2011 in Review

7:12 pm ByFiled Underkat facts

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? Got a bikini wax – first and last.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Not a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions but I did stick to my change of eating lifestyle…. well until Thanksgiving. It has been all down here from there. I WILL be revisiting it starting January 1st! Hello vegan!!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes.  My best friend from high school, though I haven’t gotten my hands on that nugglet yet! I also had quite a few close Blissfully Domestic friends give birth. Yeah for babies!! THIS JUST IN – my brother went to the hospital as I was typing this to give birth to their first baby – a girl!!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully no.

5. What places did you visit? Las Vegas, Nashville, Colorado, Michigan, Honduras, Utilla, Cabo and Boston.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? Patience, a sense of calm and organization.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 15th – Bear had two teeth pulled and I found out I won a trip to learn to surf at Las Olas Surf Safari.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Getting the negative people out of my life and surrounding myself with people who truly love me and make me happy AND expanding my abilities as a writer.

9. What was your biggest failure? Letting mean people win. It took me quite some time to realize the haters are just truly jealous. Life is too short to let the haters win.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Thankfully pretty healthy, just one knee issue that hampered me for a week.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My Hubby’s 40th birthday present. The look on his face when he opened it was priceless and I think (in fact I know) I rocked the Best Present EVER Award.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? The Love Drop Team. Every month they help a different person or family – for no other reason than the goodness in their heart. You rarely meet truly ‘good‘ peeps. These guys are good peeps.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The Pen State debacle. It sickened me to the core.

14. Where did most of your money go? While I would love to be snarky and say Hubby’s ex-wife, I think more money actually went towards our mortgage (but not much!).

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Our trip to Utilla. A week alone on an isolated island with my Hubby – divine!! Plus I got to see where his family came from and learn about his roots.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011? LMFAO – I’m Sexy and I Know It.  This song has been a constant in our house and has provided me with hours of entertainment watching the boys dance to it.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

  • happier or sadder? Definitely happier
  • thinner or fatter? thinner though this last month has given me a cookie belly.
  • richer or poorer? I am richer in my faith, my walk with God and am blessed everyday beyond what I deserve.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I had more time to read real books.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worried, dwell on the negative and not taking the time to live in the moment.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2011? With my entire family – first time in years. It was a great day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011? I fell more in love with my husband everyday.

22. What was your favorite TV program? NCIS (both versions), Hawaii 50, Criminal Minds and Survivor.

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2011? Hubby threw me a surprise birthday party and my most favorite Michigan friend wrote another birthday homage that made me cry for days. I love both of them very much for making my day special!

24. What was the best book you read? Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

25. What did you want and get?  A yummy green B Makowsky purse (thanks Hubby)

26. What did you want and not get?  The last word. But maybe that is a good thing.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?  I loved introducing my boys to the Muppets.

28. Did you make some new friends this year?  Yes! I made a great new friend and she makes me laugh every day. KKP!!

29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?  I hate to say it, but I can’t think of anything. While my year has had its ups and down, I truly think I am a better person from all the negative experiences. That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger!

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?  My own. I fluctuate between jean and converse, cords and Berks, sundresses, sassy boots – the whole gamut.

31. What kept you sane?  Writing, music, dancing, coffee and vino.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I do fancy me some Bradley Cooper.

33. What political issue stirred you the most?  I think most politics make a bigger deal of things then they need to.

34. Who did you miss?  I miss my friend in Nashua and my Grandma – every day.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011. People are never who they appear or pretend to be so don’t always try and be the nice lassie.

How would you answer these questions? I would love to read your answers. I will also take a moment to point out that, while I am not a fan of meme’s, I did enjoy the reflection this one brought. Sometimes we move from one year to the other so quickly, that we forget all the things we learned. Thank you Yoga Mom for making me take the time to reflect.

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My View Monday – Shut The Front Door!!

5:16 pm ByFiled UnderMy View Mondays

Now, if I was being truly honest, I would post a video of my intensely crazed reaction to reading THIS. Ahhhhhh!!! I could also post a picture of my ‘post-hysterical sob fest face‘, which by the way, was less than pretty. Perhaps a recording of the high pitched squealing phone call to Hubby, where I might have said I was SO frickin’ excited I wanted to run down the street naked. (SO not lying) I was then quickly reminded I was on speaker and Bear was in the car. Sorry Bear for that scary visual.

But instead, I will share this:

surf, los olas, todays mama, bucket listSurf up and this Lassie is ready though I am hoping I won’t need to pull out the Bubble Gum wax – brrrrr.

Still can’t believe I am going HERE!! What did you view this Monday?

