12.30.2010

Let's Celebrate!


It's almost....


Cheers to a new year!!!
What are you doing to celebrate NYE? I am so excited to go out to dinner with our friends tomorrow night to one of our favorite restaurants, P.F Changs (yes we go here a lot), and sip on some BUBBLY...



and I must say ladies...it's on my bucket list this to be HERE for NYE one year...




ahh...Times Square on NYE! The idea always sounds really good and I really want to do it 1 year simply to say that I experienced it, but let's face it..this year (and like other years in the past) facing the crowds and the COLD was just not something I am ready to do - yet. Besides, it is supposed to be 50 degrees here this weekend and for us that will feel like a HEAT WAVE!!!! Maybe I should bust out my swimsuit and catch some rays...just kidding ;)


I hope to go see Black Swan over the long weekend...I've heard some great things about it! I think Billy will even enjoy it too. He likes those disturbing kind of movies ha ha

But back to the new year...I really wasn't finished with 2010 yet. 2010 was such an amazing, incredible, wonderful year for us!

That's why I decided I am going to list my

 Top 10 Favorite Things About 2010:


#1. Our Wedding!!! We finally got married after 6 years of dating. It was everything I ever imagined in a wedding and more<3

#2. We bought our first house in 2009 and have decorated it and added some personal touch to now be able to call it our H.O.M.E! :)

#3.  I have had & kept a stable job. Nowadays, with this economy, you just never know. Did you know gas prices are projected to be around $5.00/GALLON by the summer? RIDICULOUS!!!

#4. We went on an amazing all-inclusive honeymoon to the Dominican Republic. This trip definitely makes the list.

#5. I gained more family :) A new mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law! I am thankful for them.

#6. I started this blog!! I love it so much and hope that in 2011 I can convince some of my good friends or family to start a blog. It is so therapeutic for me and I love & appreciate all your comments. I have learned a lot from it too!

#7. I got married. This should count for 2 of my favorite things. I mean come on...this is a big deal!

#8. I made new friends and kept the old!  ::insert song from elementary school::

#9. Our vacations. I hope to have many more awesome vacations in 2011 and see some new places!

#10. Billy and I are happy & in good health and that's really something to be thankful for.


 







*Always remember to forget,the things that made you sad.But never forget to remember, the things that made you glad.Always remember to forget, the friends that proved untrue.But don't forget to remember, those that have stuck by you.Always remember to forget, the troubles that passed away.But never forget to remember,the blessings that come each day

Bring it on 2011. I'm ready for you :)
Happy New Year!!!


Katie

12.29.2010

What I'm Loving Wednesday!




Today I've linked up with Jamie @ this kind of love for WILW!

It's one of my favorite blogging days and I'm excited to do WILW since I didn't get a chance to do it last week! I'll go ahead and take a guess that everyone is loving a lot this week since it's right after Christmas! atleast I hope everyone is! I know I am :)


{I'm loving} that I got a full night of SLEEP last night. The past couple nights I have been waking up like 3x in the middle of the night! Nothing like feeling refreshed :)

{I'm loving} using my STARBUCKS gift card I got for Xmas ~ Skinny Vanilla Latte, please!




{I'm loving} my new KEEP CALM & CARRY ON bag for groceries I found online from Etsy!!! I just pulled it out of the box so it is kinda wrinkly in this pic!



{I'm loving} the Nike hoodie my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas...it is pretty much the warmest thing I've ever put on and I want to live in it. I couldn't find an exact picture of it online but it's a pretty purple and close to this one..





{I'm loving} the cute new soft shell laptop case I got for our Mac Book PRO!!! I'm not so sure Billy will like this but hey, I couldn't resist. AND I got for free :) :)




{I'm loving} the silly dream I had the other night (you know the kind where you wake up thinking W.T.H?) this is what happened... my cousin Natasha and I were on vacation somewhere and when we met up she pulled a CAT out of her purse that was inside a big ziploc bag. yep, ziploc. She told me she has never had a cat before and didn't know how to properly take care of it and the cat was suffocating. I started yelling at her and asked her why the heck she would put an animal in a ziploc bag and I then performed CPR on the cat and revived the cat. HAHAHA!! Hope that gives you a good laugh :)





{I'm loving} speaking of Natasha...I never shared her gift package that she sent me for Christmas (remember we were exchanging gifts in the mail) and I am LOVING it! She got me a clutch and earrings from Aldo, and a Breast Cancer SCENTSY!!!!




