Where has the time gone?

Well, it's about 5 days before New Year's and it seems appropriate that I am wondering where the time has vanished to.  Thanksgiving has come and gone.  The "Holiday Season" scurried by faster than I ever could have imagined.  I realize that I haven't posted since the day before Thanksgiving, and for that I apologize.  Life got in the way.  I became a full time army wife, a friend, and a workout fanatic.  So let me give you a brief summary of what's been happening.



Thanksgiving was amazing!  We had my sister, two friends from MI, and two guys from Hubs' EBOLC class come over for the meal.  We had so much food it was borderline ridiculous.  Still it was wonderful.  My kitchen was mass chaos and there often wasn't one speck of counter showing, but we had fun.  I was very proud of my first attempt as the Thanksgiving Hostess.

I was very proud of my candied sweet potatoes

Hubs and Dave made the best stuffing I have ever tasted

Trying to keep Hubs away from food is impossible

So that was Thanksgiving.  The month of December was filled with insanely long hours for Hubs, lots of working out, quite a bit of Christmas shopping, and a general feeling that I was starting to fall in love with Fort Leonard Wood.  I never thought I would like it there.  But I can't help but miss the amazing people I've met while I am at home for the holidays.  I like that I can make my own schedule.  I love that I found a friend that likes to work out as much (if not more) than I do.  It really has become a home and I will be sad to leave in April.  

Next came Christmas.  We spent 3 days up in MI visiting friends and family and then came back down to IL to spend Christmas with my family.  Our visit to MI was short, but wonderful.  We were able to see and spend time with all of our friends.  It was a little bittersweet because we were missing Hubs' best friend who is currently serving in Afghanistan.  Still, I was very thankful to spend time in MI.  I miss the mitten state and can't wait to return. 

We are still in IL until Sunday morning.  Christmas with my family was great as usual.  Lots of laughs, lots of presents, lots of love.  My mom does a spectacular job of being the Christmas hostess.  She does an even better job of picking out the perfect presents for every member in our family.  She does so much in the midst of working full time with pre-schoolers and baking full time for Pat's Perfect Pastries.   It's always so good to be home for the holidays.  

Tonight Hubs and I will spending the night at the Fairmont in Chicago.  We didn't get to celebrate Christmas with just the two of us this year and that greatly distressed me.  I love the holidays, especially holiday traditions.  I wanted to make sure Hubs and I started our own traditions because we are our own immediate family now.  It's important that we do what's best for us both in the midst of holiday hustle and bustle and in our every day decision making.  Because Hubs decided that we should leave early from MO to go to MI, we didn't get time to celebrate with just us.  After he realized how sad I was about not celebrating, he suggested downtown Chicago and I agreed excitedly. 

I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season.  May you experience the peace of Christ this Christmas, and every day after.  

Love,

Kait

Thanksgiving Preparations

Whew.  I just spent 3.5 hours in the kitchen beginning preparations for my debut as a Thanksgiving Day cook.  So exciting!

This past weekend I baked cookies and threw them in the freezer for our guests to munch on.

Today I baked pumpkin slices and an Espresso Orea Mud Pie (like the Mongolian Mud Pie at BD's).

I also screwed up muffins and am hoping no one will notice.  I can make many things, but apparently I cannot follow directions for a box of Cinnabon Cinnamon Muffins.  I forgot an egg.  I was too busy singing along to my favorite Glee songs.  They look ok and taste fine, they're just not as moist as I'd like them to be.  Hopefully no one will care.

Finally, I made corn chower with dumplings for tomorrow night.  Our guests will be arriving a around 7ish so I want to have something ready for them when they get here.  Homemade corn chower and homemade bread.  Yum.  I have all I can do not to eat the whole pot of chowder right now.  It's so yummy.

Tomorrow I will cook the turkey and do one more final cleaning of the house.  I love being the hostess.


-k

A typical week for Kait

Well, my interview with Starbucks went very well.  The interviewer told me I was p-e-r-f-e-c-t for the job.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any openings at the moment.  She did say, however, that she would call me as soon as something opened up.  Let's keep hoping that something opens up soon!

I feel like I should share what my day-to-day life looks like.  I workout everyday.  I go to Anytime Fitness almost everyday and lift, spin, run, take classes on demand, do yoga or zumba.  Yoga has become one of my favorite things.  When I am really sore from a step class, nothing feels better than doing 10 downward dogs and sun salutations.  I also go to classes at the fitness center on post with the other wives.  I think I've done zumba 6 out of 7 days this week.  I'm a zumba fanatic.  I should be an instructor.

When I am not at the gym, I can often be found at Wal-Mart or the Commissary.  The Commissary has amazing prices and saves us a lot of money on groceries.  If I can't find something there, I head over to the Wal.  It's a really nice Wal-Mart and has plenty to satisfy my DIY and crafting needs.  

I have a chore chart and do different chores everyday so I don't spend a whole day cleaning on the weekend.  My vacuuming day is Thursdays, but I'm pretty sure I've vacuumed the past three days in a row (stupid white-ish carpet and black-haired dog).  I also make dinner every night.  I've tried lots of delicious recipes including chicken enchiladas, pizza pot pies, Thai pineapple chicken stir fry, and lots of other yummy things.

