as of late

It's hard to believe over a month has passed since my last post.  Life is flying.  It'll be Christmas before we know it (which ps - I cannot wait for the holidays! EVER - my favorite!). 

In this past month, Jared and I finished summer classes YAY!  Huge relief.  For Jared especially.  Jared took 15 hours this summer and made all A's {proud, bragging wife with no shame}!  I only had one class, but it was a different experience for me being a fairly demanding distance learning one.  Let me just tell you, I'm happy to be done with that one. 

This fall, I will not be taking a distance learning course, contrary to my original plans.  Why?  Ah, I'm glad you asked.  Because I will be out of the country for almost a whole month!  I'm extremely fortunate to have been given the opportunity to attend a course for work in Sweden, and even more fortunate to have been granted some time off on either end of the course to explore Stockholm and Copenhagen.  Crazy, right?  I still can't believe it.  So needless to say, work is going extremely well!  I'm getting my hands on fun, innovative research, and at the same time being given opportunities to learn new things in an incredible location.  I am so thankful!

So now that you're crazy jealous, here's what else I've been up to this past month:

Blue Wahoos games with my guy

Gallery Night with sweet friends

Gallery Night shadow fun

Youth Retreat - this photo was taken before capture the flag in the dark. Too fun!

 

Seriously contemplating these boy glasses for myself. Decisions, decisions...

Quality time with a dear friend (twice!).

Baking, FINALLY! I've missed it so! It's good for my soul.



Have a great Saturday!

friday favorites

It is Friday, right? I've been so confused as to what day it is this week since my weekend started Wednesday (yes, Wednesday!). I'm currently struggling with some homework, so to make myself feel better, I'm going to focus on the positive ;) Here are a few things that are making me pretty stinking happy right now:

One: The really awkward but really cute movie I saw with the husband and brother and sister-in-law last night. If you liked The Royal Tenenbaums, then this movie is also going to be a winner for you.

Two: This book is FREE on iBooks! Which immediately makes it awesome! I'm only a few pages or so into it, but I'm pretty sure I'll be a big fan.

Three: I love yarn wrapped letters! I've got big dreams for them in our master bedroom (once I do some heavy duty cleaning and organizing).

Four: I've recently discovered Lara Bars (I know, where have I been?!). I'm planning to try out this homemade Larabar recipe from 100 Days of Real Food. Cannot wait!

Let me know what you think of the movie, book, and/or lara bars recipe (if you try it out too)! And if you've got some tips on how to yarn wrap letters, I'm all ears!

Enjoy your weekend!

Until next time... :)

this past year

Today is July 4th, and I have plenty to be thankful for.  The facts that we live in this country and have the blessings that we have are incredible to me and so very humbling.  I am so appreciative of the sacrifices that have been made, by the men and women that serve our country, and most of all, by Jesus.

So with that, I'd like to share some things that have brought me joy this past year {since I was a blog slacker and didn't post a thing from June 2011 - June 2012}:

Completed my Masters Degree!

Enjoyed a weekend with the fam for graduation celebration festivities :)

Celebrated graduation with dessert and sweet Atlanta friends {who I cannot explain how thankful I am for},

Chelsie {she came to surprise me at my graduation, love her!}, brother and husband.

Stood beside two beautiful ladies in their weddings {so honored}

Spent my first Christmas back at home with husband and pup.

Passed my Preliminary Exam!!

{after 3 months of crazy studying and zero life}

Started back to school as a Ph.D. student - NUTS!

Celebrated my brother graduating with his Electrical Engineering Degree {This brilliant kid also just got a job! I'm so sad he's moving, but I'm thrilled for his opportunities and future experiences.}

{Best of all} reunited with this handsome guy.

So much more has happened in the past year that I unfortunately failed to capture in pictures. Not only have I been reunited with my husband, but also my amazing family, my dear friends, and my church family.  Jared is also back to school and doing so well {proud wife!}.  Work is incredible and I am loving it.  And being home is really just so wonderful. 

Life isn't perfect of course {let's be real}.  We are insanely busy with school, work, church, family, etc., and we have our rough days.  We are constantly exhausted and find ourselves neglecting friendships that we need in our lives.  But we are taking steps to find more energy and TIME {more on that another day}, so we foresee less days of exhaustion and more fun things ahead :) 

Hope everyone has a wonderful 4th!

