Summertime Favorites

According to the view outside my window, summer is officially gone. We were lucky to have beautiful weather for a whopping 4 months instead of 3 this year in the Pacific Northwest! Now its rain time, which doesn't exactly bother me. I don't mind sweaters and rain boots, not one bit.

 

 
 So before all the leaves turn, I'll pass on my favorite things from the past few months.

• Apparently I am a minimalist runner. I have been wearing these shoes for a while now, but they have officially changed my views on running. After grad school and my first year without cheerleading, it was painfully obvious my body needed some cardio. But my shin splints were so bad I could only run paths where grass was available to soften the blow to my knees. Treadmills were out of the question. So I bought these Brooks shoes, and after slowly building mileage, I am running and training towards my first half marathon next year!

 

• It's called Noosa Yoghurt. "Aussie style" yogurt that is now a staple in our refrigerator. I tried it on a whim and now I don't have to waste my money on Yoplait Light that tastes like fake sugar. Not a diet food, but definitely satisfies my post-meal dessert cravings.

 



 

• Orange is the New Black. In a household without cable, Netflix saves my life. This series is only on Netflix and it is sooooo good! With AB gone its important I have things to look forward to, and one episode/day of an entertaining show. Too bad the second season doesn't start until 2014, nooooo!



• Once I started consistently running, eating more vegetables than pieces of chocolate, and really paying attention to my life choices, AB got me a little device called a FitBit! It tracks my steps and sleep patterns, and with the help of the iPhone app, I can monitor water intake, calories and activity level. Even on days where I don't have time to enter each bottle of water consumed, its a conscious reminder to get movin!



 

• Finally, at the end of the summer I decided to make a change and commit to something I have wanted to do but maybe didn't have the courage to do in the past. I cut off 11 inches of my hair and donated it to Locks of Love. I've always been the girl with the long, thick hair, so letting that go was more challenging than I thought. I did it as a surprise to the husband, for him to see when he came home after a couple months of training, and that made it an exciting and happy experience.

 
 Until next time....

Cheers,

KB

September Favorites

Ahhhhh, FALL IS IN THE AIR! September and October are my favorites in and of themselves- the weather, the smells, that one dressing up holiday, the sweaters, the rain boots. Lighting a pumpkin spice candle is my happiness. I suppose I can highlight some more specific favorites so you can try them out as well....

• Newest career adventure. That's me....working. Yep. Rough. Dog training is something I will be able to take with me wherever we are stationed, unlike zoo keeping. **Eventually I see myself doing private lessons, and once we settle down, I would like to run a kennel to take care of the beloved fur children of military men and women when they deploy** I work with an extremely supportive, amazingly talented team, who have taken me under their wing and want to teach me as much as I can soak up! What a blessing! Have any dog questions? Ask and I would love to give you some pointers

• I would like to be a yogi. Last year I was intrigued by a 70 year old woman who strolled into the gym, quietly took a spot in the corner and for the next hour, proceeded to stand on her head, stretch her leg up to her ears, and bend over backwards with the greatest of ease. Holy moses. When I say 70, I mean at least 70. She could have been 80 or 97 for all I know, but she was amazing. Not wanting to miss out on the benefits of being a future elderly bendy person, I tried something new. I neglected to add it to my bloggery, but throughout July and August, I was taking an introductory intensive to the world of Yoga. Originally I had thought it a way to battle my severe case of self-diagnosed exercise A.D.D; it would be a new and interesting way to work out. Ehhh, almost. More like a stretchy, breathing, wooo sahhhh, soul workout. The way I feel after a yoga class is, in a word, taller.Yes a very relaxed tall person. I must admit, I am not good at practicing yoga on my own. Something to work on though!

