A Trivial Smorgasbord of Insights Into My Life

6 of These

2009-10-15T13:15:00.001-07:00

Are headed to my classroom. I wrote a grant with another teacher and we got it! $1,000 to buy these digital, miniature camcorders with video editing software for our department. Think of all the cool project possibilities with these little babies in tow. I am so excited!

When Your Job Gives You Lemons

2009-10-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Forget about your job and remember other things that have nothing to do with it.

Sometimes, I lay in bed at night and dream about finding a nice secretarial job. You know the kind. Something low key, with a higher salary than teaching (somehow I doubt that's hard to find), with benefits, and a boss who gives me a nice Christmas bonus and an occasional, "Thanks, Katie, you're really good at your job." Maybe even a raise when he sees how fabulous I am. A nice secretarial position where I work from 8 to 5. When I go home at night, I'll be done with work. I won't have to think about it until the next morning. No papers to grade. No lazy teenagers. No homecoming ballots to copy, and stuff, and count. Let's face it: I'd make a killer secretary.

Instead, I work in a job where being good at it means I get added responsibilities with no additional compensation. And, while I work on my additional responsibilities, the stacks of papers I'm supposed to be grading just keep piling. The piles keep getting larger. And larger. And today, around the time that I agreed to be an emergency sub for someone's Spanish class during my prep period, while struggling to repair the technology that I needed for a lesson I was giving after lunch (which I wouldn't be eating because I had lunch duty), I almost cried. Almost is huge for me. I'm surprised I didn't lose it.

A lot of days I love my job. It makes me feel all warm fuzzy inside. A lot of days, in fact most days, an email from a parent thanking me for what I do for her child is enough. Having a student write, "I love you, Mrs. R!" on my whiteboard is enough. Watching a kid really GET something, and knowing I made that happen is enough. Today is not one of those days. Today I am tired. I am tired of feeling so physically exhausted. Tired of hearing, "This is boring." Tired of watching kids sleep through class. Tired of an honors class that didn't even bother to read The Great Gatsby and massacred what could have been an enlightening discussion. Tired of working twelve hour days and not getting paid for it. Today is a day I contemplate searching help wanted ads for a new profession.

Now, here I sit at home, and it's time for me to prove to myself that my life is not completely and utterly crappy. Here it goes.

On Friday, Lauren and I went shopping in Goldsboro. My mission: finds for the house. I love doing anything with Lauren, but shopping with her is especially fun. We are very thorough shoppers. We are bargain hunters. We start in one corner of a store and leave no stone unturned. We fondle every fabric, and we smell every candle. It took us about five hours to circulate three stores. Shopping is hard work, I tell you, and I'm hoping three hard core hours of it will compensate for the weeks I've neglected to go to the gym. I found some great stuff for the house at amazing prices (gotta love Ross and TJ Max). Some of my finds helped contribute to the completion of the sun room (well. . . somewhat completion) after we repainted the wicker furniture Joy and Bruce gave us. The finished product, for now, looks something like this:

Here's the wicker furniture pre-paint job and during paint job:

And the finished product:

On Saturday, Chad and I joined Cameron, Lacey, and Cassie for the U2 and Muse concert in Raleigh. U2 has long been on my list of bands to see in concert before I die. Considering this is the first time they've toured in the United States in twelve years, I'd say I kind of lucked out getting to see them. I have started to refer to this show as the highlight of my life, but since that seems to hurt Chad's feelings (something about our wedding day maybe needing to fill that spot in my memory), I'll just say this concert will forever be a close second. Muse sounds as amazing live as they do on CD; I would definitely pay to see them in concert as the headliner. And U2? I don't care if they're old. Any group that wrote songs two years after my birth and is still rocking out is just cool. Period. It was a fabulous concert. Feast your eyes and ears on the highlights:

First, here are the photos of us being amazed by the stage and excited for the concert to start. We got there VERY early, which was a super good thing. Apparently, a lot of folks were stupid and got stuck in traffic. These losers missed Muse, and in some terrifying cases, even part of U2's set. Another good reason for arriving early was getting free parking in a bank parking lot a mile away, instead of paying $20 to park at the stadium. Plus, when the security guards told us we couldn't have backpacks, it gave Lacey and I time to walk all the way back to the car. The security guard also told us we could bring treats but no water bottles. Funny how when we got back from the car, a different security guard said there was no food allowed. Don't you worry, we got to bring in our Almond Joys and Sour Patch Kids! We held the first guy to his word.

Chad and me:
Cameron's first concert. I'm pretty sure every show afterward is going to savor of anticlimax:

The whole crew, ready for the show to start (you can tell how early we were by all the empty seats in the stadium):
Lacey and me being our typical, solemn selves:

Lacey and Cassie (I loved listening to these two sisters bicker. It took me back to my Moses Lake years. I love these girls!):
Just before Muse performed:

A short clip of the concert, for any of you Muse fans out there:

During a few key moments the stage lit up enough to get some decent photos. Here's are a couple of shots of U2:

And video footage for your enjoyment:

My one regret is not getting any footage of the drunken Brazilian lady doing the samba during every song. Man, she had some energy.

Then, when we got home Sunday morning, I had this surprise waiting for me in my dining room:

Merry Christmas to me! This corner, china cabinet belonged to Chad's great grandmother. She recently passed away, and this is a Christmas present from Joy and Bruce, who bought it for us from her estate sale. Thank you so much! It's beautiful, sentimental, and I love it!

Yup, I'd say my life is pretty far from being crappy after all. That was therapeutic. Thanks for indulging me.

September Happenings

2009-09-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

A couple Fridays ago, a friend called me to ask what I was up to. She wanted to invite me to go to our high school's football game with her. My response was, "Sorry, I'm on my way to my in laws to make grape juice." She laughed. "Is this how you spend your Friday nights?" she asked. She's often giggled about my weekend festivities. Hers usually involve local bars, and she finds my Mormon ways sans alcohol humorous and interesting. I love that Chad and my idea of a good time involves food and family. Here are some photos of our recent food-fabulous activities:

Personal Pizza Night--

On this occasion, each of us created our own personal pizza from quite the assortment of toppings. It was a lot of fun and very tasty.

Homemade Grape Juice--
Our sweet neighbors have grape vines, and when we asked if we could use some to make grape juice with they generously shared.

As you can see, we only got four jars, but it was a lot of fun, and extremely yummy.

Last night, we went to the Lenoir County Fair (it's got nothing on the Grant County variety of my childhood. . . sorry, Kinston) and feasted on a greasy funnel cake, then went to Joy and Bruce's for more food. Bruce grilled a couple quick steaks, we threw some frozen pizza things in the oven, and I made Brazilian lemonade (recipe from Our Best Bites, of course). It was all quite delicious, although I'm pretty sure Cameron's date thought that between our eclectic food choices and strange card playing we were all insane.

In other news, we finally finished our sun room TODAY! My favorite room in the house is now use able, and I couldn't be more happy about it. I finished the last coat of paint on the trim this morning, and my wonderful father-in-law came over this afternoon to help install the ceiling fan. I've got to give the built-in about a week of drying time before I can stack it with books, but for now, this is what it looks like:

Chad and I have managed to steal yet some more furniture from our very generous in-laws, so we'll have some wicker stuff in here for awhile until we can afford to buy furniture of our own. I'm going to paint it this week, so I'll post pictures of the room again once it's furnished.

That reminds me. I don't think I ever posted pictures of our front rooms with furniture, so here are some (the pictures aren't the best, but at least you can get an idea):

This is the sofa that we bought pretty soon after moving into our house. It's one of the only pieces of furniture we've actually bought. It's very comfy and looks a lot nicer than our previous 1980's sofas. The first sofa of our marriage was provided by The Branbury Apartments, and the second one was inherited from Meredith and Adam's apartment complex--they were apartment managers and their complex was throwing away furniture, so we got a sofa and love seat for free. Yes, we inherited furniture that was deemed garbage by a PROVO apartment complex. That should tell you what it looked like. One arm was completely collapsed, so I stuffed it with pillows underneath our slip cover. It was a gem, let me tell you. Anyway, I love this little leather number much more.

