I seem to have rubbed off on him...

While eating reheated turnips leftover from Thanksgiving...

The Boy: Hey, let me try a bite. (of course, I oblige) Hm... not too bad.
Me: These are from Thanksgiving... didn't you try them then?
The Boy: I think so... these taste different.

Probably 15 minutes pass; he's playing a video game and I was doing research so I wasn't paying attention to him, only to look over and notice 1/2 of the turnips are gone.

Me: Aw... I have a boy who loves the turnips as much as I do.
The Boy: Well yea... what'd you do to them?
Me: I just doctored them a bit. Little butter, little salt and pepper...
The Boy: Well obviously everything's better with more butter, salt and pepper.

And with those words, he has made me the happiest, most proudest southern-girl-dating-a-Yankee in all the world.

More to come on the Thanksgivingness later this evening...

c'mon friday...

There is just something about this week that is making it feel like it is just strrrrrrretching out and like the weekend is just never going to get here. Classes and such have gone by quick, I just keep feeling like it's one day later in the week than it really is.

The Boy and I joined the gym last week and it's felt SO GOOD to get back into the swing of working out. I'm starting the half-marathon training again tonight (the first time since the knee issue this summer), so I'm excited for that. I just feel so much more rewarded when I'm running towards a goal, as opposed to just running for the heck of it.

I have a bit of work to do tonight, so I just prepped everything for supper and it feels super nice to know that when we get home from the gym, all I have to do is throw everything in the skillet and heat it through. The Boy is a big fan of these pita pockets I came up with from leftovers one night. I just saute one or two bell peppers, slice up an onion, throw in baby bella mushrooms, and add cooked chicken or steak, sliced up. I just heat it 'til it's warmed through, pack a pita, put a bit of reduced fat cheese on top and BAM, fastest (and reasonably healthy) supper ever. It's pretty tasty too.

We found out that one of our local movie theaters has Super Tuesday movies on Tuesday nights, which offers tickets for $5, as opposed to $8.50. It's still a nice theater and offers all the same movies... but much cheaper! I'm pretty pumped. We decided pretty quickly that that was going to be our new movie date night, which is fine by me. I sound like I'm about 90 years old, but most Friday nights, by the time we get home from being out at dinner (or now, the gym and ordering takeout), all I want to do is relax in bed with wine and The Sopranos (The Boy got the series set for Christmas and we've been slowly but surely working our way through every episode).

Just a little random... I washed a load of white clothes today and when I opened the lid of the washer to switch them over into the dryer, I couldn't help but smile: I love the smell of bleach. Not straight out of the bottle, but the smell of bleached white clothes. It's like I know in my mind that they're so clean and fresh and just... ahh. Love it.

If you notice, I added a little "widget" to the right side of my blog to track my running, which I'm excited about. It'll be nice to see the miles slowly build up.

I feel like I'm always just rapid-posting on blogs like this. I imagine it'd be a bit more easy if I updated more frequently...

Well I'm off to fold clothes then head out to meet The Boy and hit the gym. Looking forward to it!!

Y'all have a lovely Hump Day :)

so nice to nap.

It is SO nice to be home in the middle of the day. I am sort of soaking up all of these last days before I graduate and have to, you know... find a job and grow up. I came home, fixed a little lunch, and am curled up in my cozy bed. I plan on taking a little power nap-- thanks to a Brit Lit paper, I got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night. Believe me, staying awake this morning through Mathematical Thinking and Sixteenth Century Literature was just not working out all that great. I did, however, survive. After my nap, I'm thinking I'll be making a quick stop by the mall. I have a few things to return to Gap AND 30% off coupon, so I'm thinking new jeans are calling my name.

Now that I think about it, here are just a handful of the things I'm currently drooling over:

I am in. love. with this coat. I'm all about the gray or black sweaters or coats right now, worn over some type of white shirt and dark jean-- I'm lovin' it.

I've had a black wool peacoat for forever now, but I think since I've moved to the icy winter tundra of Boston, a cherry red replacement would be fitting, right?