• There we are, walking into an eternity of fun. Reception time is eerily close. Tough to believe all the planning will actually come together! No matter what the weather is like, how many candles are lit, or how the cake tastes, it will still be a glorious celebration of our new baby marriage. Ok, the cake tasting good is actually important, never mind that one. Friends and family, food, booze, dancing, fancy clothes, pre-reception beer olympics. I don't think there is anything better to be excited about! Our wedding reception just so happens to be the same weekend as my Alma mater's homecoming......hmmm....all I have to say is SORRY SOUTHWESTERN, your 12 months of scrupulous planning will pale in comparison to the party we're about to have. Good luck with the football game and all, but, yea, our wedding parties alone are crazily awesome, so you add some lively wedding guests, and that's an unbeatable combo!     :) for us            :( for you

• Febreeze "Falling leaves and spice." I am not sure who concocted what a leaf smells like when it falls, or why it needed spices added to it. Nevertheless. If you love fall, buy it, spray it, love it. It has to be good, it made the list.

That's all I've got for now. I'm gonna go SPEND TIME WITH MY HUSBAND! Returned home safely from saving the world, just in time to embrace me and my obsession with this season. See you next month!

Cheers,

KB

Summer Favorites

Since I seem to be horrible at blogging consistently, I've crammed June, July and August's favorites into their own post. Here's what I have favored these past few gorgeous months in Washington!
 
 
 

• Plain greek yogurt. Once I tried to add fruit to it and eat it as regular yogurt. Sick. Don't do it. I do however use it for a VARIETY of other things and it is SO GREAT. Instead of butter, sour cream, cream cheese, heavy cream, basically anything that is bad for you, but tastes good, try greek yogurt instead! I've recently even made chocolate muffins with greek yogurt instead of butter and eggs and milk. They still turned out yummy!

• Check out this uke. Decided to pick up this new lil hobby with one of my favorite friends, Kim. This month I had one of those times in life where I was forgetting about the big picture; getting caught up in petty drama of small-minded people. So Kim and I took a day to watch the sun set behind the Olympic Mountains, listen to waves crash and have ever-so-philosophical conversations about what was really important in life. Somewhere in these talks, we pictured ourselves forming a ukulele band, playing on the beach. One week later, ukuleles were purchased and I can now add it to my jack of all trades list :) I'll let you know how this goes....

• An herb garden that actually grows stuff! Yes friends, it is true. We grew plants from seeds! I harvested one batch of parsley and cilantro and have been using fresh basil leaves and green onions while I cook. How Northwesty is that??

 

•  Washington summertime in general. Filled with warm days, temperate evenings, Mariner's baseball games, grilling, long walks, fresh smells, local produce and if I'm lucky, experiencing those things with my husband. Maybe I'll be luckier in autumn? Keep your fingers crossed.

Until next time.....

Cheers,

KB

 

May Favorites.....Mayvorites

Let's do this. I should have millions of favorites because I missed March and April! Woops. I'll try to catch you up.

• Herb garden. Either we're getting old, turning into cheapskates, or being super Washingtonians. Not sure. But growing our own herbs, and someday when we have the room, vegetables and junk, suddenly seemed like the most amazing idea EVER. Dude, you don't have to buy them if you grow them. Genius!!! We already killed one batch, so I'll keep you updated on round #2.

• I am obsessed. I'll tell you more about how we got her in the wedding blog. But it makes the HUGEST difference having a little furry to come home to when Mr. Husband is gone. Yes I talk to her. She definitely talks back. Sometimes when I don't want her to like at 5am. However, she cuddles with me, and lets me brush her (she thinks its better than catnip in fact) and those were my only requirements for a cat. When we first got her I, no joke, looked at her and said, if I love her this much already I wonder how people feel about babies?!?

• Toddlers and Tiaras. Yes it's trashy. Yes it's addictive. Yes it's like watching a train wreck. I had no choice before the new season of The Bachelorette came on. I feel as if Andrew leaves me no choice when we have no cable. He drew the line at Bridezillas. Ok, that makes sense. For some reason I feel like I would have been really good at child paegents! Mom, why didn't you dress me up like an 18 year old in a 5 year old body so I could be Miss Tiny Kansas??

That's all I can think of at this moment, but I am sure June's favorites will be a doozy. I know you're already anxious.

Until next time....

Cheers!

