LEARN from the past, LIVE in the present, PREPARE for the future

Hey everyone, hope you are all having a wonderful Sunday. I am, I had a great "future" talk with McKay. You know the ones where you sit down and discuss what you want to be doing in five years and where we want to be. (love them when it is actually your future together that you are talking about) We had church today (as usual) and McKay and I got set apart as Ward Missionaries. I have never been a missionary and so it is a interesting feeling. But needless to say I am excited to get into it, and actually meet more of our neighbors.
Another fun thing that happened this weekend is we tried out a cheap date night tradition that my parents used to have. Back in their college days, before I was even thought of, they would have date nights where they would make koolaid, pop popcorn and watch a movie together. So we tried it out and it was a very tasty and cheap date. We watched Remember the Titans , a personal favorite of mine, and you can't go wrong with Densel Washington. :) Overall it was just a really fun and relaxing night for us together after McKay's busy week with homework. (I would say mine was busy too, but my week really wasn't all that stressful).

The yummy popcorn and Koolaid! (Thanks McKay for letting me eat most of it)

Us right before we started the movie
So thanks mom and dad for the fun and cheap date night idea. By the way we are looking for more cheap date night ideas, so if you have any, send them our way. Thanks! Speaking of cute date/romantic ideas, I found the other day a blog meant specifically for this topic. It is called Love, Actually and it has tons of cute ideas. Check it out!

Well that is all for tonight, except I did want to share this random fact. Exactly 12 years ago today, Feburary 28th I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was eight years old and so proud. It was a wonderful experience and has been the guide to my life since. I will always cherish that day forever! (click here if you want to know more about my faith)

This is me on my baptism day with my dad 12 years ago. Thanks again for reading my blog. Have a great night!

Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't...your probably right.

So remember back to my previous post about the New year and I said that I wanted to do something this year that I would remember 2010 by... Well I came up with my brilliant idea, actually Melanie helped me come up with it. so (drum roll please) I will be running the Top Of Utah Marathon on September 18th! Yes a marathon is 26.2 miles and yes I have attempted to train for it before and failed, but yet I am going to try it again. :) Training starts in May and so right now I am just maintaining the three mile base that I will need to have when the training starts. The hardest part right now is juggling the snow and cold while trying to get my runs in. Like the other day I went out to go running, froze in the beginning which is nothing new, but the freezing feeling never went away. So I ran home early before my legs fell off and checked the temperature on my computer and it was a THREE DEGREES!!! How does anyone function in that, let alone go running! So I am hoping that with spring on the way that my 3 degree mornings are coming to a close. Probably wishful thinking, but it is worth a try. Well that is my big grand plan and I can't wait to get started. I have really developed a love for running and I am excited for the challenge that comes with training for a marathon. This is a perfect time in my life for it and I hope everything works out. Well that is all the exciting news that I have for now, Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

Don't you just LOVE surprises!!!

This past weekend was full of surprises. On Friday we started off the weekend by heading down to Draper and surprised my family by showing up at my dad's last region basketball game. It was so fun, and very crowded! The team played well and pulled through with a win in the end after a close call. After the game we headed to Frogurt frozen yogurt shop) for a yummy snack.


Me, McKay, and my beautiful mom hanging out at the game


"an action" shot of my dad during the game. (P.S. he is the one with the bald spot at the back of his head.)


Mykelti with the brownies and card that I made for her and my dad, congratulating them on their amazing seasons. (Mykelti played on the sophmore girls team as a freshman at Alta this year and she LOVED it)


All the girls hangout after the exciting win, I love spending time with my family!

Also a special thanks to my parents for letting us come crash their night and eat their food.

So surprise number two was on saturday night. We were back in Logan and it was our stake conference adult session. This was my first time going to one and so I was excited to be a part of it. When we arrived at the chapel we found out, or should I say, refound out (I had forgotten) that M. Russell Ballard of the quorum for the 12 apostles was the visiting speaker! It was so cool to listen to him speak and hear his beautiful testimony. The place was packed and it was really amazing to see how many young married adults were willing to spend their Saturday night going to stake conf. SO COOL!


M. Russell Ballard with his sweet wife outside the Draper Temple (the temple we got married in!)

Surprise #3 was that on Sunday, not only did we get to hear from M. Russell Ballard, we found out that later that night there was a special fireside. And the keynote speaker was... Robert D. Hales! So two apostles in ONE day! It was pretty sweet, and I was very motivated by the end of the day to try harder to be more christlike. On of the things that they said was that with how fast the church is growing every member should only have a visit from an apostle every twenty years, and we got two in one day. I felt very blessed and lucky to live somewhere where it was possible to cross paths with such great leaders.

The last surprise was on Monday when I was just having one of those days. You know those days when you just wish that you could do this...