We're going to recover these wing backs eventually, but for now they're in Chad's grandparents' original baby blue. I love a good wing back, and I've already found a really fun striped fabric I'd love to use. The drop leaf end tables were theirs, too, and they are absolutely beautiful. I love them.

Super comfy recliner that we also inherited from Chad's grandparents, and the rug I bought at Ollie's (oh how I love giant Big Lots-esque stores):

The dining room furniture that we inherited from Chad's parents. (Are we sensing a trend here? Man, our house would be so empty without family finds. Thanks so much, EVERYONE!)

I love our little house. It's getting closer and closer to being finished. We worked on finishing off the counter tops in the kitchen today, and once we get a couple of drawers built, that room will be done, too. Progress is so beautiful. I love it.

How to Ensure Use of Your Entire Wardrobe

2009-09-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

1. Don't do laundry for two weeks.

We usually do laundry once a week, and usually Saturday becomes laundry day. Last Saturday, Joy's washing machine broke down while she was mid-load, so she came over and used our washer and dryer to finish up. I figured we'd do our laundry on Monday or Tuesday, but instead it sat in the hamper and accumulated more dirty camisoles, polos, and pajama bottoms as friends. We finally did laundry THIS Saturday, but that meant two weeks of getting really creative when it came to wardrobe selection. Friday I wore a pair of jeans that had previously been put in the "work wear" section of the dresser. It was time.

2. Refuse to iron for a few months.
I hate ironing. I detest it. Nay, I utterly loathe it. If I could, I would hire a maid whose sole job was to iron my clothing. The thing is, as much as I hate ironing, I adore tops and bottoms that seem to require it. You know, tops with ruffles and pleats, made out of fabric that looks gorgeous when it's crisply pressed, but looks disastrous if you just pull it out of the dryer. I have not had a real "ironing session" for a very long time. After we do laundry, we hang everything up that is supposed to be ironed in the guest room closet. The idea is,we'll iron it and it will be put away in the right place. This hasn't happened since summer vacation started (Joy, if you are reading this, I hope you haven't had a heart attack). It is now September, if you don't have a calendar right handy. Now, I have been forced to iron a couple of pieces between then and now, but for the most part, I've adjusted my outfits and just haven't worn anything that requires my least favorite chore.

I have been wearing clothes I forgot I had! This probably means I own too many clothes, and that it's time to clean out my closet, but whatever. Seriously, this is a terrible thing to confess, because now you will all know how incredibly lazy I am. Honestly though, it has been amazing how many different outfits you can come up with when you're forced to really analyze the only things left in your closet.

I finally had to suck it up and iron a few things last night-I was running out of wrinkle-free options. I make no promises as to when the ironing will resume. As Lauren would say, "Don't judge me."

Things that Make Me Happy

2009-08-26T16:23:00.001-07:00

1) Norah Jones mixed with Billie Holiday and John Legend on Pandora radio.
Seriously. I don't think radio gets much better than this. At least not when I've had a long day and all I want to do is curl up in a ball and go to bed at 6:30. There is something about the first week back to school that makes me feel exhausted. (My students are still wonderful, by the way, so I'm not complaining! I'm in love with them all, and I'm excited for this semester. It's just my feet hurt. My voice is tired. My mind can't possible think because it's been going a mile a minute all day. I'm just in that adjustment period, that's all.) Anyhow, if you want the perfect music to listen to while you make dinner, or pitter-patter around the house because you're too lazy to go to the gym, this is it. There is something so soothing about Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and an occasional Jack Johnson song that makes my entire body feel relaxed. I'm in love.

2) ourbestbites.com
This has renewed my joy for cooking. Don't know what to cook? Go to this website and it will give you a million, uncomplicated ideas, that actually look worth eating. And the thing is, they ARE. Every recipe I've tried from this website I've fallen in complete love with. I love the writing on their site, too.

3) "Man, she don't play."
Hearing that this was the reaction to me after my first day of teaching. Translation? Wow, she means business. Do I hear a hallelujah chorus? Oh, I think I do. I can see growth in myself as a teacher this year already, and I'm proud of myself. I think this is destined to be my best school year yet.

4) The prospect of fall.
OK. So it's still hot as Hades, but it's not AS hot as it was last week. I have visions of colored leaves dancing in my head. I can't wait for the first signs of my favorite season. I want to put on a sweater and curl up with a mug full of hot chocolate. Plus, The Big Read this year at our public library is focused around Edgar Allen Poe's complete short stories and poetry. Which means one thing: A killer Poe unit right before Halloween. How can I NOT be excited by the prospect of THAT?

Tummy Troubles and Back to School

2009-08-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

I went back to work a week ago. Today was my first full-blown day with the kids actually there. It went well. I am teaching all honors classes but one this year, so life should be pretty much paradise. Also, it's amazing what a difference I feel being at the same school for two years in a row. Last year, even though I'd had a year of teaching experience in Utah, it felt like my first year all over again. I had to learn the way the school worked, the way the students worked, create entirely new lesson plans, teach entirely new texts, go through culture shock, etc. This year, even though I'm being required to revamp everything AGAIN, it shouldn't be nearly as bad. In fact, last night I got an amazingly sound night's sleep. I met all 76 of my students today and they seem great at first glance. I was telling Chad I already love them. I know I'm not going to like them all the time, and that they are going to probably going to do a bunch of stuff I will whine and complain about for the rest of this year, but I already know I love them--which is a good sign. I don't know if that makes any sense, but that's how I feel.

Anyway, in preparation for my first day, I decided to really live it up my last weekend of freedom. To a non-Mormon teacher this might mean drinking and partying. To a Mormon teacher, this means driving to Myrtle Beach with your family to eat crab legs.

That's right, on Saturday morning we all piled into Bruce and Joy's suburban and embarked on a 2 1/2 hour drive just to eat at an all you can eat seafood buffet: Captain George's. It's a favorite restaurant of the Reese family and we will do just about anything for a chance to eat there.

This is the entire family, pre-eating, outside the restaurant. Notice how happy we look? That's because we are. All empty-tummied, ready to eat to our hearts' content:

Here we are, waiting in line to get a table (a much shorter one than is typical in the busy season):

Here we are, walking to our table:

I came prepared this time. I wore a top that is normally a pregnant woman's best friend. In my case, it was an eater's best friend. It left plenty of room for stomach expansion.

Here's what the buffet looks like from the end. We like Captain George's because it feels so much classier than most of the seafood buffets at Myrtle Beach.

We stopped on the way and did a little shopping, then it was down to business: eating. Multiple plates of crab legs were consumed (for some, this meant more than their body weight in meat dipped in butter); fried shrimp were dipped in cocktail sauce; scallops, salmon, flounder, tuna, oysters and mussels were devoured; some sampled the fungus I refuse to eat--stuffed mushrooms; there were dinner rolls, macaroni and cheese, and salads nibbled; all of us indulged in the grandness that is the dessert bar.

I love this one, because it shows the boys' dedication to the eating. Look at that concentration:

Some of the aftermath:

Immediately following dessert, I ate another plate of crab legs and fried shrimp. That's when I realized I wasn't feeling so hot. By the time we made it to Broadway at the Beach and started strolling through shops, it was reconfirmed that I was going to be having stomach "issues."

A trip to Rite Aid for some anti-stomach-issues-medication was our first stop on the way home.

Then Joy started feeling sick.

We made several more stops on the way home.

We stopped in a Jehovah's Witness' church parking lot.

We stopped at Bart's BBQ.

We stopped at Arby's.

We stopped at Walmart.

It was a long drive home.

Chad started to feel sick towards the end of the drive and stayed sick most of Sunday.