I'm a HUGE sweater fan, and this just looks perfect for a cold, snowy day, all curled up under a blanket with a book and The Boy.

As I was saying... the black sweater with the white top. I have been on an avid hunt for a reasonably priced long black cardigan... and this just might be it.

I just love this plum color and think it'd be super cute with just jeans and boots or flats.

What can I say? I'm feelin' the flannel. The Boy is NOT a fan, but I think if he could see me in it, he'd have a different opinion. Hm... that sounded cocky. I think he just pictures a big, burly man when he thinks of plaid. Really now, though-- how stinkin' cute is this shirt?

...And this one.

I'll have to restrain myself from doing too much damage tonight. Control, Katie... it's all about control.

I just have to say that I think my mama and daddy would be proud of me. I gave up my seat this morning to an elderly woman on the train, and probably two stops later, the person that she had sat next to got off, so I took and the seat. She looked at me, smiled and said "And see? You were rewarded." It made me smile.

Also, the Santa Fe Crockpot Chicken gets BIG thumbs up. I followed the recipe pretty exactly, except that I added an additional half can of black beans, had to boil a noodle soup seasoning pack because I realized I had ZERO chicken broth, and definitely added more seasonings than just the suggested 1tsp of each. I also served it over Uncle Ben's Mexican Fiesta rice-- one of my favorite things in the world.

Tonight is leftovers, but I'm getting the menu planned for this week, so I'll post updates for that once I get them figured out.

lazy day at home.

I have had such a non-productive day today. Having a day off from class equaled a whole lot of nothing today... which was kind of nice. I lounged in bed for a really, really long time, avoided finishing a paper, put supper on to cook in the CrockPot (Santa Fe Chicken--I'll post how it comes out), watched Baby Mama from beginning to end, ate some lunch... and I think that might be just about it. I know. An award winning day for me.

I'm very bummed that my camera is broken. I can't remember if I posted that or not in the last blog, but it is. I might have spilled a bottle of green tea in my bag and my camera might have been floating in the lake of tea at the bottom. After sitting in rice for two weeks in an effort to dry out the liquid... it's a no go. RIP my Canon. Actually, it's Brian's Canon because mine was stolen out of my apartment last summer during realtor showings (I know, right?), so... RIP Brian's Canon.

I'm running a 5k on December 5. The Jolly Jaunt through Boston Common... and I'm really excited. My friend Erin told me about it and it's supposed to be pretty fun-- everyone runs in Santa-themed apparel. I'm thinking some type of Santa hat or hairband, and perhaps Santa-ish knee socks? I'll have to look into that. It feels so good to be running again though. The Boy and I are off to the gym tonight, and I can't wait. I've really, really missed it. I'm actually watching "Run, Fat Boy Run" right now and I'm kind of in love with it. I'm running the 5k, then a half marathon in May... and I'm hoping to maybe be ready for a marathon by next fall.

Well, I'm off to work on my paper. I have about three weeks left in my semester and then I will be FINISHED with school. I've hit my academic wall, I do believe. It is going to take every ounce of strength in my being to finish up this paper tonight. Wish me luck!

back in the saddle... with a little help.

Well, I haven't blogged in quite a while. No excuse, just haven't gotten around to it. Actually, I do have an excuse-- school. I have been so overwhelmingly overloaded with schoolwork, and it all dropped on me in this last week. The week before I was super busy planning The Boy's surprise birthday party, which came out wonderfully, without a single hitch. Then I pretty much rocketed into the next week, which was full of presentations and papers... but now I'm done. And I've found a handful of new blogs that just crack me up, so I feel like I've been re-inspired to blog on a regular basis. It IS getting towards the holidays, which is my favorite time of year... let's hope I can stick with it.

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while your blogging?
I am a perpetual snacker. It can be very dangerous for me to have snacks around me. It's not so much that I go for the junk food, rather that I just eat massive quantities of the healthy stuff I put together, which kind of cancels out the whole healthy part. I've been on a kick lately with pretzel rod dipping sticks and this Southwestern veggie dip that is nothing short of amazing. Sometimes Cheez-its, sometimes Triscuits... nothing too exciting.

