thoughtful thursday.

*For the first time in a looong time, I have been working out intensely... and today my body is intensely hurting. I'm not really to the "Ooh, this feels great" stage yet, more like "I hope I don't look too awkward walking down the hall and no you DIDN'T push me to pass me going up the stairs!" But I cannot lie-- it feels amazing, in a very twisted way.

Last week was a lazy awful week in the gym, which I can attribute solely to the fact that I reacted to a new tinted moisturizer and had an awful allergic reaction... ON MY FACE. It was terrible and painful and oh my word, I couldn't wear makeup. So it was terrible and awful for those having to look at me as well. After a .1 gain last week (and the Brie binge with my friend this past weekend), I knew it was time to step into high gear. That and the fact that we have about a billion events to attend between now and July which will feature my bare arms and shoulders, and this keeps repeating in my head:


And so I'm running, lifting weights, squatting my bum off (literally- ha!), and slowly working in ab exercises. I hate abs. Truly. Like I'd rather squat a thousand reps than get on the floor for 15 minutes. Anyways... the body is sore today.

*My shuttle to work was packed this morning so I had to take one of my least fav seats-- the middle on the back row. My feet don't quite touch the floor and you inevitably end up with someone squished next to you-- I prefer being the inside seat against the window so human interaction is only necessary on one side. Regardless, it was my one option. The seats to my left and right were both empty and we still had two more stops, so I assumed someone would claim at least one. Well. At the last stop a gal walked towards me, eyeing the seat, and I moved my stuff to my lap so the seat was completely open. She looked at it, glanced at me, and remained standing. Oh. No. She. Didn't. I may not be skin and bones but it is not like I was overlapping into the seat. So the girl just stood there with her bag of Diet Dr. Pepper and lettuce and an orange (swear on it - I could see through her dinky plastic bag)... as I settled back into my seat with my Kindle. Be that way, skinnyBITCH! See who's cozy all the way to work and who gets flung around when our driver takes crazy curves. Mhm.

*A lady passed me walking into work this morning who had her arms out in front of her as if she were Frankenstein. I feel bad because it's very possible that something was physically wrong with her... but it also scared the bejeezus out of me when I looked up and saw her coming.

*It's going to cost ONE HUNDRED BUCKAROOS to have my Texas license converted to a Massachusetts license. I can think of about a hundred different things I'd rather spend that money on, including


and any of the Kindle books currently on my Amazon "To Read" list.

*There was a brief household argument last night. I got mad and instead of brushing my teeth and going to bed, I went to the bedroom to take deep breaths, pulled out my old battered copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and my stashed bar of Trader Joe's Milk Chocolate Truffle. As I laid there gnawing on the gosh dang bar, wondering where all of my healthy living composure had gone, I realized it flew right out the window when PMS knocked on my door. Good times.

*I'm helping to host a nautical wedding shower in April, and I'm lov-ing this dress:

Thoughts? Opinions?

*Lastly, it's Thursday. Can I get an amen?


'Til later, my lovelies!
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I may not blog, but I sure do PIN!!

***If you're here for "Oh How Pinteresting Wednesday!" and would rather not be caught up to speed on my lost wallet and other randomness, feel free to scroll on down to the fun stuff!!***

Can I just say that I've faithfully stayed away from the blogging world out of pure common courtesy for my lovely readers? It is true. Other than one of my best friends spending last weekend with us while in town interviewing for a residency program (such a smarty, she is!), things have been pretty uneventful and, well, kinda boring.

