O is for Oh My I'm a Terrible Blogger

Pardon MOI! Life has gotten SEVERELY in the way of writing any blogs. I've missed TWO editions of monthly favorites, a blog about the aquarium, my new job, mom and sister's visit to Washington, a pair of new road bikes, a Napa Valley weekend trip and random everyday adventures of Kelsey. Do not fear, nothing too exciting has gone on in my life lately...

 

Kidding, that is the opposite of true.

 

Here's what my life's to-do list has recently consisted of:

 

End of internship, aka find a job

 

Find a new place to live

 

Move

 

Not too bad right? Then Andrew threw a nice little element in there, and we GOT ENGAGED!!

 

So now, my to-do list is a little bit longer:

End of internship, aka find a job CHECK

Find a new place to live CHECK

Move CHECK

Unpack, reorganize, make a home DEFINITELY NOT A CHECK YET

Get married

Plan a reception


Mind you, each of those new tasks has about 92389 additional details within it. Change your name, buy a dress, find a venue, decide on a date, get military friendly, send invitations, make a guest list, don't go broke, get a marriage license, contemplate having Subway cater to save money, taste cakes, buy waterproof mascara, and the list goes on. and on. and on. As the list continues to grow, I just have to keep telling myself "I will not be a bridezilla. I will not get an ulcer. I will not take Xanax."

 

 

So. That is where I have been. And despite that list, here I sit and a Starbucks (because, of course, our new condo has no Internet yet), JUST to fill you in. Yes that's right, this latte is for you. Cheers.

The trip to Napa Valley was not only amazing because Andrew proposed, but SUPER AMAZING because we got to share it with two of our very best friends. The weekend was filled with a very special vineyard tour, a rained-out bike tour that turned into a private shuttle tour (just as fun, less soggy), LOTS of yummy food, purple teeth, 9 bottles of wine, visits from Oklahoma friends-turned-California friends, and of course, laughs and fun.

 

 

Other than the amazing engagement, our new condo is close to Tacoma, and saves both Andrew and I about 2 hours of commuting each day. My newest career adventure is a temporary biologist at a zoo in Tacoma; doing just what I did for my internship, but getting paid! The temp title is common in this field, although that doesn't make it any more comforting, because in a few months I'll be right back on the job hunt. Perhaps I'll just start my own business so I can avoid the stress of job searching/starting over each time we move stations.....food for thought....

My latte is getting cold, so until next time!

 

 

Cheers, x's and o's,

 

 

KLM not for long!

 

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

B is for Big City Times for a Small Town Dude

Andrew and I had the pleasure of showing our 2nd guest ever around Seattle. His parents visited during the summer and then, in cold, dreary January, my dad came to see us! Having guests always gives you the opportunity to do the "touristy" things that you don't normally think of doing after you become accustomed to living here. Here is a pictureful post to show everyone what fun we had!

On one of the first days we walked all the way from the stadiums to Olympic Sculpture Park, which is a few blocks from the Space Needle. Round trip, its about 6 miles of walking, yee haw!

We took the infamous Seattle Underground Tour! Andrew and I had wanted to go, but he was at work. Luckily it was so fun, that I would love to go again. Andrew would love all the historic stories involved. The story basically is, that when Seattle was settled the first time around, they messed up, and ended up having to build new Seattle, on top of old, flooded, shitty (literally) Seattle. Pictured below are the skylights from the underground looking up to the current "1st floor" level Seattle.

Here's what the skylights look like from above. I always thought they were some artsy purple amethyst thing that Seattle just did because. Which is often the case. For art's sake of course. 

Old storefronts in underground Seattle. Super creepyish.



Underground Seattle's famed "sewing circle." The most lucrative business in Seattle's early days. I won't give it away but these seamstresses weren't exactly making quilts. Can you find anything odd about the picture below?



 We took an inexpensive ride on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. Walked around for the day, had a great lunch, and saw some great scenery. Here's the skyline as seen from the ferry. Gorgeous.

And a view of the Needle and Mt. Rainier from Bainbridge. Aren't the houses SO CUTE!? Right on the water. Those people are such luckies!

All smiles for father-daughter time, and an artsy sunset :)



We induldged in great sea food, and many trips to Starbucks during Dad's visit. Also, I had to work for a couple of days, so Andrew and Dad also had their man time to go see strippers and talk about sports, or whatever men do. Just kidding, they went to the Museum of Flight.....as far as I know. Ah shucks I missed it! Thanks for taking the time to visit Dad, it was a memorable time!

U is for Up All Night Crafting

Crafts > Laundry

Back in the good ole days when I had cable, I would have a show to watch almost every day of the week. It helps to pass the time during deployments, and gave me little things to look forward to. Thats a roundabout way tellling you, I was watching a hillarious show, Up All Night, and they had an AMAZING wreath on their door. I couldn't find a still shot of it, but its basically a peace sign with metal studs all over it.