2. What is one thing you don't want to live without?
Air conditioning. I may live in Boston now, but I am a Texan forever and always at heart, and Lord knows I need my air conditioning. Still to this day, if I go into a situation where there won't be air conditioning (which is a STAGGERING number of homes on the east coast), I mentally prepare myself and move as little as possible. I mean, the boyfriend's parents have AC but it has to be close to 90 for it to be turned on; the grandparents don't have it, period; everyone on my side of the family in Connecticut have window units. I've told The Boy that when we buy our first house someday, I won't pay it the slightest bit of attention unless CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONING is at the top of the amenities list.

3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?
Hm... I am a pale, heat-phobic Southern girl, but I love the beaches on the East coast. There's always a breeze and it just feels so different from the Texas coast. I could handle the beach, especially in the winter-- the ocean against the rocks when it's so cloudy and cold is just super romantic to me. Mountains = hiking; Farm = sweat in the hay with animal smells. No thanks.

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?
Doing the floors. I'm super OCD about cleanliness in the bathroom and kitchen, and the bedroom is always put together, but when it comes to doing the floors, may it be mopping, sweeping, or vacuuming, I just cringe. Hate it. I'd rather sort, wash, dry, fold, and put away laundry all day and night than do the floors.

5. Who do people say you remind them of?
A lady on the train in Boston once told me that I reminded her of a young Brooke Shields, but I think that she might have been drunk-- I don't see it.

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam?
Getting out every now and then is fun, but I am such a homebody at heart, it's not even funny. I'd much rather stay home on a Saturday and either cook all day or run errands then just hang out with The Boy at night.

7. What's your all time favorite movie?
A Christmas Story. I probably have 234 movies that I could say are my favorites, and most of them are holiday-related. Stepmom, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation... but A Christmas Story reigns above the rest. I love it. I crave it. I can recite it from beginning to end, with perfect timing. I get all tingly inside once November hits because I know that it won't be completely looked down upon if I pull the movie out.

The Boy claims he's never seen it, and we've never been together for more than 2 days during the holidays. He has no idea what he's in for.

8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night?
Definitely always take my makeup off. There are some nights, like last night, where I'm so gosh darn tired and fall asleep, but The Boy was wonderful and woke me up, saying something along the lines of "Hey, wake up. Go clean up or whatever you do." Ah, the romance. My biggest annoyance is my eye makeup. I'd live off of the makeup towelettes if they came anywhere close to getting the mascara off of my eyes, but I always have to go the extra step with eye makeup remover. Ah, well-- all in the name of beauty.

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?
I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano for some reason. I played the cello and clarinet when I was younger (so fabulously cool, I know), but there's just something so classic and beautiful about the piano.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?
I swear I have a part of my brain (probably the part that should retain the theories for my mathematical thinking class) that is devoted strictly to celebrity gossip, specifically celebrity babies. While some may be able to shoot off facts and trivia about movies, I can give the full name and a description of a celebrity's child/children. Not in a creepy way; they're just so darn cute! Also, and I should probably not be sharing this, but I can pick things up with my toes. Literally. Freaked The Boy right out the first time he saw it. Ah well-- welcome to living together!

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?
Well he's just The Boyfriend right now, but I'd have to say his sense of humor... and then his eyes. He has pretty fabulous greenish-hazel eyes.

12. What is something you love to smell?
A fresh cut Christmas tree. Home when my mama's had a pot roast in the oven. Fresh baked bread, for sure.

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.
I get really distracted when I tell stories, like completely forget where I was going with the story from when I started. I can also be very OCD and organized about things, which can be a positive but can also just irk people right up the wall.

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it?
I'd have to say I head towards the mall-- Ann Taylor Loft has been my soft spot lately.

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?
Silent. Really silent. Even when I have tears rolling down my face, I swear no sound comes out. The Boy can make me laugh harder than anyone.

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Ann Taylor Loft, Gap

17. What is one thing you would do more often if you had more time?
Either read or go to the gym. I make it to the rec center at school, but I'd love to just have an open schedule to make it to all of the classes that I like so much, which are obviously earlier than the times that I manage to get in there.

