Camo-Colored Chaos

I Want to Unpack

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 07:00:00 +0000

Well, it is finally here!

The day has come where I say goodbye to this blog and start fresh. It was a tough choice for me, but I think that this is best. This ol' blog just has so much baggage. I want to unpack.

This blog will remain in existence and I will probably link to old posts every now and then, but this blog will no longer be active. I hope that everyone will head over to my new blog Chalk it up to Better Luck

It was designed by the wonderful Jane at Poppiness Designs. I could not be happier with how it turned out. Everything about it is perfect. When you're thinking it's time for a change, I highly recommend you check out her portfolio.

Well, with that being said please don't forget me! You can still follow me in all of these places
Twitter // Instagram // Facebook // Pinterest // Email

As well as on Bloglovin'

I hope to see all of your bright smiling faces soon! I hope you have all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and you're not all overwhelmed with the idea of Christmas shopping! Instead head over to my blog and stay a while :)

Embracing It

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 00:21:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am so happy that I got to come home for my favorite holiday. We're going to have Thanksgiving Dinner at my house this year. That is going to be a little bit strange. We've only eaten at our house one other time that I can remember, but I suppose traditions change as our lives change.

My mom cleaned all day yesterday and prepared for all of the cooking she had to do today. I helped with what I could and did as much cleaning as I could help with. Usually I'm better at making messes than cleaning them up though.

But after some hard work I finally get to sit down by the nice warm wood stove and blog.

I filled the cooler up with soda pop and adult beverages. It's not a family get together without an adult beverage or two, that is for sure...

Or fridge is filled with pies, ranch dip and various side salads for dinner tonight. Of course, It's now 5 o'clock and the bulk of the guests have yet to arrive, so everything is still, quite literally, chillin' in the fridge. Every year we go way beyond the usual mashed potatoes, green beans, and turkey. We always have way more food than we could possibly eat, but it gets eaten eventually.

This year, I learned the secrets of the potato salad. In case you were wondering, I am now the potato salad master. It will undoubtedly be the best potato salad we've had in a while. I'm sure of it it.

Soon we will fill up one of these mis-matched plates with too much food for us to eat, we'll pray as a family and we'll have another successful Thanksgiving. I think that is what I'm most thankful for this year. Yes, our plates don't match. We don't have "company plates" and we had to clean from top to bottom to host this Thanksgiving Day meal, but that is what makes my family mine.

Sometimes we don't fit together exactly as we're should, but that's okay. It's what makes us...us.

I am so very thankful for everything that makes us who we are. I am thankful for all of my crazy experiences and up-hill battles. Even though things around here are changing more than I might have asked for It's going to be okay. I'd rather embrace it than run from it.

I'm thankful for all of my friends that have helped me get through all of my many trials and I'm thankful for this crazy, unpredictable life.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Enjoy your time with your families and try not to die tomorrow on Black Friday.

I Forget Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 16:26:00 +0000

Please forgive me for my bad-blogger status as of late. I was getting good at posting every weekday, then this happened.

via

As it turns out, I was forgetting everything. I wrote a huge paper in a matter of hours yesterday and I've got 3 more before the end of the semester...Cool.

But that is just the life I guess! I'll survive it. Besides, in about an hour, I'm going home!

I cannot wait to play with my lil' baby girl and eat home cooked food. I truly appreciate home so much more than I used to. Even when I was in basic training, and AIT and all that, I wasn't really all that homesick. Occasionally I would feel like I missed home, but it wasn't constant. I was busy and I loved what I was doing.

Here though, I think about home all the time and I just want to go be a part of everything that they're doing there. I can't wait to be there in just a few hours.

Mostly, I just wanna play with this kid.

I mean come on. Look at her.

Well, I'm leaving here in a few minutes, so I had better go, but stay tuned for updates on the new blog and where to find me on December 1st!

Look out for some Black Friday Deals from my November Headliner!

The Fancy Version of Twinkie Filling

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 03:59:00 +0000

For some reason, I was reluctant to tell everyone here on the blog what I was doing this weekend, but now that the day has come and gone, I feel like I can talk about it.

On Friday I took a little drive to California so that I could attend the Marine Corps Ball in Disneyland with a friend. It rained and snowed my entire drive. I kept looking out into the distance hoping that the sky would calm down, but this is what I kept seeing....

It really didn't look promising, but as I was driving into the LA area, I looked out my window and saw the most beautiful sunset. I almost didn't mind the awful traffic. That is how gorgeous it was...It made me wonder if maybe I should make SoCal my new home.

Nah too much traffic....And the lines between the regular lanes and the car pool lane are seriously belligerent. Do you really need four solid yellow lines and a white line to put the fear of god into people who dare cross it?

