When to say When.

I was talking to one of my best friends the other day and we were talking about a person in my life that I am just not sure that  I want in my life anymore.
this person has hurt me in the worst ways possible and has never been a positive influence in my life.
This person is a member of my family and am worried that I will regret this in the long run.
Maybe I will. Maybe I will look back and hope I had tried harder to make our relationship better than it was.
On the other hand, maybe I would be happier. Maybe I would look at what my life is now and see myself being a million times happier because he is gone.
I remember I said that I still loved him no matter what. He is family.
She told me "Kelsey, there is a difference between loving a person, and protecting yourself from hurt."
I needed that.
I needed to hear that I am worth more than what he thinks I am.
I am a woman who deserves to be around people who make me feel like I am special.

Three little words...

How often do you tell the people around you that you love them?
How many times can you remember in the last week did you tell them those three words?
In my family we have an unspoken rule. Whether we are happy or sad or mad or any other emotion you can think of, you never leave without saying those three simple words.
I don't think I have ever ended a phone call with a family members without saying them.
I have never been so thankful for words. They arent just words to me. They are a way for me to know that they are still there for me, no matter what mess I have gotten myself into.
I have talked about my mom before and the struggle she went through. Even in all that mess and hardship, she never let us forget how much she loved us and how thankful she was for us being there.
I would like to think that in my future relationships and even with my future children I will be able to hold that tradition.
So think about when the last time you told the people around you how much you love them.
Go tell them again. Tell them that you wouldn't be anything without them in your life. Tell them that they have made you into a better person by just being there for you. Tell them that you could never imagine a life without them in it.
Tell them that you love them.

   

Well until Next Time... 

Here's to the Future.

 So I know I am a bit late on this but I wanted to make a list of the New years resolutions that I think I would benefit from the most. Some are normal and some are something that I want to be better at. Maybe some can inspire you as well.
My New Years resolutions:

                                Be more understanding

I want to be more understanding of  people and their circumstances. I want to be able to look at them how my Heavenly Father would look at them I want to see someone that I dont even know and feel a love for them as a fellow human being.
                                                     

                                     Be more positive 

I am not very good at this. I tend to see that ominous glass half empty. So somehow I am going to see the best in the people who are around me and the situations I get myself into.

                                         Be healthier 

Who doesn't have this goal. I think what is different is that instead of my goal to be to lose weight, I want to be healthy and be happy with whatever size that would be. 

                                      Say I love you more

I want to say the words "I love you" more than just as a habit over phone calls. I want to tell the people I love to know that I am thinking about them.

                 Go on an adventure with someone whom I love 

I am a home body. I am content with being at home and just hanging out. I want to get out of that. I want to take an adventure whether its in my home town or across the country. I want to share that with someone I love.

                                        Serve more people 

I love service. I love giving to people but sometimes it is hard when you get busy with school and work and the millions of other things you have to do. This year I want to set aside more time to serve my loved ones and just the people around me. 
                                       
                                         Stick to a budget 
Raise your hand if you cant keep a budget for your life. (I'm raising my hand right now.) This year will be different. Less impulse buying and more saving. 

                             Spend more time with my family 
My family is the single most important thing to me. I will spend more time in their presence. I will put away the electronics and I will be present in the moment. 

                                       Organize my life
I need this in my life. I am the most unorganized person ever... like ever. Its sad. So this year I will organize my possessions and the people I surround myself with. Getting rid of people who dont support me and love me, who are there to tear me down.

                            Document my life more creatively
I want to give myself a more creative outlet. I want to document The Kelsey Barrett Show.

So, I think I can do this. What do you think?
Here's to hopping. Cheers guys.
Until Next Time...

All you need to do is ask.

Sometime I get lost in my own mind. I get lost in the what ifs. What if I dye my hair purple? What if I grow old with 45 cats? 
I was thinking tonight about where I want my life to go. I want to make a difference. I want to change lives. I want to make people look at the world around them in a whole new way.
How am I possibly going to do that? Nine out of ten times I doubt myself.
Since my last post I have been trying to take my own advice and trust. Trust myself and my Heavenly Father. For about an hour I just sat and thought "how the heck am I going to change lives?"
So I think I have an answer. Get up, go outside, DO IT. Even if that means asking for help sometimes.
I have to take my own advice once again and stop blaming my circumstances. Stop blaming money or lack thereof. Stop blaming the people around me that are doing "better" than I am. So even though I have about 50 cents in my bank account and a car that barely moves, I will get up tomorrow and do it. Whatever that entails.
Wish me luck.
Well Until Next time...

Trust me...

When I was about fourteen years old my mom came to me and told me that she had been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. She told me that we had a hard road in front of us. She told me that things would change. Man, was that an understatement. From then on the roles in the Barrett household were switched.
People dont really think of Bipolar disorder and think of a debilitating disease that is not curable or that it isn't really a huge deal. If that is what you thought, you would be severely mistaken. Bipolar messes with the chemicals inside of your body. Simply it can bring you from very high to very low in a matter of seconds. It can make you do and say things that you would never do if the disease wasnt controlling your body and mind.
My mom struggled for two years dealing with this. We went weeks without having her in the house because she would be in mental institutions.
So many things could of torn my family apart. There were so many times when my family could of fallen apart. But, we didn't.
We had our family, our church, and our Heavenly Father. We had someone to hold us together when we couldn't do it ourselves.
So my thought for today is simply trust. Trust in your own ability to stay strong in tough situations. Trust your Heavenly Father when he tells you that it will be okay.
"Keep trying, Keep believing, Be happy, dont get discouraged, things WILL work out." -Gordon B. Hinckley

Well until next time...

Nice to see you again...

 Oh... Hi... so Its been how long since I have written something on my blog? Too long.
Anyway...
It is now January 1, 2015 and I thought to myself why not challenge myself to do something important. I tried to think of something that I would want to do and that would help me feel more fulfilled in my life.
Share my life. My thoughts. My experiences. Everything that goes on through this crazy head of mine. Why not share that with the world.
So starting today I am going to share at least one thought that I had. Whether its sad or happy or crazy. I want to get my voice into this crazy world. I want to make sure that I am heard. So that in the future I can look back and be happy with what I contributed to the world.
So today I want to tell all of you,  stop caring what people say. Just because you are going a different direction than what is the "norm," do what makes you happy. Do something worth while. Do something that makes a difference. You do you!
Until next time, Kelsey Barrett

I AM GIVING UP...

I made the decision today to just give up.

Let me preface this with a bit of a back story. Today I saw, yet another, "Why I got married at 18." blogpost. I read it and I understand why they made that decision. At the same time I felt bad that I am not married yet and I am 20. Sitting there thinking 

"How is it possible that I feel like an old maid at 20?" 

So I decided that I am giving up. I am giving up on secretly hunting for my future husband. I am giving up on pinning wedding dresses and engagement rings on pinterest. I am giving up on wasting time wishing I was married already, so I can fit in with the rest of Mormon society. 

I AM DONE! 

I am going to sit back and enjoy the ride. Whether I meet the man of my dreams next month, next year, or even ten years from now. I am here, today, in the present and I am going to take advantage of that.

Well Until Next Time... :)