My next kitchen challenge will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner.  My lovely sister, and two friends are driving down from the Mitten State to celebrate with us.  I can't wait!  I'm going to start my preparations today.      

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

I have a Dream...

...to work at Starbucks Coffee.  Anybody who knows me well, knows this little fun fact about me.  I don't know if it's the coffee or the atmosphere, but I've always wanted to work at Starbucks.  I love the idea of waiting on people and making them coffee.  I love that I would be able to brighten someone's day with smile and a warm caramel macchiatto.   I am hoping that this dream will come true--soon.  Yesterday I stopped at the Starbucks on post after waking up at 4:50 am to get my military dependent ID.  While I was ordering my skinny salted caramel mocha, I asked about a job application.  They sent me to the HR dept at the Post Office to get the information I needed.  I went home, filled out the application, called HR, and got an interview for Wednesday at 9:15.

Please say a prayer that the interview goes well.  Not only do I need something to keep me busy here in Missouri, I could also use the extra money, and the human contact for that matter.

love,

Kait

I'm an Army Wife: lessons from an "educational" tv drama

Yesterday was my first official day as an army wife and Hubs' first official day as an army officer.  Hubs began basic officer leadership couse (BOLC) on Monday.  So far so good.  Aside from the loooong hours, I think I will enjoy army life.  I think I was more nervous than Hubs was on his first day.  I just wanted everything to go well.  We've been anticipating this for so long.  Our life is finally in motion.

 I learned that there are two other guys in Hubs' class that have wives.  I told him that he had to make friends with them so I can meet their wives.  I haven't made any friends yet.  It's hard to meet people when you're not on a college campus and you don't have a job.  I was hoping to meet people at my gym, but it's pretty new so it's never very busy.  I did apply to sub in the Waynesville Public School District, so hopefully that works out.  I need to get my butt back in the classroom.  I miss it.  

Let's get to the meat in the post.

I have a new addiction.  Has anyone heard of the Lifetime tv series "Army Wives"?  Well apparently it's been on the air for 5 seasons.  I started watching it instantly on netflix a few weeks ago.  It's good.  Hubs even watched it with me for a little while.  He was even smiling, which I think was because he was enjoying the show.  I like it when he watches with me because I can ask questions like "Does that happen in real army life?"  "Is that acronym right?"  "How realistic is this situation?"  Strangely enough, this show has helped me maintain a positive attitude about being an army wife.  Now don't get me wrong, the has not brainwashed me into thinking my life is going to be like a Hollywood tv show.  However, I am convinced that I will be able to handle the challenges that come with being in the army.  The show has done a good job of explaining why it's so important for me to be strong, be supportive, and be flexible. 

 I used to think it sucked that I couldn't pursue my goals because of the army.  I was often upset because I didn't feel like the army cared about what I wanted or how I felt about anything.  Whether or not that's true is not and shouldn't be important.  The army may not care that I would rather live in Colorado or Washington or North Carolina.  They may not care that I've dreamed of teaching high school in western Michigan.  They do care about Hubs.  More importantly they care about my freedom.  That's more important than where I live right?  And where I teach?  I know this sounds crazy, but these are lessons that I've learned from my new tv show addiction--and from my long hours at home by myself.

So my love/hate relationship with the army continues.  I love what they do.  I love that they take care of us pretty well.  I hate their disorganization.  I hate how much I have to worry because my husband is in the army.  But this is my new life.  I am now an army wife and I intend to embrace this life and make the most of it.  

love,

Kait

  

Go State!

In honor of today's game, I thought I'd post about MSU.

Before I started dating Hubs, I had never been to a football game.  My high school didn't have football and neither did my college.  I didn't know what I was missing.

In fall of 2009, Hubs took me to my very first football game--MSU vs. U of M.  For all you football fans out there, you know this rivalry is HUGE.  MSU dominated pretty much the whole game and U of M caught up at the end.  MSU won in over time.

1-0

Later that fall, Hubs took me to the MSU vs. Northwestern game.  It was not nearly as exciting as the first game, but we still won.

2-0

A year later Hubs took me to the famous MSU vs. Notre Dame game.  This is the one when we won in overtime with a trick play.  Aaron Bates was supposedly going to kick the ball and being a quarterback in high school, picked up the ball and threw a touch down.

3-0

See a pattern yet?

A month later, I went to the MSU vs. Purdue game.  Win.

4-0

A year later.  MSU vs. Wisconsin.  Tough game.  I honestly thought their winning streak for the games I attend was going to end.  1st quarter.  14-0.  For sure this game was over.  However, the defense kicked it up a notch and outplayed Wisconsin.  At the end, we started to fall apart and Wisconsin tied it up with just seconds to go.  Thinking we were headed into a (probably losing) overtime, I began to shake.  With 4 seconds to go, Kirk Cousins hail mary-ed the football down the field.  It bounced off Cunningham's (I think) helmet and landed in the hands of Nichol.  Nichol broke the plane and WE WON!

