tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56303690421842695332024-02-19T02:35:42.334-05:00Honest to Blog?Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-2279259933054437912012-04-03T22:28:00.000-04:002012-04-03T22:28:13.350-04:00THE KitchenIf you read my previous post, you knew this one was coming. My parents moved into their current house almost 26 years ago. About 10 years ago (or later) when our kitchen fell into the "outdated" category my mom wanted to renovate it SO badly. A kitchen is one thing you can't just re-do on the fly. My mom enjoys nice things and didn't want to have to settle on anything when the time came to update, so she waited...and waited...and waited. Ten years later my mom finally has the opportunity to get the kitchen of her dreams, without holding back at all. It's so amazing to watch someone's dream come true; that's what makes this special enough to post about it. I'm going to let the before and after pictures do all the talking. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqv9F-5a5K3xlhrP_TzdOGkHBnK2g0ioueCRcKPBglgB0QxunM05h0FJ_C6VGV_2sdOGy7DSQyeBE1eZcu201BUvfOa1jwke0ZXkvdWCYLxi2JCKUk2OZZfmVde_QbZc1n8IpX8lTz-4E/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqv9F-5a5K3xlhrP_TzdOGkHBnK2g0ioueCRcKPBglgB0QxunM05h0FJ_C6VGV_2sdOGy7DSQyeBE1eZcu201BUvfOa1jwke0ZXkvdWCYLxi2JCKUk2OZZfmVde_QbZc1n8IpX8lTz-4E/s400/002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwW9SZccBpWp9GWP1MBCGSdIFRNI5qoJRGLM6JLESKKkqSLUpyVGNTTtiGgAlfNfKxMGALC2EY37lXYds1c2g80Fu3PyAUhFMfICJDgY47Zt_GhMvBbsitWKvA9ux3YTXX5tVkLjsNfs/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvwW9SZccBpWp9GWP1MBCGSdIFRNI5qoJRGLM6JLESKKkqSLUpyVGNTTtiGgAlfNfKxMGALC2EY37lXYds1c2g80Fu3PyAUhFMfICJDgY47Zt_GhMvBbsitWKvA9ux3YTXX5tVkLjsNfs/s400/027.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...After! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCZn2xdBa5SjaHaSplIQVB-ZiRoYYpd4MuNsWLyT0Eq1IFOSKW9KOvIbRMn2IQzeYOre2S9waM0zR2W9BC9GntjDpDzPVV_7Mz9lI51_MvTzeLoPN3DCuvjep0mGNuMkYDcYmp-Spy24/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCZn2xdBa5SjaHaSplIQVB-ZiRoYYpd4MuNsWLyT0Eq1IFOSKW9KOvIbRMn2IQzeYOre2S9waM0zR2W9BC9GntjDpDzPVV_7Mz9lI51_MvTzeLoPN3DCuvjep0mGNuMkYDcYmp-Spy24/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nhba6bNIN1tugMAP2AUM4l9c7n1591sp_rAHvqo0WrnZL8WR917pazQEOx_-yJ2Br8qynDMgBQTJPlxAe6c-0FAoBc0hmQCEWZeC1o64NU6u-pgWnb98HH0m2vTeyD6P7QaUff908DQ/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-nhba6bNIN1tugMAP2AUM4l9c7n1591sp_rAHvqo0WrnZL8WR917pazQEOx_-yJ2Br8qynDMgBQTJPlxAe6c-0FAoBc0hmQCEWZeC1o64NU6u-pgWnb98HH0m2vTeyD6P7QaUff908DQ/s400/029.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...After! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHxd_o0I6B7dh7SSdLCwHHcbY3SMtx908ffM5miV1WcSAueEx-vt6cZRUPAnf8Yp4Gz-QVgc-AXSZeBvCv5nC9KuEqXiVSQCRnED_2YTYWQaCcm9KEQPIlvIK4UHREcpD0T0soWw2z0M/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOHxd_o0I6B7dh7SSdLCwHHcbY3SMtx908ffM5miV1WcSAueEx-vt6cZRUPAnf8Yp4Gz-QVgc-AXSZeBvCv5nC9KuEqXiVSQCRnED_2YTYWQaCcm9KEQPIlvIK4UHREcpD0T0soWw2z0M/s400/023.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After, again. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>The next set of pictures are some other little details about the kitchen that I love. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVvO6F-4Kqmvwu81EogtHjXhiWjONpKLj126LRiPZGNKs-uKFVSc-dtEPchoW8mYbaWKMb-gsFEo_GMR568xzvSdIr4kpeDygEqCCHSWNMG8HnPcfYPC8Tzc28w8WSt_T-aqd0xLLwt4/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVvO6F-4Kqmvwu81EogtHjXhiWjONpKLj126LRiPZGNKs-uKFVSc-dtEPchoW8mYbaWKMb-gsFEo_GMR568xzvSdIr4kpeDygEqCCHSWNMG8HnPcfYPC8Tzc28w8WSt_T-aqd0xLLwt4/s400/026.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storage behind the fridge. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeD0ZFcCFfgz1Pk5PQYyzmSdOnYoj0SFyDQnRzjrPWursj2Fveaz8jxme-fkNs1w0RfIWJwdMrX7T7-EkNdSt7dnkoIoT92Kadh4t7VmmO_VZKhSfgaZ_kYxChiqPTO_X4vfESjYdcB0/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" dea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNeD0ZFcCFfgz1Pk5PQYyzmSdOnYoj0SFyDQnRzjrPWursj2Fveaz8jxme-fkNs1w0RfIWJwdMrX7T7-EkNdSt7dnkoIoT92Kadh4t7VmmO_VZKhSfgaZ_kYxChiqPTO_X4vfESjYdcB0/s400/025.JPG" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The oven is blue inside, and I told my mom to guard that kettle when I'm there b/c I want to steal it! <br />
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</tbody></table>I am so incredibly happy that my mom FINALLY has the kitchen she has always dreamed of. I can't wait to enjoy many homemade, delicious meals in my mom's new baby.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-60921427984677835132012-03-28T22:17:00.000-04:002012-03-28T22:17:11.915-04:00Still Here!Just checking in to let everyone know that I am still here! There haven't been many things that required me to post, so I thought I'd wait for something to come along. Well, there actually <em>is</em> a post I am planning on doing about my parents' new kitchen. You might think it's odd to post about a kitchen, but my mom has been wanting a new kitchen for probably 10-15 years, NO JOKE! I am just so excited about it, that I want to share with peeps. The reason I am not posting it yet, is because my sister Courtney hasn't seen the finished product yet. The before and after pictures are a complete transformation. I am SO happy for my mom and dad (he gets all the delicious Lllllllllunches and dinners) that I couldn't pass up the future post. One more small thing that is going on with me is I'm trying a whole new concept of eating, to me at least. This is definitely not a new concept, but something that I have not tried to do enough- eat MORE fruits and veggies. There is a whole book called <em>Eat for Health </em>that tells you exactly how to get comfortable with this process. Side note: I had this whole blog post typed up and went to publish it. My Internet stopped working and I lost the rest of it. I really don't feel like typing it all again, so to make my food overhaul story short, I will say that I have been craving fruit and vegetables when I get home from work now! Another side note: Either it's my computer or this website, but sometimes the words do not show up when I type until about 2 minutes after I'm done typing, and that is .... annoying!! If you have more questions about the <em>Eat for Health </em>book and how you can build up your macronutrient intake, please comment on this post! :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-12264330879738493332012-02-19T21:08:00.001-05:002012-02-19T21:09:55.106-05:00~ Valentine's Day ~For all of those who know me, you are aware that I considered Valentine's Day to be a pretty stupid holiday. I hadn't celebrated this holiday in about five years, so it was just another day to me. I still kind of think it's pretty cheesy, but if it's that one day where people feel extra special and romantic, have fun with it. It's pretty funny to think about how a day that used to have no meaning to me at all has SO much meaning to me now. I met my boyfriend in January of last year. We met <strike>at our apartment complex</strike> on eHarmony (wow, that's the first time I have "said" that for the entire public to know)! It's actually a pretty crazy story. I know I'm getting off topic, but since this is what lead me to have a memorable Valentine's Day, I might as well share how it all started. I had been having a really hard time meeting someone in Atlanta. People always say it's super easy to meet someone, but in all honesty it's not. Meeting at the grocery store is so cliche and I'm there to shop, not pick up a sweet dude while picking out the perfect squash. I am certainly not going to meet someone at the gym. Unlike some girls, I do not do my hair and make-up before working out. If anything, it's the opposite. I have one mission at the gym: work out and leave. All the friends I have I've known for a while, so the chances of meeting a friend of a friend were a little slim. I did meet one guy at the dog park, which is also pretty cliche, but he turned out to be quite lame. After the failed attempt with the dog park guy, my sisters insisted that I get on eHarmony. After much hesitation, I decided why not? For the first week or so I was matched with some really interesting people (not in a good way). I know it's not supposed to be about looks, but I'm pretty sure you have to be attracted to someone for it all to start out positively. Feel free to disagree with me if you would like. I was certainly not getting matched with any potential suitors and figured all the attractive men out there were taken, like usual. Enter Greg, an environmental scientist who enjoys art, rocking climbing, and music. Did I mention he was good looking? I figured I would go ahead and begin communication- best decision of my life! To make a long story short, when we finally talked on the phone we realized we lived in the same apartment complex. How crazy is that?! Who knew the guy I was going to fall in love with was right under my nose for 5 months?! Since neither of us were comfortable enough to tell people how we met, we told people we met in our complex. I mean that's not that much of a lie! So how does Valentine's Day tie into all of this??? Well, we actually shared our first kiss on this day last year. We celebrated two things on the 14th: the typical cheesy holiday and being together for one year! Last year, Greg invited me over to his place and we went to the store and he cooked dinner for me. Needless to say the butterflies in my stomach were really fluttering before we shared our first kiss. This year, he cooked me dinner and I took care of dessert. It was really nice to reminisce on the memories we have shared the past year and to relive that day a year ago. It was great to be more relaxed and not be shaking with nerves! Greg cooked a delicious meal of chicken, Israeli couscous and salad. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sny_Pa6coTFmDBhuqT2XIA4vJ5ZNVZoa8hTveTpDQePACYcEdSUU-R7WDF7fWbqblUXFd3jCYWAMXqhqv2JhU_bfBV_OQ5_74xy7-cz1z3duquykY4Ytjg3-hbVvlLlsHFTRNmc_jdA/s1600/547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sny_Pa6coTFmDBhuqT2XIA4vJ5ZNVZoa8hTveTpDQePACYcEdSUU-R7WDF7fWbqblUXFd3jCYWAMXqhqv2JhU_bfBV_OQ5_74xy7-cz1z3duquykY4Ytjg3-hbVvlLlsHFTRNmc_jdA/s320/547.JPG" width="239" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum! And yes, that is a heart-shaped pepper :) </td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was going to surprise him with the dessert I was making, but inviting him to the grocery store while I bought the ingredients wasn't the best idea. There aren't many desserts that call for 3 8oz. packages of cream cheese that <em>aren't</em> cheesecakes. This is Greg's favorite sweet treat, so I knew I was kind of setting myself up. I was planning on trying it before giving it to Greg to see if it was good, but it looked like it came out OK so I waited. This was a turtle cheesecake. It was a mixture of regular and chocolate cheesecake then garnished with different toppings. I was very anxious right before Greg took a bite. The verdict- he thought it was great!! He even posted the picture he took on facebook with the caption that I make the best cheesecake. What a cutie! </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdofVDXCo4lQ2FyFaW7TJmfM6KNTEo6C6f2yKlNjxnaFe3_jiS-Ilc1lYF2dqbHlFya6JbX2Hk18PoQH8rKfvt8GI_qxX0nYnoYdIrU-6TKrCSgrfRKA-uDujhb5iFfKozbuvvtXvuZM0/s1600/549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdofVDXCo4lQ2FyFaW7TJmfM6KNTEo6C6f2yKlNjxnaFe3_jiS-Ilc1lYF2dqbHlFya6JbX2Hk18PoQH8rKfvt8GI_qxX0nYnoYdIrU-6TKrCSgrfRKA-uDujhb5iFfKozbuvvtXvuZM0/s320/549.JPG" width="248" yda="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have to say that it was pretty tasty. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We really enjoyed this special day and I can't wait to spend many more with Greg! :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-72449386951508003372012-02-01T21:36:00.000-05:002012-02-01T21:36:42.422-05:00Good Food.I don't meant to "toot my own horn," but I have been making some pretty tasty things recently. The first in the series of good eats is a delicious smoothie. Greg has always spoiled me with fantastic and nutritious smoothies. He will usually throw some things in there that I would never add to a smoothie myself (almonds, dried cranberries, and even kale!), but, to my surprise, I can barely taste those ingredients. I always thought these frozen drinks were best made with ice, fruit and juice...wrong! The key to a perfectly blended beverage is no ice at all; frozen fruit is the key. I decided I wanted to try and rival one of Greg's smoothies, so I bought a bag of frozen classic fruit medley complete with strawberries, pineapple, red grapes, mango, and peaches. I added some reduced sugar grape juice, water, and fresh mint leaves. I'm on a fresh mint kick and this is such a great addition. I have to say, the finished product was AwEsOmE!! Greg thought it was good, but I think he wanted to still have the best smoothie, so his only comment was that he doesn't really like pineapple in the ones he makes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMZ_hsQL-JvBnCfIfJSpm3njXFI7tgXOXJDt-Q7lkKnUjixtlAwQhTrqz3KiL4-t_II07eJAQqO8rORfhVVxYbDmJUVMliNg2wHhqTr7Wh2HD_TVUgybQj1UN_iVtNdmG_sWmlLfugSs/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPMZ_hsQL-JvBnCfIfJSpm3njXFI7tgXOXJDt-Q7lkKnUjixtlAwQhTrqz3KiL4-t_II07eJAQqO8rORfhVVxYbDmJUVMliNg2wHhqTr7Wh2HD_TVUgybQj1UN_iVtNdmG_sWmlLfugSs/s320/011.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the tasty ingredients. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2AXB3mzxt8y8P9VvlXoNFyiEfP8mp8lDFQJBB9dfKlJ1CyasFWuQZgzPHIiaRusGwkFZT4TDM4VUE8b8Y_mVdD14Y-Lb54IRUEP91r3h0mgDTyWLXW5l22JvplKM5uTtg4MO92mmoNo/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2AXB3mzxt8y8P9VvlXoNFyiEfP8mp8lDFQJBB9dfKlJ1CyasFWuQZgzPHIiaRusGwkFZT4TDM4VUE8b8Y_mVdD14Y-Lb54IRUEP91r3h0mgDTyWLXW5l22JvplKM5uTtg4MO92mmoNo/s320/009.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished product. <br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The next things I made that were pretty tasty were strawberry and nut pancakes. I would have never thought to put nuts in pancakes. I really like Arrowhead Organic Buttermilk Pancake Mix and on the back of the package there are ingredients that you can add in to amp up the flavor and texture. One of those items was nuts. I just happened to have some chopped peanuts and pecans on hand and decided to add them along with strawberries to the batter. Wow! The crunch the nuts add is great and the strawberries I have been buying recently have been so sweet and tasty. I certainly started my day on the right foot. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwMayW1aTfmPKXWU3ti33U7ASe8J1DZAw8ws86zF6Hp1Agk5DGpKrD1asCgpZ6z3dd0tkieAMI3KTvwH2z50FP8a01kuR7-vLuSdhRlnovdWD2VtJX0rdbANSO0l4xR5ymu0iZ4KhouU/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkwMayW1aTfmPKXWU3ti33U7ASe8J1DZAw8ws86zF6Hp1Agk5DGpKrD1asCgpZ6z3dd0tkieAMI3KTvwH2z50FP8a01kuR7-vLuSdhRlnovdWD2VtJX0rdbANSO0l4xR5ymu0iZ4KhouU/s320/016.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummy! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>So, the previous two food items are pretty healthy (minus the small amount of butter and syrup on the pancakes), but my last item is a bit of an indulgence. I definitely cannot say that I made this particular food either, because all I had to do was break and bake. Do you all see where I am going with this? You guessed it...cookies! These are not your typical Tollhouse break and bake, these are Limited Edition Oatmeal Butterscotch break and bake. I don't typically like butterscotch, but I just had to try them. What a dangerous success! I will have to fight my grandest temptations to not eat them within 48 hours. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnE95JG27pXjORKK4rA8YGN1B80zLAEK2QALcPqCzG47T7Rbg304XTcMBImdFrYamci32u2SK2Q3i9p3L1rLKiNVhqGUt7RfmyZt_WBINtnEXEDrvWA0BspYu8FO3ZlUnKW9nE0TwygZM/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnE95JG27pXjORKK4rA8YGN1B80zLAEK2QALcPqCzG47T7Rbg304XTcMBImdFrYamci32u2SK2Q3i9p3L1rLKiNVhqGUt7RfmyZt_WBINtnEXEDrvWA0BspYu8FO3ZlUnKW9nE0TwygZM/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now you see them...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I hope that I have provided you with some good food ideas. I will return with more posts about delicious food and of course, my oh-so-exciting life! :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-21740508986200005832012-01-03T21:16:00.000-05:002012-01-03T21:16:13.034-05:00Spaghetti Squash is the New Pasta!I remember way back in the day my mom made spaghetti squash as a side dish and I absolutely loved it! I always forgot about this delicious food, until now! I finally bought a squash yesterday at the store and decided to cook it tonight. I figured that whatever I make with angel hair I could easily make with the squash. I roasted it in the oven at 375 degrees for an hour and 20 mins and it was perfect! While the squash was cooling off I made a brown butter sauce with sauteed onions. I know the sauce doesn't sound too healthy, but I saved 180 calories for the pasta subsititution! And isn't there a saying, "Everything is good in moderation?" Ha :) If I'm telling you to switch from spaghetti to spagehtti squash you know it must be good; just see for yourself. Oh yeah, I also added a few pieces of turkey meatballs just to amp up the flavor a little bit. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_F_Gxfwjv0XZmmizLaLnPo3IQe1u5FsoEfzvEh5khxPoWIsjqzexsejH_lfDRczz31OwRl2Fs56MtuQgeJnCWtA_uPHm0zi8SgBM6eb_zTxOsCmhH90sX82XoNIxsT5A-F1ihWpjoZvc/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_F_Gxfwjv0XZmmizLaLnPo3IQe1u5FsoEfzvEh5khxPoWIsjqzexsejH_lfDRczz31OwRl2Fs56MtuQgeJnCWtA_uPHm0zi8SgBM6eb_zTxOsCmhH90sX82XoNIxsT5A-F1ihWpjoZvc/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just need to work on my plating skills ;) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-70182731531111267892012-01-03T21:00:00.001-05:002012-01-03T21:01:08.106-05:00*~*Happy Holidays*~*I figured I would post about the holidays once everything settled down. I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Columbus, Georgia with Greg to spend Christmas with him and his family. My dad and sister, Courtney, had to work on Christmas, so our family wasn't going to celebrate it until later in the week. My mom was nice enough to take care of Dunky on Christmas, so I dropped him off and then Greg and I were on our way. We enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve opening gifts and eating delicious crabcakes made by Greg's mom. Greg got me some awesome hiking/climbing gear including a backpack, a Patagonia long sleeve shirt, and other devices to help with my new rock climbing hobby! On Christmas morning, Greg, his family, and I went to church. When we returned back to Greg's parents house we munched on some delicious and cheesy fondue, yum! We went to Greg's sister and brother-in-law's house after and ate even more food. It's Christmas, so it's a totally legitimate excuse to eat double the amount you normally do! :) <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HBmmwig59jQQMc9Ro0tTCMnEdpNQ_bDw6-NnHkyxdj5c_k9fjFHmH8S_AQwIci3TY7tbjs0BmVJE3MCqDbQk8kNmMU0_43lsrkrp1A-MrQ2Q2sq2m6_kk1GopfxJraDyRcpnHFql9mk/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6HBmmwig59jQQMc9Ro0tTCMnEdpNQ_bDw6-NnHkyxdj5c_k9fjFHmH8S_AQwIci3TY7tbjs0BmVJE3MCqDbQk8kNmMU0_43lsrkrp1A-MrQ2Q2sq2m6_kk1GopfxJraDyRcpnHFql9mk/s320/014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying our time at Christi and Tommy's house. </td></tr>