The actual ball was quite the experience. I had an idea of what the ceremony was like, but it was very cool to actually get to see it. Sort of. The table I was at was a little bit far away from the action, but I still knew what was going on and it was just a neat thing to be able to be a part of. My date happened to be in the ceremony, so I was able to sit at the table by myself and socialize with the other Marines. Of course, I could talk all day so it wasn't so bad.

I won't lie, a part of the reason I was excited about going to this ball was getting the chance to buy a formal gown...After looking for a couple of days while I was home for Drill, we fell upon this lovely dress in a small dress shop in Sandy, Utah. This dress isn't something I normally would have chosen, but I love it. Hopefully I'll find more occasions to wear it.

For reals, guys, I even got my nails done. That doesn't ever happen.

My date was very sweet and looked quite dashing in his Alphas if I do say so myself. I was sort of a bad blogger and didn't take too many pictures of the ball its self, but I at least took one of us at dinner. The lighting in the ball room give us this lovely washed out look...So great.

And check out the iPhone camera quality.......not. Please pardon the boobage or lack thereof, I suppose I should say.

Dinner was actually quite good, although dessert was thoroughly disappointing. My date liked it, but most of us at the table speculated about what it actually was half of the night. We concluded that it was the fanciest Hostess filling from Twinkies. Possibly made with coconut milk? Not so delicious, my friends...

My date wasn't really a fan of the dance floor, but I didn't let that stop me. By the end of the night I made enough friends that I felt I could head out there and dance anyway. Maybe it wasn't the most polite thing in the world, but my date was working the room and I wasn't going to just sit there bored and underage...unallowed to partake of the fruit of the vine. Besides, it was so much fun and beyond hilarious watching all these druken and overly-confident Marines bust a move on the dance floor. I'm really glad I didn't have to miss out on that.

Overall, I had a pretty awesome weekend. It was truly an awesome experience. I am always up for new adventures and this definitely was one Now I'm back at school and thinking about all of the things I have expertly procrastinated and feeling super stressed out! Yay for procrastination...no...

So, Imma jam out to this lovely song on repeat for the rest of the evening and pretend that I'm doing homework. I suppose, in theory I'm working on my writing skills by blogging...but that is just me lying to myself so I feel like I'm actually being productive or some shit. I'm not.

Eating on Paper Plates Doesn't Make the Dishes Go Away

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 16:26:00 +0000

I made it to work today. My job is extremely difficult to do when I'm sick because it involves speaking very clearly. Of course, I have a lot of trouble with that when I can barely breathe. Luckily though, I'm almost finished here.

Oh, that's right, I didn't tell you.

I QUIT MY JOB!

I gave my two weeks notice last week and my last day is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I wasn't planning on going home, because I really didn't feel like driving myself another 800 miles only a week after I had drill. Lucky for me, my friend is going home and is letting me catch a ride. I am so happy. It so happens that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I really didn't want to spend it all alone.

I have always loved that Thanksgiving is a day that my non-religious and dysfunctional family stands together in my grandparents living room and joins hands in prayer. We bow our heads and humbly give thanks, then we continue on with our lives. We eat a meal prepared by my mom's and my aunt's hands and we chat about meaningless things.

We forget any fights that we were in previously and we eat dinner while talking over the TVs that are in in the kitchen and the living room. We always have way too much food and we argue about who gets to do the dishes. Eating on paper plates doesn't make the dishes used to cook and serve go away!

By the time the night is over, everyone is stuffed and we might pull out Catch Phrase or Scategories. It will be strange this year to not have my grandpa come out of his room and tell us to be quiet or smile at us because he can see how much fun we're having all together.

As we grow up our traditions change. We can't help it. All of our lives start to move in different directions and we just can't have everything we used to. Sometimes it's difficult to deal with, but I suppose that is just part of life.

Sicky

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 03:52:00 +0000

I was doing so well with that whole blogging like crazy thing, but I sort of dropped the ball.

I had to go home for drill this past weekend. I didn't say anything about it on the blog because I was surprising baby sissy for her birthday.

The weekend overall wasn't so bad. It's tough driving so 800 miles in a weekend, but I survived. Also, I got to see my niece. That always makes me happy.

I mean look at that adorable little face...She's beyond cute.

I had a pretty dang good weekend at drill too. Usually I just end up being incredibly bored, but I have some...renewed motivation and I'm excited to start working towards bigger and better things.

Now, I'm sick as sick gets. I woke up on Sunday morning feeling like death. By the time I was in the car driving back to school I thought I was literally going to die. On Monday I dragged my butt to the urgent care and got some antibiotics prescribed. Have you ever had to get a prescription in a different state? It was a freaking nightmare. I almost ended up having to pay $98 for my medicine. I definitely don't have $98...it was a huge mess. I sat at the Wallgreens for over an hour waiting for the insurance to approve it.