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?
Before I lived alone, I was for sure a big spender... cause I wasn't spending my money. Now that I live on my own and have all of the big girl responsibilities... I would have to say I'm more frugal.


19. Who is your favorite character of all time? (from a movie or a book, can't be real)
Perhaps Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

20. Would you want to be famous?
I'd love the perks of being famous (um, hello vacations and free clothes!), but the loss of privacy just wouldn't be worth it.

back on the treadmill again...

Well, if all had gone as previously planned, I would be victorious today in having completed my first half marathon road race yesterday. Due to my right knee rebelling against my body and nature, training had to be slowed/halted, and I've slowly been working back up to SLOWLY training and SLOWLY getting used to the intense workouts. I had worked up to 9 miles on my long weekend runs, and it felt so unbelievably amazing to know that I was successful at such a physical challenge. I've never been a runner (or even someone that one would consider athletic), so it was really big for me to set this goal for myself... and even bigger for me to have to pull out. Over the past few weeks though, I've come to realize something that I never, ever thought I would admit to.

I miss running.

I miss getting into a rhythm with my "work it out" playlist and just disappearing into myself.
I miss feeling my body get more and more used to the workouts, being able to run longer distances with less exertion/pain/exhaustion each time.
I miss seeing my body change before my eyes as parts of me toned up that I never before even knew had muscle.
I even miss the agonizing first twenty minutes or so of a run, when all you want to do is get off the treadmill/track but keep pushing because you know once you push through you'll be so happy with yourself at the end.

So I found a few races that are in the spring. That gives me October-February or March (depending on which one I choose) to train and get back into my groove. I'm pumped. I am so pumped.

And now, for real, I'm off to the gym. I have a date with a treadmill.

The Hyannis (Half) Marathon- February 27, 2010

The Great Hyannis Road Race- May 29, 2010

home to TEXAS!!

As of this moment, three days from now, I will be home in Texas. There's nothing quite like flying up and away from the pretty pretty fall foliage in New England and descending down upon the dry, dead flat lands of Texas. My cousin is getting married on Saturday and I, as one of her bridesmaids, obviously had to make the trip to be there. I... cannot wait. I think that I feel so excited not only because I'm (obviously) excited to see my family and my Lucy & Bandit, but because this trip completely snuck up on me. I feel like it was just last night that The Boy and I booked our tickets, and just now I had to sit down and figure my homework schedule out for this week so I don't have to bring too terribly much home with me to work on because WE LEAVE THURSDAY.

It will definitely be a jam-packed weekend: we fly in Thursday morning a teensy bit early (as in our flight leaves Boston around 6am), land in Austin around 11:30, then head home to just relax and catch up. Friday my mom and I have to find tearaway basketball pants for my dad to wear, new black heels for myself, and most likely cram in a lunch of Mexican food (while I try and ignore the fact that my bridesmaid dress awaits me Saturday), then Brian and I will hurry off to the rehearsal/rehearsal dinner, and *fingers crossed* the tailend of a Wildcat game so he can see some highly ranked senior (like seriously-- this kid's on the national "watchout" list for college recruitment. If you're not blown away like my boy was, no worries-- I just fake it for the smoothness of our relationship). Saturday I have a haircut appointment at 10 then a (sort of) updo appointment at 11, then I have to meet my cousin at the ceremony location by noon for the wedding at 4. Brian flies back to Boston Sunday morning (work Monday), but I fly out Monday night (holiday Monday = no classes for me!), so I'm really looking forward to doing a bunch of nothing and just being with the family for a bit. I'll be back for two or so weeks at Christmas, but this little break is certainly looked forward to and appreciated.

I've been horrible about posting pictures (and actually just posting in general), but I have two reasons.
1) I lost my camera cord.
2) I've been so busy, there hasn't been tons of stuff going on outside of school and studying and football on the weekends.

