And one more for the road.

Clearly, it's birthday week around here. Today is my roommate J. Gibbs' birthday!

I offered J. Gibbs presents and baked goods but she was no help with gift ideas, so she selected cupcakes and we called it good.

I offered to bake her one of my favorite recipes ever, Honey Yogurt Cuppies.

They are sooooooo yummy and moist.

I think she liked them!

My favorite moment of the night was when I saw her watching me frost this cupcake, and I explained "it's supposed to say 'yay'."

To which she responded: "Oh! I thought it was a bunny rabbit."

{This was the angle she was seeing it from. Do you see the bunny rabbit? According to J. Gibbs it is running and its ears are flapping out behind it. Ok.}

In unrelated news, I pretended it was my birthday this week too and gifted myself this beautiful Jason Wu bag. Actually, J. Gibbs totally came through for me on Sunday and ran out just in time to snatch me the LAST ONE because I knew everything would be sold out by the time I was off of work. Gosh do people take designers hitting Target seriously!

Jason Wu for Target for the win!

Twenty-Seven

Dearest Kindred Spirit,

25 brought us together in Colorado, 26 took us on beautiful adventures in Spain, what does 27 hold?

{Montserrat, April 2011}

I hope this year brings forth so many good things in your life. I hope that you fulfill dreams you've held close to your heart for always and dreams you have yet to imagine. Never stop expecting goodness from your life and never stop seeking it. You are such a wonderful friend and I cannot wait to make new memories with you this year!

Happy Happy Birthday!

All my love,

KS

They say it's your birthday

Happy Birthday, Bestie!

I cannot wait to celebrate The Hunger Games, exciting new life events, friendship, food, and ALL THINGS PEETA with you in only a little over a month!

{Soon we can take new photos! YAY!}

Until then, let's keep having excellent psychic connections and soul sister bonding moments and Josh swooning sessions.

Love you always.

xo,

Kate

Snow Day.

Today is a blessed glorious (really cold) snow day! I might argue that having a snow day as an adult is actually better than as a kid. I don't mind going to work...but I HATE driving in those icy flakes of damnation. (I feel strongly about it.)

Well today I woke up to THE text: Work closed today.

It's pretty much a blizzard here, guys.

I thought I would enjoy a lot of pajama time and some lazing around on the couch and some reading and a LOT of eating but the day ended up being even better than all that. Abbi is in town for the weekend/snowpocalypse and she invited me sledding! I love Abbi's Mama 'cause she's always so sweet and inclusive. Abbi, her Mama and her Mama's boyfriend picked me and my roommate up and off we went to have a snowy adventure. We went to this incredible sledding hill that I had actually had my eye on previously and a good time was had by all.

While I'm here actually blogging, let me recap the other going-ons in my thrilling life as of late.

This past Monday Mama and I went down to Wash Park in Denver. Sadly it was a much grayer day than expected, but we still had a really nice walk and then headed back to our end of town for the BEST LUNCH EVER. Brilliant mother of mine came up with the idea to get the food we were craving from a bunch of different restaurants and then take it all home and have a massive progressive feast. I was really impressed by her...it may be the best idea she's ever had. We had truffle mac from Noodles&Co, nachos from Qdoba and our very favorite Thai Spring Rolls and Thom Kha Gai from Little Basil.

For dinner one night I proclaimed it was European night and so my roommates and I feasted on this spread I assembled: Spanish manchego cheese and famous Rioja (Spanish wine), French bread, Greek olives, and Italian Prosciutto. I could seriously eat like that every night.

As you know, I read Pandemonium and I still have very mixed feelings. I don't want to say that I didn't like it or that I loved it...I just don't know how I feel.

Oh yes, I watched Sherlock and became obsessed during Season 2. I'm waiting to watch Reichenbach Fall with Abbi as I will need a support system nearby.

I bought red pants and then wore them around as if I was actually pulling them off.

Last weeks flowers were tulips and I loved them to the extreme.

My recipe of the week was French Breakfast Puffs. It was like baking cupcakes for breakfast and I loved every minute of it--the baking and the eating.

That's about it!

....JUST KIDDING! You didn't think I forgot the most exciting part of this week did you? The new Hunger Games trailer!

The book purist in me needs to make peace NOW with the fact that there will be lots of book-to-movie differences, like Katniss randomly giving a hysterical Prim a Mockingjay pin when Prim is in fact actually rather composed pre-reaping and Madge gives Katniss the pin, because I know that these changes are actually relatively unimportant.

Just don't mess with my cave scene, ok?

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!}

Monday-Saturday

My days off from work are Monday and Wednesday...so my "Saturday" was today. Sometimes it's sad being at work when everyone is out and about and off when the world is working, but I make the best of it. And it's great to run errands when everyone's at school/work.

My working-weekend and my day off were both very enjoyable this past week. My sister's childhood best friend Lainey was in town to meet the little stud-muffin (nephew) and to visit. Sunday night after work we had a long, leisurely and glorious dinner at Macaroni Grill. I greatly enjoyed conversation and wine over an array of tapas, entree salads and dessert. We took our time and had a wonderful time.

Today was an absolutely incredible Autumn Day. It was on the warm side, actually, at about 70-75 degrees but the sunlight streaming through red and orange leaves was perfection. After growing up in woodsy Pennsylvania I was sad to move out to my suburb in Colorado where the landscape featured sticks in the ground which they insisted on calling trees. They had supports to hold them up. They were shorter than I was. But here we are eleven years later and I found myself amidst a heaping pile of leaves in the front yard. When did the trees grow up? When did we get leaves? I LOVED it (but was secretly happy it wasn't my job to rake them up.) This morning I went home to catch up with the fam (read: love on my nephew) and we had a little Penn State/Eagles photo shoot with Lainey & G-man.