I had a total of two emotional breakdowns last night, but I'm feeling a tiny bit better now that I have gotten some antibiotics in my system. It's a damn good thing too, because I've got big plans this weekend......

I'll tell you all about it in due time. Until then, I'm going to hang out in bed, watch some Drop Dead Diva and eat Star Shaped Chicken noodle soup...

A Post About Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 21:29:00 +0000

So, this year is nearing its end....November is nearly half over already! It feels like I was leaving for basic training just yesterday, when it reality, it was nearly an entire year ago!

A lot of changes are coming for me (I feel like I'm always saying that!) and I'm probably a little bit too excited about it.

Because I'm changing everything about my blog soon, I have now changed all of my user names on my social media platforms. Don't worry, if you're already following me, you have nothing to worry about, but if you aren't the social media icons to the right will no longer work.

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter and Instagram with the user name @kt_nay clever right?

After seeing my design live I am so so tempted to launch earlier than January...I may just do that! I am also planning a post holiday/new blog launch giveaway. No matter when I launch, that giveaway will be after the New Year. I suppose I could get your opinion!

Are you ready to see the change? I know I am. Let me know what you think!

Other than that, I really don't have a whole lot going on right now. I'm busily working on some things for school as the semester is winding down, I'm spending countless hours in the gym preparing for a pending APFT and I'm getting excited to return home soon!

What are you all up to this fine Wednesday?

I'm a Square Peg

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:51:00 +0000

Veteran's Day.

I suppose today is a good day to reflect on my service in the military so far.

I, like so many others, found myself sitting across from a Marine Corps recruiter one fateful day in April. I stared down at these little tags that they make you put in order of importance to you and I felt...peace. I felt as if I was in the right place for the first time in my life.

I sat there thinking about myself and what he was telling me that I would have to be able to do. He explained what boot camp would be like and how hard it would be, but I wasn't even thinking about that. My heart was swelling with an overwhelming confidence that if I set my mind to it, I would be able to do it.

I went home and I told my big sister that I was going to be a Marine. That my life had just been changed forever. It wasn't about what my recruiter had said, it was about how I felt and what I knew about myself. It was what I was supposed to do. I just knew it. All of my life I was waiting for this feeling. I was hoping that some day, I would finally feel like I was somewhere that I belonged. There I found it.

I joined the Marines the day after I graduated high school. It was an amazingly exciting day. Throughout all my time in the Delayed Entry Program, I made some of the most amazing friends. In fact, I consider most of them to be my best friends. I created more of a connection with these people in a few short months that I have with any other people in my life.

Unfortunately, it was all too good to last. I decided to go out on one last innocent little bike ride that turned into an accident that completely changed the course of my life. A little over two years ago, I had surgery on my arm and I cried. I cried for what I had lost. I was devastated that I would no longer be able to live out that dream and be that Marine I knew I was meant to become.

Lucky for me, about a year later, things changed. I found myself sitting across from a recruiter again but this time in an Army recruiting office. I had a stack of medical documents and high hopes that this would work out, that I would finally be able to be a part of the Military like I knew I was supposed to.

It didn't take long. I spent a couple of days with the recruiters filling out paper work, went to MEPS and that was it. I cried like a baby when the doctors on the med deck told me I was qualified. I raised my right hand (again) and I said the oath of enlistment and I was on my way. I was an Army Reservist.

All of my training was...incredible. I tell everyone how easy it was and that it wasn't a big deal, but it was. I made life long friends and I just...fit there. I felt like I was finally good at something. For once in my life I didn't feel like a square peg in a round hole. I found a square hole that I fit in perfectly.

I'm finally a place that I belong. Even when it really sucks.

Today I know a few combat veterans and TONS of service members. If I mentioned them all in a Facebook post, It would be over 100 of them. Most of which aren't from basic training or AIT. They're more veterans and servicemen around you than you may even realize.

So happy veterans day.

Time Now.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Nov 2013 23:32:00 +0000

I think too much.

I have always thought too much. I ponder and I muse and I wonder. All the time.

It isn't always a bad thing, but sometimes, it really is. When you think about any one thing a little bit too much, it turns into something that it isn't. I can't even count the number of times this has happened to me.

Over the past week or so, I've been having these great deep chats with my little sissy. I call her my little sissy, but she's a senior in high school and planning out her college career. I still think of her as this lil' baby that I played Polly pockets for hours upon hours.

But she isn't. She's not a baby anymore, and she has actually had a lot to do with me coming to my senses over my "issues." I have...a million issues. Just like everyone else in this world. Sometimes they're old issues sometimes they're new, but they're there, and Megan, my lil' sissy likes to help bring them all into the light and dust 'em all off.

