Monday, February 28, 2011

I Have a Confession

Before I get to my confession, I want to tell you about the DELICIOUS banana bread I made this afternoon.  It’s vegan (aka dairy free for me!) and based off this recipe I found:
I had a few bananas I needed to eat as they were ripening quickly and my frozen banana stash is pretty stocked so I wanted to find something else to do with them.  I debated bread vs. muffins but I hate cleaning muffin tins so bread won this time.
I didn’t have any pecans (or walnuts for that matter) and I had seen another recipe that had a topping and decided that would be fun.  So my toppings consist of almond slices, dried cranberries and shredded coconut - added 15 mins into the cooking time.  I think they could have been added right at the beginning so they would have stuck a bit better, I was afraid of burning but that didn’t happen.  
I love how this recipe doesn’t call for any eggs or egg substitutes so you never have an “undercooked” concern.  The bread feels a little heavy and the consistency is a little more cake-like, but that could be because it was right-out-of-the-oven. What?! I couldn’t help myself! Look at this beauty:
Anyway, I guess I should give you the good stuff - the confession.  I don’t have cable and while there are some shows that I do miss watching, saving money on the cost of cable is nice, as is being less likely to get sucked into a marathon of TV shows and movies, specifically bad ones.  That’s not to say it’s impossible.  With the internet being such a source of information and videos, it’s very easy to get caught up on sites like hulu, netflix, youtube, etc.  And that is exactly what happened.
When I was sick, I took the opportunity to watch (and finish) Veronica Mars.  I never watched this show when it was on but a friend brought it to my attention and since there were only 3 seasons to get through, I knew it couldn’t take up too much of my time even if I did get hooked.  Well, I got hooked and finished the series a lot quicker than I expected and needed something else to consume my time between naps while sick.  I watched a few things on Netflix but wanted to find something more current, so I turned to Hulu.  I looked to their most popular shows and started scanning, when I ran across ‘The Bachelor’ I stopped.  I used to enjoy watching this show sometimes; it was a guilty pleasure.  Part of me found it hilarious, while another part of me felt sad and mildly heartbroken.  I could go into more detail on that but I fear I’d bore you all or maybe you’d instantly become concerned by my heartache.  (I’m a hopeless romantic who has trouble believing in love, so sue me!) 
Anyway, I clicked on the link for ‘The Bachelor’ not sure if I’d watch but just to get some information on this season and decide if I wanted to possibly have a good giggle watching an episode or two.  Much to my surprise, I found out this seasons “bachelor” was Brad Womack, the “bachelor” from a few seasons ago who surprisingly turned away both ladies on the final episode...and he’s back?!  I immediately became interested and started watching, only to feel bad for the guy.  Don’t get me wrong, I kind of felt bad for him before.  He got a lot of crap for following his heart.  Leaving at the end of the season with no lady is not how the show is supposed to go, but something didn’t feel right to him and he followed his heart - how can we hate him for that?  Well people...I became interested in watching, which quickly turned into hooked and caught up, just waiting for a new episode to pop up on Hulu.  How could I let myself do this? I’m not sure if I’m ashamed or okay with this.  The hopeless romantic in me wants to see this person finally find something.  The skeptic in me goes over and over how it’s not really possible for someone to “find love” so quickly and when you’re still allowing yourself to date other people that you’re so called “falling for” at the same time as well.  But either way, I need to see how this guilty pleasure show plays out.  That’s my confession.  :sigh: Man it feels good to let that off my chest. 

