Not Complaing Just Observing!

This is not a complaint blog, just an observation blog.

Observation A: When someone is eating something, do we really need to comment on it? Case in point: This morning I went to Starbucks - something I have NEVER done in my year plus of working here; not one time. They opened a new Starbucks on Broadway (that makes six! in Little Rock I think – we are moving on up!) and I had some time and I have recently become addicted to tall caramel frappaccinos, so I decided to go. I ordered my drink and got some banana bread…. Yum, right? I get to work and have literally just taken my first bite when my coworker walks over to inspect my meal and observes “wow that’s a nice fattening breakfast.” Now I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it and I still enjoyed every last bite/sip (and slurped my whipped cream extra loud when I finished my FAT drink!) but COME ON! Why do people do that? If I want to digest 3,000 calories with breakfast you better BACK OFF!! I’m sure I mentioned this before but Susan and I when we worked together at Arkansas Business would eat the most random breakfasts (to the horror of our coworkers) like left over lasagnas, mashed potatoes, pizza, etc. It may look gross or fattening to you but do you really have to say it out loud? FILTER, people.

Observation B: Speaking of calories, my “fat jeans” are getting loose once again. SO THERE. I can have all the Starbucks I want! ;) I will also be joining a workout challenge at my gym. More on this later. It’s hardcore.

Observation C: This one is really more of a question. WHAT THE HECK IS PRIVIT?!?!? And who is allergic to it? I’m serious. What is it? If I never hear the word privit again I will not be sad. PRIVIT. PRIVIT. PRIVIT. Aparentely it’s “really bad” this time of year. WHAT IS IT? (OKAY fine this one counts as more of a complaint.)

Observation D: This observation is not intended to be mean in any way, shape, or form. I’m just quite curious about it. I will try not to be specific to the person… no one reading this would know the family anyway but I mean no ill harm by the observation. ANYWAY, someone I know has a child that is a freshman in high school here in town. This particular person has pretty regular conversations with her child’s teachers – different, class-specific teachers about his homework and/or performance in school. So I guess my observation/question is, is this really necessary? (Teacher friends!?!?! What do you think!?). At what age/point does your child need you to stop interfering with homework and course selection and, well, school? I asked my mom about it a few weeks ago and she said my parents were involved with the school (dances and required p/t conferences) but never felt the need to interfere with classes or class selection. I’m sure to a certain extent it is child specific – if your child is getting in trouble all the time, I can see interfering. However, I read an article last week about parents calling their kids college professors on their behalf! I mean, really? Don’t you want to teach your child to be independent? I don’t know, I’m not a parent or a teacher. I’m sure it is easier said than done. Just OBSERVING. And taking notes on fostering independence for my future babies perhaps.

Observation E: WOW! I have time to eat and blog at lunch instead of working straight through! Hope you enjoy my loony bin ramblings. Pictures and COMH tomorrow. Three blogs in three days. Can you handle it? I feel like I am emerging from some underwater, unhappy place. And you get to hear all about it! Cross my little heart.

ready, ready, ready ready to run

My brain is fried so you are getting a random, listy blog - to-doish of all that is going on right now!

1. Wrapping up the job. I will be done this week – possibly coming in next Monday and Tuesday to finalize some stuff. Which sucks but no biggie.
2. There is a lot I will miss about this job! I have learned A SHIT TON. Yep, shit ton. Sorry, inappropriate! But I really have learned quite a bit that I hope to retain.
3. Um… I need to take my dogs to the vet so they can get shot.
4. I need to get passports for myself and karl for Puerto Vallarta (yes I had to look up the spelling.)
5. I need to start the invites for Jenny and Jeff’s engagement par-tay. A date is officially set: June 9. Tulsa, OK.
6. Oh and her bachelorette – officially same weekend as homecoming. Friday night.
7. I am drinking a delish Red Machine Nakey Juice and eating melba toasts. SUPERFOOD!
8. I need to lose 10 pounds and get an insta-tan before next week when I go to Florida. Hmmmmm… I think not.
9. Working out is going well! Working out will go even better when I start at Arkansas Business as I will be able to walk to the gym during lunch if I feel like it!
10. I am blogging b/c I was getting annoyed at other bloggers for not updating and then realized I HAVEN’T EITHER! So here I am! Not really annoyed so much as things are winding down here at work and I have time to click on through!
11. I need to fill my car up. With Gas. Gas here yesterday $2.81 I believe.
12. It rained all morning. Rain, Rain, Go Away. Come back later tonight when I am sleepy.
13. Su & Seth are coming over for dinner and computer ordering TONIGHT! I can’t wait to see her belly. She is in the HOME STRETCH. I’m going to feed little Settler Griffin Mulhearn some of my delish mashed potatoes. Start spoiling him early. Yum.
14. Home Stretch. That is my new favorite phrase. Not sure where it came from.
15. I need new screen doors.
16. I need a new bed.
17. I need to paint my kitchen.
18. I need to deep clean my bathroom.
19. I need to blog more.
20. I need to remember to dvr ANTM tonight!
21. Oh and my birthday is next week.

22. Is my favorite number.

That is all. Goodbye. Happy lunches.

Weekend Pics

pics of the weekend filled with fun, friends, and family. f.

above karl and kelly (his sister kristen's little girl) on the salt lake news (at the kiddo museum!) i love those green screens. the green screen of weather. also, a few pics of tyler operating heavy machinery.... or a crank crane picking up foam blocks.... same thing!

monday morning strikes again

weekend updates later tonight. i had a good one and karl is back safely from vegas and salt lake city. i will have pictures from my weekend and his week shortly.

i'm in to the home stretch of my current job. time is ticking by very, very slowly. if you are bored at work and need something to do, please feel free to email me as i am wrapping things up around here and would be more than happy to respond. this morning i had some hand-written to-do listS! on my desk from my boss complete with underlines and exclamation points and scribbles. even with all that, it's not clear and/or are things that are in progress or completed. i feel very much like the girl from the devil wears prada. except, in my case, the devil wears ratty sweatshirts that don't quite cover the tummy.

