Blogger Question

So the other day I expanded the width of my blog and in doing so, my header didn't go all the way across. So I made it the right size and had to remove the other one to upload it. But when I tried to upload my header it says I have reached my photo quota. So I uploaded it to my picasa web albums instead, but using the link didn't work either. I also tried using a photo link from photobucket and that didn't work as well.

So I don't know what to do now! My blog is header-less and I can't figure out a way to get it up there. If anyone has had this problem before or knows what to do about this, I would greatly appreciate some advice. Thanks! (And sorry that I have no header right now! :P)

Shorts--The Perfect Summer Item

This is my favorite outfit combo to wear for the summer. Shorts+shirt (+ belt is extra credit because it's even cuter)=Summer time! Shorts just go with summer, you know? I love wearing dresses and skirts in the summer time because they are girly, loose, and flowy, but to a certain point you are restricted. You can sit on the ground cross-legged or run around and do cartwheels (not that I can even do a cartwheel). And plus with skirts, I usually wear shorts or something under them, "just in case," which adds another layer. Sometimes it all feels a bit constricting and can get stuffy.

Enter in shorts! The perfect summer item. You can run around in them, sit down whichever way you want in them, dance around in them, and still be equally happy in them. And who doesn't love saying the word "shorts?" There is nothing but happiness accompanied when saying that word. They're just great. The shorts above are some of my favorites because they are incredibly comfortable and very cute and stripey.

Therefore, say what you will, but when you see me in the summer 90% of the time, you know what I'll be wearing--SHORTS! :)

"For the First Time Ever I'm Completely Free..."

As I listen to music from one of my favorite movies, Tangled, I'm reminded of a certain scene in the movie that everyone laughs at, myself included.

{embedding wasn't allowed so view here}

Tangled is really a simple story--one about a girl with magic, long hair trapped by an evil witch. She goes into a world she's been taught to fear all her life yet from it she finds excitement, new friends, action, and love. This movie has become beloved by all audiences young and old, men and women. And why? Because Rapunzel leads the life we all want to live.

We learn from Rapunzel that decisions aren't always easy, and we might run them back and forth in our head, because we don't know which choice is the better one. Or we're afraid to pick another choice because it might require more of a risk. Rapunzel shows us that sometimes there are people in the world who will lie to us and be mean to us for their own good. They'll pretend to love us so that we're scared to leave them. And in the end we find out they never really loved us at all. Rapunzel teaches us that when we do things we're scared of, when we decide to take a risk, a lot of times we get hurt. We get so hurt that we want to go running back to our old, easier and simpler life, even if it wasn't the one we really wanted. And we learn from her that we can go back to that life, and try to forget everything.

But we also learn from Rapunzel that taking risks opens up new doors for us. We can meet new people and see beautiful places. We can have adventures and we can sing, dance, and have fun. We learn from Rapunzel that sometimes, taking the risk is the better choice, because even if it might hurt us, it's better to love than to not have loved at all. It's better to follow our dreams because we grow up and we learn more than we ever could have learned staying in a tower. And most importantly, we learn from Rapunzel that there are people out there who will take us in and accept us for who we are, and love us more than we have ever been loved before. Their love makes everything worth it.

There are little fears and there are big ones. Right now I'm sitting in my room crouched on the bed because a bug is crawling somewhere on the floor and it's freaking me out. I'll go to amusement parks with friends and no matter what they do to try and convince me, I will not get on the big roller coasters there because of my enormous fear of heights. These fears are small (however large that roller coaster or bug might be)..it won't change my life if I face the bug or ride the roller coaster. But then there are bigger fears, like my inability to open up to people about anything, even my close friends because I'm afraid I'll get hurt. Opening up to someone can change my life--it can bring me closer to someone and it can help me trust people more and have better relationships.

I learned from Rapunzel that it's not going to be 100% perfect all the time. But I also learn from Rapunzel that it won't be 100% awful all the time, which means that maybe, it might be worth taking the risk :)

Unbroken (Demi Lovato Concert)

I am girl who gets really obsessed with things and people. When I love something, then I really love it :) So when I found out Demi Lovato was doing a summer tour and one of those dates would be in Boston, I got so excited, because I love Demi! I have always loved her music, but I think she is an amazing person for everything she's gone through and how open she is about so she can help others. Most celebrities aren't like that, and you can tell she's not all about the fame and everything. I bought two tickets (they were a little pricey, especially for a college student like myself, but I knew I would regret it if I didn't get them) and took my cousin Brianna with me. She loves Demi Lovato too and it was her first concert, so it was perfect!

It was at the Bank of America pavilion which is a huge outdoor covered venue. Its really cool. We got there a little early so we walked around the area, bought an Italian ice, and just talked about girly stuff. There were plenty of "lovatics" walking around, several of them with matching decorated shirts with their friends.

We got inside the venue and bought some shirts--it has the same pattern, but I got a blue one and Brianna got a purple one (I know, I didn't get purple! But blue was more of a big t-shirt, which is what I wanted, and it was cheaper haha).

Our seats were probably closer to the back than the front but really, when you're at a concert, you kind of forget all of that once you're in the atmosphere and just having fun. The opening act was Hot Chelle Rae, who did great! Some of their popular songs from the radio are "Tonight Tonight" and "I Like It Like That."

 I got a few videos of them, here they are singing "Tonight, Tonight."

Once they were done, everyone was SO anxious to see Demi! It was crazy to see how many big fans there were in the audience. It was fun because they were playing music in between acts, like "Firework" and everyone in the whole venue would be singing. You could tell we were ready for her to come out.

