another one bites the dust

One of my best friends from college is engaged!!  Just to give you a snapshot of why I love this girl...

Her and her now fiancé got back from Costa Rica, where he romantically proposed on the first night.  The two of them got back around 12:30 last night and it wasn't until late afternoon today that Lauren started calling everyone to spread the good news.  


Now some of you may read this and go, WHAT?!!  The girl gets engaged and doesn't call people until the next afternoon when she's back??  (At least that was my reaction).  But then I had to step back and remember who I was talking about-- Lauren.  One of the most laid-back, nonchalant people that I know, it shouldn't surprise me that she told everyone on her terms.


The second reason she waited the amount of time that she did?  Our conversation....


Lauren: "You know what I'm calling about...."
Me: "What?"
Lauren: "Have you talked to Aubrey?" (our other college roommate-- there's 5 of us, including me)
Me: "No, why?"
Lauren: "I'm engaged" (while I'm screaming she gives me a quick summary of the proposal) then says, "But I broke my foot..."
Me: "Wait, what?  You broke your foot?  How?"
Lauren: "Well, we went zip-lining and hiking and did a lot of adventurous things and then the last night we were there I slipped by the pool and broke it." 
  ...skipping part of the conversation...
"And I was walking so slow that Brandon put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me through the airport because he thought we were going to miss our connecting flight.  I was just in so much pain last night that I didn't want to call anyone."


So in between doctors appointments and hospital visits today was when she was calling people to announce the news.


My little turtle...I can't wait to help her plan the wedding of her dreams.  And more importantly, the wedding that she deserves.

white tail

I am officially obsessed with skiing.  Hubs and I went for the first time on New Years and fell in love.  The first trip to Snowshoe was a lot to take in at once, and I spent a lot of time learning the basics while trying not to get run over by the experts.

White Tail, this past Saturday, was a different experience.  Luckily I had my friend David with us to help me further my goal of becoming an intermediate skier.  Being the sweet person that he is, he volunteered to watch me ski in order to give me tips as to how to improve myself.  I learned that I no longer have to "pie" my way down a hill and instead can weave back and forth and even pick up some speed, all because I'm learning to become a better skier.

Now please don't think I was able to get out there on the slopes, go down the green hills twice and master the blues.  Absolutely NOT!  With much hesitancy I caved in and allowed my friends to take me on the blue slope (next level-- black diamond).  Despite the fact that I couldn't even see the rest of the mountain from the cliff at the top (see picture above), I took my friend Kristen's advice of "Just do it" and began my journey.

Things were looking great-- I was weaving down the slope as I controlled my skis and my speed.  Skiing took a turn for the worst, however, when I picked up a little too much speed, hit a patch of snow and may or may not have "Yard Saled" across the slope.  When I finally stopped rolling around, shook the snow outfrom the back of my pants and was able to get a baring on life, I realized that I didn't have a ski.  I looked up the hill and there it was--- my left ski, wedged in the middle of a slope.  Other skiers were racing around it, not even hesitating to slow down.  Scoping out the scene I realized I would have to remove my right ski, put my poles down, and physically climb the mountain to get my lost ski.  And that's exactly what I did.

The rest of the day was great and I only fell once.  As for the hubs, he was talked into trying a double black diamond, which he was able to do while only falling once.  He did admit that he went down very slowly, but still, he can now say he went down a black diamond!  I couldn't be more proud, and you better believe I was there at the end as his own cheering crowd.  Despite the looks I was getting, I was proud to be a cheering squad of one.

Next step? Buying ski equipment for me and snowboarding equipment for the hubs in order to make this an official hobby!

I spy with my little eye...

If you look past the unbelievably dirty window, you will spot a little gem enjoying her Sunday afternoon.

