the big man.

almost a week and a half ago,

I was doubting my belief in the big man upstairs,

but truly believed his hatred for me.

I was so angry,

and couldn't understand why things happen the way they do.

[for the second time in my life]

but then,

today,

I got the best call.

a job,

a great job,

that perfectly works with my schedule,

gets me social work hours,

and just seems so fun,

and I knew,

someone upstairs must love me.

someone upstairs likes to put me through a lot of shit,

where I am forced to contemplate quiting,

but instead knows I can do it,

and in return gives me the opportunity of a lifetime,

that works so perfectly with my life right now

that I am in total shock that it is true.

I am expecting in about 5 minutes

to be woken up by my annoying alarm clock,

and then have reality smack me in the face again.

But instead this time,

there are no flying people,

crazy coincidences,

and no drooling.

so,

big man,

this is my way of saying,

thank you,

i love you too.

prior engagements.

cleeoh.

This picture has nothing to do with the post,

but look how cute she is.

.

Dear wonderful blog readers,

all 3 of you.

.

College is hard. A lot harder than high school.

You actually have to study.

You don't just get a grade for going to class,

you have to do actual work.

and it sucks.

.

It just hit me today,

that if I want to get into grad school,

I need a lot higher GPA than what I have now.

so, due to prior engagements,

I am going to have to take a leave of absence on the bloggy.

.

I wish there was another solution,

since my blogs are so good,

and since I post all the time.

[ha ha]

but I need to buckle down and focus on my studies.

.

However, little side note,

I love this semester so far.

If all my college classes were just like these classes,

I would love college more than anything.

.

I might on rare occasions post a little somethin' somethin'.

But I am just warning you now,

it is not going to be a regular post.

.

Until winter break my friends!

peace.

siblove

Me and my siblings get along great.
We all just kinda click.
[sometimes]
however,
this 'clicking' did not come as easy to me and my brother, Connor.
.
Yes, it has taken us until I am 20 and he is 16 to actually get a long.
We have always had our brother vs. sister fights,
but mine and Connor's fights were
to the death.
we would fight for hours,
and not just yelling,
"you're stupid."
we would be in complete fist fights,
and had many, many battle wounds to prove it.
.
My parents would go out on a date,
and I would be left to 'watch' Connor.
this one time,
my parents were at some work banquet or something,
and were gone for a loooong time.
Me and Connor got into the worst fight.
I ran into the living room,
pretending it was filled with an audience,
and started announcing to my lovely audience,
"Ladies and gentlemen, Connor Stidham is gay!"
"Yes, it's true folks Mr. Stidham is gay."
I thought I was so hilarious,
he did not.
we're lucky we didn't break any bones the way we used to fight.
To this day,
whenever Connor is being moody,
I will scream to my audience
[as a joke]
"Connor Stidham is gay."
then we laugh.
[please don't take this the wrong way,
I fully support gay rights.
I didn't even know what gay meant when I first said this
I was way too young.]
.
as I mentioned before,
it took forever,
me being 20 and Connor being 16
for us to finally get a long.
We now stay up late at night,
playing Old Maid.
and Memory Match.
We giggle as we have forced each other to act out the pair we match.
.
I love hanging out with my brother.

barb.

Welcome.

You are reading this post

written from the oneandonly...

barb.

got this for my birthday.

love it.

I once read this blog,

where she named everything.

and I mean everything.

From her computer to

her eyelash curler.

She named them all.

Not only did she name them,

but referred to them as those names.

It was pretty cool.

.

.

.

I know it has been 8 weeks,

but I thought I would just write a post

about my little nephew,

Teagon.

[pronounced Tea -as in the stuff you drink-

gen]

.

.

.

I was waiting for his mom to post,

and she finally did,

but no pictures.

.

On June 21, 2010

My brother Connor and I went to the doctor with my sister,

Jentri.

Just for a check-up.

She was due in exactly a month.

But she had been suffering from

preeclampsia.

.

Preeclampsia happens during pregnancy with hypertension

[high blood pressure]

and protein in your urine.

There is nothing you can do to avoid getting it,

and once you've got it,

all you can do to get rid of it is

have the baby.

It is a very common disease.

Very common in first pregnancy,

very very young moms,

and

very very old moms.

It also makes you swell up more than a normal pregnancy.

Most mothers who have it have to deliver very early.

In other words -

they never make it full term.

My sister's doctor was pushing for 37 weeks.

but on June 21, 2010

she was 35 weeks.

She had extremely high blood pressure

and her doctor said,

"Jentri, Let's have a baby."
.

You would have thought I was having a baby.

I was hyperventilating,

and sweating like crazy.

I was so nervous for my sister.

I am terrified of child birth,

so I couldn't imagine just being told

Let's have a baby.

Not to mention all the drugs they had to put her on,

it made me even more scared.

But my sister is a trooper and took it like a champ.

.

