Happy New Years!

Happy New Year Everybody.

I didn’t send out Christmas cards this year, but I wanted to do a little year in review for 2008. Let me sum up the year in one word- BUSY! Did you catch that? Busy!

I started the year taking 2 classes at ACC while waiting to get accepted into the Physical therapist assistant program. While doing that I had 4 jobs- I “babysat” 15 hours a week for another ACC student who needed help remember to go to class and do homework. I babysat adorable infant twins in the Pflugerville Ward once a week for a couple hours for about a month to give the mom a break. I also rated English Proficiency Exams online for ACTFL from home. I also continued to teach Body Flow at Gold’s Gym twice a week. I guess I just didn’t know how to be normal and in the summer had 3 jobs. I kept Body Flow and ACTFL, dropped my babysitting jobs, and picked up working PRN (as needed) as an Administrative Assistant for my old job at Odyssey Hospice. It is a lot of fun to be able to pick and choose hours and be very flexible.

I was also busy being the Relief Society President (the women’s organization at church) till May. I was blessed with that calling for just over 2 years. It was a delight and I know I am the person I am today because of it. People asked me if I suddenly had all this time on my hands once I was done with that. Time? What time? I believe that when it comes to taking care of God’s business, He expands your time! He sure blessed me with all the capacity to do everything that needed to be done in ever aspect of my life. I did feel very ackward on Sunday having no meetings all day before 2:30 church. But I have since filled that time up again with my new calling. I am a ward missionary now. I have had the cool opportunity of teaching some recent converts new member lessons. Sometimes I think- why am I teaching them, I get so much more learning from these awesome sisters with new powerful testimonies! This new calling has stretched me, but if I learned anything being Relief Society President it is that when God gives you a job to do, it is possible to do it, so jump on in!

A not so fun part of 2008 has been back problems. In March I saw a chiropractor for low back pain. I finally stopped going in August when I was no better. In October I started seeing a physical therapist with some improvement. Then this month I started seeing a more specialized PT to try out some McKenzie techniques. Looks like I am having some problems with a disc that just doesn’t want to heal. It is a slow process, but at least today I think I am progressing. Enough about that, this back has taken more money and time away from me, it doesn’t need any more attention!

Fun stuff this year? Oh yeah, why not make my schedule more busy? I went to Utah 3 times this year. First I went in February for my cousin’s sealing to her husband in the Mt. Timp Temple. I returned again in July for a nice three week vacation. I spent time in Orem, St. George, drove up to Idaho to visit a friend, and then had my college roommate Christina Russell meet me and we temple hopped. We went to the Salt Lake, Jordan River, Mt. Timp, Provo, and Manti temples in 3 days. What a magnificent experience that was!

More fun? Early this year the New Kids on the Block announced they were releasing a new album and would be touring again. If you were a teenager in the late 80’s or early 90’s you understand the fad. I though okay, this could be fun if they come to Austin. Well, in August my friend Gina Russell and her sister Christine asked if I wanted to go to the concert in San Antonio in October. I thought, sure why not? Well let me tell you, I left San Antonio feeling like a teenager again, I caught the NKOTB bug and am a fan once again. Put your feelings aside about boy bands and I think most would agree they were awesome entertainers. I had a big break between tests in November, so I planned another Utah trip around concert #2 in Salt Lake City. I had just as much fun, maybe even more. I screamed my head off the whole time. This time I was alone, but not really because I became “friends” with the girls on my row. Even better, I got seats near the revolving stage that they appear on in the middle of the concert. PLUS, we got moved even closer when they sang on it. I was literally 3 feet from them. Good times!

I got accepted to the PTA program and rocked my first semester, and didn’t cry until the middle of the semester.

I sang in the Institute talent show with my dad.

I joined the world of blogging and facebook.

I got more in to the Heisman nominations and college football scene than ever before. Gooooo Colt McCoy and Hook’em horns!

I feel for guys, and got my heart broken by guys, and picked myself back up again…

I ran 4 miles straight for the first time ever!

I have the bathroom all to myself now that my brothers are at school.