When I was on my way to class I stopped by the mailbox and found a late Birthday Card from my sister Larissa who is on a mission in Houston, Texas. Man, that card just made my day. I always love getting cards from her, because her positive attitude is so contagious. The card was a Finding Nemo theme, and if any of you know Larissa, that is perfect. SO needless to say my frown was turned upside down and I smiled the rest of the day away.


Thanks Larissa! By the way this picture is of Larissa and I on the last day that I saw her before she left in September. I wasn't even engaged at that point!

Well that is all from me! Have a great night!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

Ok I know this sounds a little self centered, writing a whole post all about me. None the less I am going to do it anyway. But I am not just going to talk about my 20th birthday (which was amazing by the way) I am going to take this opportunity to introduce myself a little bit more. This is really just for those of you who don't really know me that well, so if you are my mom or sister you can just skip to the bottom because you should hopefully know everything.

My name is Kajsa C Pace. I was named after my great great great great grandma who lived in Swenden. When she was an adult she left her seven children in sweden and moved to Salt Lake City with the other saints and settled in Pleasant Grove, Utah. She never saw her children again. But luckly her son August, my great great great grandpa moved to Utah later and our family has lived in Utah ever since. Cool story huh? I hope I can be as righteous as her someday!


This is me by Kajsa's (my great great great great grandma) grave

I was born on Feburary 17th and I was born seventeen days late (my due date was Feb 1st


This is my first picture. My parents tried to be good parents and take pictures of me at the hospital, but when they got me home they realized that there wasn't any film in the camera. Oh the good old days before digital cameras. :) So hence my first picture was when I was three days old.

I was born in California and lived there for the first three months of my life. That was my first and my last chance for it to be warm on my birthday.


This is my dad holding me by one of the Yuca Valley trees in California before we moved back to Utah. Oh don't we both look so young. ;)

I have three sisters, one older and two younger. Their names are Larissa, Corinne and Mykelti. We have tons of fun together.







Lets see what else, well I have two amazing parents who I am so grateful for. I am the person I am today because of them. Their names are Carolyn and Tony. My dad is a teacher and coach and my mom is the world's best librarian.


I also would not be who I am today without my husband, McKay. We just got married in December and The past two months have been so amazing. You can scroll down a few posts to check out our wonderful wedding pictures.

This was taken while we were engaged. Thanks Aunt Heather!


This is us on our wedding day. Thanks CioCo Photography!

Since I was lucky enough to marry McKay I also gained 6 sisters and 7 brothers along with some cute nieces and nephews. I love hanging out with all of them and I am excited to get to know them all more.

This is everyone at our wedding. One brother (who is on his mission) and a brother-in-law (who had to work) are missing, but other than that, this is everyone

Now besides the people previously mentioned here are the things that I love...


Hanging out with my family


I love running


I also love watching new movies that I have never seen before (if I have seen them I will just fall asleep) This picture is from when we went to see the midnight showing of the sixth Harry potter movie this summer


I love aggie basketball at Utah State. It is an amazing experience!


When I was younger I loved to dance and I took dance classes for 10 years. My favorite style was Ballet.


I am a beginner cook, and am enjoying the process of learning. But I hate the feeling of cutting up lettuce and the onions always make me cry.


Everyone thinks that I look a lot like my mom (What a compliment!)


People also think that Corinne and I look like twins or they say that she is the older one. I have to agree with the twins one, because sometimes I will be looking at pictures of us and I have a hard time seeing which is which.

My dad is my hero. Through his example I have truely learned the meaning of sacrifcing for your country. He has served with the national guard twice. Once in Iraq for a year and a half and once in Afghanistan for a year. I was amazed at how well he handled all of the trials that came while being deployed. He was always still very involved in my life and tried to help me as much as possible even if he couldn't be there. And no, Freedom isn't free. love you dad.

Me and my dad the night before he left for Iraq


Talking on the phone on my highschool graduation with my dad who was in Afghanistan


My dad and I on the day that he got home from Afghanistan last April

Other random facts about me...
My favorite colors are orange, purple, and red.
I am not one that likes to take risks
I would much rather shop till I drop than play football.
I can't stand playing volleyball, but I love ultimate Frisbee and basketball.
I would rather go run five miles then go swimming and I LOVE sleeping in on Saturday mornings.
My weakness is ice cream and chocolate milk
I love drinking water.
I don't like shirts with horizontal stripes. I own one shirt with them and I am not a huge fan of it.
I am obsessed with the show 19 kids and counting and I can name all nineteen kids in order.
I love the movie Pride and Prejudice and watch it about every week
I think Julia Roberts is gorgeous.
I am glad to be done with my teen years
I always wear two shirts
My favorite temple is tied between the Salt Lake Temple and Draper and I love being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Well that is all for now about me. Thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes, It was such a fun day. My parents were great and we went to a movie and out to dinner on Presidents for an early birthday present. I was also spoiled by McKay and didn't have to cook anything or wash one dish yesterday. He also gave me the coolest GPS watch for me to wear when I go running to calculate how far I am going. Thanks Babe! Then that night we went to institute and then a aggie basketball game, which they won (but it was a close call).