Well she went into the delivery room

and was induced at about 5:00 p.m.

.

She gave birth to precious little

Teagon Ryan McCleery

on June 22, 2010

at 12:41 a.m.

He weighed 4 lbs. 9 oz.

and was 19 1/4 inches long.

not bad for a premie.

But he was taken to the NICU

but only stayed a short time.

.

He is so great

and is already so big

probably 8 pounds now.

Zackry and Zaylie

(my niece and nephew)

were also born premature and weighed about the same

but since I was so young when they were born I didn't

get to see them until they were about 6 pounds.

So I do not remember holding such a tiny thing.

I felt like I was going to break him every time I picked him up.

He is so great and cute.

He grunts all the time.

And snorts when he cries.

I love to hold him because he love love loves to snuggle.

.

I love him little but I just can't wait until we can play.

stretchin.

.

.

Love you, Teag.

.

Happy Birthday Jent.

tw-one-nee

Twenty years old today.

No longer a teen.

two decades old.

.

August 4, 1990

11:44 p.m.

I came into this world.

It was a rough day for my mom,

but I feel I can speak on her behalf

and say she would never take it back.

.

1990 - The year of the Horse.

Horse: Cheerful, popular, quick-witted, changeable, earthy, perspective, talkative, agile - mentally and physically, magnetic, intelligent, astute, flexible, and open-minded. Can be fickle, arrogant, rude, gullible, and stubborn.
.

What was happening that year?

. gulf war

. cold war

. first McDonald's in Russia

. apartheid freed Nelson Mandela

. 7.3 earthquake in Iran - killed 50,000

. world population was 5,263,593,000

. gas was $1.34/gal.

. houses averaged at $72,290

. the most complete skeleton of a T-Rex found in South Dakota

. U.S. entered major recession

. Windows 3.0

. first in-car navigation

. Pretty Woman

. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie)

. Ice Ice Baby

. Law and Order

. President George H. W. Bush

.

I share this great day of birth with:

. the one and only, Barrack Obama

. Billy Bob Thorton

. Jeff Gordon

. Marques Houston

. Queen Elizabeth (Queen Mother)

. Ezra Taft Benson

. Maureen Cox Starkey-Starr

.

August is the month of the Leo.

Leo: fifth astrological sign of the Zodiac, considered to be masculine, and is ruled by the sun.

Leo's are compatible with Sagittarius, Aries, and Leo itself.

Leo's tend to be very caring, compassionate people, creative and enthusiastic, but have a dark side of being bossy and interfering.

They love lavish living and hate penny pinching.
.

What has happened in August?

. Warren Jeffs arrested

. Jonbenet Ramsey born

. Michael Jacksons death a murder

. Paula Abdul quits American Idol

. War between Eminem and Mariah Carrey

. World War II conference in Europe

. 19th Amendment - Women can vote!

. Abolition of Slavery in London

.

What's happening 20 years later?

. African American President

. Utah joins the Pac 10 (12?)

. Brittany Murphy dead

. 7.0 Haiti earthquake - kills 230,000

. Toyota recalls more that 5 million vehicles

. Afghanistan - U.S. war

. Twilight Saga

. houses average at nearly $300,000

. gas is averaged at $2.83/gal.

. internet explorer 8

. world population ~ 6,697,254,041

. Jersey Shore

. California Girls

.

.

It's been a great 20 years.

Can't wait for 20 more.

.

Here are 20 interesting facts about me:

1. I am 5'4" ish. Probably like 5'3" and a half.

2. I have big hair, and make fun of people with big hair.

3. I am an addict to online shopping.

4. I bite my nails terribly.

5. I make up dance moves while driving in my car.

6. I have a little bit of {OCD} - inherited from my mother.

.When I clean, I become a clean freak.

7. Along with OCD - I have a fear of odd numbers; ex. when I turn up the volume on the tv it has to be a even number.

8. I love to be organized - creating lists.
9. I wear a lot of eye make-up. So much that if I didn't wear mascara it would only take me 45 - 55 minutes to get ready, instead it takes me 2 hours.
10. I love to sleep. I could sleep for a whole week if no one woke me - in fact I sometimes plan my day and I will be rushed doing everything else so I can take a nap.

11. My natural hair color is blonde, but I did color it brown once.

12. I like to decorate things (like homes), I re-arrange my room almost monthly because I like to try new designs.

13. My dream vacation is a hard-core African Safari.

14. I have dimples; when I was little I said I got them from McDonald's.

15. I stopped drinking caffeine/carbonation almost 2 years ago - and instantly lost 10 pounds.

16. My favorite color is bright yellow and I'm recently noticing I love turquoise.

17. I have a very keen sense of smell - literally, I smell everything.

18. I am forgetful, however, I have childhood memories where I can even remember what I was wearing.

19. I hate it when people blow their nose in public - especially when other people are trying to eat.

20. I've never mowed the lawn - and my brother hates that.

.

