41

(Ash loves going to Grandma's house!)

Thanksgiving was awesome. Andy and I went to my mom's for dinner. I only have one regret. We didn't bring any leftovers home. I wish we had.

Later that night we went to Andy's parents house and stayed the night there. I'm usually a really shy person whenever I'm staying at someone else's home but I've always felt completely comfortable there from the very beginning.

The entire holiday was wonderful and even though I have to go to work in a little while, I don't mind. I'm thankful to have this job and I'm thankful to have been able to spend most of my holiday with our families.

I hope all of you enjoyed your day as much as I did. Much love!!

Kimberly

Mauney loves her milk!!

What's this I see?


Mmm, milk!
Come on daddy!
Give me some!

Pleeeeeaasssee!! I promise I'll be good!!

Aww!!
I knew ya loved me!

Now that's the stuff!!

39

My confession?

Candied yams are my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Lots of people don't care for yams, but I love them. I like mine with butter and brown sugar. Marshmallows? Eww! Just butter and brown sugar and I'll love you forever.

This year, we'll be spending the day at my mom's house. I'm pretty excited about this because my mom is an amazing cook and I fully intend on eating to my hearts content, and then crashing on the couch in a sweet, sweet Thanksgiving coma.

I realized the other day that although I may be frustrated about how slow things in my life seem to be moving, I do have a lot to be thankful for. My life, in general, is pretty damn good right now.

What am I thankful for this morning?

My new windshield cover!!

I love this thing!! It was $11 and it works like a charm. I never have to scrape my windshield in the morning, which means that I get to sleep in an extra ten minutes.

Pure heaven. Go get one. Seriously- you'll thank me.

Movember

At the beginning of the month, Andy came home and informed me he would be participating in 'Movember.'

"What the heck is Movember?" I asked, preparing myself for the worst.

Apparantly Movember has to do with not shaving off your moustache for the entire month of November and just letting grow to its hearts content.

So this is what Andy has so far.


Nothing to be too alarmed about. (He didn't know I took that picture. hehehe. I'm sneaky like that.)

So, I did a little research and was surprised to find that there is actually a Movember Foundation. Imagine that.

According to Movember Worldwide, Movember is a moustache growing charity event held during the month of November that raises funds and awareness for mens health.

"Alright," I thought, "I can get behind this, if it's for a cause."

I just have one stipulation- at the end of the month, the scruff is gone. I had a mini nightmare that I ended up with a boyfriend that looked like this:


Yikes!!

38

Last night I read an article about a 28 year old woman. The article was about her career and her professional life. It really struck a chord with me.

Sometimes I feel like such a slouch. I'm a 28 year old woman but yet- no career. Rather than finish school, I chose to get married. I'm now divorced and finding myself back in school.

While I feel extremely grateful that I have the opportunity to start fresh, I can't help but feel a little down about the time that I 'wasted.'

Your right--- it's not time wasted. It was a time in my life that I had to go through and learn from and I know that. But I still feel a little angry at myself for not doing what I really wanted to with my life at that time.

By the time I finish my undergrad and then complete graduate school I'll be in my early 30s. It nearly kills me to think about that. I want the professional life now.

I know that some of you with said professional life would say 'it's not all it's cracked up to be.' I know it's full of stress and deadlines and coworkers/bosses you'd like to smack. But I still want it. I want that satisfaction. That feeling of accomplishment. And I want the damn salary with benefits!!

So whenever I happen upon an article like the one I read last night, I can't help but feel a little twing of pain that it's not me living out my dream in NY.


PS- I'm sure you'll all forgive me for straying from my usual format but it was getting a little boring. And thanks for listening to my 'wo as me' post.

Sunkist

Forgive my recent addiction to Shopstyle but I can't help it!! I am totally hooked! Here's my Sunkist look:

Sunkist

The rest of the pics

Picking Lindsey up from the airport:

Wallet Wish List

So I told Andy that I need a new wallet for Christmas. My old one just isn't cutting it anymore. Ever since I decided I simply must replace my wallet, I've been browsing online for one. Here's a few that caught my eye. I think the Roxy ones are super cute.

37

I'm working on a critique of an article
about cookbooks
being the way to a man's heart
in the 1950s

The article states that
your cooking skills are a reflection
of how much you love your husband

so it got me thinking
is good food really the way to a man's heart?

tell me-
what is the number one thing
that you look for in a partner?

What's the way to your heart?

Just a tid bit- for now

So of course, I've been up to my eyeballs in homework (only three weeks left until finals!!!) and have had zero time to report back on Lindsey's homecoming. For the time being I'll just tide you over with a couple pics from the luncheon on Sunday. I have more pictures from the airport that I'll try to post when I get another second to breath. Enjoy our silliness!


