It's the five-month countdown....

Please tell me you were thinking of this song when you saw the post title. Please. I definitely had it in mind while crafting that little bugger. If you weren't, just go ahead and read it again, thinking of Europe in all their glory. (p.s. did you know that Europe released a new album this March?! Not even joking you right now...thanks, Wikipedia.)

Anywho, 'tis true, 'tis true, Lee and I will be wed five months from yesterday! CrAzY to think about, especially since the last few weeks have really brought an overwhelming sense of peace in the present. Get this:  we actually like being engaged!! a.k.a. we aren't sitting around wishing for, "well when we're married 'this,'" or, "only X amount of days...get me outta here!" ("here" referring to engagement).  This has been a constant conversation with us, and even though the goodbyes at night don't get any easier, we are 1) so thankful that we don't have to spend all of our time together on Skype like the good ol' days and 2) both very much enjoying this brief time of engagement in our lives. It's not like we can one day go back and say, "let's just be engaged again!" Not gonna happen. Not because I don't want it to, but because, ummm, marriage. Ya feel me?

This whole notion of having peace in the present is a really profound reality in my life right now, especially as my one-year anniversary of packing up Lady and moving out of Fargo comes up in a week. (Any new followers out there: Lady is my Altima. Read the post I wrote here, or watch a younger, tanner me getting the keys here!) There have been many times over the past year (up until this very day!) where I have thought to myself, "Man, I. miss. Fargo." And, truth be told. I do miss it. But more than Fargo itself, I miss the life I had in Fargo. This blog didn't even capture 1/8 of the many good blessings I received while I was there, but now that the reality has finally set in that I will simply just not live that way again (with teammates, working for FOCUS, mentoring women as a full-time job...), I have been forced to succumb to the reality of the present.

And you know what?

I think I like it!

Not only do I like it, but now that I'm finally starting to realize that this is the daily life of KMK, it's starting to feel normal, not like I'm just trying to fit into life like I'm a piece from the wrong puzzle. Sure, there are rough days when I wish for the way things were, and boy do I miss my friends from the hinterland. But little by little this emotional sap has been coming around to accept the way things are, and actually enjoy myself so much more.

We went to Galena with the Kaufman's for Mother's Day! What a wonderful day.

Swimming into shallower waters...

Today also marks the beginning of a completely vanity-driven attempt at a not having caffeine nor chocolate. Want to know why? Because all hell broke loose on my face and in recent months pubescent style acne has been covering my entire chin. I mean, I've gotten small break-outs here and there, but this is completely different! Even while going through puberty I don't remember having a breakout quite like this.

"Kelsey, don't you think maybe you're a little stressed with the whole wedding/huge life change/still adjusting to Iowa thing?"

Well, maybe. BUT. But but but this might be different. I don't feel really stressed out by those things, and in all honesty wedding planning is kind of a breeze (so far!). I did zero outside research, but after doing a quick overview of my diet and lifestyle, I've realized a few pretty common denominators in recent months:  coffee and chocolate...and I did switch my face-washing system right around the time this all began... SO I am going to resort to my former way of life and ditch the new system (for now!), even though I love the way it makes my skin feel and has just the perfect amount of tingly sensation after step 2. You all know that tingly sensation that just makes your skin feel cleaner?! Even if it actually isn't? That's just the best. But it doesn't quite make up for a chin that could be mistaken for a pizza. So it's time to give 'er a rest and go back to the basics here.

p.s. please ignore the coffee I sipped this morning while getting ready for work; it was Panera coffee leftover from yesterday, I swear! You can't let stuff like that just go to waste...

Anyone else out there in their mid-twenties having acne breakouts? What did you do to get rid of them? Hit me with some advice!

The "Great White" gets a tune up.

The Great White, more affectionately known as Lady (ahem, my white Nissan Altima), has been taking such great care of me since our meeting last October, that I decided to treat her to an oil change and bath today. Well, actually, she was over 600 miles due for the oil change, and that many more for a wash, so I decided to kill both birds with one stone.

I received an offer in the mail last week (which I typically disregard) for discounts on oil changes and realized, "Hey, this actually applies!" I'm using it.

So yesterday I call up Gateway Nissan and make an appointment ASAP for Lady to get in and get an oil change. Shortly thereafter I receive a random email offering free car washes with the purchase of any oil change at, you guessed it: Gateway Nissan.

On the edge of my seat, Lady and I head down to the dealer this morning for this fun undertaking. I usually do not look forward to oil changes because of one part: the multi-point inspection. In previous experiences the inspection has come up with needs for things including but not limited to:  new air filters, brake pads, new tires (which was the really pricy one) and other expensive adjustments to the vehicle. And let's be honest, I know you're all thinking it: I'm a girl. Unless dad's there I don't actually know the varying importance of different car parts, so I need to figure this out without getting scammed.

"Come on," I usually think to myself. "Can't I just come in here and get an oil change without getting hassled to spend more money?"

