nothing's sweeter than summertime...

I have been SOO bad about not taking pictures lately. and not taking pictures means nothing to put on my blog! But it's not completely my fault, my camera has been MIA for a few weeks (months?) now and I can't find it anywhere. I wrangled up a few pictures from my IPhone to make a post of what we've been up to so far this summer... but once I find my camera I'm getting back on the picture taking and blogger band wagon!

Today, my mission is to look through closets, old purses, boxes, drawers, and even maybe my car to find my camera... really hoping I do! I must find it ASAP since we leave for Cali in THREE weeks!!! I will definitely be taking pictures along the way since we are driving the whole 27 hours from Dallas to Sac town :) We have been looking at plane tickets for awhile now and really could find any direct flights or even 1-stoppers for less than about $1200 for two tickets. We talked about it and decided that either Justin couldn't make the trip at all, or we would just rent a car and drive! Justin loved the driving idea and since he does have some hook ups in the rental industry it made the idea even better. We're splitting the trip into two days, 14 hours the first day (to Flagstaff, AZ) and then 10-12 hours the next way all the way home to Orangevale! I wasn't exactly thrilled about making the long journey to the West coast again but once I talked to my Dad and Mom about it and we decided to bring the dogs along too I got EXCITED!!! We leave August 1st and will arrive back in Dallas on the 10th!-- if all goes as planned :)

Here are the few pictures that I got off of my IPhone!




J and I @ the Taggart/ Colopy wedding (in May)




Golfing for the first time with my girl, Kasey! We HAD to wear the "asian" visors to try and imitate the vast majority of our guests! Everyone got a kick out of it.



Justin and I trying out a new local cajun seafood restaurant-- Nate's! It was delicious and J got his fix of crawfish before the season ended!


a few pictures from my birthday: justin decorated the house with pictures that he had gotten from my mom and sister, Nichole from when I was little and others from all of our little adventures in the past couple of years, streamers, and a few bouquets of flowers and it was so sweet to wake up to! Later in the day, we had a pool party with some friends and went out to a local bar to top off the night! GREAT birthday! I guess now that it's July I should probably take down the rest of the decorations I have been putting off :)










Check out my new BEAUTIFUL pots and pans by Paula Deen! LOVE them! Thanks, babe!


FAT BOOTH: the funniest app ever invented! If you have a IPhone it is absolutely worth the .99 cents!



Love, Kate

Happy Birthday, Momma!

Today is my Mom's birthday! She is such a special woman and I think I speak for my sisters and I both when I say that we are extra lucky to have a Mom like her! Can't wait to see my family in 11 weeks! Here is one of my favorite pictures of my Momma and I...




P.S. Once my Mom's birthday hits, I always begin the countdown to mine. 1 month exactly until my 23rd birthday!

Kate

Here's what we've been up to lately...

Ruby & Rocky: They are loving eachother now! Playing really well together and they love chasing eachother around the apartment. When Rocky gets annoyed of her trying to bite his ears all the time he just jumps up on the couch and he knows she can't get up there... yet! Here are a few pictures of them... Ruby is growing so quickly :(





Studying: this means online tests, flashcards, lots of late nights studying and little sleep. Only TWO more weeks and I'm finished with this semester! I'm really looking forward to starting the Fall semester though as this will be the year I make all of my big decisions academically (which school to transfer to, my official major etc.) VERY excited about that!

Moving: We moved into a two bed/ two bath town home on April 17th! We needed a little more space (especially the two bathrooms part!) and this new place is just down the street from our old apartment-- still in Addison, which we love! We're completely unpacked now, just trying to organize everything and work out all of the kinks of living in a new place. We absolutely love it so far though-- love the wood floors, love the double bathrooms and LOVE my own garage! I'll post pictures soon!

Vacation: We traveled to Vegas with a few friends in early April and had a BLAST! We can't wait to start planning our next vaca for next year-- but for now we are getting very excited to go back home (to Cali) in August for the bi-annual visit.