*I lost my wallet last Wednesday. That was not boring. It was somewhat tragic. It was my little Coach wristlet (one of the first gifts Brian gave me when we first started dating 57 years ago) and held
  • my debit card (Can I just say that you don't realize how convenient that darn rectangle of plastic is until it's GONE and you have to rely on your boyfriend being your supplier as you transfer him money and he has to withdraw and disperse)
  • my train pass (This was the easiest thing to replace, thank God. The monthly fare for unlimited train/bus rides is taken from my check once a month and automatically renews-- uber convenient. Until you lose it. Since it's (again) just a rectangle of plastic, anyone could pick it up and swipe to their heart's content. Parking Services simply charged me $5 to cancel the old card and give me a new, and everything rolled over-- no new charges!)
  • MY. TEXAS. DRIVERS. LICENSE. "But Katie... you live in Massachusetts. Shouldn't have a license for the state you've lived in for FOUR YEARS?" Why yes... I probably should. There is still a part of my heart that cannot fully commit to living in Boston (and honestly, probably never will), so when my old license expired, my wonderfully amazing parents managed to renew my Texas license and overnight FedExed it to me (nevermind that the rush was due to the fact that we were attending a beer festival the next day and I HAD to have an ID to get in). It was my picture from when I was 18 and pale and still a Texan. And it's gone. To me, everything was replaceable except for that. I'm the biggest sentimentalist you'll ever meet, so once it hit me that I'd have to go through the (God-awful, mind-numbingly painful) process of transferring my records to get a MA license... I was heartbroken. On the bright side, I found my ORIGINAL expired license and have it tucked into my wallet. Just having that little piece of me kind of makes up for the fact that my license will now look like this

instead of this.

Texas just LOOKS better, right? I know... I know.

*The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl. I could personally care less, but on the brightside, we're hosting a Super Bowl Party! Next week's Pins will revolve solely around that little shindig, promise!

*As I said, one of my best friends was in town this past weekend. She'd never been to Boston so we trekked from Harvard to downtown, took approximately 253 pictures, drank lots of wine and ate our weight in Thai food and Brie, and had time to sit down and have serious girl talk. Needless to say, I'm already missing her!

*******************************

Now? Now, we shall Pin. I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple today for Oh, how PINTERESTING Wednesday!

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This reading nook? Yes, please.




Kahlua-Pecan-Brown Sugar Baked Brie. Might as well eat while on the treadmill but oh. yes.


Source: imgfave.com via Katie on Pinterest



True story.




Love this housewarming gift!




I love every single detail of this outfit.




Speaking of outfits-- is it summer yet?


Source: tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest



Do not even try to deny it.





Burberry rainboots... WITH TASSELS!




Amen.


Source: tumblr.com via Katie on Pinterest



So if Brian asks anyone what I'd love for Valentine's Day, kindly do not hesitate to point him towards this. little. guy.





Love this. Love it completely.


Happy Wednesday, my lovelies!!
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Just one'a them mornings...

Last night, I made sure to be in bed by 10:30. I may have laid there and browsed on Facebook for another 20 minutes or so but still-- I was in the bed. My alarm was set for 4:50 so that I could get up and get to the gym this morning by 5 (just walkin' over to the fitness center in the freezing cold with my mace, no big deal). And I'm not cray cray, I promise. I'm for sure more of a morning person than a night owl, and getting my workout done in the morning is a positive because

a) I'm usually still in a sleep-fog and hardly remember the workout once I'm back home and in the shower-- score!
b) My commute home every day is an hour to an hour and a half, depending on traffic and weather and such, so if I work out at night, I literally walk in the door, put on my gym clothes, book it over to workout, rush back to shower and cook dinner, then collapse on the couch. This equals zero evening downtime for me.
c) Any eating plans/goals that I have for the day stay SO MUCH MORE on track if I've worked out and know I don't want to ruin that 5am run with a Snickers bar at 3pm. Mhm, that is a completely hypothetical situation.

Ah, well... as motivated and determined as I was to get up this morning, my body apparently had other plans. For some reason I have just not been sleeping soundly lately-- I wake up all night long, toss and turn, and wake up with my neck and shoulders being super tight and sore and feeling completely unrested. It's the weirdest thing. And although I was on Facebook last night, I rarely do that, nor do I read on my Kindle before bed, or watch TV. Basically, I'm as "technologically removed" as I can possibly be and still feel all jazzed up. Le frustration.

4:50- Alarm goes off. I reset it for 5.
5:00- Alarm goes off. I reset it for 5:15.
5:15- Alarm goes off. I throw myself out of bed (angrily... very angrily) and take my stack of clothes (see?! I even planned ahead last night and laid my clothes out!) to the bathroom. Brush teeth, stare in mirror... is that a headache I feel coming on? Why, again, am I making myself go to the gym this morning? We're having dinner with friends tonight so I'm NOT cooking which means I have ample time once I'm home from work and that means... Back into bed. Set alarm for 5:45.
5:45- Alarm goes off. I turn it off and check my email (morning routine) as I hear next to me... a spouting of gibberish. Turn to Brian and ask what he said. More spouting of gibberish... and giggling. He doesn't giggle, so this is really creepy. I move to sit up and head to the shower and hear "Hey *gibberish* the email from the sent email folder *giggling*" Profoundly disturbed, I get on with my morning routine.