Well! Now that everything is out in the open about my leaving and taking another job, I am inclined to BLOG AT WORK! Shhh! I guess they could fire me! I wouldn’t mind *(yes I would), but time seems to be going very slowly since I informed them I was leaving. I don’t think they are too happy but they did absolutely nothing to try and keep me around. I have some post-conference stuff to work on and tomorrow I am working our USGBC Arkansas booth at the Arkansas Earth Day Festival. It will be my last USGBC activity (well, non volunteer I guess!) I really don’t even want to come in at all next week. Not one little bit. What if I just didn’t? Sigh. I will, I will. I'm going to miss working with my usgbc arkansas chapter clients very, very much. i am quite upset about it actually. i enjoy their cause and working with them very, very much. very, very. that group makes me questions EVERYTHING about my decision! ugh. ugh. ugh. if only i could have them all for my own!

so, on a happier note, i found this awesome site, www.onegoodbumblebee.com, and ordered these vintage owl patches that i have pictured above. i don't know exactly what i am going to do with them yet, but I do know I could not live without them. check this site out - there are vintage holly hobbie necklaces! you might not be able to resist!

ok guys. pay attention.

the conference was amazing. amazing. amazing. i even got a few job offers at the event! haha. for real though i am very proud of myself! there were no major glitches! amazing. my ankles are nice and swollen from being on my feet and working looooooooooooooooooooooooong hours. i wish i could tell you more but i just got home. (and back to free internet access. i didn't think i needed a mac book but i didn't take it with me and i'm pretty sure i can't be seperated from it for that long ever EVER again.) i am absolutely exhasted. three days in a row of getting up at 5 a.m. and working straight thru until like 10 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday and then driving back today from NWA after tearing everything down is taxing. i am so exhasted that i am having trouble sleeping. does that even make sense?

speaking of jobs, it is now official and i can announce. this conference was kind of my grand finale at my current company. (OUT WITH A BANG!) i will be leaving them the first week of May to take a position at - guess where - arkansas business! (my old company, different job!) hahahah. surprise! (clicking my ruby red slippers together; i miss the old abpg crew).

karl is currently attending a huge conference (in vegas!!) for work and then he is on to salt lake city to visit his sister and her family for a few days. i will be taking a break between jobs to see my lovely meredith hampton frampton moore in vero beach, florida!

it's 10 p.m. and i haven't even unpacked one bag from my car yet. and you can't make me!

COMH

or an advertisement for naked juice. whatever. mmmmmmmmmmm delish. breakfast, lunch, or dinner... stock my fridge please. kiwi strawberry energy is my favorite. have a good weekend. we are off to oaklawn on saturday for the arkansas derby!

more cowbell

i have been a bit MIA lately due to an upcoming conference in Rogers (next week!!!). I am to the stressed, nervous, but still feeling like it is all coming together part! i am tired, i am cranky, and i don't want to think about who is in charge of the vendor nametags anymore, or if our national booth will get to the office on time so we can display it at the event, or if our speakers are flying into the wrong airport *because there is more than one in the state of Arkansas despite what some think* or the color of the speaker and sponsor ribbons, or if i have enough volunteers coordinated to help me with a variety of things, or if the yogurt we are serving is low fat or fat free (yup, discussions about yogurt my friends! ahhh what a glorious job!)

let's see what else is new in the hills household?

my photographer (wedding) emailed me to say that our pics are on theknot.com! Here is the link ... they are pretty much the same ones that were featured in the knot magazine we were in a few months ago er... some time ago. i can't remember. anyway, i love it how theknot.com makes everything sound so GLAM. do you guys remember the dance floor where we danced just steps away from the enclosed wine garden? ;) looking back hair/veil, photography, and floral decisions = happy bride. i know it's a bit superficial but whatever. good husband decision went with them so i'm allowed to indulge in details sometimes! i wish we could have sent them our happy little orange and pink square invites.

what else?

trying to set the hills summer schedule/calendar so if you need to request a weekend with either kat or karl the form should be available soon. for now, please leave your requests in the comments.

Easter in St Louis. I felt like I was in fast forward.

kristy's house is absolutely gorgeous - i'm in love with her colors. two shades of green in the kitchen people - how could you not love that?!?!!? we had such a great time at her housewarming. why is it called a housewarming anyway? whatever, it was freezing in STL!

those two middle girls? isabel and wendy? yep, they are both going to be big sisters this fall. that's right - jenny&jake are pregnant and expecting in october, bridget&brian are pregnant and expecting in november!

top pics featuring maxie man and his ladies!!! maxwell is approaching the fifty pound mark at which time we will all have a fabulous PARTY!!

COMH: volume eight is great

my home is too scary to show you even one little corner. this is my face as i look around the corners. yucko. i suck at housekeeping.

easter dinner here i come - ham and cheeeeeeeeesey potatoes. jesus loves aunt jayne's cheesey potatoes.

STD: homecoming 07

The University of Tulsa Alumni Association is pleased to announce dates for Homecoming 2007. Come home to Tulsa October 11 – 13 for fun and friends!

Please mark your calendars - you wouldn't want to miss a good time LIKE THIS! (see above)

TOOOOnder & LightNIN'

so last night i was in bed with my lap top writing a blog entry about the storm that was raging outside my open windows (nothing like a good storm and open windows!). karl & i had been sitting on the front lawn watching the lightning until it started torrentially downpouring! we unplugged our tv and outlets b/c there was a TON of lightning so i was bragging on the wireless and the laptop & we were semi-hoping for a power outage. until the power actually went out and i lost my internet connection. then i was pissed. (not too bad really i just like to complain).

then it became a strange and restless night at the hills house. arlo FREAKS out when the power blinks back on b/c our house makes this weird beeping noise and he NO likey. he starts shaking and panting and climbing on my lap like the 80 pound lap dog he is not. roxy, our protector dog, wouldn't leave the open windows alone and kept woofing (woofing = not quite a bark) at the neighbors (who were out in DROVES checking out the storm). there were like 4 kajillion sirens (aparently there were lots of fires around town). then at like four we woke up to roxy barking and growling (she rarely barks or woofs) like an insane dog at some scary man on our street. we debated on whether or not to call the cops. (he left; we didn't) then karl starts dreaming about catching and shooting woodpeckers - dreaming restlessley and gibberishly - (we really do have a woodpecker that pecks on our metal spinney thing every morning and karl has been trying to shoot it with a bbgun. yea, i live in arkansas, so what?) then the woodpecker really DOES start pecking and the birds start chirping like crazy (remember those open windows?? AHAHAH!!!) b/c it is an absolutely gorgeous morning in our beautiful city.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!! i guess sometimes these nights just happen! our power made it back on sometime in the early morning.

off to dial in - conference call at noon!

shotguns and weddings 2007

the boys went to play with shotguns and ride four wheelers at the deer camp and audra and i attended a wedding for serena, a girl from the old office! she looked stunning and we wish her and her new hubby the best! (above pic - some of the ladies of AB). audra & i left the reception and headed to the gloria household for some delicious margaritas.

not much else to say about the weekend or the impending week. i would rather go to the dentist, eye doctor, girly doctor, & any other physician or health professional than go to work tomorrow. i am crabby. very, very, very crabby!