So here is my Up All Night inspired wreath that now gracefully adorns our front door. We're so trendy ;)



Instead of purchasing the usual wreath frame from a craft store, I went to the hardware store for almost all the materials for this wreath. A Pinterest tip prompted me to buy pipe insulation for the frame, which costs about $1, compared to $4 or $5 at the craft store. I simply made a circle, then guestimated the 3 inner sections after that. If you measure correctly, they should fit in place like a puzzle without any glue.

I chose to wrap the pieces individually with ribbon, and then assemble them inside of the larger circle. Because of the angles involved, ribbon wrapping the peace sign as a whole might've been a little too complicated.

Finally, for the studs, I used, get this, upholstery nails!

They're like thumbtacks with little domes on top, which was perfect! Costs about $1 per package of 25. And here's the finished product! A great everyday wreath for those times in between holidays.

Until next time....

Cheers,

KLM



A is for Appetizing AND Healthy? No way.

I try to dabble in healthy food, and I would like to think of myself as a pretty healthy eater (besides the recent sugar cravings, that is). A while back, I subscribed to Women's Health Magazine Online, and recently, probably as some kind of subliminal messaging about not getting lazy, Mom got me a Fitness Magazing subscription. Just kidding Mommmmm!

My fellow coworkers at the aquarium are also eat really healthy. They eat things like chia seeds, hemp seeds, bran, seaweed, quinoa, and everything organic and/or vegan and/or gluten-free. Being surrounded by that kind of stuff makes you think about what you eat. So here's a recipie from an old Women's Health, that I tweaked a little, but its still healthy and yummy!

• Roughly 1 cup of crumbled cooked tilapia. Cook however you like, I just used lemon juice, salt and pepper on the George Foreman grill.
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced kale
• 1/4 diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 Tbsp crumbled feta
• 3 tsp lime juice
• 2 tsp olive oil
• A couple sprinkles of cumin
• Wheat tortillas, warmed

Mix it all together and wah-lah! This is great for leftover fish or chicken. And did you know kale has been found to protect againt breast and ovarian cancer? Red onions contain chromium, which can help protect against diabetes. And tilapia is a great source of phosporous, which keeps your digestive systme and skin healthy!

Now go try this recipie and tell me what you think!

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!

P is for Post Holidays

So here I am, back in the land of Subarus, seagulls, and evergreens. Being in Kansas for a few weeks was absolutely wonderful! I ventured back and forth between Topeka and Winfield a few times; north and south, up and down, doin' the holiday shuffle. My favorite memories of the trip involved simply being with my family whom I hadn't seen in a long time. KJ and I decorated the tree, we all ate a ton of food, laughed for hours, had lazy days, and coddled me and my screwed up sinuses (I am NOT good at being sick. It just makes me so mad! I have better things to do than feel crappy.)
I spent a lot of time with Andrew's nieces and nephews. All 4 of them. Under the age of 4, God bless em. Here is the newest addition, sweet little Natalie, in her lamb coat!

I feel like it takes a special kind of person to appreciate scenery like Kansas'. The Flint Hills is one of my favorite drives ever. You can see for miles, and the blue sky sits right on top of the hills. No buildings, no trees. Nothing to separate the best friends of land and sky :) Much different than the Washington scenery, that's for sure.

Much of my time home was spent watching Andrew fly his.....wait....fix. his new remote control airplane. We watched it slam into a telephone pole, get snapped nearly in half, fly into a tree a block away, and it's still alive!! The thing did start to grow on me after I got a lesson from the pilot himself. We'll see how long those feelings last. In the meantime, I'm getting my shotgun warmed up for sporting clay lessons, so I hope we don't try to "practice" our respective interests at the same time ;)

We took a horse and buggy ride with two GIANT Clydesdales in Winfield. Just a short, chilly ride around their famed "Isle of Lights" display.

Got to have coffee with one of the best friends ever from my college days. It was so great to see Ashley and get caught up in person. Since moving, first to Oklahoma, and now to Washington, I have found that true friends are hard to come by. Distance makes things inconvenient to many people, which is a shame when you think you are close friends with somebody. Luckily, I have a select few girl friends who have been supportive, and not let mileage get in the way. They know who they are and I couldn't be more grateful for them!

And finally, New Years! We have a great tradition of going somewhere new each year with a couple, Eric and Kelli. This year, we traveled alllll the way to Wichita for a nice dinner, and dancing! If only we had gotten a good picture....funny Andrew. Real funny.

That's all I've got for now. I hope your holidays were all you wished for! Can't wait till next time when I can fill you all in on some aquarium happenings. Until then....

Cheers,

KLM