Today, like any other day, I prepare my responses when presented with the multi-point inspection telling me to spend lots of extra money. It sounded like this: "No thanks. Just the oil change today."

After leaving Lady in the service garage I head to the desk of the kind sales associate to make arrangements. She asks if I want my tires rotated. "No thanks," I reply, feeling smug. I show her my coupon for $5 off the oil change, as well as the email about the free car wash, still feeling smug. She tells me they wash every car they service. "Some 'offer'," I think to myself, convinced that all car dealerships just want every dime you've got.

I sign on the dotted line, approving the day's services, then head to the waiting area. While there, I proceed to twiddle my thumbs, whistle, and stare aimlessly into space. Just kidding, I check my email and work on some things from my phone, but it's way funnier to picture the former.

After about 35 minutes the kind sales associate calls me back and we sit at her desk. I see her turn and grab the stapled sheets of paper which I know contain only one thing: the multi-point inspection results.

Remembering my firm "no" she begins to go over everything with me. "Everything looks great," she says. "Brakes, good. Tires, good. Filters, good. Everything's great! Please just sign here for the work done today, and on this sheet for the credit card."

I couldn't believe it, but I heard correctly. No hassling today, "just the oil change."

Kaufman's Unite! ...in Fargo!

Kevin, trying to act like he doesn't care (but I know he does).

What a great weekend this was. Not only was it homecoming for NDSU and the Bison ended up dominating in their game on Saturday after a most entertaining parade, but mom, dad and Kev all came up on Saturday night and we got to spend the night together. What a treat. I've been waiting anxiously for Kevin to come visit me in Fargo sometime but knew it would take mom and dad already making a trip for him to come, rather than just hopping in his Impala and making an 8-hour trip all by himself. Kevin's the only brother I have and until recently let's just say that our relationship didn't have a whole lot of substance to it. After being with him for only a brief night I can tell that both of us are growing up and we're starting to realize that when it comes to siblings, we're all the other's got!

The original reason mom and dad came was so that they could take the Taur home ("my" old car, although always theirs and never really mine), and I think just to be united as a family for a weekend. I don't know what it's like to be at home without little Rosco as the center of attention, but I'm sure it's not any fun, especially for them, whose lives practically revolved around that dog.

They got here around 4:00 on Saturday and before they got here Cari and I were busy baking chocolate muffins and lemon bars (Kevin's favorite) for a tasty 27th Anniversary (which was the day before!) dessert for mom and dad post-dinner. The four of us scooted across the street to the Newman Center for 4:30 pm Mass and right after that enjoyed a delicious dinner and wonderful quality time at Grazie's. Fr. Cheney, Bryan, Cari and lovely Marissa Oster joined us, entreated us by letting mom share stories, mostly about me getting my wisdom teeth pulled, but also about Kevin and I growing up. Her and dad love talking about us so anytime there's an opportunity they both grab onto it, no matter what the audience is (although I'm quite confident Fr. Cheney and Bryan got a good kick out of some of the stories).

Me and my "fathers"! A.k.a. Spiritual father and actual father

I really love quality time and my family, so when the two of them are combined I am one happy camper. And I know I'm not the only Kaufman that feels that way! Shoot, all three of 'em drove eight hours just to see me for a dinner and a breakfast early the next morning and were home again by 4 pm on Sunday. Now that's dedication, and I feel awfully blessed to have such wonderful parents.

Lastly, since I'm trying to keep y'all in the loop of my vocational journey I do have to throw this out there as some "not-really-news" news; I created an account on CatholicMatch.com! Ha, I'm still laughing. I created it not knowing you had to pay so much so I ended up just creating a free thing where people can send me "emotigrams" and messages, but I can't actually read them unless I shell out. Nuh-uh, I don't know if you remember that pretty little white car, but I'd rather pay to keep her out back than to get myself a boyfriend, at least at this point and time. I just thought it'd be fun to see what this whole CatholicMatch thing is all about. So I am trying, kind of. If anything comes of it I'll let ya know! ;)

And I'm off! Mass at 5:15, team dinner at 6 and bible study at 7:30--what a great Monday! Ciao!

Happy Hello's and Sad Goodbye's

Looking back at this week my emotions resemble a roller-coaster at Disneyland. On Wednesday I brought home a car! That certainly was a lot of excitement for this girl. It's definitely something I've wanted to do for a while, but never thought I was "grown up" enough to do it, or that I'd be able to find the right one without dad's approval (that's most important, you know). As I mentioned in my last post I'm attempting to play more of the part of a wife, mother and simply a grown-up, so this was definitely a step in that direction. The Taurus has certainly given me a great ride and many wonderful memories but I think she's finally coming to the end of her legacy and it's time to move on. Hunting around for quotes on car insurance was time consuming, but I'm so glad I had the opportunity to learn from it. Also, I certainly did not expect walking off the lot with literally my dream car. I've drooled over the Nissan Altimas ever since the 10th grade when Cory Meyer pulled up in the high school parking lot in a nice, shiny black one. "Man," I thought, "What a car! Maybe someday I'll have a car like that, but probably not." After test driving a few others and doing some research, the Altima was definitely the best investment I could've made and I have no doubt she'll be with me for a long time! I think her name is going to be Lady, but I'm open to other suggestions, if you have any.