5-0.

Halftime

Celebrate!

We won, baby!

I should've went to the Nebraska game last week.  I mean, I am living in Missouri.  Nebraska isn't that far.  It could've been win # 6 for me.

Go State!

-kait

P.S.  My hair is getting so long....maybe a chop is in my near future??

Aruba, Bahama, Come on baby wanna..

...Go to Antigua?  I definitely want to go back.  Our honeymoon was the most relaxing week I have ever experienced.  We spent our time by our private pool reading and swimming.  I read Nicholas Sparks' book Safe Haven and Kathryn Scott's The Help.  Hubs read a couple books as well, I just don't remember the names.  They were boy books--violent and action filled.  Aside from that, we ate--a lot.  The food was amazing.  The first night I started a competition.  Because the food in the evenings was rather fancy (read: we didn't always understand what we were ordering) I decided that we should see who orders the best dishes each night.  Every meal was 4 courses, there was only one soup option per night so you could only earn up to 3 points in one night.  If you ordered the same thing, no points.  If we both liked our own dishes or each other's dishes better, no points.  We were only awarded points if the other person's dish was clearly the better choice.  I was ahead for the entire vacation--until Sunday night.  Sunday Hubs tied it up and on Monday he beat me.  If you know us, you know we love watching the food network.  This gave us a chance to act like some of the judges from Chopped and critque the food.  On our last full day, we took advantage of their wellness cottage and got a couples massage.  It was glorious.

In front of our adorable cottage

Cocobay Resort

The beach

The other beach

Another view 

Our patio and plunge pool.  It was an infinity pool so it looked like we were in the ocean!

Dressed up for dinner


love,
Kait

Project Bedroom

Waaaay back in August, Hubs and I repainted/redecorated the room we were living in at my parents' house.  I have to say, I love how it turned out and the colors are probably going to be my inspiration at my new house.

We used Behr Premium Plus paint to cover the turquoise and yellow walls.
Our color is Burnished Metal.
It's hard to see in this photo, but it really does look beautiful.
The bedspread was on sale from Target, a Room Essentials back-to-college-sale.  

The lamp is from Target (from like 8 years ago, but they do still carry it)
The print is from The Wheatfield shop on Etsy.
(Thank you, Amy, for sharing this shop with me!)

Curtains, sheets, and and throw pillows...all Target

These are frams that I spray painted green and peuter.
The empty one will be receiving a wedding photo.

It needed one more thing...this one?

Or this one?

The other side of the room

I hope you like it!  Hubs and I were pretty proud of how it turned out.  We were very comfortable in this room for a few months.  

love,

Kait

Happy Halloween/Meet my mom

Welp, this month has been C-R-A-Z-Y.  It's probably going to take me all of November to update you on October.  I would skip ahead into the present, but I wouldn't want to skip writing about our honeymoon, our trip the Florida, our visit to Michigan, and our move to Missouri--all these things have happened since I last posted.

Today's post, however, will be short and sweet.

Meet my mom.  She works as a teacher aide for pre-schoolers.  She also bakes on the side through a business she started out of our house called Pat's Perfect Pastries.  I think that's where she got the inspiration for her Halloween costume this year.  She's a little nuts sometimes, but I love her and I am thankful for her.

That's all for now.  Enjoy!

love,

Kait

Adios Amigos!

Hubs and I are taking off for our long awaited (and much anticipated) honeymoon TODAY!  We leave for Miami late this afternoon and have an overnight layover.  Tomorrow morning we will hop on a plane for ANTIGUA.  We're staying here. It's going to be great!

So adios, amigos.  You'll hear from me in a week.


love,
kait

Fish Tacos (Chili's knock-off)

Hubs and I were in charge of dinner at my house tonight.  Ever since my mom and I went to Chili's last week, we've been craving fish tacos.  So we made some.  They were delicious--so delicious that I decided to share.

Ingredients:

Tortillas
1 lb of tilapia (or fish of your choice)
1 bag of frozen shrimp
Pico de gallo (can be found pre-made at Meijer)
Cilantro
Shredded lettuce
Mexican cheese

Beer Battered Fish/Shrimp:
1 12oz bottle of beer
2 cups of flour
2 tsp of garlic salt
2 tsp of black pepper

Honey Chipotle Drizzle (like Chili's)
1 C Corn Syrup
1/4 C Barbecue sauce
1/4 C Honey
3 Tbs Orange Juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp of ground red pepper (cayanne)
1 pinch chipotle powder
2 drops of lemon juice

Directions:

Heat 2 inches of oil in deep frying pan.  Cut up tilapia into small pieces.  Combine beer, 1.5 cups of flour, pepper and garlic salt together in bowl.  Coat fish in mixture.  Then coat fish in another layer of flour and drop into frying pan.  Leave until golden brown--approximately 4 minutes or so.  Do the same with the shrimp.

Drizzle:
Combine all the ingredients in a microwaveable dish.  Microwave for 90 seconds, stirring after 60 seconds.  Let cool.  (You may add a little corn startch if you'd like the drizzle to have a thicker consistency)

To Eat:

Take a tortilla, add all your favorite toppings (cilantro, lettuce, pico, cheese,) add the fish/shrimp, some drizzle and enjoy!