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I Will Follow You Into The Dark

6:45 am ByFiled Underkat facts

In honor of Hubby’s and my anniversary I am posting one of my favorite songs. It makes me cry every time. Oh alright, I know I cry at everything but still! There’s some sentiment here. And while it is not your typical sappy love song, it embraces the depth of my love.

Happy Anniversary Hubby!

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Making My List And Checking It Twice

2:55 pm ByFiled Underkat facts

The glorious gals at Todays Mama have teamed up with Just Ask to host a giveaway of a lifetime. No, I am serious. Think bucket list worthy. AND – they are giving away one of my bucket list items! (insert squee here)

Surfboard on Maui beach. I made my Bucket List some time ago and have been slowly checking off my progress. Number 28 – enjoy that one everyday. Number 5 – yeah, won’t be doing that again! Number 19 – love that I shared it with one of my besties. Number 9 -learn to surf is still not completed.

I have wanted to learn to surf for YEARS! It also doesn’t help that Hubby surfed and still has his boards in the basement. Being an ocean girl, I hear the waves calling me. What better way to become one with something so powerful than to embrace its power atop a piece of wood. And while it looks so easy, I know it is extremely difficult and I look forward to conquoring that challenge.

Wondering what the top 15 on my list are? Well then, here you go!

  1. Learn to surf
  2. Take a road trip in an RV
  3. Visit Cuba
  4. Bicycle through Napa Valley
  5. Backpack through Europe
  6. Walk on a frozen lake
  7. Try escargot
  8. Order dessert first in a restaurant
  9. Play paintball
  10. Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans
  11. Take a belly dancing class
  12. Read Gone With The Wind
  13. Attend an Olympic competition
  14. Throw a brick through a window
  15. Cook a three course meal

Yes, I know I have a wide array of Bucket items but I think that is what makes it so much fun to complete. Plus, if it is on a list I have to be able to check it off. I wonder when Hubby is booking our trip to Fiji?? (Number 60 on my list)

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details. 

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My View Monday – Playing With The Animals

11:18 am ByFiled UnderMy View Mondays

my view mondayNo school, Indian Summer temps in the 80′s and Grandma is here for a visit – let’s go to the zoo! Being newer to this area, we had yet to visit our local zoo. And truly, we could not have asked for a better day. The boys were in heaven amongst their favorite animals and I was just happy to be out in the fresh air.

The zoo is huge and though we didn’t see all the animals, we now have an excuse to go back – hopefully soon!

What did you view this glorious Monday?

 

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30 days if honesty: day eight

4:47 pm ByFiled Under30 Days of Honesty

30 days of honestyWay back when, I began this crazy voyage called 30 Days of Honesty. I loved the exhilaration of exploring myself and probing into all those uncomfortable nooks and crannies. Then I came to this prompt and I hit a wall.

I decided to ponder it for a few days. Then, before I knew it, days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and then… poof! Out of the brain it went.

Since I did a lot of soul searching this past summer, I decided to conquer this list once and for all!

Someone Who Made Your Life Hell Or Treated You Like Sh*t

Now, it is my belief that you are in charge of your own emotions and no one can make you feel a certain way unless you let them. I will also point out that it has taken years to get here and there are still days I need to remind myself of this.

But, through this life voyage I have had my experiences with mean girls, high school bullies and co-workers who went off the reservation. Women can be cruel, jealous and back stabbing. Heck, sometimes they don’t even wait for you to turn around! There are also women who just won’t move on and enjoy thinking that they are making your life hell, when in all reality, they are just making themselves look that much more pathetic and bitter. meanwhile, your life is full of love and happiness. Poor them.

My other life revelation is that you are who you surround yourself with. I heard this great quote at a conference I went to a few weeks ago that continues to resonate with me: “You are the average of the five people who you spend the most time with“. When I thought of my five, (Ok,I may have a few more than five), my face was instantly beaming.

Why dwell on those who are just out to do malice and bring you down. People who just want to do harm or attempt to make my life hell are not worth my time or energy. So with that, I will leave you with this:

 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45

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My View Mondays – Hammocking

8:34 pm ByFiled UnderMy View Mondays

utila, hammocking While I would love to say this is my view right now, it is not. (insert big sad Lassie face here) It was however, my view two weeks ago and I am desperately missing it. Did you know that ‘hammocking’ is a national past time in Utila? Oh, it is. Don’t worry, I made sure I made time to enjoy it. Who could pass up trying a national past time?

Utila, hammocks, hammockingI wonder if I can get ‘hammocking’ to take off in the states? Hmmmm…

What did you view today?

