March/April....BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!

I know I have been MIA lately.
Life has decided to see how far we can stretch.
But let me fill you in on a few highlights of the past few weeks:

1. Spending free time at the parks

Nick and I are definitely fortunate to live near and work for Disney. We love to go and play in the parks on our days off together. We go to Magic Kingdom to catch the fireworks. We indulge in international cuisine at EPCOT. We  take a ride on Tower of Terror and Rockin' Rollercoaster at Hollywood Studios.

  We always take a safari ride at Animal Kingdom (plus, Expedition Everest is Nick's favorite).

We go mini golfing on at Disney's Fantasia Gardens Mini Golf.

2. Rilo is growing fast. I took her to the vet last week to find out she is 17 pounds heavy and perfectly healthy. 17 POUNDS?!?!?! I swear she doubles in size every week. We have been patiently addressing her puppy-biting problem. She is potty trained, crate trained, she sits and is learning to walk nicely on a leash.

3. My 22nd Birthday!!! Nick and I both had to work on the actual day of my birth, so when both of us were off we went to EPCOT and had dinner at Biergarten in Germany. It was Sooooo great!! I loved it! Then on Thursday, when both of us were off of work, we had some real fun! Breakfast in bed was followed by a little shopping and then a trip to the Bob Carr Theatre to see WICKED! It was a really thoughtful day and I love my husband for taking the time to make my birthday special. You really can't go wrong if you take me to the theatre. And Nick loved the show as well!

I received the sweetest card from my littlest sister-in-law.

Nick and I came home from dinner to find a cake and decorations made for me by our roommates.

Princess!!

 I love my Disney Birthday Pin!

 We are swamped and struggling, but we are making the best of it. School and full-time work, puppy and a house to keep clean, etc. are really challenging our patience. But we are taking everything one day at a time....and finding ways to enjoy life!

Day 13 & 14- A Letter To Someone/ A Picture of You and Your Family

So I'm going to throw these two days together. I want to write a little "thank-you" letter to my immediate family.

Mom, Dad, Bethany, and Alex...
Thank you. Thank  you for loving me unconditionally. Thank you for teaching me just how sacred and important family truly is. Because of you, I know that family is everything. Thank you for constantly supporting and encouraging me in my music. Thank you for emphasizing my strengths and downplaying my weaknesses. I need that from you because I am already so hard on myself. Thank you for sticking it out...no matter how ugly things can get sometimes. Thank you for accepting the love of my life into your hearts and our family. Now:
Mom-Thank you for the sacrifices made to allow me to chase my dreams/passions. Thank you for the most cherished friendship I know.
Dad-Thank you for your example. You taught me to be strong and lead. Thank you for always loving me (and all of your children), and for proving to us that it is never too late to love someone more.
Alex-Thank you for keeping me on my toes. Thank you for behaving like my protective older brother despite your two-year junior. Thank you for always keeping laughter in our home.
Bethany-Thank you for your faith. Thank you for showing me how much I can learn from my youngest sibling. Thank you for your self-respect and for being the little sister I used to pray for.
I am so blessed to have you all as my family.

Our Newest Addition

Everyone, meet Rilo.

She is a 2 month-old Australian Shepard/Hound mix from a local shelter.





















Rilo is a ball of excitement, curiosity, and love. She isn't incredibly vocal, but she is teething....BAD. She must attempt to chew everything in sight. However, thanks to this she has become very familiar with "NO" and what it means.


We are crate training her. This is ultimately the easier way to potty train dogs. For now, we are still dealing with her lack of love for the crate. She would much rather sleep in bed with Mom and Dad. But I have started giving her meals in her crate and she has toys and a bed that go in with her.
























I find myself reluctant to leave her. Truthfully, I haven't. Not yet. Fortunately, I am in-between jobs this week so I have plenty of free time. And we are not the only ones in the house, so she will rarely be alone.

