Love Life the Most
I have so many magazines to read! Starting with all January issues…wonder how long it will take me!
So happy to finally have some of our favorite wedding photos up on display!
We got our glow on yesterday at the ASU Young Alumni Ne-On pub crawl! It was so much fun and love spending time with all my favs!
This may sound very materialistic…but it’s not meant to be. Paul made me feel very special recently. Back in November, right before our wedding, I had my iPad in our bathroom and grabbed the case and it fell out….screen down…and onto tile :( only the corner cracked and everything worked fine. I was really upset but put a screen protector I had for my cell phone over the crack and got over it. Until a month ago when my iPad started having seizures and acting like I was touching the screen when I wasn’t. It was nuts! Finally went to apple store and they reset it. He told me it was likely software issue and something they would have replaced for free, if I didn’t have the crack. Because of the damage it would be $200+! We only paid a little more than that when it was new so I said no thanks and sulked home. The reset didn’t do anything to improve the seizures.
Here’s where my knight enters. Without any lure from me, Paul suggested we buy a new iPad for me and he’d take my old one! I said I’d love that but kept asking if he was sure. He said yes. Without any reminders from me, he went on a day off and picked it up for me. And the newest model!
So I’m not saying I love him even more because he bought me something awesome. While that REALLY helps, it’s that he put my needs/wants ahead of his and bought it to make me happy. He could have offered to get a new one for him that I could use too. Instead he’s taking one for the team and giving me the nice one. Without me begging, coaxing or guilt tripping.
Paul is constantly putting my needs before his and this is just another example of that! I’m so lucky :)
(via ashweallfalldown)
Happy Mother’s Day Mommy!!!
I feel safe saying I’m at the later stage as I find my mother’s words coming out of my own mouth frequently. “Life Isn’t Fair” is a favorite….always helps put things in perspective for me.
Another quote that she always told us is “The two greatest gifts you can give your children… the first is roots and the other is wings.” Well today my brother posted the entire poem that quote is derived from. My mom didn’t even know it was a full poem! I loved it and thought I’d share here:
Roots and Wings If I had two wishes, I know what they would be I’d wish for Roots to cling to, and Wings to set me free; Roots of inner values, like rings within a tree, and Wings of independence to seek my destiny. Roots to hold forever to keep me safe and strong, To let me know you love me, when I’ve done something wrong; To show me by example, and helps me learn to choose, To take those actions every day to win instead of lose. Just be there when I need you, to tell me it’s all right, To face my fear of falling when I test my wings in flight; Don’t make my life too easy, it’s better if I try, And fail and get back up myself, so I can learn to fly. If I had two wishes, and two were all I had, And they could just be granted, by my Mom and Dad; I wouldn’t ask for money or any store-bought things. The greatest gifts I’d ask for are simply Roots and Wings. Thank you Mommy for my roots and wings! And for being the best Mom ever!!!! I love you the most! Ps No I do!
Wishing my sister the happiest of birthdays! I love and adore you! Which is exactly why I wish you the best today, on your birthday, and throughout the year.
I Love You the Most!
In LOVE with my new frame!
Looking forward to date night tonight! Saw him 6months after we started dating…now seeing him close to 6 months after wedding :)
I’m official! Moved my maiden name to my middle name and took Paul’s last name! Of course the photo isn’t great but I’m happy to have my married name!
Finished a jar of peanut butter and gave it to Pepper…she’s really enjoying it!
SLAP THE BAG BACHELORETTE - DAY FOUR
Seems crazy that I’m just not completely my series on my bachelorette…but the last day was too fun/funny not to include! (even 8 months later haha)
We woke up the last morning and packed up the hotel. There were SO many of us in the two rooms that packing was insane! People left in waves but several people had the majority of the day to spend in San Fran so we checked out and asked them to hold our bags. My sister and I were pretty nervous checking out since we had way more people than we said and were very loud. But they didn’t give us any hassle and just smirked asking us if we had fun. They held our bags without issue either-Phew!
We decided to walk around and see some new sights. We hiked the hilly streets of San Fran by Lombard Street, Little Italy and China town. We stumbled across a church having a huge festival / parade and later across an outdoor wedding. As we got into some of the more touristy areas, we popped in and out of shops looking for souvenirs. My sister and I were both on the hunt for a good Christmas ornament. We walked around Fisherman’s Wharf again…this time the sky was clear and it wasn’t freezing! Throughout the day groups had to leave and go back to the hotel and then the airport. With just a few of us left, we decided to bask in the sun in a grassy park just off the water. It was so beautiful out! Then we headed to Ghirardelli’s for some ice cream-YUM! A street vendor had a perfect ornament with the bridges and customized it for me to say ‘Katie’s Bachelorette 2013’ plus I found a nice set of framed paintings that I picked up. The day was almost over so we hopped on a cable car to take us back to the hotel. We had to wait in line for awhile, but it was worth it because we had a TON of fun! And we were on the perfect side so that we could see out to the water. We checked out a few more shops and then the last of us headed back to the hotel for our luggage.
That’s where the fun really started! Four of us were staying that final night and leaving Monday morning (my birthday!). The hotel we had stayed in was never available Sunday night so we had to move. So the four of us lugged our luggage towards the BART. We had a lot of luggage with us so it wasn’t the easiest task. Right away, we had issues getting tickets. We had done it before, but this stop had different options and some of the machines didn’t work. As we were fumbling with the ticket dispenser, a drunk and very large homeless man got off the BART and started yelling at this other girl. I looked over to see him walk to a pillar and start unzipping his pants! OMG- thankfully I whipped my head around and instructed the girls to do the same so none of us saw anything. But the girl he had been yelling at did and she started screaming at him. We were so uncomfortable and just ready to get on the train! Jessica accidentally bought the wrong ticket. Once she had the correct one we went to go to the train. But as she put her ticket in to walk through the gate, Jessica struggled with her luggage and didn’t get through. After hesitating, we told her just to jump it and that’s what she did. But the wheel on her luggage broke! UGH! We got down and were waiting for the train…and saw another drunken homeless man that fell down the escalator and couldn’t get up. It was so scary because no one was helping him but we were too far to do anything. He finally got up and seemed fine. The train arrived and we were so happy to get on it! The hotel was near the airport so we just got off there. There was supposed to be a shuttle from the airport to the hotel but it just took way too long. Finally we took a taxi and arrived at the hotel. After all of that…we realized it probably would have been the same price, and much faster, had we just taken a taxi from the first hotel to the second! Oh well- we will just chalk it up to life experience!
The hotel was not that wonderful…but there was a restaurant basically in the parking lot that was amazing. The food was really great there and completely exceeded our expectations at that point. We were so exhausted that one beer put us all at ease and ready for a deep sleep. We went to bed at a decent hour and all slept well. Shelley got up early to go to the airport and the rest of us slept in some before we needed to leave. We stopped for one last beer in the airport and another great meal. Then we hopped on the plane and headed home.
The trip was so amazing and I felt so blessed that so many of my friends came to celebrate with me! I have been very lucky to make amazing girlfriends in my life. They are funny, loyal and wonderful ladies. I couldn’t ask for better friends!
Before we left, the girls surprised me with a diamond ring Christmas ornament they found in San Fran. It’s so beautiful and is the most appropriate symbol for our trip! Each year at Christmas, I enjoy hanging up ornaments one by one…remembering the vacation and travels that ornament represents. And I have no doubt that as I hang that diamond ring each year, I’ll have a smile on my face thinking back to each one of my girlfriends and that trip of a lifetime!
P.S. If you want to read the first installments (that were written in a much more timely manner) you can find them here, here and here.
(via raleighwoodrockstar)