I’d say it was a year of firsts, and a my theme seemed to be- Bring it! Bring it in school, bring it in my callings, and bring it in my personal life. I told a friend the other day that it is hard being single. But you know what? Life is hard in general and I refuse to let my marital status define me. I expect 2009 to be just as BUSY, that is how I run these days. I hope my theme can be- “Go and do. Come what may and love it!” I hope however that I am never too busy to spend time with the ones I love. I can always make time for that.

I hope 2009 brings you all joy, delightful moments, growth, and love. And may you take life by the horns and say- BRING IT!

Treasures in the Attic

Treasures in the Attic!

Yesterday we were trying to decide what to do in the afternoon. Devin, Michael, and I were getting nowhere picking a movie. Luckily dad came up with the brilliant idea to go in the attic, take everything out, and rearrange it. It actually turned out to be a fun activity.

Devin and Michael did all the heavy lifting while I opened up my 4 jumbo rubbermaid containers of treasures. I saw all my old barbies, my super cool 3 foot Barbie bus, Cabbage Patch Kids, Tea Sets, High School Mums, Middle School pep squad uniform, and old New Kids on the Block posters and flags.




The best item was an old ugly wig that my dad got in Brazil for me to play dress up in when I was a kid. I put that on with a wild moo-moo and don't I look stylish
















...and then I found another priceless piece of history- The Gossip Books! The gossip books were started in middle school. My friends Nadia and Natasha and I didn't just pass notes. We kept notebooks to write to each other. That way it didn't look like were passed notes. We thought we were real sneeky! They first one dates back to 1993 and the last ones end in high school somewhere. I hung out with the two of them last night and we had a lot of fun reading from them. Teenage girls can be so dramatic!

Always fun at the Kelm house...

The 2008 Heisman Trophy Winner...here is what it comes down to folks...who is the best looking? That is right, if you know me, you know I am sucker for nice arms. That means I like a perfect blend of biceps brachii, and anterior/middle/posterior deltoids. (I can even tell you where the muscles originate and insert on the bones.) Quarterbacks and recievers happen to have the best arms in my opinion. To top it all off, add a handsome face, and you fine looking man. So take your pick from this years Heisman finalists....Colt McCoy, Tim Tebow, and who is that other guy? ...oh yeah sam bradford.

Light In My Vessel

“Light In My Vessel”
By Tamara Kelm

As a young single sister, I have learned the importance of seeking for more light in my life. Light is equal to hope, and what sister getting older in a singles ward can’t use a bit more hope? For anyone, life is full of ups and downs. My goal this year has been to make the ups raise me up higher than the downs ever bring me down. This way I am always in constant motion upward, even when life is tough. Several months ago I sat in a leadership meeting and a sister, and dear friend of mine, shared her experience of finding joy in life because she was filled with light. I asked myself, is what I am missing? Can I have more light in my life? It has been a blessing to learn how to bring more light in my life so I can bare the downs with more hope and faith in my Savior.

There are three ways I have learned to bring more light in my life. The first is simply to ask Heavenly Father for more light. One day I was studying Ether chapter 2. I was feeling like “mountain waves” were dashing around me and life was rocky. Like the Brother of Jared and the 16 stones used to light up the dark vessels on his journey, sometimes we need to present things to the Lord and ask Him to enlighten them. He said, “…therefore touch these stones, O Lord, with thy finger, and prepare them that they may shine forth in darkness” (Ether 3:4). After reading this, I wrote down sixteen stones of my own and carried them to the Lord in prayer and asked him to touch them. These stones were talents to develop, service I could give more faithfully in my calling, and changes I could make in my daily routine. Sooner than I had expected, I began to see one by one that each stone was slowly shining brighter and bringing more light into my life. I believe that bringing offerings such as these shows the Lord that we are willing to put effort into changing our lives. The Lord manifested himself unto the Brother of Jared because of his faith. Likewise, when we ask the Lord to make us shine, we can see the Savior’s power manifested unto us and touch us in very personal ways. “Every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am; and that I am the true light that lighteth every man” (D&C 93:1).