KLB

February Favorites

Ok so I'm a day late. And if it wasn't a leap year I'd be two days late ;) You would think with my dear manfriend gone on an 7-day-just-kidding-14-day trip, I would have plenty of time to be blogging it up. Truth is, I've been going to bed earlier than my Grandmother (Love you G-Unit!) and have spent my spare time doing projects for my internship, or just plain relaxin'. Overdue, but here nonetheless, (I know you were just HANGING ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT for this post) are my favorite things from February.

• Spaghetti squash. This is a terrible picture, but I am OBSESSED! I put a squash in the microwave for 5 minutes, then bake it at 375 for about an hour. I mist on olive oil, add green onions, tomatoes, feta, S&P, and sometimes a little marinara. Just eat it. So good, and its healthy!

• Condescending Wonka. Because it's funny. And it's true. He says things like "Oh, you are engaged and in high school? You guys will be in love forever." Sarcasm + The Look on Wonka's Face = Love.

• The Bachelor is getting ridiculous. Ok, so maybe it always has been. I've forever been a proponent for true love and all the mush that goes along with it. For those of you who are unaware, The Bachelor is a show all about finding true love and ends with a proposal of marriage. Eeeeeeexcept the bachelor is dating/falling in love/going to exotic locations, (where, eh hem, of COURSE you're going to feel all lovey) with 25 women at once. And this season, the one girl who he shouldn't be picking for obvious reasons, (such as taking her clothes off to get attention, and being all around rude) he is going to propose to. At least I think he is. Before this season, I had mild respect for the idea behind the show, because there are some couples that came from the show, and are actually happily married, having a life together. Though now, I think all hope is lost. Besides giving Andrew unbelievably unrealistic date expectations, The Bachelor is now entertaining because I am watching a man use his penis, instead of the head between his shoulders, to make life choices. You go Ben!

• The END of February is my favorite because it means the BEGINNING of March! It also means my wittle sister's birthday, which I love, but then again, do not, because it means I am older too, ek. But, yes! MARCH MADNESS IS UPON US! I love me some bracketology and watching 8 games a day. Let this be the year that I beat Andrew and all his guy friends again with my bracket predictions. Rock Chalk pleasedon'tembarassme Jayhawk!

Until next time....

Cheers,

KLM

January Favorites

I cannot believe it's already the end of the month. Forgive me for having so few posts lately, life is crazy when you work 40 hrs a week for free ;) I'll save the aquarium and Seattle adventures for an upcoming post, but here are my favorite things for the month of January:

• I'm in love with the end of January because it means 2+ weeks of hearts and sweets and love and pink. I am a sucker for holidays and the feelings they give me. Valentine's Day makes me feel so smiley and cheerful! Last year, I made a paper heart chain, complete with red glitter, that stretched around my entire living room. Yea....probably about 40 feet worth of glittery hearts.

• Ever since grad school I've not been much of a fan of reading. Never read so many books in my life. But my Kindle Christmas gift and rides on the Light Rail every morning have prompted me to start up this whole "reading for fun" thing. From what I've heard, the Hunger Games Triology started out as a series directed towards teenagers, then a much larger audience caught on. It's basically about a futuristic North America where annually they choose a boy and a girl from each of the 12 districts to go to the Hunger Games, and fight to the death, till there is only one winner. I'm on the second book and they are so fun to read. I often hate myself in the mornings because I can't put it down at night.

• Another Christmas gift that I'm loving. My mother just knows me so well :) This FlipFold makes my dressers so pretty and organized. An organized home is a happy home!

• Sugar. Oh my goodness. I'm not proud of this being my favorite this month. I don't know what it is! Andrew says I have a problem. Cookies, cake, donuts, chocolate, frosting....I can't get enough. Not such a good thing to have as a favorite! I usually tell people I don't have a sweet tooth, I have a salty tooth, because I crave salt much more often than sugar. NOT THIS MONTH! Eating frosting by the spoonful must not be apart of my life next month, or Feburary's favorites list will be topped by Weight Watchers meetings!

I'll catch up soon with more posts I pinky swear!