Charles Has a Licking Problem

I know Leah put this on her blog the other day but i can't stop watching it and saying "lick lick" in my head all day long! Courtesy of our friends (close, personal friends) at Toothpaste For Dinner. I think it is numero uno on youtube today.

in other news, it is lunch time of a very hectic day so i am taking a time out to blog and scarf down some left over orange peel chicken. goal #6,723 of 2007: STOP EATING OUT. Eh, well, you reach some, you miss some.

polllenation station, er, nation

ok the joke is bad but THE POLLEN IS EVERYWHERE!! it's coating my car (i think it gives it a little something extra, really). i don't have bad allergies to pollen or privit or any of those outdoor thingeys. (what is PRIVIT anyway - all i know is the girl i work with can't stop complaining about it?) BUT i am sorry for everyone who does in Arkansas & wherever (namely my husband who is quite swolled up in the eyeball area). This pic shows the cest pool of pollen at the end of my driveway after the sort of rain today! pollen insanity. i know. my life is crazy.

what does the pollen look like where you live? www.pollen.com

ah. tuesday. i haven't taken a day off in a long time. i REALLY wanted to stay in bed this morning. i think i need at least a day! all this lame talk about pollen and work.

silkey to the screeney

great weekend! relaxing happy time. brooke was here. audra and mike came over; all of us sat outside b/c the weather here is AMAZING! lots of attic fan love this weekend.

brooke & i have also decided to play around with some silk screening stuff so we made the above tshirts this weekend! it was a trial and error kind of weekend - we are learning lots and it is quite entertaining! we have a couple of other shirts in progress - will keep you updated!

p.s. i designed the new header for the blog all by myself. i'm pretty much in love with it. trying to give the old blog a fresh LOOK. you know for spring and all.

COMH Volume SEh-vahn.

yep, a hello kitty toilet seat cover! hahahahahahah. don't you love it? i do.

gift from mama linda!

have a good weekend everyone! i believe i am having houseguests in the form of brooke apkkkkkkkker and waqueline wells. possibly one. possibly both. we'll see where the weekend takes us!

before the blog - was there such a time?

thought i would share some pre-blogosphere pictures of karl and me. check that date imprint out on that first one - December 03. Yea, we're little. (or we look pretty much exactly the same. but whatever.) the second one is an engagement picture - yep, got engaged in the goldfish bathing suit. sept 04!

i was thinking about old school technology and/or lack thereof this morning and found these pictures in my old school yahoo account (use gmail, people, gmail). and i was trying to think of the # of email addys i have had in my lifetime (including jobs and personal, i guess about 15 plus) and how many i currently have (a solid 4 plus; my job forces me to have one for every association we work with but they all funnell into one inbox).

i was thinking about college - and how i didn't even have a computer in college or a cellular telephone (until senior year b/c audra and brooke almost killed me b/c people would call them looking to chat with me). i got my first phone with karl actually (ahhh - a man who can handle and support my phone obsession!) - he helped me pick that little nokia out. i think it was one of our first "dates" b/c you know in college going to best buy together constitutes a date, right? ;) we have decided to start a collection of our phones and someday we will display them all and laugh. maybe our 50 year itch party? i think so.

do i sound like an old lady? ;)

do what? BANG BANG BANG

I feel like maybe i have posted about this before on the old bloggy blog but here is a phrase i can not stand:

"DO WHAT?"

instead of "exuse me or what did you say or please repeat" or really just something that is a complete sentence or phrase that makes sense. even "huh?" and "eh?" are preferable and hurt my ears much less. and here in the great state of AR you have to draw out the question like so: "doooooo wuuuuhhhhuuuut?" if you are shocked or surprised by what the other is saying OR like so: "duwhat" *sharp t* and say it fast (all one word) if you mean business and need someone to seriously answer you right then.

i have heard it ONE TOoooo MANY TIMES this week at work (and it's only tuesday!).

i am down with saying "ya'll" occasionally (it even slips out of my mouth quite accidentaly these days!) but NEVER will i be a do-whatter! and you can't make me. but i still love all of you that say it - just a little less than i would otherwise ;) teehee.

sigh. st. patty's is over and it was fabulous.

this was for sure a weekend to feel blessed we have so many friends and have the means to go out and about and celebrate silly holidays with good food, good drinks, and good company! feeling, very appropriately this St. Patty's Day, like a very lucky little irish girl!

friday we had a very happy hour at stickyz. ms. alexis trotter was in town; we lurves her. got some hanging out with our friend mike ortega! we had some drinks and went to watch the hogs! (ummmmmm......not much to say about that one!) saturday was su & seth's lucky baby shower. weather turned out PERFECT - started a little chilly but i think we all got some sun toward the ends! there was a crazy amount of pregnant ladies there and/or ladies who had just delivered! i'm so pleased it all turned out well (more pics on Su's Bloggity!). then, since i was in conway, i went to meet ms. melissa p. haney and we got the crazy, wild idea to head to tulsa for jenny&jeff's st. patrick's day party in tulsa. so we did. and it was a blast. we celebrated the one year anniversary of reconnecting with ms. sarah jane (see 1 candle on cookie pic!) we packed it up pretty early sunday morning and headed back to arkansas! haha. i am trying to recuperate and relax and get some CATCH UP SLEEP!

shimmery doylies made of shamrocks

the countdown begins! st. patty's day 2007. tomorrow my mama in law is making us corned beef and cabbage and taters. YUMMERS. Pic circa 06 st. patty's day party! pictures like this should probably never surface but i like to laugh at myself and now you can laugh at me too. and lenore.

the workout train continues. i think this is week numero 3. haven't seen any difference yet but i am quite sore today so i know i am starting to work out harder/have more efficient workouts as my body remembers how to MOVE ITS BOOTY as i settle back in. i can't believe i have been away from the gym so long. i adore feeling workey outey. will let you know! getting my body fat % tested next week! probably not going to disclose that number at this current juncture in the workout plan.

k - must sleep. ti ti ni ni. (pronounce: tie tie nigh(silent t) nigh(T). translate: i'm tired. night night.)