We've learned our lesson--never over eat unless you know you have a hotel room to go home to. I don't think we'll be making a one day trip to Myrtle Beach again any time soon.

Why I Will Never Pay $165 for a Pair of Jeans

2009-08-19T18:10:00.000-07:00

1. That's insane.

2. I can buy them for $10 at DI in Bountiful, UT.

And you know what, I'm sure they're NOT this year's style. Heck, they might not even be last years, but you know what, at some point, some idiot paid a heck of a lot of money for their 7 for All Mankind logo, and now I'm having the last laugh--insert sound of evil, twisted laughter here. (If you, dear reader, have spent such a preposterous amount of money on denim, don't worry, I haven't lost all respect for you, but we DO need to talk.)

The Thrift Store Gods have reclaimed me as their child. I love my life. I also bought an adorable blazer and these fabulous pumps on the same day:

And speaking of fictionalized deity claiming me as their offspring, let's talk about ones of the concert variety. Chad and I attended Coldplay with Lacey and her friend Alisha (or maybe Alicia, not sure how she spells her name) a couple of days following my return to the humidity. Lots of afternoon rain made for a splendidly cool evening at the Walnut Creek Amphitheatre. It was a spectacular show, which made me fall only further in love with Chris Martin and his band mates. My crappy point and shoot camera was not capable of capturing any spectacular moments at the show, since they all took place after dark, but here are some photos of us waiting for the fun to begin:

And seeing as how I'm clearly in favor with the people upstairs when it comes to concerts, there's no disputing the fact that I am eagerly looking forward to, with all the anticipation my little heart can muster, this:

The one and only U2 on October 3rd. The ultimate selling point? Muse is their opening act.

Life's looking pretty darn good.

Alissa's Wedding

2009-08-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

The main reason we drove to Washington in the first place was for my cousin, Alissa's, wedding. It was so wonderful to see most of the Jensen side of the family. Everyone was there but my Aunt Denise and her little girl. I got to meet my little cousin, Sterling, for the first time, and Brody, Alissa's little boy. Equally fun was spending time with all of the family I already knew, all of whom I love and miss very much.

This is me holding Brody after he woke up from his nap. Anya was busy doing everyone's hair, but she'd finished mine, so I got to cuddle with him for awhile. He is so precious. He reminds me a lot of myself when I'm tired--groggy, quiet, and not in the mood to be messed with. You just have to let him wake up in his own time. I think Alissa really may have been blessed with one of the sweetest babies in the world. He is so GOOD! He was such a trooper the entire time we were busy with wedding stuff. I was amazed!

A wedding is always such a special and beautiful thing to be a part of, and this was no exception. I am so happy for Stuart and Alissa! Stuart is wonderful with Brody, and I know he is going to make an amazing Dad! Here are some of the shots I took at the wedding. (If I'm in them, then my mom took them.)

Stuart holding Brody as he and Alissa finish walking down the aisle:

Alissa and Stuart's first dance as husband and wife:

Alissa sharing a dance with her Dad:

3 Generations:
Aunt Arianne dancing with Evan:

I love this picture, because look at Evan's face. Isn't it obvious how much he loves and respects his mom? I think it's precious!

Paul, MalaRee, and Sterling sharing a dance:

With my two cousins, Anya and Alissa:

With Jared:The food. How amazing is a bowl full of Sweedish Fish? How clever!

Evan looking handsome and cool while one of Alissa's bridesmaids looks on:

Alissa with her Grandma:

Sterling, looking guilty while decorating the getaway car:

Anya, looking less guilty, but doing the same thing:

Pictures from the next night at the reception:

Alissa wore a killer pair of turquoise shoes. They were fabulous!

Will you notice my cousin's stellar arms? How gorgeous is she in this picture? Did I mention she has had a baby? Alissa, you look fabulous!

The couple from afar:
Mother and Daughters:

Me with Grandpa:
Brody with all his grandparents:

Alissa's family with the couple:

Jensen cousins, minus Bryan who is in Iraq, and Summer who didn't make it:

Alissa with all of her bridesmaids:

The wedding party, minus the little girls:

I love these shots I snapped of my Uncle Howard with Brody. I remember Howard as being a wonderful uncle to me growing up. I also know he was a wonderful father. This is proof that he is a wonderful grandfather as well:

The wedding cake:
Kissy-kissy (Stuart was not a fan of taking kissing pictures, but they happen to be some of my favorite shots at weddings, so we forced him):

Congratulations, Alissa and Stuart! Welcome to the married club! It's a pretty awesome place to be!

Seattle in Pictures

2009-08-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

A road trip in THE Cube had to lead somewhere. The first destination on ours was Seattle, Washington. The best part of this trip was definitely having the chance to visit with family we seldom get a chance to see. In my case, it had been four years since seeing most of these people--and a few were completely new to me. Case in point, this little firecracker was a couple months from being born the last time I saw my Uncle Mark and Aunt Jaime:

Luckily, McKenna seems to have little to no stranger fear and instantly made me feel welcome by giving me a tour of her room, trying on all of her princess dresses for me, and of course shielding me from "shadows" by turning into Word Girl and chasing them away. (And while we're on the subject, why did a super hero called Word Girl not exist when I was a child? She sounds right up my alley, and really every English teacher's dream.)

Similarly, little Lilah was an absolute doll. She wasn't even a twinkle in her parents' eyes the last time I saw her family. I am so happy I finally got a chance to meet her, too. How can you not love a face as precious as this?

She's a bit more shy than her sister, but warmed right up to us. I wish they were closer, so we could play more often.

I also got to visit my great aunt, Maryann, and she took Grandma and me to breakfast the next day. My Aunt Maryann has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. I was so happy to know she still remembered me, and she still seems very much like the Aunt I remember. Her short term memory is fading very fast, but her long term memory is still great. It was fun to see her.

Of course, no family gathering would be complete without some Rock Band (and by some, I really mean excessive amounts. . . I am surprised we haven't been signed to an actual record label):

Did I mention that Seattle was scorching hot while we were there? What's that, you say? Seattle doesn't get hot? You are seriously misinformed. There was a record-breaking heat streak the entire time we were in Washington. To the tune of over 100 degrees every day. We spent a few evenings in the pool (sunset was about the only time cool enough to even swim!)
This is Mom and I breaking out our synchronized swimming moves. My mom is so awesome.
One day, my mom, aunt Karen, Jared, and I decided to wake up at 5:00 a.m. and watch this:

The sun rising in Deception Pass National Park. We'd planned on exploring the tide pools, but sadly didn't find a lot of those. We did see some killer views, though, and had a lot of fun.

I love this one, because it shows how different the beaches in Washington are from the ones in North Carolina:

I know people always tell Jared and I that we look just alike, but I don't think anything puts that into perspective more than this picture:

You can't tell where his profile stops and mine begins. Wow. We are twinners.

This is me being a mermaid. And Jared . . . being . . . something?

I like this, because it looks like maybe I'm a real photographer. Also, notice the shoes I'm wearing. Sigh . . . this was the last time I wore those shoes. They were the perfect pair of slip on tennis shoes. No socks required. I bought them before we went to Italy, and I loved them. Despite my undying love, I accidentally left them in the rental car when we returned it in Utah. Stupid Enterprise Rent-A-Car. They totally stole my shoes, or threw them away, or something. Ugh!

We also went with Grandma, Uncle Shawn, and Skyler to Experience Music Project (EMP) in downtown Seattle. This is Sky in the sound lab, experimenting with different kinds of drum sounds:

Grandma Joy (proving she is not a typical Grandmother):

All of us reflected in the EMP ceiling:

Mom on bongos:
Jared testing out a guitar:

This was us on an escalator, when Grandma was scared and making us laugh:

After EMP, we did what every Seattle tourist must. Paid a visit to Pike's Market:

Jared in an alleyway:

The gum wall. So. Gross.