*Sorry, no pictures--I completely forgot! :-(


love,
kait

There's No Place Like Home...

What movie does that title remind you of?

If you said Wizard of Oz, you answered correctly.


What state does Wizard of Oz take place?


That's right.


Kansas.



Hubs and I will be reporting to Ft. Riley in Kansas in May of 2012.


As long as I don't get swept up by a tornado, we should be very happy there.


I should go buy a pair of ruby slippers...

A day in the life of the Chews

It's beginning to feel a lot like fall--cool, crisp mornings, yellow leaves on the lawn, the smell of delicious pumpkin desserts in the air--I really love this season.

So lots of people have been asking what Hubs and I have been up to while we're living at the parents' house.  Well here's is what our typical day looks like:

8:00 am: Wake up, take out the dog, eat breakfast and watch an episode or two of Boy Meets World
9:00am-11:00am: Hit the gym!  Hubs lifts every day and does spinning on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I attend Zumba, Step Cardio and Sculpt, BodyPump, BodyCombat, Pilates Mat, and any other class I can fit into my schedule.
11:00am-12:00pm:  Come home, shower, eat lunch, play with Othello
12:00pm-4:00pm:  Hang around the house--I usually work on my online classes during this time, Hubs can be found watching Sports Center, playing COD, or sometimes helping me with my homework.
4:00pm-6:30pm: Prepare, eat, and clean up dinner
7:00pm-11:00pm:  More homework/watching "my shows" (Glee, Grey's, Gossip Girl--this one is a guilty pleasure--so trashy--but addicting)
11:00pm:  Hit the sack!  Bedtime!  We will do the same thing tomorrow.

Our life isn't very exciting right now.  Occasionally we will break up our monotonous schedule by painting a bedroom or doing some projects around the house.  Yesterday I pulled out my sewing machine and made some things for my mom.  Today I plan to work on some pillows for our new home in Missouri.  Oh yeah, that reminds me, we still don't know where we will be living after April 13.  We leave for Missouri November 1 and will be there until April 13ish.  The army people still haven't told us where we will be heading after that.  Trust me, as soon as I know, you will know!  I am getting rather antsy and can't wait to find out.

love,
kait

Cupcake Wars

Well, the cupcake wars will be coming to a close tomorrow.  Boy, are we ready!  The first 9 months were picked up early Monday morning.  We have the last three months, the logo cupcakes, and the anniversary cupcakes.  The end is in sight, people. Mom and I will be celebrating on Thursday by going shopping.  Love shopping days with mom.  Anyway, here's some of our work:

Our mess...it took hours to clean up

 

Mom & Auntie

Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes!

We made the sports equipment that went
on top of the cupcake.  Hand painted....
with toothpicks and tiny paintbrushes

Beach

Shark Attack

February...Red velvet

Strawberry

Pink Lemonade

The bane of our existence

We're rather proud of ourselves, but don't ask us to do this again. ;-)

love,

kait

Hello, Cupcake

Today was the beginning of the cupcakes wars at my house.  No we are not literally at war. And no, we are not on the Food Network's tv competition show, Cupcake Wars, either.  My mom, baker extraordinaire, agreed to a C-R-A-Z-Y cupcake order earlier this month.  A marketing company wanted to put out a calendar of cupcakes.  Every month would feature a different cupcake and the recipe.  Easy right?  Wrong!  The baking of the 24 dozen (2 dozen per month) cupcakes is a piece of cake...hahaha I laugh at myself.  It's the decorating of the cupcakes that is a nightmare.  Mom and I are got started this morning at 7:30 am.  On our way to pick up extra ingredients, we got sidetracked at a thrift store to look for furniture for hubs and me.  After our little excursion, we continued baking until 5:00.  Mom continued to decorate until about 8.  It's been crazy here.  We're not finished yet.  We still have a full day ahead of us tomorrow.

Best story of the day:
Mom, my aunt, and I were in the kitchen working and we saw Othello (my puppy) walk into the dining room.  We told him to go play with his toys and then got distracted with some cupcake issue.  The next minute, Othello is running away with a vanilla cupcake and eating as fast as he can.  I tackled him to try and wrestle it away, but he had already eaten it--paper and all.  What we didn't realize until 2 hours later: he had actually eaten 2 cupcakes...paper and all.  We only caught him on the second one...that little weasel!

Wedding Photos

Click here to view these pictures larger

Enjoy!  This was the happiest day of my life so far. 

love,

Kait

10.