Now that's a good looking group!!

36

Today I'm having lunch with a friend.
We were friends in junior high, way back when
and reconnected through Facebook

I'm really looking forward to this
Sometimes I let myself get caught up in life
and forget to let myself have fun

I can go weeks on end only thinking
about school and work
and never laughing or smiling
or relishing the day

I've found that a lunch date with a girlfriend
is the best way to bring me back
down to earth
and remind me that it's not always
just about school and work.

Good food, drinks and great conversation.
Exactly what I need right now.

Look Book: Day Off

This is my day off look. A day off might consist of coffee or lunch with a friend, some afternoon shopping or bookstore browsing, kicking off the heels later to relax in front of the TV. I luv it.

Day off

This is my day off look. A day off might consist of coffee or lunch with a friend, some afternoon shopping or book store browsing,...

35

when i read other blogs it does one of two things to me

it either makes me feel bad about myself
or it inspires me

sometimes i wish i was more creative
and seeing creative creations on other blogs makes me feel inadequate
and then i quite writing
because i don't think i have anything quite as witty to say as other bloggers

but sometimes other blogs inspire me to think, explore, create new things
and i just do it, even it if ends up being a big fail

lately i've been feeling very uncreative and lame
hence-no writing

i guess everyone goes through that
but i need it to stop
because this blogging community is freaking awesome
and i want to be an active part of it

i know it's going to take some time for me to get my mojo
so just bear with me as i stumble through some lame and awkward posts
on my way to blogging success

even if i don't always write or comment
i am inspired daily by what i read
and that is a wonderful thing

Kim at A Perfectly Cursed Life inspires me to push my way through life's little struggles; to get back up and dust myself on and never give up when things get rough. For that, I am very grateful.

Ashley at Our Little Apartment reminds me daily to never take for granted the little things and to enjoy everything that life has to offer.

My fashion inspiration comes from Elaine at Clothed Much and Tiffany at I am Style-ish.

And I get friendship and great advice from a gal I don't even know but always takes the time to comment on my lame posts...Krystyna at Everything Happens For A Reason.

Thank you all.

11/11- Not just Veteran's Day

Today is my mom's birthday!!



I won't tell you how old she is cause she'd probably kill me- but I will tell you that she looks ten years younger than her age. My mom ages so well. I hope that's a trait I end up inheriting from her. It would only be fair, considering I had to get the short end of the straw and inherit my dad's gray hair. He was completely gray-haired by the age of 30 and I am quickly following in his footsteps. Thank goodness for sisters and hair dye!

Anyway, back to my mom. She's fabulous! She's spending her birthday getting the house ready for Lindsey to come home tomorrow night. But later today she should be getting a little surprise at the door!! Shh! Don't tell!

And tomorrow night we're all picking Lindsey up at the airport and then heading to dinner with the grandparents to celebrate my mom's birthday and Lindsey's homecoming. I'm super excited to give my mom what my sisters and I got her!! I'm pretty sure she's going to be beyond ecstatic! I can't wait!


PS- Ash just caught a fly out of mid air and ate it. Now, that's talent.

34

just found out that i got a 95/100
on an essay exam that i was sure i bombed
sweet!
doesn't news like that just make your day?

also, i decided to let the issue from my last post, go
i realized that i had let it get to me so much
that i was starting to be very hostile towards the bf

so last night i came home, put it all aside
and went back my normal behavior
it felt good not to be angry anymore
and to be affectionate towards the boyfriend

surprisingly, it worked
not two seconds after i had snuggled myself in bed
he was right there beside me

Two Is Better Than One

I actually remember very vividly the way Andy looked when I saw him for the first time. We had agreed to meet for dinner at Applebee's. He was already there when I got there. I walked in to the restaurant and his back was to me. He was putting his name on the waiting list. When he heard the door open he turned around.

The image that is ingrained in my mind is the huge grin that spread across his face when he realized it was me. We'd only seen pictures of each other up until then. It's an image that I go back to time and time again whenever I'm having a rough day. It never fails to make me smile knowing that that is the same smile I will see when I get home that day. It's a smile that makes everything better.

Just some thoughts

Everyone says conflict resolution is one of the most important things a couple can master in their relationship. Coming from a relationship where there was absolutely zero conflict resolution-if you didn't like the way it was, then that was just too damn bad- I feel very strongly that being able to communicate and compromise when problems come up is extremely important. And that no problem is unimportant. If it is important to the other person, it should be important to you- because they are important to you and so is their happiness in the relationship.