Until next time... :)

well hello again

It has been quite a while, hasn't it? I've been wanting to get back to blogging but just haven't had the chance, so I thought I'd re-kick things off with a bang on this lovely evening. I didn't think I could pull off bright colors without perfectly tanned skin, but I've recently embraced the bold colors of the summer season and I'm pretty thrilled about it. Today, I was feeling pretty colorful at work and thought I'd share :)

Tank, Cardigan, Pants, & Sunglasses - LOFT, Necklace - Fossil, Watch - ToyWatch, Shoes - Nine West

I'll be back soon to catch up on all of the new and exciting things that have happened in the past year.

Until then... :)

-Photos via the husband

dear 16-year-old me

A dear friend of mine shared this video with me after my last post. It is so very powerful, and I encourage everyone to watch it and share it with others. 

Dear 16-year-old Kaitlin (me),
I understand that being tan is pressed as being the most beautiful option for skin tones, and it is indeed beautiful. But you, sadly, do not have a complexion that will agree with the choice to forcefully make it darker. When you are 23, just two weeks after getting married, you will find out that you have basil cell skin cancer on your face. No, it isn't life threatening, but a surgeon will remove a quarter sized piece of your face just under your nose and you will have a scar from your nose to your lip. You will have a solid year of insecurities before you accept that being white is beautiful. You will also constantly fear that you will get it again and that it will be much worse the next time. So accept your fair complexion now, recognize that God made you beautiful in your own way, and protect it.
Sincerely,
24-year-old Kaitlin

embrace the white

Well, it's that time of year again. Gorgeous, bright sunny days meant to give every Florida girl perfectly tanned skin. And let me just tell you, I have that complexion. The one where you can go out in a tiny bikini for every peak sun hour every spare afternoon you get with some sort of tanning accelerator on and never get burned. Yes, I'm that lucky girl that never burns...

But it turns out I was doing some serious damage to my skin. Last summer, I had skin cancer removed from my face (here). It wasn't anything life threatening, but who wants part of their face removed? So needless to say, it was scary...

And then I stopped tanning...

And now I'm that Florida girl that burns if she's out in the sun for even half an hour. I'm that super white girl with SPF 70 on to take her dog for a five minute walk. And let me just tell you, I'm embracing it.

It hasn't been an easy task. All of my clothes are bright colors that go very well with sun-kissed skin, so that has been an adjustment. I also dyed my hair blond for what seems like forever, and although many can pull it off with fair skin, I sadly, cannot. I also still get envious at times of those with bronzed skin. But I've slowly made adjustments, and now find myself paying more attention to celebrities with fair complexions. And you know what? It's beautiful.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is take care of your skin. Don't abuse it by over exposing it to the sun. And as your skin gets lighter with the more care you take, love it.

Embrace the white, my friends, embrace the white :)

feeling pretty

So, I follow fashion blogs like it's my job. I am very addicted. I have found so many cute ways to wear things and so many articles of clothing that I need. Need I tell you. I never really expected to do an "outfit post" of my own, but I was just loving what I was wearing on my first evening reunited with the husband on his visit to see me.

Blazer: LC Lauren Conrad, Top & Pants: Gap, Necklace: Kohl's, Watch: Toy Watch

I obviously have a ways to go if I want to do this regularly, seeing as I have... ooooh one pose and only two pictures. And not to mention no camera at school and no place to get dressed up to go to while at school without the husband. But no worries, come August, I may reconsider ;)

happiness



friday faves!

It is Friday! Which means just one more day until I get to see my husband! Until then, my weekly favorites that are making me happy:

I just LOVE new nail polish. I feel like it is a super inexpensive way to pamper yourself and make yourself feel like a new woman.  This color is so dainty and feminine and I am loving it! It's called Petal Pusher. Go get you some at Target :)

Pancakes anyone? These are whole wheat, preservative free, banana pancake deliciousness. It was perfect because I was bored with my normal breakfast routine, so I made a huge batch and froze the leftovers to reheat in the mornings. Can you say perfect finals week brain food breakfast?

Another great, inexpensive way to pamper yourself - new lip balm! I don't wear much makeup now that my complexion is getting back to normal, and I also have a very fair skin tone, so I don't feel like I need much of a bold color or shiny gloss. I have always loved Burt's Bees, and they have a new tinted lip balm. Honesuckle is perfectly neutral, and is a simple thing that brings me happiness.