Remember.  Isn't that what we're supposed to do?
Remember.  Honestly, how can anyone forget?
Remember.  I remember.  I remember an orthodontist's red chair and braces and a radio and a brown haired nurse who delivered the news.
Remember.  I remember.  I remember smoke.  I remember being scared.  I remember not understanding.  I still don't understand.
Remember.  I remember a prayer service, a presidential address, and lots of tears and unanswered questions.
Remember.  I remember firemen and policemen running into buildings while everyone else was trying to run out of the buildings.
Remember.  I remember the day I understood evil really does exist.  I remember wondering about the fate of our country.  I remember wondering if we'd ever truly be safe again.
Remember.  How can I forget?  It's because of this day that so many of our loved ones are overseas fighting to maintain our freedom.  Someday my beloved one may have to join them...how can I forget?
Remember.  I remeber seeing faces of those who were looking for their missing loved ones.  I remeber the fear in their eyes.  I remember the look of panic on their faces...
Remember.  I remember the heroes.  I remember a country that wanted to be unified in the face of terror and tragedy.  I remember being thankful that God still works and moves in the midst of a broken world.  
Remember.  I'm not going to forget.



Thank you to all those who sacrificed their lives that day.  Thank you to all those who continue to put their lives in danger of my sake and the sake of our country.  


love,
kait

7 days into September Already?!

It's September.  Wedding season is over.  Summer has come to a close.  Other than developing a sore throat over the past couple days, this week has been pretty good.  Hubs and I officially FINISHED and MAILED all of our wedding thank yous.  Boy does it feel good to get those out of the way.  Now I have more time to devote to my online coursework.

We've been going to the fitness center regularly and I love it.  I've been able to try different classes to figure out exactly what I like.  We tried spinning on Tuesday and our butts were whooped.  Seriously.  It was a great workout.  I still attend Zumba regularly and I'm planning on trying bodypump, bodycombat, and bodystep.  Tomorrow we have another spinning class.  I have to admit, I'm a little nervouse: a) because I'm not feeling 100% and b) because it's such a butt whoopin'.

This weekend should be a blast.  My mom's birthday is on Friday and Hubs' birthday is Saturday.  I have a few ideas for a birthday present for him, but I want it to be perfect.  It's the first married couple birthday.  Thankfully I've already gotten my mom's gift.   Hubs and I are in charge of cooking dinner on Friday night.  We're going to do everything finger food!   I think I'm going to make cake balls for dessert.  We started getting ideas for the main dishes tonight, but we're definitely open to suggestions!

Couple questions:
-Do you have any ideas for finger foods?  Please share!  We both love trying new recipes.  
-How about ideas for a good husband birthday gift?  

Blogging on the move...an update on life

Ok so my fam got new phones.  After many years on Verizon, we switched over to Sprint.  Let me tell you, it was a great switch.  I get unlimited texting, minutes, and data for only $20/month.  AND I added on a hotspot for an extra $20 per month.  "What is a hotspot?" you ask. I don't really know how to describe it, but I can connect to the internet ANYWHERE using my phone.  So right now Hubs and I are somewhere in MI and my Mac is connected to the internet because of my hot spot.  It's pretty cool.  Really it is.  Ok so before I start sounding like a Sprint spokesperson, I should get on to other topics.

Hubs and I are heading up to MI for our the wedding finale of the season.  We were invited to 9 weddings this summer (including our own) and made it to 6 (including our own).  Hubs has been involved in 4 of the 6 weddings.  He's pretty popular.  Everyone loves him.  Needless to say, it's been a crazy summer.  As much as I will miss seeing our friends almost every weekend, I am ready for things to slow down a bit.

Anyway, as we drive through the mitten state, I am reminded how much I love it here.  I really hope and pray that someday God brings us back to this place.  I want to live in MI.  I want to be near our family and friends.  I want to raise kids here and teach somewhere in western MI.  I am trying to get excited about leaving for Missouri and moving across the country for the army.  It's just hard when my heart is in Michigan.  I've never lived farther than a few hours away from my family.  It's going to be a big adjustment to be so far away.  I know we have skype and phone calls; I just like the fact I will no longer be a short drive away.  Maybe someday we will be able to move back here....a girl can dream.

In other news, Hubs and I joined Omni 41 this week.  The membership was a steal because Hubs is in the military.  We've already enjoyed their track, weights, Zumba classes and free fitness assessment.  I am now relunctant to leave the state because I want to go to the gym every day.  It's such a fun place to work out.  Not gonna lie, I am sad I won't be able to go to Zumba on Friday and Saturday of this week.  Next week Hubs and I plan to go to spinning together.  Can't wait!  We're going to be a great shape for the honeymoon next month.

K I will share pictures from this wedding soon.  And I will post pictures of our new room next week.  It is essentially finished.  I just want to add finishing touches (pictures on the walls etc) before I post.  But let me tell you, it is beautiful.

Happy Labor Day weekend.

Love,
K

Simplicity Simplicity

Today I read Ashley's post on The Shine Project.  I was inspired.  As much as I hate to admit it, my life is cluttered and mediocre.  Because I want to do so many things, I end up doing too much and not doing my best at anything.  It's especially hard for me not to have a schedule anymore.  I am not in school at Calvin so I don't have a class schedule to plan my days around.  I don't have an internship or a job anymore so I can't plan my days around that schedule either.  This results in me thinking that I have more time than I originally thought I had.  I end up wasting my valuable time instead of using it wisely.  Then I end up feeling like my head is spinning because I have so many things I am trying to accomplish.  I often can't fall asleep because I am thinking about all the things that need to get done.  There are so many things I want to do but I don't have the time, energy or motivation to accomplish them all.  I look at my list and become overwhelmed and thus unmotivated.

