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... :)

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 :)

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! :)



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!



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.

:)

seven things

these glorious things are those that will be getting me through this spring semestser. i have several starbucks mapped out that i will be frequenting throughout the next four months. vitamin D (yes, the gummy ones) will keep me healthy, scoutmob dates with sarit will keep my sanity in check, and my iphone for phone dates with my hubs and family will keep me happy.  my rainboots will be put to good use (and already have been) by walking through the rivers that develop on campus in even the slightest drizzle.  i obviously need something to fuel my OCD tendencies, of which my planner satisfies. and when i need a little pick-me-up, i have bravo TV.  so yes, i love these seven items. and with them, i will survive semester two of grad school.

life is flying

i am back in atlanta after a busy three weeks at home. i loved my time there, but as always, it went by so quickly. i enjoyed my time with the best husband ever, my time with my family and jared's (which is now also my family - love it), and the short amount of time i had with a few close friends (although i would have loved more). i'm hoping to tweak and organize some pictures from my break here shortly, and post them later.

at the moment, i am enjoying snow day number TWO! it is gloriously white outside. since i have no schoolwork to catch up on yet, i spent yesterday sledding with a few friends, and truly loved it. it was one of my best and most memorable days at georgia tech so far. but i am so sore today from the miles of walking through snow and the sledding down hills and walking back up them to sled again, that today i plan to relax and rest.

ah yes, 2011. i suppose that since it is a new year, it's time for some goal making:

start "eating green"
i am not participating in the full Daniel Fast as i did last year with my church, but i still am hoping to challenge myself so i rely more on God. my goal is to eliminate artificial preservatives, chemicals, and additives from my diet. this is so much more difficult than you would think, especially when life is busy and you need something quick and convenient. almost every canned good (which i LOVE to use) has some sort of preservative or chemical in it. so i started checking labels this sunday on my grocery trip, and i'm easing my way into eating green. i'm hoping for this to become a permanent change for me in my life, and to rely on God every step of the way in making this change.

show His love in all i do
i always fear i am just "going through the motions" in my reading and prayer. i want to truly learn from His word and apply it in my life. i also want to be in communication with Him more often. i want to live for God every minute and have His love shown through my every word and action.

survive grad school
i worked harder than i ever have in my life last semester, and i want to continue that discipline and determination this semester and next, so i can graduate with a good gpa in august :)

so here we go, 2011!

thankful

i never did get to blog about my incredible thanksgiving break, so i've decided to take a little break from studying to do so. i actually was able to start my break a little earlier than planned, and flew home the tuesday before thanksgiving. i spent the day with mom, and went Christmas decorations shopping, and spent WAY too much money at pier one. i am pretty sure they made one section of their store entirely for me. i then got to see my husband (and break to him the damage i did to our bank account at pier one), and go on a double date with him and my parents to the global grill, which has become one of my very most favorite restaurants. after eating so much food, we went to the saenger theatre and saw my all time favorite Christmas group perform, Mannheim Steamroller. they were incredible. every single sound that is in their songs is produced entirely by them, no computer synthesizing anything. such a perfect start to the Christmas season.

and that was just my first day back home! the next few days i had tons of family time and puppy time, and decorated our house for Christmas and baked lots of cookies. it was so good to be home, but jared and i cut my home time a little short, and came back to atlanta with brad and donna to see the green bay packers play the atlanta falcons. we ate so much good food, played in atlantic station, and watched an incredible football game.

although i recapped my thanksgiving break in a few short paragraphs, i can say it has been one of my best so far, and that i am so thankful and blessed to have such an incredible family. and now, i'm just three short days and three finals away from another break.

so, back to studying, but first, a few pictures :)

first married Christmas tree

global grill deliciousness

the damage from pier one :)

outside of the falcons stadium

and inside the stadium

silly men playing at atlantic station

my lovely cousin 

and more playing in atlantic station

:)



to-do's

within the next two weeks, i must:

-study for 4 tests
-write a report for my radar project (because i thankfully finished the project quickly)
-start and finish an image processing project (not going to be good, or quick)
-and do a few more homeworks

i literally do not see myself having enough hours or energy to complete all of this work. so here's where i go into 'work as hard as i can and pray way harder' mode.

sweet tooth

i am battling some serious munchies at the moment. thankfully, i just finished off the last of my delicious, made from scratch, sugar AND chocolate chip cookies. but i have leftover chocolate chips, and my sweet tooth is making me seriously contemplate just eating them out of the bag. yikes!

for just having had a fall break, it's amazing how exhausted i am tonight, and how badly i'm longing for another break. here at georgia tech, i'm in survival mode. i'm doing everything i can to do the best i can in my classes. so i'm just hoping that in the end, this hard work pays off, and i find favor with the teachers when they decide to curve the grades.

i have a full weeked of school, but it starts tomorrow. so tonight? time to reward myself! my recent addiction is real housewives of atlanta. oh my goodness. it's my mental break in the day, and i seriously, in an unhealthy way, love it. i want to hang out with these females. i go to atlantic station for starbucks and groceries all the time (a place i've heard they frequent), and every time i go, i secretly look for them, hoping i just might run into them and happen to have put on makeup that day. it's bad, i know. but i can't help it!

so that's my life as of right now. mostly school and wishing i could be a real housewife of atlanta, or at least friends with one of them :)

honeymoon dreaming

i'm surrounded by honeymoons, and it makes me long for mine again! when i'm stressed, my honeymoon with my wonderful husband is my happy place. it was incredible, and i wish we were rich so we could go on at least three a year.

heavenly, lake tahoe, combined with jared lee fair, have my heart.

fall break wooooo

so here's something i'm not used to - a school break in the fall! i will not have classes again until 3pm next wednesday. that is almost 6 whole days of no school, and i love it. granted, i plan to work hard this weekend on homework, projects, and studying, BUT i have no classes to get in the way - GLORIOUS!

recap time // this past weekend, i flew home to see one of my best friends, MRS. CONTE, get married! she was gorgeous, and her wedding was ridiculously perfect. i so enjoyed it. i also got to spend some quality time with a few of my other loves, my parents, my doggie, and my husband, while still squeezing in some studying and homework. i was less of a picture slacker this time, but unfortunately ran out of room in my suitcase to pack my camera. so those pictures are to come at a much later date, seeing as i won't make it home again till thanksgiving :( but here's a picture of my sweet pup that i did manage to take on my phone.

is he not the cutest?!

this week was crazy, but super productive. and good news: in completing this school week, i have finished my first tests for all of my classes, and i have finished one half of my first semester of grad school at georgia tech. YES! i can almost taste Christmas break. so ready!