The crowd went insane when she was out there, and we stood the entire concert because everyone else was too. It was an audience full of energetic girls so it was incredibly wild. And Demi was amazing! That girl has SUCH a good voice. I'm posting some videos below and you should listen because her voice is mind blowing.

I loved every minute of that concert. There's something about Demi Lovato, because that every girl knows so much about her, we all feel like she's our friend. Which is an awesome thing to feel from a celebrity. She sang all of her popular songs, and songs from all her albums, though most were from her new album, Unbroken.

My favorite song she sang by far, was Skyscraper. Can I get real with you and just say that this song means so much to me. Whenever stuff is hard, I can turn on this song and it gives me strength to keep fighting and keep working through. And it means even more knowing that Demi really relates to this song as well, with her history of struggling with bullying and eating disorders. It's such an inspiring song. She talked a little bit before she started singing it, and if you have a minute, you should really watch the video to hear her say it and hear her sing it, because she gives it such soul, but this is what she said (almost word for word):

"There are so many issues..things like bullying, things like self-harm, eating disorders, addiction. There's so many things out there that no one's really talking about. And right now, I know for a fact that some of my fans out there are going through them. It's such a scary thing to tell someone that you need help, but trust me, it changes your life. So I want to really encourage you, if you're struggling with something, or if you're just being bullied, tell someone, so you can stop it from happening to someone else. I also just want to say to those of you that struggle to just stay strong, and I want you guys to know that the only reason why I did stay strong when I went to treatment was because of you guys. I want to play you this song."

I got chills when I heard her singing that and it made me want to cry. And some girls were crying. Brianna pointed out to me a girl who I'd seen in the row in front of us, who earlier I'd just had a small thought of how I was jealous that she was skinny, that was crying and hugging her friend. I felt guilty for what I'd thought earlier, and I wanted to just go up to her and give her a hug too.

I guess it really made me realize that you can't judge people. Ever. That girl was probably going through something Demi mentioned above, maybe an eating disorder, and most people probably don't know. Just like Demi, who no one ever knew she was struggling so bad until she went to treatment and started talking about it. I think it's really important to remember that whoever we meet could very easily be struggling with something super hard.

The second thing I realized from hearing that song is that it's important to be open. This is kinda personal, but I remember so many nights when I was really struggling in life, just praying to God to give me someone to talk to, someone to listen to me, and I realize now that I should have just been praying to be able to open up to someone, because all around me I had so many people who cared and loved me, but I wouldn't let any of them in. So if you're struggling, it's okay. You're not the only one, and like Demi said, be brave enough to tell someone. Look at how many people she's told about what's she gone through--it has only made her more loved for who she really is. People really don't talk about that stuff enough, and they should. And if you ever need someone to talk to, just email me, seriously. :) (kikicbrownee-at-gmail-dot-com)

Anyways, I just wanted to share that little bit. The rest of the concert was just as good, the last song being "Give Your Heart a Break."

I'm so so glad I had the opportunity to go to the concert, because it was definitely one of the best nights of my life. And I'm also so so glad I got to go with Brianna. She and I have gotten so close this summer and I really just love this girl so much! I wouldn't have wanted to go with anyone else so I'm happy she came with me. Haha she had fun too...according to her it was the best day of the summer :)

I am behind on some stuff but I figured I should just blog about this week to not get super behind. I will try and update as much as I can! Until next time...

 xoxo Kailee :)

4th of July 2012

Spending the 4th of July this year in Boston was one of the best Independence Days I ever could have had! The East Coast is especially patriotic with all the history that happened here during the Revolutionary War. I brought over the tradition of spray-painting shirts, so we taped them up the night before and then we spray painted the next morning (we realized we had no red paint). The morning of the 4th was spent at a parade in the town of Sudbury. It was perfect because it was a little later (we slept in) and it was short so we didn't have to spend a long time in the heat.

After we went to that we headed off into Boston where we parked and rode the train to the Esplanade. It's right by the Charles River with the most gorgeous view of the Boston skyline. Some friends from our ward saved spots all day so we got to sit with them. We played cards and ate food while waiting and just hung out. I love the atmosphere on the 4th of July because it's so happy and exciting! Everyone is spirited wearing their red, white, and blue so it's just a lot of fun.

The fireworks actually got delayed for about a half-hour to forty-five minutes because they thought a thunderstorm was coming. There was a huge mess of people coming and telling us to move so we'd stay dry, but we didn't want to leave, because we knew our spot would be gone if we left. We ended up staying because no storm came and then it actually poured during the fireworks. It was kind of surreal, watching the fireworks in the rain. I mean, how often does that happen?

Let me just tell you something about the Boston fireworks. You know how there is usually a grand finale in fireworks shows? Well this show is like a grand finale the whole way through, it's amazing! The fireworks are so sweet and there are sooo many. Best fireworks show, I have ever seen for sure! I was pretty happy with my picture taking skills to have gotten this shot.

We were all soaked to the bone from the rain (that only lasted about 15 minutes) but packed up our stuff after the fireworks to go. It took a little while to get through the crowds and we were able to catch one of the last trains to get to our car.

In short, it was a wonderful 4th of July. Just what it should have been. I am so grateful for this country and for the freedom we have. I'm grateful that we can vote for our leaders and I admire the way we unite as a nation when good and bad things happen, such as simple things like celebrating Independence Day every year, or really awful stuff like 9/11. For me, there is no better place to live. I'm happy that this summer I've been able to get to know another part of this nation. I can only love it more. :) Happy Independence Day!