The 7 things I love most about having a new car:

1. Such a smooth ride! You can hardly tell there are train tracks everywhere, bumps, etc. And it's quiet.
2. No rust....dad.
3. Leg room!! I'm often concerned about the others in my vehicle when I'm driving, and since I'm toting around adults most of the time I want to make sure they're comfortable. (And it will probably be great for kids too, let's be real.)
4. No more consulting mom and dad if I can drive their car somewhere. Kelsey Marie Kaufman is the only name on this title and loan, baby.
5. Aside from school loans, this is my first big investment! I'm slowly but surely entering what some may call "the real world." 
6. She'll have NORTH DAKOTA license plates! That was one of the first things I noticed when I got here and every chance I get I tell someone how much I love those darn tootin' plates. I guess now I've got a car licensed and titled in ND. 

 On a much sadder note, and in fact, I would've liked to dedicate separate posts to each of these events, my dog, Rosco, was put down yesterday after suffering with a liver problem for quite a while now. Boy he sure was a trooper right up until the end and I wish I could've been there with mom, dad and Kevin.

If you'd entreat me, let me tell you just a little bit about how Rosco became a part of the Kaufman family. I had always been obsessed with dogs, as most young girls are I imagine. My aunt Colleen gave me a beautiful informational book filled with professional pictures of all sorts of dogs when I was in middle school. Before she gave it to me I used to always steal it and just page through it, looking at all the different puppies, especially keeping a close eye on the basset hounds because for some reason I thought they were just the cutest. I begged and whined and hoped to have a puppy someday but mom was adamant about not letting a dog mess up the house and dad didn't like the idea of house dogs because he always had dogs running around on the farm growing up.

One summer day mom goes with a friend, Terri, because Terri wanted a puppy for her family and she saw an ad for the sweetest little Yorkie-poos you could ever imagine. I remember being in the basement with Janae (Terri's daughter and a friend of mine) when I hear the screen door open, mom call for us and before you know it we're upstairs and what do we see--not one but two Yorkie-poos scampering around the garage. My heart sinks as I'm thinking that Janae now has two brand new, fluffy, loveable, adorable new puppies, and we still have none. And I will probably never have one. And I'm sad. And then mom tells me one's for me. And the next 10 years are a blur.

I've loved having a puppy, even though he got older he's always been a puppy to me. "My little baby!" I usually exclaim when he comes around nipping at my fingers, begging for attention. That little stinker sure did have it good living in our household. He got oodles of (unsalted and pre-buttered) popcorn from mom whenever she'd make it on the stove. He'd run to the scene whenever someone rustled a bag of chips, knowing that he'd probably get a couple of crunchy treats out of it. And the personal favorite, he shared ice cream cones with dad. Oh boy, if that wasn't quite the sight. Now if I'm my father's daughter I know dad genuinely enjoys ice cream, but I'm pretty convinced he only ate ice cream cones because he knew he'd have Rosco's undivided attention for at least 20 minutes, and then he could usually smother him and keep him for 5-10 more until Rosco finally wiggled his way out of dad's grasp and trotted back over to mom's chair. What a little stinker.

I must admit, although not the brightest dog on the block, he could hold his own for tricks. He sat, rolled over like a pro, could shake, give me a high-five and a high-ten and of course he had a way to always cheer one of us up when we were sad. Dogs can sense that stuff, man, and Rosco could sense me just right. My favorite is when I'd already have left to go back to school or come back to Fargo and Rosco would wander into my room and wait outside my door in the morning, even though I wasn't there to snuggle with. In case you don't know how adorable this dog is, here are a few pictures that I could find of Rosco and I through the years:

He's the only one who gives me sloppy kisses..

He usually helped with my homework...or just distracted me.

Rosco and Emily in 2008.

Family Christmas 2009. Rosco is famous for always sneaking in the pictures. Every year, and uninvited. What a ham.

Rosco could probably win the title as "most photographed dog" and these are only a few. It will be weird going home next time and not hearing the bark and waiting for "my little baby" to run to the door and greet me. Something he did that always broke my heart, time and time again, was start to get upset when he saw suitcases come out. He always knew that those meant someone is leaving and as soon as Kelsey starts packing up her room, she'll be gone, too. He'd shun me a little bit, act kind of funny, but then the day before I'd leave he was always a big (as in 9 pound...) teddy bear and he wouldn't leave my side. The day before I left for Fargo I got to spend all day, uninterrupted with him, and I am so glad. It was hard knowing I'd never see him again, but that little pup has brought many blessings to our family and certainly taught all of us how to love in a whole different way.