Selection Sunday and St. Patty's Day

ok so, this whole tv thing is going well, right? until i realize that today is SELECTION SUNDAY and March Madness is about to begin. and those games are TELEVISED. crap. AND Arkansas (though they lost to Florida today) got a 12 seed. And a 12 seed in THE DANCE is my absolute favorite seed. I think statistically, 12-5 seeded games yield the most upsets, right? i always try and support 12 seeds! so, anyway, here is my question: does basketball watching count as TV? Hmm.. i suppose so. crap. Well, thank god for the internet and espn.com i suppose. crap.

also, the time has come to start playing bono's sunday bloody sunday obsessively in preparation for st. patrick's day! (ok maybe some happier tunes as well - you know about getting drunk at funerals and weddings and various other occasions!) get your green (no orange for you) and get ready. grandpa cronin's homemade irish creme is coming your way! my dad sent me a rockin' st. patty's day CD. i AM ready.

how much is that doggie in the window: cmh vol 6ixer

here is where our doggies rest their pretty little heads. found at tAR-jaaaay. we used to kennel arlo and rox at night in the kitchen but now they are 80 pounds big (all growed up!) and so they stay in our room by our bed. sometimes they wander around the house at night but not very often. good sleepers like their mama and papa.

here is our letter we sent with cali bear if you are interested in some gushy crap and/or the great state of ARKANSAW:

March 7, 2007
Dear Ms. Hellman’s 2^nd Grade Class,

Karl and I were so EXCITED to meet Cali Bear this past weekend!! We would like to send special hugs and kisses to Ms. Hellman’s favorite student, CARTER! Hi CARTER!!) Cali was waiting for us on our doorstep in Little Rock, Arkansas. The temperature was around 70 degrees as we welcomed our new visitor. We were even more excited because he arrived in perfect time for the 5^th Annual LITTLE ROCK MARATHON!! His host Karl ran the 26.2 miles through downtown Little Rock while Cali Bear and Kat cheered him on! It was very exciting and motivating.

Karl and Kat work in downtown Little Rock – Karl is a software support business analyst (that means he loves computers!) and Kat is an event planner for local non profit groups. They like to create websites and play on their computers for fun! They also like to exercise and play with their two labs, Arlo and Roxy. Arlo and Roxy love to swim in creeks and lakes around the city. In the fall and winter, Karl likes to take his four wheeler out to the country and hunt deer and duck in Southern Arkansas!!

My host parents took me to the Clinton Presidential Center, a library dedicated to William Jefferson Clinton, the 42^nd President of the United States. President Clinton was born in Hope, Arkansas and started his political career by becoming Governor in the State of Arkansas before he was elected President. We got our picture taken in front of his library.

Some Fun FACTS about the State of Arkansas:

Little Rock is the Capitol of Arkansas. In 1722 the French explorer, Bernard de LaHarpe, sailed up the Arkansas River and upon sighting the first rock bluff since leaving the Mississippi River, called it "La Petite Roche", the Little Rock. The city's namesake, "La Petite Roche", is located at the north end of Rock Street overlooking the river and is part of the sixteen acre Breckling Riverfront Park. The Arkansas River runs directly through the city – we love to run along the river when we exercise.

It’s warm here almost year round and only snowed one time this year – and it all melted in a few hours!

Arkansas is officially known as The Natural State. We share our border with six other states. There is a lot of undeveloped land in the state of Arkansas and farm land. Arkansas’ main crop is RICE. (followed by soybeans and cotton)

We give away diamonds in Arkansas! It's finder's keepers at the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. The only public diamond mine in the world, Crater of Diamonds offers you a one-of-a-kind adventure - the opportunity to hunt for real diamonds and to keep any you find.

Our state drink is milk. Yum!

We hate to see Cali Bear go – but we know Cali will have great fun in his next destination – sunny Florida! We wish him the best of luck in his adventures in Florida and on the East Coast!

BYE CALI BEAR!

Much love,

Kat and Karl

uncle karl and aunt kat

we had the BEST surprise today. Carter, from our cali family, sent us this guy. He came with a note that started "I belong to the children of Mrs. Hellmann's second grade class. As part of their study of geography, they have decided to send me around the United States...."

So far our new friend has been to Seattle, Alaska, New Mexico, and San Antonio! He stops with us and then down to Florida and then up the east coast (VA, NJ, PA, ME, CT) and then heads back to Cali! What a great project! And what great timing with the perfect southern weather and the marathon news! He even came with a little disposable camera so we could take our pic with him! Quick: Send this yankee some interesting facts about Little Rock! Cali comes with a journal and the first entries were so great - we've got to make ours fabulous! So FUN! i adore!

marathon: check!

the LR Marathon is over! karl and patrick finished (their goal!). karl came in right around 5 hours. we're all proud and relaxey around here; he is resting and recovering. his post race eats (a VERY VERY important part of racing!) were at chili's of all places - we rarely go there but karl was craving the chx ranch sandwich! hey, he ran 26.2, he gets whatever we wants to replinish the approximate 6,500 (!!) calories he burned (that is what the gps said = 6500 CALORIES!)

pics above of karl and patrick running and with ashley who ran the 1/2 and with the silver crinkley victory finishey warmer thingeys.

gearing up for another fun work week. sigh.

COMH vol 5. the gps.

in preperation for the LITTLE ROCK MARATHON! (THIS SUNDAY PEOPLE!!) i thought i would share with you some training stats from karl's gps watch. he got the watch at christmas time so he has been clocking for only a couple of months.

since he has been tracking he has run this:

miles: 114.5

Time: 21hrs 17min (almost one whole day!)

calories: 26,298 (that is about 7.5 pounds in calories, right? 1 pound = 3500 calories)

He will be running this Sunday - the whole 26.2 miles. wish him luck! call me if you want to come watch the ending! (Race starts at 8; expected finish around 4-5 hours later!)

february is over and the blogosphere is joyous!

i must say i am happy to have fellow feb haters out there - it almost makes the month not so bad (with our common complaint bond and all!) oh and, plus, nothing shitty happened this year.

there are several things i would like to accomplish with this blog:

1. wish my sister a happy belated birthday. 2-3 old lady. say goodbye to 22. everyone's favorite age. see above picture of the hotness and brookey brooke (also the hotness).

