Thursday, May 3, 2012
Reasons why I will not be blogging
Today: group meeting, Herald (I've officially been hired as the Managing Editor for the fall. That means I'm second in command and get to do lots of cool stuff like story budgets, design, yell at people, make the popcorn and have my own desk) then work at the Herald, hiding in the library, going to bunco with my HFC ladies, then back to the library
Tomorrow: two papers due (one is done. I should probably go ahead and submit that before I forget) then meeting Momma, Daddy, Clark and Amy in Nashville for Bub's belated birthday dinner
Saturday: shooting a wedding with B. It's gonna be HOT.
Sunday: studying like a crazy person, and trying to pack for NC
Monday: work and then my Basic Video Production final
Tuesday: 8 am State and Local Government Final (bluh.) and my group project is due at 10, I'm doing the layout for that. oops. But I'm also going shopping with my friend Beth who is getting married in less than a month. She needs table numbers, so we're going on an adventure.
Wednesday: work and then my Feature Writing final (another layout project, the writing has all been done)
Thursday: Nothing. Until work at 3. So I'll probably try to clean my room and sort piles in stuff into NC/Gulf Shores/Nashville
Friday: History final at 10:30, Dance Appreciation final at 2:30 AND THEN IT'S ALL OVER.
I'm very excited for this semester to be finished, but kind of dreading it at the same time.
Because then there's only one more left.
But I officially officially have a place to live for the fall, and finally heard back from my internship supervisor, so that's officially official also.
So much to look forward to :)
That's all for meow. See you when I only have one semester left in college.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
It's almost time for Pilgrims!
I just realize that my blogs never have logical titles, so if I ever need to look something up, I'll have to dig through my entire archived history.
I realize it has been over a month since I last posted, and that's because I was waiting to hear back from LifeWay about the internship position I interviewed for back on March 27. On Friday, I got an email notifying my that another student had been selected. I was at work answering the phones during work, so I didn't have much time to get upset until after I got off. And then I went home and pouted with my cat.
He understands.
Though I was crushed, I had a back=up plan! I'll still be spending my summer in Nashville, but my internship will be (unpaid!) at the Gannett Design Studio. It's actually 2 blocks from LW; I can see their building from the DS offices. So, ya know, in case they change their minds, I'll be right down the street.
Once I got over the depression (I was REALLY hoping for that spot!) and my plans, I shifted my gears and started the prep work for the credit part of this internship. 240 hours, a weekly journal, other fun things. Yay school!
I'll be doing a little bit of copy editing and designing, so I'm super excited.
The end of the spring semester is right around the corner! Only 1.5 weeks before finals, and most of my classes have final projects, so the majority of the work is here in the next few days. It's almost crunch time!
Fiji formal and pig dinner is this weekend. The food will be awesome (and free! That's what happens when you have a big camera, apparently.) and B's mom and sister are coming down, so it'll be a good time all around.
B and I have a wedding on May 5 right before finals, May 13 we're shooting some engagement pictures, and May 16-22 I'll be visiting Claire in NC (and John, but mostly Claire, and really only the 17-21, my flights are way late and way early) returning home to BG for a few days, packing up my apartment, then going to Murray to drop Clawsy (and some of my junk) off with Momma and Daddy. On May 25 I'm going to be a guest speaker" at the University Coc youth group girl's retreat, then heading back that night and staying with the Ayers, for at 3:00 on the 26, I'll be on my way to the beach. It's wild that I'm old enough to be someone that these girls will look up to and listen to, but I got the invitation the day I didn't get the LW spot. God is so hilarious sometimes. I'll be back from babysitting (at the beach) on May 31. Brian leaves for Haiti on the first, I have a wedding to go to here in BG on June 2, and then (tentatively) my internship will start June 4.
Holy moly!
So many exciting things coming up in the next month!
Know what else is exciting?
Setting your kitchen on fire.
Emily had spilled a little oil on the eye and it was sitting in a nice little puddle when I went to boil water last night.
Just for the record, flour is not the way to put out a fire. It just makes little sparkle flames float up in the air.
So I learned how to use a fire extinguisher and clean up the stuff that comes OUT of a fire extinguisher. One is more fun than the other, obviously.
Other points of interest since the last blog:
I *might* have an apartment situation set up for the fall.
B and I picked up another July wedding.
I saved 51% at Kroger with all my coupons! Not as good as Claire, but still.
I crafted this awesome thing.
My final video project will be 3 minutes of my cat. No, I'm not kidding.
That is the newewst summary of my life.
Until next time!
Cat
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I need clean money.
I meant to post this a long time ago, but I didn't.
The good news is, it's still funny!
I finally dumped my piggy bank out the other day (um, try three weeks ago?) and counted out the stash I'd been creating since school started back in August. It amounted to a rather large sum. I didn't believe I was capable of saving that much money, so I recounted it twice, and all I could think of was how gross the dollar bills are. People probably stored them in their shoes, gum-filled purses, sticky wallets and pulled them out to buy medicine when they had the flu.
I wanted to wash my money. And take a bath in hand sanitizer.
Hand washing wouldn't be effective, (It was a lot of money for a college kid!) so I giggled at the thought of washing it in the washing machine.
Isn't that called money laundering?
I really wanted to launder my money.
I still have no idea what money laundering really is, but I'm convinced it involves the sanitation of dollar bills.
Here are some pictures.
-Cat
I PLANTED A PLANT AND IT HASN'T DIED! Also, I planted five and only have one. But it's better than nothing? The pot is self-watering and matches my new accent color. And was $4 at TJ Maxx. Thrifty and allows me to not pay as much attention to the little guy.
Glass sale at Hob Lob! Just little splashes of the new turquiosey color.
Got this for $5 at the Hob Lob. The true inspiration for my new room, and I just love what it says. (When FB had that awkward white box under the profile picture, Brian's blurb had something very similar to this. Neato.)
