Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

I am a huge fan of Halloween. Some people put too much thought into it and make it all Satanic and that just puts the poop on the party. In my mind Halloween is a lot like going to a movie. For 2.5 hours you get to escape reality and "live" this movie. On Halloween you get to escape reality and put on someone (or something) else's face. It's great!

This is my neighbors pumpkin. Isn't it funny? It looked much less scary the first few days she had it out, but now it is sunken in and apparently being held up by some sort of a utensil. Either way, that's a scary pumpkin!

And Miss Charley! She is so stinkin cute!!!

Grandma bought her this darling skeleton outfit back around the time she was born and it here she is on Halloween sportin her little costume.

CM and I will hang out tonight while Justin & Kel make an appearance at a party.

Philadelphia Phillies...

Today is Phillies Day!

I love baseball...and I love it even more when there are great games to follow.

I don't really care much about The Ray's...but they were good competition for
The Phillies
Thankfully they pulled through and won the 2008 World Series!!!

Yeah Philadelphia Phillies!!!!

Phanatic!

Brad Lidge...love him...amazing...love!

Brad Lidge...mmmm!

KSU Mace...

Last night my Mass Com class went to the Bently Rare Book Gallery in the basement of the KSU library. I love previously loved books, so I was really excited to see what was there.

It was a small room, designed to look like a library in someone's home would have looked in I believe the 1800's. We all sat around and this woman that works in this department told us great stories and showed us fascinating books and newspapers.

Well, the most exciting thing for me was when she told us about the KSU Mace. A mace was a weapon back in the day. All spiky to break through armour:

Ceremonial mace's are more ornate and not intended to kill anyone, but back in the day they were used to "knight" you when you graduated. This mace (below) is sort of small compared to the KSU mace, and much more fancy, but you get the idea.

Well, when you graduate, the actual point when you GRADUATE GRADUATE is when you have walked past the institutions mace, not when you get your (empty) diploma holder. So, we were told that it is tradition/good luck that you touch the KSU mace (which is displayed in the Bently Rare Book Room) you will MOST CERTAINLY GRADUATE!

So I did just that...and had some guy from my class take my picture!

It looks like I am holding a broom stick, but it is really the mace.

Here is a picture of some woman at an actual KSU graduation ceremony holding the mace.

Again, looks like a fancy broomstick, so whatev...she's boring.

Point is, I touched it and I will CERTAINLY GRADUATE...sometime.

Stats Test #2

And test #2 scores are posted:

Well, it's not 100%, but...it's an 88. What?! An 88, ugh. That's only 2 points from an A. Bother. The good thing is that apparently our highest score counts twice. So this means that I have (2) 100% test scores going for me. That's good. 88...yuck!

I'm an Esme...

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Q&A: Why Sarah?

In keeping with my "no forward policy" I am posting this fab email that Dad sent me for ALL THE WORLD TO SEE...because ALL THE WORLD reads my blog!

Question: What is America 's first line of missile interceptor defense that protects the entire United States?
Answer: The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard

Question: What is the ONLY National Guard unit on permanent active duty?
Answer: The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard

Question: Who is the Commander in Chief of the 49th Missile Defense Battalion of Alaska National Guard?
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska

Question: What U.S. governor is routinely briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counter terrorism?
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska

Question: What U.S. governor has a higher classified security rating than either the presidential candidate or vice-presidential candidate of the Democrat Party?
Answer: Governor Sarah Palin, Alaska . According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets. She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is.

HOV San Antonio 2008

Shannon put together this amazing slide show of many of the pics from our HOV trip to San Antonio. She also made our weekend sound track and put this slide show to those tunes! We had so much fun, ate cake, laughed cake calories away, walked, hiked, shopped, ate...enjoy!

Sad that not everyone could make it...save your pennies, plan your pregnanacies and make it happen in 2009 ladies!!! LOvEs!!!

Some Assembly Required

I have to preface this story with some vital information.
1) I live in a 1 bedroom apartment with very little storage space
2) I have a lot of clothes, I did not say I wear them all...I just own them.
3) I have a lot of shoes. I wear all of them. I love all of them.
4) I am a busy girl. Because of this I have had a friend of mine help me most recently with the organization and storage of said clothes, shoes and other personal belongings.
5) In no way shape or form is the following story in any way related to what Lauren (said friend) has done for me...she did great!

On with the circus:
Tonight after the most ridiculous waste of my time Mass Com class I took a trip to Wal*Mart to purchase some essentials. One of these essentials was an additional shoe holder thing that hangs on your clothes rack in the closet. This is my 4th shoe hanger thing and I was so thrilled to get all my shoes off the floor that I hung it up immediately.