Today, I laid in my bed thinking all about the things I've discussed with Megan. Then it occurred to me...maybe I should stop all this thought. I mean obviously, it's not realistic to try to stop thinking entirely, but it's possible that I'm giving all this time and energy to things that don't even deserve it.

I think the biggest problem with all this thinking, is that a lot of the time, another person is involved in all of the thinking and how the hell am I supposed to know what is going on in another person's head? I can't possibly know and now I've just allowed my imagination to create the worst possible scenario when maybe, just maybe, it was what it is.

I made a promise to myself a while ago that I would leave things alone. I promised myself that I would live in the moment. I would be me and do me and not get all caught up in the trivial bull shit.

And I did just that. I got caught up and I let old things hurt me. I had expectations beyond that of reality because I didn't just see what my life is for what it is. But that is about to change.

Time now.

Pizza is a food group, right?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 22:58:00 +0000

I have had a significant amount of trouble coming up with something to talk about today. I've been trying really hard to be one of those 5 days a week blog types that actually make it point to put pen to paper and say something big and important. Problem is, I can't really think of anything big and important.

So instead, I'll guess I'll just share some random things about me, because let's face it, I'm a blogger and I love to tell you all about me.

I have a slight obsession with Doctor Who but I'm refusing to watch the last season. I don't want it to end. And my English professor looks exactly like David Tennant. And he's British. And his name is David.

via

My new blog is going to be called "Chalk it Up to Better Luck"

and I'm not nearly as messy as a I used to be...

I believe that laundry doesn't need to be done until you have exhausted every possible wardrobe option and worn everything the maximum number of time until it must be washed.

I can literally watch Pitch Perfect every night for a month and not get sick of it.In fact, I'll probably just love it more.

I learned most of my life lessons from Mr. Feeney. And I'm not the only one

I will also get goose bumps and cry every time I hear him say this last line.

I have a wanderlust that will likely never be fully satisfied.

I change my plans on a near weekly basis because I change on a weekly basis.

If I'm listening to the radio in my car and a song comes on that may slightly relate to me, I feel like the universe is speaking to me. But get this...I don't believe in signs.

I will eat nearly any type of frozen pizza product...
I just barely figured out that you can embed IG images and I'm about to become an embedding fool...

I have an odd but undeniable love for vintage pyrex dishes...

I used to be able to read 300 page books daily. Don't judge me.

I prefer a cold can of coke in the morning to coffee, orange juice or really any other beverage

See I told you, It's going to happen. I'm an embedding fool...

I get a ridiculous amount of satisfaction out of people re-pinning something that I pinned. The other day, I pinned something that received over 200 re-pins. You read that correctly. 200.

And I'm pretty sure you guys have got to be tired of learning all these random things about me, so I guess I'll let you go.

By the way, I think you should go over to Whitney's blog and check out her new blogging T-shirts. They're freaking genius...just sayin'.

Talking About Bright & Shiny Things

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 23:26:00 +0000

Well helllloooo there today, bloggy.

I think this might be the first Tuesday since I have lived in Las Vegas that I haven't woken up on the wrong side of the bed. For some reason, Tuesday is just uglier than Monday, especially because it's the day that I have to go to work :P

I really used to love my job, but it has turned into a place that I don't like to be. Not only do I not like being here, but I feel like I am at a dead end and it is time for something new now more than ever.

But I woke up on the bright and shiny side of the bed, so I should talk about bright and shiny things instead of dull ones like worky work.

So for some reason that I am not quite aware of, pretty much e'ry one one of my Facebook friends is in love with this picture and I really have no idea why! I don't know what is so special about it. I snapped a selfie because I put a tiny bit of effort into making up my face yesterday, and then everyone goes liking this photograph...Otay. I won't complain.

I don't think I've ever had this kind of response to a photo of me. So there you have it, my face is a hit and I don't know why.

What else...? Hmmm...I'm running 40 miles this month. Maybe even more!

I'm joining Hannah from Hannah, Here! in her quest to walk/run 40 miles in the month of November. I used to be a total PT stud and now I can barely force myself to run two miles. So I think this will help me out.

While Hannah is taking beautiful nature walks, I'm running on a treadmill and a track more than I am outside. In fact, I'm kind of scared to run outside. Las Vegas is a scary place. But it is still a really awesome goal that I'm working hard to meet! Want to join Hannah and me? Use hashtag #40milesinnovember to track your progress with us!

I got to see my "inspiration board" for my new blog and I am so so excited about it. For a minute I was rethinking it. I didn't know if I should do it, and I was second-guessing myself all over the place. All of my apprehensions are gone after seeing the ideas for my design. I'm having Jane from Poppiness Designs create my look and I could not be happier with my choice.

I think that's about it for today!

But before I go, I think you should run over to Kylie's Blog!