This is Claws sitting on the bed I made him. On the bottom of the book shelf. The fabric matches the stuff behind the TV, the foam is from my hope chest bench project, and it's stapled onto the box from my new night stand. Thrifty, I know.
I'm adding the new turquoise color in little places — got this fabric from Hancock's and replaced the old red/black combo. It matches my hope chest cushion!
Yeah, there are 80 bajillion things on top of my hope chest and I said there wouldn't be, but the point is that I'm making the top into a bench! (I'm also switching out my winter/summer clothes since we skipped spring this year.)
The good news is, it's still funny!
I finally dumped my piggy bank out the other day (um, try three weeks ago?) and counted out the stash I'd been creating since school started back in August. It amounted to a rather large sum. I didn't believe I was capable of saving that much money, so I recounted it twice, and all I could think of was how gross the dollar bills are. People probably stored them in their shoes, gum-filled purses, sticky wallets and pulled them out to buy medicine when they had the flu.
I wanted to wash my money. And take a bath in hand sanitizer.
Hand washing wouldn't be effective, (It was a lot of money for a college kid!) so I giggled at the thought of washing it in the washing machine.
Isn't that called money laundering?
I really wanted to launder my money.
I still have no idea what money laundering really is, but I'm convinced it involves the sanitation of dollar bills.
Here are some pictures.
-Cat
I PLANTED A PLANT AND IT HASN'T DIED! Also, I planted five and only have one. But it's better than nothing? The pot is self-watering and matches my new accent color. And was $4 at TJ Maxx. Thrifty and allows me to not pay as much attention to the little guy.
Glass sale at Hob Lob! Just little splashes of the new turquiosey color.
Got this for $5 at the Hob Lob. The true inspiration for my new room, and I just love what it says. (When FB had that awkward white box under the profile picture, Brian's blurb had something very similar to this. Neato.)
This is Claws sitting on the bed I made him. On the bottom of the book shelf. The fabric matches the stuff behind the TV, the foam is from my hope chest bench project, and it's stapled onto the box from my new night stand. Thrifty, I know.
I'm adding the new turquoise color in little places — got this fabric from Hancock's and replaced the old red/black combo. It matches my hope chest cushion!
Yeah, there are 80 bajillion things on top of my hope chest and I said there wouldn't be, but the point is that I'm making the top into a bench! (I'm also switching out my winter/summer clothes since we skipped spring this year.)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Not a minute too soon
At exactly midnight, I ripped the month of February off my calendar to reveal what lies ahead in March — spring break, Saturday tours, college fairs, birthdays and assignments are waiting to be transferred from my daily planner to my monthly calendar. Instead of writing down these tasks in their color coded beauty, I decided to blog about it when I realized I was throwing away February at exactly midnight — completely unintentional, I might add.
I hadn't written a single thing down on my monthly calendar for February. It was blank when I wadded it into a ball and tossed it in the can. (No worries, Mom. My daily planner has a monthly feature that looks like this:
)
Throwing away a blank calendar is a very physical reminder of the passed time that might have gone to waste or been left blank. I rather enjoyed February, what with its summertime temperatures and Nashville adventures. But it's officially March.
There are now only nine months until I graduate — 20 minutes ago it was still 10. I'm down to single digits. Whoa.
After doing some homework tonight I decided to try to simplify my room. Reorganize. Rearrange. Declutter. Feng Shui, if you will. This is partially due to the fact that Emily just rearranged her furniture, so now I've got the itch, but good GRACIOUS at all the stuff I have. A box of fall decor. A box of spring decor. Two plastic drawers of spring/summer clothes. A box of clothes to donate to Goodwill. A milk crate filled with craft supplies. A basket of blankets.
Oh my, my at the stuff. And all of this is under my bed! They aren't kidding when they say "out of sight, out of mind" one bit! I'm officially untempted to move my bed...tonight.
But that didn't stop me from trying to declutter. I stripped 30+ photos off my walls, mirrors and closet doors. I took down the paintings that lined the ceiling above my bed. I pulled the red towels off my bulletin boards.
Wait, WHAT?
Last weekend, after I got the email notifying me that the study abroad trip to Italy had been cancelled, I went shopping.
At Hobby Lobby.
And Hancock Fabrics.
I bought a blue ceramic bird. And gray ribbon. And fabric. And buttons to fix the curtains in the laundry room. I felt the need to add something other than red to my room, and I happily landed on turquoise. There are so many bold colors in my room, so I think I needed one to soften it up a bit, so here goes nothin'. I'm beginning to think about my next apartment and how the things I buy for it will go into my post-grad apartment. My post-WKU apartment. My post-everything-is-red-all-the-time apartment. Crazy. I'm starting to see in the very near future the Caitlin that is not in college, and it's a little intimidating. Especially that "very near future" part.
So where did February go? No idea. But I do know that I've learned a lot in the past month, both in my classes and jobs, but also away from campus. My education is wonderful and intriguing, but the closer I get to graduation, the more value I see in friendships. February was spent partitioning my time between the people I care about. I spend more time with the girls from HFC. I make efforts to hang out with my Thursday night group. I call my family and far away friends just to see what's happening. Sure, I get homework done (sometimes at work) and wind up staying awake past my 11:00 bedtime to cram for tests [actually, I've only had one test, sooo...that's kind of a joke. Pretend I said assignments!] but it's so worth it.
The most important thing I think I learned in February that life is going to happen no matter how I try to plan it. My plans are nothing compared to the Lord's, which is a fact I've known for the majority of my life, but one that I needed to be reminded of.
I've only got nine months left here on the Hill, and I have no clue what God's going to do in that time-frame, more or less after, so I've stopped freaking out and writing everything down in quadruplicate. (Seriously. Daily planner+monthly calendar+weekly dry erase board + daily dry erase board. It was bad, y'all. Real bad.) I'll write down the dinner dates and Bible studies and let the Lord fill in the blanks, because right now, we're 35 minutes into March and I don't have a single thing planned past bed time.
