Let's be merry

Christmas was a festive affair around here...and this year the festivities centered around one super special little man.

I had to work Christmas Eve but it was actually a pleasant shortened day. Everyone seemed in a merry mood, a client brought us all chocolate cake and the owner provided delicious sandwiches. Because we closed early at 4pm it was the first time since probably September that I've driven home in daylight. That alone gave me a rush. Look at the beautiful Christmas Eve sunset I got to catch!

We stayed up late watching my favorite, "Love Actually," and eating Gouda and toffee and then I went to sleep and dreamt that Jennifer Lawrence was really horrible in Hunger Games and it actually devastated me...it was a Christmas gift just to wake up and realize that wasn't real and will never happen since she is an amazing actress.

For a few years now we've downgraded our gift giving due to all of us being in stages in our lives where conserving money is good...and also being in stages of our lives where we realize presents aren't even close to the best or most fun part of Christmas day. We each exchanged one or two gifts a piece and then watched as my little nephew bugaboo tried to make his way through 20 or so gifts. It was such a hoot watching him grab at the paper and then wander off to play with a piece of lint or what have you while the adults oohed and ached over all his cool gifts.

{Ahem, this is his Gryffindor hat from Aunt Kate.}

My favorite gift of the day was the beautiful card from my sister and Chris, and what it represented.

Jen does these amazing drawings and so she made a card for each of us this year with an inspiring or applicable quote and inside the card explained that they had made a donation to an organization picked specifically with consideration to each person's interests. It was truly moving. My donation went to benefit literacy and reading for fun for underprivileged kids and families.

{My quote, one of my favorites, is "It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it." -Oscar Wilde.}

After presents we got ready to head over to Jen's in-law's for Christmas luncheon and puzzles. As I've mentioned before, we like to all get together to celebrate and it works nicely--we are all comfortable with one another and this way no one misses out on spending time together. My only qualm with the set-up is the puzzle--I hate puzzles. Luckily this year I had my nephew to keep me busy and entertained with his adorable antics and self-photoshoot opportunities.

Finally, we took some group photos which was wonderful since I haven't had a proper good photo of my brother-in-law and myself since, like, summer of '08 (when they got married.) Pathetic! Now I have some new ones to frame.

{Awww! Their first family Christmas.}

{The whole lot of us! My immediate family to the left, Chris' family to the right. Aren't the baby cousins adorable?}

{One last gratuitous shot of me and the babe--I can't be stopped. Isn't he so hunky?}

I finished up my day by watching the Downton Abbey Christmas special and texting like a mad woman with Abbi while hyperventilating and sobbing. That show is so absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking at times. You must watch! I insist.

(I was gonna post a convincingly beautiful picture from Abbi's tumblr here now, but they're all spoiler, so take my word for it.)

(If you were wondering, my favorite text of the night was: "If Daisy's life had a face I would punch it." ...because that is the truth.}

My favorite parts of Christmas at 23 are: Traditional Spanish hot chocolate, lazing around together in jammies, NEPHEW, mimosas and good food, watching holiday movies by the light of the Christmas tree.

What do you love about Christmas with your family or at your age?

99 Days

I'm over here today helping out with Lauren's Countdown to Hunger Games.

I have loved this book series since 2009 and I think I've been dreaming about the movie for almost as long. I am genuinely excited for the adaptation and I truly believe in the cast--I think Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will do outstanding jobs as my Katniss and Peeta.

Anyway, I tend to hear music and imagine how well it'd fit a scene in a book (I used to do this with Harry Potter all the time too.) I made Lauren a Hunger Games mix tape when I visited her last year and I was so happy that she loved it and wanted me to make a new one. Head on over to her blog (linked above) to hear it if you'd like!

What scene are you most hoping to see in the Hunger Games film? What would you be devastated to see left out?

December 7th

I guess I've sort of given up on being a blogger for now. But not so much that I don't still want to post. I WANT to I just don't have much of interest to say. My life is sort of in an eat, work, eat, sleep, eat rinse and repeat pattern right now. I really need to figure out a way to craft a life out of the spare bits of time. Anyway, for now I'll be lazy and summarize my life as of late with a stream of photos. Although they're really just random. Hm.


1.) My brother-in-law returned from Afghanistan! There was much cheering and sobbing all across the country as family & friends awaited photos of his reunion with my beautiful sister and his precious adorable chubby cheeked son. (Gosh I miss that nephew of mine!)


2.) I joined my mom & dad in the mountains for Thanksgiving. It was delicious. duh.



3.) There were absolutely gorgeous clouds covering the surface of the lake when we went into town to visit Grand Lake. Breathtaking in person.



4.) I love to cook and lately I've been enjoying trying new recipes on my days off. Last week I tried Lauren's Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas...and then I died a happy foodie death. My roommate's loved it too and I am now planning to fix it for my sister and BIL when they're here for Christmas. I also fixed Chili for the first time and I think it turned out wonderfully.

5.) After my computer's pretty much complete demise I decided to maybe sorta kinda give in and try a Mac. My Dell was actually a good ol' faithful--I got it before my Freshman year of college! but the last year or so it's been in steep decline, starting with the DVD drive failing during my FIRST week in Spain when I was most desperate for some comfort Gilmore Girls watching. Anyway, I did it, I got the Mac...and it's true, I'm in love. Look, pretty!


6.) I also fell in love with Pan Am which I am able to watch since I have a computer that loads a web page in less than half an hour now! Yay Mac! Yay Pan Am!