</tbody></table> Since my mom was taking care of Duncan, Greg and I planned to leave on the 26th to relieve my mom's hands of my <strike>annoying </strike> lovable dog. We were in the car turning onto the highway, when BAM, we got T-boned. Greg didn't realize that one of the cars coming our way was not actually turning onto the highway. When I realized this car was continuing to drive straight, all I could do was yell Greg's name and closed my eyes. Everything happened too quickly to even prepare for impact. I had never been in a car accident before, and needless to say it was very scary! Greg felt horrible and asked me right away if I was OK. I was still in shock of everything so I said yes. Turns out my neck and left shoulder hurt pretty badly. Once we figured out a way to get back to Atlanta I paid my dad a visit at Kennestone while he was working. Nothing major was wrong with me except whiplash; which I never knew hurt so bad! We are very fortunate that everyone was OK! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2jI20YH7L-yYb44EfAPyJVw7iut_ZK60k7ffVhcx8GJ5pyi1bSZa6uU_jGhvblbxd4u4FXk_kFrKUGhAnGh00CKNimzcNR-jjfhIEycFrO4bvY5AFo4D6lpic9mNSFiUYXjFQVeJaws/s1600/car+accident+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2jI20YH7L-yYb44EfAPyJVw7iut_ZK60k7ffVhcx8GJ5pyi1bSZa6uU_jGhvblbxd4u4FXk_kFrKUGhAnGh00CKNimzcNR-jjfhIEycFrO4bvY5AFo4D6lpic9mNSFiUYXjFQVeJaws/s320/car+accident+2.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The damage done to where the car hit his truck was not too bad, but this is what happened when we spun around and hit the stoplight pole. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div> <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gY0qQnhAGheYZtXdmxktCzYcRG7IkuLwKuPnaQCeW5lwxIMI3hYnnPlKI-MCTbtgHaZIa0iGJjB6O6TKLurpffwfGNdh4ShQzxJIGk48EhZloZOHdIYCiEqSPIp80_DWYOBhquon-9o/s1600/car+accident.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gY0qQnhAGheYZtXdmxktCzYcRG7IkuLwKuPnaQCeW5lwxIMI3hYnnPlKI-MCTbtgHaZIa0iGJjB6O6TKLurpffwfGNdh4ShQzxJIGk48EhZloZOHdIYCiEqSPIp80_DWYOBhquon-9o/s320/car+accident.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bit blurry, but this is the car that hit us. We are so glad they were OK! <br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
After we rested our sore backs for a couple of days, we went up to my parents' house on the 29th to celebrate Christmas with them; it was so great! It felt just like Christmas day. I'm so glad Greg got to be a part of it. The next night we went to 246 in downtown Decatur and enjoyed a delicious dinner for Ryan's 30th birthday. New Year's Eve was the next night, obviously, and it was great! I went to my friend's awesome apartment and then we headed to a local bar that wasn't too crowded, which is a huge bonus! It was an awesome night with great people. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0iua84B5QIRJRyG8UkfT9DO8X1vxw7VrmiXGU5_hqUX3_-DcB7GbhaS4NoJfLHdH3vtWHXLfRsMXXtV__5Hl47FyN0DUZIJJt1xKHtj8MxxMsd7e-IDKvk1cbR2N_njwAdT71ZtuTyI/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="314" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0iua84B5QIRJRyG8UkfT9DO8X1vxw7VrmiXGU5_hqUX3_-DcB7GbhaS4NoJfLHdH3vtWHXLfRsMXXtV__5Hl47FyN0DUZIJJt1xKHtj8MxxMsd7e-IDKvk1cbR2N_njwAdT71ZtuTyI/s320/046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy New Year! </td></tr>
</tbody></table> Now I sit here typing this post savoring the last couple of hours of my amazing winter break! Back to the working world tomorrow! I hope everyone had a safe, happy, and fun holiday. Here's to an incredible 2012!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-33419691930521812902011-12-06T18:53:00.000-05:002011-12-06T18:53:08.638-05:00QuicheThe other night I made homemade quiche for the first time. It was so delicious! I have to give my mom credit considering it is her recipe. I called her to ask a question about the pie crust and she asked me if I was using her recipe, and I wasn't. She was interested in the ingredients so I told her it had six eggs and heavy cream. She stopped me after the heavy cream. She told me to ditch that recipe and go with hers. My mom's recipe only calls for 2 eggs, 1/2 c. milk and 1/2 c. light mayo. It was such a healthier way to make the quiche and a HUGE success. One benefit of this quiche is once you have the egg, mayo, and milk you can add whatever ingredients you would like. Mine was a shallot, mushroom, and fontina cheese quiche; it goes great with a tomato soup. It's definitely a delicious and comforting meal. I can't wait to play with this recipe and see what different quiches I can come up with. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the quiche, but I think everyone knows what it looks like. :) Hope you find yourself making a great quiche one chilly day!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-46770916486776425172011-11-25T18:22:00.000-05:002011-11-25T18:22:58.926-05:00Vintage CharmMy parents still live in the house that I grew up in. They moved in shortly before I was born, and have lived there ever since. As the years go by, the 1986 style has certainly not been able to keep up with modern America. My mom has a wonderful eye for design and has slowly been updating every room in the house. The first room was our utility room which was converted into a computer room, then the den, then the dining room, then the foyer, and now all the bedrooms. It was definitely time for the lavender and flowery daybed from my room and the yellow and green daybed from Court's room to hit the dumpster. My mom bought "big girl" beds for the rooms and then got all new grown-up bedding. The rooms look fabulous! Every time I go over to my parents' house something has been added to the rooms: a lamp, new pillows, a night stand, etc. When I went over to their house for Thanksgiving I saw my two most favorite additions to my sisters' rooms. When my mom was cleaning out my Grandpa's house a few years ago there were these awesome vintage chairs in his attic that were not in any shape to be displayed. One chair was ripped and the other chair didn't have a cushion at all. Given my mom's designer abilities, she had one of the chairs re-purposed and it is my favorite piece of furniture in their house by far! There is nothing better than something that is truly vintage. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcmOfVsvgcXhH_HfriH0fIv3eWG5NBVDMIvDszG9dXBFRm_ZDwt8VytOSR883Qb-4kxdnPnzvhVuadVspy8siD6vo_nRfsoHSg3nSB6gXHkZCPQ5duOrAHpGRC2MEWNW3YKc7saZPJxw/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcmOfVsvgcXhH_HfriH0fIv3eWG5NBVDMIvDszG9dXBFRm_ZDwt8VytOSR883Qb-4kxdnPnzvhVuadVspy8siD6vo_nRfsoHSg3nSB6gXHkZCPQ5duOrAHpGRC2MEWNW3YKc7saZPJxw/s400/053.JPG" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The details on the wood are amazing, but hard to see. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Another cool accent piece my mom added to another room was a birdcage that she hung on the wall. The birdcage itself is pretty cool, but my mom took it beyond that. She added some old photos my grandparents' had taken on vacation, some hand written notes and envelopes, and even one of my grandmother's pearl necklaces. Such a cool and clever idea! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmf5o5a7S_xSHgDyHWGDNsU2cLnVOyqEbckcvziNw-RwKbs3cz56B9QGdP36vnM9pLwPOZk3LyfHzfEhgITohst18WALlgYTgjtQVIfpCRzdeFyQgn_lmRLPjyDRHWebi5YSw0PyiPQM/s1600/058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" hda="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmf5o5a7S_xSHgDyHWGDNsU2cLnVOyqEbckcvziNw-RwKbs3cz56B9QGdP36vnM9pLwPOZk3LyfHzfEhgITohst18WALlgYTgjtQVIfpCRzdeFyQgn_lmRLPjyDRHWebi5YSw0PyiPQM/s400/058.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love it! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Hopefully I will slowly take after my mom and be able to design my future house in ways that I learned from her.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-73522906447258186692011-10-25T19:20:00.000-04:002011-10-25T19:20:41.926-04:00Do Not Fear Pea Soup!<strong>The Exorcist might have been the worst advertisement for pea soup. I'm almost certain that everyone that has seen that movie has been automatically turned away by that green "mess." You all are making a bad decision by not partaking in the satisfaction that this meal provides! First of all, it doesn't even taste like peas, or at least I don't think it does. It's like comfort in a bowl; the symbol that fall has officially arrived. What could you not like about split peas, honey baked ham, carrots, and celery? It's like smokey heaven! Need I say more? No, just try it for yourself! Below is the recipe and I promise it will not disappoint you. I almost forget to mention, it's cheap AND is full of nutrients (that means it's actually GOOD for you)! </strong><br />
<strong>This is what you need: </strong><br />
<strong>1 tbsp. butter/margarine </strong><br />
<strong>1 ham bone (you can buy these from Honey Baked Ham for about $5.00 or less) </strong><br />
<strong>1 lb. yellow or green split peas (rinse and drain them) </strong><br />
<strong>2 carrots, sliced </strong><br />
<strong>2 celery stalks, sliced</strong><br />
<strong>1 medium onion, diced</strong><br />
<strong>1/4 tsp marjoram</strong><br />
<strong>1 tbsp apple cider vinegar</strong><br />
<strong>Pinch of cayenne pepper </strong><br />
<strong>6 cups water (cheap, right?) </strong><br />
<strong><br />
</strong><br />
<strong>Directions: </strong><br />