Goodnight/good morning/may God bless whatever time of day you read this,
Cat.
//Edit:
Just remembered that even my blog is red. Expect that to change soon, too.//
I hadn't written a single thing down on my monthly calendar for February. It was blank when I wadded it into a ball and tossed it in the can. (No worries, Mom. My daily planner has a monthly feature that looks like this:
)Throwing away a blank calendar is a very physical reminder of the passed time that might have gone to waste or been left blank. I rather enjoyed February, what with its summertime temperatures and Nashville adventures. But it's officially March.
There are now only nine months until I graduate — 20 minutes ago it was still 10. I'm down to single digits. Whoa.
After doing some homework tonight I decided to try to simplify my room. Reorganize. Rearrange. Declutter. Feng Shui, if you will. This is partially due to the fact that Emily just rearranged her furniture, so now I've got the itch, but good GRACIOUS at all the stuff I have. A box of fall decor. A box of spring decor. Two plastic drawers of spring/summer clothes. A box of clothes to donate to Goodwill. A milk crate filled with craft supplies. A basket of blankets.
Oh my, my at the stuff. And all of this is under my bed! They aren't kidding when they say "out of sight, out of mind" one bit! I'm officially untempted to move my bed...tonight.
But that didn't stop me from trying to declutter. I stripped 30+ photos off my walls, mirrors and closet doors. I took down the paintings that lined the ceiling above my bed. I pulled the red towels off my bulletin boards.
Wait, WHAT?
Last weekend, after I got the email notifying me that the study abroad trip to Italy had been cancelled, I went shopping.
At Hobby Lobby.
And Hancock Fabrics.
I bought a blue ceramic bird. And gray ribbon. And fabric. And buttons to fix the curtains in the laundry room. I felt the need to add something other than red to my room, and I happily landed on turquoise. There are so many bold colors in my room, so I think I needed one to soften it up a bit, so here goes nothin'. I'm beginning to think about my next apartment and how the things I buy for it will go into my post-grad apartment. My post-WKU apartment. My post-everything-is-red-all-the-time apartment. Crazy. I'm starting to see in the very near future the Caitlin that is not in college, and it's a little intimidating. Especially that "very near future" part.
So where did February go? No idea. But I do know that I've learned a lot in the past month, both in my classes and jobs, but also away from campus. My education is wonderful and intriguing, but the closer I get to graduation, the more value I see in friendships. February was spent partitioning my time between the people I care about. I spend more time with the girls from HFC. I make efforts to hang out with my Thursday night group. I call my family and far away friends just to see what's happening. Sure, I get homework done (sometimes at work) and wind up staying awake past my 11:00 bedtime to cram for tests [actually, I've only had one test, sooo...that's kind of a joke. Pretend I said assignments!] but it's so worth it.
The most important thing I think I learned in February that life is going to happen no matter how I try to plan it. My plans are nothing compared to the Lord's, which is a fact I've known for the majority of my life, but one that I needed to be reminded of.
I've only got nine months left here on the Hill, and I have no clue what God's going to do in that time-frame, more or less after, so I've stopped freaking out and writing everything down in quadruplicate. (Seriously. Daily planner+monthly calendar+weekly dry erase board + daily dry erase board. It was bad, y'all. Real bad.) I'll write down the dinner dates and Bible studies and let the Lord fill in the blanks, because right now, we're 35 minutes into March and I don't have a single thing planned past bed time.
Goodnight/good morning/may God bless whatever time of day you read this,
Cat.
//Edit:
Just remembered that even my blog is red. Expect that to change soon, too.//
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Just made it!
And I thought it had been over a month since I last updated this thing! Ah, it is not so! Tomorrow, yes, but not today. Yay me! =)
Classes have already begun to eat my life, as has work(s?) and homework and trying to remember to sleep. And occasionally shower. But let's be real, I'm in college.
JUST KIDDING.
I shower.
So classes and work and what not are taking over, but Emily and I have managed to bake lots of wonderful things. Mini-pizzas and cookie sandwiches for the Super Bowl and other things that I have forgotten. We get plenty of time to bake and cook and experiment! Today I got home from class and Emily had made mini carrot cake cookies with cream cheese icing. Whaddup. So good.
In other Super Bowl-ish news, Monday night Brian was getting ready to take me home from the Fiji house and we realized his glove box was open. Odd, but I just closed it and put my backpack in the passenger seat. He got suspicious and looked in the back seat — his camera bag was gone. His memory cards, body, quite a few lenses...all that stuff. He called BGPD and filed a report. Luckily he had written down some of his serial numbers last year and was able to give those to the cop as well as an estimate of almost $1800. Yowza.
Yesterday, a detective called to say someone had called because they had somebody come in with some Nikon gear because they had gotten a really good deal on it and suspected it might be stolen.
It was.
It was Carlos! Short of the bag and the rechargeable batteries we use in our strobes, he got everything back! God is good!
The newest thing in my life has been this crazy notion that I want to study abroad in Italy. And get an internship at LifeWay. The Italy trip is only 3 weeks, and it's right after classes end, so maybe I could do both! I sent an email today asking about my application and got a semi-generic response indicating that they'll be in touch in the next few weeks. Blah.
Also! ALSO: Chili's got rid of their white chocolate molten cake with strawberry sauce. My life will never be the same, especially because word on the street is that BG is supposed to get a Chili's soon. At least I got the recipe from Amanda of winter break! So really I can make them at any time...I just like an excuse to go to Nashville =)
I'm going to try to post pictures, but that didn't work so well the last time.
I also have 30 minutes left on my shift at the Herald, so this may not be the end of this post.
Meow.
Classes have already begun to eat my life, as has work(s?) and homework and trying to remember to sleep. And occasionally shower. But let's be real, I'm in college.
JUST KIDDING.
I shower.
