Meeting Baby Poole

After months of anticipation Amy and Jeff welcomed their baby boy Ezra into the world early last week! I won't steal their thunder by giving away any specifics, but all anyone really needs to know is that he is perfect. I've been really excited for his arrival. I've spent many days with Amy talking about him, wondering about him, anticipating his birth, not to mention eating lots of sweet treats because he obviously wanted them (ha!).

When I first found out Amy was pregnant I cried. Not because I was sad (obviously) but I was just so overcome with so many happy emotions! I don't think words can describe how happy I was for her and Jeff. I was even happier when I found out that they would be moving back to Indiana and that they would be living here when Ezra was due. I've never had someone as close to me as Amy is have a baby, so it was almost something entirely new to me. We had candid conversations all about baby and I was always happy to talk about him! I wanted to meet him! Finally little Ezra finally came and getting the first picture of the tiny human my best friend had been growing inside her belly made me want to jump up and down!

Meeting Ezra for the first time was so amazing. Seeing Amy hold him and talk to him is the cutest thing. Seeing her hold that tiny baby made me so happy for her and feel so much love for their whole family. I was thrilled to hold Ezra and meet him. He has the cutest cheeks and and pretty much has made napping his hobby. I know Amy will be an amazing mother and that Jeff will be a great father. They are two of the best people I know and I know their son will follow in their footsteps!

I can't believe my best friend is a mother now! Just a few years ago we were awkward high school girls trying to fit in with the "cool" kids, passing "secret" journals back and forth and running around with questionable boys. Now we're all grown up, her more than me, with a husband and child, and I couldn't be happier for her!

Life Lately, According to My iPhone

Lots of Holiday cheer! Gidget, Gidget and Olive being bf'f's, Fort Wayne's annual downtown lighting festivities, yummy s'more cupcakes (which I'll put a recipe up for soon!), Thanksgiving, Komet hockey on Thanksgiving night (a tradition in my family since I was little), lots of Christmas tree decorating, puppies, Gidget's first time in the snow, and other random goodies! I need to start taking lots of pictures again. It kind of used to be my thing to overly document even basic hangouts. Also, Instagram may be one of the neatest things for an iPhone!

Giving Thanks

I know Thanksgiving has already come and gone, but I think it's still nice to look at everything you are happy for. Even though Thanksgiving comes once a year and we're told it's meant to be a holiday to reflect on what you are the most thankful for, I really try to do it more than once a year even when it's seemingly hard to find anything to be grateful for. So, without further ado I'd like to share a few of the things I am thankful for this year.

I am thankful for...

• being a living, breathing, functioning person.
• a roof over my head and and the opportunity to further my education.
• a puppy that loves to snuggle and is always happy to see me when I get home no matter what.
• bedtime phone calls no matter how tired the person on the other end is.
• Ball State friends that I now consider real friends.
• finding that cooking and baking can be stress releasing.
• holiday cheer.
• Olive being born healthy and happy and perfect.
• Baby Poole still cooking in his mommy's stomach and being a healthy boy.
• friends who I can go days or even weeks without seeing but nothing changes.
• life lessons that may not be too pleasant now, but will pay off in the end.
• a car that works and gets me where I need to be.
• not having a car accident this year or getting a speeding ticket, both of which I've had the two years in a row previously. (Knock on wood!)
• professors that are encouraging and want you to succeed.
• people that hold doors open for you and smile when you say thank you and vice versa.
• friends that don't try to be anything else other than who they truly are.
• long, warm, summer days and rainy, cold, fall nights.
• an encouraging and supportive family.
• talks about life and the future.
• the distance between Indiana and Idaho no longer being relevant, and 3 weeks being shorter than 3 months.
• the want to be creative and crafty which will hopefully lead to the next step of actually being creative and crafty.
• learning how to live on very little money.
• 2 year old kiddies who are excited to see you every morning without fail.
• distance making the heart grow fonder, even if that distance is only an hour and a half.
• bedtime puppy cuddles.
• knowing that the future is going to be wonderful.
• ongoing curiosity.
• help when help has been needed but hasn't been wanted to be asked for.
• long walks on campus that help me think.
• love and encouragement from the places least expected.
• coffee and Diet Coke.
• a momma who still loves it every time I come home.
• a warm bed with the most comfy mattress I've ever slept on.
• having Joseph by my side for all of the ups and downs and never leaving and vice versa.
• the lone Nutella snack pack I've ever had in my life.
• spending so much time with my family over Thanksgiving.
• so so so much more!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and continue to have a great next few weeks of holiday fun!