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Bucket List – Another One Down

7:49 pm ByFiled Underkat facts

going topless Ah the bucket list. That little list that holds you accountable for those things you feel you need to do in your life span. That list that, thanks to technology, your husband knows about and reminds you when it may serve in his favor. Sigh…

Hubby and I travelled to Utila to visit his family and while there, discovered many hidden wonders and a lot of tranquil beauty. We also discovered many private and deserted beaches. *ahem*

So, at one of these visits I decided to check off #42 on my bucket list. (Sorry Dad! You may want to stop reading here.) While it took some talking into I am really glad I did it. Ironically, so is Hubby.

Though, if you know an Irishman, you know he is not one to be upstaged. No, he has to puff out his chest and one up you because, well, he’s just that guy.

Damn I love that man!!

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My View Monday: saying goodbye to perfection

2:59 pm ByFiled UnderMy View Mondays

Today I declare a loss. I stand in my kitchen waving that notorious white flag. In all honesty its a towel, and it is far from white. sigh

While I gave up visions of a perfectly pristine home long ago, the kitchen saga continues to haunt me. And while the kitchen was completely clean yesterday, this is my view right now:giving up on perfection

(insert proverbial sigh once again)

Now, maybe your kitchen looks the same, maybe your is that clean, sparkly one I dream of, but this drives me crazy.

Since the boys are getting older they are required to participate in more house functions, also known as chores. Each boy is responsible to load their dirty dishes and unload one shelf once the dishes are clean. The first problem is that because they are brothers and can’t seem to do anything together without carnage, they have to do their shelf separate from the other. The second problem is that Monkey seems to have a completely different time schedule than everyone else in the world. 

On Monkey Time, things don’t need to get done right away, unless of course Monkey is the one that wants them done. THEN, it should have been done five minutes ago or as close to immediately as possible. If I could somehow get the two to mesh my life would be golden. Okay, maybe not golden but a heck of a lot better than now.

As you can see from the picture, most of the things on the counter are glasses, cup, and other top shelf items. Want to guess which shelf Monkey is responsible for emptying?

And while I have harped and pleaded, the shelf did get emptied but now, no one is willing to claim their glasses. So they will sit there till I get off my hiney and put them in the dish washer. Unless of course the magic kitchen fairy is hiding in the rafters. No? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

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Thursday Ten – Remember me??

2:06 am ByFiled Underkat facts

Oh hi! Remember me? You know, the one who hasn’t written in weeks. Uh, yeah. That’s me. No need to scold, my Catholic guilt set in about a week and a half ago. Please don’t think I abandoned you, I’m not that kind of girl.

In lieu of my absenteeism, oh yeah – that’s a word, I decided to comprise a list that people have been asking me about for a long time. “Kat – WHAT can’t you live without?” So without further ado, my list of selfish necessities.

  1. Eight O’Clock Coffee. Every morning, at least 4 cups. I have even been accused of over loading my coffee mug by said Hubby. The nerve!
  2. My CHI flat iron. This lassie was born with a head full of curls, and while I do embrace them, sometimes a girl has to go straight just to spice things up a little bit.
  3. Pandora Radio. Love, love, LOVE. Looking for a great station to run or workout to? May I suggest Pitbull radio. Many a miles have been run to that glorious station!
  4. Speaking of running, I am SO in love with my Jockey Modern capris. While they are not my ideal running pant, I do tend to wear them obsessively. Just between you and me – these pants make you butt look fabulous!!
  5. Pierre. Oh Pierre, how I love you. You don’t know Pierre? Well, Pierre is my Scooba. He washes my floors for me and doesn’t expect a thing in return. Sigh….. He is SO swoon worthy. I wonder if he can cook? Hmmmm
  6. Purex Crystals – My new laundry friend. These pure crystals infuse your clothes with the longest lasting, and yummy, scent you can imagine. These crystals work wonders on stinky lacrosse clothes!
  7. Freschetta by the Slice – Want delicious pizza but only on slice? Look no further! Freschetta has made delicious pizza, one slice at a time. This has been my go to meal during lacrosse season. Yum!
  8. Victoria’s Secret Pink Sweet and Flirty - The perfect light everyday fragrance that will get you tons on compliments. I love that it is soft, yet not over powering.
  9. Bath & Body Works Orange Ginger Body Lotion. I can sum this up in one word – divine. This lotion is my ALL time favorite lotion and I have been addicted to it for several years. One sniff and all my troubles melt away, at least for a little bit anyway.
  10. My list would not be complete without one Bioelements product. Yes, I am a self proclaimed Bioelements junky, but what can I say? If I had to chose a favorite it would be Absolute Moisture. This is my ‘go to’ cream, especially at night. The texture and fragrance won me over at first try and I just can’t imagine life without it.

So there you have it – a little glimpse in the things that help this lassie survive day to day. Could I survive without them? Well, yes. But darn-it – sometimes its the little things that make life that much more enjoyable!

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