So classes and work and what not are taking over, but Emily and I have managed to bake lots of wonderful things. Mini-pizzas and cookie sandwiches for the Super Bowl and other things that I have forgotten. We get plenty of time to bake and cook and experiment! Today I got home from class and Emily had made mini carrot cake cookies with cream cheese icing. Whaddup. So good.
In other Super Bowl-ish news, Monday night Brian was getting ready to take me home from the Fiji house and we realized his glove box was open. Odd, but I just closed it and put my backpack in the passenger seat. He got suspicious and looked in the back seat — his camera bag was gone. His memory cards, body, quite a few lenses...all that stuff. He called BGPD and filed a report. Luckily he had written down some of his serial numbers last year and was able to give those to the cop as well as an estimate of almost $1800. Yowza.
Yesterday, a detective called to say someone had called because they had somebody come in with some Nikon gear because they had gotten a really good deal on it and suspected it might be stolen.
It was.
It was Carlos! Short of the bag and the rechargeable batteries we use in our strobes, he got everything back! God is good!
The newest thing in my life has been this crazy notion that I want to study abroad in Italy. And get an internship at LifeWay. The Italy trip is only 3 weeks, and it's right after classes end, so maybe I could do both! I sent an email today asking about my application and got a semi-generic response indicating that they'll be in touch in the next few weeks. Blah.
Also! ALSO: Chili's got rid of their white chocolate molten cake with strawberry sauce. My life will never be the same, especially because word on the street is that BG is supposed to get a Chili's soon. At least I got the recipe from Amanda of winter break! So really I can make them at any time...I just like an excuse to go to Nashville =)
I'm going to try to post pictures, but that didn't work so well the last time.
I also have 30 minutes left on my shift at the Herald, so this may not be the end of this post.
Meow.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Happy 2012!
Happy new year! Though we're only 10 days into it, I think it's already holding lots of good things =)
WKU announced yesterday that the campus is switching from Pepsi to Coke! I'm an avid believer in Coca-Cola. I happily welcome this transition in my last year on the Hill.
WKU also fired their basketball coach. I'll go to my first basketball game of the season very soon, I'm sure. Looking forward to the watching the players I read so much copy about last semester at the Herald.
Resolution-wise, I cleaned my room. Er, cleaning. Well, I cleaned it, I just need to do some organizational-type things. I'm finally content with my furniture arrangement after living here five months. Go figure. I need to clear my desk off and unpack that pesky catch-all box in the corner.
Brian and I have also been going to the gym more (read, at all) this semester. He gained weight last semester that he's determined to get off. I gained weight during Christmas break freshman year and have been working to get that off ever since. Guess who's already down five pounds? Brian, of course. At least I'll have access to Coke Zero this semester...
That's about it for the new year; just working, cleaning, working out and baking cake nuts with my wonderful roommate!
The Holidays:
Christmas seems like a blur. We had so much food, so many people, so many presents and so much fun that I don't think it really sank in.
Oh, yeah, and my best friend got married on the 17th. My trip to Virginia was pleasant and short, the flights weren't too obnoxious (minus the one guy who felt the need to tell me how rough the past week had been due to his excessive partying. Unfortunate.) The wedding was cute and simple and I loved hanging out with Megan's new step-son, Hayden, who just turned five.
Anyway. Christmas. Racked up on houndstooth stuff for REAL. If only I were an Alabama fan...oh well. I got lots of cookbooks and baking things, including Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible. I'm one recipe into it and in love.
I got to meet my newest cousin Jordyn (there will be photos of her for sure!) and hang out with Blake and Bo. After Herrington Christmas, I headed north for New Year's in Louisville. I got more cooking things and a monkey hat and scarf. I wore it on a tour last week and kept my hands in the built in monkey mittens on the end of the scarf.
NYE was spent at one of B's friend's house (actually, 2 close friends live there) and we had a pretty relaxed night of video games, queso and shenanigans. At midnight someone down the hill from us was releasing Chinese lanterns and it absolutely BLEW my mind. I watched them for a solid 30 minutes before Brian reminded me I should put on shoes if I'm going to stay out that long. Oops?
I crashed shortly after midnight, we went to Bob Evans for breakfast and then spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing with B's dog.
Back to BG for work, fast forward a bit, and here we are! I'm the most excited about this weekend — we'll be in Pigeon Forge with some of the same people from NYE. It's four couples, and the guys get a long really well, and I'm sure we ladies will have some wonderful bonding time in the hot tub =) I've been planning car pools and meals and picked the cabin myself! I think it's pretty nifty! Might be a little cramped, but oh well. A fun weekend shall be had nonetheless!
On the downside, we found out tonight that one of the guys in HFC has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Our minister reported it as being "very treatable," but Matt will need six rounds of chemo at least, so be praying for him and his family.
Now, to end the post with some pictures!
Jordyn at 9 days old:
Christmas Eve breakfast: the cinni-mini tree!
WKU announced yesterday that the campus is switching from Pepsi to Coke! I'm an avid believer in Coca-Cola. I happily welcome this transition in my last year on the Hill.
WKU also fired their basketball coach. I'll go to my first basketball game of the season very soon, I'm sure. Looking forward to the watching the players I read so much copy about last semester at the Herald.
Resolution-wise, I cleaned my room. Er, cleaning. Well, I cleaned it, I just need to do some organizational-type things. I'm finally content with my furniture arrangement after living here five months. Go figure. I need to clear my desk off and unpack that pesky catch-all box in the corner.
Brian and I have also been going to the gym more (read, at all) this semester. He gained weight last semester that he's determined to get off. I gained weight during Christmas break freshman year and have been working to get that off ever since. Guess who's already down five pounds? Brian, of course. At least I'll have access to Coke Zero this semester...
That's about it for the new year; just working, cleaning, working out and baking cake nuts with my wonderful roommate!
The Holidays:
Christmas seems like a blur. We had so much food, so many people, so many presents and so much fun that I don't think it really sank in.