Another day, Mom, Jared and I explored Gasworks Park. It's an old, Industrial area that they've converted to a park, complete with views of the Space Needle and multiple grassy knolls.

And, we also paid a visit to the troll under the bridge. No, really, there is a troll under a bridge. Here he is, taking out his wrath on a Volkswagen Beetle:

It was a great trip. It reminded me how much I miss my family and how cool it would be to live in a big city. (Not that I don't love Kinston, I do, but last time I checked we don't have trolls lurking under bridges, which I think is pretty darn cool!) Thanks for hosting us, Shawn and Karen. And thanks, Grandma, for letting us stay in your suite!

Brick on Wheels

2009-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Every great road trip begins with a great car. Before you mistakenly think that the commercial above suggests that I think the Nissan Cube would be a "great" car, please read the post below:

My mom decided to rent a car for our 14 hour drive to Seattle. She splurged and ordered a full size car to ensure the little baby would have cruise control. You see, if you get a compact car, that's not guaranteed, and let's face it--14 hours of driving with NO cruise control isn't pretty (trust me, I U-hauled it from Utah to North Carolina, remember?). So, I go with mom to pick up the car, she signs the papers, and we drive away in a Chevy something. Only problem is, Chevy-something's cruise control doesn't work. At all. My mom calls Enterprise, who tells us to come back and they'll see what they can do.

When we arrived and it was confirmed that nothing could be done to remedy the broken cruise control, we were told that there were two other vehicle options for us to consider: a two-door Ford Mustang (hmmmmm four adults, essentially no backseat) or a Nissan Cube (hmmmmmm atrociously ugly and sure to get a lot of unwanted attention on the freeway, with the added bonus of a HUGE crack in the windshield right in the driver's line of vision). We weighed our options and decided to go with the Cube. Our pride was worth less than our leg room.

Now, previous to this excursion, I had already heard of the Cube via all of the obnoxious commercials on Hulu (see above video). The commercial makes the Cube seem like this trendy, ultra cool vehicle that will make even the lamest person become worthy of starring in an ipod commercial by the time a drive to the grocery store is done. I didn't buy this concept when I saw the commercials, and I didn't buy this concept once we got inside.

The reality that is the Cube doesn't include sliding into parallel parking spaces and arriving at a chic dance party with friends. The reality that is the Cube includes a caravan of army men laughing and pointing at you when you pass them on the freeway, old men at gas stations giving you strange looks, so much road noise you have to shout to be heard, and your aunt nicknaming it "the brick on wheels." My brother, Jared, captured the reality of the Cube in the visual tour below:

which inspired us to make our own, ghetto-fied Cube commercial upon returning to Utah, shown here:

I think this video is proof of three things: (1) I will never own a Cube of my own, (2) We clearly ended multiple bugs' lives on our trip--I love the close up of all the bug guts on the front of the vehicle, and (3) My family is amazingly awesome--What other 17-year-old do you know who will dance in a gold shirt on camera? What other mother do you know who will sacrifice her reputation with her neighbors to film it? Yup, awesome. Enough said.

Prepare Yourselves . . .

2009-08-06T04:19:00.000-07:00

for an unbelievably long series of blog posts. I've just returned from my two week hiatus to Utah and Washington. The trip began in Utah, so let's start there, shall we?

Every good story begins with a tattoo. Wait, maybe not so much, but this one does:

This chick's shoulder tattoo, boasting the word MOM, was stellar and was right in my line of vision when Jared and I went to a free concert in Salt Lake City. My little brother is an Indie music connoisseur. Once someone's music makes it to the radio, they are no longer an acceptable listening choice for Jared. On this trip home he let me tag along with him and a couple of his friends to see Land of Talk and M. Ward, both of whom were part of the Twilight Concert Series at the Gallivan Center in downtown Salt Lake. It was a hot and rather sticky experience, as most events are that involve being squished between random people you've never met. I enjoyed Land of Talk immensely. This is the singer chica captured on point and shoot camera:

M. Ward was OK, although the teenage boys next to us, who were trying to prove to all Utahns their extreme edginess by using the f-word repeatedly, kind of put a damper on the experience. Once the teenage girls behind us started to randomly shove each other into people, Jared and I moved. We actually left the concert early, but it was a lot of fun. This is us riding Trax back to our parking spot (don't mind the sweaty nastiness):

While in Utah, I also had the chance to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones as well. I went to Steph's (one of my dearest college friends and former roommates) bridal shower and am now kicking myself that I didn't take a SINGLE picture while there. It was great to see her and hear the adorable story of how she met her soon-to-be.

I stopped by Crystal's house to visit her and her adorable children, and was lucky enough to see Callie and her fiance JT there as well. I now feel completely content about Callie marrying him. He seems like a swell guy. My extremely protective nature doesn't like the idea of one of my best friends marrying someone I've never met, so now I feel great about it. Crystal and Callie looked great as always, and we had a lot of fun catching up:

I also got to have a reunion with two of my former roomies and freshman year buddies, Debbie and Jamie:

I have so many wonderful memories with these two girls, one of which has been previously pictured in the form of this:
and it was beyond wonderful to see them! We sat at a table outside The Gateway mall food court and talked for hours. It felt just like old times, which made it hard to say goodbye. I love these girls like sisters!

Alas, what was it I said about new friends being met? Meet Maestro:

Maestro is my brother Jared's pet cat/Christmas present. Since we spent Christmas with Chad's family last year, this was my first time meeting Maestro. He is very playful, liked to spend the mornings curled up and purring on my lap while I surfed the Internet, and I fell in love with him while I was there.

So there you go, my trip began with tattoos, concerts, and friends. Not too shabby!

Happy Anniversary, to Us!

2009-07-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Caution: This is one of those cheesy love posts. Read at your own risk!

Four years ago today I married the love of my life in the LDS Washington D.C. temple in Kensington, Maryland.

It's hard to believe it was four years ago. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. Sadly, I am across the country visiting my family, so we are celebrating our anniversary late this year (to the tune of a Coldplay concert, not too shabby). Since I can't be with him today, I thought I'd do this little tribute to Katie and Chadwick:

Wow. We look twelve. Don't be fooled. This was actually midway through my sophomore year of college when Chad and I started dating. Awwwwww! How precious.

This photo is evidence that Chad doesn't give up. Even though one of my roommates told him I hated him, and that, I quote, "You'll never be able to date her, but if you try really hard, she might be your friend again," he worked really hard to dissolve a HUGE misunderstanding, we started dating, and at the end of the school year he convinced me to come see him in North Carolina the summer before I left for London. Looking back, I have no idea what I was thinking! I went to North Carolina to see a guy who wasn't even officially my boyfriend, and met his entire family. I should have been scared out of my mind, and I kind of was, once my plane landed in Raleigh and I really started thinking about it. I remember waiting for my luggage and wishing I could get back on the plane. Luckily, it was the best trip ever. It was after this trip that I knew I was really in love with him, that perfectly enough I was also in love with his family, and that I wanted to marry him someday.

This is us, right before I left for London. Spending a semester abroad, right after you decide you're in love with someone, creates a sticky situation. It was hard to go, but it was one of those great blessings in disguise. Remember how my trip to North Carolina helped me realize I wanted to marry Chad? I'm pretty sure me being gone for 4 months convinced Chad he wanted to marry me. It was a long semester of time differences, expensive phone calls, emails, letters, videos, pictures, and MSN messenger.

When I flew back from London, we got to start dating in the same physical space again (always a good idea, if you've already made up your mind you're eventually going to marry a person).

This was Chad and me in April of 2005, the day he asked my dad for permission to marry me. Luckily, my dad is probably the least intimidating man in the world, so it wasn't too hard.

One of our engagement photos.

These were taken on our honeymoon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Four years ago today I made the best decision of my life. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful man to share forever with. Four years later he is still making me smile, still making me laugh. I can't wait to see what adventure we'll get to experience together next.