The reason I took this picture was because I was driving to go ski shopping Sunday afternoon with the hubs and I happened to look out the window to check my blind spot when I spotted a certain set of lips flapping in the wind.  For those of you who don't know, Boxers (or at least mine) have ridiculously long lips that apparently when caught up in the wind, flap around uncontrollably.  I was in hysterics at how casual she was acting as her lips were slapping her in the face.  She was ignoring gravity taking its toll and instead was enjoying one of her favorite pass times-- sticking her head out of the window, regardless of the weather.  My poor little one...not always the smartest, but always there for a good laugh.

a jar of memories

For those of you who do not know what Pinterest is, you're missing out.  I highly recommend you join not necessarily to create "boards" and "pin" ideas to them, but so that you can "like" fabulous ideas like the one above.

The gist of the jar is to write down small (or big) memories and keepsakes throughout the year.  Then, as the year comes to an end, grab some wine, start a fire, and reach into the jar to re-live each memory all over again! 

*As a teacher, I thought of creating one for my classroom where students can put memories into a large(r) jar and we can read them together at the end of the year.*

bedtime

Bedtime at our home is almost always the same...and I blame it on my hubs.

When we first got Fenway, last Thanksgiving, she wasn't allowed in our apartment for the last few weeks we were there.  Therefore, since she was our little secret, my husband let her sleep in our bed in order to stop her from crying at nighttime.  A few weeks turned into a few months (16 to be exact) and now she is a staple in our bed.


Our bedtime ritual goes as follows....
1. My husband and I "shut down" the house (yes, I sound like my parents) and go into our bedroom.
2. There we find Fenway lounging in the bed like it's hers.
3. B tells her to move and she automatically translates that to "Go to Mommy's side."
4. So there she is-- taking up my side of the bed, giving me a look of "I'm not moving."
5. I kindly ask her to move and instead she puts her head down and prepares for more sweet dreams.
6. Peace is found for all as she snuggles in between us...until she kicks me in the side, takes the covers, or gets in and out of bed throughout the night.

disappointment

 

It's a sad day in our house-- or rather, our friend's house. We got together with good friends to watch the game, only to be disappointed.

B was pumped up for a Raven's win and thanks to Cundiff, that win was taken away.  Fenway and B were ready to go and could not be more excited, until the final 15 seconds of the game.

No matter how many shirts, sweaters, or t-shirts we wore, Baltimore couldn't pull it off.

[Left--Fenway sporting her jersey-- please disregard our laundry piles...it's what our home looks like on a Sunday]

[Right-- B sulking in his loss]

dancing shoes

I thought it'd share the newsiest song I love... "Dancing Shoes" by Green River Ordinance.

If you ever get a chance, it'd suggest listening to it.  It's just one of those songs that transports you to somewhere else, sort of like another world.

My favorite place to hear it?  While dancing with my husband in the middle of our living room-- something else it'd suggest doing.  :)

love, mom

The older I'm becoming, the more of my mom I see in myself.  My husband tells me that I act like her in more ways then I realize.  While some people may not be too happy with that news, I'll take it.  To me, my mom is one of the kindest, compassionate, generous people I know.  While she is concerned with the well-being of others, she also has a feisty side to her (which I may or may not also take after).

Above is a tradition she started with me... I want to say in elementary school.  Due to the fact that I consider myself a homebody, finding these notes packed in my lunch, written on a napkin, everyday brought a smile to my face and reminded me that my mom was always near.

Even though its been years since I've been in elementary school, Gordo (as my bestie/sister Meagan dubbed my mom-- due to her driving abilities resembling those of Jeff Gordon, the race car driver) still continues to leave me notes, such as the one she left above about an article she found in the Washington Post that she thought it'd be interested in.  [FYI: the article is titled "Telling kids they're great isn't so good, schools find" and it is actually extremely intriguing!]

Whether or not she knows how much those notes meant to me, or how I still cherish the ones that I randomly stumble upon, this is a gesture that I plan on passing on to my own kids one day-- just to remind them that their mom loves them.