After the game we made a midnight run to Smith's for E.L Fudge cookies and Rocky Road icecream for my birthday dessert. YUMMY!



Thanks again for reading my blog, have a fantastic day!

All you need is...LOVE...is all you need

So this weekend as I am sure everyone is very aware was Valentines Day! Since it was our first valentines day as a couple I wanted to do something special. We were going to my parents house for the weekend so we decided to celebrate Valentines day on Friday. So Friday morning I woke up early and made McKay one of his favorite homemade breakfasts of french toast, sausage, hash browns, and chocolate milk. (ok I won't lie the chocolate milk was mostly for me)


This is the table all decorated and we were about to start eating

After breakfast we exchanged gifts. I gave McKay a new shirt and tie this was my first time buying clothes for him all on my own, and I think I did pretty darn well. :)



(by the way these pictures were taken in the morning so forgive us if we don't quite look awake)

McKay gave me some seeds to replant in my pot instead of the smelly flower and the movie No Reservations (love it!)




Unfortunetely after breakfast we both had to go to class and so we left all the dirty dishes in the sink and gift bags all over the floor. We started walking to class and McKay announced that he was going to ride the bus. So he left and I walked to class on my own. BUT, here is the good part... when I got home from class I walked in and found a perfectly clean apartment, and a trail of rose petals leading into our bedroom where a beautiful card and present waited for me. McKay had ACTUALLY, not gotten on the bus and he had gone back to the apartment to set up the amazing surprise. I was thrilled! he had taken me completely by surprise and I was SO excited to not have to do the dishes. It really was the perfect valentines gift and the card that he gave me was so sweet that I actually cried when I read it. It was just so overwhelming to me that I am so lucky to have an amzing and thoughtful husband. He truely puts me first and is always wanting to make sure that I am happy. Thank you again McKay for being so sweet and cute and making my first "offical" Valentines Day wonderful.


This is what I found as I walked in the door from class


This is the trail leading from the kitchen to the bedroom


This is in the bedroom where he had left the present and beautiful card. By the way he gave me brand new pink headphones to go with my Ipod. Thanks again McKay. Happy late Valentines Day everyone!

Bills, Budget, and Taxes OH MY!

So this week hasn't been too eventful around our house, just the normal "real world" stuff. I say real world stuff because before I got married I never worried about my budget and I definitely never paid bills. (unless giving my mom thirty bucks every month for my cell phone counts and even then I was allowed to skip a month or two with no penalty). So when our first gas bill came this month I MADE McKay take my picture with it.

This is our faces before we opened it, and...


...this is our reaction after we opened it. Needless to say, I probably wont be looking forward to our gas bill anymore.

Along with paying bills this week we have also been working on sticking to our budget, which is going really well so far, but Valentines is this week and I am afraid that no budget was set for that... So I am going to take that as there is no limit to how much I spend. Sound good McKay? haha I am just kidding...sort of. And last but not least we cannot forget the wonderful taxes. This year was a whole new experience filing joint. But have no fear we finished them up and are still married so no harm done. :)
Thank you for joining me on my first steps into the "real world". It really wasn't that bad and with McKay there with me it was actually fun. Well that is all have a great day!

WHAT?! is that horrible smell?

So a couple of days ago, 4 to be exact I was in our apartment and I kept getting a whiff (I think that is how you spell it) of a horrible smell. It was the same day that I made bread so I was just wondering if it was a normal bread smell. But later that night I walked into our office and the smell hit me full force. Glad to know that it wasn't the bread that was making the smell I quickly started searching the office to find the source. It took me no more than ten seconds to spot it. The source of the smell was a plant, flowers to be exact. They are featured below.



I was shocked! A flower could not smell bad, I mean it was so pretty and the plant had only started blooming that very day (hence why I had never smelled that horrible smell before). This was our first plant that we had ever owned and unfortunately, out of the apartment the plant went. But it was ok because I had already planted it wrong to begin with and the bulbs were now poking out of the soil because the roots were so strong and huge that they had no where to go but up. So needless to say it was doomed from the beginning. The new home of our first plant is out on our back porch being frozen to death in the -10 degree weather because I wont let it stay in the house and McKay wont let me throw it away. Nice compromise right? :) Hopefully our second plant will have better luck, or maybe this one will miraculously survive till spring.


McKay smelling the flower, and let me tell you that is not a happy face!


Kind of a funky looking plant to begin with

So I just had a random thought that maybe someday I could use this story in a church talk about how some things appear to be wonderful and great in the beginning and yet are not good for us in the end... ha ha ok that was very random. Well that is all for now, have a great day!