Love to all--- happy almost summer {... and my birthday :D }


Katie

Meet Ruby

Our new bundle of love! Her and Rocky are finally starting to get comfortable with one another and we looooove having her here. She fits right in, and it's as if she's always been here. It's been a teeny bit stressful potty training a brand new pup, but she is very smart and is picking it up pretty well! She loves to eat a ton, chase after Rocky (although I think she's mostly chasing after his tail, not him) and gives lots of wet kisses!





I'll be taking her to the vet on Wednesday for her second round of shots and I can't wait to see what they say about her-- keeping our fingers crossed that she gets a good report from the doctor.

In other news, we are headed to Vegas with some friends April 1-5 and then once we get back were moving to a new, bigger and better (and much more spacious) apartment just two weeks after we get back! It's going to be a hectic April for us but I can't wait until May gets here-- school is out and I can finally breathe a little bit again! :)

it's a beautiful day in dallas

Snow is one of my very favorite things in this whole world. It is so beautiful and magical and makes everything feel fresh and new. I love how clean the air smells during and after snow falls and watching the little snow flakes fall from tke sky is so peaceful for me. I decided to give myself a "snow day" today. Some of the schools and businesses around here are closed (my school wasn't one of them) as we are expecting about 10 inches of snow today, but instead of running around like crazy, trying to be productive in the snow and ice and nervously driving around town I decided to just stay in my PJ's, take an online test for my Religion class that is due next week and just veg! Rocky and I have been out twice now since about 7:00 AM to play in the snow and take some pictures and just enjoy it-- it doesn't come very often in Dallas but when it does I am a VERY happy girl. It started snowing this morning around 4:00 AM and has not quit! The snow is coming down in bunches and I have all of the window shades up just enjoying it. Here are a few of the pictures I took this morning... all taken with my iPhone as it is the best camera I have right now :)

Enjoy!


Even the iPhone picture looks better with snow!






Rocky paws :)


Not my best picture, but hey it was only 7AM! (and yes, I was freezing!)


Where's Rocky [Waldo] ?



I'm off to bundle up and go take some more pictures-- the snow fall has probably doubled since these were taken!

Meat and Potatoes

Last week it was pretty chilly here and I was feeling like making a nice warm meal! I headed off to Whole Foods to do some organic grocery shopping (I just LOVE Whole Foods!) and also brought along my PW cookbook to grab the ingredients to make two of her delicious recipes-- meatloaf and twice- baked potatoes! Both recipes are pretty simple and by the end of the meal Justin was saying it was the best meatloaf he had ever eaten (and his Mom makes a mean meatloaf, so I know it was good!)! Here are a few pictures of the meal and also the link where you can find lots of other delicious recipes from Pioneer Woman.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/category/all-pw-recipes/



Mmm mmm good!


You can NEVER have enough cheese!


PW's Cookbook which I love! It has great recipes in it along with cute stories and gorgeous pictures taken on her ranch in Oklahoma.


(my apron says "Cowgirls Rule, Horses neigh, Cowboys obey" ha)

Lately

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about eating healthier and working out. I have been to the gym 6 or 7 times in the last 2 weeks which must be a record for me! It feels good to be doing cardio and lifting some weights again. Along with that I have been reading a few books on healthier eating and cooking and alternative ways of cooking. After watching a show on Oprah (she's always getting my mind rolling...) about the new documentary Food Inc. in which they show how technological chicken, turkey and beef has become in our country. It's crazy how engineered these animals have become and it just didn't sit well in my stomach (ha). It also talked a lot about "real food" vs. "fake food"-- fake being lots of additives, dehydrated foods, etc. etc. So, I ordered some books online and I have been soaking up a lot of information about this topic... I talked with Justin and we have decided that all meat that we buy from now on will be Organic, and for beef this means grass fed cows not corn fed= healthier more natural cows = healthier meat that we'll be eating. I think for the most part the American public just doesn't have a clue where their food really comes from-- If we all made an effort to eat only Organic meats and veggies, it might become the "norm" and be less expensive as well as healthier for all. I have found some great recipes and can't wait to try them and blog about it! :) A lot of the information I have been reading has been Vegan type stuff- not that I'm going Vegan- but they do offer a lot of different ideas for soy products etc. which I am interested in too. Here is a link to the Oprah show I saw last week, if you want to check it out...

