Playing Catch Up

Well, I've been neglecting the blog for a while now, but not without good reason.  Over the past couple of weeks, I've visited my alma mater and hosted one helluva garage sale.  The garage sale was a lot of work. A lot.  I'm not even going to go into it very much here, but suffice it to say, I'm very thankful I had a few friends and my aunt to help me with it.  I'm still exhausted from it.

Unfortunately, I still have a lot of work to do between work and school and trying to organize some things at "home" before I head back to DC, so I cannot promise that the blogging will be charging back up again for another week or so, but I will try!

In the meantime, here are a few random pics.

Wedding cake snocone from Baton Rouge.  

 No visit to the alma mater is complete without visiting Mike.  He was knocked out!

Only the best brunch dish ever created by man from The Chimes in Baton Rouge. 

 An old picture I found when I was cleaning out my room. Circa 2000 with my baby cousin.

The Royal Wedding

Hello, dear readers! Did you miss me? I apologize for the absence, but I've just been experiencing a combination of not having time to blog and not having much to blog about the past few days.  I want to catch up by starting with my thoughts on the Royal Wedding!  

I know, I know. It probably seems like old news by now.  And I mean, some pretty important things have happened in the last four days, to be fair.  I know you might not even want to read about the Royal Wedding anymore, but I kind of want to blog about it just for posterity, if nothing else.  So here goes.

First of all. The dress.  

I'm referring to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge's ceremony dress.  It was incredibly beautiful.  I've always loved Princess Grace's dress, so Catherine's dress was just a perfect, slightly updated version.  I have to say, though, that if someone had asked me to say what she would wear the day before the wedding, I would have said something very similar to what she actually wore. So in some way, I was surprised that I wasn't surprised about her dress.  Make sense? Probably not. But it does to me. 

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Also... can I just point out that sapphires are my favorite gemstone (also my birthstone).  Catherine's engagement ring is a sapphire.  Also, the name "Catherine" will be incorporated to my first daughter's name someday (assuming I have one).  It was my grandmother's name and the inspiration for my name ("Katelyn" is a form of "Catherine") and I have always intended to pass it on to a child.  Anyway... incredibly random but just some little tidbits about me. 

Moving on to other parts of the wedding.  I really liked how Catherine kept all the details of her ensemble in such a small scale.  The tiara fit her petite waist frame beautifully and matched the small scale of her earrings.  (And honestly, is it possible for her waist to be any smaller? I think not.) Another thing that was beautiful in scale was her bouquet.  I want to go on record now as predicting that bridal bouquets in the next couple of years may get smaller à la Catherine. In fact the only thing that was large in scale on Catherine was her ring.  The world as it should be. 

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Catherine's second dress was also really beautiful.  And can we talk about that hair? Actually, I don't want to talk about it.  Sometimes life just ain't fair.

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But really, let's move on to the real star of the day... sort of. 

You know who I'm talking about, right?

P-I-P-P-A.

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Um, all I have to say is good grief.  As if the Middletons didn't produce one daughter that was already basically flawless, they had TWO!  Those girls are both so thin! I mean, SO THIN.  I mean, can you see my jealousy through your computer screen? Would you please look at her in the above photo? Her body is completely flawless in that dress! And as if you needed more proof, my friend Neri texted me Friday to say that the announcers on ESPN (of all stations) could not stop talking about Pippa.  "Well," I told her, "that's probably because she was a KNOCKOUT in that dress."  Good Lord. To think the camera adds ten pounds.  My brain is literally shutting down. 

And now, I want to end by passing on a little gem to those folks who haven't seen it yet.  I'm pretty captivated by Kate Middleton, so please know that I am recommending the follow site for its snarky humor, but it is with love that I do so, alright? Alright.

If you have not visited this tumblr site yet, you need to.  It should keep you laughing for at least a good 20 minutes.  Here are some of my favorite "Kate Middleton for the Win"s.  And please don't miss the little tidbit in small print under the photo. 

 

I actually left out a few of my favorites- but you should definitely visit the site and see them all for yourself! 

Tomorrow, I may or may not recap some of the other wedding fashions.  Until then, dears! 

Weekly Gratitude

This week, I think we all have a lot be thankful for. I am as excited as the next girl about the Royal Wedding, I really am. And by the time this post goes up, it will have already happened and we will have seen Catherine (née Kate) in her dress and I'm sure it will all have been very lovely.  As much as I want to ohhh and ahhh over all of that on this blog, the recent devastating weather in the south has kind of grabbed my attention at this point.