I only wish I had before pictures, but I don't...so trust me, my closet was FULL, but very strategically placed and everything in its rightful rank and position.

So, continuing on with my evening I am up late studying for my Statistics test (it's tomorrow night, so check back for grades in about a week) and finally manage to get the last load of laundry in the washer and feel like (thanks to Lauren) I am making progress getting a little more organized, so I start to clean off my bed to head for a snooze. The time was approximately 3:17 a.m. and I heard the strangest crash. It wasn't loud or shocking, it was almost even muffled. NOW I know why, as I turned around and looked in my closet to see this:

Yes, I had already taken some boxes off the shelf, but you get the general idea. The muffled *thud* I heard was muffled because my clothes broke the fall. I just stood there. Me. Stood. Thinking to myself "self, what in the world do we do with this?!" I looked around my clean room and sort of did this grimace laugh and even thought "sure wish Anne was still in Japan because I could call her, it's only 4 in the afternoon there. No one in the States is up for me to freak out with! I wonder if Liz is up?"

Finally I get it together and yell at myself, "don't just stand there Katherine, get on with it!" So I started to pull all my clothes out and stack them on the Christmas boxes:

This is the closet once all my clothes are out:

These are all my clothes piled up on the boxes, now waiting for the maintenance man to come rehang my shelf. No, I take that back...hang a different shelf maintenance man...that one was horrible!

Here are all my shoes, aren't they pretty! OK, you can't really see all the pretty ones, they are at the other end.

Oh yeah, a pile of clothes in the chair in the living room.

I thought about posting in the morning and then I figured, what the heck, I'm up!

Side Note: One of the boxes that was on top of the shelf (and probably a contributing factor to the fall of the great wall of China) was a box of jeans. Why a box of jeans, you ask? Just ask my family...they know! They know because they have helped me move that same bloody box of jeans to and from the last three, ok, for or five easy, apartments. I had dreams. Such high hopes. A denim quilt. It would have been great! I took that box directly to the front door. Unless someone calls me before I make it to the metal box in the Wal*Mart parking lot, they will be donated manana!

I do not have time for my world...ur, I mean, my closet, to fall apart. I must find a better place to live, where there is enough storage for a simple girls wardrobe. Where red Steve Madden's can sit in privacy and take in the rest necessary until the perfect outfit needs the perfect pair of heels.

The End

A chandelier and other stuff...

I know I said I probably wouldn't post again until next week, but I was going through my phone and realized I had taken a picture of quite a few interesting things that I wanted to share and had forgotten all about them. So, grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the slide show of randomness:

This is a picture of my odometer...right as I hit 90000 miles in my little Kia SUV. It's one of those fun sad things, because you realize you like your vehicle fine, but then you think "wow, 90000 miles is a lot." "I drive too much." "I wish I had a new Audi." Or my favorite "Holy freak, and I still owe money on this thing!" Either way, it is what it is and I don't see anything changing any time soon.

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This semester I am taking a class called Organizational Publications, quite a mouth full for a class where I basically learn In Design & Power Point. Our class has computers that have these programs, but we are only in there for 1 hour and 15 minutes twice a week. There are only two computer labs on campus that also have them, one is on the communications floor and open for, no joke, 2 hours on Monday afternoon. That's it. Then there is the MAC lab for all the nerdy creative types in the art building.

So, this past week I had to work on an assignment outside of class and had to do it at the MAC lab. When I first went to the art building I noticed all the art hanging randomly about...no big deal. But it wasn't until the 3rd trip to this building that I noticed this:

...a chandelier.

Can you tell what it is made of?

Plastic beverage bottles. No, it did not light up :(

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I got my nails did this week. Had already finished an amazing read (which I will mention momentarily) so I was forced to read mindless magazines. I was not surprised when I came across this statement:

...hello! That's totally ME!

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Also in the same magazine...if you know me at all, then you know I love a fabulous pair of shoes!

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Last but not least, my wonderful friend (Paige) recommended a book to me and I have to admit I was hesitant. The last book that was recommended to me was Twilight (Thanks Reese!) and it took over my life, I certainly didn't have time for that NOW!

Thinking on my toes I decided I would venture to the public library (hello...cost savings AND using my resources. And what if I hated the book and had bought it...yuck!). Upon my arrival I was told I needed to renew my library card and had to have something with my current address on it. Well, I don't like where I live and I don't get mail there - so thus, nothing with my current address. Everything I had with me had my PO Box. I got so irritated...was I trying to get a library card or a concealed weapons permit?! I finally just said "Oh, just use the address on my drivers license, it's in Cobb county and I just want to get the heck out of here!" (Need to remind myself to change my driver's license address sometime soon...maybe after I move again!)