December Favorites

I have not done a very good job at keeping up with all I've been doing lately, but being back home in Kansas has been wonderful! It will make it tough to go back to Seattle in a week or so. I'll be sure to update you on all the cool things I've been up to over the holiday season. But for now, here are my favorite things for this month!

• My new Kindle Fire! As an unexpected Christmas present from Andrew, this little guy is so fun! I never thought I would've needed one of these things, but I've used it a ton already. I can get on the internets, download music, and get read lots of books! He thought it would be great for when I ride the train everyday and won't have to worry about hauling around a big book that doesn't fit in my purse. The best part is that before he gave it to me, he downloaded some of my favorite music, and a book from my favorite author onto it for me. Such a thoughtful guy :)

 

• Giving gifts! I know I have mentioned it many times before, but for me, the best part of the holiday season is making/picking out gifts for my close friends and family. My parameters for gift giving are ones that are personal, thoughtful, and useful. I will be sure to show some pictures of my favorites that I made in my post-holiday blog.

•  The beginning of justice! This. My family, and our close family friends have been waiting for this to happen for almost 10 years. In 2002, Mike and Karen were found shot at Karen's residence. I have had the privilege of knowing the Mike's children, and the Boots family for my entire life. I remember the funeral. I remember hearing the buzz about Dana showing up. It was creepy and disgusting. Mike's children, Dustin, who is my age, and Haley, who is older, have turned out to be successful, bright adults. I have never seen such strength and perseverance, despite this horrible, prolonged process that they have had to go through. Every time I think about having a bat shit crazy mother, or testifying against her, all I think is "I can't even imagine." Almost every day, I think about what will happen in the next few months, and what will happen. I can only pray the prosecutors keep up the good work like they did for the hearing, and justice finally gets served.     

 

 

• Hobbies.  I have also mentioned this aspect of my life before. I am sometimes a jump-around jack of all trades, master of none. Well, as I get older, I would kind of like to hone my talents in on some of those activities. This interest to find my own special hobby was sparked when Andrew got his very own, remote control airplane for Christmas. And let me tell you, he is borderline obsessed, but more on that in the next post. I figure I'm going to need something to be as equally enthusiastic about so I can suck him into one of my interests, as I have been sucked into pretty much all of his. Mostly airplanes. Not that there's anything wrong with that! We can just grow together while investing in each others interests :) And since I know he probably wouldn't be too keen on crafting, my list so far is crew, skeet shooting, and more wine stuff. (That's a picture of a wine bouquet aroma kit. I'm gonna train my nose!) I am sure this will prove to make many interesting memories in the future!

November Favorites

Everything here in the Pacific Northwest is done changing colors, trees are starting to get naked, and it.is.getting.cold. I am not naive to the winter weather here, Andrew and I visited last November, but golly. It sure is a different kind of cold! The wind just cuts through all the layers you have on, and makes it feel like you've gotten the wind knocked out of your lungs. If that isn't pleasant enough there is usually a cold mist pelting you in the face at 40mph too :) It is manageable, and I refuse to let the grey get to me! My vitamin D gummies have become the highlight of my mornings. Here are my favorite things as of recently.

•  Reading this book. Oh my gracious! IT IS SO GOOD! I'm not even an avid reader or anything, but this is an awesome one. I've tried to start reading before I go to bed, instead of hauling my laptop around and watching The First 48, because I heard its bad for you and whatnot with the lights from the screen and your sleep cycle blah blah. If you haven't read it, I would check it out! Or do it the easy way and watch the movie.

•  How I Met Your Mother is probably one of my favorite shows ever. Like many shows, Andrew got me hooked on it because he got hooked on it. It is my understanding that during a deployment there is a lot of movie/TV show watching and downloading, maybe or maybe not illegally. Andrew's collection now includes all the seasons of lots of different shows and about 100 movies. When he leaves his hard drive here to go to air drop school, that means I watch all the episodes systematically, one season at a time :)

•  Spending my weekends volunteering. Not only does it give me a great sense of charity but its awesome experience to get acquainted with how the aquarium works and the people there as well. Talking to guests and watching kids use their brain never gets old. Volunteering also gives me sweet opportunities to see the aquarium after-hours, which is an experience in itself. The underwater dome (pictured) is the most amazing, tranquil place when the lights are out. I can't wait to see what awesome things I get to do when I start interning!

