories giveaway!!

due to a hectic week filled with midterms and preparing for sharptop cove with my girls {i'll tell yall about that tomorrow} it's taken me this long to post! buuut here is the giveaway I promised!

okay. so when I got the email about doing this review/giveaway I was really excited, but also apprehensive. because I'm not going to just advertise anything on my blog in hopes to gain from it-I have to legitimately like it. I was scared I'd accept the offer, try out the program, not like it and then be stuck! THANKFULLY due to the amazingness of this software this review will be easyyyy!

now on to the review. it is a digital scrapbook software, but you can also make videos, cards and invitations {too bad i didn't have it a couple weeks ago when we had our tea party or else we could have had awesome invites} I was on the yearbook staff in high school so this is right up my alley! what I love is how simple it is to operate-the buttons are clear, editing is simple. {which is great for me, I don't have the time or patience to figure things out} I've taken multiple classes on photoshop and I still can't figure the thing out, this took me two seconds to look it all over and I knew how to do everything. another cool thing is every so often there are FREE new backgrounds, kits, and embellishments that can be downloaded to the software that automatically add to your options-there are also ones you can buy {real scrapbooking is just such an expensive hobby-this is much more efficient} once you've made something you can get your card, invite, or book printed! for my one year anniversary with clint I had a photobook made on shutterfly-which was fun, but this you can personalize SO much more, it will look much nicer, and it's only a one time payment {unless you win the giveaway and then it's free}!

it is called My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbook (version 2) and is the number one rated scrapbooking software on amazon! We announced to our kids yesterday we will be going to Crooked Creek Ranch {young life camp} for summer camp this year and out of excitement {I've never been to colorado!} I made a fake invite using the software--keep in mind this only took me five or ten minutes-so imagine what you could do with more time and creativity!

{and to export things as a jpg-you just click and button and it's done, I thought I'd have to go through some big long process to share my invite with y'all}

how to enter:

1. go to My Memories and pick out your favorite digital paper pack or kit
2. leave it in a comment so I can see what y'all like!
3. for EXTRA entries-follow them on their blog, follow them on twitter, and/or like them on facebook
4. leave a separate comment for each of your enteries

good luck! the winner will be announced next monday {what a great way to start the week :) }

for the rest of you-or your friends/family! they have been SO kind to give us a PROMO code! this gets us $10 off the software! Usually it is $39.97 and now it will only be $29.97--that is a good deal for a lifetime of free cards/invites/scrapbooks/videos! It also gets you a $10 coupon to the My Memories store!

my promo code is: STMMMS14117 {I would copy&paste for no errors}

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

a little retail therapy! {and good news!}

the lack of a post on friday was due to the fact that I had a sleepover with my younglife girls {which was amazing} but i was so tired {to say the least} so it was spent sleeping/relaxing. anyways-back to today. it was wonderful! some of my roommates and I met my mom and sister in nashville for some shopping! we recently got a Nordstrom's and none of us had been to it yet--so many things I wanted, but SO expensive, a girl can dream though right?! {we saw a dress for $7,800--who in their right mind would pay that?!}

the weather was beautiful and we started the day with lunch at whole foods--look at these tasty treats:

they look delicious, right?? hours of shopping later, we had to take a break {my mom could shop for days--i just can't hang with her} 

{z gallerie}

i left with some great finds and all on sale! {what could be better?} wanna see what I got? :)

 {after many recommendations, I'm trying this make-up!}

 {anthropologie, francesca's, anthropologie}

{free people--i think i may have been more excited about the bag it came in,

 it's cloth if you can't tell in the picture}

&&I promised good news in this post--details to come in the next few days, but there will be a giveaway in the near future! so keep checking in!! how did y'all spend your weekend??

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

dermatologist!

so, remember waaaaay back in the day when i tried drinking water for a month to fix my acne?! well. no luck. so i FINALLY went to the dermatologist to fix this little huge problem. he gave me pills anddd gel. and {apparently} i pick at my face because i have lots of "marks" on it. i thought i was good about it, but clearlyyy i'm not because he busted me out. he says it's a slow "healing" process--so i'll keep you all updated! {stupid acne. and stupid lies about your face clearing as you got older-LIES}

{and don't be fooled--this face is covered with make up ;) }

anyone have acne tricks in case this doesn't work? or just better ways to take care of your face? i'd love to hear! I'll try anything!