So...after all that (and yes, I finally received my concealed book permit) I check out...

...amazing. I don't know how to write a book review, so forgive me if I screw this up:

This is one of the best books I have ever read. It will teach you how to balance your life, be less selfish and more forgiving AND it's a quick read. I will warn you though, it had me sobbing...literally sobbing on the plane ride back from Baltimore.

READ IT! It will change your life! Yep, just like the Book of Mormon.

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POST #...oh who cares!

I know! I know! And I'm sorry. I have not accomplished my goal of 34 days of posts and I likely won't. That is tough, you should try it and then you'll understand.

For the record, the only reason I am posting tonight is because A) "My Public" awaits (thank you Susan, for making me feel like my posts are at least entertaining) and B) I just put wash in and have another load after this one goes in the dryer. For these two reasons alone, am I making the time to post this very night. Because when your living room looks like this:

...you should have other things on your mind! I do have a lot to post about though, so let's get on with this, shall we!

A week ago yesterday I flew up to Baltimore, MD for a work meeting. There are no fun photos to share (*frowns*) and no real exciting stories that anyone would pretend to find exciting, so let's just say, the Baltimore trip came and went without much ado.

I returned from Baltimore late Wednesday night, repacked my bag and flew out the next day for a girls trip to San Antonio! We (Megan, April, Heather, Shannon & I) had a great time and the only thing I can say was that we missed everyone who could not be there (Nicole, Heidi, Lisa, Lisa, Elisabeth, Stacie & Laura) and thought of you often.

Although I am often the one behind the camera at family functions, this trip Shannon played Olen Mills and did an amazing job. She even taught everyone how to use her camera so we all took turns to make sure there were plenty of photo ops for all. With that, comes the sad realization upon returning home that I did not have very many photos from the trip and I would have to wait to enjoy them once Shannon has time to share. I know Shannon will be right on it with a fantastic slide show...which we are told will have a few choice tunes from our HOV weekend soundtrack. I am so excited...I can't wait! Well, I guess I can wait, because I have to. But in the mean time, here are a few of my favorite pics from the Katherine camera:

Preface to these photos I should mention a bit more about our schedule throughout the weekend, please note, this is very cut & dry, to document every detail of the weekend would be blaspheme!

Thursday:
Shannon flies into S.A.
Katherine flies into S.A.
Heather flies into Houston...drives over with Megan
All arrive at Chateau Rodriguez...laughing ensues!

Friday:
Megan leaves for work meeting in Austin
April, Heather & Katherine take brisk walk around the neighborhood
Shannon stays home to finish Spanish homework
April, Heather, Shannon & Katherine hike cave (photos on Shannoncam)
- Food & Alamo
Meet Megan back at Chateau Rodriguez
Grocery (graw-kery) store & Blockbuster
Stacie sat at an Arizona airport trying to make it to S.A. flying stand-by. She never made it. *sad*

Saturday morning:
Megan, Heather & Katherine take brisk walk around the neighborhood
Everyone gets dolled up
Antonio plays Olen Mills for an HOV photo shoot (photos on Shannoncam)
1 hour drive to Fredricksburg (I think that was the name of the little town)
Walking/Shopping/Eating/Good Fun
Back to Chateau Rodriguez
HOV Birthday Party (we figured it was easier to celebrate everyones birthdays together, so we drew names. I made a cake and we bought ice cream...what more can a girl ask for!)
Watch OSU football game (Go Cowboys!)
Watch 1 (yes, one) episode of Friends for old time sake

Sunday:
Shannon & Heather off to airport
Megan, Katherine & April to church
Katherine to airport
Katherine & Heather have lunch while waiting for flights
Megan off on drive to Houston
Chateau Rodriguez back to quiet - Thank you for your hospitality!