I need to refocus on the things that are important--not the newest craft on Etsy, not the latest outfit on Land's End Canvas, not even the many wonderful blogs I ready daily.  I need to refocus on what's important in my life and give those things the time and energy they deserve.  As suggested on The Shine Project, I've decided to make a list of what's most important to me so I can start to simplify my cluttered life.  

Here's my list:  my attempt to make things simpler
My relationship with Jesus:  I haven't been that good at keeping up with my personal devotions lately
Hubs:  we need to work on spending quality time together
16 credits worth of online courses:  although I don't love these classes, they're important for me to really finish school and get my teacher's certificate
Craft/Blog/Decorate/Me time:  I don't make time to do things for myself.  I often feel guilty if I spend my time doing
My Family & my puppy:  I will not always have the privilege of living so close to (or in this case with) my family.  I need to take advantage of the time we have together.  Othello is the newest addition to our little family and I love him dearly.  I just want to love him and train him.  




What are the most important things in your life?  What do you need to get rid of?

Dreaming of Pizza and FroYo

Welp, these past two days have been interesting.  My parents have been on vacation for the past week, so my sister, Hubs and I have been trying to hold down the fort.  This has been easier said than done.  Aside from the house looking like ten tornados blew through it (Hubs and I really have nowhere to put our belongings and furniture), we've been on full time Grandma duty.  Yesterday she had scheduled a colonoscopy, so we woke up at 6 am to bring her to the hospital.  Thankfully, the doctors didn't find anything so that is a relief.  Unfortunately the prep for the test took a toll on Gram.  She felt terribly sick yesterday before the test and continued to feel nauseous ever since.  Finally today she called us and asked if we'd take her to the ER.

So that's where we are right now.  In the ER.  For 4 hours so far.  No one has visited us in over an hour.  ERs really are terrible places.  They're slow and inefficient.  It's pretty much empty tonight and it's still slow.  I try to avoid going to the ER at all costs.  It's one of those places that makes you grouchy immediately because it's slow...kinda like the DMV.  I hate going to the DMV, which is probably why I haven't changed my name on my driver's license yet.  I hope they speed things up around here.  Hubs and I didn't eat dinner.  We're hungry.  I think healthy eating is out the window for tonight.  Right now I am dreaming about Sanfrantello's deep dish pizza and some froyo for dessert.

Dear St. Margaret's ER, please hurry up so Grandma can feel better and we can get ourselves some dinner.  Thanks,

Kait


UPDATE on Grams:  We finally were able to leave around 10:30 tonight.  We didn't get our pizza and froyo but we did get McD's and a Wendy's vanilla frosty. They decided to keep Grams for observation because her sodium levels were so low.  Apparently that could be affecting the nausea and dizziness as well.  Grams has been feeling nauseous and dizzy since February and has had countless tests done and trips to the emergency room to figure out the problem.  Maybe now we're getting to the bottom of things.  Anyway, it's expected that she will be there for a couple days. My parents decided to come home early from their trip.  They will arrive tomorrow (only a day earlier), so Hubs and I will be getting back up, which is really nice and much appreciated.   K, I will keep you posted.  Prayers requested.

love.

K

Life List (for the next year or so)

There are so many things I say that I want to do and learn.  For some reason, I never get around to accomplishing anything because life gets in the way.  My hope is that by posting my hopes and dreams on my blog, it will keep me accountable to actually doing some of these things.

1.  Train a puppy (coming soon!) & Decide on a name His name is Othello.

2.  Read photography books and really learn how to use my camera...well...

3.  Finish my online classes so I can't officially be done with college  WOOHOO!!!!!!!

4.  Update my resume so I can find a teaching job for Fall of 2012
Resume updated 4/30/12..sadly no English job openings for this fall

5.  Reread all the Harry Potter books
      - Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone
     - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
     - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 
     - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
     - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix 
    - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

6.  Own all of the seasons of Boy Meets World

7.  Go on our honeymoon
Can we go again?  

8.  Go to a Spartan Football game
I attended the best game of the fall 2011 season.  MSU beat Wisconsin in that seconds!

9.  Spend a weekend in Macinak Island (I've never been there)

10.  Get a subscription to the Real Simple magazine

11.  Learn how to sew a dress for myself

12.  Attend a zumba class
I've attended more than I can count

13.  Visit Jamie in Seattle

14.  Substitute teach when we're living in Missouri
I completed the application, received the training, but never actually had a subbing job.  It's ok.  I had tons of fun not working in MO.  I was able to go on adventures with my friends all the time.  

15.  Post on my blog a couple times a week

16.  Sew pillows for my parents' living room

17.  Read the Old Testament 

18.  Go to a concert

19.  Volunteer at SpringHill

20.  Scrapbook our wedding photos

21.  (At some point in my life I would like to....) Work at Starbucks  Been there, done that.  Don't need to work there.  I just need to drink the product. 