7.) Lauren sent me this amazing shirt and I tried to figure out how to wear it everywhere. Seeing as my work dress code is black and black I'm thinking I'll have to save it for days off. Sigh.


8.) I saw this calendar at Tattered Cover today. It gather it's supposed to be sweet, right? Probably something to buy Grandma for Christmas? HA! Think again. Us Whovians know how menacing this really is. I threatened to get it for Jen for Christmas. Please love that it says "Angels are never too distant to hear you" on it, which is supposed to be comforting probably but in Doctor Who context is just frightening as all get out. DON'T BLINK.


9.) So this is my "silly" White Elephant gift (guys, it's tacky as hell--margarita mix in a glass shoe), my favorite Starbucks drink, a candle I got for free and, oh, yeah, Abbi's tumblr in the background...because I pretty much look at it 8 times a day to see David Tennant and Adam Scott's faces.


10.) The view out of my window at 4:30 pm. I can't believe the sun has gone down...but it sure is pretty to the East. The moon is up, the skyline is pink, the trees are silhouettes.

11.) I can't stop listening to this song. Because I loved the Format. And now I love Fun. And NOT because of Glee. The end.

12.) I watched "Never Let Me Go." And it ruined my life with sadness. But it was incredible. Incredibly sad. Watch it. Or don't if you don't want to feel devastated. But you should just watch it.

13.) How are you?

Tales from 308

I really really love my roommates. I think that sometimes there is a divide between high school and adulthood that just can't be traversed by old friends. Either you want to hang on to what you had so you're stuck in this strange state of high school reminiscing, or you just don't have anything in common. Honestly, I just don't have a lot in common with some of my high school friends anymore. I will always love them and the memories we share, but the truth is we just don't have anything tangible in the present.

{High School friends...my roommates far left and center front.}

Well, I have been blessed with my roommates, two of my closest friends with whom I have navigated that awkward transition from high school friends to college friends to "real life adult" friends. We went off and led different lives during college, but we were always able to come back together and have a blast, and most importantly move forward. Sure, we occasionally get out the yearbook and laugh, but we have way more to talk about in the here and now. We have different experiences and stories to bring to the table since we have done a lot of separate things, but we are building fun traditions and new stories together too.

Anyway, that was a long intro just to say, the new apartment situation is going well. I greatly enjoy the fun hang out times with my roommates. I just love the laughter and the silly times we share.

A few anecdotes...

My roommate J. Gibbs is one of the most hilarious people I've ever met. She's also insanely fashionable and works at Nodstroms but I don't want to talk about that. But it's all good because she dressed me whenever we go out. Literally, I stand her in front of my closet and say "go."

{Us in 2006.}

We are particularly on the same page as me when it comes to food. As in, our desire to eat it all. the. time. One morning when we were both off of work we were lazing around in front of the tv and she had made several comments about not knowing what to have for breakfast. Finally, she looks over at me and says:

"Kate, can't you please just suggest we go out to breakfast?!"

I love that she asked me to ask her rather than just asking...because so often I am hoping one of them is on the same page as me and will bring up food instead. I just couldn't stop laughing at her segue.

Then, a few nights ago, we were both home late from work and hungry. J. Gibbs said she'd thought about going through a drive through but was trying to cut back on the fast food. We sat silently for a few minutes and finally I said,

"But like, can we just go eat tacos?"

We were in the car 3 minutes later.

My roommate Elise is actually my oldest continual best friend in Colorado. The three of us went to high school together but Elise and J. Gibbs weren't really friends until college years when I had the three of us hang out together on holidays. Well, anyway, Elise and I have many many many inside jokes and we're pretty much always being ridiculous together.

{Us in 2003...? I think?}

Yesterday, she was put out because J. Gibbs hadn't ever texted her although she left a note asking her if she could let Elise's dog out and asked her to verify. We had a long discussion about whether or not J. Gibbs had even been in the apartment that day (We thought she had been sleeping in when we both left early for work, hence Elise leaving a note.) Elise decided she had never come home the night before at all and that explained her inexplicable inconsideration of the note. But I knew she HAD come back...I saw the light come on around 1 am. Plus, things in our shared bathroom had moved. We argued (not seriously) for a bit and once we settled that she MUST have been home at some point and thus been around to see the note...but she would never just ignore us or leave Elise's dog out, etc. Unless... a new horrifying thought entered our minds...

Was J. Gibbs still in her room? Had she in fact just never come out at all? Had something horrible happened? We had already tried her cell several times. It was straight out of a scary movie as Elise and I looked at one another, then to J. Gibbs door. We walked slowly towards it saying "oh my gosh, I'm scared," and "you open it!" and "what are we going to find?!" We were imagining the worst. My hand was on the doorknob, both of us trying to gather our nerve when...my phone rang. I literally yelled "Please be J. Gibbs!" as I ran over to it, and thank God, it was. Of course, I was doubled over in laughter when I tried to answer, both Elise and I so relieved that J. Gibbs wasn't lying dead in her bed.

(Turns out she HAD come home the night before but left far before either Elise or I were up for work to go snowboarding. Ohhhhh.)

So that's a bit about my roommates. And how we laugh. About silly silly things. More tales to come.

{I'm sure they'd rather me choose a more glamorous "current" shot, but we took a bunch of silly retro cam pics on my birthday and they make me laugh. We had an "aim" for each photo (hipster, emo, sorority, etc.) but I think they got different messages on this one. Either way, makes me laugh!}