Happy 4th Anniversary, Bebe Dish!

World Wide Photo Walk

2009-07-20T07:12:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Chad found out about something called the world wide photo walk and asked me if I'd like to go. Basically, it's a free event where photographers meet up in locations all over the world and spend a day taking pictures. We found out there were a few locations in our area that were participating, and so we opted to join in on the fun. On Saturday morning, we drove up to Beaufort (strangely, I had never been to Beaufort before Callie came, and now I've gone twice in two weeks) and spent the morning alongside other photographers. This is a group shot of most of the people who came:

I enjoy taking pictures, but I'm far from a pro, so I thought it would be a little intimidating. I was pleasantly surprised and had a great time. These are some of my favorites that I captured at the event:

And some of Chad's:

We had a lot of fun just spending the day together (plus there was some amazing seafood to be had at lunch). I think we'll definitely do it again next year.

Reasons I'm Not Yet a Published Author

2009-07-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

There are a variety of reasons, probably the most prevalent being my laziness. I HAVE been writing, but I'm not nearly as far along as I'd like to say I am. Still, I feel like making an effort is better than not, and I think I'll be proud of myself for writing anything by the end of the summer, even if it's not a completed novel (Do I really need to post a photo of the empty sleeves of Oreos?) Before you really think that I'm a completely sorry woman who has nothing to show for her summer thus far, feast your eyes on the extremely LONG tale below. Warning: a lot of this has been a LONG time coming. Sorry.

In June . . .

1. I said goodbye to all of my darling students. (And really, when you look at the pictures, there is no contesting how adorable they are. I know that most of you are thinking that adorable is a word that should be reserved for use when describing elementary students, and it probably should, but I think my students are darling. Almost, gazing at these photos makes me miss them. Then I remember--6:00 alarm clocks+lesson plans+grading does not equal as much fun as no set alarm clock time+no lesson plans+no grading.)

2. Chad celebrated his 27th birthday. Happy belated birthday, Bebe Dish!

3. Chad's baby brother, Cameron, graduated from Kinston High School. We were lucky enough to sit in the gymnasium bleachers for two hours for the blessed event. Luckily we love Booba, or I don't know if my back could have handled it. Really, all sarcasm aside, we are so proud of him! Life isn't going to feel the same when he leaves for college in the fall. Even though he'll be close by at ECU, it's just going to feel strange without as much Booba.

4. We were in a car accident (please, let's not relive THOSE photos) and battled with an insurance company to pay off our loan so we could purchase a new car. Eventually, because my husband is a lot less nice on the phone than I am (in a good way), and Chad's uncle Craig has amazing car hook-ups, all the agonizing phone calls came to an end and we bought the car we affectionately refer to as Mazda Bebe 2.0 (again, we're quite creative with our car names):

5. We "put up" corn. Regretfully, I have no pictures of this occasion. All I can tell you is it was two days of shucking, cleaning, boiling, cutting, and freezer bag stuffing. Although, eating fresh corn on the cob for a few days was definitely worth it.

6. We were the official photographers for Chad's cousin, Heather's, wedding.

7. We tenderly cared for our tomato plants, pepper plants, and fresh herbs, and even were lucky enough to harvest our first cherry tomato about a week ago:

(Now, something is eating said tomatoes, and I'm not sure what. All I know is Sevin dust--which boasted that it killed 100 different kinds of insects--hasn't done the trick. It's a real bummer, but I've started to pick them a bit early, and let them ripen inside to help alleviate the problem)

8. We met a new friend, Ernest, and confirmed that buying a dog right now is probably not the best idea.

9. Meredith and Mackenzie arrived just in time to make the end of June the best ever!

In July, thus far . . .

1. I spent every moment possible with this little Priss Pot and her mom:

and have been reminded that being an Aunt is most definitely the most amazing thing EVER! Despite our best efforts, she didn't start walking while she was here, but she's definitely close. I also got to watch Chad teach our niece that every creature in the animal kingdom makes a dog noise, as he "read" to her--which is why I have this look on my face:

2. I savored spending five days with one of my oldest friends, who was sweet enough to fly out to see me. Callie and I had a blast, and I was reminded of how thankful I am for good friends who have made me the person I am today. While she was here we took a day trip to Beaufort, a quaint, little, fishing village. We stopped in New Bern on the way back. We had a great time window shopping, eating yummy food, and catching up. I think by the end of the day I'd almost convinced Callie to move here, but she'll have to convince her fiance before we can turn her into a southern gal.

Callie and me in New Bern on a dock that said, "No Trespassing."

We also took advantage of Lauren and Tyler's hospitality (and the hospitality of her very generous mom), and we spent a couple of days at Atlantic Beach. We stayed at the cottage and went tubing in the sound. I grew up going tubing, but it was always on a lake. Plus, I've always been on a tube with an actual spot in the middle where you can use your legs to brace yourself. This tube was completely flat, which meant all you had to save you was pure upper body strength, which we all know I have a lot of. I wasn't sure what to expect when we headed off into the waves, so I made sure Cameron and William went first:

Then, Callie and I gave it a shot:

I love this shot, because you can tell by the look of pure terror on my face that I'm starting to regret my decision of hopping on the tube in the first place.

As soon as we took off, I started shouting, "Callie, this is not like the lake! This is not like the lake!" It's so much choppier in the sound because there are natural waves already, not to mention what was being created by my brother-in-law driving the boat. Luckily, we both survived. I could not stop laughing and so it made it that much harder to hold on. I'll tell you what, between the laughter, clinging on for dear life, and the amount of exertion it takes to get back on the tube after you fall, that is one heck of a workout. It was so much fun!

Lauren and William on the tube.

And of course, no beach trip would be complete without pure, relaxing, beach time. We soaked up some sun, Callie dug for shells with her toes (she's quite skilled at fancy foot work), and the water was so calm and perfect, that we also spent some time swimming. Joy, Bruce, Meredith, and Mackenzie also drove down for the day, which made things even more fun.

Little Miss Priss Pot also liked the beach:

3. I was lucky enough to have two of my best friends with me at the same time in the same place (something that doesn't happen very often now that we're all old and grown up). A lot of people lose touch with the friends who kept them sane in high school. I am proud to say that I still feel very close to a lot of the people I spent my adolescence with. Even though we all live in different places and have busy lives, and we don't get to see each other, and in some cases even talk to each other, very much, I love them. Lacey, who became my friend the first day we met, sitting next to each other in kindergarten, drove up from Raleigh so she could spend an afternoon with Callie while she was here. We went through old photo albums, reminisced over old stories, and had a great time together. I tried to scan an old photo of the three of us together in high school, but I'll have to add that later, after Chad can help me figure it out. For now, here are the self-portraits from our reunion.

It's been a great June, and a great July so far. I think it can only get better, since I'm headed out to Utah next week to see my family. While there, I will be joining them on a joy ride up to Washington to reunite with long, lost family members I haven't seen since I got married almost FOUR YEARS AGO! There have been numerous new arrivals added to my family that I haven't even met since living on the east coast. Life's pretty grand.

Sadly, the summer is flying by. I think I could get used to this not working thing, which is a little bit scary. The end of summer will be here before you know it. Until then, I plan on soaking up every possible minute of freedom.

Meet Ernest

2009-06-29T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ernest is the fat, lazy datschound who has been staying with us since Thursday. We are pet sitting for a friend of mine. He's been pretty good (with the exception of one four-in-the-morning fiasco, when he was sent to doggy time out) and is a very sweet dog.

He's quite quirky, which makes him endearing. His only toy is this blanket:

Even though he's quite a tiny fellow, he drags this thing around the house. I've been impressed by his ability to manipulate something so much bigger than him. Also, he creates a nest and burrows inside it. If you look closer, you'll see the tip of his nose and paw on the right hand side:

Mostly he just sleeps, but I can tell he's sad and misses his family. They are coming to pick him up this afternoon, and I'm sure he'll be excited to see them.