22.  Complete the Insanity two month program.  (I've done month one over and over and I've completed parts of month two; I've never actually completed the whole thing) STARTED MONDAY, AUGUST 15

23.  Learn how to make sushi

24.  Go camping with hubs

25.  Go to a Broadway show (in Chicago)

26.  Be a supportive, encouraging, loving wife to hubs.  He deserves the best.  Always striving to do better.  



Things to add:
27.  Paint our new room at our parents' house  (Ok maybe I just put this one on here so I can cross it off) Completed today! August 22
28.  Organize!
29.  Eat more vegetables


Additions 5/4/12
30.  Become a Zumba certified instructor
31.  Become a Mary Kay Red Jacket by September of 2012
32.  Complete the Brazil Butt Lift 1 month program and have a beautifully lift butt for swim suit season
33.  Go to the Wonderful Wizarding World of Harry Potter
34.  Be able to run a 5k

Things I love a lot

1.  Hubs

2.  Painting & redecorating (we spent all day in our new room trying to make it perfect)

3.  Watching Othello play with his new stuffed animal panda

4.  Aurelio's Pizza (the Homewood location of course)

5.  New blog posts

6.  The color white

7.  Insanity

8.  Panera Bread bagels & cream cheese

9. Say Yes to the Dress 

10.  Ikea (we're headed there tomorrow after church!)

Hair Cut Days are the Best Days!

Today was a great day.  I got my hair cut today.  I love hair cut days.  They are ALWAYS good days because my hair looks fantastic.  It doesn't even matter that I only got a trim and my bangs cut.  I just feel so much better because I have nice blunt ends and cute whispy bangs. Take a look:

So looong!

Thanks to my Mom-in-law for these
beautiful handmade earrings!
 She's so stinkin' talented!

Hubs and I have officially been living at my parents' house for 4 days.  It's been a busy past few days.  We got home on Monday night after a wonderful weekend in Cinncinati celebrating the marriage of two of our good friends.  Wednesday morning we got up early to drop my parents off at the airport so they could get away for a vacation.  They certainly deserve it!  Now it's just the kids at home with the dog.  We've been having fun.    Our days consist of working out (Hubs & I started Insanity!),taking care of Othello, writing Thank You cards, working on my online courses (16 credits...yikes!), organizing, unpacking, moving bedrooms around, and trying to find time to relax.  I feel that we've been very productive over the past four days.  I hope we can keep up the motivation and the good work.

Saturday we plan to start painting our new room.  I picked out a comforter for $18 from Target.  (I'm trying to upload a picture but it's not working.)  It's from Room Essentials.  It's white with light green and light grey climbing leaves.  I love navy and light green together so I bought navy sheets and a couple navy and green pillows.  We're going to paint the walls light grey and hang navy curtains.  I'm really excited to see this room when it is finished.  I will post pictures next week!

Moving Time

That's right.  We're moving.  On Friday.  I know, I know...we just settled into our place.  We have only been living here for 6 weeks together.  I'm just getting used to this town and we're leaving already.  It's time for us to leave our first home.  I have to say, I am pretty bummed about leaving Michigan.  I've grown to love living here more than anything.  All of my close friends are up here.  Many of Hubs' close friends live here or are from here.  I'm sad that we have to leave this state I've called home for the past four years.  I hope and pray God will lead us back to this state someday after we're finished with the military gig.

Alas, we must leave and move on to new things.  Before we can officially "be on our own," we're moving in with my parents for the next two months.  Now I know you are probably thinking, "WHAT?!!?"  It's not what we imagined we'd be doing after getting married either.  However, with Hubs being in the army, we have to be willing to do crazy things like move in with my parents 6 weeks after we got married.  My summer internship is complete, our lease is up, Hubs' job is over, and we're not allowed to move to Missouri (for Hubs' BOLC training) until the beginning of November.  That means we have two months of no employment (who hires for only two months anyway?) and nowhere to live (I told you our lease was up).  Thankfully I have generous parents who were willing to house us and feed us (and our puppy) for two months.

Honestly, I think it will be fun; I'm kinda excited.  I love my parents.  They're great.  They make me laugh...a lot.  My parents' house is plenty big for all of us and they both work during the day so I don't think it will be too bad.  Actually Hubs and I will be busy when we're living there.  We have plans to complete the 2-month Insanity program, work on my online classes, and repaint and redecorate our (new) room, the spare room, and my sister's room.  Hopefully we will complete all of those tasks by the time we leave for our much-anticipated honeymoon on the island of Antigua in October.

Stay tuned to hear about the shenanigans that take place at my parents' house.

-k

Random Thoughts

Random thought # 1:

Sometimes it's hard to be motivated.  I am sitting here in our apartment.  I have a billion things to do and the only things I can manage to "accomplish" are perusing blogs and daydreaming about how I want to decorate my house someday.  I am enrolled in 16 credit hours of classes this summer and I've barely completed any of the work.  I have boxes strewn about my apartment because we're moving (again) on Friday.  I should be working out and toning up, but instead I sit on the couch in the mornings and watch Boy Meets World reruns.