{I'm loving} my little Rocky and all the snuggling we've been doing lately :) He seriously melts my heart everyday and is my favorite part about coming home! (and the hubby too, of course!) This picture is from Xmas Eve...his lil shirt says "Don't Open Until Christmas!"




{I'm loving} my 2011 Lilly Pulitzer planner. There's something really exciting about filling in important dates and events going on for the upcoming year... things to look forward to! or maybe it's just because I am a freak about putting everything in a planner.




{I'm loving} that I have only 1 day left of work for the week and then it's New Years Eve! I have never been that big of a fan of NYE because of all the hype that goes along with it...so this year we are going out for a fancy dinner with our friends and THAT I look forward to! Good food & wine is right up my alley... ;) These pictures are from NYE 2009!!



and the kiss...




and I just got the NEWS that...

{I'm loving} that Billy bought a CAR today!!!! He got a Nissan Maxima! I couldn't be happier for him & more PROUD that he bought it all on his own! CONGRATS BUG!!



 

**What are you loving today?**

<3

Katie

12.28.2010

Our First Christmas Married!




I'm BACK!!! I haven't blogged in almost a week..yikes! I hope everyone had a great Christmas with your loved ones! This post is mainly for me to look back on in the years to come and remember all the things we did this Christmas so it may be a little long! Billy and I must've been extra nice this year because Santa was soo good to us!! ;)
Here's a recap of what we did to celebrate:

Thursday- went over to my parents house and had dinner and opened our gifts!
My parents went to Italy recently and brought Billy back a leather wallet with his initials engraved in it and they brought me back red leather gloves, a leather purse, and my very own perfume! The scent can't be found anywhere in the U.S so that is pretty cool to have (we did have a lil' mishap with some of it spilling but I am going to savor what I do have of it! :)) plus they picked out a super cute bottle that it came in. Very cute!



They also got Billy a Browns jersey.. (not good for me, but happy for him! :))


{my stepmom and Dad}


{our little family}

 
Christmas Eve Day- we went back over to my parents to celebrate with my stepmom's side of the family and all the kiddos! We couldn't stay very long because we had to make it to Cleveland in time for Billy's annual Christmas Eve party but I'm glad we got to at least spend some time with the kids before we left.  


{Billy and Brady}


{Mara and I}


{Rocky always sticks his whole head in his stocking ha}

Christmas Eve- we made it to Cleveland and got a BIG greeting from all of Billy's family! I hadn't seen them in months and they were sooo excited to see us! I just love them. I am really blessed to have them as my in-laws...they are so caring and fun to be around! Since I am an only child, I never had any sisters or brothers to hang out with during the holidays and I am so thankful for my sister & brother in law..it makes family holidays so much fun! I may now want a big family because of this :) Billy's family is always up for a good time and they really made sure we had an AWESOME First Christmas as a MARRIED couple :)

The Christmas Eve party was a BLAST. I love all of Billy's family so much. He has a really big family and most of his cousins are the same age as us which = a GREAT time. I drank wine all night {and even took shots with some of his aunts ha ha} and ate a ton of yummy food while the boys played some poker. We then had a gift exchange and Billy's cousin's girlfriend Cara had my name in the gift exchange and she got me the CUTEST 'Buckeyes' cooler and a pretty scarf. She even made us a cute 'Rocky' ornament! I love them all :)



On the way home from the party, we all packed into Billy's parents SUV like the Griswolds... it was Billy's parents, Billy, his twin sister Jackie, his brother Kevin, Kevin's girlfriend Ashley, and myself! We sang Mariah's Carey's classic "All I Want For Christmas is Youuuu!" AT THE TOP OF OUR LUNGS...haha it was sooo funny!!!