I DID get all productive and Suzy Homemaker-ish yesterday and made a pot roast and garlic mashed potatoes for our supper last night, and a pot of my sauce and turkey meatballs to freeze for two upcoming meals! I have phone pictures of that, so I'll post those in the next post.

Anyways... I have to do a bit of work, then it's off to the gym for a while. I'm determined to find my camera cord... Red Sox and birthday party pictures are just itchin' to be included in a post.

Down for the count...

Sick. I am so, so sick. This one came completely out of nowhere. I literally woke up Thursday morning with a bit of a scratchy throat, which I dismissed because that happens often. Well, by lunchtime I could barely swallow and once 1:45 hit and I was done with class for the day, I asked The Boy if I could take his car to come home early. Yesterday added a stuffy head and a runny nose, and today piled on all kinds of congestion and a headache. I guess it's a good thing that it happened early (and right before a weekend), because if this was in the middle of the semester with tons of school work or starting on a Monday where I had to deal with this all week... things would not be good. The Boy has been taking wonderful care of me though-- he's been right there with lots of hugs and juice cups and soup deliveries. It's nicer than I could possibly say. For the past two years, whenever I got sick, I just had to kind of cope with things on my own. Now I have him here to take care of me... and that's a wonderful feeling.

Plus he can stomach looking at me, puffy eyes, Vicks smeared under the red nose, scraggly cough and all. That alone gets big points.

I've been super on top of the meals and such. I'm quite the nerd-- I sit in my Thursday class just beyond antsy, hardly being able to wait to leave. Why, you ask? The new grocery store ads come out on Thursdays. I hurry over to the library, snag a computer, and browse for new recipes for the week. This week's menu looks like this:

Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad
Turkey Jack Chimichangas
Chicken and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce
Eggplant Patrice

I'm trying to either completely cut-out or have very few carbs for dinner. Everything this week is completely healthy, which is exciting. We also brought over Brian's elliptical from his parents' house and set it up in our room. It's so nice to be able to come home, if I don't have time to make it to the gym, and just hop on the machine for an hour or so. I'm trying to turn things around and really get back into a healthy swing again. Having the boy for motivation is also super helpful.

My head's feeling pretty foggy now and I can't find my cord to upload pictures from the last couple of weeks, so I'm done for now. More to come later.

first day of school ever... a day too early.

Yesterday morning was my last first day of school EVER.

Well actually... I thought that Tuesday was. Literally. I got up, had my outfit picked out, packed The Boy's lunch, ate breakfast, and loaded myself into the car so he could drop me off at the train. I had my lovely red bag with me and kept thinking that I looked kinda cute. I mean, come on-- it was my LAST first day of school EVER.

So I get to campus, which is totally packed, and I'm thinking "Oh, exciting... all of the little freshmen are in their tour group!" (in the back of my mind I was thinking that I was pretty sure tour groups are finished by the first day of school, but I digress...). I had about an hour to waste before my "first class", so I figured I'd find my building and scope out my classrooms so I'd know where I was going. A tiny red flag (alright, really tiny, more light pinkish) went up when I walked into the quite empty building, which is usually super busy (thanks to a sandwich/coffee shop on the first floor). I headed to the second floor, trying to quiet my flip flops and their noise so that I didn't distract all of the classes going on around me. I then took the elevator to the fourth floor, only to have the doors slide open to reveal... two men laying tile. My first thought was "Now THAT'S going to be inconvenient when classes start in the next hour or so..." It was at this point that I tried to giggle and play off the fact that I was looking for a class that probably wasn't in session. I sweetly asked which way the classrooms were, tiptoed around the corner, and quickly Googled (thank God for the iPhone) "northeastern university first day of class." Sure enough, to my big surprise, it said "classes will begin on Wednesday, September 9, 2009." My jaw dropped.

I emailed The Boy. I called my Dad. I called my Mom. None were all that surprised with me. All laughed extremely hard. I texted my best friend Amanda, who informed me that this move quite possibly topped her setting her alarm for 8pm instead of 8am, resulting in her sleeping through her first college class ever (hahah I remember it and I heart it).