Oh, yeah, and my best friend got married on the 17th. My trip to Virginia was pleasant and short, the flights weren't too obnoxious (minus the one guy who felt the need to tell me how rough the past week had been due to his excessive partying. Unfortunate.) The wedding was cute and simple and I loved hanging out with Megan's new step-son, Hayden, who just turned five.
Anyway. Christmas. Racked up on houndstooth stuff for REAL. If only I were an Alabama fan...oh well. I got lots of cookbooks and baking things, including Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible. I'm one recipe into it and in love.
I got to meet my newest cousin Jordyn (there will be photos of her for sure!) and hang out with Blake and Bo. After Herrington Christmas, I headed north for New Year's in Louisville. I got more cooking things and a monkey hat and scarf. I wore it on a tour last week and kept my hands in the built in monkey mittens on the end of the scarf.
NYE was spent at one of B's friend's house (actually, 2 close friends live there) and we had a pretty relaxed night of video games, queso and shenanigans. At midnight someone down the hill from us was releasing Chinese lanterns and it absolutely BLEW my mind. I watched them for a solid 30 minutes before Brian reminded me I should put on shoes if I'm going to stay out that long. Oops?
I crashed shortly after midnight, we went to Bob Evans for breakfast and then spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing with B's dog.
Back to BG for work, fast forward a bit, and here we are! I'm the most excited about this weekend — we'll be in Pigeon Forge with some of the same people from NYE. It's four couples, and the guys get a long really well, and I'm sure we ladies will have some wonderful bonding time in the hot tub =) I've been planning car pools and meals and picked the cabin myself! I think it's pretty nifty! Might be a little cramped, but oh well. A fun weekend shall be had nonetheless!
On the downside, we found out tonight that one of the guys in HFC has been diagnosed with lung cancer. Our minister reported it as being "very treatable," but Matt will need six rounds of chemo at least, so be praying for him and his family.
Now, to end the post with some pictures!
Jordyn at 9 days old:
Christmas Eve breakfast: the cinni-mini tree!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Remember that one time?
Hey, remember that one time I said I was going to blog and talk about wonderful Christmas things and the 12 Days of Christmas?
"Vaguely, what ever happened to that, Caitlin?"
Finals, that's what.
So, since it's officially Dec. 15, I cannot do the 12 days of Christmas without running past Christmas. Lame, I know. But there is some very un-lame stuff for this post, too!
This morning the world was blessed with a 6 pound 15 ounce princess by the name of Jordyn Elizabeth Allen! I love second cousins! I can't wait to get home and smoosh her sweet baby cheeks. (I think they were a fourth of her birth weight. Just sayin'.)
I am also done with finals, so only the workday stands between me and my official break.
The first hours of break will consist of packing, doing laundry and getting my oil changed. Exciting stuff, really.
But I am really excited that I can now begin to process the fact that my best friend is getting married on Saturday. I continually had to force myself to focus on what was right in front of me, and buddy did I push some deadlines. (I'm gonna be a journalist. It's called creating a realistic work environment. Look it up, I bet it's real.) But all is done and well with the world, so I can start looking for ways to pack my bridesmaid dress without crinkling it to death. It's been really hard to take on any of the typical "maid of honor" duties, but the other girls seem really awesome and we have a couple of really fun ideas for the weekend. I highly doubt that Megan reads my blog (no offense if you just read that, M...) but I refuse to disclose the information about her "bachelorette party" on Friday. Suffice it to say that what I got for the lingerie portion of the night was on sale in the kids section of Target.
Also, let's talk about the weather. At this time last year, WKU had closed to campus because nobody could walk up the Hill, more or less drive to or from classes. This year I wore capris to the library. So. Weird. (Though my chemistry book quotes a direct correlation between the increasing amount of carbon dioxide and the rising temperatures...)
Though it doesn't feel like it outside, I'm 85% in the Christmas spirit and so ready to spend time with my family! It'll be absolutely wonderful to have everybody under one roof, even just for a short time. I'm also anticipating getting a new can opener, and since I spent LITERALLY seven minutes trying to get either one of ours to work tonight, Christmas can't get here soon enough.
My first round of laundry is done/our apartment has stopped shaking, so I'm taking this as a sign that tonight's/this morning's post is finished.
Love,
Cat
"Vaguely, what ever happened to that, Caitlin?"
Finals, that's what.
So, since it's officially Dec. 15, I cannot do the 12 days of Christmas without running past Christmas. Lame, I know. But there is some very un-lame stuff for this post, too!
This morning the world was blessed with a 6 pound 15 ounce princess by the name of Jordyn Elizabeth Allen! I love second cousins! I can't wait to get home and smoosh her sweet baby cheeks. (I think they were a fourth of her birth weight. Just sayin'.)
I am also done with finals, so only the workday stands between me and my official break.
The first hours of break will consist of packing, doing laundry and getting my oil changed. Exciting stuff, really.
But I am really excited that I can now begin to process the fact that my best friend is getting married on Saturday. I continually had to force myself to focus on what was right in front of me, and buddy did I push some deadlines. (I'm gonna be a journalist. It's called creating a realistic work environment. Look it up, I bet it's real.) But all is done and well with the world, so I can start looking for ways to pack my bridesmaid dress without crinkling it to death. It's been really hard to take on any of the typical "maid of honor" duties, but the other girls seem really awesome and we have a couple of really fun ideas for the weekend. I highly doubt that Megan reads my blog (no offense if you just read that, M...) but I refuse to disclose the information about her "bachelorette party" on Friday. Suffice it to say that what I got for the lingerie portion of the night was on sale in the kids section of Target.
Also, let's talk about the weather. At this time last year, WKU had closed to campus because nobody could walk up the Hill, more or less drive to or from classes. This year I wore capris to the library. So. Weird. (Though my chemistry book quotes a direct correlation between the increasing amount of carbon dioxide and the rising temperatures...)