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Blogging While Perched

As I type this I am currently perched on a stationary bike at the gym. Using the best of my time - got a problem with that? Deal with it. :)
I had hoped for more of a workout today but unfortunately I'm not sure my body is going to be able to handle it as my lower back and knees are absolutely killing me. I didn't do anything to them, so I'm not sure what the deal is but I'll take it easy on them for a few days if I can.  But I think we all know I won't actually stop working out, especially since I'm just coming back from my week of plagueness. Yes, I just made up that word. Deal with that too!
I need someone to design a logo for me. Any takers? My company needs a logo. And a website. And a business plan. And start up costs. And to be made official with the federal government. Any takers?  Just kidding, just kidding. Kind of... :)
Speaking of which, I hope to get the music blog up in the next few days. I know I said that a couple days ago but life got in my way and since I should have tomorrow off, I hope to get a few things checked off my to-do list. (especially if I don't get them done today)
And as a quick sneak peek of what you should expect on that site soon - a briefing as to why this new Adele album is AWESOME (!!!) as well as tour dates for The Lumineers, and other misc live and recorded music reviews. 
In other news, can we discuss additional forms of income?  While I love my job, I don't fully love the pay and money often feels tight. There's additional income that comes in and while more band added to my company will lead to additional income, that income should really go to my company now. If I want this company to exist and be successful, it needs to. Time for budget restructuring. Ahhh! Help! 

Friday, February 25, 2011

I'm BACK!

Glad to be back!  Now that I seem to be on the road to recovery from my never-ending plague, I hope to actually get back to my normal blogging routine.  Just when I thought I was recovering from my sinus infection, I seem to have developed a stomach bug.  It was awful.  I was unable to eat for 2-3 days, hardly keeping down water and saltine crackers.  I just can’t describe how awful it was.  I finally broke down yesterday and decided to see a doctor.  I came in to work, got a few things done, talked to my managers and left to the hospital.  From there I spent the next 5 hours hooked up to an IV as they pumped fluids back into my body, fed me anti-nausea meds and ran numerous blood tests.  Thankfully I can now say I’m feeling much better!  That’s not to say I’m back to my normal self, but I’m definitely on the road to recovery. 
It’s nice having finished the 30 day writing challenge, though now I have to go back to coming up with my own daily topics...blah! Not really, I enjoy blogging, it just requires a little more brain power now.
One thing I’m working on now is creating the blog for my company.  The purpose of this blog will be to review live and recorded music, release tour dates for bands that I’m working with or other shows I’m excited about, or really anything that I feel like including that’s music related.  I think it should be a fun project - get excited people!  (Don’t worry, I’ll link for you when the time comes and the site is ready.)
For now, work is calling my name and I’m being stepped on in the break room...


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

A Photo of You Today + 3 Good Things from the last 30 days - Day 30

Well unfortunately, each moment I feel like I could be getting over whatever this is, something new tends to pop up.  Yesterday I couldn’t eat breakfast but come lunch time, while I wasn’t really hungry, I was able to eat some veggie soup and a little bread from Panera.  This morning I made my usual breakfast of toast with peanut butter and banana and coffee, ate one piece and couldn’t keep it down.  :eye twitch: Then I fell asleep for about 3 hours on the couch.  Woke up, tried to eat some cereal - nope, that’s not happening either.  I’ve now eaten 3 saltine crackers and had a shot of aloe juice and I’m still feeling a little queezy.  Not to mention my right eye keeps twitching uncontrollably which I don’t think is helping anything.  I’ve taken my temperature twice today, no fever which is good, but I feel like I’m on fire.  I ran out of tissues last night and haven’t had the energy to drag myself to the store for more, yet somehow I’m going to try and make it through work.  I did yesterday so it can be done.  Though I felt like I was doing pretty well yesterday. :eye twitch:  My goal was at least to make it through half the day and when it hit that point, I was doing pretty well.  Let’s hope for the same luck today.  
I’m also desperately craving the gym and a good workout. :eye twitch:  It feels like it’s been forever.  It’s been nearly a week.  Same thing.  I need some stat bike, weights, elliptical, yoga, treadmill...must I continue.  I’m in neeeeeeed of it. :eye twitch:
Anyway, it’s the last day of my blogging challenge.  You know what that means?  Starting tomorrow I go back to talking about whatever I want to...or don’t want to...or fish for topics.   Chances are I’ll have plenty to talk about.  I usually do.  :eye twitch:
I’ll be honest, I’m not giving you a picture from today.  The affect this illness has had on me is far from pretty, so I’m choosing a recent picture instead.  I think that’s fair. :eye twitch:

As for the 3 good things that have happened in the past 30 days:
-promotion at work 
-blogged!! (and found more people who enjoy reading my blog!)
-hung out with some amazing friends :)
:eye twitch: :eye twitch:

Something You Could Never Get Tired of Doing - Day 29

I want to answer exercise for this, but honestly, I don’t think there’s nothing I never get tired of doing.  I mean stop and think about it for a minute.  There are a few things in this world I absolutely love doing: exercise, listening to music, playing an instrument/singing, hanging out with friends/family.  BUT everything hits a point that you need a break.  I get frustrated with my singing and playing guitar and need a break (or my vocal chords or fingers need a break).  My body gets tired and needs a day off from running, weights, elliptical, etc.  While we all love time with friends and family, eventually you need some “me” time.  In reality you aren’t tired of doing it, you just need to give yourself a break.  But I guess that’s my answer.  So deal!
Sorry yesterday’s post is coming out today.  Did you like how I did that?  I found time to post Sunday’s post yesterday but not time to post yesterday’s post yesterday?  Don’t worry, I fully intend on giving you yesterday and today’s posts today.  Yay! ;)
This death cold really took my out.  I missed three days of work, tried to go in that third day and was sent home TWICE (that must be a record!)  For the most part I’m feeling better as my body no longer feels like it’s been hit by a truck, backed up and hit again.  I can breathe through my nose MOST of the time, fever seems to have left, but I still have the most painful sore throat ever and spent the majority of yesterday coughing up a lung.  Gross. 

Monday, February 21, 2011

A Photo of You Taken Over 10 Years Ago - Day 28

How about a photo taken over 20 years ago?  Sometimes it scares me that that is even possible.  I mean seriously? I’m old enough for those kinds of pictures to even exist?  Scary...

I don’t have too many photos of me when I was little, at least on my computer or out here with me, so I really only had two options, both of which I’m choosing to share with you. 



Bethany-I’m sorry that you appear to be topless in the first one of these :-O  But the picture was adorable so I couldn’t help myself.


Yes, everyone else - I am the little one in both pictures.  And you know you want those super awesome heart shaped sunglasses in the second one. 
I apologize for the tardiness of this post.  My body was being taken over by the plague.  No seriously, it was awful. 
::cough cough::

Saturday, February 19, 2011

A Recipe - Day 27

This is a fun post for me as I really enjoy cooking.  It’s not something I do as often as I would like but I love to try new recipes, as long as they work out that is. :)
I often pull out recipes from magazines, though I don’t often remember to try them.  A couple years ago I decided that I was going to try one new recipe a week, pulling from my stack of magazine ripped out recipes.  It didn’t last as long as I would have liked and I keep telling myself that I am going to start it back up again because it was fun and helped me add new recipes to repertoire (or throw out some sub-par or not so great recipes).  But the one below is a gem.  By far one of my favorites, not to mention it’s super easy and makes great leftovers.  I’ve made a few changes from what the original recipe calls for, but it’s mostly the same.  If I remember correctly, the recipe came from Shape magazine (though it’s also possible it could have been Fitness or Self - but you get the idea). 

Couscous with Roasted Almonds & Edamame (or Hippie Food if you ask some of my friends)
Ingredients:
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups carrot juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups from shelled edamame
2 medium scallions, chopped
3/4 cup couscous
1 ounce, roasted, unsalted almonds, chopped
In a saucepan combine garlic, carrot juice, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Add edamame and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 4 mins.  Increase heat to high and return edamame to a boil; stir in couscous.  Cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 mins.  Fluff couscous with a fork; add scallions and almonds.