OK, now...on with the show:

The OFFICIAL HOV Recipe Resource Guide 2008 & San Antonio Soundtrack. Hey, we are not fooling around here...this is serious stuff! This year Shannon has the wonderful idea to put together an HOV recipe book and I cannot wait to try every single recipe! And we have yet to go on an HOV trip without a soundtrack and thanks to Shannon this year was better than ever! As you can imagine it being a trip to Texas, the CD is full of great cowboys songs and so much more! Don't you wish you had a copy! NO, I will not give you mine. NO, you cannot have my recipe book either!
April, Shannon & Heather before we enter The Alamo:
Um...The Alamo:
I know the sign said "no photos" but they should have taken my camera away, because I could not help myself it was so beautiful:

Shannon, April, Megan & Heather at the HOV birthday party:
The earrings April & Megan bought me:Me, Megan & April:
April, Shannon, Heather & Megan...um, with cake:
Megan & Heather...they were totally posing, so I have no qualms posting this goofy photo:
Chateau Rodriguez (a.k.a. April) was an amazing hostess! She made all of us our own little goody bags complete with our favorites! She had them placed at our sleeping areas with our towels just like a true B&B:

There are so many more photos of the weekend and they are so much better than mine. With that, check back soon for a link to the slide show that Shannon has promised. I'm sure it will take some time, but hopefully not too long!

While I was in San Antonio April gave me my Christmas present. I know...it's not even Halloween yet, but it saved on shipping! I promised I would wrap it up and put it under the tree, but I love it so much I might have to leave it out all year round. I am not sure if you (yes, you) have heard of Jim Shore...but he is an amazing artist and this is one of his pieces:

AND just before I left I finally made it to the post office to pick up an over sized package that wouldn't fit into my PO box. Well, what a pleasant surprise to find a birthday present from Monika! I was so excited I tore into it right there in the parking lot (imagine me chasing the pink ghost farts all over the post office yard!) This is what she sent me:
...aren't they cute! No, you cannot have them either. I am so excited, I want to find some fall smelling candles to burn in them and make my house feel all cozy! Thanks Monika!

OK, that's it...I'm all out of stuff to talk about and that 6:15 a.m. walk with Susan is going to come mighty early tomorrow morning. Yikes, it's already after midnight!

Well, I hope you enjoyed this because I leave for another business trip on Friday so I probably won't post again until after I return. But you never know, something very exciting could happen tomorrow...

POST 22: General Conference & packing

I don't have time to post today...I'm listening/watching General Conference (and packing for my trip to Baltimore.)

General Conference is so great...rejuvenating and nourishing. Life has changed so much, I remember when I was little having to go to the church to watch the broadcast via satellite. Now all I have to do it jump on line. I probably suffer a little, as walking in and out of the room is far easier, but now I can hit pause or even rewind. And I am sure I lose a little still sitting in my pajamas, but I can't help but think of how fantastic it is that so many more saints can hear the words of the prophets with such great innovations at our finger tips.

How times have changed...


Now...got listen/watch!

POST 21: A plethera of things

Today has been a rough day, so let's just make this post all about last night...I went with Kinsey & Lauren to the North Cobb (high school) Warriors Football Game. It was homecoming, so we met up early to watch the parade...good times, good times!

Here are a few pictures from the evening:

Kinsey, Katherine & Lauren watching the parade

Kinsey & Katherine
(notice the cute little guy behind Kinsey...)

Katherine & Lauren

Did you notice the cute little guy behind Kinsey 2 pictures above?
Isn't he a adorable!

Looking sharp!

Lauren's sister Alex:

Kinsey's sister Abbie (Left/3rd)

Kinsey's dad

Kinsey's mom

I think these guys are the freshmen football team, not sure. Love the cheerleader's socks!

Kinsey & Lauren walking to the stadium

Lauren took this awesome pic!

So watching high school football is a lot more fun when there are hot coaches to watch too!

Strike a pose!
(notice the kid in the background...)

Would you buy a raffle ticket from these two cuties, Chris Ernie & Tyler Graham?
Well yes, of course we did!
Did we win? No.

Tracy & Derek Graham...
Sorry, we already bought a raffle ticket from your other son!

Kinsey's mom (again) Jackie
...yes, she's showing off her BBQ Street cup

I know they are the enemy, but excellent pic regardless!

The marching band...Abbie is out there somewhere.

He's back!

Kinsey...need I say more?

It's GAME time!

Robert & Kinsey

Lauren's parents

Vote for ED!
No really...vote for ED!

Lauren & little sis Stephanie

Elvis in the house!

No, I do not know her, but this was seriously one of the only lifts I saw from those warrior cheerleaders.

Um...IDK!

Lauren's little sis, our personal cheerleader: ALEX!

Kinsey...put that thing away!

Oh yeah...there's a football game being played.

Our friend's little girls were the flower girls for the homecoming ceremony.
Aren't they so cute!!



Alex & her dad

The 2008 Homecoming Queen (center) with 2007 Queen (left) and 1958 Queen (right)
This was the 50th anniversary of North Cobb High School

And let's end this slide show with the ONLY touchdown (i saw) of the evening:

Good times! Good times!