I can be very controlling. It is not a proud trait of mine. But when something is important to me, it is difficult for me to trust others with it. I have been very specific with Nick and our roommates about behavior that is and is not acceptable with Rilo. Everyone is on board and loves her already. How could you not??

Cute as she is, she is still really young and equally as exhausting. Nick has been great about sharing the responsibilities with me and allowing me to get the occasional break. Puppies are very time consuming, but Rilo is our family now. We love the joy she has brought into our home. She is a happy dog who is excellent at keeping us on our toes. 

I am really dedicated to training Rilo and having a well-behaved and social dog. I plan to keep you all posted on my progress with her. 

*UPDATE*

As mentioned before, Nick got his lifeguard job with Disney.

I got my attractions job with Disney.

My father is taking a job back in broadcasting.

And...

...Nick just sold his car!!!! Thanks so much to Nariana and Chris for keeping watch over it in Arizona and helping out. 

Patience really really really does pay off :)

....take that!

Day 10-Songs You Listen To When You Are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad

Music.
As my husband stated earlier in his sweet blog, my music library is extensive and diverse. So I'm going to get a little bit more specific. Here goes:

Content: John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Anberlin, Coldplay, Dave Matthews, Fall Out Boy, The Fray, OneRepublic, Jimmy Eat World, Josh Groban
Bubble Bath: Boyz II Men, John Legend, Adele, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Sara Bareilles, Mariah Carey, Norah Jones, Usher, Seal
Beach/Sunset: Bob Marley, Dirty Heads, Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Sublime
Energetic: Cold War Kids, The Decemberists, MGMT, The Black Keys, Jet, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foster The People, Cage The Elephant, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, The White Stripes, Radiohead, Foo Fighters
Getting ready (this is anything I can sing to in the morning while I'm getting ready): WICKED, RENT, Spring Awakening, Last Five Years,  Aida, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Chicago, Ragtime, Christina Aguilera
Sunday: Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pandora station, Jim Brickman, LOTR Soundtrack, EFY, Disney
Nostalgic: Otis Redding, Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, Bruce Springstein, Billy Joel, Hall & Oates, James Taylor, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Don Henley, Tony Rich Project, old recording from Oregon Bach Festival, ENCORE!, VocalEase, and side projects

This might cover 1/4 of my library. Maybe. Its so random, but I rarely turn down music. Every style of music contains heart and talent and creativity. I'm never afraid to try something new. However, I do stay away from techno and anything that involves screaming. Ha...that's about it.

Day 8- Short Term Goals For This Month And Why

For the month of March, I plan to...

-become settled and comfortable in my newest job with Disney (as well as Nick in his new lifeguarding position).

-upgrade from part time to full time

-start online classes and find an efficient way to manage my time/job/course load

-celebrate my first birthday with my husband!...and away from family :(

-drink more water and eliminate red meat AMAP. Again.

-receive a calling in my new ward

-get my car tuned up finally after the long drive out here from AZ

-read a few really great books. Any suggestions?? 

I know that none of this is terribly exciting. We are just now entering the tail end of a giant transition period. I don't doubt that things are definitely going to pick up in the next few months. With that said, I'm going to throw in Day 9- "Something You're Proud Of In The Past Few Days"

When Nick and I moved out here to Orlando, we came without certain jobs. I have been battling with the Casting department here at Walt Disney World for months to get them to just pull my file. They wouldn't assign me a job until I was residing here in Florida. So we moved. When we got here, no one would pull my file! I kept calling and calling. Each week, I built up more frustration. Nick applied and got a job immediately. That was definitely a humbling experience, even though I was relieved and excited for my husband. But even though Nick was in with Disney, he really wanted to lifeguard for them. In order to transfer for that, you have to pass the lifeguard test and interview again. And only then are you eligible for a job....IF they have one available. 