Friday, February 18, 2011

A Photo of Somewhere You've Been - Day 26

This would be the perfect day for me to post pictures from the trip to Paris with my family, but I’ve shown a few of those before and I’m thinking this will make a better story.  
Have you ever been to Beaver City, Utah?  Population 2, 511.  Birthplace of Butch Cassidy.
Well I have.  And I’m sure you have too but chances are you stopped for gas or cup of coffee.  The difference between your stop in Beaver and my stop in Beaver, you made it out.  I, on the other hand, got stuck. For five days.  It.Was.Awful.
A reminder why I prefer cities to small towns, for a large number of reasons that could probably be a blog entry all in it’s own.  But for the sake of time, I’ll save you the details - for now.
I was traveling across country, making my move from New Jersey to California.  I was making great time.  Ahead of schedule or so I thought.  That was until my stop in Beaver City.  I had just spent the last hour or so completely out of cell range.  Had made a couple of calls to my dad the day before due to my “overdrive off” light coming on in the hills of Colorado but other than the light that would come and go, all things appeared to be smooth sailing.  But this stop was really just a stop for a fresh cup of coffee, cold bottle of water and to use the restroom.  I headed back out to my car and in the spirit to continue my day of driving, as I was only a few hours in.  To my surprise as I went to put my car in reverse, remove my foot from the brake, I rolled nowhere.  I put the car in park and tried again.  Nope.  This is where the freak out started to happen.  One more attempt, adding in the gas.  Nope.  
I called my Dad.  We checked a few fluids.  All appeared good but decided to try topping off my oil. (I think it was the oil? Or the steering fluid? This is all a blur now...)  Nope.  A few guys came over, asked if everything was okay.  Dad stayed on the phone.  If I was about to die, he was going to be on the phone so that my last words would be to tell everyone that I loved them.  
Okay, okay...it wasn’t that dramatic.  But they tried a few things and eventually ended up pushing my car out of the parking spot and led me to the mechanic in town as I could still drive forward.  The mechanic had a couple of ideas what it could be but feared it was probably the big guns, my transmission.  Conclusion?  It sure was.  And since I was stuck in this tiny little town only a few miles long, it was going to be about a week for them to get the transmission to replace my current one and install it.  They’d work their fastest but really we’d just be waiting and waiting and waiting for transmission.
That’s exactly what I did.  Wait.  Sit in my hotel room and wait.  I’d walk the town everyday.  Get weird looks for the locals.  To this day I’m sure I was the talk of the town for the week.  Everyone knew everyone, so clearly they noticed the girl with the big black sunglasses, hot pink bag and flip flops who walked around town all day but no one knew.  Subway veggie sandwiches were my dinner of choice.  Lunch was usually yogurt parfait from McDonalds (french fries too, if I was feeling crazy).  Breakfast was hot water brewed through the coffee pot to make instant oatmeal and coffee.  The housekeepers started leaving extra coffee everyday.  I’m sure they felt bad and assumed it was the least they could do for the poor girl stuck living out of a hotel while waiting for her car to be fixed.  
The day that I left was amazing.  I was afraid to even stop for a pee break.  Afraid my car wouldn’t make it and I’d get stuck again.  All I wanted was to make it to the apartment that was waiting for me in LA.  We don’t need to go into the fact that it wasn’t nearly what I was hoping it would be and instead spent a couple nights at a friend’s place on her couch instead (thanks again Justine!)
Anyway, enjoy the crazy fun times of Beaver City, Utah...errr

This bat was my pet at the hotel.  ...or maybe he just scared me. ;)




At least the view around the town was beautiful.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

What's in Your Purse - Day 25

Adorable purse by the way - thank you very much TJ Maxx! :)
I’m constantly on the search for new bags - it’s my retail weak point.  Some girls have shoes, I have bags.  Though let’s be honest, I’ve bought a few new pairs of shoes lately that has me wondering if shoes are going to be added to my list.  Uh oh....
Anyway, this super cute purse is also very similar to a clown bag - an endless supply of anything I could ever need over the course of my day or anytime I go out.  I generally try to bring a smaller bag when I go out with friends but any other time, this is what gets tossed over my shoulder.
Let’s take a look, shall we?