{Billy with his siblings}


{All the family at Uncle Joe & JoAnne's house}


{my sister and brother in law and cousins}

{fun times :)}


{Billy's mom, me, Aunt Karen, and Shan}

CHRISTMAS Day~ I haven't open gifts on Christmas morning in a long time. My Dad and I started doing it on Xmas Eve and so being able to wake up on Christmas morning all excited to open gifts with Billy's family was a nice change. I LOVED every minute of it. We woke up around 8:30 and all of us "kids" ran downstairs and waited for Billy's parents to come down. Billy's family loved the gifts we got them...yay! and they got us SOOO many wonderful gifts. We truly felt so thankful and blessed<3


Billy's parents gave each of us a good amount of money (too nice) in our stocking and they got me 2 awesome CD's: Lady Antebellum and the new Rascal Flatts!!! along with a bunch of candy and a makeup bag. Billy's mom even picked out THIS awesome nail polish for me.... 'Bring On The Bling' by OPI.




Rocky even got his own stocking full of toys and bones...and they got him the most adorable Christmas shirt!! it says "Baby! It's cold outside"


{trying to get into all our gifts!}

Billy favorite gifts were a new North Face jacket, dress pants, sweaters, Nike top, etc. Billy's family got me so many great things I'm not going to list them all but I got some really nice tops & sweaters from Express, Nike running gloves and a matching headband, the warmest Nike hoodie, a beautiful bracelet with 3 charms on it (my birthstone, a star, and WEDDING rings!). I love them all.


{ha ha haa reallll attractive!}

{One of the gifts we got Billy's brother was a 10 pack of the top beers from around the world}

{my new bracelet}

After we finished opening gifts, we went over to his grandma and grandpa's house for breakfast with all of the family. His grandparents are the nicest people..love them. After that, we went home and got a quick nap and then got ready and went over to Billy's mom's side of the family. We played games and ate dinner! When we got home, we had some of Billy's neighbors over and watched a very Christmas-y movie The Hangover..one of our faves!

Me and Rocky left Sunday afternoon to head back home without Billy because Billy is staying at his parents all week to hopefully buy a car. We miss him of course but feeling super blessed for the amazing Christmas we had together!!!


and....yessss Billy did get me THESE beautiful babies that I had been lusting over...with some cute black fleece socks that go in them! 
I'm in love! :)



...and got me some of this

{Lululemon headband and gift card!!}
...and some Juicy perfume and a gift card to get my nails done! WOOHOO!! :)


To top it ALL off we treated ourselves to a little Christmas present for *us*...
Drum roll please... a MACBOOK PRO!




Remember when I mentioned we were computer shopping around Thanksgiving?! Well, I think I talked about sometime we took back the computer we had bought because we didn't like it. We did some research for a couple weeks and finally decided on this one Dell laptop. When we went in to Best Buy thinking we were going to buy it, that's when we fell in love with the Mac Book Pro. It was a done deal after 5 minutes of talking to the sales guy about it and playing on it. SOLDsorry little Dell. 

It. is. amazing.
I have a feeling we will never go back to a PC :)

If I'm not blogging that much this week, forgive me... I am either trying to figure the darn thing out or maybe just playing on it. but chances are trying to figure the thing out.

I may need some lessons/tips from all you Apple users! :)

Overall, it was a wonderful Christmas. Spending time with all of our families was the most important part and after this past weekend, I am walking away with some great memories with them and also a few lbs gained. Must get back to the GYM!

Another short week of work since New Years is on Friday!
Hmmm...I wonder what this new year will bring?!?! :)

Much Love,

Katie

12.23.2010

Peanut Butter Blossoms


I have been so busy with getting things ready for the holidays (gee, they are RIGHT around the corner now..aren't they?!) but I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and post one last recipe before we leave to go out of town!
I've had a lot of people ask for this recipe so here it is.
...and just in time for the holidays! :)

These cookies are so yummy and very easy. Take them to a party or keep 'em at home and enjoy them yourself! who doesn't want to do that? But beware..these little guys are ADDICTING!! hehe you know when...1 becomes 3..and 3 becomes well, 10.






Ingredients:
48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar


Directions:


1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

 Cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.


YUMM-O!!
I hope everyone has a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 
I'll be back after :)


Katie

12.21.2010

A Great Dog Story


I'm a dog l-o-v-e-r. actually all animals in general. but I'm partial to dogs ;)

 I'm also a sucker for stories about soldiers risking their lives for our freedom. This story has both.