Thanks, mom.

typical evening

point.in.case

Here I am, trying to finally write my Thank You's to my students (clearly long overdue) while I catch up on TVO and I have this little lady starring up at me from the floor.  I guess they'll once again be put on the back burner because I can't deny this face.

army crawl

After spending the day with my nephew I'm determined that he is going to enlist in the Army when he gets older based on the mere fact that that is how he's learning to crawl.  His second option is a football player, thanks to his finale of the army crawl-- sticking his butt straight up in the air, legs locked, with one hand reaching for the sky.  Mind you he occasionally turns his head to snicker at you (to make sure you're watching), but nonetheless that is how he's learning to crawl.

My sister-in-law is convinced he's going to skip crawling and go straight to walking, but I've decided that the little bugger just enjoys being sprawled out on the hardwood as he maneuvers his way across the trenches.  No matter what the outcome, the boy is learning to move...and fast.

And yes, his hair is growing back.

happy new year!

A picture of a picture. Classic.

Polaroids are my favorite; if only they hadn't stopped making the film...

New Years 2012 on a ski trip with 12 friends (first time skiing for me and snowboarding for the love.of.my.life).  All I can say is pizza pie is my friend.  BEST friend. 

As you may have already predicted, I became obsessed with skiing and now want to buy all the equipment so we can go whenever we want.  Mind you we live in the city (near Washington D.C.).  I'll keep you posted on how that one turns out.

backseat driving

I can't say it's her favorite place to be, but I do know that this little lady doesn't mind the many car rides we take together.  

Option 1 - in the front seat looking out the window (head sticking out when it's warm out.)

Option 2 - lounging, stretched out in the backseat, usually asleep.

I took this on our car ride home from the in-law's house.  I think she was starting to loose patience with us.

little man

Meet my nephew!  

This is someone you will probably see a lot of, at least until our own kids come along.  But for now her and Fenway are my photo ops.

The picture above was taken at my mom's house when my husband and I were hanging out with him for the day.  Clearly his hair was way too long (and I wasn't afraid to let my brother know).  The suggestion backfired; however, when the next time I saw him my brother had taken matters into his own hands and decided to unevenly chop his hair.  Poor kid; he never knew what was coming.  As usual, he still had the biggest smile on his face when I saw him, despite looking like a new-born chick.

My hope is that one day he will look back at this picture and say, "Thanks Aunt Kate."

running makes me tired

This is Fenway, our 16 month old brindle Boxer.  My husband and I usually take her running with her us, and today was one of those days.  Some days she's super lazy and likes to lounge on the couch with us, but it's usually days when we have to get things done that she shoves a toy in your face or my favorite, stands up behind us and puts one of us in a headlock (done out of pure love to remind us she's there.)

life's decisions

Welcome to my blog.  

Blogging is something I’ve always wanted to do, but I can’t say I’ve always had the courage.  After becoming blog-obsessed, and seeing a friend or two try it, I decided to give it a shot.


The title behind the blog.  
I am one to often rush into things, or as my husband likes to say, I become "obsessed."  If I like something right away I put my all into it and become fixated.  For example, right before sitting down to do this my husband asked if I wanted to go running before it got dark.  My response?  "Sure honey, just as soon as I set up this blog."


When I was young I was the same way and whenever I had a new idea, my wise and supporting dad (pictured below when he was in his 20's) would always respond to my idea with, "Lets have breakfast first."  (He claims Lou Holtz said it, and that there's a story behind it, but I have yet to find it).  Thanks to my dad I am trying to do that-- take one day at a time and "have breakfast" before making decisions.  (I can't say it's working out, but at least I'm trying.)

Since I don’t consider myself to be word-savy, I plan on just posting pictures of my life (thanks to my iPhone and instagram) as a starting point and then who knows, maybe as I become more comfortable I may branch out.  Or not.

I can’t promise how often I’ll update, or if I’ll be any good, but nonetheless, thanks for stopping by.