girls girls girls

katie, breanna, baby bella, lindsay, jules and kim

june 2008

(shocker! a picture with me and oversized sunglasses!)

thanks to my wonderful girl friends for a lovely saturday moring breakfast at village inn...wait, can you say lovely and village inn in the same sentence? oh well, i did! ah, memories that come flooding back when you are with your high school friends at a high school hot spot. kim was back in murray for the last time. her parent's sold their house so now she has no reason to come and see us. we finally got to meet donovan, the love of kim's life...kimmy win we are happy for you. nicole wasn't able to join us...someone decided to take a trip to hawaii!!! nicole, we missed you and were so sad that you couldn't be in our photo. nicole bridged a nice gap between me, the short one, and the rest...all you tall girls! lindsay, you don't technically count, because of your heels...you are taller than me, but not that tall!!! trying to make me feel worse? :)

girls, we must do breakfast...lunch...or dinner before i head outta here!

children's miracle network garage sale

hi friends!

this is the easiest way i can think of to get the word out about this awesome fundraiser that my hotel is putting on. all proceeds will go directly to the children's miracle network.

mark your calendars for JULY 19th! we are having a HUGE community garage sale in the parking lot of our hotel and we are asking for the support of our friends and family. garage sale will start at 8am and go until...well, stuff is gone! we are currently accepting donations of items in good condition that could be sold at our event. from appliances, to dvds, clothes, books...you name it we will take it!

if you are interested in donating to our garage sale and are wondering how you do so...read below:

all donations will be accepted at the hotel (springhill suites by marriott, 625 south 300 west) until 12pm on JULY 10th. if you are unable to make it to the hotel by the 10th, you may meet us at our storage shed (1150 south 500 west, "13th south self storage") on JULY 11th from 10am to 12pm. if you are interested in donating, please email katie.jenkins@marriott.com, or leave a comment on my blog with your contact information. i will be in touch to work out the details.

please pass this information on to your friends and family! it is for such a great cause!

if you don't have anything to donate, feel free to stop by for a silent auction and maybe a little summer shopping!

thanks in advance for your support! and remember...

all proceeds go DIRECTLY to children's miracle network.

and the winner is...

ME!!!! biggest loser 2008...yes! it was an awesome competition...i had a very fierce competitor, the final weigh in came down to .4lbs! but, nonetheless...i am the biggest loser!

5.4lbs in 6 weeks...what a slow and trying process this was. hopefully the next 5 come off easier!

princess katie

i am cinderella...how fitting!

dignified and hard working. with a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. patience. even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. bide your time; your dreams will come true.

p.s thanks tara for having all these fun quiz links on your blog... love them!

what? why didn't i think of that?

ok, so i have just recently discovered my new favorite quote. it is 10:55pm and i am playing on the internet avoiding doing payroll. please don't remind me tomorrow is payroll wednesday...it is stressing me. anyway, this is the most "katie-esque" quote...EVER. pretty much it is my new motto...if i didn't love the name of my blog so much, i would pretty much change it.

"live to the point of tears." --albert camus

seriously, i ask you...how did i not make up this quote? yeah for new life mottos! and even better...a reason to cry. call me crazy, but i love me a good cry! except when i am crying about work. work tears are rarely classifed as good tears.

10:58pm...now to finish payroll...and more crying.

color me happy

during our saturday wal-mart run, i told pace that the title of my next blog was going to be "color me happy", inspired by the herbal essences shampoo that i saw with the same title. it was discovered as i was showing pace the name of my shampoo..."long term relationship." we both agreed that "color me happy" is a better title for my blog.

for those who know....and those who don't...the life of a twenty-something katie can be quite hard. these past weeks being no exception. it has been very stressful and emotional and hectic and crazy and eventful and...everthing...lately. lots of changes at work, added stress, less help. changes at home...trying to organize, clean, straighten, pack etc. i have been feeling a little negative and stressed. in an attempt to fill my life with more happy, i have dedicated this blog to things that make me happy. this will help to serve as a reminder to me that i always have something i can smile about. during our saturday wal-mart run, i told pace that the title of my next blog was going to be "color me happy", inspired by the herbal essences shampoo that i saw with the same title. it was discovered as i was showing pace the name of my shampoo..."long term relationship." we both agreed that "color me happy is a better title for me blog." s

things i can look forward to:

getting to see baby mayla

cambria's bridal shower

saturday (moving to sunday this week) marathon bargain-shop-a-thon's with my mom

4th of july

trip to cali in july

things that make me smile (besides me):

pace

family

watching ridiculous things on tv (for pace, keeping up with the kardashians...NOT ridiculous...highly entertaining!)

