Day #82: Love Like A Sunset

August 6, 2011

I went to a bonfire with a bunch of people who I barely know and don't really like. Because I don't have real friends. But the sunset was absolutely lovely. 

-Kaylyn 

Day #56: Sand Couch

July 11, 2011

Second day in Oregon! We woke up to realize that it was not sunshiny and happy like the first day, and was cloudy. Sad. We walked to this little coffee shop, then a bakery for breakfast. Then we went to the local strip mall where I managed to get a pair of pants that were originally $60 for $12, and a scarf that was $40 for $5 at Hollister. Holy crap. Then we went back to the hotel and finished watching a movie we had started the night before but I had fallen asleep during. Then we noticed it had gotten sunny and promptly proceeded to walk the beach where we found a giant hole people had dug earlier. So I made a sand fortress and my friend made a couch. My fortress didn't turn out so hot because the sand wasn't quite wet enough..but oh well. The couch turned our really cool. This lady walked over to us and started talking to us then her 4 year old daughter came bouncing over and plopped down on the couch and sat her two naked Barbies next to her. It was adorable.  Then she donned my fortress with a feather on the tallest tower which really made it so much more epic.Then we went back to the hotel and played Mario Kart Wii and watched more movies hahha.

-Kaylyn

Day #50: Running

July 5, 2011

I decided to take up running in the morning. So I got new shoes and clothes and such things and set out early in the morning {I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Oh antidepressants, how counterproductive you are right now.} I think I ate too much breakfast, though, because I ran to a middle school that is about a mile away and got crazy side aches. Also, I haven't run in a long time, so two miles round trip is pushing it a little for me. But I got home and cooled off in the sun and it felt awesome. Then I was tired from waking up early and was able to nap for a half an hour. I slept for 3 hours the night before.  Ugh. It was the most optimistic day I've had in longer than I can remember. I just felt good when I woke up. It was nice.

-Kaylyn

Day #48: Painting in the Sun

July 3, 2011

I came home from church and decided to paint outside on my back porch in the sun. I've been experimenting with a new painting style, which are the larger pieces. I use more painting and don't use any pen to outline and have lyrics that have been inspiring to me on them. A few of them have people, as well, which I don't even paint those parts. Then I did a smaller sketch which is more like the ones I usually do. 

-Kaylyn

Day #21: Cake

June 6, 2011

 So, this kid gave my friend a giant cake for his birthday. Which was in March or something. And we were all eating lunch outside since the sun was shining. So we got a bajillion forks from the cafeteria and devoured it shamelessly. 

This is my theory of cake: 

So, my theory {which has pretty much been proven true on many accounts} is that cake and soup can cure any sadness. Any sadness that cake cannot cure soup can cure and vice versa. Break up sadness: cake. Plans ruined by bad weather sadness: soup. Dead pet sadness: soup. Left out of weekend plans: cake. Therefore, cake and soup are magical items of consumption.


-Kaylyn

Day #19: Picnic

June 4, 2011

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang play date! We went to a park and had a picnic. The weather was lovely and we got iced tea, walked the boardwalk to another park, got gelato, walked to another park, then walked back and got local cupcakes on the way.  This picture only shows a corner of the park by the water. I didn't want to get a picture of the whole thing because there was so many people I didn't want to feel like a creeper, which my friends were already calling me a creeper:) There were so many giant groups of hipsters having barbeques. It was grand!

-Kaylyn

Day #3: The Sun

May 19, 2011

My sister and I do this thing for our birth week. Since her birthday usually fell during spring break she would say it was Andrea Gras, like Mardi Gras, and it was a week long celebration of Andrea. As I have mentioned before, I always seem to have terrible birthdays, and the first few days of Kaylyn Gras were no different. But on the day of my actual birthday I woke up to find the sun shining unbelievably cloudlessly. Which was a surprise because we'd had a little sun the week before and everyone said this week would be less sunny, which I didn't mind and kind of expected rather than sun. And the rest of this week has been just as sunny and beautifully warm. But on the day of my birthday I felt like the sun was defying expectations and it was a little personal hats off from Heavenly Father telling me to have a happy birthday, and that He was there.

-Kaylyn

Day #1: Savory Sixteen

May 17, 2011

I realized a few weeks ago that I'm just not a very enthusiastic person. I don't have much school spirit, or Christmas spirit, I'm not excited for all of the invitations and things that go with graduation, I'm going to have a pretty low-key wedding; I just don't have much enthusiasm. I don't really find this worrisome, though, more practical or rational I guess. I kind of just find simple things fulfilling enough.

My sixteenth birthday really isn't all that sweet. I'm not having a party because Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opens this week so we have crazy rehearsals. I wouldn't have a party regardless, though. It just sounds complicated to arrange and then awkward thinking about who I would possibly invite and how it would be quite the motley party. I've been saying that rehearsal is my birthday party, and it really is.

Sixteen just doesn't feel like that big of a deal to me. Everyone keeps saying, "Oh, sweet sixteen!" And I can't help but thinking no.. not quite sweet. More like savory sixteen. I just don't see it as that big of a deal, I mean, I'm not even getting my license. I only have about 20 hours. I'm not too fond of driving, though I would like to get getting my license out of the way. I'm just moving from fifteen to sixteen. It feels as natural as can be, yet everyone seems to be fussing over me about it, and it feels a little strange.

I always have to seem bad birthdays anyhow. They just never seem to live up to what I want them to be, even though it seems like I don't expect much. The little things that I do expect, or hope for, or count on or whatever I guess just don't seem to work out the way I would like them to. Or it doesn't seem magical enough. I'm the kind of person who would want a surprise balloon and hugs all day and that would be a splendid birthday. And to be happy. Perhaps that is why birthdays are always disappointing to me; because they're the one day I can hope that I will, or maybe can, be perfectly happy.

Well, anyways, I read Water for Elephants recently which revived my love for elephants. And I was shopping for my birthday clothes at Buffalo Exchange and found this amazing bright sunshiny yellow retro early 60s dress. Upon closer inspection {after what I'm sure was a squeal of delight, if not it inevitably came after my next discovery} I found that the buckle on the top was nothing other than, an elephant. Nothing could be better, especially for a birthday dress. This is the relevance for the picture on this post.

This birthday is actually turning out to be quite good, even though it's a bit all over the place. A surprise sunny day, elephants, rehearsal, red velvet cake. Who cares if I don't have a party or my license or anything "sweet"? Savory is good enough for me. 

Happy birthday to me.

-Kaylyn