When Nick went  in to Casting to get the information for his lifeguard test, I accompanied him. And I sat in the waiting room when he was called back just thinking and brewing with frustration. Until fortunately, my frustration got the best of me and I marched straight back to where he was, let him finish getting squared away for his test, and then informed the woman of my situation. Thirty minutes later I had an invitation for an interview. My goodness! Why did it take two months for someone to do something that takes five minutes?? I keep looking back trying to remember when I prayed for patience, because this experience definitely tested mine! But my testimony has also grown from all of this.

Yesterday, Nick and I both had our interviews at Casting. And the best part? We both walked away with exactly what we went in for!! It was such a blessing and we were smiling the rest of the day. My interview was short and sweet thanks to my being in good standing from my last job here. I am back in Disney's Hollywood Studios and looking forward to succeeding at my job and working my way up! I took the very last attractions position currently available on property. Nick took the last Lifeguarding position available. It certainly seemed like an answer to months and months of prayers. Oh, and...

My dad took a job!!! I am telling you, it had really been an exciting week and its only Tuesday! March brings high hopes and more change for all of us. I'm so excited. 

Kelsey!

So...this isn't the regular author/editor/CEO of the blog.  Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Nicholas Donald Igneous Martell III.  I know the creator of this blog rather well.  We even have the same last name!  I am taking the liberty of logging on to my wife's blog and giving the reader a more in-depth look at the author...from the perspective of someone who shares the same body wash.  Here we go!!            

-Kelsey is a very passionate individual.  One of the things I love about her is her constant drive to maintain her relationships with family and friends.  Kelsey would do absurd things to ensure her loved ones were happy and taken care of.

-She may be the most forgiving person I have ever had the opportunity to meet.  She is willing to put aside nearly anything to give someone a second chance.

-This Girl is a tremendous baker!  I win.

-Give Kelsey some brownies or pizza and you have a new best friend.

-She has the most diverse collection of music on her i tunes.  If you just new Kelsey from her music selection you would think she was a 45 year old teenager stuck in the 80's with a tendency to rock and roll all the time with the occasional cruise through the hood in an El Camino...but on weekends she did nothing but lay on the beach with a peace sign around her neck while praying for part II of Woodstock.  And in her spare time she lay in her bed crying and sleeping only to get up in an hour and dance her life away.  Okay, it's a little outlandish, but I hope that paints a picture of how many different kinds of music Kelsey loves.

-If Kelsey had it her way she would perform for the rest of her life.  She loves the stage, in all of its forms.  It is totally her element.  

-She is her own worst critic.

-She is a PER FE C TION IST.  I got in trouble today because I had two towels in the bathroom...

-Disney Disney Disney.  You should see her collection of Disney DVD's. 

-My wife is different from anyone else in the world.  She loves so many things.  She is good in tough situations.  I have complete trust in her to thrive in any situation she is put in.  At school, work, church or any situation.  She loves to meet new people and is great in new and different social situations (I mean, this girl survived meeting about 43,000 of my family members and they all love her.  A+ methinks.)  

-If there was a career called "sleeping" this girl would be one the leaders in its field.  

-Kelsey is very nurturing.  She takes great care of me.  She always looks for nice things to do for me. 

-She has an extremely silly side.  Her new thing is spontaneously shouting "terror!" and attacking me.  This could go on for an hour, a minute or until she falls asleep...which is usually closer to a minute.

-Kelsey has a wonderful relationship with her Mom.  They are best friends and they are so cute together.  When her and her mom get together to talk I just go watch football with her Dad. There's no ending that conversation. 

-She will sing ANY song.  Whether she loves it or hates it.  

-She is a very productive person...but she is not opposed to having a day where she doesn't get out of bed.  

-I can talk to her about anything.  And it has been that way from day 1.  

-Even though she is a girly-girl, she is in her element when it's just her and the boys.

-Kelsey has always fascinated me.  From the day I met her to Friday, February 25th.  I love her.  I am so excited to see where life takes us.  I couldn't ask for a better sidekick.