Tagged!

I was tagged in the very lovely Amy's (aka Ponder & Stitch) blog post "About Me".

So, here are ten things you may or may not know about me, in no particular order...


1. I was born in an Army hospital just outside San Antonio, Texas.

2. I lived in Germany for five years when I was very young, so unfortunately I do not remember much of it!

3. My mom is my best friend. :)

4. I have struggled with depression in one form or another for about 6 1/2 years now.

5. I will be 19 on 9/29/2009.

6. My first and last initials are KF which I am pleased to say is also a perfectly balanced chemical compound, no subscripts needed, Potassium fluoride! ;)

7. I can name all 50 U.S. states in alphabetical order, haha!

8. I love languages and words. I have many favorite quotes and I take great meaning from song lyrics.

9. I always doubt myself.

10. I am amazed at the kindness of 'strangers' and am so happy to have found all these wonderfully nice people through Etsy, blogging, Twitter, etc. There are also some people who have truly made a difference in my life, and I hope to one day do the same for someone else.


Thank you to anyone who reads this! I really appreciate it, probably more than you will ever know.

And now, here are the people I am tagging! If you see your name below or you would like to post your own "About Me", please do, I would love to read them!


- Tali (a fellow photographer)

- Erica (a fellow photographer and jewelry maker)

- Trace (aka It's All Just Menagerie)

- Hannah (a fellow jewelry maker)

- steppie (the panda girl!)

- Rachel (aka Balanced, a fellow jewelry maker)

I have no idea how many people I am supposed to tag haha, but that is good for now :) Thanks for reading...

♥ kelsey.

Words to live by.

"If you see someone without a smile, give them yours".

I love that quote, and I hope it's one that can really make you think. Something so simple like that can really brighten up someone's day.

You never know what someone else is going through, what demons they are battling. I think with everything I've been through in recent years, it has become a goal of mine to help out others who are struggling.

Making jewelry is all fine and dandy, but sometimes it just seems so trivial... I really admire those who are out there making a difference in the lives of others and I hope someday I can be counted among them.

I am also amazed at the kindness of "strangers", i.e. the Twitter friends, blog readers, and fellow Etsy sellers who are always eager to share some encouragement or a little smile. I can post on Twitter that I just sold a new locket necklace and I'm guaranteed to get a few "Congratulations!", or "Wow, that's amazing!". Or I can write a blog post about my grandmother and be flooded with kind words and comments, each one making me shed a little tear at the thoughtfulness.

It's kind of funny actually, (not funny haha, but funny ironic) because I may post these same things on my Facebook page, where "real life" friends can see them all as well. It never fails though that I get the most responses from my internet pals.

And as I said before, I think with everything I've been through, I am always trying to help others feel better, you know, share that little smile. If I see on Twiter or FB a sad status, I'll ask them if they are okay. I've been there, and I know I wanted someone to ask me if I was okay. Sometimes that's why you post those things, you want someone to read it and ask you, or tell you that it's all going to be alright. Sometimes that's all you need, just a little reassurance that you're not alone.

And it is odd that my "real life" friends don't always express it the way my internet friends do, but someone explained it to me recently. He said that in certain situations, people might not know how to react, so they simply say nothing. But the Twitter or Etsy friends, they have nothing to gain by saying nothing. Those kind of friendships are still new and reacting to the situation or posting a comment is a way of reaching out and building that friendship.

So anyways, just wanted to say "thanks" to anyone who is reading this, and to let you know I appreciate all the nice comments, convos, e-mails, and @ replies. And I also wanted to remind you all of that quote, you really never know what is going on in someone's life or what they're dealing with. And I hope that I be can as nice to others as some have been to me. That'll be my goal, to make things even just a little easier for someone else. Encouragement and reassurance are always nice...

I also challenge you all to do the same! Let me know how it goes ;)

♥ kelsey.

♥

To my grandmother…

Thanks for everything grandma, love and miss you. ♥

Dear Gramma (as you always preferred to spell it),

I still can't believe you're gone…

This happened too soon but I'll always remember the time we shared. All the summers up in Hiawassee, taking walks, going down to the creek. Playing cards until bedtime. How you used to say you'd take me to Vegas for my 21^st birthday. We still had fun those summers, even with "no television".

The trips to Jacksonville too, I always loved that house. And I thought it was amazing that for that year in first grade, I got to live at the house my mom grew up in, in her old room.

I think the most special time we had together was that last trip to Jax, the last time I got to see you. That was in November… I wish I would have come to see you again…

You always told me how proud you were of me, whether it was for my report card of straight A's or for starting my own shop. Those first photos I took, the ones that inspired me to do all this, they were there in Jax. The "famous" works in progress print… I looked at it yesterday and it made me a little sad to see it. I will always think of you and grandpa when I look at now. And how you were so proud of that photo, that you got a print of it and hung it up in your kitchen. Right by the window, even though you could look outside to see the real thing.

And how you sent me all those vintage buttons and things for me to use in my jewelry. Those moonglow-looking ones made the prettiest rings for my shop. And guess what, I sold every last one of them :)

And when Mom called yesterday to tell me that you had gone, one of the first things she said after was that you loved me very much and you were always so proud of me. I don't know if I've ever really thanked you for that, but you and Mom were probably my biggest fans. So thanks :)

Another thing I'll never forget is what you wrote in my card for my 16^th birthday, some advice that I've still remembered these past three years. You knew all that was going on in my life then, and you wrote that you wanted me to go out and live my life, and most importantly "not be afraid of it". I cried when I read that, and I think about it pretty often.

So thanks again, you mean so much to me, and I don't know if I ever really told you that. I wish I would have gotten the chance to spend more time with you; I only got to know you for 18 ½ years. And I thought we'd have a lot more time…

We all miss you so much, and my heart just aches for all those you left behind. But Mom is right, now you're not suffering anymore. Say hi to grandpa for me, tell him I wish I'd gotten the chance to know him too. I was so little when he died that I don't really have any memories, just old photos and a couple videos. I guess I'm lucky that I did get the chance to know you better. You both left way too soon, and it makes me so sad… But I'm so thankful for the time we did get. I'll always remember.

love always,

Kelsey.