anticipating that the next time "the hills" airs, i will be in california...with them!

new purses...which i just got on saturday

new clothes....which i just got on saturday

new shoes...that i didn't buy this weekend

new jewelry...which i didn't get this weeknd

sunshine...which i did get this weekend

i guess shopping in general, but not just for me. i had a fabulous time picking out pace's birthday present and father's day gifts for all!

things that i can be happy about:

i have a job, a stressful one, but a job

i haven't had to pay $5.00 a gallon for gas...yet

i got to be with my family almost all day yesterday because i only had to work for 2 hours

i only had to work for 2 hours yesterday

ok, so i am feeling a little better. now i just need to keep this positive attitude up. that's the tricky part!

ah, i didn't include MY BLOG on any of my lists! yikes! well, it falls in all three!!!!

happy monday...

lets hear it for the boys

this post is dedicated to all the "dads" in my life...i have many. as i am a daddy's girl, through and through, even at the age of 25, i seem to have collected dads along the way.

my mother's day post was quite sentimental, my father's day post, not as much. i am equally as thankful for my "dads" and grandpas, but sentimental expression doesn't seem to do justice.

so with out further adu, here is my "thank you"...

for my dad, thanks for being you. for teaching me to be strong and confident. for teaching me to love the smell of cologne, ties and suits. thanks for teaching me to love polo shirts and kakhi shorts and old sweatshirts. thank you for teaching me to LOVE nordstrom and gap..i don't know if i should blame you or mom for my love of shopping...you both contributed. thank you for teaching me to speak my mind and speak it well. thank you for making me a better writer and student, for reading my 25 page psychology and law paper the day before it was due and wanting so bad to yell at me for leaving it to the last minute, but instead you just dove right in and fixed it. thank you for forcing me to put in my contacts and for teaching me how to ride a bike. thank you for helping me become me. for letting me make mistakes; for letting me live out my dreams and change my dreams and for being my number one fan...always. thank you for believing in me and making me believe in me. thank you for letting me call you with my millions of silly stories and for listening. thanks for always letting me talk and talk and talk...anytime. thanks for letting me grow up...i know it wasn't always easy, but i hope it was all worth it. and most importantly thanks for being my dad. love, kate

for my grandpa vawdrey, thanks for being nothing short of the best grandpa. thank you for showing me what it means to love your family unconditionally. thank you for always being there for me, and for my mom, and for ry. thank you for teaching me that it is always the best decision to do what is right for you. thank you for leading by example. you are one of the strongest people i know. i know that it isn't always easy, but you have been a rock for our family. thank you for coming to almost every single softball game i ever played in. and for always saying "great game sis". i hear those words often. thank you for always telling me how proud of me you are. i hear those words often too. thank you for teaching me to love cowboy boots and baseball hats. i have very few memories of you without your cowboy boots or baseball hats...a tom vawdrey staple, and lets not forget the polo shirts...i guess i can thank you and my dad for that one. thank you for being you, and for letting me call you "gramps".

for my grandpa jenkins, so many things i wish i had asked you. i cannot belive that it has been 3 years already. thank you for sharing with me your memories, things you didn't share with many people. thank you for telling me stories, even when they were hard to tell. thank you for always smiling and laughing...and smiling. thank you for having such a love for my grandma. and being the other half of the greatest love stories i will ever know of. thank you for having such a love for your family, and for leaving that with us as a part of your legacy. i know you are happy, with grandma where you should be. but, know that i miss you and will love you always.

for my four best second grandpas: jay, moyle, larry and gordon. all i can thank you for is loving me like i was your own. as we grow older we come to realize how much we have taken advantage of our time as kids. i have very few memories that don't involve one of you, if not more of you. i hold these memories dear to my heart because i know that i will never be in that place again. i love my memories of camping, bouncing around from jay and lolas trailer to moyle and dions...and feeling like i belonged even when i was the only non-grandchild around. i actually hated to leave jay and lolas trailer...good thing they were usually right next door. i love my memories of larry, for truly making me feel like i was his granddaughter. i love him for knowing me so well, and for letting me be a part of his life. what a wonderful example of a father and grandfather larry is, a man of his word. thanks for letting me be your "best girl."

for all of my other dads...dennis, russ, joe, ken and jim. you all have a special place in my heart. i am thinking of you today. because of all of the "dads" mentioned, i am proud to say i am a "daddy's girl". each of them have allowed me to be a part of their lives...and for that i say thank you.

happy father's day.

from pate to beignets...