Already feeling a little "WTF just happened?," I come to see that our shower is draining reallllly slowly (and the stopper is attached and won't come off! Is this normal in an apartment? We get charged if a plumber has to come out and I feel like this is a conspiracy against renters-- make stopper impossible to remove so tenant cannot fix problem on own and must call complex's maintenance men. This equals $$$ in the complex's pocket. Brian said I'm overreacting... I say he's naive.) and am I disgusted at having to stand in undraining water. Despite having the fan on and the bathroom door open, AM DYING FROM TOO MUCH HEAT when I step out of the shower.
Put on makeup, which comes out looking a bit too dewy for January.
Angrily put on tights (which are sticking to my lotioned body) while standing in front of the fan in the bedroom.
Wake Brian up and can't help but laugh to myself when he asks if we had a conversation this morning. We would have had a conversation had I understood the gibberish coming from your mouth, thank you very little.
Put on sweater dress and immediately feel as though my body is wrapped in plastic wrap (fat day, anyone?).
Moodily throw things into lunch bag while Brian stays out of the way and tells me he'll make my coffee (we take it in traveler mugs daily now-- so economical and budget-friendly, I tell you what...).
Hurry back into bedroom and stare into closet while ripping sweater dress from my body.
Wander into kitchen in my tights, black and white striped socks, and tank top. From Brian: "Do you realize that it's 7:06?"
Put on the next outfit that I see-- black skirt, white top, black sweater/cardigan thing, brown boots. Brian went to start the car so I gather my stuff and lock the door, only to walk down the stairs and see... snow. Lots of it. Well not a lot, but enough to remind me that my riding boots have ZERO traction. Fortunately I did not fall, though all of the tension that I carry in the winter months from clenching every muscle in my body while walking in an effort not to let the ice and slush defeat me immediately came back.

So. My morning could have been worse. I suppose my clothes could not have fit, my coffee could have spilled and I could have slipped on the ice (knocking on wood REALLY. HARD.) On the bright side, my day is already looking up-- it almost always does.

BODY-WISE...
I'm off to the gym tonight for a good run and some strength training. My body is finally getting back to the point where it MISSES being worked out. I just know that when I get home at night, I have to immediately head to the gym. If I dawdle, sit, or good Lord LAY DOWN, I'm done. It's all about routine for me. And training-- I have to pick my half still. I was planning on one in March, but I don't think that's workable due to our overly busy schedules. Between that and coordinating with my parents, picking this first date is turning out to be a doozy. Regardless, I'm working on narrowing down options now- exciting/terrifying!!

Also, I weighed in Saturday. First week on WW Points Plus = -4.6. Holy. Cow.

And with that, my lovelies, I wish you a happy Tuesday!
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What do I Pin now that Christmas has passed?

Unrelated to this Pinteresting post: boyfriend surprised me with a date night last night and shuttled me off to PF Changs for supper (yea, that was fun to under-estimate WW points, psh) and then to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Now, I know that Robbie Downey, Jr. had a moment of cray cray a few years ago, but I think he's recovered with all of the style and quirkiness that makes him HIM and can imagine no other actor playing this part! I said that to Brian and he immediately threw out Johnny Depp's name, but I disagree-- I might be the one woman on the planet who does not see the appeal in Mr. Depp... like at all. The long, greasy hair, the eyeliner... doesn't do it for me. Mr. Downey on the other hand... he's easy on my eyes!

Long story short, go see this movie! I liked it a lot more than the first Sherlock.


...

Honestly? I spent a lot of my time pre-Christmas Pinning things that I wanted to accomplish during Christmas. Looking back... I Pinned a lot of things that NEVER HAPPENED. They were never created, baked, organized or refinished. But oh well. That's what the whole new year is for, am I right?

Since I'd like to both enter and go out of 2012 with a bang, I'll share a few lovelies that have inspired me in one way or another lately. I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple for Oh, how Pinteresting! Wednesday, per usual-- stop by and check in with all of the fellow linker-uppers!