I got this email last week from a coworker and found myself almost in tears at my desk. so..there..that was your warning.

I love this story.
Not much more to say other than that... you have to read it.  



cid:image001.jpg@01CACFE2.E7A3CA30



They told me the big black Lab's name was Reggie,
as I looked at him lying in his pen..  The shelter was
clean, no-kill, and the people really friendly.
I'd only been in the area for six months, but everywhere
I went in the small college town, people were welcoming and open.  
 
Everyone waves when you pass them on the street.

But something was still missing as I attempted to
settle in to my new life here, and I thought a dog
couldn't hurt.  Give me someone to talk to.
And I had just seen Reggie's advertisement on the local
news.  The shelter said they had received numerous
calls right after, but they said the people who had come
down to see him just didn't look like "Lab
people," whatever that meant.  They must've thought I did.

But at first, I thought the shelter had misjudged me in giving me Reggie and his things,
 
which consisted of a dog pad, bag of toys almost all of which were brand new tennis
balls, his dishes, and a sealed letter from his previous owner.  See, Reggie and I didn't really hit it off
when we got home.  We struggled for two weeks (which is how long the shelter told me to give him to adjust to his new home).  Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to adjust, too. 
  
Maybe we were too much alike.

For some reason, his stuff (except for the tennis balls --- he wouldn't go anywhere without two stuffed in
his mouth) got tossed in with all of my other unpacked boxes. 
  
I guess I didn't really think he'd need all his old stuff, that I'd get him new things once he
settled in.  But it became pretty clear pretty soon that he wasn't going to.

I tried the normal commands the shelter told me he knew, ones like "sit" and "stay" and
"come" and "heel," and he'd follow them - when he felt like it.
 
He never really seemed to listen when I called his name --- sure, he'd look in my
direction after the fourth or fifth time I said it, but then he'd just go back to doing whatever. 
  
When I'd ask again, you could almost see him sigh and then grudgingly obey.

This just wasn't going to work.  He chewed a couple shoes and some unpacked boxes. 
  
I was a little too stern with him and he resented it, I could tell.
The friction got so bad that I couldn't wait for th e two
weeks to be up, and when it was, I was in full-on search
mode for my cell phone amid all of my unpacked stuff.  I
remembered leaving it on the stack of boxes for the guest
room, but I also mumbled, rather cynically, that the
"damn dog probably hid it on me."

Finally I found it, but before I could punch up the
shelter's number, I also found his pad and other toys
from the shelter...I tossed the pad in Reggie's
direction and he snuffed it and wagged, some of the most
enthusiasm I'd seen since bringing him home.  But
then I called, "Hey, Reggie, you like that?  Come
here and I'll give you a treat."  Instead, he sort of glanced in my direction --- maybe "glared"
is more accurate --- and then gave a discontented sigh and flopped down .... with his back to me.

Well, that's not going to do it either, I thought.  And I punched the shelter phone number.

But I hung up when I saw the sealed envelope.
 
I had completely forgotten about that, too.
 
"Okay, Reggie,"  I said out loud,
 
"let's see if your previous owner has any advice."

____________ _________ _________ _________


To
Whoever Gets My Dog:
 
Well, I can't say that I'm happy you're reading this, a letter I told the shelter
could only be opened by Reggie's new owner.
I'm not even happy writing it.  If you're reading this,
 
it means I just got back from my last car ride with my Lab
 
after dropping him off at the shelter.
 
He knew something was different.
 
I have packed up his pad and toys before and set them by the back door before a trip,
but this time... it's like he knew something was wrong.
 
And something is wrong...which is why I have
to go to try to make it right.

So let me tell you about my Lab in the hopes that it
 
will help you bond with him and he with you.

First, he loves tennis balls.
The more the merrier.  Sometimes I think he's part
squirrel, the way he hordes them.  He usually always
has two in his mouth, and he tries to get a third in
there.  Hasn't done it yet.  Doesn't
matter where you throw them, he'll bound after it, so be
careful - really don't do it by any roads.  I made
that mistake once, and it almost cost him dearly.