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/The-Truth-About-Food-with-Michael-Pollan

Here are a few of the books that I am reading or are waiting to come in the mail from Amazon :)






(Yes, this is Alicia Silverstone from Clueless! She looks good, huh?!)

Tahoe pics

Here are a couple of pictures I just retrieved off of my camera from Lake Tahoe. Isn't it gorgeous??... Justin and I ask each other daily why we ever left there...




Squaw Valley 2009

Lake Tahoe

2010

First question: Are people pronouncing it "twenty- ten" or just going with "oh- ten" for short? I haven't decided which one I like better yet, and honestly don't even think I have had to write or say 2010 so far... my life has been quite a bore lately.

Justin and I flew back to Dallas on December 28th-- We both had a BLAST in Sacramento and we're sad to come home. It was honestly the first time since I have lived in Dallas (over three years now) where I was genuinely not excited about coming home (to Dallas-- "home" has two meanings now a days)... other than the fact that I was missing my pup. I was just having such a fun and relaxing time with my family and since Justin was there too, it just didn't feel like there was much to come home to. Some of the many highlights were getting to spend some precious time with my niece, McKayla-- she is so much smarter and funnier every time I see her and I just love spending time with her. Jennie and Brian made an awesome Surf and Turf dinner a few days before Christmas and I had the best tempura-ish shrimp EVER! Thanks, Bri! A few days later we went back over to Jennie and Brians, just my Mom, and Justin and I and we all played Country Band-- like Rock Band but ALL country! It was a blllllast! ... I may need to post one of the videos-- too funny! Justin and I also got to take a short day to trip to Lake Tahoe the day after he landed. It was perfect weather and it was so fun being able to show him such a beautiful place! He was blown away by the gorgeous mountain ranges and all of the freshly fallen snow-- we just don't have anything like that here in Texas. Here are a few pictures from the trip--



Surf and Turf dinner at Jennie and Brians!



The Sabel- Harless girls-- and Brian at Sabel Family Christmas in Novato!



KB and KB! My niece, McKayla and I spending lots of time at Christmas together :)

(I'll try and upload some of the pictures of Justin and I in Tahoe tomorrow)

Anyway, when we came back to town I started training as a bartender at the Country Club that I have been working at since August. Since this is our slow time of year all of the bartenders and cart girls are cross training so that this summer we can trade off on positions. I think this is an awesome idea-- generally it means I might not get too burned out working 12 hour shifts outside in the blistering heat this summer... an awesome concept! I haven't been working much (literally I've worked 2 shifts in the last 2 weeks) because of the cold cold COLD weather. Tonight we are getting in some sort of "arctic freeze" that is going to put us in the teens overnight for the next couple of days! Not sure that I have ever had to deal with such low temperatures-- a new experience! ... one that I'll be enjoying from inside! :)

What are y'alls new years resolutions? I honestly don't really remember ever really making one and staying up with it but this year I think I might... I think my NY resolution is going to be start being a little bit more passive. I have realized that sometimes I can be a little overwhelming in my opinions and about what I think is right-- not saying being a push over is anything to brag about but I think I should just mellow out for a while and really try and relax and not be so aggressive... this having to do alot in my relationship with J, as well. He is allowed to have his opinions on things and just because I don't agree with them doesn't mean it's always right to stir the pot. Definitely something I can work on. My other resolution will be to (try) and stop worrying about other people so much. I refuse to put myself out in order to help someone that is not willing to help themselves. Even if that means absolutely cutting all possible ties with that person in hopes that it will help them to realize their own individual potential and maybe even do something to better themselves... on their own.

Wishing everyone a blissful year full of all of life's endless possibilities!


-KB

P.S. These are my new cowboy boots, courtesy of Santa (err... I mean, Justin). They are finally starting to mold to my feet but even if they didn't I would still wear them because they are just so darn cute!

New recipe and such!

Finally I have a day off to relax and... blog! Yesterday I finished my finals and on average, I think I did pretty well for my first semester back to school in quite a while. My grades should be posted online within the next few days so I am just patiently waiting to see the results of my hard work!

Here's a little update on me.