New Job Anxiety

2009-06-15T15:31:00.000-07:00

After tomorrow the summer officially begins for me, which means the start of my new job. I always have anxiety when I start new employment. I don't handle change very well, for starters. Plus, my perfectionist nature doesn't function well in a state of "I don't yet know what I'm doing, and that's pretty obvious to others."

This summer I have decided to become a writer. Some of you are laughing right now, thinking this is typical Katie sarcasm, but please try to stifle that giggle, because I'm being completely serious. I've always wanted to be a writer. I took a creative writing class at the end of my time at BYU, and got some positive feedback from my professor. I started a novel, and he volunteered to help me with it if I ever finish writing it. Since then, novel writing hasn't had a lot of room on life's agenda, which is why I opted not to get a summer job this year.

This summer I'm going to sit in front of a computer screen, and I'm going to try to write down one of the stories I've had swirling around in my head for the last few years. I've always wanted to write a book, and I feel like now's the time to give it a shot, before my future children come along and and are vying for my attention. What's scarier than me thinking I can accomplish this, is the fact that my husband has enough faith in my minuscule amount of creative writing ability to let me do this for the summer and be happy about it. In fact, he is encouraging me to do this. Bless his heart; he really does love me!

Anyway, over the last couple of weeks I've been having a tad bit of anxiety over starting my new state of "un-employment." I've been picturing myself staring at a blinking cursor for 2 months and ending the summer with nothing to show for it (except for the 20 pounds I will have put on after drowning my writer's block sorrows in hot fudge sundaes and Oreos). Part of me wishes I'd tried to find a position waiting tables at Chili's or Ruby Tuesday, so I wouldn't have to worry about it (then I reflect on my Ihop days, and realize that, no, that's a lie. . . no part of me REALLY wishes THAT).

Anyway, I figure if at the end of the summer I have a book, even if it's a book that no one will ever publish, and no one will ever read but me, I will have accomplished something great. I can cross "write a novel" off of my bucket list, and call it good. I'll know I'm just not cut out to be a novelist, and I can move on. But, until I try, I'll never know . . . so here's to trying.

Just When Everything Seemed Peachy

2009-06-09T20:12:00.000-07:00

A teenager had to burst my bubble. This is what our car looked like at about 6:15 this evening:

My Mazda Bebe is dead, and I am very sad. I loved this car. The good news? Chad and I are both fine. The kid has insurance. It was completely unavoidable, since we were stopped at a stop light and he decided to forget how to use the brakes. Oh, wait, I mean, his brakes "didn't work" even though the officer on the scene seemed to find nothing at all wrong with them.

Tragic.

I'm looking forward to a lot of phone calls with insurance agents, paper work, and hopefully a rental car until ours is either repaired, or, if it is deemed totaled, replaced.

Although, I've got to say, it was pretty funny to hear the kid on the phone, "Yea, I just hit Miss Reese's car."

What a way to start the summer.

Because We Value Your Advice. . .

2009-06-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Well, 64% of you voted that we should, indeed, purchase a puppy. And of course, we couldn't disappoint you, readers, so we went right out and bought her.

OK. So, in actuality, much as we love you, you weren't really going to make this decision for us. See, it's great that you want us to buy a dog, but you're not the ones who are going to be paying for her, or picking up her poop, or buying me a new pair of shoes when she decides to devour my turquoise heels. Which is why, even though 64% of you were in favor of the puppy, we are still without puppy at chez Reese.

We wanted her. We did. But, the more we started thinking about it, the more we realized that the timing just isn't right. With me not working all summer, which translates to no money all summer, adding the expense of a dog while we try to replenish our saving account (something that's not looking as smashing as it once did after renovating our money pit), just isn't going to be the wisest idea. So. Don't fear, 64%, eventually we will add a puppy dish to our family, but for now we are puppy-less. Plus, we're kind of leaning towards a male puppy, after doing a bit more research about the breed which suggests the females have a bit of a diva/stubborn streak that the boys don't. So, come fall we shall see.

Since I know you are now terribly sad because there are no puppy picture updates to satisfy you, I've got a bit of a consolation prize. Go make yourself one of these:

It's called a pizzookie and you can find the recipe here.

My sister, Lauren, and I made these last night when I realized that the end of the school year is upon me and I have no grading to do at night. This means I can do irresponsible things that I only dream of doing during the actual school year (like make ridiculously rich desserts and watch a chick flick instead of grading or going to bed early).

After consuming one of these bad boys (Oh, who am I fooling? It was more like two due to portion size!) I'm pretty sure my blood sugar jumped a tad bit. In fact, I think I might now be a diabetic.

I made the hot fudge recipe that comes with it, but we used store bought vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

So there you go, chums, go mourn the loss of future puppy posts and tantalize your taste buds with this exceptionally yummy snack.

Puppy Dish?

2009-05-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Should we add this little puppy dish to our family?

Reasons for:

Love
Companionship
Cuteness Factor
Memories
(Responsibility)Preparation for a Child
Safety
Exercise
Very little pet odor (a perk with this breed)

Reasons against:
Poop and Pee
Loss of Freedom (Can't go where we want, when we want)
Cost
Responsibility (Let's face it, that's a pro and a con)
Possible Collateral Damage
SHEDDING

We just can't decide. Met her today, probably need to make a choice in a couple of days before someone else buys her. She's a pure bred Pembroke Welsh Corgi. She will be completely red and white when her coat fully comes in. Vote in the sidebar and help us with this decision!

What it Means to be a Dish

2009-05-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have recognized that someone who hears my husband and I talking to each other in a grocery store might be slightly confused, and, in fact, will probably find us somewhat odd. A note we received from my sister, Lauren, solidified that what I thought was only a slightly odd thing about us has now escalated into a much bigger level of strange. Allow me to enlighten you, dear readers. This is how my sister's note to us began:

Dear Dishes,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful gift.

She then goes on to very sweetly thank us for the graduation gift we sent her way and closes with . . .

Love,
Lauren

To me, her salutation seems perfectly normal. To you, a feeling of befuddled puzzlement has probably come over you.

You may be feeling the same thing that my mom did when she recently visited. After a few days, she asked me, "Why do you all call each other dishes?"

Answer? I don't know why.

We just. Do.

Chad and I call one another "Bebe Dish," which I know is not your average term of endearment. It doesn't sound very romantic, and its origins stem from the documentary The March of the Penguins and a scripture in The Book of Mormon that describes a sailing vessel as "tight, like unto a dish." (It's a long story. Don't ask.)

"Bebe Dish" has evolved into a slew of other terms that mean nothing to the outside world, but do mean a great deal indeed to the Reese clan.

For example, it is now also acceptable to say "Bebe Fish Dish" due to a hasty text message in which Chad forgot to change the letter "f" to a "d." In fact, my homemade Valentine's Day card for Chad this year had a construction paper goldfish leaping from a purple dish, with the words "Bebe Fish Dish" announcing that the card was his. (I can't find it anywhere, or I would post a picture.)

Similarly, while a "Bebe Dish" is a term meant to address the one you have pledged to love for all eternity, a "Dish" can be anyone, or anything, doing something cute, or whom you love.

For example, on a spring evening, if I happen to drive up my in-laws driveway to find them romantically sitting together on their porch swing, I might exclaim, "Look at those cute, little Dishes!" A translation would be, "How cute that my in-laws have been married for 30 years and still sit together like crushing teenagers!"

Or, if I see Lauren, who I love to death, coming out of her house to meet me, I might say, "Hey there, little Dish!" A translation of this would be, "Hey, you're cool, I'm happy to see you, and I'm glad we're friends!"

What if we happen across a bunch of baby deer, frolicking in a meadow? Why, the remark, "Look at all the little dishes!" might be in order.