• Trying not to be a Grinch! Don't get me wrong, I love me some Christmas time. Giving thoughtful gifts is probably one of my all-time favorite things to do year round, and this time of year that activity gets its own little spotlight. In the recent years I just haven't felt that butterflyish feeling right after Thanksgiving like most people seem to have. Mine usually sinks in right before Christmas eve haha! Better late than never. It is hard to get excited when there's nobody to hang lights with, chop down (yes we had planned on chopping our own tree this year!) and decorate a tree, make cookies, and wrap presents with. All those little events along the way that are like the pre-game to Christmas. Just like fall though, I WILL get that feeling, even if it takes a bit to sink in.

Alright, time for me to get out of here. It's been great November, we'll see ya next year!

Cheers,

KLM

Favoritos de Octubre

Here we are again. The end of another month!! Technically, Andrew should be done with his first 60 days in Manas. Unfortch, as is with the military, it'll be about 70 days before he actually gets home. But that is soon! And I absolutely cannot wait! I am only working till Thursday in anticipation of his return. We plan on taking a celebratory trip to Victoria, Canada for the weekend after he gets back, again, cannot wait! I've never been to Canada so it'll be great to put my passport to good use.

Besides getting more excited every day for AB's return, I started volunteering for the aquarium every Saturday. I only have one shift under my belt but it was fun! As "interpreters" we stand by exhibits to answer questions, encourage "touching the animals gently with one finger" at the touch pools, and generally just talk with visitors. The Seattle Aquarium is great because they treat volunteers just like staff, and understand that donating our time is such a wonderful gift we are giving. I am proud to be apart of it! And it is definitely a great place to make contacts in the aquarium world :)

Here are my favorite things for the month of October!

• All things fall. This one was a favorite last month too, but I already had a long list. Look at how our apartment has transformed!

 

Navy pumpkins monogrammed with thumbtacks :) Wheat filled wine bottle :) Kitchen sticks and leaves :) I was going to spray paint the sticks but I liked the more rustic look. (P.S. Don't ya love our cabinets!?)

• Ann Taylor Loft shopping!! Oh gracious. I love everything at this store which may or may not be a good thing. Its great because it's quality stuff, it's bad because my pay checks are only so big! No worries I'm good at budgeting, and am slowly building a wardrobe I love, not purchasing it all at once. So family who reads this blog: Now you know what gift cards are FABULOUSSSS presents! ;)

• Shopping in the kids' section oooo yeaaaa! Look at my new bright red trench coat! Courtesy of the little girls section at Target! One reason I'm thankful for being so short, it saves me money sometimes! That picture also highlights the magnificent scarf my best Megan SEWED me. Yea that's right people, she knows how to sew now, watch.out! Which leads me to my next favorite......

• SCARVES! After Meg's kept me so warm in cozy (I am trying to hold off on the heater until December) I decided scarves look super cute AND they keep you warm. My next purchase will be a big knitted one like the picture. Can't wait!

• My last minute Halloween outfit for preschool. I spent $5 on a red t-shirt and made the rest. I am, if you didn't get it, an Angry Bird! (It's a game you play on your phone G-Unit) Kids in our class love all things Angry Birds, so I can't wait to see their reaction tomorrow on Halloween! And finally.......

• I GOT THE AQUARIUM INTERNSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes that's right. The internship I talked about wanting in my very first blog ever, I have gotten the position! In January, my "volunteer" status will be changed to "intern!" I am so grateful for all the prayers and support I have gotten from those around me. For 10 or so weeks I will be cleaning, feeding, training, and doing whatever they tell me to, with the mammals and birds (ya....birds) of the aquarium. That means I'll be the closest EVER to seals and otters, and birds. Dreams really do come true! The internship will be the foundation of knowledge and skills that I need to become a biologist in a zoo or aquarium, so cheers to starting the rest-of-my-life career path!

