New Year, New Me?

I see I have followed the same pattern as I did with my journal in high school. I remember it every four weeks or so and try to come up with a concise way to sum up my life's events. Who wants to spend hours writing about a month of school, work, and (back then) boy concerns? Likewise, who would want to read all summary on a blog? No one.

But there are just a few things I should share. NEWS UPDATE: Tracy and I have had so much fun visiting family and friends in Arizona. I have definitely been blessed with amazing people in my life. Unfortunately, my sister, Karen, who is expecting twins, celebrated Christmas in the hospital and might celebrate Valentine's Day there as well. She and her babies are still healthy and the babies are growing in her, but her body is advancing toward delivery a little too fast. And then my sister-in-law had surgery this past week. She seems to be recovering well, but taking care of four kids will be a challenge when my brother has to go back to work. We'll do the best we can to help, but we all have to return to work soon too. Sheesh!

So, I say let's wipe Lacey's blog slate clean. Let's start over for 2011. I'll try my best to update and be clever as often as I can on my blog this coming year.

I haven't come up with my new, official resolutions yet, but I can report on my resolutions from last year.

1. Become more service oriented. This one is difficult to measure, and when is someone really done serving? Never, so this one must carry on through next year. But I feel that I have done more than I have in the past, so I feel that I can say I have improved in this goal. Yay!

2. Become more crafty. I have worked a lot on this one. Unfortunately, I give away all the things I work on before I take any pictures so I can't show them on here. Perhaps that can be my resolution for this year. Take more pictures!

3. Take better care of my body. (The typical goal.)Tracy and I have faithfully gone to the gym, and I have consciously added more vegetables to our meals. Otherwise, we still eat ice cream, cookies, and brownies basically at will. So, did we meet this goal? Mostly yes. At least we did quit in January like a lot of people.

I'll let you know what my new goals will be for 2011, but for now I am pretty pleased with my progress in 2010.

I have a feeling that 2011 is going to be an interesting and challenging year, but I'm excited for the ride!

Good Morning, Baltimore!

Earlier this month, I attended and presented at the International Writing Center Association/National Conference for Peer Tutoring in Writing Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. All of the Texas A&M University Writing Center's presentations (all 6 or 7 of them) went really well, and personally I was extremely pleased with ours.

Here are some pictures of some of my presentation with mostly me talking. (Sorry that two of the pictures are so huge!) We talked about using different writing processes and different strengths within our writing processes to help writers improve their strengths.




Left to right: Marissa Doshi, Hannah Hardin, Jackie Johnson, and me.

I learned a lot from all the sessions I attended, and I had a ton of fun with the amazing people I work with. Now, I'll show you what I did in my free time!

Yes, I sang "Good Morning, Baltimore!" and other Hairspray songs while I was there. At first my plan was to get pictures that coincided with songs from the musical, but I quickly abandoned that idea. I don't want pictures of rats on the streets or bums at bar-room stools. Here is the only picture that I think I can link to the musical. Try to guess which song...
If you answered, "Miss Baltimore Crabs," congratulations! You are "SMRT."

So although Plan A fell through, I have plenty of pictures of the harbor and fun people!

There were a lot of really cool ships at the harbor.

This one is from Norway that just made port in Baltimore. What a pretty ship!
Front view of the Norwegian ship.
The platform leading onto the Norwegian ship. They had a Norwegian office guarding the entrance and answering questions about the ship.
This is my attempt at being photographically artistic. Still the Norwegian ship.
While we were walking around the harbor, one ship seemed to come out of nowhere and started squirting water towards the docks. They played Pirates of the Caribbean music, but once there was a break in the music, they all yelled, "Everybody say 'ARGH!'" We all yelled back, "ARGH!"


Another ship in the harbor.
We went to the harbor several times.


Yet another attempt at being artistic.
Megan Dorth, Hannah, and me.



There was a street performer right next to the harbor. He is balancing on two skateboards with the wheels facing each other, four plastic cups, a wood board, a pipe, and his trunk. AND, he is juggling a bowling ball, a machete, and a lit torch.

This is my attempt with artistic water photography. Meh.
Fall does exist somewhere!


Overall, I really, really enjoyed the conference and spending time with such awesome people. I bet you never thought writing center work could offer these kinds of perks!

Disney Desperate Housewives

Sorry I haven't posted regularly. Life carries me away sometimes--I don't weigh very much. Plus, our camera and our computer must be having a fight because they aren't talking to each other. Pictures of us are on hold right now. But I can share this.