What I love about my family is the fact that our random dialect has leaked into our everyday language. I love how silly and fun we are. We are a family of nicknames. From Bear, to Duddins, to Puddins, to Booba, to Geeze, to Juuuuuuuuuu, to adding "wick" after everyone's name (due to the fact that my husband's first name really IS Chadwick . . . I'm not joking), unique and strange terminology is nothing new. A lot of families would probably look at a couple calling each other "Bebe Dish" and wish they didn't have the same last name. Ours has embraced us.

I know you are now shaking your head, wondering how you can possibly be friends with someone who is so random, and I don't blame you. But, try saying "Bebe Dish" aloud a few times, and I promise, you can't help but smile.

And then it was Spring . . .

2009-05-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

OK- Better late than never. Here is the Spring Break blog I started forever ago that wouldn't let me post pictures. . .

Alas, today, while I was at work, I realized an entire month has passed with no blogging. Shameful. In case you're wondering, we are now living in our house. (The stove might still be in the middle of the kitchen floor, and we may only be able to shower in one bathroom, but living in our house we are.) We managed to get in just before my parents arrived for a spring break extravaganza. (2 days before, in fact. Wow. Talk about cutting it close.) Here are the details of the spring break festivities (most of which involve the creation of new words):

There was aquarium-ing. We went to the aquarium at Atlantic Beach and had a great time. I hate zoos, but I love aquariums. There's something so soothing about the dark, cool exhibits. My favorite were the otters--I fell in love.

Like father . . .

like son . . .

Charleston-ing, which included plantation-ing. We went to Boone Plantation. Life would be pretty hard if this was your house,

this was your driveway,

and this was your yard.

The grounds were beautiful and we had a great time. It was also fun to watch The Notebook again and see all of the places we recognized from our trip.

Jared and me on the ride around the plantation.

Of course, Charleston-ing wouldn't have been complete without some longing to live there because of houses like this:

And gardens like this:

Of course, I've always loved old houses, so a town like Charleston feels like the perfect fit for me. I called Chad the day we got there and informed him that we will be living there some day. It feels old and quaint, but still has this trendy, hip feel about the entire city. I think I could grow old there. Sigh . . .

Of course, a trip to Charleston wouldn't have been complete without a bit of ghost-touring:

I'm quite sad that mom didn't get a shot of our tour guide's face, so this one of his hands will have to suffice. I was petrified by the idea of a ghost tour. I don't do well with scary movies (picture me scared to walk across a room in the dark for at least a week after viewing), and one of my main causes for rejoicing about getting married was the realization that I would never again have to go to one of those stupid haunted houses/corn mazes on a date. My imagination is WAY too active to endure those kinds of things, so the thought of a ghost tour--not so appealing. They dragged me along, and the minute I saw our tour guide, I wanted to back out. He was one of the strangest looking ducks I've ever seen. Luckily, it turned out not to be so bad. It was mostly just interesting history about the "ghosts" who haunt the city. I kept waiting for someone to jump out at us, like they do in those corn mazes (that cause me to question--how do I KNOW this is an employee of this establishment, and not some loony who wandered in here with a REAL chainsaw?) but no one did. Phew!

After enjoying the city of Charleston (complete with some of the BEST Italian cuisine I've ever tasted), it was time to do some Cypress-Gardens Touring:

These beautiful gardens were the site where Noah takes Ally for a rowboat cruise through swan-filled waters in The Notebook. Warning: If you are an animal right's activist, I would not suggest going here. You'll find yourself realizing the probability of no swans being killed during filming in these alligator-infested waters is pretty much zero to none. That's probably why there wasn't a swan in sight. Reality is never as grand as the movies. We did spot a white egret, which was a bit of a treat:

You had two options: a self-guided, free boat tour, or a paid for tour guide to row you around. We opted for the free one. Dad and Jared agreed to row us. This proved to be hysterical, and I'm pretty sure mom and I should have been doing the rowing, as we were very bad back-seat rowers. "You're not doing it right! Jared, move your oar this way! No, Dad, THAT way!" I couldn't stop laughing, and the look on the face of the other boaters as we turned in circles and attempted not to run into trees was priceless. Once they got the hang of things, it was a peaceful ride.

This creepy critter was one of the ones we spotted on our cruise:

There were also beautiful walking trails, swings where you could sit and enjoy the scenery, and lots of wild life.

After a few days in the Charleston area we were able to meet Chad for the weekend at Myrtle Beach. There's nothing like some beach time. If only it'd been warm enough to play in the water. Oh well, maybe next time.

After a great week with Dad and Jared, they had to head home. We were lucky enough to have Mom stay for an extra week. Festivities while she was here, included lots of shopping. First thing on the list: rugs. With all the hardwood in this house, our footsies are going to get pretty cold without something more plush to walk on. We managed to find some great steals at a place my sister, Lauren, found called Ollie's. The only problem, the rug I wanted was at the VERY BOTTOM of a huge pile. My sister, Meredith, was with us at the store and the employees had us in stitches. They were hilarious. Here's a photo of them retrieving my rug.

I love how Meredith is helping them roll it up while I stand there and watch. Sorry, Geeze!

Mom and I also went to do a historical house and gardens tour in New Bern with Lauren and her mom, Beth. My favorite house, which wasn't actually part of the tour, was this one:

After renovating our house for the last seven months, I swore to Chad I had moved on from my fantasy of buying an old house and fixing it up. New Bern changed my mind. I've decided I could still do it. As long as we paid someone else to do all the work! I just love the charm of old houses. Either we're going to live in an old house, or we're going to have to build a new house that looks like an old one. It's just a given.

We also took Mom, along with Chad's family, to a Kinston Indians Game, courtesy of the little bank. It was a great night for baseball and there were even some killer fireworks at the end of the night.

Even in the midst of all of the two weeks of excitement, we still had time to do fun mother-daughter stuff like rent pointless movies and watch them. It was great having my family here for a while, even though it was very hard to say goodbye.

All this reminiscing about spring break is making me long for a longer vacation. In case you were wondering, Monday is now over. 17 days until summer!!!

Unsent Letters

2009-05-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Piggly Wiggly,

While I was angry at you for not carrying fresh basil in your produce department (because really, you're a GROCERY STORE), I have decided to forgive you. Now my husband and I have our own herb garden. At first I was depressed, and wallowed in self-pity for a bit about living in a small town that doesn't believe we need fresh basil, but now I realize this is so much better anyway. I'm sorry for getting so upset, and I still like saying your name.

Sincerely,
A Forgiving Shopper

Dear Students,

I realize that summer vacation is calling your name. What I don't think you realize is that it is also calling mine. Let's hang in there together. Only 18 school days left!

Love,
Your Tired Teacher

Dear Joycious and Brucious,

Thank you for watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with me. While it was long, and slightly (OK, severely) depressing, I still enjoyed spending the evening with you. Thanks for being my family.

Love,
Katiewick (your daughter-in-law)

Dear Stove,

Wow. You are still in the middle of my kitchen. What's up with that?

Sincerely,
Disgruntled Cook

Dear Handyman,

I don't understand why you won't return my phone calls. Where did I go wrong? I always paid you on time. I know I asked you not to smoke in my house, but you seemed OK with that. Also, I loved your country accent, your friendly demeanor, and you are great at what you do. Who am I going to get to fix my counter top so I can move the stove out of the middle of my kitchen?

Yours Truly,
Out on a Limb

Dear Mom,

I miss you. Wish you could come visit again, or that I could come party with you, Arianne, and Anya. Don't go into too many shoe stores without me!

Love,
Your Daughter

Dear Sunshine,

You made my day delightful today. I wish I would have had more time to bask in your divinity, but I was teaching adolescents for most of the day. Only 18 more days, and I think we might be spending some more quality time together. =-)

Yours Truly,
An Albino who Longs for a Tan

Dear Krispy Kreme,

Can you ever forgive me? All those times I said I wasn't a doughnut lover, that I didn't like you, that the "hot" sign was not a temptation for me. Lies. All of it was lies. One American Cancer Society fundraiser at my high school convinced me that I could quite easily devour half a box of your glazed goodness. Stepping on the scale today has convinced me that it's time to hit the treadmill as a penance, but I think it was worth it.