Kylie Smiles

She is new to my sidebar! Head on over and give her blog a read. I would recommend starting with this post! It's one of my favorites that I've read from Kylie. She's from Arizona, but living in my home-state! She write awesome posts that are truly inspiring for me to read! I highly suggest you head her way and check her out.

Don't forget about my November sponsor Metal Marvels! It's never too early to start your Christmas shopping! Put in your order today!

Katie's Declassified College Survival Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The other day I was thinking about my life before I started college. I did so much research and I pinned all sorts of little things about school and surviving the college life. Unfortunately there was a lot that I missed. There is so much that I have learned so far in my first semester of college that I want to share.

I hope this can be of use to someone. I know that I would have liked to have some of these FYIs before I moved my butt to Las Vegas!

1. You're probably going to get sick. Apparently everyone gets sick especially in their first semester. I thought I was immune because of the military. I was always in close proximity with people. Wrong. I got sick and it made me miss work and class in a bad way! Get some day/night cold medicine. Sleep. Use things like Airborne or EmergenC when you feel the sniffles coming on and wash your hands.

2. You will likely feel an overwhelming urge to skip class. Don't. Most schools have an attendance policy. If you skip class, it can really affect your grade. Not only that, you won't know what's going on in the next class and you're going to miss a lot of things that you wouldn't have if you had simply gone to class.

3. Studying is hard. I took TWO years off of school before I started college. I didn't know it would make such a difference, but it did. Turn off your phone close out the Netflix/Pinterest tabs and focus. If you can't do it in your room or at home, go to the library.

via

4. Time management is hard too. Use your planner. Most schools will give you one for free. A lot of the time, they have all of your school events in them though. It can take up a lot of space. Walmart also has good, cheap planner. If you are someone who really needs some discipline or you are exceptionally busy, plan a time for everything to keep you from getting overwhelmed.

5. College is stressful. I thought that I would be just fine, but I, like so many do, got overwhelmed with stress. The best thing I have found for this is to take a break or have some outlet for all the stress. I like to go to the gym, so I make sure to do that as often as I can and it certainly helps.

6. You don't want a single. What I mean by that, is that roommates are a good thing. My roommate isn't here most of the time. We aren't friends and I never see her. I may as well have a single and I think it has prevented me from making friends and really enjoying my college experience. I may as well have a single. I don't have a built in friend, and trust me, you'll want one. Especially if you're like me and going to a school where you don't know a single person to start with!

7. Sometimes you will have bad luck. Bad luck doesn't mean you're doomed though. I've had multiple experiences (Exhibits A & B ) since I've lived 400 miles away from my parents where the first thing I do is call my mom or my dad. It's okay. In fact, it was probably the best thing to do. Eventually, I took care of all the bad luck on my own, but it calmed me own and made me feel a whole lot better to talk to my parents about it before I made any decisions.

8. Books are expensive. Seriously. So expensive. If you can help it, avoid the campus bookstore and use other resources like Amazon or borrow from others! It is worth it to avoid the several hundreds of dollars spend on books, that a lot of the time, never get opened...

9. Some of your professors are really going to suck. I have yet to really learn anything at all in my English class because we pretty much never actually do anything. It is crappy. I pay for that class and I want to learn something from it. I highly recommend using Rate My Professor when you are choosing your classes.

10. College education is very expensive. Take advantage of your resources. Do you have any idea how many thousands of dollars of college scholarships go unclaimed every semester?! There are so many ways to get college paid for. There is even a scholarship for being a blogger. I'm totally serious! For me, I have many untapped resources that I've had trouble getting, but when I start again next fall, I'm going to have things figured out and I'm going to do it right and you should too!

Here are some additional resources that I either found helpful or wish I would have tried when I started college!

Free Apps that make college easier
How to save money
Staying organized
Greek Life
This Pinterest board!

Pay It Forward

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Nov 2013 20:02:00 +0000

Yesterday, I was walking out of my room to go to the gym (which was so empty and it was awesome) and my suite-mate, that's the girl I share a bathroom with, brought me a some M&Ms and licorice for Halloween. I instantly felt bad because I didn't think to get her anything.

I swear to you, I almost cried when I looked down at the candy. I hadn't been having the greatest day. In fact, I had been feeling really homesick and downright sorry for myself because I didn't have a bunch of friends to go out and "celebrate" with.

On top of that, when I opened my door this morning, there was another bag of candy on my door, probably from my RA.

It has sort of inspired me to try something this month. November is my favorite month, besides May. I love it because of Thanksgiving, which is my favorite Holiday. I know that there is all sorts of controversy over it. People talk about the true origins and mistreatment of Native Americans and all that. But to me, it's about the spirit of it all.

For the month of November, I'm going to work really hard to do random acts of kindness. I know that there's link ups and challenges for this, but I'm just going to do it.