And They Call It Puppy Love...

Yesterday I became the proud owner/"mommy" of the cutest little six week old puppy. I am over the moon! I have wanted a puppy for as long as I can remember and never thought I would ever actually have the joy of calling one my own. But, now I do have a little girl that is all mine that I got to name and will get to care for and raise, little Gidget! I think it suits her perfectly; it's cutesy and spunky all rolled into one!

The way in which she came into my life happened so fast I'm still a little shocked that it really happened. Tuesday night, while I was working on my organizational skills, Joseph's sister in-law posted a link on my Facebook about a litter of puppies in Fort Wayne that were really cheap. Half joking I emailed the link to my mom who instantly fell in love and called the breeder Wednesday morning around 10. By the end of that conversation an appointment was set to meet the pups. Sometimes between 10am and 2pm it was decided that I should drive home to Fort Wayne to go meet the puppies with my mom. At 6:30 we were pulling up to the breeders home and by 6:35 I was in love with a little black and white baby girl. By 7pm, and $150 later, I was in the car headed back to my mom's with my very own puppy in tow!

 So far Gidget has turned out to be quite the eater. During her "lunch" today she just couldn't get enough!

I wasn't the only one to become a puppy parent. One of my younger brothers couldn't resist the lone male of the litter and left with his own little baby, Milo.

I know some people think it's silly and dumb to dress dogs up. But seriously, look at her in her itty bitty dress, and her teeny tiny bow and tell me that isn't adorable. I won't keep her in clothes all of the time, but I couldn't resist during our outing to the pet store today,

Cash was super excited to meet her. He kept telling us all how cute she is and even sat down and read her one of his little books about dogs.

Joseph is also in love. One look at her and his heart instantly melted. He already refers to her as his baby girl. It's so cute to watch him oogle over this little ball of fluff.

We were all a little worried about my mom's dog Rizzo. She's been our baby for 3 years now and she definitely makes sure everyone who comes along knows that she is the head little lady of the household. At first she was standoffish, but today she's really warmed up to the puppies. It's almost like she's acting as a makeshift mom. She's always checking on them and sniffing them and she won't go outside unless they are out in the yard with her.

 

I still can't believe my luck! I'm soaking it all up and enjoying watching all the cuteness that is my little Gidget! I can't wait to take her back home and get her settled into my apartment. Expect lots and lots of posts to come about training and raising this little ball of puppy love!

The most exciting news of my life

My bestie best and her husband are moving home to Indiana to LIVE! Words cannot fully explain my excitement over this fact. I have squeeled and smiled and cried many times since finding out and all I can say is that I am SO EXCITED!

Amy and Jeff are probably my favorite couple. Jeff is just awesome and has always been super nice to me.  Amy is just simply one of the greatest friends anyone could ask for!She understands me and I have just as much fun going out and about with her as I do sitting in her dad's living room watching HGTV all night. She is wonderful and funny and understanding. She's always been there for me and while we may not talk to eachother every day or even every week, we've always been there for one another. We tell eachother when we have exciting news or when we need a shoulder to cry on. She has shown me what true friendship is and that even when everyone else let's you down and walks away there will always be at least one person who feels the same way you do.

I can't wait for Amy and Jeff to be in Fort Wayne!

The Royal Wedding

Yes I was one of those crazy people who woke up bright and early at 4am to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton joined in marriage. No, I'm not ashamed of it in the least. For one this was history in the making. I know I don't live in England, but it was still neat to watch a piece of history take shape. The Royal Family stands for so much in England and is so iconic it made me wish we had more pageantry in the U.S. Also, this is a modern day fairytale! A "commoner" as the Brits put it, fell in love with a real life prince and became a princess! It's really everything my dreams were made of as a little girl (and even now, I'm not going to lie).

Kate's dress was AMAZING. It reminded me of 1950's glamour and was very reminiscent of Grace Kelly. She looked aboslutely flawless.

 I can't get over how classic and elegant the whole ceremony was, and how perfect the Prince and new Princess look together. I've always found Prince William to be so handsome and even now, all balding aside, he is good-looking as ever.

Oh, and while I'm going on about this fairytale day, can we just appreciate a bit of Prince Harry as well?