Last weekend (or was it two weekends ago? Time is flying.) I was really wanting some good Christmas fettuccine. And what goes better with fettuccine then alfredo?! I have tried almost all of the bottled alfredo that you can buy next to the marinara at the grocery store, and it all SUCKS! It has this really gross fake cheese flavor that I just cannot stomach. Anyway, I went online to my favorite recipe site and found a really simple recipe. I ran to the store before dinner and picked up a few of the supplies that I didn't have in the house (I don't normally keep heavy whipping cream in the fridge). When I got home the recipe was so easy to follow and I had homemade alfredo sauce ready to go even before the water was boiling for the noodles! Justin and I both agreed that it was the best alfredo sauce we had ever eaten! (even better than Olive Garden, which in our book is pretty hard to beat haha)

Anyway, Christmas is the best time for some warm, homemade pasta! I've pasted the link below! The only thing I changed about the recipe was that I didn't use Nutmeg at all and I also added Pepper to taste as well. Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alfredo-Sauce/Detail.aspx

I am currently reading Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I don't know if any of you watch Oprah but I recently saw a show centered around this book and it really touched me. The book is about "turning oppression into opportunity for women worldwide". It is a really eye opening series of short stories and information that Nicholas and Sheryl have received through numerous organizations around the world that they work with and from journeys they have taken. It's hard to go into detail about the book since I am only on page 50, but I can already tell that this is a book I will forever think about. Here are two of the praise written about the book from people you may have heard of...

"I think it's impossible to stand by and do nothing after reading Half the Sky. It does what we need most: it bears witness to the sheer cruelty that mankind can do to mankind."
- George Clooney

" Half the Sky is a passionate and persuasive plea to all of us to rise up and say 'No more!' to the seventeenth- century abuses to girls and women in the twenty- first- century world. This is a book that will pierce your heart and arouse your conscience. - Tom Brokaw

If you can, take the time to read this book. I have only had it for two days and already are well through the first few chapters, which have been excellent.

I leave for Cali in one week exactly! I can't wait to get home and spend some time with my family and play around in my hometown for a few weeks. Justin joins me on the 22nd and we are thinking we may get a chance to head up to Lake Tahoe for the day on the 23rd. He is so excited to get to experience Northern California and I can't wait for my family to finally meet him.

Although I am SUPER excited to go home, I always get a sad feeling have to leave my Rocky for ELEVEN days :( it is so long to be without him, but Justin's Mom will watch him after Justin flies out to the west coast and I know he will have so much fun up at the lake with her and Joe!



Here's a picture of our little pilgrim and I at the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning this year-- J, Rocky and I all had a blast at the Trot and definitely plan on making it a yearly tradition!

That's all for now... back to finishing up some laundry and back to my reading Half the Sky as well :)

Happy Holidays to everyone!

brain dump

Here are other things I've been thinking about lately:

- I wish Texas had more of a Fall. It's been chilly and rainy here for the past two weeks-- Justin is sick of it but I just LOVE the change in the seasons and am always SO ready for rain at the end of summer. This weekend it is back to 80 degrees and sunny. Very good for golf carting... but I just wish it was cold already! Miss that Nor Cal weather...

- Speaking of Nor Cal, I really hope my sister, Jen makes it up to Apple Hill this year with her camera and posts on it! If anyone knows of a place in Texas like this I want to know about it! http://applehill.com/

- Who has plans for Halloween? I think this year is going to be pretty low key for us. We haven't heard of anything going on and I'm pretty sure I have to work that weekend. On that note, can someone PLEASE dress up as Jon Gosselin this year?? Ed Hardy sweatshirt, slicked back hair, diamond earrings. Funniest Halloween Costume of '09

- Is it me or is EVERYONE pregnant right now?! I now know of 7 people that are prego! Between March and June there are going to be some serious babies born! Saweeet!

- I am going to step out on a limb and say that I like tights. I have never worn them in my adult life (although when my Mom was still choosing my outfits she was obsessed-- see below) but I think I would like to venture there again... how do you wear tights? under a dress?


("tights" circa 1997)

- I got an 83% on my Psych test today!!!! I know that doesn't seem impressive enough to warrant all those exclamation points but 100 questions on Neuroscience and Biological Relationships isn't that fun.