Ever since high school, this has been my favorite comic--ever!!


I thought of it today, Halloween. I don't know why. I didn't dress up as a Disney princess, although that would be awesome!! If anything else, it is on my blog for a record, in case my yellowed cut-out copy ever disappears.

By the way, I have to give a huge shout out to my older sister, who is going to have fraternal twins!!! We're very excited for her. She will be a wonderful, but tired, mother. :) Love you, Karen!

Fall!!!

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to post something. Life has been crazy this summer. Tracy was gone five out of seven days of the week for three months, and then he was gone for almost a month working on his and another graduate student's research. I worked A LOT and took on several projects at home and work. Whew!!

By the way, I was released from working with the young women in our ward. Yeah, I totally cried. (I can admit it. I know why they don't ask if we are willing to be released, because I would have said no. haha! JK) But I was called to be the Relief Society pianist, which will be a challenge for me. I have to practice and practice and practice to be good enough to have people sing to my playing. I feel that I've improved since this calling, and I know with practice, time, and confidence I'll only get better. So this new calling was really an answer to prayer.

Anyway, luckily school has started again, which means several things. Tracy will be home consistently again. Yay!! School supplies are super cheap. Yay!! College football dominates our TV on Saturdays. Semi-yay!

In the north, school starting would mean that fall is here or will soon be here. I love fall!! In College Station, Texas, there is no fall. No beautiful colors, no brisk, chilly weather, no hot chocolate. Just sweat and rain that tease me with temporary tolerable temperatures (alliteration was unintentional here, I promise) before they climb back up again with more horrible humidity (okay this alliteration was intentional). Eventually temperatures plummet to almost freezing, which slightly brings fall-like sensations. At least I get to have hot chocolate! Oh, I can't wait for that!

And this fall, I get a special treat. Kellee, my little sister, is coming to visit me!! I'm so excited! I've never had a visitor from the family stay with us before! She's coming in three weeks, but I've already got it all planned!

Isn't fall amazing?

Let's Hear It for the Boy!

This is my little brother at one our church buildings in Austria, when he went on his choir tour a year ago.



My little brother, Todd (or Elder Kupfer now), left for his mission to Orlando, Florida, on July 21. We are so excited for him. But how crazy is that?!? It definitely makes me feel old. My little brother is growing up!

Sometimes people want to go on exotic missions, which honestly would be really cool, but I think state-side missions are sometimes even harder than foreign missions. The people here aren't as humble as they are in other countries. Americans are spoiled and too proud sometimes. I think there will be a lot more distractions in the United States as well. Although he won't be trudging through jungles or learning a difficult foreign language, I know that he will have to work hard in order to bring people closer to Christ.

I know he will be a great missionary. He is friendly, compassionate, and strong in his convictions. We'll be praying for his safety and success. We love you and miss you already, Elder Kupfer!!

At the Beginning with You

Three years ago, I married my best friend. Being apart for five out of seven days of the week has made me realize how lucky I am to have him in my life.

We've learned a lot, but we still got a long way to go!

Girls Camp 2010

Unless you have been to girls camp, it is hard to describe what it's like. Unless you experience it, it is hard to understand why girls and leaders get excited about going.

But I'll try to illustrate what happened at our camp this year: Mission Possible 2010. (Sorry I don't have more pictures.)

I led the fourth years (15-year-olds), and we had a blast!!

These are some of my girls. They are amazing and gorgeous!!!

When we helped the kitchen staff prepare for breakfast, we grouped the boxes and then color coordinated them to make a rainbow. Only girls would take the time to do that. Love it!

Three of the four amazing Chicks in Charge on the fourth day at camp. But the four also refers to fourth years. Yeah! hehe.


Here they had to stand on a tarp and flip it over without stepping off.

Notice how two girls are holding on to each other. They became best friends during camp. I hope they never let go of each other.

During their "Rough Out" earlier this year, they came up with a phrase that we continued at camp--"There's a badge for that." We made sashes and badges for them to "earn." They earned badges when they completed their certification, which were the serious ones and the ones we made before camp, but they could also make badges for any of the silly things they did as well. I made a ton of the "Bug killer" badges. They made badges for braiding hair, using water guns, completing a couple of epic "Gotcha Good" moments on the Chicks in Charge, squeezing all the fourth years in the four wheeler we occasionally used, spilling something on one of my badges (I was the only one that earned that badge), putting one of the funniest skits in the stake, passing on the camp's chain curse of the chicken hound (a freaky green, warped figure of a chicken-dog hybrid), and so much much more!! There was even a badge for our saying: TABFT= There's a badge for that.

