Random Fun Facts Friday

1. I love pudding. Specifically, Swiss Miss brand. I don’t like the Jello brand at all. Oh, and it has to be chocolate. I don’t really do vanilla. At all. {Self-proclaimed chocolate snob here}

Sadly, I don’t think I’ve had pudding in a long time. I think it’s because I can never find Swiss Miss in the grocery store anymore. : (

When I did my first show in High School, my best friend brought me a six pack of pudding instead of flowers to congratulate me. It was the best.

{Bonus picture! Me looking super young on a creepy craft-project horse in "Carousel"}

2. It’s a good thing I never had any interest in illegal substances, cigarettes, or underage drinking because I realized something today: I totally found myself with an addiction in the most cliché way.

You know how they teach you in school about how things like peer pressure, ad campaigns and celebrities make kids want to try dumb things like cigarettes or drugs? I always scoffed at this because I knew that even if some guy looked a tad hot smoking, I still wouldn’t want to smoke. Um smoking is GROSS.

Then I realized…I am no better. I started drinking coffee because of Lorelai and Rory, my bffs. I used to hate coffee. But I loved the smell and I loved those Gilmore Girls so my freshman year of college I started drinking it now and then. Especially when I watched Gilmore Girls (which was and is daily). At first I thought it was gross and I’d add lots of sugar and milk. But I kept drinking it. Now I start most mornings with coffee and I like it. Whoa. The power of Gilmore Girls. And, um, Hollywood.

You should know I felt kind of dumb when I discovered that Alexis Bledel hates coffee and always had coke in her coffee cup. My addiction is based on a lie.

3. Last week was Homecoming. I have little to no school spirit but I mustered some up to go to halftime festivities and then enjoyed a night of Chinese Food and Cranium with mis amigos.

Oh yeah…the South is weird. They dress up here for Homecoming. At home I usually did face paint and threw on a sweatshirt. Tis a different world.

{What's that strange cardboard figure? Oh, just a Zac Efron stand-up that my friends own, no big deal. One of the Mr. RC nominees couldn't be there so his face was taped over Zac's to represent him. Too bad you can't see that 'cause of the flash.}

4. Did you notice I said mis amigos in that last fact? I am so bilingual. Or not so much. I speak un poco Español y/und ein bischen Deutsch. However, next year my big plan is to teach abroad in Spain for a year. I’m graduating college in May and I am far from ready to take on the “real” adult world so I thought I’d escape abroad again. Plus, I love Spain (second only to Austria, although maybe that’ll change. Bring it on Spain). Plus, I would love to become fluent in a language.

Anyway, I need to start brushing up on my Spanish.

5. Right now I am listening to “Should’ve Said No” by Taylor Swift, because I just finished watching her be ADORABLE on Ellen and needed to bask in her adorableness some more.

This song always makes me think of an infamous dinner. My sister and I drove 45 minutes to meet with her fiancé and future in-laws to try out a restaurant that might cater the rehearsal dinner. Well, we love the in-laws but they are not as timely as our clan. Jen and I arrived and got a table for 6 in a busy bustling restaurant and then proceeded to sit there alone for the next hour. People kept glaring at us for taking up a huge table and we got so hungry we had to order appetizers so we weren’t able to properly test the rest of the food by the time everyone else arrived. And the worst part was Mr. Fiancé kept calling and saying five more minutes, ten more minutes, etc….it was much longer.

To occupy our time we re-wrote some of Taylor Swift’s lyrics to suit our needs:

“You should’ve said go, you shouldn’t drive slow, you should’ve thought twice before you said ten minutes mo’”

Yes, we are geniuses.

6. Today I look a mess. Because it is raining. And therefore I just can’t muster the will to care.

On the plus side, I get to wear my super fun Target rain boots!

Happy Friday! Anything random you'd like to share?

Story Time: Tradition

Today I’m here to tell you about a phenomenon called the Jen-Kate-Jen photo. Never heard of it? Silly you.

First you need to know about Kate and the Jens. I’m the Kate in question. Did you work that out? Good. Moving on. The Jens are my sisters. Truth. Who knows why my parents gave them the same name. Even more peculiar is that their birthdays are a short 4 days apart (yes, of the same year.)