Needless to say, it made yesterday, the actual first day of class, quite anticlimactic.

Also, the biggest thought flashing through my head was of how big, in a fat red marker, I'm going to write "_____'s FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!" on my calendar when I have babies someday. Mama won't mess THEIR big day up, nosir.

So far I've been to my math class and my sixteenth century British literature class.

Math... hm. Math and I are on opposing teams. I quite literally have anxiety attacks when mathematical circumstances/issues/problems are put in front of me. Numbers just do not process in my mind. When The Boy was away at school and I would order takeout, I'd call him so he could figure out my tip. It's quite sad, but at this point I just accept it. It's also sad (and yes, I'm kicking myself now) for the fact that I waited until my last semester of college to take my math class. Mathematical Thinking-- applying logic and math to real world situations. I may just die. Seriously. Not only is it already confusing, after two days of class, but every other kid in there is a freshman. An 18 year old newbie. I'm a 24 year old "get me the hell outta here" veteran. When I saw one girl with "Class of 2013" on her sorority shirt, I thought "Psh, yea right. I just graduated in 2004 and that's like, 9 years from when she'll graduate." Then it sunk in-- I graduated FIVE years ago and 2013 is only FOUR years away. Holy goodness...

My British lit class is going to be challenging, no questions about it. My professor is head of the English department and stressed today during the orientation that she accepts nothing but the best from her students, meaning she gets only the best from her students. It's going to be a lot of writing and reading. I have my other two classes tomorrow, which I'm sort of/ not really looking towards. I'm just so over school and so ready to be getting on with things.

in other news...

I've cooked every night this week. Monday night was Creamy Pork Tenderloin which got fab reviews from The Boy, Tuesday night was Chicken Marsala, last night I used up leftover chicken from Tuesday night to make Chicken Stir-Fry Pitas, and tonight was a WW recipe-- Southwestern Skillet Macaroni and Cheese, which was really good. I promise, I'm going to start taking pictures of the cooking-ness going on. No bad recipes yet though... this is good.

It's really feeling like fall here, which makes me pret-ty excited and happy!! The weather is cooler and the humidity is gone. I was also at Walmart today and they had all of their fall/Halloween decorations out-- love it! I might have also had a PMS-fueled shopping spree before I left because somehow Halloween Oreos, Sour Patch Kids, Coconut M&MS, Goldfish, and a Diet Dr. Pepper made their way into my arms (didn't even have a basket, just freakin' scooped them up as I saw/passed/had to have them). I'd take a picture, but I might have busted into one or three of the items already.

Note to other SPK lovers-- Walmart sells a 30.4 oz bag. If you have tastebuds that can stand it, go for it.

We have fun fall stuff coming up, which also makes me excited. I want to go to a wine fest in Boston at the end of this month, but that plan is tentative. The Boy and I were also invited to our first wedding-related event from HIS side-- his best friend's sister is getting married and they're having an Oktoberfest engagement party for the couple. The invitation came today and I may or may not have already started thinking about cute fall-ish outfits. We're going apple/pumpkin picking once the leaves start to change with Candice and Ricky (and I'd imagine Bridget)... which I heart. Candice also turns 21 in ten days-- also exciting (although it did hit me today that while she's just now turning 21 and being able to drink, I'm turning 24 in December... old.) Nicole gets married on October 10, so we're flying home to Texas for that weekend, which I'm so looking forward to.

On that note, I'm off to look for plane tickets. A month from today I'll be home and I still have no ticket purchased. Ah, procrastination...

hook 'em horns... and TGIF \m/

Ah, it's Friday. Lovely, lovely Friday.

In all honesty, I've done nothing the last four days in this condo and am excited that it's now a three day weekend for the sole fact that I won't have to be alone for the next three days. Then classes start for me on Tuesday and hey!, I'm on my way to graduation.

As you can probably tell, I've had a very uneventful last few days.

This also means I have very little to talk about.