2. show you this cute shower invite for the Su and the Seth and the impending baby mulhearn. (I have had several RSVP calls and emails so I assume everyone has gotten their invites so i feel okay sharing now) i must say they are cuter on the computer than printed. i still have issues with kinkos and printing. it's much easier to make graphics web ready than professional print ready. sigh. someday. karl helped me and i am very proud of this little guy. p.s. i also blurred out the location for blogging purposes. in case we have stalkers which i highly doubt but people always yell at me for putting too much personal info out there! i mean, really, even if i did have a stalker would they really want to come to a couple's baby shower? Doesn't exactly sound like a stalker's ideal saturday.

3. Send a special shout out to my friend Mark J. Friedman and his precious daughter "Little Sarah" who is getting to be NOT SO LITTLE anymore. Karl and I saw them Sunday at the good ole Purple Cow....mmmmmm.....purple milkshakes and violet cows everywhere!! Mark and I worked together at Arkansas Business and little sarah and i liked to hang out and color when she came to visit her daddy-o at work (well she colored while i worked and passed the requested highlighters over and then we cut her little pictures out and pasted them to our office lockers). you might recognize her stories from Little Rock Family (and THIS ONE is for sure true - her teeth are all wiggly and kittykattywampus!)

4. welcome you to march, the month of working out. DO IT. NO EXCUSE. Walking Club starts Wednesdays at 5:30. Today was the first SUCCESSFUL day. If you are interested in walking and live in the LR, email me for details. If not, I'll be at gym in ALL MY SPARE TIME. i don't diet. i over exercise.

5. i don't normally share forwards on the bloggity but THIS (especially funny credit from melissa p. haney) and THIS (if you like Dirty Dancing; find credit to ebeth) are really fun.

off to watch karl's kiddos play basketball with their favorite COACH (yea, we're pretty sure they don't know his real name. why learn when coach'll do the trick!)

Dear Weekend, where did you go?

the requisite cool kids pics! we had a low-key weekend - helped trevor and brooke celebrate his birthday at the oyster bar! (red beans and rice didn't miss me.) some additional hanging out happened w/ elizabeth and kristen (see our sea of brown picture).

this no tv thing is working out for me.
i reorganized my entire kitchen sunday.
things i learned:
1) we could survive for maybe a week - maybe - from the food from our pantry. if that.
2) we had some peanut butter. i scoffed at all the people FREAKING out about peanut butter. karl checked the lot # online. ours was recalled! and almost empty. oops. we threw it away.
3) we don't need one million bottles of seasonings (i used to work for a spice wholesale company in STL so i brought my stockpile of spices and seasoning with me to yee-haw arkansas. yea, three years ago. if i haven't used you in three years and you're all clumped up in little spicey balls, you go in the trash.)
4) i am going to cook more now that my kitchen is more functional (i didn't actually LEARN this so much as dare to hope it might be true).
5) we have a plethora of corning ware. plethora. corning ware. hehe.
6) we also have a plethora of koozies (or coolie cups as some of us might call them - what the hell is a koooozie?) from events we didn't know about and never attended.

my two shows were: grey's and the amazing race. not watching anything again till wednesday. i even went to the gym today and worked out (interval cardio scuplt for one hour thank you very much!) for the first time in a long time (real workout vs. walking the dogs). i just rejoined my old gym (yea DAC!!) and now they have TVs attached to every single tread mill and eliptical! hahaha. go figure. oh, well, i am there to go to class and get skinnY.

Corners of My HOME: Volume IV

on this rainy saturday i am posting my CMH4. (sorry - one day late!) This little guy rests of my window ledge (we don't say windowsill in my house. i shudder at the word sill. and moist. and ointment. they hurt my teeth and tongue to even type). anyway this little hootie (a gift from daddy-o), well, his head comes off and you can put things in him. he is like two inch tiny so i use him as my ring holder. he can't hold much more than that. everyday after work i walk through the door and deposit my rings in him. love him. and can't stand wearing my rings to cook and clean in so it works out perfectly.

i have so many corners i want to share. i spent some time this morning (after sleeping in until almost 11!!!) taking some photographs of it all. so now i have some stock. though i already had some stock last week and didn't use it because i got inspired by my little buddy. eh, whatever.

so the tv thing. i haven't gone totally off the tube. i am allowed two one hour shows per week and one movie per week. weeks are wednesday to wednesday. so far i have watched grey's
and karl and i watched a movie last night... so i have ONE HOUR left until wednesday. the funniest thing about this whole thing is that karl has been watching tv - and i hear the sounds of things i would never (or not normally) watch like old star wars movies, goonies, and guns instead of my normal abc family or reality tv programs. since we only have the one tv - did i really deprive him of these things for so long? is that bad?

it is pouring down rain here in the rock. arlo is hiding under the desk (he no likey the thunder) where karl is working and rox is curled up next to me on the couch. (shhh... don't tell she is on the furniture). i do believe i am off to organize my kitchen. maybe if it is organized, i will feel more compelled to cook in it more often instead of spending millions eating out! these are my goals: de-clutter, organize, and get rid of the "noise" so i can focus on goals that are important to me instead of getting bogged down! but more on that soapbox later - enjoy your weekends!

a word from your fearless, tvless leader

so. we were really good at the fat part of fat tuesday. er. fat monday i guess. (in anticipation of fatty tues of course!) this shot depicts jennifer and i in our comfy pants after pigging out on some pf changs. literally eating our weight in changity chang. we took a break after the food to play on our lap tops and then hit the wall of chocolate. no, really, it's a real dessert called the wall of chocolate. WALL. being semi-athletic, i don't really like the word WALL... so we just kept our eye on the end goal and don't you worry, we plowed through like champs and polished it off. i'm just not sure if the end goal was finishing or vomiting.