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This wraparound porch melts the southern girl inside of me.




Love this.




No wedding planning yet, but I love this sweet little addition to a place setting!




To all of the "Ohh you're being GOOD today" commenters at work, I say:




I might THINK this... a lot. A lot a lot.

Source: piccsy.com via Katie on Pinterest




Superbowl Party Planning 101



I'll take one of each, please.




Looove my Marley Lilly-- a monogrammed double casserole tote!




Next project: a tray for our new ottoman!




Individual dip cups! Messes & community double-dippers no more.




Oh, Pheebs :)

Source: 9gag.com via Katie on Pinterest




My current mantra.




A sweet way to start the day... if we both remember to do it.




Happy Housewarming! Could I justify making/giving this for/to myself?




Amen.

Source: piccsy.com via Katie on Pinterest




Maybe I'll just spend the next 44 days getting ready for Valentine's Day. I'm a BIG believer in the V-Day.




Happy Wednesday, my lovelies!
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Effort? It's worth it.

In keeping with my resolution to be the best girlfriend I can be, I went the extra mile yesterday... and it was noticed!

Brian and I both took advantage of our last day off and slept in (me until 9 and him until the extreme of almost 12pm, but that is neither here nor there).

Other than wanting to catch up on sleep, this was also due in large part to the television/Showtime genius that is HOMELAND.


If you have not seen this, stop what you're doing and find it On Demand, download it from somewhere, add it to your Netflix queue... get this into your life. I'm usually not a huge fan of political-ish/thriller shows like this (except for the old Tom Clancy books/movies where Harrison Ford played swoon-y Jack Ryan. No one plays a good CIA guy like Harry), but the material and characters of this show go above and beyond. As in... we started watching it Sunday afternoon, made it through seven episodes and went to bed at 2am, then resumed watching it last night and finished the final five episodes.

An entire season in less than 24 hours. Coming from the two people who finished the entire series of Friday Night Lights in under three weeks, this must be good TV (and yes, go ahead and admit it-- you wish you could use your time as wisely and productively as we do, correct?).

The one negative about our experience is that the finale JUST aired on TV, so we have like... a bajillion days to wait for the next season to start. Regardless, we will be waiting for good ole Claire to return. Except for Brian, who saw her name run through the credits after watching at least three episodes and said "Wait... Claire Danes is in this? Is that the wife?" "... How do you NOT know who Claire Danes is?" "Why WOULD I know who she is?"

Am I crazy in thinking everyone knows who Claire Danes is? If not being able to identify her body of work (which, let's be real, kind of narrows down to Romeo + Juliet with lovely Leo and My So Called Life), at least her face? Also? This is who he thought the name "Claire Danes" matched to:


I know. I know.

So. The girlfriend effort.

Once I was awake, I headed to the gym and came back to make breakfast and take in three cups of coffee, hoping that it would give me the motivation to start taking down Christmas. While the caffeine just made me jittery, one hidden hook in the carpet jumpstarted me into gear, and down came the ornaments, the pine boughs, the candy canes hung with ribbons (Pinterest fail). We gagged at the tree water and I dutifully took pictures as Brian hauled the massive mess outside, where he proclaimed he was going to walk it to the dumpster/tree graveyard we'd found. After reminding him that this jaunt he was planning was not as brief as he'd imagined, we heaved and pushed the tree into the back of the Jeep.

Now, I feel like I can pull off the casually cute/ vacation day shabby look semi-well. Yesterday? It was not one of those days. I might have rocked this getup to sit around the apartment and then take out the tree:

bad day



Tres attractive, non?

After Christmas was demolished, Brian had to run to Best Buy and I opted to stay behind and get things done (catch up on Scouted (fab TV, E!) and fold clothes). Sitting cross-legged on the floor, I couldn't help but notice the angry red glare coming from my legs. It was a glare of shame. The fleece was shaming me. Brian has mentioned before how much he just loves those pants (bigfatlie) but they're comfy and warm so I wear them when most other options are in the wash/laundry. Add the contrast of the red to my burnt orange tshirt and air-dried hair and I knew I was looking rough-ish.