I have cooked dinner every night this week, which has gone quite well. Monday night I turned leftover steak into steak pitas (so good), Tuesday was chicken tenders with rice pilaf, Wednesday night was tacos with black beans and rice, and last night was crockpot macaroni and cheese. While I've enjoyed it and it feels so good to go to the grocery store once and have all of the week's meals planned out... I'm ready for a break. We're ordering in Thai tonight and I'm hoping for either a celebratory bottle of wine or a handful of lovely beers for surviving our first week. I'm really going to start taking pictures of supper... it's kind of the whole point of talking about what I'm cooking.

I can't figure out how to get into a good blog flow like so many of these other bloggers have. I think maybe I'm just not feeling the blogging today.

I'm done. No focus and this is going ab-so-lute-ly nowhere.

An Ikea trip is in store for tomorrow. I'm also making dip for college football kickoff weekend. Perhaps a more exciting blog post will result from that.

Hook 'Em!!

settling in... finally.

Hi y'all.

I figured it was about time that I came up with a blog that everyone can read. I've always written them and just set them to private, since they were more of a personal journal than anything. I kind of like the idea of feedback though, so I'm all for putting myself out there for y'all to get to know. Lots has happened in the last week or so, and is
going to continue happening, so I thought now would be as good a time as any to get started.

The biggest thing of the moment is probably that I moved in with The Boy. Finally, finally we (and his dad) moved me out of my apartment in Boston and over the next few days (seriously... all weekend long) unpacked.

I don't think that I will ever have to go shopping again, because after looking at the amount of clothes that I have... it's a little nauseating. Actually, unpacking all of the clothes was the nauseating part. I can now say that I unpacked six suitcases, two 2-foot high boxes, a duffle bag, and a laundry basket of clothes.

The unpacked suitcases waiting to be hauled off to his parent's house:

Just to give you an idea, this is our closet. What belongs to The Boy? The six or so shirts hanging on the left of the closet, the gray sneakers below them, and the baseball glove on the top shelf:

Left side- Bri. Right side, floor, and top shelf- Katie. Doesn't look too terrible, right?
Ah, let me give you a side view, down the closet, as well:

I know. It's bad. He has no clothes in there yet either.

I've worked so hard to get our room put together, and it's finally just about there. He still has to hang my mirrors, picture frames, his beloved autographed Jon Lester poster, shelves, etc., but other than that, we're just about done (thank goodness).

The view from the door (closet's to the left and behind me):

View from in front of the closet:

I've done laundry and made grocery lists all day, so I'm pumped to head to the store when he gets home from work and pick up everything for our dinners this week. Right now, since I have a lull before classes start, it kind of feels like I'm playing house every day. I wake up in the morning and make The Boy's lunch, then get up/straighten up/clean/do laundry, then just kind of wait for him to get home to start our evening.

Now that I read back on this, my last week or so sounds dreadfully boring. Still reading?

I head back to school a week from today (or tomorrow. Or possibly yesterday. I should probably check that out...), and I have to say that I'm pretty excited about that. I bought my new notebooks this weekend and have my new school bag... I'm ready to start this semester and finish up school forever!!

One thing that I'm really excited about for this blog is posting pictures of what I cook. I have SOO many recipes that I'm going to be trying, and I love reading cooking blogs and seeing the pictures that Bloggers post of their cooking adventures, so I figured what could be more fun than posting my own stuff? Plus, it's almost the fall and I have to admit that there are few things that make me happier than good, hearty, cold weather food.

I'm still training for my half marathon, but I'm going to be picking a spring date, as opposed to the October 4th date that I had previously been working towards. I've hurt my knee recently and it's taking a long time to get back into a rhythm. It's so frustrating, because I can have the best workout and run for 5 or 6 miles, then wake up the next day with absolutely horrible pains in my right knee.

My goal is to update at least every other day, since this is a big way for me to keep the family updated. I'm off to get ready and fold a load of laundry.

And P.S., for anyone who may be interested-- Delilah has adjusted very well and is loving her new home.


**update**
I just uploaded all of my pictures and boy, does it look plain (and a bit messy). Clothes on the bed, thigns on the floor, boxes still unpacked... Like I said though, I'm getting there. Pictures, for sure, when everything's done.