fat tuesday continued the fat chain - cheese dip and margaritas at El Porton with some boys and girls (and a fabulous hair cut and satisyingly rippy eyebrow waxing from ms. emily prior to the copious amount of mardi gras food and drink) mmmmmm cheese dip. mmmmmmmm tacos. bad girls and boys. oh well! now we can diet and stuff...er... er.... crap. i am going to have to say the LR Mardi Gras celebration was a bit lame. In this instance, STL outshines LR by miles and miles and miles. sigh. maybe i should try and be IN CHARGE of it next year - think it would get BIGGEEEEERRRR? i think it is going to take a change in people's basic MARDI GRAS mind set for LR to "get it" and it probably ain't ever gonna happen here? oh well.. one night. a week night (old lady comment ahead) at that so we didn't party too hard anyway!

on to LENT: today is DAY #1: no television! so far so good and i have been home from work for about an hour now! Aren’t you PROUD? Hahahaha. Sorry I haven't posted Su's cute ass shower invite; I am addressing them right now. I feel like the people who are actually coming should view them first. They are going in the mail tonight! And can I just say that 1. i have nice handwriting and 2. i adore addressing envelopes. adore it. (like won't buy those stupid return addy labels because i like writing on envelopes that much!) Don't consider it time wasted at all. Which is good. I am taking my time. NO TV FOR YOU! What is on the BOOB TUBE tonight? (and where did that awful phrase even come from?!!) Regardless, I won't be watching! I will, however, be sitting at my computer, listening to Pandora, licking pretty envelopes, ALL WINDOWS OPEN AND ATTIC FAN ON. yea, that's right. my attic fan is on and all the windows are open. And I am in a tank top. Spring Fever here I am. Is there such a thing as SUMMER FEVER (in february!!?!!) Oh you just know these last lingering Feb days are going to take FOREVER.

happy bday daddy-o.

just want to take a second to say happy b-day to my daddy-o (celebrated on Sat. the 17th). Though I don't like February it does have some great birthdays of friends and family. this pic is from karl and my rehersal dinner (get ready for your aaaaaawwwww moment of the day). Dad is wearing the same tie he wore to our first father/daughter dance in high school when i was a wee little freshman *complete with my tigger friend on it* Happy Birthday, OLD TIMER!

Let's see, this weeks list:

• It's Monday.
• I was more productive this past Sunday than I think I have been in the last three months combined (pertaining to house and home organizational work).
• I am feeling positive about the old jobby job and am not going to be negative about it anymore. i allow positive thoughts only. i am learning. (and whoever left the comment below can bug off!)
• I think Sunday's productivity was due to one thing: i am debating about giving up television for Lent and this weekend was a test. And I passed. And exceeded my own expectations! so i think i might do it (with some stipulations like two shows a week or something!)
• I got Su's & Seth's shower invites done! I will post them tomorrow so you can see how freaking cute they are. i am in love with them. you will be too. i promise.
• Over the weekend we tried GEOCACHING with Elizabeth and Jeremy and i liked it. a lot. we are going to set up our own amazing race series in LR. er... something.
• The weekend was pretty lame. And I liked it.
• Jennifer Lenore Barrow is on her way in town for work and we are going to have DINNER. yea.
• ummm... i think that is all i got for you. seems like there was something else....hmmm... stay tuned tomorrow for the shower invite!

Corners of my home: Volume III

Yes I am aware there are two pictures, and not both are from my home.

The first is from my home - and it is my corner of the week - our desk!! (get excited - isn't it "cute" hahah... maybe not so cute; we actually got the desk from the Secret Service Office in the Stephens Building that is on the same floor as Karl's office because they were giving it away (remodeling) and it is freaking heavy and obsenely large and karl and i were the only ones there to move it and i was less than helpful and some nice man of the facilities staff helped us and i will forever be thankful to that guy and now that it takes up literally 1/2 of a room in my teeny house i want to get rid of it but we *and by we i mean karl and our neighbor Bill Dauterive* had to disassemble it to get it through our door and so i feel guilty getting it out and i don't want to buy a new desk right now so it stays. and i like run on sentences that tell stories I wasn't intending to share in the first place. Breathe.) ANYWAY our desk as you can see contains three computers. two people. three computes. i find this amusing. the reason i chose the computers as my corner this week is because i was on said computers last night until my eyes were closing trying to finish some stuff. (thank you to my husband for forcing me to work when i didn't want to! and don't worry it was for us (Simple Click Design) NOT my office. i don't do that anymore)

Speaking of THE OFFICE... that brings me to picture #2 and funny Kat Office Stories of the Day. I like them. They make me laugh. You don't have to read them. This morning I got to the office to find like a 10 page scribbled out note on scratch paper with a hand-written to do list from my boss to me. hand written to do list. that didn't really make sense. there were #'ed items but they were all #'ed weird with arrows and scribbles and things underlined like "if it can be done in 30 minutes or less" (so i guess start and when i get to thirty minutes scrap... most of them were easily under 30 min. tasks anyway). It seriously probably took him a long time to make this list - longer than it took me to follow up on it i think and longer than it probably would have taken him to just DO some of the things since he was excruciatingly specific on some of them. (you guys may remember he has given me a project based on this before.) anyhoo, i could FEEL my little heart pitter pattering a little faster out of annoyance and i thought i shouldn't let it get to me... so i gave the sheets of papers a nice, satisfying accidental TOTALLY ON PURPOSE rip in half. and POOF all bad energy was released. then i used a massive amount of time and TAPE that our company can't afford putting them back together again. then i felt MUCHO better and spent the rest of the morning finishing them all up - in addition to the 8 million other things i had to do! yea for being busy though. (the pic shows my ripped up pages and some taped pages and my little TAPE! holder may it rest in peace after this roll is gone!) (and, yes, i realize i am being bratty and overdramatic and a bit bitter but i must try and maintain some sanity!)

yet another reason i love living in a digital world

a- the amount of blogging going on lately has made me a very happy girl (and so has google reader. for real. it rocks.)

b - as a certifiable "list freak" i adore the quantity of lists being written in the sphere

c - i like carrie's letter usage instead of numbers for the blogging list so i am switching for the day

d - so far V-day has been fun - there are so many ridiculous and entertaining valentine's day gifts on the internet and in the blogosphere i just can't help but laugh - picture case in point. Check out this article with some other V-day Funnies - the nintendo cake is truly awesome. and i don't even like nintendo. and here is a link to some great links - so you don't get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of v-day funnies out there. i might be finding some room in my heart for holidays (gasp!).