Here is my sash. I don't have all the badges that all the girls had, but at least you can see some examples.

The star badge is for identifying constellations, the fire one is for gathering firewood and starting a fire, and the red cross one is for First Aid. I earned the "I'm a Clutz" badge because I spilled something on it. The blue one with the arrows is for recycling, and the star one with the book was for reading their scriptures every day.
I baked cookies before I went to camp, so I got the cookies badge. The one with lightning and a tornado is for severe weather training.

TABFT= There's a badge for that. We surrounded the Chicks and their room with Caution tape, so we all earned that badge. The one at the right is all of us piled into the four wheeler, called a Gator. It's the Gater Done badge. :)

Hailey and Maycie definitely earned their First Aid badge.

Making badges!!

We made a lot of fun memories, too many for anyone to read with patience, but one of my memories is when we did a workshop with a real mousetrap. One girl was blindfolded, and her coach would vocally guide her hand over the mousetrap. When her hand was over the mousetrap in a safe position her coach instructed, "Clamp," and the blindfolded girl would slam her hand over the mousetrap and hold it there so she wouldn't get snapped. For some girls, this was a scary activity. The blindfolded girl had to trust her coach, and she had to ignore all the other people who were told to give the blindfolded girl false instructions. Recognizing the right voice was essential to making this activity work. We had a very special experience with that mousetrap, and I think those girls really learned. I know I did.


No, Lynita isn't holding Ciara's hand. She's holding down the mousetrap, so it won't snap.

Gina's turn. Emily is worried. haha!!


Gina says, "No sweat. I wasn't worried."
Elizabeth guides Sara. They completely trusted each other. So sweet!

This time, everyone helped guide Elizabeth.




I love girls camp. It provides an environment where girls can be free from the distractions, expectations, and judgments of the world. It's a place where girls can be silly with each other, where they sing goofy songs, where they make friends and memories they will cherish for a lifetime. It's a place where they can feel that they are truly loved not only by each other or their leaders but by the Lord for who they are. I can see a lot of amazing potential in these young girls. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend the week with them.

I can confidently say that our goal to make girls camp special was achieved. Mission accomplished.

Looking Back . . . I'm Glad

I called my little sister yesterday, and she reminded me that this week marks one year since I stayed in the hospital for two weeks. When I look back on that experience, I'm surprised at clearly the details of that experience have stayed in my mind, which is a good thing since it has only been a year since it happened. This picture is from one of my better days, just after they took me off the IV fluids that made me gain 10 pounds.

I can actually laugh about the experience now. I laugh when I think about the time that I burst out in tears after swallowing my gum. I laugh when I think about the time that I was almost unnecessarily operated on (key word: ALMOST). I laugh when I think about the time that I apologized to the anesthesiologist who would be "breathing for me" for not having brushed my teeth for a few days. I laugh about how I had to breathe and attempt to laugh so it wouldn't hurt me after someone told a joke or I watched a funny movie.

I always think of that experience when I think of a trial that truly humbled me. I'll admit I could, and should, have endured it better. I cried, wished, hoped, prayed to be delivered from that pain, frustration, and suffering, but I wasn't. I was required to experience more physical pain than I have ever felt before. I took weeks to recover fully from my surgery and all complications at the hospital.

But I know that I received strength enough to get through it. I had my family to help me. I know that people prayed for me. I know that God was there for me even though I might not have seen immediate results. I hope I have learned more patience and faith. I have learned to trust in God and His plan and learned that we are never truly alone.

My Bicycle

Tracy and I have one car. One. But there are two of us. And during the week, we live in two different places. See the problem?

This makes my life a little . . . uncomfortable, so we bought a bike!!! I'll still be suffering in the humid heinous weather here, but it won't take as long as walking! I'm stoked!



Isn't our new bike beautiful? (Please ignore the clutter in the background. . . . I probably made you look at it and notice it more . . . Oh well.)

I don't know how much I'll like it in July and August, but I'm about 98% sure it'll be better than walking. The 2% of my doubt comes from my crappy helmet hair.

A Memorable Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day, I'm so grateful that we live in a country where we are free to choose how we live our lives. I wish everyone knew how to use these rights for sensible, responsible, and moral living, but I guess that's part of what freedom means. Unfortunately "freedom for all" includes those who choose to misuse it in many ways.