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

thrift or theft?

you know that saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure?" well it couldn't be more true--or at least we hope it was "one man's trash"..our neighbors put all this "stuff" out at the end of the driveway..next to the trash can..so my roommates and I kind of assumed it was trash and went rummaging. found a {rickety} wooden swing and a {broken} chimenea...but in our defense, they were moving out so it easily could have been leftover trash, andddd most of it was broken. just in case we left a note/phone number saying we took their stuff and if it wasn't trash we'd give it back--fair enough right??

so we got red spray paint, painted the swing which gave it new life :) we got some crazy super glue and fixed the chimenea--good as new! I wish I had before pictures, but here are some afters:

we then cleaned up the backyard, hung lights and ta da! a once-plain-backyard-used-only-for-the-dogs-bathroom turned into cozy-smores-making-wonderland :)

any other great trash finds? {please tell me I'm not the only one that has done this}

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

Happy Fall :)

okay okay. I know it took me WAY longer to get back into blogging than expected, but i'm back for good! school has been CRAZY. anatomy is kicking me in the butt and it seems as if all my free time goes into that (and i still can't get an A)--quick update: younglife is in full swing! I've got my own girls :) SO exciting, still getting to know them all, but they are great! We go to camp next weekend and I know its going to be amazing! (pray for me--first time doing something like this)

so anyways. this past sunday we had an old fashion tea party at the house complete with floral dresses, finger foods, and Frank Sinatra on a record player :)

{thanks to goodwill, we got our teacups and saucers for a steal--only a few cents}

 {we had a mini photobooth set up with props}

unique/cheap thing to do on a sunday--tons of fun! I have lots more to share, but time to go study for my lab practical (goodbye life!)

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

water aerobics?

what do you think of when you hear 'water aerobics'? this.....?

yeah, me too. but i'm in a water aerobics class this semester, i needed to fill up some hours and never have taken a class just for FUN. so i picked water aerobics thinking: something very different, water, fun, active, easy--well. it's definitely fun, i mean i get to be in a pool as a class--but sheesh, i am grasping for air at the end. i knew this would be an "active" class, but boy i am dead afterwards.
then i leave class and ride my bike home--at this rate i am going to be in great shape by the end of the semester--that's the goal at least.

ha thought that was cute&appropriate for me--what do yall do for fun workouts? because i hate working out--so things like water aerobics is a good/fun way for me to be active. any suggestions?

oh&&tomorrow i leave for SharpTop Cove--a Younglife camp for leader weekend--we get to be "campers" for the weekend, there are going to be amazing speakers, worship, surprises, and free time to enjoy the company of 540 leaders throughout Tennessee :) want to see the some pictures of the beautiful place i get to go?

i leave tomorrow and can't wait! i know i'm going to have so many stories for you monday :) have a great weekend y'all!

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

look at this!!

okay. came across the most second most adorable dog ever&&had to share! :) Being Nickel. the cutest guy ever.

my first week of classes went great. can I just vent for a sec? textbooks. i would LOVE to know how much they cost to make, just so i can be aware HOW much they're ripping me off. anatomy book? mhm. $225 dollars. not to mention the $60 dollar lab book I had to buy as well. and that's just for one class. shesh, they just WANT to make you broke. anyways yall enjoy your labor day weekend! it's taking me a while to get into the swing of things, but do expect more regular posts as the days go on

yours truly, 

kelley mackenzie

this time last year..

i've been missing for a while--please forgive me? :) i've moved back to school and had an amazing/busy past few weeks! getting settled here has taken some time--mostly for little dutchie :( when i leave the house this is where she hides:

sad right? so i've tried to stay home as much as possible to get her adjusted. time flies! it's been a year since i transfered schools and it blows my mind how much my life has changed. looking back on this time last year i would have NEVER thought this is where i'd be. I came to this school spur of the moment for my pre-vet major (clearly not my major now)--who would have thought that i would have joined younglife, found God, met the most amazing people, realized how much of a MESS i am but love it, and grown in my faith? not me. i was never a crazy kid--actually an annoying goody two shoes probably. i had great friends and a great a family yet i still felt like i was missing something. I had a God shaped hole in my heart :) (someone told me that and i thought it was so cute/accurate) i wouldn't trade anything for this past year, probably the hardest in my life so far, but definitely most rewarding. i can't describe how excited i am for this year to come because i am now living with my best friends who push me towards Christ on a daily basis. can i just say how INCREDIBLE they are? God has SO much in store for us this year :)

okay okay, enough rambling. i just want to share some of my story. and how i thought i had my life together: great friends, family, grades, not wild--i thought that was it--my priorities were messed up and i didn't even realize it. i thought if i was doing great in school, successful, and nice i was perfect--but i still went to bed feeling like i was missing something, lonely. and still do when i lose my fire for Christ. but i just know when i surround myself with Him i have NEVER been happier. i have SO much more growth and learning left, but this much i know: God will always be here for me through my journey and there is nothing more rewarding than that. the best lesson i have learned is that nothing on this planet is more important than God and that should reflect in everything i do--in return He will give me everything i need. 

