check it out

You may have noticed that I enjoy blogs that truly express the author. This is why I love updating my sidebars, posts, etc. I know that not everyone likes this type of thing, but for those who do, I've decided to add a "check it out" at the top of my blog so right away you can see what I've updated or added. This idea was inspired by Facebook News Feed, which alerts you when changes have been made to your friends' Facebook accounts. I am also going to create a mailing list that will send out emails when I make a new post. If you would like to be on this list, leave a comment on this post or email me at mailto:lindsey-kay@hotmail.com. Thanks to all you who check my blog regularly!

our boys

Yes, it is true. My dad is no longer the only boy in the house. Christmas 2008's biggest surprise: two live kittens! After searching for babies, we finally found some at the animal shelter in Murray, and we brought home two brothers on Friday. Since then, all of us have had so much fun with the little boys. They are so curious and playful, but they are also so sweet. They love snuggling. We are positive they belong in the Kay family because they have this undying love for cords and electronics, go figure. We joked about naming them Aaron and Justin but decided that might be confusing. Instead, after much deliberation, we decided on Pipsqueak (Stephanie's) and Scranton (mine)--Pip and Scrat. As you may know, Pip is the name of the chipmunk on Enchanted, and Scrat is the squirrel on Ice Age. And for those of you who do not share our affinity for The Office, Scranton is a town in Pennsylvania where the show takes place. They really do seem to fit their names. At first we couldn't tell them apart very easily, but we finally have it straight. Pip has more grey fur mixed in with the black and dark brown and wears a blue collar, and Scrat has more brown than grey in his fur and wears a green collar.

I had forgotten how much work tiny kittens are. Pip and Scrat are only eight weeks old, so they are just barely old enough to be away from their mother. They are litter box trained, but they need help remembering sometimes. We are learning to recognize the signs that they have to go so we can make sure they get there in time. It's kind of like potty-training a toddler! Pip has not quite learned the difference between flesh and food. I tried to hand feed him a treat, and he took a huge chomp on my finger, drawing blood and all. It hurts. But no worries. He has had his shots, and I washed and Neosporin-ed it. And I promise not to limp. :-) They have antibiotics for a "kitty cold" that we give them twice a day. They hate it, and I hate having to force their mouths open. Pip, we think, has some kind of feline ADHD--he runs EVERYWHERE and can't focus on any one thing for more than a few seconds. Scrat is very lovey. He will crawl up your leg just to be close. He "knows his mummy" (as Hagrid says of Norbert). I walked into the downstairs bathroom, and Scrat tried to follow me. He ran past the doorway, and stopped. I said, "Hey, Scrat, I'm in here!" He turned and came right up to me and started climbing up my pant leg. He also does what I call the "Sophie dive." My niece Sophie buries her face in your neck to show affection. Scrat does this also. He loves climbing on my shoulders and rubbing against my neck and face.

Through the process of adopting kittens from a shelter rather than getting them free from someone, I've felt so good about giving orphans a good home. Four kittens were together in one small cage. Scrat and Pip are so obviously happy to have so much space and to have love like they never had in the shelter. I felt better about bringing these kittens into a good home than I ever did when we took kittens directly from their mothers. I appreciate humane societies more now than ever before.

savior of the world

On Tuesday my parents, Stephanie, and I went to Savior of the World in the Conference Center. This was my second time seeing it. In some ways I think it loses impact after the first time, but as I've been thinking about it the last few days, I've come to appreciate it more. One thing that I love about it is that while it focuses on the Savior, it takes a different approach by showing how his birth and resurrection affected other people. I like this better than a repeat of the same story I've known my whole life. I get wrapped up in the commericalized Christmas (no pun intended), and I often forget why we even have reason to celebrate. I do have a testimony of Jesus Christ, and I am so grateful for all that he has done for me. I'm not going to say what that is. Even if I had the time and space for that, I know that he has done things for me that I can't know right now. I'm also glad that we have reason to celebrate, and I am grateful that Christmas celebration is an excuse to bring families together! I am so excited to go to Washington!