Happy Friday, friends! :)



some things

I just wanted to share some things I am thankful for on this lovely fall (wait, it's May?) afternoon:

one - This weather! Seriously, I am loving it. Fall is my very favorite season, so the fact that I'm getting some in May brings me a lot of joy.

two - Exams are OVER! I didn't have many, but it has been such a long week of studying, that I'm happy to have that stress out of the way.

three - Everything that God has done for me. All too often I get wrapped up in the stresses of life, when in reality, I am so very blessed that I shouldn't have any complaints whatsoever because He uses literally every stress I have for something good. He is GREAT.

four - Husband will be here Saturday!!

Life is good, and I am thankful :)

what to buy?

The Easter bunny may or may not have sent me a Gap gift card a few days early :) So after some online shopping, I have a few options for when I do go to the store this weekend sometime.

First of all, I'm kind of in love with these:

And these too:

I think I could pull off my platforms with both pair as seen in this picture without feeling like I'm showing too much leg.  But blue jean or khaki... that'll be a dressing room decision!

And then there are so many beautiful tops! These are my top four as of now:

I seriously love all of these pieces, so narrowing down my buys is going to be quite tough. I've got this new rule that if I can think of three or four ways to wear the item, I'm allowed to buy it.  Shorts are easy, because I definitely have tops to pair with them. Tops aren't quite as simple though. But I think all four of these could be worn as seen in the picture, paired with a blazer or a cute sweater, and worn with shorts, pants, or a skirt.

Can't wait for my little shopping spree! Thanks Easter bunny :)

my friday five

So it's Friday, and I have a few things that I would like to call my favorites this week.

First and foremost, my new watch that my parents gave me for my birthday :) Isn't it a beauty?!



Next are TOMS shoes. I do not currently own a pair, but I hope to sometime in the near future. Every morning this past week, when I put on my clothes for classes, I couldn't help but think how much cuter my outfits would have been if I were wearing TOMS. So they deserve spot number two.

And the next may seem silly, but I am loving my new knee brace that helps me work through my patellar tendinitis and allows me to participate fully in my bootcamp classes. And I obviously look more hardcore with it on. And who knew they came in colors? I may need to invest :)

This past weekend, my parents came to visit, and we did A LOT of shopping. I managed to not spend too much money, but I did discover a Pottery Barn at a mall nearby. Big trouble. I'm obsessed with these lanterns hanging from a ladder. Perfect to go over a dining room table. I NEED this for my house.

And last, but not least, Georgia Tech baseball combined with gorgeous weather.  My dad and I went to a game this past Sunday. I will definitely be attending a few more of these and a few softball games before the seasons end.

Now, it's back to schoolwork for me. Have a lovely weekend!



planning

I am officially in cram mode, seeing as the semester's end is quickly approacing. Just three weeks and I am done with semester two of three here at Georgia Tech. It is bittersweet. I wanted so badly to come to school that I was counting down to when I'd finally arrive for 18 months. And now I'm here, away from my husband, puppy, family, and friends, and it makes me ready to graduate and to be back home.

It always seems that people rush their lives away, and it's heartbreaking. I am guilty of it myself. We live in a time-oriented culture, and we all operate on schedules. We set alarms, we get to work and leave work at specific times, we have dinner reservations, small groups to get to, and the list goes on. This makes it hard to not be looking toward what there is to do next, and even harder to truly enjoy the current moment being lived.

Personally, I am a planner, and I will continue to plan, because I enjoy setting goals and acheiving them. But, I am trying hard to embrace and find blessings in my current situations, and I encourage everyone to do the same. I do not know if I will have tomorrow, but I do know that I can appreciate today.

husband

I don't usually brag about my husband on here, but today seems like a good day to do so. If you haven't met him already, this is Jared:

So cute, right?

As I've said before, I am trying to eat preservative free here at school, with hopes to bring that back to my home with Jared in August. Currently, Jared lives five and a half hours from where I am located for school. It's difficult being apart, but we still communicate all the time and we are both busy with his work and my school, so we make it work.

Anyway, back to why Jared is so wonderful - take a look...

And so I open the picture to find...

Note the bottom two lines on the bottle. I'm not even in town, and my wonderful man goes to publix to find preservative free marinade for his chicken and tries it out for dinner. 