Next, commands.  Maybe the shelter staff already told you, but I'll go over them
again:  Reggie knows the obvious ones ---
"sit,"  "stay,"  "come," "heel." 
He knows hand signals:
"back" to turn around and go back when you put
your hand straight up; and "over" if you put your
hand out right or left.  "Shake" for shaking
water off, and "paw" for a high-five.  He
does "down" when he feels like lying down --- I bet
you could work on that with him some more.  He knows
"ball" and "food" and "bone"
and "treat" like  nobody's business.

I trained Reggie with small food treats. 
  
Nothing opens his ears like little pieces of hot dog.

Feeding schedule:  twice a day,
 once about seven in the morning, and again at six in
the evening.   Regular store-bought stuff; the shelter
has the brand.

He's up on his shots.
Call the clinic on 9th Street and update his info with
yours; they'll make sure to send you reminders for when
he's due.  Be forewarned:  Reggie hates the vet. 
  

Good luck getting him in the car.
 
I don't know how he knows when it's time to go to the vet, but he knows.

Finally, give him some time.
I've never been married, so it's only been Reggie
and me for his whole life.  He's gone everywhere
with me, so please include him on your daily car rides if
you can.  He sits well in the backseat, and he
doesn't bark or complain.  He just loves to be
around people, and me most especially.

Which means that this transition is
going to be hard, with him going to live with someone new.

And that's why I need to share
one more bit of info with you....

His name's not Reggie.

I don't know what made me do it, but
 
when I dropped him off at the shelter, I told them
his name was Reggie.
He's a smart dog, he'll get used to it
 
and will respond to it, of that I have no
doubt.  But I just couldn't bear to give them his
real name.  For me to do that, it seemed so final, that
handing him over to the shelter was as good as me admitting
that I'd never see him again.  And if I end up
coming back, getting him, and tearing up this letter, it
means everything's fine.  But if someone else is
reading it, well ... well it means that his new owner should
know his real name.  It'll help you bond with
him.  Who knows, maybe you'll even notice a change
in his demeanor if he's been giving you problems.

His real name is "Tank".

Because that is what  I drive.

Again, if you're reading this
and you're from the area, maybe my name has been on the
news.  I told the shelter that they couldn't make
"Reggie" available for adoption until they
received word from my company commander.  See, my
parents are gone, I have no siblings, no one I could've
left Tank with ... and it was my only real request of the
Army upon my deployment to Iraq , that they make one phone..
call the shelter ... in the "event" ... to tell
them that Tank could be put up for adoption.  Luckily,
my colonel is a dog guy, too, and he knew where my platoon
was headed.  He said he'd do it
personally.  And if you're reading this, then
he made good on his word.

Well, this letter is getting downright depressing,
 
even though, frankly, I'm just
writing it for my dog.  I couldn't imagine if I was
writing it for a wife and kids and family ... but still,
Tank has been my family for the last six years, almost as
long as the Army has been my family.

And now I hope and pray that you
make him part of your family and that he will adjust and
come to love you the same way he loved me.

That unconditional love from a dog
is what I take with me to Iraq as an inspiration to do
something selfless, to protect innocent people from those
who would do terrible things ... and to keep those terrible
people from coming over here.  If I have to give up Tank
in order to do it, I am glad to have done so.  He is
my example of service and of love.  I hope I honored
him by my service to my country and comrades.

All right, that's enough.
I deploy this evening and have to drop this letter off at
the shelter.  I don't think I'll say another
good-bye to Tank, though.  I cried too much the first
time.  Maybe I'll peek in on him and see if he
finally got that third tennis ball in his mouth.

Good luck with Tank.  Give him a good home,
 
and give him an extra kiss goodnight - every night - from me.

Thank you, 
  
Paul Mallory


____________ _________ _________ _______


I folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope.
 
Sure I had heard of Paul Mallory, everyone in town knew him, even
new people like me.  Local kid, killed in Iraq a few months ago and posthumously earning the Silver Star
 
when he gave his life to save three buddies. 
  
Flags had been at half-mast all summer.

I leaned forward in my chair and rested my elbows on my knees, staring at the dog.

"Hey, Tank," I said quietly.

The dog's head whipped up, his ears cocked and his eyes bright.

"C'mere boy."

He was instantly on his feet, his nails clicking on
the hardwood floor.  He sat in front of me, his head
tilted, searching for the name he hadn't heard in months.

"Tank," I whispered.