May we honor those who have sacrificed so much to protect those rights by doing what is right in respecting the environment, giving respect to everyone, becoming involved in our communities, and working honestly and diligently to pursue our dreams and help those around us pursue theirs.

May we use our rights and privileges for good. May we live to give America a good name. God bless us in our efforts.

Lacey's Mom Has Got It Goin' On!!

Fun, creative, caring. She's my mom.

Some of my favorite memories with my mom are singing duets at church, dancing as if we knew what we were doing, creating inside jokes ("we could always eat!"), making fun of opera singers together, eating her delicious stir fry (and homemade pizza, shakes, cookies, bread...), and well you get the picture.

My mommy has always been there for me. She is such a great example of a strong and faithful woman, and I am so impressed that she has been able to do so much in her life. Plus, when I'm older, I hope I have a fabulous body like hers!

I know I'm late, but I still want to wish her a happy Mother's Day!! I'll always need you, Mommy! I love you!

Manualautophobia: Confessions of a Troubled Mind

I think it is crazy how many phobias there are these days. People can really be afraid of anything: otters (lutraphobia), vegetables (lachanophobia), the sun (heliophobia), thinking (phronemophobia), computers (logizomechanophobia), numbers (numerophobia), and even books (bibliophobia)!!! Even though I loved watching Monk and I miss that show a lot, I find it hard to believe that someone actually could be afraid of milk!

These are some things I am irrationally afraid of or greatly dislike to some degree.

Enetophobia and Aichmophobia: the fear of needles or pins
This one is common. I don't like needles at all, but I don't pass out when I see them or feel them, especially after 12 days in the hospital being stabbed at least once a day.

Altophobia: fear of heights
Again, a common one. I don't like standing next to the edge of a drastic height, but sometimes the view is amazing, making the scary height worth it.

Apiphobia: fear of bees
This probably isn't as common, but I don't think I'm alone with this. I really don't like bees. For some reason, they seem like they fly out of their way to buzz around me threateningly just to mess with my head. Bees, just make your honey, and leave me alone!


But the thing that frightens me the most is truly terrifying. I'm afraid to drive a stick-shift car!!--which happens to be the kind of car we have. (I looked everywhere on the internet, and there is no assigned name to the fear of driving a stick-shift car. Sad. So I created manualautophobia.)

That's right. I am completely afraid to drive our only car. My heart races, I sweat, my breathing quickens, and my mind jumps to all the worst-case scenarios: I stall in the middle of the busiest intersection and can't start again before the light changes, or I stall on a steep hill and roll backwards (apparently, my brakes go out too).

I technically know how to drive our car, and I have driven it before, but I feel 100% uncomfortable with it. I would rather walk for miles than drive somewhere if I'm the one that has to drive that car. And most things I need to get to are within walking distance. I know it's irrational, and I know that time and practice will help me get rid of this fear, but for me it is more painful than all the hangnails and papercuts I've ever experienced put together. OUCH!

Part of the problem is that because of Tracy's internship in Houston this summer, I will not even have access to the car during the week, so I have little to no (more no than little) motivation to practice. But with my calling with the Young Womens program, I need to be able to give them rides home or offer transportation for our activities or meetings. So I guess I have a little motivation.

Again, I know it's stupid, and I know when I tell other people about this fear, they think "Suck it up!" "Get over it!" "Grow up!" To them I say, please be patient with me. I'm trying to try and care. I fear this more than a lot of things--except things like not being able to have kids, becoming a widow at a young age, or having children who choose to do horrible things (you know, the things that actually matter). And don't worry, I intend to beg for Heaven's help too. Silly, I know, but it definitely can't hurt.

Wish me luck! I'm going to need it!

Me Time?

If you haven't noticed, there aren't too many pictures on here for the past couple of posts, and the reason behind that is that Tracy has the camera in west Texas for a class field trip. So I have depend on the pictures I already have . . . and they don't help me portray my "me time" at all.

Tracy's field trip lasts nine days, leaving me with a ton of alone time. Or does it? NOT!! I like how I won't even have a chance to miss him really. I'm spending that time doing so many awesome things!!

Last Friday and Saturday, I helped out with our stake youth conference and taught one of the workshops on Saturday. (P.S. A big thanks goes out to a certain all-powerful, all-knowing Being, you know who you are, who held off the rain until my outdoor workshop was done.) The theme was from Joshua 1:9--Be Stong! We had so much fun!! I love working with the youth, and I learn and grow from those activities probably as much as they do. Even though I spent a lot of time on youth conference with a hundred other people, I felt so good afterward.