OKAY DONE. anyone have stories about growing up, lessons, or verses to share? i have some fun stories to tell you guys about these past couple weeks--and SO much coming up in the next few weeks! so check back--i will actually be posting now ;)

yours truly, 

kelley mackenzie

get in the expresso lane :)

so! fact about me: i LOVE OPI nail polish. i always picture working for them sitting around this big conference table coming up with crazy names..they are always SO creative. I just got a new color and i looove it--Get in the Expresso Lane--a little more fall, so if you're really picky about matching the seasons--you may not like it.

different but i like it! it's part of their new line, Touring America --i also have Are We There Yet on my toes and love it--

here is a like for good pictures of the rest of the colors if you want to take a look: Touring America

tonight i had a very delayed birthday celebration with my friends--can't wait to tell y'all about it tomorrow :) hope you're having a great weekend!

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

dirty dancing!

okay, fact about me: dirty dancing is my favorite movie ever. and i heard something interesting on the radio today. they're doing a remake! i know what you're thinking, remakes are almost NEVER good, and why would you even try and top the original? well, i don't have the answer to that. BUT. i did get fascinated when i heard who they are potentially casting for Frances (Baby):

{miley cyrus-boo, not excited about her, but i don't think she'll get the part--not that great of an actress and too much attitude for the role}

{demi lovato-have no idea how she'd do in the role but i think it would be interesting to watch}

 {lea michelle-rachel from glee! she can act, sing, and dance :) and i'm interested to see how she'd do in a role outside of Glee}

what do y'all think?! they mentioned who would play Johnny, but i didn't recognize any of them except Derek Hough from Dancing with the Stars.

{seems like too much of a pretty boy to me}

opinions? who do you think would be best? johnny has to be a bad boy :) {random: one more week until i go back to school and i couldn't be more excited :) promise i'll have more interesting things to tell you then ;) }

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

books! i need books :)

i'm stuck--around christmas time i read all of Emily Giffin's novels and have read a few random ones since then, but nothing great. any suggestions?

they are ALL amazing and i cannot wait until the next! {i think it comes out around summer 2012} i never saw the movie for something borrowed, so i don't know if it's any good--don't base the book off the movie if it wasn't good because the books are great. she somehow ties a character into each book--a small role so they aren't really connected, but enough to think it was clever. 

i typically like fun/light hearted reads because during the year reading is only something i can do in my free time so i like it to be relaxing, BUT if you insist, i am open for anything :) SO recommendations?!

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

..healthy?

okay. way back in the day {here} i let y'all know about how out. of. shape. i am--it's no exaggeration. i never work out and eat whatever i want. lets just say it's catching up to me. i get tired easier, no energy, moodier, random stomach aches, and to be completely honest, i'm not happy with myself right now and that can lead to insecurities. SO. i'm going to try something. but the thing is i can't stay motivated to save my life. there's more junk food in this house than the willy wonka factory. i'm basically set up for failure ha

my kitchen = 

so i've been doing research {google} trying to find good programs or anything really. haley {roommate} has P90X and i've watched her do it before, and it's just not my cup of tea. looks like a lot of muscle building/upper body stuff. but i've also been told insanity is better for the overall body? anyone used it? what do YALL do to stay in shape? i love food. can't seem to resist it. would appreciate some input! i'm only home for two more weeks--it should be easier when i'm back at school because i'm more active/have more control/do my own grocery shopping.

overnight hike in the fall--now that was a nice way to work out because it didn't even seem like exercise--oh well, time for bed can't wait for your advice! 

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie

new goal perhaps?

today was spent with family: shopping, lunch, and relaxing. i got to dreaming and think it would be amazing to live in europe for a bit...? obviously this seems farfetched but while i was young-what an experience that would be :)

 {lunch}

paris, france: {or a lesser known more practical place}

tuscany, italy:

milan, italy:

london, england: {or lesser known more practical place}

haha. big dreams :) clearly from my touristy selections, i don't know what i'm talking about but how amazing would that be? i really want to. we'll see :) any europeans/well traveled people out there with an opinion?

on another note, sad news. they cancelled desperate housewives. now i'm aware this show is a tad bit dramatic--but for some reason, i like it-what a bummer. off to fall asleep watching glee :)

yours truly,

kelley mackenzie