Grad Student

I have officially aced my first quarter of grad school!!! I am now in my 3rd week of my 2nd quarter and loving every minute of school. Eric and I also moved into a new house. That's right a house!!! We love having the extra room to spread out though I think Eric just likes having a backyard to call his own. Its only a rental but I've fallen in love. It is nice to be in a place without coin op laundry and a dishwasher that actually works. Our lives are quiet and that is the way we like it. Hopefully someday I'll have less of a quiet life but I'm pretty happy right now.

Trials and Tribulations

So for those who don't know.... 3 weeks ago Eric gave us quite a scare by being admitted to the hospital. Not to mention the fact it was also the day Eric's brother Kyle and his wife Kim were having their baby in St. George (more on that later). So Eric got a Strep-Pneumonia blood infection and was in the hospital 3 days. It was not the best time as Mom and Dad were also trying to find a way to tell us that Grandma Beckstead is not doing so well and that they stopped the chemo. If you haven't caught on..... all of this makes one very emotional Kelsie. 


The last 3 weeks have been completely stressful. I have been known to over worry but my husband was in the hospital. Eric needed a lot of antibiotics to fight this infection so at the hospital they inserted a pic line to make IV's easier. The pic line is this really long tube that goes in a vein in your arm, up your shoulder to your heart. The part outside the skin is like the little IV end for them to stick the IV bag on. It was really uncomfortable according to Eric and limited a lot of physical activity with his left arm. Lets just say, I did accidentally kicked it in my sleep a few times and Eric was in some pain. Anyway, Eric went through 14 days of IV treatments of antibiotic medicine and on Tuesday this week, he was able to get the pic line removed!!! I was so happy to watch them pull it out and see Eric feeling free of the pic line. We went out to celebrate at Pizza Hut lunch buffet (we are still very poor) and spent the rest of the day doing laundry. I love having Eric back to more normal!!!


Back to Kyle and Kim. Like I said, while Eric and I were getting settled for Eric's stay at the hospital, Kyle and Kim welcomed Natalie Ann Stapley into the world. She is so cute!!! They are doing well and Natalie is growing and eating like crazy.


Having Natalie around has really made me think a lot about the possibility of Eric and I having kids. Natalie is making me a little more baby crazy then I already am. Its hard to know when the right time to start trying for kids is exactly. Eric's recent hospital visit hasn't made it any easier though. Knowing that Eric has a little different time frame then most has made me really want to start trying ASAP. I want Eric to experience as much as he can before this disease gets the best of him. The other complication to our starting a family is that I have been accepted into the Walden University graduate program in Clinical Psychology. I start classes June 4th and will be moving to a 32 hr schedule at work to allow more time for my studies. We are also still in a legal battle with Social Security which makes our lives even more complicated. I hate being baby crazy because I feel like I am putting a lot of pressure on Eric to make a decision because I know my mind is made up.


Life just keeps going around here and we just live one day at a time but sometimes it seems like more than I can handle.

Trying to Decide if I Can Keep a Blog

I have never been much of a blogger. I am really bad at the whole "I want everyone to know what I think about things" existence of a blog. I really think its because I don't have much going on in my life. I'm not pregnant, I don't have kids doing crazy things, and Eric and I are not social people. We sit at home most evenings and watch Netflix or play games. Who wants to know about those things????

I did decide though that I need to start keeping some sort of digital journal or blog because everything is online and the internet is a great resource for preserving history for future generations. Looking at blogging as a form of journaling has made the idea seem a bit easier to manage. This means that I must dedicated myself to submitting an entry once a week at a minimum. This way I will have something to show my children in the future other than old journals of all the people I liked and disliked through grade school.

So for all those who are part of my life on a constant basis... BE AFRAID... I will be analyzing you.

Baby You're A Firework!

I'm Engaged!!!!!

I figure everyone is dying for the story so here it goes!!

I took Eric to view the local fireworks and now my life is forever changed. I kept telling him how much I loved these fireworks more than the ones on the National Mall and now its even better. We watched them with my family and a bunch of my friends in one of the best spots ever and he asked with all those people watching and everything. I leaned over after they were over and asked him if he liked the fireworks show. He said yes but he liked this one better and pulled out a beautiful ring (white gold band, single solitaire, princess cut) and asked me if I would marry him. I said yes immediately and my friend Michelle French was snapping pictures as I put the ring on. I was overwhelmed and still am to say the least. I literally wanted to cry tears of joy and shock but I actually kept composure...... OK I was a little shocked and my head was spinning but I have never been so happy. I was immediately bombarded with congratulations and hugs. Its been kinda fun showing off my ring and my happy smile. I don't think anyone has ever seen me this happy and to tell the truth I never have been. I love Eric and I am so excited to start this new phase of our lives.

A Camp Full of Crackle Fish

If you did not believe it before than believe it now! I LOVE SPORTS & GYM CAMP!!! The last week has been absolutely amazing and the kids are fabulous. There was a little girl yesterday that got hurt and pretended the ice pack was full of crackle fish (still not sure what that means). I have to say that I was busting a gut because she was completely convinced this was real.

This summer of camp has also brought its new challenges. A few of us are training to become directors next year and I happen to be one of them. This means that I have to be responsible like I would if I was director. The current directors are also introducing us to all the paper work that needs to be filled out and where it needs to be filed. There is so much to remember it feels like my head is going to explode! I am sure that it won't but I still feel like there is more to learn. I hope that I am up to the challenge.

On a much happier note..... Eric is coming in 11 days!! I am so excited to show him around my hometown and DC. I am trying to make it action packed yet low key all at the same time so my head is spinning with ideas. I can't wait! Even when I am at camp its on my mind. I am twitter-pated! The summer adventure is definitely beginning with a bang!

Graduation is Just Around the Corner

I cannot believe that graduation is Friday! I am a little in shock to say the least. I will have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology in 5 days! Mom, Dad and Michelle are on their way here. They told me they stopped in Iowa last night and will be in Nebraska tonight. Mom does not want to drive far tonight because if the day isn't long enough tomorrow, she will be tempted to catch Amy at the airport on her way to Singapore. Mom is going a little crazy knowing she will be so close to Amy. I am just so excited to see them and have them here as I graduate.