This bag has several pockets, great for keep things organized, while hiding the mess.  
  • Note the small side pocket: headphones, gym lock, business cards, and pens.
  • The big pocket in the main part of the purse: lotion, lip gloss, inhaler, gum, mint container conveniently stashed with medication to get me through any level of headache throughout the day.
  • And the two side pockets, which you should imagine also generally contain my petite MacBook Air and a notebook for working while on break at work: sunglasses, wallet, an orange (or some kind of “just-in-case” snack, and yes, you may very well be seeing a tube of toothpaste and toothbrush if you look really hard.  I told you it has everything I could ever need over the course of my day. :)

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

A Photo of Something That Means a lot to You - Day 24

This is very similar to a post from the other day about things that make me happy, generally they go hand in hand.  Unfortunately, you can’t capture everything that means a lot to you as they aren’t items but rather feelings.  But for the sake of this post, here are a few items that mean a lot to me:
-A chair my sister brought back from Africa for me


-A guitar that has been passed down in my family.  It was the guitar I played when I first started learning in high school.  I hope to have it back again some day.
-My family and friends
-Nutrition and Exercise





Tuesday, February 15, 2011

A Moment You Wish You Could Relive - Day 23

I’m stumped.  Is that bad?  It’s not that there aren’t moments I want to relive, because I have some great memories that I would love to relive but at the same time, if we relive those moments over again, are they really as special the second time?  That’s my fear.  Instead I look forward to creating new memories that I’ll carry with me forever.  But for the sake of this topic, here are some amazing moments in my life, in no particular order (and of course I know there are some escaping my mind purely because I want to write about them right now):
-Trip to Paris with my parents and sister
-Every trip to Disney World
-Receiving my acceptance letter to Berklee College of Music
-Performing with my best friend Tracey at the variety show our junior year of high school (every performance we did together was awesome but this was the first one and we blew the world out of the water.  I will never forget how big our smiles were that day.  Not sure if I’ve ever smiled that big before.)
-Graduation college (not graduation itself...I passed out and hardly remember it, but the act of finishing my college education).
-Packing up my life and moving across the country, getting stuck in Utah (I never want to relive Beaver City, Utah again!)
-Every moment I was able to prove my singing abilities to someone (whether that be my vocal teacher, choir director, the rest of the choir, or other people singly).
-The night I went into NYC with Ida to see Wesley Jeremiah for the first time to gauge my interest in management.  Now they’re The Lumineers and as they say it, the rest is history.
-Every time I see The Lumineers live it reignites the fire to push them to the success they deserve and spread the music the world needs to hear.
-Being a “junior” bridesmaid in my grandma’s wedding - how many people can say that? 
-Three words: THE. COPY. CATS.  (For those of you not in my family, this was the band made up of my sister, cousin Drew, cousin Shawn, and myself.  We rocked!)
-Standing in front of the door at my grandma’s old house staring at my mom and aunt after eating my ice cream and realizing I lost (and apparently swallowed) my first tooth.
-The “jean shirt club” - an extension of the copy cats
-Being in love
Okay, so that last one I do hope to relive at some point.  And I know it’s not a moment, it’s a feeling.  But that feeling led to so many amazing moments and memories just because every minute with that person was never long enough but was full of happiness.  Nothing beats that feeling.  And all I can do is hope that I stumble upon it again one day. 