Honestly, who deserves this kind of support? He's just the greatest. And for so many reasons. He is so encouraging in everything, and I mean everything, I do. It's an incredible feeling to be so loved.

Best. Husband. Ever.

:)

so excited

This may seem like a very silly thing to be getting excited about, but I just can't help it.  My friend sent me the link to a blog by the Leake family, who gave up eating processed foods and refined ingredients for 100 days, completed that challenge, and then committed (and completed) to doing it again, but on a budget. Their goals are little more strict that mine have been, but it is very encouraging to see that "eating green" can be done, and it can be a long-term change. The Leake family defines their rules here and why to take on this challenge here.

These are the rules I have been abiding by since the beginning of this semester (mid-January):

No Preservatives
If I read the ingredients, and any of them look like something I may have learned in chemistry, I put it back. I only buy things that I actually know what each ingredient is. And just because I know what citric acid is, doesn't mean I'm allowed to bring it home - NO preservatives, period, dot. Reading the labels on everything is key. My biggest challenges have been bread and yogurt. I have completely given up on yogurt and I have temporarily given up on bread (until I am done with school and reunited with my stand mixer), aka I buy it however it comes.

Healthier Eating Out
If and when I go out to eat (which is not often) or I am a guest at someone's house, I try to make healthier choices. I do not heavily restrict myself, but I am hoping to become more disciplined as time goes on.

Water (and coffee)!
This probably falls under the "No Preservatives" Rule, but I feel it's still a good one to draw some special attention to. I limit myself to only drinking water with meals. And for my sanity and GPA, I must have coffee. I have parted with my delicious flavored creamers (pumpkin spice, I miss you!), and now only use organic milk and organic sugar (unless I'm at starbucks - regular milk and sugar). Oh, and I also have the occasional glass of wine when I visit the hubs :)

I must admit, there have been a few slips, but I feel like I have come a long way in my eating habits, and I am finally figuring out how to do it in a more budget friendly way (I spent less than $100 for this 2 weeks - record!). I think it would be amazing to move toward what the Leake family does to further discipline my eating habits, but that will come with time. Until then, I will definitely be using their blog to find some new recipes and tips.

PS - I've almost been married ONE WHOLE YEAR!

03.06.10

chicken pad thai deliciousness

I made a super quick and easy Chicken Pad Thai last night, and just reheated it for dinner tonight. It was and still is so good that I just have to share it. I took a picture on my phone, but it doesn't do it justice, so I'll let you try it out for yourself and see how good it looks in person :)

---

8 ounces rice noodles
4 tsp vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 chicken breasts, cut into small, thin slices
2 cups mung bean sprouts
6 tbsp rice vinegar
5 tbsp fish sauce
4 tbsp sugar
3 tsp chili-garlic sauce
chopped peanuts (to top off this glorious dish)

Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse thoroughly. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add garlic and stir-fry until golden, about 10 seconds. Add eggs and scramble for about 30 seconds.  Add raw chicken and cook until no longer pink.

Add drained noodles to wok, toss about 1 minute. Add bean sprouts, vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, and chili-garlic sauce. Toss for about 3 minutes, or until sauce thickens a bit. 

Sprinkle with peanuts and serve! This makes about 3 decent sized servings.

---

A few learning points from my first go at Pad Thai:
1 - Have everything out, sliced, and diced before hand.  Because the oil is heated over high heat, it does not take long to cook anything! I made the mistake of not having my eggs out or chicken chopped before I added my garlic, so it got a tad too toasty.
2 - I thought I had checked all of my labels, but it turns out the chili-garlic sauce was not preservative free :(  I found a recipe here that I will be trying for my future makings of this dish.

Enjoy!

project complete!

I am happy to report that I have officially completed my first real before and after project (that wasn't just a matter of organization and decorating).  I bought the supplies last June to redo this set, but life got in the way and I just now got around to this project.  I made a spontaneous, quick trip home this past weekend and decided that instead of studying, I should make this set (left behind by the previous owners) pretty. So here we go!

Before... Worn and Rusty

 And After!

And how about a little close-up action:

Serious Rust

Ahh yes, happiness.

I am so excited! It is now safe to sit in the chairs and have coffee dates on lovely mornings with my husband.  Sadly I haven't had one yet because I had to get back to school, but soon enough!