How adorable is he with the little pageboys and bridesmaids?! Definitely makes me swoon. At least he is still single so there is still hope for me!

Happy Valentine's Day!

So it's Valentine's Day and I sadly do not get to spend it with Joseph because he has to work. But it's ok, we celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday by sleeping in, hanging out in Indianapolis, seeing 16 Candles at the theater, devouring pizza, exchanging cute gifts, and just being all kinds of wonderfully lovey dovey. Instead of being sad that I can't spend the actual day of love with my boy I'm going to have a "me" night complete with: painting my nails, making myself a yummy dinner, catching up on Grey's Anatomy, attempting to make these (or just indulging in some Ben & Jerry's), and flipping through this months girly magazines.

Even though I love Joseph everyday of the year and try to show him as much as I can, and vice versa, I am just in love with the idea of having that one special day to really kick things up a few notches or take some quiet time together that you might not normally make time for. So, in keeping with that spirit here are just a few of the things I absolutely adore about my amore!

• He talks to me on the phone every single night right before we both go to sleep, no matter how tired he is.
• He has overcome a lot of obstacles life has thrown at him in the last few months and really worked to make himself a better person.
• Our car rides are probably the most entertaining/fun things.
• He embraces my hidden dorky side.
• He thinks I look the prettiest when I wear my glasses and have no make-up on.
• Panda Bear and Big Bear are used more often than Katie and Joe.
• He is the best uncle to the most adorable tot, and everytime I see them playing together my heart melts.
• He tolerates my new found love for "spider monkeying" him while singing "Baby Monkey Riding Backwards On A Pig".
• He thinks I am the best baker in the world and often requests I make him cookies.
• While we have a lot of differences, we have a lot of similarities.
• He doesn't judge me for easily being able to play a major role in helping demolish a 16 inch royal feast pizza.
• I can talk to him about anything and everything.
• He gives the best hugs and forehead kisses in the whole entire world.
• We mutually love eachother to pieces!

Whether you are single, or happily taken, have a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with love!

Pumpkin Carving!

Today me, Meredith, and Kelsi decided to put our pumpkin carving skills to good use and carve some pumpkins! I've been itching to do this since September so I was super excited! I decided to carve a bow, which my boyfriend made fun of me for but I think the end result turned out cute.

Meredith, me, and Kelsi with our lovely pumpkins. (let's keep in mind that it's Sunday so don't mind my appearance ha)

my bow!

Kelsis wolf!

Meredith's face!

Me with my pretty bow pumpkin.

All photo credits go to Joseph and Miss Mere. Have I mentioned I really love fall?

A little happy ramble

I'm in the best mood I've been in in such a long time. It feels really great. Nothing imparticular has happened to lift my spirits, I think it's just been a collection of this week and it's been a good one thus far. I have an amazing boyfriend who is supportive of me and that I love very much. Not to mention he is super sweet and is taking me to the circus tomorrow night just because I begged and pleaded with him to go with me. Yesterday I got the most loveable dog who is a complete sweetheart and that I can't wait to love on more and more. Tuesday I saw miss Amy Marie and even though we didn't do anything super exciting I was so thrilled to see my bestie. I have one of the best friends I could ask for in Meredith. I'm feeling completely motivated this semester no matter how tough my classes already are. This week I've been kicking butt at work and blowing through piles of paperwork I've had for months. There are also many other good things going on right now but those are just a few from the top of my head. Basically I'm just feeling very happy and blessed at the moment. The end.

H A P P Y

Lately I have been feeling very down and out. Very lonely. Very not myself. Very discontent. However, instead of dwelling on it I think it is much better to think about and appreciate the things that bring me joy. So, with an idea from rockstar diaries, I present to you my happy list.

15 Things That Make Me Terribly Happy

in no particular order

1. Everything that has to do with fall.
2. Forehead kisses.
3. The smell before rain.
4. Bright lipstick. (even if I'm too chicken to wear it myself)
4. The feeling you get right after your first kiss with someone new.
5. Little, thoughtful, texts and messages from friends just to tell you they love you, and returning the favor.
6. Getting completely sucked into a good book.
7. Genuine and meaningful compliments.
8. Watching the sunrise over the ocean with sleepy eyes and sand between my toes.
9. Sappy love stories ala The Notebook and Titanic.
10. A good nights sleep.
11. Mini road trips with one of my best friends.
12. Songs that bring up a hundred different emotions at once, the kind that "get you".
13. The cute little "thinking of you" cards my grandparents send my about once a week, and have been sending me since I moved into my apartment.
14. Driving with the windows down, the music up, and the wind in my hair with the sun beating down.
15. A good hug.