last night for pace's big 25th birthday dinner his parents treated us to a wonderful dinner at la caille!

for anyone who has never had the opportunity to go, i cannot put my experience into words. but, i will give it my best shot.

quick recap of the night...

time: 7:30pm, reservations for four please..."thank you garson." (imagine that in a french accent, it's better that way.)

date: tuesday june 10th

attire: semi-formal. i chose to wear the most fabulous cream colored vintage vivienne westwood dress (ok the dress really was cream, but my cream colored text isn't showing up...deal with it!), with my equally glamorous silver peep toe high heels. truly one of my most amazing wardrobe creations! but, lets not get caught up in the small details!

moving on...

recap of the courses...

beverage: i'll have a glass of your finest wine, 2005 silver birch sauvignon blanc. delicious. hint of oak, ahh, just right. (note, not their finest glass, that would have been $100+)

chef's hors.d'ouevres: smoked duck and fresh cucumber salad. hmm...duck huh?. ooh, i like smoked duck, looks like bacon...tastes like turkey. give my compliments to the chef.

hors.d'ouevres: pate d' jour...more duck. ok, this looks like expensive bologne, since i am not a fan of my bologne having the first name O S C A R last name M A Y E R, i highly doubt i will like his high-class second cousin P A T E. i will have more of the sesame craker, now THAT is tasty.

salad: wilted spinach please, hold the egg...and if it's not too much trouble...more bacon! I DID NOT request that...but, i did think of it. afterthought, should have asked for no onions. mental note for next time.

entree: combo number 1...just teasin! had to make sure i hadn't lost any one yet! mmm...delicious fresh halibut in a lemon garlic butter sauce, served with warmed spinach and new red potatoes...hello! two vegetables that i love, what are the odds...

and finally...

dessert: beignets...tasty...little...french donuts. oh my! little deep fried pieces of heaven. covered in powdered sugar and served with a vanilla custard dipping sauce. the only way for them to have been any more made for me would have been to stuff them with chocolate chip cookie dough and give me a side of chocolate WITH my vanilla custard, not in place of.

for all those who are salivating now, make your reservations soon! you must go. for those not salivating...i don't know you, nor do i want to.

BEST....RESTAURANT...MEAL....EVER!

thanks russ and karen, it truly was a night/meal to remember.

genius!

this is a plug for one of my favorite guests! i have known him for about a year and a half, almost the entire time our hotel has been open. while talking to him this past week, he told me about a product that his wife invented. when he first told me the name, i was confused, but after seeing the actual product, i am very intrigued!

for new moms...or experienced moms...or dads, or others, you need to check out their website!

www.healthyshelf.com

the jist of the product is this:

it is a shelf...but not just any old shelf. this shelf hides your paper towels (or wet wipes) keeping your counter tops clutter free and the paper towels or wet wips out of reach of pets or little ones! really, new moms...consider how cute one of these shelves would be above your changing table; displaying a cute picture of your adorable new one AND hiding your wet wipes. lets face it, the wooden kleenex boxes or knitted boxes, although very meaningful and made with love are a little old fashioned. update your nursery with a cute wooden shelf!

as you can tell by the name...this product is also designed to keep your family healthy. we would all be disgusted by germs and bacteria that grow on our hand towels and wash cloths! eew!!! this was actually part of the inspiration of the product...a mom trying not to imagine how many germs were on the hand cloth that her son was using to clean up a mess he made on her floor and being a kid, he was going to just put it right back from where it came... her counter top!

i told you this was a plug! i am a walking advertisement, but seriously...check it out!

i am BASIL

you are quite popular and loved by post people. you have a mild temperament, but your style is definitely distinctive. you are sweet, attractive, and you often smell good.

what spice are you?

http://www.blogthings.com/whatspiceareyouquiz

biggest loser week 4 BLAH

ok, now i am mad. for two weeks in a row i have lost ZERO pounds. despite my best efforts to shrink myself, my body is perfectly content at the weight i am at. stupid body. i am begining to hate this competition as much as i hate my stupid scale! ok, maybe that was harsh, i hate very few things as much as i hate my scale. only two more weeks before it is on sale on e-bay!

this week is now my most frustrating week. i made some serious adjustments after losing no weight last week. i guess i am living at the gym this week...no fun! and i am going to have a serious sit down with my metabolism. what's the point of giving up my diet coke and candy if it isn't going to matter....besides all of the health risks...i get those. i miss you diet coke!

anyway, i don't have much to report as i didn't lose any weight. keep the well wishes coming and we will hope for better results next week.

on the plus side...i didn't gain any weight!