Though it doesn't feel like it outside, I'm 85% in the Christmas spirit and so ready to spend time with my family! It'll be absolutely wonderful to have everybody under one roof, even just for a short time. I'm also anticipating getting a new can opener, and since I spent LITERALLY seven minutes trying to get either one of ours to work tonight, Christmas can't get here soon enough.
My first round of laundry is done/our apartment has stopped shaking, so I'm taking this as a sign that tonight's/this morning's post is finished.
Love,
Cat
Thursday, December 8, 2011
A Quick Aside
I know, I know, I said I was going to do that awesome Christmas thing.
But right now, I'm not.
I just stayed up until almost 2 a.m. finishing an essay that was required to be 15 pages long. It was over an interview that took maybe an hour. If I had written down the entire interview, verbatim, it would have been 10 pages, max. But that's not the point.
The point of this blog post is: I love my cat.
Claws is not a normal cat, I think we all know this by now. He lets me pick him up and hold him like a baby, he loves having his belly rubbed, he argues with me, he plays with me, I go bowling with him and he is the funniest little guy to watch play football.
Normally, Clawsy cat naps on the top of the love seat while he waits for one of his humans to get home (and feed him..fatty) or pay attention to him in general. When I go to bed, he usually goes to bed. When I get up, he gets up. When I eat breakfast, he eats breakfast.
Ok, you caught me, that was a joke. I usually eat breakfast while sprinting to work. And it's usually a granola bar, they're easier to eat than poptarts while running, I have found.
SO MANY THOUGHTS THAT WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ON THIS BLOG!
Anyway, the moral of the story is that Claws is currently curled up on my legs, waiting for me to be done so we can go to bed. It's so silly how much I love this cat. He's cute and cuddly, but he's also a dang good motivator. I want nothing more right now than to go curl up with my doodle bug and wake up to his wimpy meow in the morning because I hit the snooze button too many times.
I wasn't sure I wanted him here for the first month I lived in this new apartment. It's $30/month to keep him here, and for a college student, that's a lot. There are some days when I think I should have left him in Murray (like when I found out he's been chewing on the cords to the curtains! But hey, I haven't paid $90 for nothin'!)
So, Clawsy cat, you rock. I know you can't read, but you sit on my computer a lot, so maybe you'll figure this out anyway.
and sometimes, he even helps with laundry
But right now, I'm not.
I just stayed up until almost 2 a.m. finishing an essay that was required to be 15 pages long. It was over an interview that took maybe an hour. If I had written down the entire interview, verbatim, it would have been 10 pages, max. But that's not the point.
The point of this blog post is: I love my cat.
Claws is not a normal cat, I think we all know this by now. He lets me pick him up and hold him like a baby, he loves having his belly rubbed, he argues with me, he plays with me, I go bowling with him and he is the funniest little guy to watch play football.
Normally, Clawsy cat naps on the top of the love seat while he waits for one of his humans to get home (and feed him..fatty) or pay attention to him in general. When I go to bed, he usually goes to bed. When I get up, he gets up. When I eat breakfast, he eats breakfast.
Ok, you caught me, that was a joke. I usually eat breakfast while sprinting to work. And it's usually a granola bar, they're easier to eat than poptarts while running, I have found.
SO MANY THOUGHTS THAT WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ON THIS BLOG!
Anyway, the moral of the story is that Claws is currently curled up on my legs, waiting for me to be done so we can go to bed. It's so silly how much I love this cat. He's cute and cuddly, but he's also a dang good motivator. I want nothing more right now than to go curl up with my doodle bug and wake up to his wimpy meow in the morning because I hit the snooze button too many times.
I wasn't sure I wanted him here for the first month I lived in this new apartment. It's $30/month to keep him here, and for a college student, that's a lot. There are some days when I think I should have left him in Murray (like when I found out he's been chewing on the cords to the curtains! But hey, I haven't paid $90 for nothin'!)
So, Clawsy cat, you rock. I know you can't read, but you sit on my computer a lot, so maybe you'll figure this out anyway.
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Twelve Days of Christmas [part one]
In honor of the Christmas season (and procrastination) I searched for a "12 Days of Christmas" blog challenge type thing, and Google failed me miserably. I came across something from a blog from last year, so I guess I'll take part in that. A YEAR LATER, no big deal.
1.) Traditions
2.) Shopping Tricks/Thoughts on Black Friday
3.) Memorable Gifts/Moments
4.) Tips/Tricks on Staying within budget
5.) Favorite Christmas Movie/TV Show
6.) Gift Ideas (for me?)
7.) Christmas Craft
8.) Least favorite thing about Christmas
9.) Favorite Christmas recipe
10.) Favorite Christmas Songs/Carols
11.) New Year's Resolutions
12.) Show off your Christmas Decor!
13.) Favorite Christmas Cookie (um, hello? It's the 12 days of Christmas? Why is there a number 13?)
And I also decided that I would analyze the gifts from the actual song, because life is more fun that way.
I figure this will give me something to look forward to other than studying and writing papers because, let's face it, finals week is next week. I, however, will be done by Wednesday and heading to Nashville Thursday night to stay with my lovely Katie who has graciously offered me a bed for the night, free parking, and a ride to and from the airport. Now that's a good friend, right there.
This week will consist of lots of studying, paper-writing, cleaning and praying. I have a test Wednesday, paper due Thursday, paper due Sunday, test Tuesday and a test Wednesday. I think that's it finals-wise, but I have a few online activities and extra credit opportunities to take care of before it's all said and done.
I submitted an application for the WKU Scripps Scholarship today. This is essentially a stipend that allows students to travel for their internships, especially those that aren't paid. If I get this, I'm 90% sure I'll be spending my summer in Nashville! (Even if I don't get the LifeWay opportunity, what newspaper is going to turn down free labor?) I should also be finding out relatively soon what my position will be next semester at the Herald! I'm not sure if I'll get Copy Desk Chief (if I do, please know that I will change the name of this blog to something more Native American-y based solely upon the word "chief." Runswithcats? Playswithcats? CuddlesWithCats? We'll see.)