.

Happy Birthday to myself.

I hope you all have an awesome day!
.

Summer semester is over today - wahoo!

Happy 50th post!

Stolen from Paige :)

trying to be crafty.

Two years ago for Christmas,

I got a sewing machine.

I wanted one forever.

I have done a lot of hemming, and sewing up holes,

but nothing from 'scratch.'

.

I need to take lessons.

Today, I made some of my pants into shorts.

bermuda style shorts.

I did a pretty good job,

and had a pretty straight stitch.

.

I will be making Halloween costumes for my children

and their children in the future.

My next goal is to make a dress.

But that probably wont happen until I'm out of school,

or have a lot of time on my hands.

.

.

3 more summer classes left!

can't wait.

sad post.

I attend the University of Utah,

as a Pre-Social Work major.

Pre-Social Work because at the U,

you must be accepted into the College of Social Work,

just like Law School or Med School.

To become accepted,

you must have...

1 million Social Work related Volunteer hours,

have 2 excellent letters of recommendation,

write a ridiculous 5 page essay of why you want to be a social worker,

take all the pre-requisites,

and have a certain GPA.

.

I don't have the best GPA, because my first year of college,

I just thought it was just like high school,

I didn't really think you had to WORK for your grade.

.

I didn't start finishing my pre-requisites until Spring of 2010,

which is hard to fit into your already packed schedule.

.

I had great letters of recommendation,

and wrote a great paper.

Not to brag, but I can persuade people pretty easily in a college essay.

.

My biggest problem - Volunteer hours.

You might remember my previous post about the volunteer hours,

and some ridiculous people I came in contact with.

If not, I was told in October 2009 that I needed 200 - 400 Volunteer hours.

I worked my butt off, and in April 2010 I had 571.

I exceed the expectation - or so I thought.

.

I applied to the College of Social Work in April 2010.

I was told I would find out if I was accepted the first week of May.

I waited patiently everyday for the mail to come, while my heart raced.

I was so nervous, it was hard to talk.

Finally, the letter came.

"Miss Kylie Stidham, it is our greatest regret

to deny you to the College of Social Work at this time."

My heart sunk,

then,

tears.

.

.

The College of Social Work only accepts 35 students a semester (Fall and Spring),

there were about 100 who applied in the Spring.

I was told if you get accepted on your first time applying,

that is the rarest thing in the world.

But I thought I was the exception.

I have to get accepted - why not?

.

.

I was told if I didn't get accepted I could make an appointment with the Dean,

and discuss what was holding me back.

On a different note,

the advisor to the College is the biggest b-word ever.

So I called and made myself an appointment.

.

Your application to the Social work program is judged on a number system.

A scale from 4 points to 16 points.

I received 12's and 16's on all until the volunteer work.

Turns out, to get a 16 you need 1000 hours +

I scored an 8 for my 571 hours.

The dean told me if I had scored a 12 I would have been accepted.

To have a 12, I needed 700 hours.

I didn't know I thought I needed 200 - 400 hours.

I was mislead by the advisor.

And went through terrible heartache trying to find volunteer hours.

.

In a way, I set myself up.

I ignored what everyone said about not getting in the first time,

I knew that wouldn't happen to me.

I told so many people I would let them know how it turned out,

in return I was faced with telling people I wasn't accepted,

or I just avoided the subject all together.

.

I was outraged when I found out that if you went on a mission,

you were basically automatically accepted.

I face a disadvantage, because I am not old enough to go on a mission,

or because I have no desire to go on a mission.

What if I wasn't baptized LDS?

Those people face a disadvantage because they don't even have the opportunity to go on a mission.

It is NOT fair.

Plus, a mission is not ALL social work.

Going around to people's doorsteps and talking to them about the church?

That's social work?

I could do that in my neighborhood.

There is some social work, so I think they should only count a few hours,

not be automatically given 1000 + hours.

.

I was even more outraged when I was denied,

because one of my "friends" told me,

at another friends shower I was hosting,

that "It was IMPOSSIBLE to get into,"

and that "I would NEVER be accepted."

I was sad that she was almost halfway there to being right.

This "friend," like many lazy U students, chose to major in Sociology or Psychology,

then get a job in a Social Work field.

Not me,

I have chosen to accomplish my goals,

and try and try again until I am accepted.

It isn't that hard, if you set your mind to it,

if that is what your passion is,

if that is what your really want to do it life.

.

I would like to tell you all when I plan to re-apply,

and let you know if I get in or not,

but I am doing things differently.

I don't want to set myself up for failure,

so if I get in, you will know.

If not, well you wont know.

.

I do know that I will become a Social Worker some day,

even if it takes me forever,

and I will accomplish my goals

of graduating from the most accredited College of Social Work in Utah,

from the University of Utah.

Otherwise known as the best school ever.

.

.

go utes.