<strong>First, cut most of the excess ham from the bone and cube (leave some on). Set that aside. In a very large pot heat the butter. Cook onion, celery, and carrots. Stir it occasionally to prevent it from getting brown. Add ham bone, marjoram, pinch of cayenne, water, and peas. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot, reduce heat, and bring to a simmer. Let it do its thing for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until peas are very soft (kind of like mush). Remove ham bone. When it is cool enough to handle, cut off any extra meat. Discard the bone. Add the reserved ham to the pot. Add the apple cider vinegar at the end... and voila, you just made this: </strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgud-wO_uED9I9YfD94R4ZDUZ00Uo3sbXq9EUw0jXx4pxwDMBrPovvBSGr5JgQxMXo84ScsxwnIyKFtQ99qpD_ye9uxHb6TOFhPXRagzYlvKKYdDnJaYn0nZb6JgmwM2Hts05yjs-hlDhk/s1600/pea+soup" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgud-wO_uED9I9YfD94R4ZDUZ00Uo3sbXq9EUw0jXx4pxwDMBrPovvBSGr5JgQxMXo84ScsxwnIyKFtQ99qpD_ye9uxHb6TOFhPXRagzYlvKKYdDnJaYn0nZb6JgmwM2Hts05yjs-hlDhk/s320/pea+soup" width="240" /></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Looks gross, tastes delicious!</strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-61207687456521285272011-09-25T19:36:00.000-04:002011-09-25T19:36:41.370-04:00Slow Cooker Sundays<strong>Since the weather is finally cooling down, I have been very eager to start cooking in the crock pot. I love the smell of food cooking all day as the leaves outside are changing colors and falling. I am going to make this a Sunday tradition. Last week, I made a Chicken Posole soup; it was delicious! It had diced tomatoes, hominy, chicken, and onions in it. Even though these one pot meals make so much food, it is great to have the leftovers for the following week. There is currently a vegetable and tortellini soup in the slow cooker right now. I am just waiting for my date, Greg, to come over and enjoy the meal with me. I bought some cornbread from Whole Foods that we are going to eat with it. I have never eaten it from there before, but it looks delicious. </strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1Ee4UnR5Q3aZMOid3NrAqTBNT6oR6MmySKD0ryeDq4AkckJ1qhQXi_EL4kigXAcXae3akHz5Jc6dxqUgzn3zf5e7UpWmfbNvKk9hZK0LIzwyUimXtzua1xtDGOzMekYHMd6CO0DEIxA/s1600/soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><img border="0" hca="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1Ee4UnR5Q3aZMOid3NrAqTBNT6oR6MmySKD0ryeDq4AkckJ1qhQXi_EL4kigXAcXae3akHz5Jc6dxqUgzn3zf5e7UpWmfbNvKk9hZK0LIzwyUimXtzua1xtDGOzMekYHMd6CO0DEIxA/s400/soup.jpg" width="298" /></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Dinner for tonight. Yum!</strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>We'll see what I come up with next Sunday! :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-28768314953641111252011-09-05T22:19:00.000-04:002011-09-05T22:19:08.464-04:00I'm Back to the Blogging World..For Now!We'll see how long my return to blogging lasts. Hopefully I will be a little better at updating this site. A lot has gone on since the last time I was on here. I won't go into every detail, but I will touch on a few of the bigger things. I went to St. Augustine at the end of July with Greg, Lisa, and a few other people. We had a blast! I went deep-sea fishing for the first time, and I loved it! Greg caught a shark; scary! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqTJXQxmYMu6YLyHLMFulB2Bw5jmEHe7k3EGGixQtY-lt-Tnw7YCcl7nYgDWhu3kvqMe4qSH-CB-4FPKA1uc35cp5Y2r0zy0G-BLezevgASMUHUphMioG5yTUh7Pn8GvEGpxlPLn3uZE/s1600/078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRqTJXQxmYMu6YLyHLMFulB2Bw5jmEHe7k3EGGixQtY-lt-Tnw7YCcl7nYgDWhu3kvqMe4qSH-CB-4FPKA1uc35cp5Y2r0zy0G-BLezevgASMUHUphMioG5yTUh7Pn8GvEGpxlPLn3uZE/s400/078.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lemon Shark </td></tr>
</tbody></table> The month of July was pretty relaxed, which was nice. Greg's sister got married during the last weekend of July. She looked beautiful! I got to meet a lot of Greg's extended family. They reminded me a lot of my aunts and uncles. School is back in session. It took me a while to get used to working a full-time job again. It's crazy to think we are going to start our 4th week already! I feel like school started yesterday. <br />
<br />
The craziest thing that has happened since my last post is the car I got when I was 16 died! The transmission decided it didn't really want to work anymore. It was kind of scary driving it to the shop. Even though I was very stressed and upset about saying bye to the car I had for nine years, I was very lucky to get a wonderful new car out of a crappy situation! Who knew I would be driving a different car to work this week than last week. Unfortunately, it has to go back to Carmax tomorrow because there is water seeping in and onto the fabric on the upper left corner near the windshield. It's frustrating because all I want to do is drive it, and now I have to wait a day or two while it's getting fixed. I'm going to have to be very patient! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlfIytlDt-TUChbwJNeDxD8N37qDeBTHOc1vdGIiU9wkQvDTI83PDr9zM7m9T935TVMnNAXNQ0lZoBOZhExrJwsjcqHDd6APYHAxucdi14ZQ492kp_CcIbpC1w-gGKDyQIBLTEUtcO04/s1600/new+car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" nba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQlfIytlDt-TUChbwJNeDxD8N37qDeBTHOc1vdGIiU9wkQvDTI83PDr9zM7m9T935TVMnNAXNQ0lZoBOZhExrJwsjcqHDd6APYHAxucdi14ZQ492kp_CcIbpC1w-gGKDyQIBLTEUtcO04/s400/new+car.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2008 Nissan Altima. I'm just a little obsessed! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>This week is pretty exciting because I turn 25 on Thursday! I'm officially getting old; it actually excites me, which might sound a little crazy. I'm super excited for the weekend because I am going shopping for new work clothes with my mom as a birthday gift; can't wait! I'm also looking forward for next weekend because Greg and I are going to Nashville. I hope these next two weeks go by fast! Hopefully I will be back sooner rather than later! Peace.Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-42007311440920108602011-06-12T15:09:00.000-04:002011-06-12T15:09:15.419-04:00Warrior Dash, a Wedding, and more!The past few weekends have been extremely busy, to say the least. This is the first weekend in about a month that I have been in town. Greg, some of his friends, and I went up to Mountain City, Ga. during the second week of May and participated in Warrior Dash. This is a 3 mile race complete with about 10 different obstacles. These obstacles range from swimming in a lake, to crawling through a mud pit under barbed wire and finishing the race jumping over fire. After the race, you get a complimentary beer and banana, and live music! It's pretty much a huge party with thousands of people dressed in crazy costumes. Greg and I shared a smoked turkey leg; it was awesome! Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera to the race, so I don't have any pictures. The weekend after that, Greg and I stayed in Atlanta. Greg's company sponsors the Special Olympics, so we volunteered at the Summer Games at Emory. I am very lucky to be able to have that experience, all thanks to Greg's work! The next weekend was Memorial Day and I had the fortunate opportunity to go to Lake Weiss in northeast Alabama. A couple who ran the Warrior Dash with us have a lake house there. We (including Duncan) had such a good time! Duncan ran around SO much on Saturday he could barely walk on Sunday because he had blisters on his feet. Poor baby!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdDSypVyivQVlMRXEvj22GSD5qOXL2xs8iolA-UvOman4jr_ddepKEFQudqFvL7VP2-16R_rKdAVDElvBmGAgXyl3V_NqOe1olNE7wlhhhwbouNsiOlaYGYOS6SKGlLbQAALO_Pxe6wo/s1600/lake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUdDSypVyivQVlMRXEvj22GSD5qOXL2xs8iolA-UvOman4jr_ddepKEFQudqFvL7VP2-16R_rKdAVDElvBmGAgXyl3V_NqOe1olNE7wlhhhwbouNsiOlaYGYOS6SKGlLbQAALO_Pxe6wo/s400/lake.JPG" t8="true" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greg took this picture of the sunrise. Beautiful! <br />
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Last weekend, Greg's friends from Berry got married in Kentucky. Even though I was not really looking forward to traveling again, it was an awesome weekend! We stayed in this historic inn right in the center of a small town about an hour outside of Lexington called Berea. The rehearsal dinner was two doors down and all we had to do was walk out our hotel and we were there! The next day we awoke early, had breakfast with some friends, and then drove to Lexington for the wedding and reception. The wedding was during the day and it was very nice. Great food, delicious beer selection, and fun people! When we got back to our hotel we took a 15 minute power nap and got ready for the farm party. Bryce (the groom) owns a farm that sits on 480 amazing acres. The party was a lot of fun! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGe0E9NNyOS74IlkBiAclXqc4ct966uMNYi2uzBWyMdqQ28erNZv4_E0fBiy-DVKY0J53IA6boWWnS0zJWymelboIMg4OQUk_XaTKPYJ0zemy4xfejITb07zrsxe5HCYCJEFoEpO4PBQ/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnGe0E9NNyOS74IlkBiAclXqc4ct966uMNYi2uzBWyMdqQ28erNZv4_E0fBiy-DVKY0J53IA6boWWnS0zJWymelboIMg4OQUk_XaTKPYJ0zemy4xfejITb07zrsxe5HCYCJEFoEpO4PBQ/s320/006.JPG" t8="true" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the wedding</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikboL4zBBO5A_NcGqiSGG9jwxUdjVTK1tN454tbusihImlqmciKi5LbcacANnhexUyn_hAImeIkWQ_GqtI6qGJOXVPTXATkrYFwZZjwmlBUSrL8k2C3mUkG2Dwt0r2asd5oKxdWwP4dKE/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikboL4zBBO5A_NcGqiSGG9jwxUdjVTK1tN454tbusihImlqmciKi5LbcacANnhexUyn_hAImeIkWQ_GqtI6qGJOXVPTXATkrYFwZZjwmlBUSrL8k2C3mUkG2Dwt0r2asd5oKxdWwP4dKE/s400/047.JPG" t8="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You don't really get to experience land and sunsets like this in Atlanta. <br />