This weekend, two people my age-ish lost their lives in car accidents. One was my sophomore homecoming date back in high school, and the other was a girl I had never met personally, but was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. There is a lot of hurt here on campus, and I'm sure Murray as well. Today is also the anniversary of O'Brian Payne's death back in 2007. It seems so odd that, four years and separate college campuses later, my Facebook News Feed is full of his pictures and people remembering him. It seemed as thought everyone knew OB in some way, shape, form or fashion. The dead silence that overtook our school as our principal tearfully announced his death over the PA system is one that I will never forget. He brought so much love and laughter to MHS, and his presence is still missed, but we can all rejoice in his life and in the fact that OB is probably celebrating the anniversary of his entrance to Heaven right now. Please, please pray for these families as they attempt to fill the hole in their hearts, and pray that they do so with the Lord's love and the hope that only He can offer. God is good!
It's cold outside, and raining. I need this combo to become snow, especially because I found houndstooth snow boots at Target...and my rain boots are leaky. I tried some "Shoe Goo" from home, but I think it's older than I am. MY left foot was very sad and wet today. Also a snow day would probably make me get more work done? Yeah, you're right. That was a joke. I'm just ready for Kentucky Christmas!
I'm so close to the end of the semester I can smell it! Or that could be my leaky rain boots...
Oh! Totally forgot to mention that B and I went to the mall after church on Sunday to get out Salvation Army Angel Tree baby =) We got a two-year-old boy, and I'm exploding with ideas! This is what too much babysitting will do to you. I have seen the joy that little guys have for the simplest stuff. I can't wait to make his Christmas super special and share Jesus' love with his family!
1.) Traditions
2.) Shopping Tricks/Thoughts on Black Friday
3.) Memorable Gifts/Moments
4.) Tips/Tricks on Staying within budget
5.) Favorite Christmas Movie/TV Show
6.) Gift Ideas (for me?)
7.) Christmas Craft
8.) Least favorite thing about Christmas
9.) Favorite Christmas recipe
10.) Favorite Christmas Songs/Carols
11.) New Year's Resolutions
12.) Show off your Christmas Decor!
13.) Favorite Christmas Cookie (um, hello? It's the 12 days of Christmas? Why is there a number 13?)
And I also decided that I would analyze the gifts from the actual song, because life is more fun that way.
I figure this will give me something to look forward to other than studying and writing papers because, let's face it, finals week is next week. I, however, will be done by Wednesday and heading to Nashville Thursday night to stay with my lovely Katie who has graciously offered me a bed for the night, free parking, and a ride to and from the airport. Now that's a good friend, right there.
This week will consist of lots of studying, paper-writing, cleaning and praying. I have a test Wednesday, paper due Thursday, paper due Sunday, test Tuesday and a test Wednesday. I think that's it finals-wise, but I have a few online activities and extra credit opportunities to take care of before it's all said and done.
I submitted an application for the WKU Scripps Scholarship today. This is essentially a stipend that allows students to travel for their internships, especially those that aren't paid. If I get this, I'm 90% sure I'll be spending my summer in Nashville! (Even if I don't get the LifeWay opportunity, what newspaper is going to turn down free labor?) I should also be finding out relatively soon what my position will be next semester at the Herald! I'm not sure if I'll get Copy Desk Chief (if I do, please know that I will change the name of this blog to something more Native American-y based solely upon the word "chief." Runswithcats? Playswithcats? CuddlesWithCats? We'll see.)
This weekend, two people my age-ish lost their lives in car accidents. One was my sophomore homecoming date back in high school, and the other was a girl I had never met personally, but was involved with Campus Crusade for Christ. There is a lot of hurt here on campus, and I'm sure Murray as well. Today is also the anniversary of O'Brian Payne's death back in 2007. It seems so odd that, four years and separate college campuses later, my Facebook News Feed is full of his pictures and people remembering him. It seemed as thought everyone knew OB in some way, shape, form or fashion. The dead silence that overtook our school as our principal tearfully announced his death over the PA system is one that I will never forget. He brought so much love and laughter to MHS, and his presence is still missed, but we can all rejoice in his life and in the fact that OB is probably celebrating the anniversary of his entrance to Heaven right now. Please, please pray for these families as they attempt to fill the hole in their hearts, and pray that they do so with the Lord's love and the hope that only He can offer. God is good!
It's cold outside, and raining. I need this combo to become snow, especially because I found houndstooth snow boots at Target...and my rain boots are leaky. I tried some "Shoe Goo" from home, but I think it's older than I am. MY left foot was very sad and wet today. Also a snow day would probably make me get more work done? Yeah, you're right. That was a joke. I'm just ready for Kentucky Christmas!
I'm so close to the end of the semester I can smell it! Or that could be my leaky rain boots...
Oh! Totally forgot to mention that B and I went to the mall after church on Sunday to get out Salvation Army Angel Tree baby =) We got a two-year-old boy, and I'm exploding with ideas! This is what too much babysitting will do to you. I have seen the joy that little guys have for the simplest stuff. I can't wait to make his Christmas super special and share Jesus' love with his family!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Turkeylicious
Welcome back to reality, everyone! I'm not sure if it's just the constant, drizzly rain or the fact that I loved Thanksgiving break, but I have been less than enthusiastic today. If you start the day at 2:15 a.m., of course. That's when Emily and I finished phase one of Christmasficating The Fiasco! Christmas music was playing the whole time, I got to bust out my decor that I bought for half-off back in January, and Claws just sat on the couch and stared at the shiny balls of light in his new perch. (The tree was still standing when I left for work this morning, but that's been hours ago...)