The other day on my way back from dinner, I was walking up to my dorm when I saw this guy carrying a whole case of water and a bag with 2 one liter bottles of lemonade in it by himself. I heard him struggling behind me, and I took off my heels and turned around. I didn't ask him if he needed help I just walked up him and took the bag from his hand and said "here, let me help you" and I did.

He looked so relieved. I have no idea who he is or where he comes from, but I know I helped him and that was all that mattered. I like that. I liked how he was so grateful and how good I felt about it. It was a silly little thing that meant a whole lot to him.

I want to be someone else's bag of candy and helping had.

I'm going to pay it forward this month...and hopefully forever.

I Have A Confession...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:54:00 +0000

I am a Halloween Scrooge.

I have never liked Halloween. Not ever. That's not to say I haven't had some good Halloweens. There have certainly been years that turned out not to be the worst thing ever, but I really just hate Halloween.

In Utah it's always really cold by the end of October. Trick-or-treating was miserable. I don't even like candy. It hurts my teeth. The only thing I ever looked forward to was eating chili with saltine crackers at my grandpa's house each year.

And I'd watch Hocus Pocus too. That's alright with me.

It looks like I'm not the only one that doesn't like Halloween. Erin from Living In Yellow has created a link up for today dedicated to all of the things that we would rather be doing than celebrating Halloween.

I would so much rather be...

1. Working out! The gym is going to be deserted today. The gym on campus is very crowded with people who do not know how to work out that do more socializing that actual working out. They take up space and make my work out more difficult...They won't be there tonight!

2. Painting my nails. I'm a compulsive nail-painter. My nails are a different color each week. When I got to paint my nails for the first time after basic training it was like I had just had my first sip of regular coke after drinking diet for half of my life...

3. Playing Candy Crush. I would far rather play this game where I crush candies and not eat them. But unfortunately I need someone to send me some tickets before I can do anymore candy crushing...

4. Making bitstips comics. Yep. That's real life. I downloaded bitstrips. It's totally a thing and it's actually quite fun to create overly-dramatic comics of myself.

5. Pinning. I have been doing an outrageous amount of pinning lately. I'm looking forward to my hair growing out, having a kitchen to cook in, and my new blog at the start of the new year!

Speaking of pinning...have you pinned it to win it?

Maybe I'm Crazy. Maybe I'm Not.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 22:21:00 +0000

We meet again, hump day.

via

I wish it had been mashed potato day in the dining commons...but alas, it was not. But I did get to eat a lemon cheese cake bar. I don't know if I have ever expressed my love for cheese cake here on the blog, but I seriously love it. So I guess that makes for a successful hump day.

I also figured out how I'm going to pay for the rest of this semester and I've made a to-do list about 4 miles long for next several months of my life...I may ever have to add in things like "sit back and relax for a few minutes" to my to-do list to make sure that I get to it.

I have decided that I need to get myself one of those high speed planners and I need to work on my time management.

PlumPaper

With my new blog launching in January, I really do not want to miss a beat. I'm actually doing a lot of planning for that new venture. It's sort of giving me a head ache, but I think it's going to be worth it. I think that it's time to turn over a new leaf. I am a completely different person from the time that I started this blog and I believe that a new year will be the start of something great.

I can't believe how much I have changed over the course of two years. I feel like my entire world has been shaken. I am constantly changing my mind about things I have known for my entire life. I just thought yesterday that I might get a quarter sleeve tattoo. I have always been one to hate sleeves, but the more I look at them, the more I like them. it's just...art and I love it.

It's getting to where I look in the mirror and I barely recognize the person staring back at me. Honestly, I think that's a good thing. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe not. I don't really care :)

I'm Regretting Getting Out of Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 14:42:00 +0000

I'm not really sure why, but for some reason or another, every morning that I have to work, I wake up at 6:35 and have a heart attack. I'm wearing my bright pink running shoes with my straightleg blue jeans today...I used to be so cute...and now, I'm wearing tennis shoes so that I can literally run to my car on work mornings.

By the way, did you know that the Toyota Corolla is very popular? Especially the white one. I may or may not have tried to get into the wrong car. Twice.

On the bright side, I made it to work on time, but barely. It was like all of the oversized and overweight vehicles were on the road this morning and they all felt like parking their big ol' butts right in front of me. When I'm late, although I do not make up time on the road, it really give me anxiety to not be able to dictate my own speed.

Now, I'm finally at work.

It's only 7:35 and I've already heard the word "Alrighty" about 6 times...I hate that word. Why? No idea, just do. Have I mentioned how bad I want to quit my dang job?
Apparently today isn't a good day to be alive.

I'm just going to tell you that I think you should enter this giveaway and check out my friend Katie from Metal Marvels.