I have seen first hand what happens when you don't take that process seriously. Ignored issues turn to hurt, then resentment, then anger and before you know it- you don't feel anything positive for each other at all and then it's next to impossible to build those broken feelings up again.

But conflict resolution only works if both people involved take it seriously. Issues are always going to arise in any relationship. Even if the problem is a small one and may only be important to one person- it should still be talked about and a compromise should be agreed upon. Little issues can very easily and very quickly become extremely large issues if they are left to fester or buried deep inside.

The worst thing a person can do when their significant other comes to them with something needing to be addressed, is brush it under the rug. People don't just invent things to be hurt over. If they're bringing it to your attention, it means it's serious to them for whatever reason and you should give it the attention that you would expect if the tables were turned.

The second worst thing a person can do is go along with the conflict resolution just to appease or shut the other person up. Usually during this process, compromise is agreed to, 'deals' are struck, and promises are made. If I went along with the conflict resolution just to appease the other person, but in reality I had no intention of ever living up to my end of the bargain or just never made the effort to live up to my end of the bargain that was made, then I have just made the situation ten times worse.

Because what invariably happens is that the other person will see very quickly that I had no intention to keep my promises or didn't care enough to remember to keep my promises and in turn their hurt will magnify and the trust that was built up during conflict resolution is shattered. The faith that the other person had in me to understand their need for compromise on that issue is lost and very hard to get back. And then that person will begin to fail on their end of the deal as well, because it's very hard to give when you're getting nothing in return.

What will happen is that the next time there is a need for conflict resolution, that person will not fully trust me when I again make promises and agree to do certain things. In fact, they may just pull away from me all together and not even want to attempt to resolve anything because in their mind- "what is the point?"

So I really believe that not taking the process of conflict resolution and not following through on your promises, is a very dangerous thing to do. It will cause your relationship to deteriorate very rapidly and recovery from that is a long road.

Anyway, just some stuff I've been thinking about. Sorry to get all deep and crap, but sometimes my mind gets going and I need to get it down.

32

i'm sorry to my few readers
i've had nothing lately
literally nothing at all to say
not even a picture to add today

okay fine, i've actually had plenty to say
but no energy to say it

life has been rough lately
overwhelming

i'm lonely but held every night
i'm happy but crying over nothing all the time

it's ups and downs
and ins and outs

i haven't felt much like burdening
all of you with it

but i wanted to let you all know i'm here
and i'm trying to find myself

so i'll have something to contribute
to this blogging community that i love so much

Inspired looks

This is my latest creation on ShopStyle. The collection is inspired by the photo to the left. If you click on the photo it will take you to my ShopStyle Stylebook which doesn't have much in it, but you can still check it out if you want to.

Bookworm

Want to see one of my favorite looks from Ruche? I love Ruche. It's gorgeous, and affordable. I would buy everything in the shop if I could.

Want to see something I'm currently coveting on Etsy? It's from LamaWorks shop.

Hanging with the boys

I love it when the Lynne boys get together and let me tag along with them. I like to listen to them joke and talk with each other. It's very different from what I'm used to. I'm used to a house full of girls and 'girl' talk.

Jen, Linds, and I talk about hair, and shoes, and shopping, and dancing. Corey, Andy and Brett talk about cars and engines and cars. They quote movies and shows a lot too. Oh yeah- and Corey talks about girls. Listening to them is pure entertainment for me.

I keep telling Andy that he'll see a whole different side of me when Lindsey is finally home and we all get together. My sisters make me really happy. It's a lot of fun when we all get together. Jen, Lindsey and I like to see if we can gang up together and get my mom laughing. Dinner is the best time for this. It's even better if we have guests. As we're sitting around the dinner table the three of us start eyeing each other. When I look over at Jen and see that little devious grin, I know it's on.

My mom raised us to be super polite. "Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, Can I Help You?" etc. So right about the time that our peaceful dinner is getting started, Jen (usually the ring leader in these little plans) will let the loudest belch rip. And my mom will gasp "Jen!!" Then Linds and I will start giggling and my mom will give us the eye that says "Oh, no you don't!"

That's our cue. Each of us will let out of belch of our own and my mom will say "Lindsey!! Kimberly!! Shame on you!" But we can see she knows what's up and the corners of her mouth will start to turn up into a grin.

She tries with all her might to keep it in and be the polite example, but me, Jen and Lindsey would be giggling out loud by now and one of us will say "Come on mom, your turn." and try to egg her on. I only remember one time that she actually did try to outdo us and it was hilarious. But we were alone that time- no guests. She usually manages to compose herself and then the rest of us try to act like ladies for the rest of the dinner so she won't be too upset with us.