I learned about my acceptance into the intern position AND Andrew is almost home AND I am taking time off work to go on a trip with him. Life is truly wonderful right now and I feel so BLESSED! Until next time...

Cheers,

KLM

September Favorites

Well, it is that time again.....The month of September has flown by, has it not?? I better not say that too loud, or October will take it’s sweet time. I’ve kept myself busy with preschool activities, tons of crafty things, and getting back into the world of studying marine biology. My favorite things this month to keep busy/read/dream about are as follows….

• Being cheap. I tried clipping coupons. The prices I am used to in Kansas and Oklahoma are long gone, and I do not enjoy grocery shopping here! I also realized I don’t particularly enjoy clipping coupons eitherJ I tried online coupon searching, which led to a lot of websites asking me to sign up for junk. As my mother will tell you, signing up for GREAT DEALS online, only leads to a mass amount of junk mail, and baby formula samples being sent to your home. Luckily, I still had some newspaper ads hanging around for some future art projects, and I sifted through them. Oh.my.goodness. How obnoxious! The ones I found were expired, or only valid at Target, which we don’t even have! All was not lost though, there was a little booklet called redplum, and that little guy gave me a glimmer of hope for the coupons. However, I think it also makes me want to buy things that aren’t on my list. Oh no! Their tactics are working! Online coupons-0 Old fashioned clipping- 1

• New Girl. Zoey Deschanel is one of my favorite actresses, and she has a new TV series that gives me something to look forward to every Tuesday. (In the world of preschool, Terrible Tuesdays are my least favorite day. Mondays are exciting to 3 and 4 year olds, they get to tell all their friends about their weekends and school is fun. But by Tuesday, it's back to work and they have an attitude of general displeasure towards everything. It never fails. Every week.) Zoey’s character is a goofy, fun loving girl living with a group of guys, and I laugh the whole time. And she tends to make ordinary sentences into songs, which, thanks to preschool, I also do. I feel we are connected in that way. Just watch it.

• Pinterest. Um. I am obsessed. I mentioned in my first blog ever I was thinking about getting an account to organize all the cool thoughts in my head. Well, I don’t even have an account yet, and I spent approximately 3 hours on the HOMEPAGE of Pinterest. Yes I realize that sounds ridiculous but I couldn’t help it, it sucked me in. There is just so.much.STUFF... INTERESTING.STUFF! It definitely will keep me occupied for many, many months to come. Which is awesome, because the busier I am, the faster the days go by J C’mon November! (Pinterest has many things that I plan on encouraging Andrew to join me in: baking, crafts, cute outfits, etc. I know he can’t wait!!)

• PUPPIES. Many women find that time in their lives where all they want is a baby. Their maternal instinct kicks in, and all they want is a little bundle of joy. I’m not there. BUT. Lately, all I want is a puppy! If I’m not at work, sleeping, eating, or on Pinterest, I’m looking at dogs. All I do is torture myself because I know that without a yard, it wouldn’t be smart. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a happy, drooley smiley to greet me at the door when Andrew can’t do it?? (Just kidding babe, you don’t drool when you smile, only during sleep) Or a companion to run with? And someone to dress up with for Halloween?? Oh, my imagination is just going to make it worse! A girl can dream….

• KS Necklace. I’m so proud to be a Kansan. Seattle is amazing, but as my great, college biology professor, Dr. Charlie Hunter once told me in regards to moving to Oregon after retirement: “Prairie roots run deep!” Yee haw! I miss home. And the people there. A lot.

• Deletion of arm fat. Cheerleading gives you nice, toned arms. Pushing 4 yr olds on the swings, and coloring, does not. Nuff said.

• Crafty craft crafting. I’ll post pictures when they’re done….let’s just say I’ve been a busy bee! Not just crafting things for myself though. Family and friends: prepare to be blown away for any holidays in the upcoming months! I absolutely love being creative for other people’s enjoyment J

Cheers,

KLM