- Was I not the cutest, fattest bunny you have ever seen?! This is probably my favorite picture of myself as a baby-- taken my first Halloween. I just love the pure joy on both of our faces.




- I'm obsessed with sour candy lately. Here are my top 3 favorites-- Sour Patch Kids and Watermelons, Starburst Sour GummiBursts and Watermelon Sour straws-- I feel like a 2nd grader buying them at 7-11, but I don't care, they're delicious!

- Rocky has been going to the dog park almost every other day! We found a really cute park about a mile from our house and there are always such cute, fun dogs for Rocky to play with! It's a great way for him to burn all that energy and he just loves to play with all the other dogs. The only downfall is he has to get a quick bath when we get home-- the mud is sick!

- Justin's birthday is in 13 days and I have no ideas...

Tomorrow J and I are headed to the Texas State Fair! I can't wait to see the baby pigs in the nursery and get a corndog (weird correlation there) and J is excited for the car show!-- such a boy. Pictures to follow soon!

-- kb

all dogs go to heaven

I have been a terrible blogger lately. We've had a lot going on and I just haven't been in the mood to sit down and explain it all.

We had to put Sunny, our precious new pup to sleep on Thursday, October 8th. She got really, really sick really fast and there was nothing we go do to help her at that point. She was showing signs of Distemper about a month ago, with a pretty bad case of Kennal Cough-- but we managed, with a few different types of anti-biotics to relieve her of that. She was doing a lot better for about 2 weeks and then we noticed she started to act a little different. She just wasn't acting her normal crazy self-- very lethargic, so I knew it was time to take her to the vet once again (at this point she has been to the vet over 5 times since we adopted her Sept. 9th-- we're on a first name basis with these people)-- her being tired and weak wasn't anything the vet could give us meds for, but we just wanted to make sure that we were doing everything we could. We continued with the high calorie food and letting her rest as much as possible but it just progressed from there-- she started to become weaker and weaker by the day and by the time I called the vet on Thursday we knew what would have to happen. It was honestly one of the most terrible, heart-wrenching things I have ever had to do. J and I were both really torn up over it. Even though we knew it was what had to be done, we still miss her everyday.

We have briefly talked about getting another dog but have decided that for right now, we are going to take a breather and relax and try and enjoy the holiday season. Maybe after the New Year we'll think about adopting again.

we love rainy weekends

This weekend is very stormy in the North Texas area-- flash flood warnings and all that good stuff! It's nice to be able to stay in our PJ's all day, doing little projects around the house and relaxing... with college football on at all times, of course. Here are a few shots of the pups.







Sunny had another follow up appointment this morning. Without getting into too much detail-- things have pretty much stayed the same in the last week. She isn't getting worse, but hasn't shown much progress either. We are keeping her on the Azithromicin for another week and she also gave her 4 cans of HIGH calorie wet food for her to be eating for the next week or so. She hasn't gained any weight in the last 3 weeks, but she has been eating quite a bit, so that means all of her calories are going to try and fight this virus... hopefully this high calorie, low fat diet will help her along a litte bit and give her the nutrients to fight this off! We'll take her back in another week or so to see how things are progressing and get more x-rays of her lungs. We're keeping our fingers crossed for a week of good progression!

Stay dry!

-- kb

Happy Anniversary to us!

Our real anniversary was yesterday (1 year!), but I was so crazy busy with school (a history test that was so stressful!) and planning for our night together that I didn't have any time to blog about it! We ended up going out to a nice little steak and seafood restaurant named Trulucks (for those of you not in the area) and J totally wined and dined me :) It was so much fun to talk about the last year and laugh about it all and make new goals for this next week. It hasn't rained here in awhile but last night we had a really cool thunder and lightning storm-- one of my most favorite things about living in the South!

Here are just a couple of my favorite pictures of J and I from the last year... here's to many more!

Up at the lake house-- relaxing in the texas sun and having a blast :)

Always supporting the beloved Cowboys

Margarita Ball 2009

J's graduation in December!-- SO proud of him

Tacky Christmas sweater party!

-kb