Sincerely,
A Repentant Taster

Dear 17 Research Papers Waiting to be Graded,

I hope you're not crap. I really, really hope you are not crap. Not that I'm expecting the worst.

Sincerely,
A Reluctant Reader

Dear 12:49 a.m.,

What am I doing up?!?! It is most definitely time to go to bed!

Love,
Someone Who Has Too Much to Do to Sleep in Tomorrow!

Ugh.

2009-04-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

I had all these wonderful intentions of updating my blog today, and it won't let me upload pictures. Sad day. Be expecting a Spring Break update soon. In the meantime, here's a story that will make you feel better about yourself:

Today, I went by the grocery store on the way home from work. After parking the car and getting out, I realized I forgot something in the car. I forgot that I was driving the Mazda and not the 4-Runner, and so when I tried to duck back in to grab it, I severely underestimated the height I needed to squat down to. Somehow, in a way that only a klutz like me can, I managed to ram my face into the door frame of the car, severely smooshing my forehead with my sunglasses. Well, it hurt, of course, but I'm used to causing myself bodily injury. I do it on a daily basis. So, when I realized no one had witnessed my embarrassing moment, I grabbed what I needed in the car and hurried into the store.

I finished my shopping.

I talked to the clerk.

I came home.

I bought candy from Landon, our adorable neighbor who was doing a fundraiser for school.

I ate a snack.

Chad came home.

His first words, "What did you do? You're bleeding."

Yes, I had been bleeding and had a lovely scab just above my eyebrows. Why? Because I rammed my face into the door frame of our car. Wow. Way to go, Katie. Sometimes, my clumsiness even manages to surprise me...

What Have We Been Up To?

2009-03-22T17:33:00.000-07:00

Really, what haven't we been up to. The last few weeks have been a blur of activities--most of which have centered around home renovation, but not all. Let's start with the exciting things, and then we'll move on to the boring stuff. That way, if you get bored, you can stop reading.

The first weekend in March, Chad and I went to Charlotte. Chad attended a mini-lypse for i-Stock (the online company he uses to sell his stock photography). While he was taking pictures like this:

I was doing this:

One of my best friends from college just happens to now live in Charlotte with her husband and adorable little boy. Katy, Jacob, and I spent some quality time together on Friday, and Andy joined us for a trolley ride and trip to the children's museum in uptown Charlotte on Saturday. We had a great time. The Burches were the perfect hosts, and it was a blast catching up with Katy. Although, reminiscing with her did make me feel old: I realized our freshman year of college was SEVEN years ago. Wow. It feels like just yesterday we were doing crazy things like riding a greyhound bus to Las Vegas, watching Spanish soap operas together during lunch, riding our mattresses down the dormitory stairs, and sledding on pizza boxes on campus (just to name a few of the memories I share with la otra Katy.) I am so thankful for friends that you can be apart from for years, but when you get together your friendship feels the same.

The same weekend that we went to Charlotte, Santa decided to pay us a visit. "It's not Christmas!" you say? Oh, I fear you must be mistaken, because why else would a little gem like this decide to show up in our mailbox?

Yes, those are concert tickets, my friend. And no, you aren't mistaken, they most definitely do say COLDPLAY! Chad and I are going to meet one of my best friends, Lacey, for this concert in August. They're coming to Raleigh, and we'll be there. This was very exciting news since they are on my list of people to see in concert before I die. The only thing that could make this better would be seeing them in the UK, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

Of course, even when it's Christmas, we can't stop pretending to be on HGTV, so we've continued our own version of My Big, Amazing Renovation. If you've ever seen the show, you've witnessed the frustrations people go through while remodeling. I can't watch this show without shouting out a sympathetic, "I FEEL YOUR PAIN!" every few minutes. If we were on the show, our episode would look/sound something like this:

Katie: "Wow, this bathroom is really ugly."

Chad: "At least it's a good size."

Katie: "With a little updating, it might not be too bad."

Chad: "Katie, hold this mirror while I unscrew it, so we can keep peeling off the layers of wall paper stuck to the sheet rock while you try not to swear."

Katie: "Of course, darling."

Katie (after the mirror shatters all over the bathroom vanity and floor): "Are you OK?!

Katie, again (after noticing the interesting wiring that had been hidden behind the mirror): "Wow. That's up to code."

Katie (around the time that she foolishly thought she might be able to move into her house by Christmas. . . at this point in the show some dramatic music would begin playing, and the narrator would be saying something like "Chad and Katie are now ____ months behind schedule and $_____ over their original budget. In a moment of desperation, Katie has a tear-felt conversation with Chad"): "Let's hire someone to come finish part of the bathroom because I am going to have a nervous breakdown."

Chad: "Because you won't stop crying, I will let you continue to fantasize that we might be able to move into this house soon. You're wrong, but whatever you want to think is fine. We'll call the handyman to come knock some of this out."

Katie: "You know what sounds like fun? Being on my hands and knees for hours! Let's learn to tile our bathroom floor!"

Chad: "Nothing would thrill me more!"

Katie (after tiling for a few hours): "The lines aren't matching up right!"

Chad: "Some of these tile are different sizes."

Katie: "I don't care! JUST FINISH IT!"

(Flash to a few days later)

Katie: "Now that our tile job is done, and the grout makes most of our mistakes not noticeable, let's call a plumber to install a new toilet, without a sea-shell seat. He can also hook up our gorgeous new vanity from Home Depot."

(You've got to admit, folks, it DOES look pretty, darn good.)

Katie: "We will have to do something about the laundry area, because this is going to be an issue."

After handyman, sheet rock man, electrician, and plumber combine, this is the result:

Katie: "After we knock out the window air conditioning unit, remove the jungle vine growing into our house, scrape the popcorn off the ceiling, and paint the walls, this will make a great guest room."

Chad: "Agreed. Let's buy our paint from Lowe's."

Katie: "Let's go back to Lowe's, because the lady who mixed the paint and said, 'I hope this works,' clearly had no idea what she was doing, and our walls now look like a child has finger painted with chocolate pudding for a few hours.

(At this point in the show, there would be one of those dramatic fast-forward techniques used where you would see people going in and out of the room painting, but it would be like they were moving at 10 times the pace of a normal human. Then the room would magically look like the image below.)

Katie: "It would be a punishment to our child if we made him or her sleep in a room that looks like this."

Chad: "Agreed. Let's paint it and make it an office."

Katie: "You're a genius!"

Katie: "Wow, I thought wall paper was bad until I realized the agony that is sanding walls that have been sponge painted."

Katie: "Let's play a guessing game! How many coats of white paint will it take to cover this hideous, green trim?"

(I'm not sure, because I lost count at four.)

Katie: "Wouldn't it be a great idea to tile this room so it feels like an extension of the kitchen?"

Chad: "Because neither of us have tiled before, and we are stupid, I'm going to have to say yes!"

(Again, looks fabulous, if I do say so myself.)

Katie: "Remember that crazy lady at Lowe's who mixed the paint for the guest room? Well, it turns out she's not the only incompetent employee in the paint department. Let's run out of paint, so we can find that out."

Chad: "Great idea. Once they tell us they can match the exact color, and fail, we can repaint our den multiple times!"

Katie: "How grand!"

Katie: "Wow, now that the end is in sight, this looks like a completely different house!"

(Do our floors not look smashing?"

It turns out, our episode would have to be more than an hour long. So tune in later for a look at the finished product.

That's what we've been up to over the last little while. If you're not still reading, I understand!

Tyler Hansborough

2009-02-12T14:04:00.000-08:00

I love this. I love even more that UNC beat Duke last night.