Off came the fleece, on went the jeans. A dab of concealer, mascara and blush and a quick blowdry and curling iron attack later, and I felt like a new woman. Truly-- it was a complete transformation, inside and out. I zipped around, straightened things up, put more laundry on to wash and was prepping dinner (at 1pm... I'm telling you-- new woman!) when Brian walked in, toting a large McD's Diet Coke, no less.

"Wow. You look cute."

DINGDINGDING!!

Points for me!

Don't get me wrong here: Brian loves me regardless of whether I'm wearing my favorite sweatshirt and have no makeup on, or if I'm all dressed up for a night out... and I love him for that. Even though we're all about the comfort, I always do my hair to an extent and try to at least look semi-loungey-put together when we're just at home. The evenings are usually my time for the gym, so I go straight from work clothes to gym clothes to pajamas. But after seeing his sweet (as in kind, not awesome) reaction yesterday, I realized it's the tiny little efforts like putting on a pair of jeans and a dash of makeup that makes him see me in a different light, rather than the day in and day out same ole Katie.

So, resolution accomplishment - check one!
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2012 - The Year of Me.

After lots of contemplation and consideration, I've decided that 2012 will be my year.

All too often I get to the point of New Years Eve when you sit around and reflect about what all you've accomplished in the past twelve months... and all too often I'm kind of unimpressed by what I've checked off on my list. My whole, general, main resolution for this year is to look back at 11:59 on December 31, 2012, and know that I've lived the best year of my life.

My amazing parents, little brother, my Brian and beautiful friends (and my Lucy dog) are the most important presence in my life, and I owe it to them to be the best person that I can be for them. I promise to listen more, to be more attentive, to make the extra effort to make a call or send a card when I know that they might need it. They love me unconditionally, and though I always do as well, it never hurts to show and express your love and appreciation for the people in your life, and they deserve to know just how important and priceless they are to me.

My body has been the focus of one too many new year resolutions. I vow to not each chocolate, get to the gym, cut out carbs... and then approximately around January 14th I can be found shoveling chocolate in a dark corner somewhere. It's not pretty and it's not all that fun to look back and realize that AN ENTIRE YEAR, 365 days, flew past without me taking the stand to make a "for good" change. This year I promise myself that I will continue to learn what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, not to be on a diet. To make the best choices to give my body fuel, not just food, and of course the occasional indulgences of queso and cheescake.

Along the lines of food, I'd like to continue to explore new recipes and challenge myself in the kitchen every now and then. I love food. I love shopping for it, prepping it to cook, gradually adding ingredients together and then serving the final product. Food is like my expression of love-- if I'm feeding you well, I love you more'n my luggage.

13.1 miles. This year I will conquer that distance. I will own it and wear it with pride. Or run it with pride. I've worked out a half marathon in Dallas at the end of March, and tomorrow starts my training for that. I'm excited, and I'm terrified. The thought of dedicating so much time to run so many miles makes my knees pre-ache. But I'm ready. Mentally, I'm there. Physically... I'm getting there. But I'm running for my dad and my MawMaw, and that serves as motivation enough. I hope to run this first one in March, get hooked, and run a few more before the end of the year. It would be amazing to be the kind of runner who just casually signs up for a half marathon BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE FUN. I will get there and be there with bells on.

So many blogs that I read talk about girls my age going to youth groups for adults through their churches... and I'd like to find something like that. Without going into it too much, my heart is missing church, and there's pretty much only one remedy for that-- make your way back down that sometimes-difficult path.

I rejoined Weight Watchers yesterday morning. I cannot lie-- I tracked both yesterday and today, New Years Eve splurges and all, but still... I'm back. And SO excited. My leader is my age and is so fun and easy to relate to, and that's been pretty rare for me in the past. I finally got back to the place I need to be mentally and oh, it feels so good.

Writing makes my heart happy, and I'd like to dedicate more time to that this year. Not blog writing, though I'd like to do that more consistently as well, but writing for myself. I have big dreams about writing (as do most English majors) and I have to start somewhere, right?

There are a hundred and one tiny little things I'd like to change this year, but for the most part, I want to be happy, healthy, productive and successful. I want my heart to feel full and I want to help others to have full hearts as well.

How about you? Any particular resolution that you'd like to dedicate time to in 2012? Have a favorite moment from 2011?

Happy New Year, y'all!
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