e - v-day also marks the half way point of this dreadful month. except in leap years. which makes v-day in a leap year particularly annoying. (heart frozen over again).


f - my boss wants me to use a GLUE STICK to keep track of some reciepts - previously i had to tape them to a piece of paper and keep them in a binder - and aparantly tape is too expensive so we must resort to glue. i haven't even held a glue stick since kindergarten.


g - the war rages on at work. this morning i was asked to clean up my desk - which isn't a total mess but is cluttery. but i can find what i want on it in a heartbeat. it is now absolutely immaculate - every drawer is empty, all piles have been trashed or put in a file (maybe never to be found again!). which is fine. i actually feel pretty good about my clutter-free work space.


h - i will take a picture of his workspace to show you at a latter date. i am going to get fired for blogging about the office but if i can't laugh about it i might have another fit - and we all know that isn't a good thing.


i - i i i i i


j - b&g finale tonight - megan&scooter better win b/c CECE G is an idiot.


k - my lunch is over. must go.


l - for LOOOOOOOOOOOVE. how appropriate.

karl is making his way back from Colorado where he and the guys have been since last week - marc and patrick and matt dill and karl and pr sheehan. they have been skiing pretty much non stop since thursday in keystone and vail. i am excited for him to come home - i am tired of feeding the dogs. i had to go get the 4-0 pound bag by myself (which i have done before) but this time when i brought it home and tried to unload i managed to spill its entire contents on the kitchen floor. rox and lo just stood there in doggie shock and, since i had fed them a bowl of treats only! for breakfast, i let them munch away for a bit.

i spent the weekend at a wedding shower for Mary (top left, in the turquoise) and with Susan watching 'the devil wears prada' and blabbing and figuring out how to make her breast pump work for when little baby setler (or griffin) arrives. it was hilarious... we had no idea how to "pump" - we sat on the floor in little man's nursery for a good half an hour trying to piece it together and then we were like, oh, well that seems simple enough. and GROSS. ;) suction is weiiiiiird. gooooooooooood times. mucho giggling.

and the dreaded, brutal month of feb-rue-ary is in full attack mode - sigh. i am trying to be positive. i hate this month. we're getting through! right?

bridget patricia kathleen crum costa & kathleen ann bridget horan hills

don't we look HAWT? A special happy birthday to my cousin bridget celebrated on saturday the 10th - we are pictured here after - if i remember correctly - a particularily grueling soccer game (complete with snow and freezing cold air - how did our parents sit through it all?!?!) at a tourney in cape with our Florissant United club team (F-U as we sometimes liked to write on our faces.. ok just the one time b/c i think we got in trouble). we are three months apart in age and have always had our bond - really more sisterly than cousinly. we played soccer (and many other sports) together and against each other. she pushed me around in my walker/bouncy/rolly seat thingey b/c i was too fat and lazy to walk when i was a baby. once when we were four, we had a grand old time with some expensive, snow-like powder in my parents bathroom. (we got IN TROUBLE for that one). she used to make me read to her cuddled up in bed or cuddled on a couch. we were carted to day camps, summer school, games, vacations, and many other things crammed in with all the other cousins and siblings in one station wagon or another and we loved it all ;). She once slapped a boy in the face for calling me a bitch in 7th grade. she was a force to be reckoned with - one time a big ole tall girl knocked me over on the basketball court and she went out the next play and very clearly took that girl down. we sang outside the mall together (as we stroll along together... holding hands and walking all alone). we also sang Lisa Loeb excessively and spent countless hours recording (on old school tape recorders) ourselves singing and interviewing our friends and family. we dyed our hair with kool-aid. once she cut off a chunk of her eyelashes. she helped me dye my hair blonder - and then blonder. we talked about boys and wore half shirts and teeeeny tiny shorts in all our skinny 15 year old glory. she made me one of my favorite wedding presents - my family scrapbook. i was in the hospital waiting room when she delivered her son joe but, sadly, not her daughter isabel. we share the month of our marriage (go august!) just a few years apart! now she and i are both married and live way too far apart. she and her husband brian just moved into a brand new house in troy, missouri with her little family... i miss her, i love her, and i wish her the best birthday ever!

weekend updates tomorrow afternoon - stay tuned!

Corners of My HOME: PART DEUX

Happy FRIDAY. This has been a loooooooong week. Thanks to so many of you for your emails, phone calls, and support. And just listening to me rant in general. So, keeping with my CHILDISH theme of the week…… here is CMH#2 (corners of my home: part duex)

This little guy does indeed share my marital bed. I have had him since 1998. And I love him. We’ve been through some tough stuff – me and my t-i-double grrrr. High school, college, living in three states in one year (those taxes were fun!), boyfriends, girlfriends, tears, laughter, (hahahhaah this blog is ridiculous… I am stopping now.)

… oh, tigger, you little inanimate object/stuffed animal friend …. If you could talk, the stories you might tell. I don’t have too many quirks but I can’t seem to let go of this guy just quite yet. If my dogs ever eat him, I will disown them. That is not a joke.

P.S.

if you read below post, i am very happy and very thankful i have a job and get a paycheck. i really am. i know there are many jobs that are worse than mine, and i don't want to sound ungrateful. i really don't. i am just FRUSTRATED.

Tired of fighting to SHINE

Tonight we had mini- showers for Susan (baby) and Serena (wedding) at Kim's (ole abpg co-workers and crews, past and present). It was pretty funny going from opening sexy nighties to cutesie onsies in such a short period of time!! I will send you girls the pics - the whole night was a wonderful stress reliever for me. Lots of laughter and catching up happening! kat = happy. (pic: meg, su, kat, aud, serena, alissa, kim)