Monday, February 14, 2011

A Letter to Someone Who Has Hurt You Recently - Day 22

Is it ironic to anyone else that this topic comes up on Valentine’s Day?  The day that is supposed to be full of love.  I don’t enjoy this holiday, whether I’m single or not but this is a difficult topic for me.  Is a few years ago considered recent enough?  Or could this be just a couple months?  I’ve been hurt quite a bit.  And the crazy thing is, it’s always the people you least suspect, that end up hurting you the most.  So with that...
To the People Who Have Hurt Me Recently:
It’s fine that you don’t like me.  Quite honestly, after the last few months, I’m not too fond of you either.  Sometimes it blows my mind that just a few months ago, we were good friends and you actually wanted it to be that way.  I’m not sure whatever changed with you and while it took me some time to accept, I’ve come to the point that it doesn’t matter.  I’m at the point where I’m not going to fight for your attention or to hang out and be friends again.  Honestly, I don’t care.  There are people out there who are true friends, who want to spend time with me, who want to be my friend - those are the people that I want around me anyway.  
Here is what gets me though: Why is it that you must talk bad about me behind my back and convince others that it’s “not okay” to hang out with me or be my friend?  Why do you even care?  Can’t you let people make their own decisions on who they want to be friends with?  The fact is, people leave and tell me now it’s “okay” for us to hang out....actually, if you’re making it such a big deal for them to not be my friend that they believe you, well lucky for you, I won’t be their friend because I don’t want those kinds of people in my life either.  
Thing is, we aren’t in high school anymore.  I’m not sure if you’ve realized that yet.  In fact, we’re adults; we’re in this thing they call the “real world” and things like this don’t fly here.  I know right now you think they do, you think you’re in control, but you’re not.  I know you don’t think I see right through your “be nice now that I’m in the office” attitude change, but now you’re finding out, I do.  And it has no positive affect for you.
Also, let me point something out to you.  I have a world, a life, friends outside of “this world” and I’m over allowing you to bring me down and make me feel bad about myself.  I’m not sure your reasoning for it, especially since we used to call each other friend but just know your time of being in control is over. 
I know they always say “the good girl/guy always finishes last” but I refuse to let that be the case this time.  I highly doubt you’ll read this or if you do, I’m sure you’re laughing and joking around.  But I don’t care.  2011 is about me, improving my life, and surrounding myself with people that make me feel good about myself and are supportive, and taking the steps that I need to improve my life and my career in all aspects. 
I wish no harm upon you.  I’m not like that.  I just wish that one day, you will wake up and realize that your behavior is childish and you will grow up.  That you will see the positives in everyone, not just their negatives.  Open yourself to seeing your own personal downfalls so that you can spend each day working towards improving them, not hiding your insecurities by being rude to others.  People will respect you more if you can admit and own your mistakes, not point fingers at other people or lie.
In no way am I saying I’m perfect, because I am not.  But what I can do, is admit when I do something wrong, mess up, and that I am far from perfect.  I have taken initiative to work on fixing the things I don’t like about my life, about myself so that I can be more confident and happy.  I’m sorry that right now, you can’t do the same.
All the best,
Katie

A Photo of Something That Makes You Happy - Day 21

I’ve been super sleepy lately.  Not just always tired sleepy, but more like falling asleep at 8:00 on my couch or the moment I sit down - hence, my delay in yesterday’s post. 
And instead of just one thing that makes me happy, I would like to include several because it is all of them together that truly make me happy. 

Flowers


Coffee


Wine & Candles


Yoga / Exercise


Music


Fun notes from friends



Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name - Day 20

In case you missed my first post, here (http://talkless-saymore.blogspot.com/2011/01/talk-less-say-more.html) it is, where I touch on why I started the blog.  ‘Talk Less, Say More’ came from a Swedish Proverb I ran across that felt like my new mantra for 2011.  I don’t start resolutions, but rather look for ways of self-improvement and this seemed like the perfect solution, a way of thinking, even to just briefly change your current mindset.  I could go more into detail about how each partial phrase speaks to me in a different way and relates to me on a deep level, but then we’d be here all day and you still may not full understand how I work and what makes me tick.  It just seems like to much of an undertaking for me; maybe someday.
I have to admit there was a big of anxiety building up in me as I was waiting for ‘Jesse and the Rippers’ to make an appearance on the list, knowing that if it didn’t show, I would deem this list super dumb and inaccurate.  Please watch the ‘Forever’ video.  I think we all would agree with them, this video is cheesetastic! :)