On Wednesday, some of the deadliest tornadoes ever hit several states all across the south. CNN currently estimates that over 300 people were killed in these storms.  It is kind of difficult for me to even fathom that. This week, I am grateful that all of my family members and friends are safe and were unharmed in this terrible systems of storms. 

As much as I talk about disliking Alabama fans when it comes to SEC football, when I look at the images coming out of Tuscaloosa it just makes me incredibly sad and my heart brakes for people there.  Today, please say a prayer for and send good thoughts to the people all across the country who have lost a loved one in these storms, lost a "furry" family member, or lost their home or other property. 

Weekend Recap

So, I spent the majority of my weekend in bed trying to get some rest so I can quickly recover from this cold.  Big thanks to those who left me comments on your best cold remedies!!

I am happy to report that I'm feeling a lot better, although not totally 100% yet.  I had to cancel my fun Friday night plans because I just wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to get my friend sick. But, I was able to go to a birthday party/ bar-b-que for a friend Saturday. It was so fun. Nice and low-key- my kind of birthday party.  My friend's roommates did a big cook out where they bought the "meat" and the guests brought sides.  I brought this potato salad recipe from Ina Garten. It was REALLY good. I highly recommend it.  It's made with olive oil, lemon juice, white wine and some other ingredients, plus fresh herbs. It tastes really fresh, not like the typical gloppy mayonnaise potato salads (although those can be good, too).  I didn't take any pictures, so here's a picture from the food network site. (By the way, I didn't put in the red onion and it wasn't missed.)

I spent the majority of the day today resting and reading for a class. I'm reading this book:

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The writing is not the best, but I guess it is typical for a non-fiction biography-style book on leadership style.  It is great, though, for anecdotes based on Eleanor's life, rather than being heavily intertwined with stories about FDR as well.  I'd recommend the book to any ER fans out there! 

Lastly, are you a fan of Brothers & Sisters? 

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After lagging for a while, it is getting GOOD again, in my opinion, anyway. It is like all the Walkers are back to their old ways. 

Have a great week! 

Weekly Gratitude Post #6

I'm thankful this week that I heard some great news from my friend, Laura.  She got a new job! Congratulations, Laura! Now, I have a handful of other friends who need jobs too! Let's all send good thoughts their way. (My way too!)

I'm thankful that this was my last full week of classes! I have one class left on Monday.  I almost can't believe I survived the semester overloaded on hours. I have to say, it wasn't as terrible as everyone said it would be.  I'm crossing my fingers for good grades and that the last couple of projects I have due will go well.

I'm thankful that even though I am sick this week, I have the means to buy medicine. A simple cold is nothing compared to what so many people are going through all over the world, and many people are dealing with much more significant illnesses without medicines or treatments.

As soon as I saw Eliza sleeping like this, it reminded me of this scene from Breakfast at Tiffany's. 

I am thankful for my sweet puppy dog. She really is a sweetheart and she is one of my best friends.

I am thankful that the Royal Wedding is ONE WEEK AWAY. People are you excited out there in blogger land?! 

I am thankful that I have some fun plans with friends this weekend. I just hope I feel up to it.

Lastly, I am thankful that it is FRIDAY! 

Spring Cold

Well... it is official. I am sick. 

For the past couple of days, I kept sneezing a lot. I just chocked it up to all the pollen in the air.  And then, yesterday afternoon, my throat started to feel sore during class.

And by the time I went to bed last night I felt worse. And I woke up this morning still feeling worse.

BLEGH.  

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The one thing I can say is, I'm glad I got sick right now (if I had to get sick, I mean). This is my last week of classes (+ one on Monday) and I have very little due in the next week.  Plus, since I'm job hunting (but not working very much) I actually do have time to rest right now, which is nice. Also, I had an interview yesterday and the symptoms got worse IMMEDIATELY after the interview.  Which I am also glad about- glad that they held off, anyway. 

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So anyway, I went to CVS today looking like death warmed up and bought Smart Water (water + electrolytes), Mucinex-D and some throat lozenges.  I know the best cure for a cold is lots of fluids and rest- but I just wish there was something BETTER, you know?  Isn't it amazing how one little cold can kick you in the arse and make you feel like a whiny five-year old? 

What are your tips for recovering from a cold? 

Bossypants

So, you might have heard by now that Tina Fey released her first book, Bossypants.

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I am not normally a fan of celebrity writers.  I mean, as much as I like Tori Spelling's reality shows, I have no interest in reading her books. And as much as I love Mean Girls, I really had no desire to read Tina Fey's book either.  Just not my preferred genre. And then I saw this poem that has been making its way around the internet. It is called "The Mother's Prayer for Its Daughter."  It is very smart and funny, so I thought I would share. I bolded my favorite part. Enjoy! 

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her

When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.