His tail swished.

I kept whispering his name, over and over, and each
time, his ears lowered, his eyes softened, and his posture
relaxed as a wave of contentment just seemed to flood
him.  I stroked his ears, rubbed his shoulders, buried
my face into his scruff and hugged him.

"It's me now, Tank, just you and me.
Your old pal gave you to me."  Tank reached up and
licked my cheek.  "So whatdaya say we play some ball?" 
  
His ears perked again.
"Yeah?  Ball?  You like that?  Ball?" 
  
Tank tore from my hands and disappeared in the next room.

And when he came back, he had three tennis balls in his mouth.
 

 

If you can read this without getting a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye,

don't send me anymore emails, you just ain't right.



tear. Sigh. tear.

I am going to hug my Rocky a little harder tonight<3




PS-The cookie recipes will be posted later in the week..this story was too good to not post right away:) I figured you all would enjoy this more!


*Katie*

12.20.2010

Christmas Week!

Christmas is almost hereee everyone!
Are you READY?!

It's hard to believe it's already the week of Christmas. Time has just flown by this year! I still feel like it should be in the middle of November or something..that's pretty bad. I think all that wedding planning messed with my head haha
 With that being said, I couldn't be more excited for Christmas and this weekend. We are leaving Friday evening to spend Christmas in Cleveland with Billy's family. We are celebrating with my parents the night before and this will be the first year I won't be in Columbus for Christmas!!! but now that we are a married couple we have to make time for both families together :) I am SUPER excited to see Billy's family. I haven't seen them since our wedding which was at the end of August! Billy's family is so much fun and I know we are going to have the best time with them.
We got most of the last gifts purchased this weekend but still have 1 or 2 more to get this week (eeek! nothing like last minute)

We already had one Christmas celebration yesterday with my Mom's side of the family. They usually have it the weekend before Christmas and every year a family friend comes as "Santa" to surprise all of the kids! This Santa isn't your typical dress-up, come and go type...he actually plays the role SO well, has real conversations about the milk and cookies, has the REAL hair, tells them to be extra good this week and to make sure they make their bed, etc. and let me tell you... if I was still 5, I would definitely believe he was the real Santa!

I didn't get any pictures this year because I was too tired from the party the night before just forgot but a lot of my aunts did so I will post one that they took so you can see just what this Santa looks like :)

Here he is.



Isn't he awesome? That is his REAL hair! (you can kinda see it in the back it's so long and grey!)

Saturday night was my girlfriend Rachel's Christmas party. Boy oh boy was it a good time!! One of our best friends from high school, Brian, was back in town from Colorado and whenever all of us get together it is sure to be a long but fun night. We have all been best friends since high school and have so much fun together. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt all night...or wait...maybe that was from too much alcohol infused whipped cream. Either way, good times.

I made Snickerdoodles and Peanut Butter Blossoms to bring and they were a big hit! I will post the recipes soon :) 

 The night consisted of this...... a R-rated White Elephant gift exchange (with gifts included but not limited to: condoms, random clocks, tampons, a Fuzzy Wuzzy, etc), dancing on TOP of Rachel's kitchen island (classy!), singing at the top of our lungs and even ripping my tights because our singing was so passionate, an accidental 911 call (oops, I did WHAT?!), and out of control photo sessions. I would call it a successful party :) we all acted like we were still in college again, and that is OK by me sometimes.

In fact, Natasha just told me this about my Saturday night partying skills: "You ripped your leggings and danced around on an island?!!! I am so very proud to call you my cousin. You are a gem and I love love love it!" HAHA!  

Since I forgot the recipes for my Snickerdoodles and Peanut Butter Blossoms, I will just show you pictures from the party and post the recipes tomorrow.

PS- Don't judge, girls. We are normal in real life... I promise :)


best friends since high school :)


my girls


me and marissa

kisses for the hubby


normal white elephant gifts.


me and billy


my bestie & MOH Lindsay


me shooting the alcohol infused whipped cream in the hostesses mouth :)


beer pong in the basement. maybe this is when we should have stopped...



hahaha. the cat LOVES me right now.


yup. should've stopped at the beer pong!
I give you..dancing/modeling on a kitchen island at it's finest.

XOXO,

Katie