The first Jen-Kate-Jen photo was taken for what must have been no particular reason at all. Kate and the Jens were simply hanging out at a church fundraiser when inspiration struck and they knew it would be the coolest photo ever if the two Jens were to lift Kate in between them in a posed manner. Later that Spring at the Jens’ HS graduation they remembered how super cool and totally awesome their first try at this photo was and decided to replicate it. Then the same thing occurred that summer. And so on and so forth. In short order it came to be an unspoken agreement that whenever the Jens and Kate were lucky enough to be together, this picture must be taken.

{I believe this to be the 3rd J-K-J picture ever taken}

{My graduation. Awkward squinty eyes are my signature look.}

Who doesn’t love a good tradition?

{The Venetian in Vegas, 10/17/09!}


(Note: This is merely a sampling of the dozens of Jen-Kate-Jen photos in existence. If I posted them all it would be too much hotness for one post. And I don’t have a way to scan in the older, non-digital camera ones.)

{Ok, full disclosure: One of these Jens may not actually be my biological sister. But one of them certainly is!}

Lost in a Book

Unfortunately for you, dear reader, I have nothing interesting to say.

Fortunately for me, I'm hoping all of you will have something interesting to say to me.

I've got a trip coming up for a glitzy weekend with my dearest, bestest sister Jen W. and my fake-but-awesome other sister, um, Jen. (They're so cool that they have the same name. No, they do, for real.) We will be celebrating my 21st belatedly and celebrating the Jen's October birthdays. It will be great fun.

What I need from you are some really good book recommendations. I will be spending quite a bit of time in airports and on planes and I'd like to spend that time with a couple of good books. {And, ok, some good trashy magazines as well.}

Anything goes, although I'd prefer something light and/or captivating so that it will be easy to get into. I love good literature, but I'm getting enough of that in college right now as an English Major.

As thanks for all the quality recommendations I'm hoping you're about to leave me, I will offer you a book recommendation of my own.

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

{I realize most of you have probably already heard about this book and/or read it by now, but I couldn't help myself.}

{...Because, I mean, PEETA...}

{Enough said.}

Thanks!

I am sad today.

Life isn't fair.

People disappoint me.

{I have a very painful sinus headache.}

So I'm thinking of Salzburg and remembering that days like this will come again.

I'm putting on the kettle because tea is where I turn for comfort.

I'm saying a prayer of thanks for my Mama who is always positive and confident on my behalf and listens to me when I feel alone.

I'm sending hope out to all those with heartache.

And I'm glowing with joy that my sister and her husband have been reunited.

Tomorrow will be brand new.

Parent's Weekend

Last weekend my parent's came to town for my last College Parent's Weekend.

We rocked it out Freshman style, walking all around campus and taking loads of touristy pictures.

{Kate: 17}

{Kate: 21}

But seriously, my campus is beautiful, so how could we not? We focused mostly on the Cathedral Library.

Wouldn't you love to study here?

Saturday was an unbelievably beautiful day and packed with family fun.

I took my parents to the bookstore at which I'm interning in the PR & Marketing Department.

We ate genuine & delicious Memphis BBQ. If you’re ever in Memphis, go to Central BBQ. No questions asked, just do it.

We spent the afternoon by the river (the Mississippi herself) just relaxing. It was perfect. A cool breeze blew off of the water so we were never hot or cold or soaked with humidity. We played a game of Uno that lasted an hour. Did you know that was possible? We didn’t.

Dad won.

Then, we followed the advice of those British blokes and just “Let it be.” I laid back on the picnic blanket, shut my eyes, and listened. There was barely any human noise and yet it was so loud, an orchestrated symphony of wind in trees, falling autumn leaves, an ever-present buzz of cicadas. I couldn’t make myself move, it was so peaceful.

We took a stroll.

Our next stop was to “The Cheesecake Corner,” a local establishment with the best. cheesecake. ever. Trust. I think it’s permanently #1 on my Mom’s “To Do in Memphis” list.

We decided to walk from our hotel to dinner on our last night together so we could all enjoy a cocktail and a leisurely meal. I liked walking, it made me feel like I was in Salzburg again, walking everywhere and thinking nothing of it. (Of course, everywhere I walked in Salzburg was bee-utiful beyond belief, so that made it easy.)

And then—

Off they went, back to Colorado to enjoy the beauty of Fall by the mountains.

Until Christmas, Mom & Dad. XO Katie.