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</div>As fun as the past month has been, I am very excited that we stayed in Atlanta this weekend! Yesterday, Greg and I checked out Dekalb Farmers Market. I had never been before. It is huge! There is every fruit and veggie imaginable. It was quite crowded, but I actually surprised myself at how well I handled the crowd. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_R3YREAY4nqbhFxpaQwUZmBCzdZNKY77mjc9gP65nsmUZbNjioYHdzT9L__Rf2ARugbIkbKpro3NJaAXgFUijFxJeLrbgV_7FjWXGI4qtJsiWMb1wiptEdvrmBYEpjMKitmmZoSBcHDw/s1600/dekalb+farmers+market.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_R3YREAY4nqbhFxpaQwUZmBCzdZNKY77mjc9gP65nsmUZbNjioYHdzT9L__Rf2ARugbIkbKpro3NJaAXgFUijFxJeLrbgV_7FjWXGI4qtJsiWMb1wiptEdvrmBYEpjMKitmmZoSBcHDw/s320/dekalb+farmers+market.JPG" t8="true" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farmers Market </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Welp, tonight Greg and my friend Lisa and her boyfriend, Nathan, and myself are headed to the Fox Theatre to see Mumford and Sons! I am so excited. I will do a separate post on how that is! Have a wonderful Sunday!Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-86438802135767774582011-05-10T22:07:00.000-04:002011-05-10T22:07:43.174-04:00Another ChangeWhenever I update my blog with a new background it always takes me AT LEAST 30 minutes to get the background and colors just right! My sister, Courtney, has a blog and I am always checking it to see updates to either her posts or her background. The other day I looked at her page and realized she had changed her background. Well, when I went to change mine I found a background template and got the colors to match with it. I loved it! I stayed up way too late to get everything right. Just before I started writing this post I checked Court's blog out again and realized I had changed my background to hers!! I can't believe I didn't even realize it, especially since I had looked at her blog that same day I changed mine. We sure do have good taste. I decided to change mine again because I don't want ours to be the same! Surprisingly, it only took me about 10 minutes to be satisfied with it. I'd say it looks pretty nice! That's all. Have a super night! :)Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-55010274798313762002011-05-09T18:03:00.005-04:002011-05-10T22:11:47.425-04:00A wonderful Dinner<span style="font-family: inherit;">Last night I faced my fear of cooking something a little unfamiliar and I just went for it! I cooked salmon with green beans, lemon peel, capers and olive oil in parchment paper. It was surprisingly super easy! The recipe is as follows (this makes enough for two people):</span><br />
2 salmon fillets<br />
1/2 lb. green beans washed and trimmed<br />
2 teaspoons capers drained and rinsed<br />
4 wide strips of lemon peel OR about 5-6 small pieces lemon peel<br />
1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
All you need to do is preheat the oven to 400 and lay out two pieces of parchment paper (about 16 inch pieces). Place the fish in the center of the parchment paper and then top it with the remainder of the ingredients, putting two strips lemon peel on each piece. You can fold the paper in any which way but I took the two sides and met them together at the top then folded them down to the fish. I tucked the sides underneath the fish and placed it on a cookie sheet. The fish I used was pretty thick, so I cooked it for 20 minutes and it was perfect! Greg bought some Israeli couscous with baby garbanzo beans, quinoa, and orzo to eat on the side. It was pretty good, but I recommend regular couscous; just my preference! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTODhgLW3vNvhI1wFpDhAHUHcn5sknnzish8wp2V8_mPafpdjg3iStjOsHgwquEekgnSzOlZkxBZs65LqrwdA-tns-gFwnhUlK5IwyiNlU5mwjBORxKEf5h-0UHuc2uIqJ81pxLc3we4s/s1600/fish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTODhgLW3vNvhI1wFpDhAHUHcn5sknnzish8wp2V8_mPafpdjg3iStjOsHgwquEekgnSzOlZkxBZs65LqrwdA-tns-gFwnhUlK5IwyiNlU5mwjBORxKEf5h-0UHuc2uIqJ81pxLc3we4s/s400/fish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I cannot figure out how to rotate this picture! It is saved facing the right way, but will not paste on here correctly. Anywho, this is the fish before the oven. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNP7WkNAu3crvPdvS_MR7dGWkC3oFfSZjf7nw3Pf6joOFIVT-vR28ofwtEDbaEvXVDC20RPMpx4OskawiwV5xHIpKbN7JfqZXFunFFOrTA-iA3bne10olLbJOrb5UaFhEnDjQklSK_88/s1600/dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNP7WkNAu3crvPdvS_MR7dGWkC3oFfSZjf7nw3Pf6joOFIVT-vR28ofwtEDbaEvXVDC20RPMpx4OskawiwV5xHIpKbN7JfqZXFunFFOrTA-iA3bne10olLbJOrb5UaFhEnDjQklSK_88/s400/dinner.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearly this one won't paste correctly either. This is the cooked meal. D-lish! </td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-2663307963911798702011-05-08T22:09:00.002-04:002011-05-08T22:56:08.985-04:00**April**<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wow! It is so much harder to keep up with this blog than I ever expected! Rather than doing 5 posts about things that went on last month, I figured I'd just include everything at once. The first week of April marked my Spring Break. I didn't go out of town or anything, but I actually had a really good time! Two of my good girlfriends, Lisa and Jessica, came over to my apartment one day to lounge at the pool. We made some delicious fruity cocktails and bronzed ourselves. In the middle of the week I met Greg and some of his coworkers for lunch at Fox Brother's BBQ. Oh my gosh! What a <strike>fattening</strike> amazing meal. Three of us all got the same thing: a brisket "burger" with pimento cheese, bacon, tomato, etc I highly recommend it! One evening while I was hanging out at Greg's he showed me this Almond Filling Sweet Bread mix his mom had given him for Christmas. I looked at the directions on the back of the box and realized that it was a full on baking process. I had never baked anything before (no, cookies that you cut off a roll and 'bake' in the oven don't count). Greg thought it would be a good idea for me to do it one day while he was at work, and I was up for a little challenge in the kitchen. The box came with four ingredients: the bread mix, the almond filling, the glaze, and the yeast packet. I open the box and pull out ingredients 1, 2, and 3. Where is ingredient 4? No yeast packet?! My first baking experience was off to a bad start. Well, I ended up waiting a whole day to get the yeast from the store because I had just come from the store and really didn't feel like going back. I got the yeast and crossed my fingers that the measurement was accurate. I made the dough, let it rise, rolled it out, filled it, and put it in the oven. Lisa had the joy of being at my place when it came out of the oven, and I must say it was actually pretty good! </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong></strong> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2LH9lTxoWCV_VTgl9jqSnZMfzM50QJq4PhyphenhyphenvbARH6SQIkPNQk5XDczLzL9NYi31vD91QoqFUDAPEwLOV7kOi59CbbbUfdHI64zFyHK51IXE83-NPsPZQlqbg5X7fWkygt3yPUs7tR2U/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="300" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2LH9lTxoWCV_VTgl9jqSnZMfzM50QJq4PhyphenhyphenvbARH6SQIkPNQk5XDczLzL9NYi31vD91QoqFUDAPEwLOV7kOi59CbbbUfdHI64zFyHK51IXE83-NPsPZQlqbg5X7fWkygt3yPUs7tR2U/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><strong>This is the finished product! Mmmmm</strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let's see, what else happened in April? Greg and I went a Braves game the last weekend of my Spring Break and saw the Avett Brothers afterwards. It was so much fun! Oh yeah, the night before the Braves game we went to Rome for one of Greg's friend's wedding showers. It was on Berry's campus and it was a pretty perfect night. There was delicious food, refreshing drinks, and horseshoes. During Easter weekend I went to Columbus to meet Greg's parents. Unfortunately, I was feeling a little under the weather, but I just pushed that to the side and enjoyed my weekend. On Saturday, we went over to Christi's (Greg's sister) boyfriend's house and went out on Lake Harding in his boat. We had a blast! </span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong></strong> </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbcxzF4S8_QawU_YyY-3pSvAUCQDCZWHj1PocTMZfcqwD5YrLNSaOU-KT3U_-TEvpts6TDW-3XPmcpfKyIlrHCSgaeash2b1tI7k28z0I0eWFkqE-atA8TuehnoVnFQ10y0cwuK529sE/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="251" j8="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbcxzF4S8_QawU_YyY-3pSvAUCQDCZWHj1PocTMZfcqwD5YrLNSaOU-KT3U_-TEvpts6TDW-3XPmcpfKyIlrHCSgaeash2b1tI7k28z0I0eWFkqE-atA8TuehnoVnFQ10y0cwuK529sE/s400/030.JPG" width="400" /></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><strong>Lake Harding</strong></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong></strong> <strong>Needless to say April was a very good month. May (this month) is going to be busy and very fun! Hopefully I will do a post sooner rather than later! </strong></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-73346045685446098112011-04-04T17:38:00.000-04:002011-04-04T17:38:06.492-04:00Happy Birthday, Duncan!!<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once again, this post should have been done about a week ago! March 20th marked Duncan's FIRST birthday!! I cannot believe it has been a year since I knew about him. Crazy story- I knew I was getting Duncan before he was even born, so March 20th of last year was a very exciting day! Duncan enjoyed a day of going to the Dog park and eating delicious treats. If he isn't spoiled enough, he sure was on this day! I am going to let the following pictures do most of the talking for this post! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></strong> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmEtJ9A8dqObBxZ_Ufom44uBFoFB2OZsUlgf8HjjsugZY-q1fiWrS-xbkHY5R8OAnrT0F8Q5Bc27HpWPVvZquktq_SIw6g81CogncEKTmxmf0uTPyTTSvInoZmaAxOpRWLTTJ4iQHphI/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvmEtJ9A8dqObBxZ_Ufom44uBFoFB2OZsUlgf8HjjsugZY-q1fiWrS-xbkHY5R8OAnrT0F8Q5Bc27HpWPVvZquktq_SIw6g81CogncEKTmxmf0uTPyTTSvInoZmaAxOpRWLTTJ4iQHphI/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></strong></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The day I picked him up!! He was only 10 weeks old! </strong></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAolOcHa-uSheYmx1yiL07zIv0UE25XoCiMemECKB2rk6q87d6Oyca0hplsADB3zRfJ9qNz3L7djZUjrMAcJkA483i5Pfx7VSM5GnXYhVQn7naLWUwBfUSkt-Ix6O57aDGDbH1zqYTAEw/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAolOcHa-uSheYmx1yiL07zIv0UE25XoCiMemECKB2rk6q87d6Oyca0hplsADB3zRfJ9qNz3L7djZUjrMAcJkA483i5Pfx7VSM5GnXYhVQn7naLWUwBfUSkt-Ix6O57aDGDbH1zqYTAEw/s400/044.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Baby boy!! About 3 months old!</span></strong> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsOCYDvqsZBByt7a9zuW7l2Uq2r-WCkSU3B7DHvImXKaYsxHyrM6_NzO4Ml5vkGSF_GuGhzF0yVsD4paeOMpzAoAoZPEcdttQEC1mJs3SY2J8GV33fHNsxvrieKn_ZTfDKAfiWH55YfM/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsOCYDvqsZBByt7a9zuW7l2Uq2r-WCkSU3B7DHvImXKaYsxHyrM6_NzO4Ml5vkGSF_GuGhzF0yVsD4paeOMpzAoAoZPEcdttQEC1mJs3SY2J8GV33fHNsxvrieKn_ZTfDKAfiWH55YfM/s400/037.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">4 months old- growing fast!</span></strong> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTYf9nQ7MDwuKg2Df_Pg7u6fmVq5KDu7-BATbymJot_P9O5yYXuJdxZvnKEmuzqVGTy_RcHynsi2aKbz6NArW45j1PenG940eL6mIg_-ELLIXJgE2ozLe_-TSIDtQ3I8XGB2SrCbnj9U/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVTYf9nQ7MDwuKg2Df_Pg7u6fmVq5KDu7-BATbymJot_P9O5yYXuJdxZvnKEmuzqVGTy_RcHynsi2aKbz6NArW45j1PenG940eL6mIg_-ELLIXJgE2ozLe_-TSIDtQ3I8XGB2SrCbnj9U/s400/042.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">About 7 months old, I think!</span></strong> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lSmS_BLDZeakYjdf4t6gMzommFIRopRqx3m6GGk1TvAAgeJbKQ_lnXkeP-PzEaFlVEPj9AqVpR6gSfZ8sv8W1mw-9Vk7WHxZVDk4QrAhDMJvjxVZgWcpYB6tBt11q8D-GzXNq3UeJzU/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lSmS_BLDZeakYjdf4t6gMzommFIRopRqx3m6GGk1TvAAgeJbKQ_lnXkeP-PzEaFlVEPj9AqVpR6gSfZ8sv8W1mw-9Vk7WHxZVDk4QrAhDMJvjxVZgWcpYB6tBt11q8D-GzXNq3UeJzU/s400/020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>9 months!!</strong></span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJ7dwrbSLss3iEUh9WAEG86PzxeffpOBWgu1E8BTO-cwOVJnjzzVjm-thxKTDLwhmmH9Ey16Gd4riVu9wDSylwODV4vV63NB7YSldpmbAFwQXWdMPG7rvGo9h0kV9o4hxF4DUiFIHn2g/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCJ7dwrbSLss3iEUh9WAEG86PzxeffpOBWgu1E8BTO-cwOVJnjzzVjm-thxKTDLwhmmH9Ey16Gd4riVu9wDSylwODV4vV63NB7YSldpmbAFwQXWdMPG7rvGo9h0kV9o4hxF4DUiFIHn2g/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">11 months! </span></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7hnabnejaoAqSPag3t6CbGYkxMcsBr57rYeovWE9QomM69KgiSe_E9-roDC6APC2CXbYiyshgTfqP8qEOooRkXNkqat0jyoWyRMamv9BEYKMD24npWH7MXM-bUpImGpIqChOMkObGBs/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd7hnabnejaoAqSPag3t6CbGYkxMcsBr57rYeovWE9QomM69KgiSe_E9-roDC6APC2CXbYiyshgTfqP8qEOooRkXNkqat0jyoWyRMamv9BEYKMD24npWH7MXM-bUpImGpIqChOMkObGBs/s400/014.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Enjoying a very special bone on his birthday!</span></strong> </td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I can't wait to celebrate many more of Duncan's birthdays! He sure has made this past year a happier one for me! :) </span></strong>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-38070408938157832942011-03-21T19:24:00.001-04:002011-03-21T19:25:45.285-04:00A Weekend of Firsts<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Once again, I have been slacking! A blog is a lot harder to keep up to date than I expected! This was supposed to be <strike>written</strike> typed and posted after LAST weekend (like a week ago), but I just never got to it. I had the fortunate opportunity to go camping and rock climbing (on a real rock) all in the same weekend! I have never done either of those things. When I was in high school I went on a white water rafting trip in West Virginia, but the girls weren't allowed to camp because the guys were. You know how high school is- girls and guys can't sleep in the same place. Anyhow, I had an awesome time! Other than it getting a little chilly at night, the weather was perfect; 70 on Saturday and 72 on Sunday! Greg, his friend Jonathan, and I woke up early Saturday morning and made the drive to Sand Rock, Alabama. That's not an actual town, but it is near Gadsden. We got one of the last campsites available, but it was by far the best one! It was farther from the road from the rest of the other sites, and it was pretty secluded. After everyone arrived we walked to the rocks to begin our climbing adventure. The other girl that was there, Beth, was brave enough to be the first one to climb. It was pretty crowded, so we had to wait for some "runs" to be open. After I watched Greg and his friends climb, I felt up for the challenge. The rock I climbed was supposed to be one of the easier routes, but I struggled! I didn't even get halfway up the rock before I had to come down. Needless to say it is much harder outside than in a gym! When the day was coming to an end we went back to the campsite, popped open a few beers, and chillaxed for the rest of the night. Greg prepared me for the cool weather at night, so I was quite comfortable sleeping. The wind blowing outside the tent made for a great, natural sound machine. Since the weather was so nice on Sunday, we decided to venture out and do some more climbing. And guess what? I actually made it up a rock!! Woohoo! I had a really great time and cannot wait to go back!! </strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkqxQ7T4opmHCpA3TLMeQ589KVdl5GXJd4R9xHQ43tT_NH5cpNLOD6zyGYw58t657NMnwM7CCXjwh1o-XMhbiTOl51ts2_xNp9XXJwJ71OAYC0bSrPjxBP9GMSJqLWaUgWxpDYrbo3Zc/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkqxQ7T4opmHCpA3TLMeQ589KVdl5GXJd4R9xHQ43tT_NH5cpNLOD6zyGYw58t657NMnwM7CCXjwh1o-XMhbiTOl51ts2_xNp9XXJwJ71OAYC0bSrPjxBP9GMSJqLWaUgWxpDYrbo3Zc/s400/035.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Greg, all the way at the top!</strong></span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGHNLuTPIyOOXeuDNrEwo0Lyb1qe0bdVtNEy9cylRKAAhOtt3ooLYXPWvAZ9rApG_1h7jzDaWx5LVqXQMgloX2ioe3T1y79PadYwKDpJ_yFPr49VwhJ2GilIx7TJJeOF64key-EZMdrw/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGHNLuTPIyOOXeuDNrEwo0Lyb1qe0bdVtNEy9cylRKAAhOtt3ooLYXPWvAZ9rApG_1h7jzDaWx5LVqXQMgloX2ioe3T1y79PadYwKDpJ_yFPr49VwhJ2GilIx7TJJeOF64key-EZMdrw/s400/047.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I love sitting around a fire!</span></strong> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuI5pOH9rLvj0Z62dDvvBJhG_aLn-5zBKSQ-KXyMCrMFEwqUM6GvGPvqYtO05C2dL9rMdFw3WLipQmn6LfTiULcrbw2KH0HNwxxagbxBOc7KDCpaoQoW6ECsEmwLmP8NoYSW8FLCWYZY/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCuI5pOH9rLvj0Z62dDvvBJhG_aLn-5zBKSQ-KXyMCrMFEwqUM6GvGPvqYtO05C2dL9rMdFw3WLipQmn6LfTiULcrbw2KH0HNwxxagbxBOc7KDCpaoQoW6ECsEmwLmP8NoYSW8FLCWYZY/s400/064.JPG" width="300" /></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Even though this is one of the highest rocks to climb, it is one of the easier ones. Great for me! </span></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-40184519455354282832011-03-03T22:37:00.001-05:002011-03-03T22:39:50.090-05:00New Hobby<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>When people ask me what my favorite hobby is I never know what to say. The first thing that comes to my mind is walking Duncan. Is that a hobby? The only other hobby I can think of is cooking; however, I don't do it enough to really consider it a true hobby. Welp, I think I have found a new hobby that I will get really into...rock climbing! I know it sounds crazy, but I went for the first time last Thursday and had a great time! I love the challenge of trying to figure out where to place your hands and feet. Now, I don't want you all to think that I am talking about climbing on an actual rock outside. I went to an indoor place called Stone Summit. It's actually the biggest indoor rock climbing facility in the country! There is such a sense of accomplishment when you get to the top of the wall. I love setting goals and then reaching them, even if they are really small. It's kind of like if you're running and you tell yourself, "Just one more minute," and then you run that last minute and you feel so good that you were able to do it. That's the feeling you get when you go rock climbing. I have also never had such an awesome workout! It works just about every muscle in your body, and you're not even doing it to get a work out; it's the total package. I think I'm going again this weekend and I'm pretty excited about it! Hopefully it is something I get really into, and then I can have a legitimate hobby!</strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZOIKwhaseQ-XqDnKLw8ZFGBJE6X-u9vSYK908dHbo1SIJwBz1Sj4AOifY9ydzN2XnFVaZ665W10BnJc-L6q8dhvIPN2FwK4nX3laeGlAF8xwq3FZByavxFzNp4XISb9B60jTztBOoBo/s1600/5309859851_dd401c660d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZOIKwhaseQ-XqDnKLw8ZFGBJE6X-u9vSYK908dHbo1SIJwBz1Sj4AOifY9ydzN2XnFVaZ665W10BnJc-L6q8dhvIPN2FwK4nX3laeGlAF8xwq3FZByavxFzNp4XISb9B60jTztBOoBo/s400/5309859851_dd401c660d.jpg" width="400" /></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Stone Summit. I climbed the walls to the far left. The walls in the middle are way too challenging! </span></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-28331006297220733822011-02-20T11:08:00.000-05:002011-02-20T11:08:32.784-05:00What a Week!