unshared poem

Last year at the end of the semester I wrote this poem. I refer to some of my favorite poems that I studied quite thoroughly in my poetry class: "Lake Isle of Innisfree" by William Butler Yeats, "The Tyger" by William Blake, "Carrion Comfort" by Gerard Manley Hopkins, and "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold. I know the title is not very creative, but I used the date as a temporary title, but it just kind of stuck. And one thing I've learned about writing is to never impose my own ideas on my writing. I know that sounds silly, but it is so true. Check the sidebar if you would like to read the four "reference poems.""13 December 2007" by Lindsey Kay
I will arise now from the heaps of sultry bodies
Melting, puddling, sinking into one soggy mass.
I will shed the dark cloak that masks my face.
I will shatter the glass that stares back,
Hurt it like it hurts me.
I will tip the goblet of bitter hate back into the pool
Of dissatisfaction.
No more will I answer to the mistress who beckons,
“Come, child, come play. Come play with the Tyger.”
Nor will I kneel beside the carrion and weep,
Nor gaze downward to the deep and misty shadows of the sea.
But I will look on, on to a gold-crested cloud
And there rest for a day
Before turning back to face what stands proudly before me.
I will pull from the ashes my heavy-laden feet
And trample the garish of vain piety.
I will not lie on a blanket and wait
While pale, clammy hands claw my face.
I will not let contentment succor my pain.
I will move on from here, leaving behind the body
That joined the masses to begin with.
She has no place next to me.
A phoenix has risen time and time again
And each time quicker than the time before.

"home" for the holidays

This weekend I made a quick trip back to "the greatest place on Earth!" No, not DisneyLand (though that would have been really cool). I went to Rexburg. I drove up on Friday evening to surprise Elisabeth. She was very surprised! I had a great time up there. I watched two great Christmas movies--A Matter of Principle and the original Miracle on 34th Street. I had not seen either of them. I also watched several episodes of Whose Line is It Anyway?, Time Warp, and Destroyed in Seconds.

On Sunday, the Rexburg 15th Ward had their Christmas program. Elisabeth and Mom & Dad S were in the choir. Mom S also played the piano for the Primary kids, and Elisabeth played her cello for one of the choir pieces. It was a wonderful meeting. On Monday night I went to a REAL Family Home Evening! We went to Andrea (the oldest Samuelson) and Kevin's house for a lesson and activity. They have five boys between 13 and 1 years old--Adam, Nathan, Daniel, Seth, and Isaac. Also, the two younger Samuelson boys were there, Ian and Richard, with their wives and son's--Isaac (Ian's) and Ethan (Richard's). Andrea taught a lesson about gifts from Christ. Then Mom S and Elisabeth played "Sleigh Ride" on the piano. After that the kids went downstairs to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," while the adults and Adam had a "white elephant" exchange. I got four stress-reliever lego pieces. They're fun. We had treats and watched some cute videos of Andrea's boys.

I painted three pictures to give to Dad & Mom S and Elisabeth. They will be up on Blackbird eventually, when I find a way to get the pictures from my camera to my computer. In return, Elisabeth gave me two of her drawings, both very beautiful, and Mom & Dad S gave me a framed picture of the four of us that was taken on Sunday before church. I had a hard time leaving them to come back to Utah, and they are already planning another time for me to come back.

Although I miss Idaho, I'm glad to be back in Utah. Mom & Dad, Stephanie, and I are going to see "Savior of the World" tonight at the Conference Center. On Christmas day we are flying to Washington to be with Sarah and Justin and their families. I'm so excited to be there. After being around so many little kids this weekend, I can't wait to see Sierra, Sophie, Rochelle, and LaMar!

cymbalta can't help

For those who knew that I was having extreme pain throughout my body (and those who didn't know until just now), I thought I'd give an update on how I'm feeling. For a week I was feeling better. During that week, the pain was gone. But I also was no longer on Cymbalta. You know those commercials where they say, "Depression hurts. But you don't have to. Cymbalta can help."? They lie. It made me hurt. So, no more Cymbalta for me. And actually, I have to say that I'm relieved. That means that I don't have fibro myalgia, like what I was afraid of. So, I feel blessed in that respect.

christmas in the northwest

Now that we've gotten Halloween out of the way, it's time to nuzzle up under a blanket next to a warm fire with a hot cup of apple cider for those of us in Rexburg, to turn the AC down two clicks for those in San Antonio, and to start carrying a floatation device for those in the beloved Washington. And speaking of Washington, I can't wait to go there for Christmas this year! Christmases in Utah are depressing to me. I am excited to return to the motherland for the most wonderful time of the year. Anyone from the Pacific Northwest knows the famous (or to some, infamous, which here means more than famous), song sung by Brenda White, "Christmas in the Northwest," which debuts every year on the latest version of the same titled CD. The proceeds go to Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, so I can't complain about the gallant gesture, but this does not mean that I just sit back and listen to the song with the admiration and love that I once did when I was five years old. No, I can now appreciate the song for what it is. And, what, you ask, is it? While I was merely looking for a copy of the song to share with some Rexburg natives, I stumbled upon what I would consider the best video I have ever seen. It truly captures the essence of what Christmas in the Northwest is all about. I hope you find as much satisfaction and appreciation for a "gift God wrapped in green" as I have. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koeB4z4c_7M