Later on we (Jen, Lainey, myself) decided to drive about ten minutes away to Daniel's Park. I love the park--it's in the "back country" and has incredible views of the open land leading up to the foothills and the mountains themselves. It was a bit hazy today, but still breathtaking. I love going up there because it's close to home and yet it removes you a bit and gives you room to decompress.

I loved that from where we were I could see out to the lakes near my new apartment.

After driving back to Littleton (my new digs) I grabbed my roommate J. Gibbs and we went to explore nearby Clement Park. I fell even more in love with our new stomping grounds! Clement Park is huge, it puts Highlands Ranch's little town park to shame. It features a beautiful large lake and lots of open field space. Their are sports fields, playgrounds and a beautiful Columbine HS memorial (the HS backs up the the park.) We spent until sunset walking around the lake and exploring.

I love this last shot because it's actually a distant view of the cliffs of Daniel's Park where I was earlier in the day.

To top off a lovely day, I came home to flowers sent from my most darling bestie Tina (of the epic NYC trip and all of college). I couldn't believe how sweet and thoughtful she was to want to celebrate my new apartment from afar with housewarming flowers! Actually, I could totally believe it--she's always been like that.

Despite a few set-backs in my day, I really enjoyed the people and the places with which I spent my time. I hope your weekend and/or your Monday was equally enjoyable.

That time I almost didn't blog in October

October has been a very busy and exciting month for me and in the whirlwind it looks like I've lost my ability to type words and share pictures. I've been equal parts happy and exhausted but I didn't really want to look back at my archives and see a big blank nothing for October 2011. So here's what's been kickin'...

*I received my Hufflepuff shirt so I could continue to show my Hufflepuff House pride.



*I began packing up the room I've lived in (off & on) since I was 11. I've moved out, but my stuff has never left...until now. I found lots of things, put 900 photos into albums and reminisced a lot.





(my first cell phone; gear from my first midnight Harry Potter; my first homecoming; my first lead role; a bday mix cd featuring my first "ships".)

*I phone chatted several times with bestie Tina and we discussed how we are turning a bit into each other, probably in an attempt to compensate for our absence in each other's lives. Tina loves dark colors--her wardrobe consists of a lot of black. I wear bright happy colors whenever possible. But now with my new job half my closet has turned black! Not to mention I bought the same bedspread she has...in a dark color! She in turn has started wearing bright colors and it's weirding her out.

*My nephew continued to grow cuter and tightened his permanent grip around my heart. He turned 6 months a few days ago!




*I celebrated Abbi's 20th birthday and decided I love her more each day. We painted fabulous aspen trees with mini-TARDISes hidden away and laughed a lot. We had a moment where we laughed so hard we bumped heads and that only made us laugh harder. You know.



*I moved out of said childhood room and took all of my stuff this time. I lived alone for four years of college in a state 4 states away and then I lived alone in Spain, so I'm no stranger to independence and survival....and yet this feels like my first real big girl apartment. I think it's because I'm only 15 minutes from home but all of my stuff is with me that this feels so real. But I am in love with my place and the city we (my 2 roommates/HS friends) live in. Here are some "crappy camera phone pics" per Lauren's request.

So here I am in my new beautiful apartment and I'm pretty content with life. Things don't seem to be slowing down, but that's perfectly fine with me...for now.

How has your October been? Tell me things!

{Did you notice all these photos are two thumbs down? Yeah something weird happened when I sent them from my phone to the 'nets and they're all blurry and crappy and sad. Sorry...I decided to blog anyway.}

City Lights

Tonight, Jen needed air. The both of us were in our pajamas already, my sweet little nephew tucked in his crib. She handed the monitor over to Grandma and we hopped in the car to seek some unnamed escape, some hidden solace. We landed at Starbucks, the grocery store and finally my look-out spot.

Where the hill crests and the road bends, the land opens up and you can look out for miles-- all the way over the suburb and the suburb next to it and the one next to that. In the distance the buildings of Denver stand a bit taller than the rest and yet they look impossibly tiny in the scope of things. The city lights twinkle in every direction and in this one spot you can even look up and see stars. The blinking and twinkling lights end suddenly at a darkened mass, the invisible mountains. It is all there before you, somehow alive and moving and pulsing with the multicolored lights, but you can stand back and breathe deeply. Just observe.

So tonight we drank salted caramel hot chocolates. And wandered grocery aisles in our jammies carrying a bundle of bananas. And we talked up on the hill, a little bit away from it all.

Thrifty.

I've never been much of a thrifter, but I've always admired the art.

Well, I'm beginning to learn. And I'm beginning to love it.

My teachers? Lauren & Abbi.

Lauren taught me about the importance of finding the right pattern.

While Abbi taught me about finding the right size.

Lauren showed me how you can find an outfit for any occasion.

And Abbi demonstrated how while a piece may not appeal to you at first glance...


...it may be just the ticket!

So with my new found thrifting skills, I thrifted the following pieces:


{90s skirt.}


{Shorts.}


{Cocktail ring.}

What do you think? Have I learned how to thrift?

*I wish my thrifting lessons with these lovely ladies had been at the same time...because hanging out with them both together would be epic. Sadly, they were a year apart. Someday we (yes, you're included) should all have a big party and thrift!