Friday, February 11, 2011

Another Picture of Yourself - Day 19

There really isn’t anything fun about today’s topic seeing as I don’t enjoy pictures of myself.  But here are a few fun ones:

This picture is fairly old now.  My sister had come to visit me in Boston and I made us strawberry shortcake for dessert one day.  It was delicious and I was being crazy.

This picture is from last week.  My friend Cole and I went out for a friend’s birthday at a karaoke bar.  


And lastly, this is from a couple months ago at a co-workers birthday celebration.  This was the “I don’t want my picture taken” face. ;)

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Something You Crave A Lot - Day 18

Well this is easy - SUGAR!  
Next question... :)
No seriously, if it contains sugar, chances are that I love it, want it, crave it.  Whether it’s cookies, ice cream, chocolate - hand it over!!
With today being the Verizon iPhone launch we had some food for employees and of course, there were sugar based treats...it took my craving and I’m pretty sure made it worse.  
So as I sit here writing this, I can’t help but think I could really go for some frozen yogurt...or maybe that’s just because it also fills my voids. 

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

A Photo of You and Your Family - Day 17

Would you believe I don’t actually have that many photos of my family on my computer? The ones that I do have are older and from when I made my sister a photo book before she joined the Peace Corps.  I wanted to make sure she had plenty of pictures (new and old) to remember all of us and share with the people that she met.  Sometimes older pictures are fun and there’s no rule saying I had to use a current picture (aside from the fact that my parents, sister and I are hardly in one place at the same time more than a day or two a year - if that!) so photo ops don’t really occur that often.  And, let’s be honest, I’m pretty terrible at remembering to take pictures...oops!  Anyway, here are a few for your eyes to enjoy! :)

This picture is old and kind of awful, but possibly the only picture I have in iPhoto of the 4 of us together.
We're crazy.  What can I say? :)

My aunt and cousins from Missouri (minus one who was probably off playing) and my Grandma’s sister.

Can you say SUPER old?! This is from my high school graduation.  It looks sunny now but a few hours later, mid (outdoor) ceremony, it started to downpour!

My aunt and cousins came up from Texas for a visit and one of my dad’s other sisters and his brother came over.  It was a photo op that doesn’t happen to often.  Beth wasn’t around so Dad Photoshopped her in...kinda. 

My sister and I at her going away party with the super awesome cake I made of Africa.
I checked Facebook this morning and this was at the top: http://barbarapartment.com/video/2011/02/09/the-lumineers-ho-hey-round-2-2/
 (It's a video - it's okay to click the link!)
All I have to say is that I love my job.  :)

I’m currently in this “purging” stage.  I’m trying to rid my apartment of things that I don’t need and don’t use.  Rid my closets of clothes that don’t fit or that I don’t wear.  Rid my life of people who create a negative atmosphere or make me feel bad about myself.  As part of this, I’m going through old magazines that I’ve been holding onto.  I always save a magazine for an article, recipe, etc that caught my eye on first glance but let’s be honest, we never go back and read it or make the recipe.  Instead, we forget why we saved that magazine in the first place.  My new thing has been to one by one take these old magazines to the gym with me.  If there’s something I want to hold onto, I fold the page over, rip it out when I get home, and recycle the magazine.  It’s been fun.  Last night I was ripping out some of the folded over pages in a copy of ‘Real Simple.’  I always forget the magazine starts with a quote, sometimes just something fun but often something to inspire you, or get your brain thinking.  Today, I want to leave you with this quote that caught my eye and I had to set aside:
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past” - Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to John Adams (August 1, 1816)