source of strees:
So. I had a shit day yesterday. Specifically, at work yesterday. And I am still trying to get over it. The day started out awful and it just kept on keeping on. We had a surprise staff meeting and evaluations (we just had our annual performance reviews & they went great; I got a raise) and they expressed some concerns about me as an employee (why didn’t they tell me at the review last month? – I defiantly haven’t done anything less performance-wise in the past month.) I don’t have a problem with them expressing their concerns - if that is the way they feel I would like to know about it; I just wasn’t expecting it and overall think I have done A WHOLE BUNCH to further the success of this company and I felt “under surprise attack”. (Keep in mind I have received a 9% raise from this company over 1 years time and keep in mind that I have old bosses I still talk to on relatively frequent basis that adored me as an employee). The thing is I know that I am an amazing employee. (My boss actually used the words “bad employee”) I freaking like my job and I am freaking good at it. I would go as far as saying I am amazing at it. (I know we all have things we can improve and I have a lot to learn but I know without a doubt that I am good.) Basically, I feel like all the projects and quality work I have done in the past year are being overlooked b/c they want me to “get back to basics” (read: answer the phones, make copies, file crap). I know in a four-person office everyone has to do these menial tasks – if you’ve ever worked in a small office YOU KNOW, and I don’t complain about it EVER. I don’t even mind doing them. I just feel like if they want someone be “back to the basics” girl, it shouldn’t be me. I have A DEGREE. Sigh. 25 years old. Feel like I’m not getting anywhere. But I will do it. For the moment. The worst part about it was that I got upset in the meeting – like tears upset. How absolutely embarrassing and unprofessional. I felt like such a child. Like everything I have been working on to further myself/career was accumulating to not a whole lot (I know – insert overdramatic thinking here but at that exact moment it felt awful and I couldn’t be unemotional. I work OT and don’t get paid, I rarely take a lunch… maybe stupid on my part but I was enjoying working hared…Maybe I just wasn’t born to be in the business world – I need to toughen UP! Who cries in the face of criticism?!?!? UGH!). And now, I am nervous that they are tyring to force me to quit or are going to have to lay me off or something crazy because of things out of my control – that would be a first for me and not something I have ever had to worry about. (Hi Mom and Dad – welcome me to the real world???!? Where bosses do sneak attacks and people lost their jobs not based on performance?!?!?!)

I didn’t mean to say this much in such a public forum. (Trust me there was a lot I left out!) I don’t think that my employer reads this – but at this point I am not sure I am concerned about it. I guess if things are going to change in my company, there isn’t much I can do about it. How much longer do I have to “pay my dues” before I get somewhere career-wise? I know I look young – I probably always will – but TAKE ME SERIOUSLY PEOPLE. So frustrated – mostly because I ACTUALLY LIKE MY JOB!

please try and keep your comments clean! Audra and I went to HH yesterday and I came home and chatted on my phone to like 8 people, beer in hand – anyone who was forced to listen to me, I thank you. Anyone who actually made it through this entire rant, I thank you. I’m over it now. Kinda. Just weighing some options/trying to decide the best approach. Def. cutting out taking any work home, working through lunch, designing any websites for free. Advice welcome. Don't criticize too harshly; I might cry! ;)

test.

please excuse. trying to get my google reader working.

Sloppy Superbowl XLI (41?)

Thought i would share the height of our winter wonderland here in Little Rock - lots of grass sticking out! arlo and roxy sniffed and freaked - this being their first time to see fresh powder (well, any powder).

Karl and I are watching the first quarter of the Superbowl - 2 Turnovers each! and a 14-6 Bears lead! In the first quarter! I must say the game is more exciting than i expected. Though i would be sad if i paid lots of money to sit in the rain in Miami. We are all cozy and comfortable having decided to stay home this year instead of attending or hosting a superbowl par-tay. I am curled up on the couch under my blankies, mac book in lap, doggies at feet, sunflower seeds within arms reach, reading a book. (multi-tasking is imperative to help me relax)

i feel a little guilt about not getting much done this weekend - i had a lie in today until almost noon! I know some of you say you can no longer sleep till noon, but somehow, when i get the chance, i manage just fine. night owl i remain. it messes up my schedule for the whole week and when i finally get readjusted it's the end of the week again and i mess it all up all over. sigh. i love sundays. but around 9 or 10 p.m. EVERY week i start getting the i have to go to work tomorrow anxiety. and i like my job. sigh. i need to be better about making better use of my time - particularly my weekends. the laundry just doesn't do itself.

also, snap.com the cool picture thing with the links - while i still think it is awesome - not so good on telling you if someone has truly updated in the blogosphere. i even tried clearing my cache and cookies and all that jazz. their blog/site says they are working on it - i understand the limitations (millions of blogs out there!) and i am going to keep it on mine for the time being in hopes the more popular they get the more development they can do! it's still pretty cool.

corners of my home

so i've been thinking about blogging and why i blog and the apologies that people always put on their blogs about lack of updating and blogging and how boring their blogging is and blah blah blah. (no apologies people!) i decided that the reason i blog and have always blogged is to keep in touch with my family and friends. this is why i started. specifically, i started to keep up to date with my family and friends that live out of town… most specifically, my parents, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles and extended family (both karl and my own). blogging just makes me feel closer to all of our friends and family - knowing that they know what is going on in crazy Arkansas even if it is some silly post about a crappy day at work. And it has put me in touch/kept me in touch with many people I probably wouldn’t otherwise interact and I adore that. I don’t mind if strangers or lurkers read the text as long as they don’t expect something revolutionary or INCENDIARY to be said. (not sure I am using that term correctly; I mean firey/controversial – is that right? I stole it from the movie Almost Famous when William Miller tells Russell Hammond Stillwater’s music is INCENDIARY)

ANYWAY, my point IS I am starting (attempting) a new tradition on my blog. Feel free to join me if you like. On Fridays. I will be posting a “corners of my home” post with little snippets (and pictures of course) of one little thing or area in our home that makes me happy. It can be as small as an apron or a cute teapot in your kitchen or as large as a wall (with new paint or a new picture perhaps) or something you created (like this). I am choosing to start with my fun Target bed spread in my green guest room. It makes me happy and is this week’s corner.

Also the CRAZY BRIDE story (see below video) made the Today Show, Jay Leno, and GMA. Almost 3 MILION hits on YouTube – probably over that now. It was staged by some girls in Canada! But the hair cutting was real. Click HERE to see the interview.

So check me out....

scroll over the links on my link list. isn't that FUN? karl found it (of course). don't panic if it says "queing up." It may take a second but it is well worth the wait. pictorial browsing. not sure if it works (when i say works i mean tells you when someone really has updated) but i am going to giver a go.

additionally, LEAH, it would snow on your birthday. kidding - happy day.

SOME OF US WENT TO WORK TODAY (ALL DAY)- no sticky icky from my house to my office. sigh. karl was so excited about putting us in four wheel drive. toooooooo bad. so sad. little rock was all a-panic anyway.