Play all day

It is now officially fall! My favorite season EVER! I especially love fall in Indiana and it is probably one of the only block of months I enjoy Indiana weather. The weather is always absolutely perfect and the leaves are just the right shades of orange and red. I love driving down the streets and seeing piles of leaves just sitting patiently at the end of people's driveways, and have been known to pull over and have an impromptu play session in the inviting mass of crunchy colors. Besides all that, I love jackets and hoodies and being able to start breaking out my boots. Really I just l o v e everything about it!

Day 1

Yesterday roomie and I moved into our lovely apartment! It's very weird knowing that my mom and brothers are nowhere in the vicinity of me and that it is MY home. Haley and I started putting together the living room and kitchen last night which has made the apartment full of empty boxes and trash bags, so hopefully tonight we decide to tackle taking the trash out. I still have to put my room together the way that I want it and buy my bathroom things (I couldn't shower today, don't judge me!).

Even after less than 24 hours of having my own place I have found myself doing little homey things I never expected I would do. For example last night I was trying to make the living room look half decent so there wasn't trash everywhere while Ben kept telling me to "do less and relax more" because I was freaking him out. Also, while cups with ice in them were sitting on the coffee table I got annoyed with the watery condensation on the table and announced to everyone that I was going to go buy coasters tonight. Oh and before I left for work today I started a load in the dishwasher so roomie and I have nice, clean, sanatized plates and such. I must be ill.

Tonight after work me and Haley are going grocery shopping which we are both weirdly excited about. I will post pictures of our little home after we tidy up and it doesn't look like a dumpster exploded everywhere. Yay for growing up!

shake it like a ladder to the sun

Things I loved about today.
-feeling like I actually learned something in my American Politics class as opposed to taking 5 pages of notes like I do every other day and not retaining a thing.
-my religion class was cancelled, even though I was looking forward to it. it's always nice to get a freebie day off.
-steamed broccoli and cottage cheese for lunch.
-feeling like I actually matter at my job because they let me go to get trained on the new phone system we're getting so me and another girl in the office can train everyone at work.
-talking about more than just work with Jamie.
-hearing from Tonni after months and months and getting to catch up.
-getting compliments on my polka dot tights I was nervous to wear.
-seeing Brittney at Scott's.
-cheesey vegetable soup for dinner.
-catching up with my grandparents and getting lots of hugs and kisses.
-walking to Circle K in the rain just to get slushee's with Amy and Kristin.
-"Amy, I mean Katie"..."I always mix you two up! someday I'll get it right!"
-"only 2-3 times a week? that itsn't bad at all! WAIT let me rephrase that!"
-"are we going to eat these brownies!?"
-making my gas stretch to 273.7 miles when I should have ran out of gas at 250 miles.
-texting the same person all day and all night long.
-having legit friends in my classes.
-getting home before 11.
-listening to Fleet Foxes on the way home.
not having homework and/or any studying to complete tonight.
-having a decent conversation with both of my brothers, in the same night. it really is quite a feat.

today was a good day.

The sun is shining, the weather is getting warmer, I've got new goals and less anxiety, I love my friends, life is getting good.
:)

diva the the female version of a hustla

I've recently realized that, more than anything, your attitude and thoughts seriously determine what your life is, how productive you are, and whether you're happy or not.
I was in a rut that i couldn't get out of, and it took the feeling of everything disappearing to snap me out of it.
At least i think so.
To be honest, I'm not sure what snapped me out of it, or even what brought it on to begin with, i suppose it was all just a culmination of many little occurences being piled up and let loose after one big occurence smacked me out of nowhere .
All i know is that after reading about the law of attraction I realized I was the one causing my own misery.
It seems simple, but it amazes me how a realization as basic as "If I'm constantly dwelling on being miserable, I'm going to stay miserable." totally changed my outlook on everything.

Point being, I feel really happy.
I just am really happy with the friends I have now,the direction I'm striving for,the new people I'm meeting, and so on and so forth.
Everything is just falling in to place.
And while it is still a slow process, it is happening and I'm content in that.
Finally.