You won't regret it like I'm regretting getting out of bed this morning!

Pin It To Win It

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Hello lovelies! Let me introduce you to my lovely friend who has the most awesome name in the whole world. She even spells it correctly! Her name is Katie. She owns an awesome business where she sells some all kinds of freaking adorable hand-made jewelry. In fact, I am going to order a little something for myself.

I am excited for her to be here today because she is doing a giveaway that is not just for bloggers! If you have a Pinterest account, you can enter to win, and trust me, you want to win!
I am so excited to have her here today to tell you all about her business and all the great stuff she has going on!

Don't have a Pinterest account? That is an easy fix. Start here so you can pin it to win it!
-----
Helllooo CCC readers!!!

I hope you are all having a fabulous day
I am super excited to be here today!

Let me introduce myself!

I am a recent college graduate with a BA in Business Management.

I have a love for business, all things fashion and beautiful.

I love that a simple piece of jewelry can make an outfit.

I also love that finding that one piece that can become your favorite can make your whole wardrobe.

I personally LOOOOOOVE jewelry, I also love jewelry that is affordable.

Let's be honest, NO ONE wants to pay a bunch of money for an accessory.
I've worked in retail my entire life as well as managed a retail store

Soooo I thought what better way to put ALL of this together then to come up with this...
Metal Marvels

I know, I know. You're saying to yourself, "That means nothing to me."
Well let me tell you all about it, It is an online jewelry store!
My online jewelry store ♥
Shop // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Email // Marketplace Store
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE jewelry and I know what it feels like when you have that Ah Ha moment
when that piece you bought fits perfectly with that great outfit you're wearing.
Here's just a sneak peek of my jewelry for sale!

So that is what I hope to bring to you:
That perfect piece for the outfit you're planning, an everyday wear, that fun whimsical piece of jewelry, or something that makes a statement or helps a cause.
I want to bring you beautiful jewelry without breaking your bank!
Some are handmade by others, some are handmade by me but all around GORGEOUS
I truly want to feel like you are shopping in the closet that has ALL the things you want.
I take suggestions on new items and what you want to see in the store.
I also appreciate emails, phone calls and texts!
I am CONSTANTLY available
[unless I am sleeping of course haha]
I really hope you come visit me and maybe purchase some jewelry to add to your collection!
Also, if you go to the Marketplace store you can "watch" my store so you know when I have new items! LOOK WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU!!!
If you go to my site and use code:
ThankYou15
you get 15% off EVERYTHING!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand a giveaway!!!
PIN IT TO WIN IT!!!
Read the rules and pin away in order to win one of our Love Bangles

Here are the rules:
1. Head to http://www.pinterest.com/katieseller/metal-marvels-store/ and follow the board

Now to get entries:
2. Repin the picture below and tell people about the giveaway & use #metalmarvelslove
3. Repin ANY picture from our board and use #metalmarvelslove in the comment of the photo (do this as many times as you want for more entries.)

***Shipping to the US only!! Must #HASHTAG in order for your entry to count! Pin as many times as you would like!***

GET TO PINNING!!! PIN IT TO WIN IT!!!
(you have until Sunday November 3, 2013 to enter!)

Thanks for listening to me and taking the time to read.
Good luck on the giveaway!!
Love to you all!

That Time I Ate on Katie Ave. at a Terrifying McDonald's

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 27 Oct 2013 01:08:00 +0000

Friday was...not a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

First of all, I had all these plans to go out and find a library and read all day, but then I realized that it was Nevada Day and the libraries were closed. Because of that, I changed my plans. I decided to go to the book store instead. After doing some mapping with Siri, I found where the Barnes & Nobel was and I set out for my car.

When I got to it, this is what I discovered.

Flat.

I figured I'd just have to change the tire, but before I started jacking anything up, I did what any girl 400 miles away from home does. I called my daddy. By the end of the day, I had probably called my dad about five times...I'd never had to do anything dealing with my car all alone.

While I was on the phone with him, I sent him a picture of the tire and we deduced that I could drive it around the corner to put some air in it. I was scared out of my mind but I did what I had to do and put some air in the tire then I got to go take a little trip to Discount Tires.

There I ended up having to wait for 45 minutes, so I went to the McDonalds down the street. Bad idea.

The manager was yelling at all the employees and freaking out. Then these two guys started to fight. Luckily it was just verbal, but it looked like it was going to break out into a fist fight any second...These are the little things that remind me that I no longer live in happy valley.

On the bright side, the McDonald's is located at the corner of Maryland Parkway and...wait for it...Katie Avenue! I have been meaning to take picture of my street forever but I didn't have an opportunity until Friday!