Now, it's back to work and normal life (i.e. catching up on cleaning the house--you know, the pig sty I live in--oh yeah), until Thursday when I leave for a regional writing center conference in Louisiana. I'm presenting on the tutoring environment and how to make it more conducive to learning and collaboration. Hoighty-toighty, right?

Tracy and I will get back to College Station on Saturday to start it over again.

But I'll have basically all summer for "me time." Tracy will be working in Houston and coming home on the weekend. Needless to say, my house will be covered in projects, and I might want to have girls' night sleepovers in the middle of the week. Any takers?

I've found that having "me time" alone is really nice and I am looking forward to it for the summer (only a little though), but doing something for other people is a much better use of my time. I feel that I have accomplished something, and I know I won't get bored or lonely.

So Nice to Be Where I Belong

Imagine Louis Armstrong: Hello, Lacey! Well, hello, Lacey! It's so nice to have you back where you belong!

That's right. I am in Young Womens!! I will be working with the 12- and 13-year-old girls in my ward. I am so excited! I'm also going to camp with most of my Beehive girls at camp as the second year certification leader for the stake, so we'll be pretty darn tight soon.

Already I can feel that this calling will be a lot of work, from what I have witnessed the years and years my mom has been in Young Womens, but I can tell that I will love it. I know that my leaders' efforts made Young Womens significant for me. I grew so much(physically, mentally, and spiritually), made so many friends, and felt strong and close to God in part because of Young Womens, and now it is my turn to give back and pay it forward to them.

Plus, Young Womens will let me feel and be young again! You know, since I am so old at twenty-two.

For our first activity this week, we sewed pillow cases. I got to bust out my wicked awesome sewing machine (thanks again, Tracy). Those pillow cases were adorable!! We were tempted to have a sleepover with our new pillowcases.

I might belong in another calling later in life, but for now, I am where I belong. And I can't wait to get to work!

Reeve Family VI March Madness

Elbow, elbow. Wrist, wrist . . . I won! I feel like a celebrity!

I won my extended family's March Madness challenge. My bracket was the least destroyed after all those crazy upsets. In addition to a pretty sweet gift card (thanks Uncle Gerry!), I get bragging rights over all (76 total people) my cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings, parents, and especially my husband for a whole year! Don't worry. I'll go easy on 'em.

You might be wondering "what is her key to success? how did she know?" Well, after I publish a book about it, you can find out. (Uh, right.) Until then, I guess I could just talk about it here. I have no real strategy. Nope. None.

I chose Duke to win because I really like Coach K. (Don't be too impressed; he's the only coach I know by name, or by initial really.) I said that Georgetown (3rd seed) would lose to Ohio (14th seed) mostly because Georgetown had a player that was rude and too dramatic for my liking. Unreliable? Silly? Impractical? Perhaps, but apparently I did something right!

I love upsets, except with Duke. I like watching Duke win. I like watching teams rise to the challenge and play with everything they have, even though no one gave them even a snowball's chance in Arizona. That's what makes watching sports fun--close battles, with sometimes the underdog coming out on top.

My words of wisdom for March Madness: never underestimate the underdogs.

We'll Follow the Old Man: Lt. Col. Kelvin Kupfer

Twenty-three years ago, my dad joined the air force with two young kids and one on the way (me!!). Almost half of my life was spent on a rural military base. Up until I was twelve, the air force was all I knew. I didn't know people went grocery shopping anywhere else than the commissary. I thought everyone had miles of land to run around in their backyard. (In New York, we even had our own mini-forest and creek.) I thought everyone knew what the BX was. I thought F18s and other aircraft flew everywhere. (I know that's an old model now. They were new back then.) I thought every film in movie theaters started with the national anthem. (I actually got mad at everyone for not standing up in my first civilian movie experience.) Since we moved to Arizona, my dad has used his vacation time from his civilian job to work for the air force and NASA tracking satellites and doing a lot of other awesome things. (He is so awesome that he has to get special clearance to leave the country to make sure he won't give away confidential secrets!)

On April 2, today, my dad retired from the air force as a lieutenant colonel. I have always been my dad's military baby, and although it has been years since I set foot an air force base, I have to admit that while I am so happy that he will be able to use his vacation time for just that, his retirement is rather bittersweet for me. But my joy for him far exceeds any nostalgia.

My dad is a great example of quiet service, sacrifice, love, and patriotism. I am so grateful to him, and I am thrilled that he gets to have his own moment in the spotlight. I'm proud of you, Daddy!