Second, to have more light we need to bare one another’s burdens. When we “come unto the fold of God”, we covenant to “bear one another’s burdens”, “mourn with those that mourn”, and “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” (Mosiah 18:8-9). In the October 2007 General Conference, Bishop Richard C. Edgley said, “All are there to administer comfort and show compassion in times of need…What happens to one, happens to all. We endure together”. Our relationship with the Savior should be our first refuge in times of trial. However sometimes we need to share our burdens with other saints, as they need to share their burdens with us. This means we need to call our visiting teachers when we are having a bad day and not wait for them to turn into mind readers. It also means need to be willing to spring into action when we find out a sister we visit teach is in need. Sometimes all we can do is offer a prayer, be a listening ear, or let them use our shoulder to wipe their tears on. When we show compassion we become more like Christ and invite others to come unto Him. Compassion adds light to our vessels.

Finally, unselfish service brings a light into our souls. How often are we counseled to go serve when we are feeling down? This is an important principle, however there is an even great purpose in serving. When we serve unselfishly, with the recipient’s needs uppermost in our minds, we show true charity. Charity will bring us unimaginable light. I learned this lesson from my friend Ellen.* It had been a hard year and she was experiencing some serious health issues. I had tried to be aware of my dear friends needs and had been leaving treats in her bag on Sundays. On this particular Sunday the thought popped into my head that I needed to do something for her that day. I thought, are you kidding me, again? I feared she would be getting tired of me by now. However, I followed the Spirit and before I went to church I grabbed a box and filled it with her favorite chocolate Easter candy. Church started and Ellen came in late and sat beside me. From her body language I could tell she was not her normal self. Something was wrong. I let her keep to herself for half of the meeting. When we started singing the rest hymn I leaned over to her and said, “you look like it has already been a long day, are you alright?” She told me she was having a migraine and it had been a rough morning. I had planned on sneaking the candy into her bag sometime that day, but desperate times call for desperate measures! I reached in my bag and gave her the chocolate. Instantly her demeanor changed. She relaxed and she seemed immediately happier, like a burden had been lifted. Ellen couldn’t resist and opened the candy. She would pop a chocolate in her mouth, pat the box, and then pat my leg. She did this every time she popped more in her mouth- pat the box and then pat my leg. She leaned over and said, “I don’t know which I love more?” After sacrament meeting we started to go our separate ways. Then she stopped and gave me a big hug. It took me by surprise. She squeezed me hard and whispered in my ear, “you were just what I needed today, thank you”. I immediately felt joy swell in my heart.

In serving, we are guided more fully by the Spirit when we take ourselves out of the equation. The chocolate was soley about Ellen. Unselfish serving is true charity, and charity is the pure love of Christ. The light that unselfish service brings warms the soul and burns bright. It teaches us to be more Christ-like and allows us to feel love and to give love.

We can find more light by asking the Lord to make brighter things already surrounding us, by bearing other’s burdens, and by serving unselfishly. Paul taught, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ…We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:6, 8-9). The Savior Jesus Christ lives, and because he lives we can be filled with light, have hope, and be not troubled. You can have light in your vessel to hold you up when life’s “mountain waves shall dash upon you” (Ether 2:24). With Him as my guiding light, I have nothing to fear.

Dates

I have always enjoyed going on dates with fun guys. They are few and far in-between. However, recently I discovered the joy of eating yummy dates- as in the fruit that tastes like candy. For years my mom and dad have bought dates and raved over them. I somehow decided without tasting that I didn't like them. Well, I repented of my ways 2 months ago. I went to the Ramadan dinner at the Muslim center. When closing the fast, they eat dates. I broke down and ate one, than another, and probably a couple more. Oh my goodness, what was I thinking? Not to like dates? Crazy talk!

Mom has had a container of dates by her bed the past 2 weeks. I have asked before eating them. Today however, I see a new container of dates sitting on the kitchen counter- in a "public" place now. Are they fair game? I assumed so and I have eaten 2 while listing to OPIc tests. I think I need to leave the kitchen now and work elsewhere.

What a nice indulgence during this crazy week of exams and tests to rate! Thanks mom!