Thanksgiving was fun, considering it was the first one without my brother (and sister-in-law) or sister (and brother-in-law) around. We went to Tupelo on Wednesday night after Daddy got off work. Since I was the laziest of the day most-rested, I drove the first leg...to Paris, Tenn. 30 minutes down the road. We had to stop for food because I journey through town was so strenuous. Thursday Mom, Dad and I took a lap around the neighborhood since the weather was GORGEOUS, and returned in time for a trip to Big Lots (I got some fall decor for 75 percent off. See a pattern?) and then deep-friends turkey. We visited with Gran, got our fill of the local family gossip (but no sweet tea, sadly), and went back to Mamaw and Papaw's for more food and then a small food coma.
There was not much "Black Friday" shopping to be had, but we did buy a few small things and strike out on many others. We went back to Ky that night and proceeded to bathe both cats (it was traumatic for all of us) because we found fleas on them. Still. I've been battling these guys for DECADES (read: two weeks) and no matter what I do, they prevail. Mom and I vacuumed and cleaned and washed and combed the cats, and I'm pretty sure they both still have fleas.
Saturday was a remotely lazy day. Oh, wait. No it wasn't. I call this section of break "You sneaky mom!" (Reference 3:41 in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs ... it's way cuter that way.)
Daddy cleaned out his workshop...thing while mom and I dug through lights and changed bulbs and blew breakers and had a couple of Clark Griswald moments. When I climbed on the roof, Mom asked me to clean out the corners of the gutters. They were cluttered with leaves and sticks; cool.
"What about the rest of the gutter? Is it clogged, too?"
"There's pretty much dirt and leaves everywhere."
"Can you see how the gutters are covered?"
"It's a screen over the gutter that's screwed in. The only way to clean it out would be with a water hose."
Next thing I know, Mom's handing me the hose and the LEAKY nozzle so I can soak my sweatpants and store two cups of water in my shoes. Oh, and clean out the gutters. While I was spraying water everywhere, Mom also noticed how green the dormers and windows were, so she handed me a bucket of bleach water and a rag.
I was told my payment came in the form of college tuition. I think I will require an extra semester...
Two and half hours after I first climbed the ladder, the lights were on the house and fully functioning.
Yay Christmas!
Boo soggy socks.
After church on Sunday we ate at August Moon, I did some extra credit, packed up my car and headed back to BG in the rain. Also my cat puked in the carrier...again. (We're two for two.) I got back in time to let Claws in the apartment and jet down to the Herald, where I now sit writing this blog post. No worries, I have left since then, just not for long =) I put in my application for next semester with my #1 choice as the "Copy Desk Chief" after talking with this semester's chief last night. Just pray that God puts me where I need to be so that life in general will work out. (I occasionally freak out about the fact that I graduate in a year.)
There's still nothing happening at Student Pubs, and I didn't grab my backpack, so I guess I'll work on some online content for my classes. I'll try to post pictures later so you can see my half-off Christmas Winter Wonderland of an apartment.
That's all for Meow!
-C
Thanksgiving was fun, considering it was the first one without my brother (and sister-in-law) or sister (and brother-in-law) around. We went to Tupelo on Wednesday night after Daddy got off work. Since I was the laziest of the day most-rested, I drove the first leg...to Paris, Tenn. 30 minutes down the road. We had to stop for food because I journey through town was so strenuous. Thursday Mom, Dad and I took a lap around the neighborhood since the weather was GORGEOUS, and returned in time for a trip to Big Lots (I got some fall decor for 75 percent off. See a pattern?) and then deep-friends turkey. We visited with Gran, got our fill of the local family gossip (but no sweet tea, sadly), and went back to Mamaw and Papaw's for more food and then a small food coma.
There was not much "Black Friday" shopping to be had, but we did buy a few small things and strike out on many others. We went back to Ky that night and proceeded to bathe both cats (it was traumatic for all of us) because we found fleas on them. Still. I've been battling these guys for DECADES (read: two weeks) and no matter what I do, they prevail. Mom and I vacuumed and cleaned and washed and combed the cats, and I'm pretty sure they both still have fleas.
Saturday was a remotely lazy day. Oh, wait. No it wasn't. I call this section of break "You sneaky mom!" (Reference 3:41 in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs ... it's way cuter that way.)
Daddy cleaned out his workshop...thing while mom and I dug through lights and changed bulbs and blew breakers and had a couple of Clark Griswald moments. When I climbed on the roof, Mom asked me to clean out the corners of the gutters. They were cluttered with leaves and sticks; cool.
"What about the rest of the gutter? Is it clogged, too?"
"There's pretty much dirt and leaves everywhere."
"Can you see how the gutters are covered?"
"It's a screen over the gutter that's screwed in. The only way to clean it out would be with a water hose."
Next thing I know, Mom's handing me the hose and the LEAKY nozzle so I can soak my sweatpants and store two cups of water in my shoes. Oh, and clean out the gutters. While I was spraying water everywhere, Mom also noticed how green the dormers and windows were, so she handed me a bucket of bleach water and a rag.
I was told my payment came in the form of college tuition. I think I will require an extra semester...
Two and half hours after I first climbed the ladder, the lights were on the house and fully functioning.
Yay Christmas!
Boo soggy socks.
After church on Sunday we ate at August Moon, I did some extra credit, packed up my car and headed back to BG in the rain. Also my cat puked in the carrier...again. (We're two for two.) I got back in time to let Claws in the apartment and jet down to the Herald, where I now sit writing this blog post. No worries, I have left since then, just not for long =) I put in my application for next semester with my #1 choice as the "Copy Desk Chief" after talking with this semester's chief last night. Just pray that God puts me where I need to be so that life in general will work out. (I occasionally freak out about the fact that I graduate in a year.)
There's still nothing happening at Student Pubs, and I didn't grab my backpack, so I guess I'll work on some online content for my classes. I'll try to post pictures later so you can see my half-off Christmas Winter Wonderland of an apartment.
That's all for Meow!
-C
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