<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This past week has been quite amazing! I won't get into too many details, but it's awesome how happy another person can make you feel! I know I talk about the weather a lot, but it can reflect a person's mood as well. Being able to share the beautiful weather with another person has been pretty great, too. The week started out last Sunday, because you know technically that's the first day of a new week; however, I always consider a new week to start on Monday. On Sunday, I took Duncan to the dog park in the morning to get some of his energy out. </span></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcT1iCZ7vZr3dDaVVa4B2n3PnUIiUNSxV4ZF_l83QXjRcFMdBKYCq9N0iYPBGT7keBcHfcm5muvsqrtRwd1CjnoQLLxGeTUHK1hbNoGA027nR20OIs-smoovwGbOB-SKN5SEr2NM5E_hA/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcT1iCZ7vZr3dDaVVa4B2n3PnUIiUNSxV4ZF_l83QXjRcFMdBKYCq9N0iYPBGT7keBcHfcm5muvsqrtRwd1CjnoQLLxGeTUHK1hbNoGA027nR20OIs-smoovwGbOB-SKN5SEr2NM5E_hA/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></strong></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>He found this football and would not go anywhere without it!</strong></span> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9R7abT_SWH7du0pN9stupakg-4O9XyNfJkkBEhMLp8tr8sdTeX_F-3UJEtIbJrcNJHL9NvSUnY9jN4U9b0FEgCKl6E9bvYPsbcv0gYcmfNwN3jmYxuXQEOYKHdmDVfO7n4ECTAM3SfI/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9R7abT_SWH7du0pN9stupakg-4O9XyNfJkkBEhMLp8tr8sdTeX_F-3UJEtIbJrcNJHL9NvSUnY9jN4U9b0FEgCKl6E9bvYPsbcv0gYcmfNwN3jmYxuXQEOYKHdmDVfO7n4ECTAM3SfI/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Love him!</strong></span> </td></tr>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A couple hours after the dog park I got to enjoy a beautiful walk with Duncan and a special someone along the Chattahoochee River. It was a lot fun! There were some parts of the trail that required some thinking on how to get from one point to the other. I love a challenge. </span></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwH2-nM__jVR2F65-ry48umdL_sE0Jbtp64Z86Kcu9iw2Ib9rRNCblUDkG43HgD-k2q7_hzyavdA_DUtulyak0M0F1N2uLwz9FgVT3vR6_dOHzeflwhPUgff2wi63di0EvPwwIESKOlE/s1600/river.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwH2-nM__jVR2F65-ry48umdL_sE0Jbtp64Z86Kcu9iw2Ib9rRNCblUDkG43HgD-k2q7_hzyavdA_DUtulyak0M0F1N2uLwz9FgVT3vR6_dOHzeflwhPUgff2wi63di0EvPwwIESKOlE/s400/river.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>It's great to know you can still be in Atlanta and experience this.</strong></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table> <strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The remainder of the week consisted of delicious meals and good company! Duncan made a new friend, too! :) Needless to say, I'm a pretty happy girl right now! </span></strong>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-28293463216651108282011-02-01T21:59:00.004-05:002011-02-01T22:05:45.553-05:00Curly to Straight...Back to Curly<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Most of you who read this blog know me as having curly hair who decided to get it chemically straightened. For those of you who know me as only having straight hair, you might be surprised!</strong></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong> When I tell people I have naturally REALLY curly hair, I don't think people understand how curly my hair is--- See below! </strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbzmVn6vxDZDppHIXm-fy2_rfRDB7pqdaSd00cGCcW93XU-Oh0atSp3od8b_FSTjOuVlTqcP44l9t62Am_1b06VlnkVN8uat6XWjyHvdBjG8JNeD2VzJX-EzUG6eHhbYoAL-LQv6KGHU/s1600/super+curly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbzmVn6vxDZDppHIXm-fy2_rfRDB7pqdaSd00cGCcW93XU-Oh0atSp3od8b_FSTjOuVlTqcP44l9t62Am_1b06VlnkVN8uat6XWjyHvdBjG8JNeD2VzJX-EzUG6eHhbYoAL-LQv6KGHU/s320/super+curly.jpg" width="181" /></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Natural Hair</span></strong></td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I actually got very fed up with my hair and made the big decision to get it thermally reconditioned (AKA Japanese Straightening). The first time I did it, I LOVED it! I did not regret it at all, and still don't! Unfortunately, the cost is out of control. Because of this, I decided to go to a place off of Buford Highway that I had heard of from an acquaintance. Little did I know there were different "strengths" of the product that was used on my hair. The first time I got it done, the hair stylist didn't use the top strength, so I still had some wave in it. Well, the person on Buford Highway used the complete strength because it was stick straight!! I actually didn't mind it at all because it only took me about 5 minutes to blow dry it and I didn't have to straighten it as opposed to about 30...no joke! The picture below shows my hair at its straightest. </span></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCib2Hk5E3SJybDVp4IwjWFln2JuK1eTjtN88WPk406LlSdRqtDs48pFbP2e6Vd-HL2Bvyk4HgxefCh7D4zNY36idCDed9UxrdzE2CPlD_Zo7rUvrARvwRJ3dM6nQWgD9cBcEutgxH1z4/s1600/super+straight.bmp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCib2Hk5E3SJybDVp4IwjWFln2JuK1eTjtN88WPk406LlSdRqtDs48pFbP2e6Vd-HL2Bvyk4HgxefCh7D4zNY36idCDed9UxrdzE2CPlD_Zo7rUvrARvwRJ3dM6nQWgD9cBcEutgxH1z4/s320/super+straight.bmp.jpg" width="216" /></span></strong></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Super Straight!</span></strong> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have had my hair straight for about 4 years. I have absolutely loved it, but I am really missing my curls. About a year ago I decided I wanted to go back to my roots. Since the Japanese straightening just grows out, I figured that would be really hard to do- half super straight, half very curly...hmmm? My hair stylist recommended Keratin. It is a product that takes away 50% of the curl, all of the frizz, AND it washes out after about 4 months! It has been the "easiest" way to do it. However; my hair is about 2/3 of one texture: wavy and it is annoying!! I'm going to let the following pictures do the talking! </span></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j-SHlUdiIDEZxodhVWTNrnKm1giOPgVMHLkdVV3aLhKnjZ7lTHOoh6qMBQgawTGfIj0vZEuXD9ABipuiFahTT1fLv3dwmq5lUwSLNCX1mL7C_Ytct2Uj6eWbnaw82RoVBaCINxetv5A/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9j-SHlUdiIDEZxodhVWTNrnKm1giOPgVMHLkdVV3aLhKnjZ7lTHOoh6qMBQgawTGfIj0vZEuXD9ABipuiFahTT1fLv3dwmq5lUwSLNCX1mL7C_Ytct2Uj6eWbnaw82RoVBaCINxetv5A/s320/005.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>This is what my hair looks like when it air dries. Interesting...right?? </strong></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRSuSo2Vg039Njn9YF1aFv4viWtmAZDlaFSG_D5b-4PL6uQ-m28I2ZvA_JMnzhDa32wYVqU5RfK03qGJngi_ldsV4jgMbC1Bw1YNQ5XgDsHWWjMGTo0cUQYvgG26xC2QTVWeKQTWowEw/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRSuSo2Vg039Njn9YF1aFv4viWtmAZDlaFSG_D5b-4PL6uQ-m28I2ZvA_JMnzhDa32wYVqU5RfK03qGJngi_ldsV4jgMbC1Bw1YNQ5XgDsHWWjMGTo0cUQYvgG26xC2QTVWeKQTWowEw/s320/008.JPG" width="240" /></strong></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>I don't normally get it this straight. This is about 25 minutes after sectioning it off, drying and then straightening each section. Ugh!</strong></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table> <strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am SO ready to get back to my curly hair! Unfortunately, I don't think my hair will ever be as curly as it was before, but if I never have to pay $$$ to get my hair done again, I will be HAPPY! I was thinking, is it easier to go back to your natural hair color or texture?? Definitely color, because going back to your texture is annoying! I cannot wait to get the last bit of straight cut off! Hopefully by summer I will have natural beachy waves! :) </span></strong>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-7709258185359678272011-01-30T22:33:00.001-05:002011-01-30T22:36:24.317-05:00What a Tease!<strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You might be wondering what I am thinking is such a tease...the weather! This was the most beautiful weekend we have had in a very long time. The only problem is, it's the end of January!! If it was the end of March I would be feeling a lot better about things. I definitely savored every moment of the abnormally high January temps. I hit up the dog park at Piedmont Park on both Saturday and today. It was crazy crowded and it was actually kind of difficult to keep my eye on Dunk. He had the best time and was enjoying the weather just as much as I was. He got to go to the park again today AND I took him on a walk around Chastain. He definitely had his exercise for the day. A tired, well exercised boxer makes for a very happy and productive mom. Duncan also did quite possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen him do. I will try to make this story as short as possible. I was walking on the sidewalk on the street that runs alongside the golf course at Chastain when I noticed a group of about 4 people crowded around something. I thought maybe it was a runner that had fallen or something, considering it was a lot warmer than usual. When I got closer I noticed it was a dog and my stomach dropped because I really didn't want to see a dog that had just been hit by a car. As we got closer I heard someone say that the dog DID NOT get hit. What happened is the dog got loose from her owner and was running alongside the road with her leash on. Her leash got caught around a telephone pole and it yanked her backwards. I didn't see any of this happen, but was told by a witness. Well, Duncan knew that something was wrong and did everything he could to get to the very scared dog. I let Duncan go see what was up, but I was not expecting him to crouch down and lay right next to the other dog. Since I felt like he was in the way I pulled him up and began to walk away. He wasn't having that. He was pulling so hard towards the dog that I had no other choice but to let him go near her again. This time he laid right near her face (tail wagging the whole time) and then rested his head on her back. It's crazy that animals have that instinct to know when something is wrong. He wanted so badly to make her feel better and not scared anymore. The owners finally drove by, got their dog, and everyone lived happily ever after! :) It was an extremely awesome weekend, and I can't wait until more like this! </span></strong><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYNZEmyy0O1Vf95Po7xf-CgQTiFYbgJ2C3X6YBnbx8mLYefSEqT8YiHDPxC8o3GZJQCKYfs3WEPheJ-GwFurDkArchVwtfI53Vb34lXVqIykGJj91myuObfB6xzfmr7JMleeD5T7DM2w/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYNZEmyy0O1Vf95Po7xf-CgQTiFYbgJ2C3X6YBnbx8mLYefSEqT8YiHDPxC8o3GZJQCKYfs3WEPheJ-GwFurDkArchVwtfI53Vb34lXVqIykGJj91myuObfB6xzfmr7JMleeD5T7DM2w/s400/032.