Random thought # 2:

I've really gotten into blogging.  I love waking up every morning and spending a few minutes catching up on the blogs I love.  I've decided I should share some of these with you.  If you're into decorating, cooking, crafting, handmade things, or every day life, I'm sure you will enjoy these:

www.littlemissmomma.com

www.thepleatedpoppy.com

www.fitbottomedgirls.com

www.dashingdish.com

myfoodfitnessfun.wordpress.com


Random thought # 3:

In other news, I started doing yoga yesterday.  A new friend recommended power yoga as a possible workout I might like.  Instead of jumping right in with the "power," I decided to try a few beginner yoga sessions so I could learn the moves and positions.  I was surprised at how much I liked it.  It was very relaxing and I really did feel refreshed after completing the morning workout.  I definitely want to stick with it and hopefully I will be more relaxed and flexible because of yoga.  I always love trying new workouts.  I get bored with doing the same thing over and over.  Let me know if there's a work out you love and think I should try!

love.

-k

One.

one.
Welp, Hubs and I have officially been married for one month and two days.  It's been great.  Really.  I strongly recommend getting married.  In the first month we've learned the importance of laughter, sleep, patience, cleanliness, and time.  We've had lots and lots of opportunities to laugh at ourselves and each other.  We've been super busy--gone every weekend since we've been married--and so we have discovered the importance of sleep and patience when we're exhausted.  Because we've been so busy, the apartment is rarely up to my standards of cleanliness and I've learned to be ok with that--for now.  Finally, because we've been so crazy-busy, we often feel like "ships passing in the night."  Just because we live with each other, does not mean we actually see or talk to each other meaningfully.  We have learned the importance of quality time.

Speaking of quality time, last night we planned to hang out--just the two of us.  We ordered a pizza, flipped on the tv (with the intention of watching Princess and the Frog) and promptly fell asleep on the couch for three hours.  We woke up at ten o'clock, let out the dog, and crashed in bed.  I guess we're worn out.  I never thought I'd say this, but I am actually looking forward to moving in with my parents. I know the time spent with them will be relaxing and less demanding.  Our days will be filled with laughter and rest.  I can't wait.

one.

That's right.  I have one week left of my youth ministry internship.  I can't believe the summer has gone by so quickly.  After this internship, I cannot decide if I am more excited about being involved in youth ministry or teaching.  I'm not sure if it really matters.  Right now, I see myself as a teacher--involved in youth ministry at my church.  I simply love working with teenagers.  As long as I can help and influence youth, I will be happy with whatever I am doing. 

one.

We've had Othello, our labradoodle puppy, for one week.  Although he is a lot of work, Hubs and I love him dearly.  He is a heartbreaker and cuddler.  He can be super playful and calm and sweet.  I often look at him while he's sleeping, and can't believe he's ours.  I didn't know I could love a puppy so much.


love.

-k

Meet Othello

Last night, Hubs and I drove to Grand Rapids, MI to get the new addition to our family--a black labradoodle puppy.  He is the sweetest thing.  When he's on the ground, he enjoys playing, but otherwise he just loves to be held and cuddled.  In fact, he is currently in the other room cuddly with Hubs while they nap.  His first night wasn't terrible.  He slept soundly in his crate for about 3 hours before he woke up and started to whine.  Because we live in an apartment with neighbors, we let him cuddle with us after about 20 minutes of whining.  We didn't want to disturb the apartment building.  He started up by us and slowly inched toward the end up the bed until he was right in front of the fan.  He is such a joy to have around.  I'm looking forward to training him and watching him grow up.

Our first home

 

This is what you see when you walk in the door.
To the right is the bedroom and to the left is  the living room.
[Not pictured: entrance to bathroom]

There is not much to see in the bathroom.   It's tiny.
The curtain is from Kohls. 

Our sink and mirror.  There is not room for two people to get ready in the morning.
Notice the moneky toothbruth holder.  Thank you, Tyler & Jordan Matthews.
The monkey's head bobs in the light.  

This is our closet.  It's small but it works for us.
On the top, you will notice two canvas bins.
The right one is for t-shirts Hubs is not allowed to wear in public.
The left one holds acceptable t-shirts 

Close up of our bedspread from Bed Bath & Beyond

Our bed and my stuffed animals.  Oreo, the panda was a gift from my parents.  I've had him since I was five .
Buddy, the polar bear, was my first birthday present from Hubs.  

Our living room from the back.
The curtains are from Target and I made the couch pillows.

Candle set from Bed Bath & Beyond ($4.38)

Living room from in front of the TV.
Hi Hubs!

Books I have to read...

Books I want to read...

flower

Our "dining room table" aka card table
Table cloth and vase on clearance from Target

This stand was in the apartment and holds necessary small kitchen appliances
Notice the doggie dish in the corner!
Puppy comes today!

Our teeny, tiny kitchen.  Notice the lack of counter space.
It makes cooking/baking rather difficult.


I hope you enjoyed seeing our home!  We're getting a new addition today!  I'm excited to introduce you to our new labrdoodle puppy.

love.
-k