My mom definitely instilled manners in us, but sometimes even girls have to let loose and have a little fun.

So back to the boys, Brett came down last night and we all went to Cam's 30th surprise birthday party. As a side note, it's kinda fun when we go to stuff like that because someone will invariably come up to me and say "I know you from somewhere- did you go to Sky View?" Sometimes I forget that Andy and I have so many ties to each other. With all those connections it seems totally bazaar that we never crossed paths earlier in life.

Anyway- this morning the boys and I went to Sill's for breakfast. We sat there with our coffee and scones and chatted. I was again getting my kicks out of listening to them talk. A little snippit of the conversation:

Andy- "I should have ordered a mini omelet. This is too much food"

Corey- "What? You must be a lightweight!"

Andy- "My man boobs disagree with you."

He he he.

I guess I like being around all three of them so much because it reminds me of the close relationship that I have with Jen and Linds and I'm glad Andy has that with Brett and Corey.

Appreciating what others care about

There's a girl in one of my history class. She's the girl that everyone cringes and sinks down in their seats when she raises her hand to offer up a comment. She's the girl who gets so hyped up over the subject matter that her voice gets louder and louder and louder as she makes her comment, until finally, she's literally yelling at the class and her face is bright red with excitement.


Usually the teacher cuts her off and we all smile politely as she sits down. Then we'll role our eyes at each other when she isn't looking. Not a very attractive habit, I know. The other day she said "I'm sorry, I just get so excited. History is just so cool!" And I thought, "You know what, she's right."


I love history and something about it ignites a little fire inside me. I get excited and hyped up about the subject matter too, but I don't wave my arms around and make rousing speeches in class about it.

But it made me realize how many times I look at people around me and think how sad it is that so many people don't seem to be passionate about anything. They just go about their day to day life, doing what their supposed to do to survive and don't seem to have a single fire-y interest. Not one. Not even crocheting, or stamp collecting or basket weaving or anything! Sure, everyone likes things, but not everyone has something in their life that makes them feel excited or empowered or fulfilled or energized.

I thought how this girl probably thinks the rest of us in the class are just dead weight with no passion for our majors and nothing to contribute to the discussion. It's not true, of course, but I understand completely now, how disheartening it is to care about something while the person next to you kind of cares, but not enough to do anything about it.

It is upsetting to feel that something is important and meaningful and maybe even vital to you and have the people around you only care half-heartedly. It makes you wonder why you should even care. Maybe it's not that important. Maybe it's not something worth fighting for. Maybe it's not that vital to your happiness. Maybe it's not something worth making such a big deal over.

I don't like the feeling of giving up on something that is important to you or feeling discouraged about it, just because the next person doesn't give a damn and maybe even thinks you're foolish for caring yourself. I don't want to be the person that distinguishes another person flame or happiness or excitement by not appreciating where they're coming from.

This girl will never hear another sigh from me or see another eye roll when she gets up to speak. From now on, I'm not going to tune her out. I'm going to listen and maybe even think of something to contribute to her discussion.

But, this is so much more than just one girl in my history class. I know how sucky it is to care about something when someone else doesn't. Mostly this happens with what we would call 'the little things.' But sometimes it's the little things that matter most. Sometimes, ignoring those little things can really hurt another person. I've been on both ends and it's not a nice place to be.

So from now on, whenever I can see that someone I love is passionate about something or feels strongly about something, no matter how little or unimportant I think it is, I'm going to see that 'something' through their eyes, try to understand why it's important to them, and see how I can make it important to me too.

Believe

She believes:

That a woman's handbag says alot about her, but how clean her home is says everything else.

That striking up conversations with people you don't know can always make you feel better

That everything is better with avocado

He believes:

That making someone happy is the best reward.

That someday he'll find the perfect audi wagon with manual transmission

That laughter really is the best medicine.

They believe:

That every breakfast deserves coffee and a side of scones.

That date night, once a week, should not be forgotten.

That a person should travel as much as possible.

That communication and compromise is the key.

That they are perfect for each other.

What do you believe?

I'm drained

This week totally sucks a big one. Four exams and I'm just plain sick of it. Doesn't leave much time for blogging which also totally sucks a big one. Not that I have anything important to say, but still. So for now, I'll just distract you with some images I came across today that I love.







PS- Remember this?

It came in the mail last week. A wonderful surprise from my amazing friend Heather. She saw the post where I was lusting after it and decided I just had to have it. So she ordered it online and had it shipped to my house.

I started bawling like a baby when I opened it. It's amazing how just one simple thing can make your entire day better.