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Duncan enjoying the weather!</strong></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-7548289765676847482011-01-24T22:50:00.000-05:002011-01-24T22:50:32.481-05:00Thanks, Court!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Two posts in one night= awesome! After I did my last post I went on my sister's blog <a href="http://www.courtneyandgeorgegreen.blogspot.com/">www.courtneyandgeorgegreen.blogspot.com</a> and saw that she had changed her background to a very vibrant spring-like one. I then went back and looked at mine and it just made me feel cold. I also felt like I have had my fair share of snow and coldness, so I really couldn't look at it anymore. I think I started searching for a new layout at about 10:00, and now it's 10:45 and WAY passed my bedtime! I thank Courtney for making me realize how frigid and dreary my blog was looking. This is a nice update that I think I will have for a while; however, I really like updating the background and colors so it probably won't be up for as long as I would think. Hope you enjoy it! Time for bed. Good night :) </strong></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-85028361971091350012011-01-24T21:48:00.001-05:002011-01-24T21:49:44.567-05:00Sorry for Slacking!<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Wow, I have totally slacked at updating my blog for a solid week! Sorry! So in regards to my last post, I totally was not expecting to have a week off from work, yes a week! Since I knew it was 100% that it was going to snow on Sunday night I tried to figure out where I wanted to get 'snowed in.' I chose my parents' house because I figured it would be better to get stuck with other people around. It was a very good decision! When it started snowing, it was coming down HARD and it was really nice to be around my mom to experience it with. The predictions the weather made were actually spot on, which usually does not happen! I took Duncan out at about 9:45 p.m. and it was snowing really hard, but it was only sticking on the grass, trees, and back deck. About 20 minutes later (no joke) I looked out the window and the streets were completely covered! It probably snowed about three inches in 2 hours; needless to say I got the phone call that school would be closed. Little did I know it would be closed the next day, and next day, and next day....and so on. If it wasn't for the ice it would have been great! By Wednesday I had total "cabin fever" and really wanted to get back to my apartment as I had some things to do around my home. I took the chance, despite the continued icy conditions, and made the adventure back to Atlanta. And boy, was it an adventure! I took the back route out of the neighborhood so I would not slide down the front hill into either the guard house or the Chattahoochee River. Well, the back route wasn't easy either. There was a slight incline and my 2000 Honda Passport without 4WD decided it would be fun to go ice skating for 25 minutes. I gained speed before I went over the ice, but it wasn't enough. I stepped on the acceleration a tiny bit, and nothing but skidage. Finally a good Samaritan actually pushed me off the ice...thank you!! I enjoyed my time off for the most part, but making up the days will be a bit of a pain. I can definitely say that the thought of another snow day actually makes me cringe. I'm sure in a couple weeks I will feel differently, though. I am going to attempt to upload a video of one of my adventures during the "Winter Storm 2011." Hopefully I don't go so long without posting again! Thanks to everyone who reads this for being so patient! </span></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx_F1RLoyqZAT6xaQxH55sML4ah-K7DQ_0w2X5mlgv3PekDmdbjLAH5qyExuD7uHunlsxtMNkumjyYb5hzTMQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-82008422717920565422011-01-09T18:47:00.001-05:002011-01-09T18:48:42.863-05:00Why 'Milk and Bread?'<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Ok, so if you live in the south right now you know we are about to have a "very large winter storm." It's kind of funny because the combination of about 2 inches of snow and ice really makes everyone go crazy. I would totally understand if they were calling for this storm to last about 4 days, but it's really only supposed to last one. Of course I can't complain because I work for a school system... and you know what that means, no work! I am just so confused on why people go out and buy bread and milk. Do people sit around and eat bread and drink milk?? I had to run to target to get one ingredient for dinner and pretty much all of the bread and milk was gone- If only I had my camera! I totally understand if you are running out of those two items already, but if you're not....why?? Oh and let me say this again, it's only supposed to last one... maybe two days! I think people can go that long without bread and milk. The only thing I got because of the weather were some bones for Duncan to be occupied with. I also heard someone ask, "Where are the flashlights? I know a lot of them were sold out at other stores." Really?? I mean I love all of the hype, but sometimes it's a little ridiculous! Something else that is a little annoying is the fact that every county but the ones surrounding metro Atlanta are closed. Seriously, I have never seen so many school closings before! I know Fulton will be closed, but why wait so long to let us know? Welp, I'm gonna cook dinner, head on up to the rents, and hopefully enjoy the snow that they are calling for! Over n' out... or is over 'n out?! Oh well! </strong></span>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5630369042184269533.post-61910968794291092412011-01-02T21:02:00.000-05:002011-01-02T21:02:33.513-05:00Some New Additions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Before I begin my post I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year!</strong></span> <strong><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had a great NYE with my friends and am very optimistic for what 2011 has in store for me! This past week my mom and I went to Homegoods to look for a lamp to put on top of this awesome end table I got for Christmas. As we were walking through the store I spotted this amazing accent chair. All I had in my apartment at the time was a couch; not much seating for guests. When I spotted this chair, I knew I had to have it! If the good price didn't excite me enough, the sign that said "I recline" sure did! The colors in the chair go perfectly with the colors I already have in my apartment. Unfortunately, the pillows that I had purchased to go on my couch are a bit busy now with the addition of the chair. I was able to turn them around so the solid color is on the front and the pattern is on the back. I will definitely be buying some other ones...but probably next month when I have money. Needless to say, I'm really going to be stretching my money this month, but I could not resist this chair. I also got a 10% discount because there was a spot on the arm that my mom was able to get out very easily-an added bonus! I also got this awesome floor lamp and a shower curtain! It's crazy that I have lived in my apartment for 3 months and have only had a shower liner! I loved being at my cozy apartment before, but now with the chair, lamp, and end table I don't want to leave! It's crazy how much a lamp can make something feel so much more homey. Now all I need are some visitors! :) </span></strong><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P8r36o-oFg_pBUChUEV2m9ut9HwZ4_VxGEIawewpaNouwr_7mZX33eYPp6dQprxRNywY5MUIWhU_TGrougAZvMAigfLXrnYFd7nsO0mi6vDtuLElfo_EhQ_1LahSHSevZr9y_T2R1tY/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1P8r36o-oFg_pBUChUEV2m9ut9HwZ4_VxGEIawewpaNouwr_7mZX33eYPp6dQprxRNywY5MUIWhU_TGrougAZvMAigfLXrnYFd7nsO0mi6vDtuLElfo_EhQ_1LahSHSevZr9y_T2R1tY/s400/012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>The chair! </strong></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bDZNXjniFTxrzvA8BEoWtyAJzdVQ_9hUsa8wjTKCKvCaU9mvlJowaID6wHVPSN64sNXZxiBIUZTNigI1xwf3OctyUCfq8Di0Bv6FxAG7G4q9FGb8zuFGpckSrlAL5o6L2O-CCtlUg-8/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2bDZNXjniFTxrzvA8BEoWtyAJzdVQ_9hUsa8wjTKCKvCaU9mvlJowaID6wHVPSN64sNXZxiBIUZTNigI1xwf3OctyUCfq8Di0Bv6FxAG7G4q9FGb8zuFGpckSrlAL5o6L2O-CCtlUg-8/s400/030.JPG" width="400" /></strong></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>Obsessed with this! </strong></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4nGcll7UugH5wL4w0hr6ZUFvjuLBfz4BeNHqAfyS6ZyTFaNnujg9tbpUc1inkMoDbxwP87NuAbkHXjdmbjHL2CvS7DafHrTkQNKjiuyXCBcakX_Sr-n7BQLM8LoG2CJXIrdOF82zFY4/s1600/061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_4nGcll7UugH5wL4w0hr6ZUFvjuLBfz4BeNHqAfyS6ZyTFaNnujg9tbpUc1inkMoDbxwP87NuAbkHXjdmbjHL2CvS7DafHrTkQNKjiuyXCBcakX_Sr-n7BQLM8LoG2CJXIrdOF82zFY4/s400/061.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><strong>So cozy! There is a little boy peaking through the coffee table!</strong></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10534685966636157647noreply@blogger.com3