So anyway...finished up at Discount pretty quick after my terrifying trip to Mickey D's. I got away with only buying one tire...but I probably need to replace the other three ASAP. Yay for being an adult...But finally, I could head to Barnes & Noble. In case you're wondering, it is really far away from where I live...I took the scenic route through downtown Las Vegas and it took forever but it was actually pretty worth it. Driving around down there is not so bad. It's fun to see all the wedding chapels. Plus, the Pawn Stars place is on Las Vegas BLVD. I saw the main dude driving some old car out of the parking lot!

On the way to the book store I ~~got lost~~ took a little detour. I decided to just stop at a Walmart that wasn't scary as shit and buy the random stuff I have been putting off buying. I walked out with toilet paper, air fresheners for my car, three pomegranates, and a key chain to prevent accidents.

Besides, it's really cute.

But eventually, I made it to the book store...I was there forever...I wander the aisles for maybe two hours looking at all the random bargain books I didn't have any use for and the novels that I simply had to read...basically, if a place has got shelves filled with books and it smells like paper and coffee, I can be occupied for hours.

I got myself to buy some books on that list from Pinterest even though I really don't have the money to do that...I wanted em and the day had been crappy.

But today hasn't been so bad. I went to work, did some reading, watched Grey's anatomy (again) and now, I'm heading out to have some dinner with my friend from AIT and I'm so excited! I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

Oh, and don't forget about the giveaway on Monday! It's going to be awesome!

Pinterest Really Is Awesome

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 25 Oct 2013 18:14:00 +0000

I have got a serious Pinterest problem.

Well actually, I don't really think that it's a problem. It may actually be an asset to my life.

People make fun of Pinterest users all the time. They wonder why everyone loves Pinterest so much or how you could possibly spend so much time on the site, but it really is awesome.

The other day I was scrolling through all of the things that I have pinned and I bumped into a few old pins that I'm really excited about. I think Pinterest can kind of change your life.

I'm going to start reading again.

I used to be an avid reader. I read...everything that I could get my hands on. I read one book, cover to cover every single day, but now, I can't remember the last time I read a book for fun. So as I was scrolling through and I found this

20 books that you should read in your twenties.

There's a few on the list that I can do without and couple that I've already read, but overall, it looks to me like a pretty damn good list. And I'm gonna read em. And http://www.losethecushion.com/I hope that it will change my life for the better.

Have you ever Pinned something that really had an influence on you? I have. :)

Have you ever moseyed over to Katie's blog? Great name right? I love it when people have my name and they spell it correctly and everything!

Anyway...she blogs over at Girl On A Mission to Lose the Cushion, but she is more than just a blogger. Katie is a small business owner. She recently graduated from college with a degree in business and is working her butt off to show everyone what her business is all about.

On Monday, you will find a lovely giveaway from Katie's store Metal Marvels. She makes the most adorable jewelry and I want to share it with you! I am a firm believer of only having sponsors that I believe in, and I certainly believe in Katie. So be sure to stop by on Monday and see what she has to offer.

I Want to Bang My Head Against the Keyboard

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 19:26:00 +0000

Real Talk.

I wanna quit my job. So bad.

I used to really like it, but now I am so bored! I just want to do something different. I've been doing this job since November of 2011, and it has seriously gotten to be the most tedious thing in the world.

In Salt Lake, I was a mentor assistant, so I got to help people. I trained and corrected tests, I was busy doing things other than taking all. It made it much easier to handle. Now, though, I just want to bang my head against the keyboard on a daily basis.

Will someone please just...give me a job where I'm not so bored I feel like poking myself in the eye for enjoyment?

Guess What Day It Is?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Do yourself a favor and watch this.

If you did not watch that video check yourself before you wreck yourself. It will change your life. I have watched it no fewer that 8 times just today. I promise, there is nothing better.

With that being said...

Today is hump day and I am so happy about that...Wednesday has always been my favorite day of the week.

In elementary school it was pizza day. Then in high school it was mashed potato day. That was by far, my favorite thing ever. I have a thing with mashed potatoes...I love them.

But more than food in a cafeteria, it means that the work week is half over!

Yesterday I discovered that I destroyed my History midterm and I look an eleventy billion hour nap...Good way to end my Tuesday!

Happy Hump day!

-------

And now, to introduce you to my friend Paige! She blogs over at A Dose of Paige

She eloped with her husband (who happens to be a soldier, I said hooah) in 2012. Paige is a recent graduate from nursing school. She is the mother to the most adorable puppy in the world and she blogs about just about everything under the sun. I always love to read blogs where I can find something a little bit different every time I stop by.

Go on over a stay a while. You may love her blog just like I do :)

To Live is an Awfully Big Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:53:00 +0000

Last night, I called my momma and had a little chat with her about coming home. In case you weren't aware I'm not a native Nevadan. I moved here in August for college...but it's looking like I can't stay.

I know what you're thinking. But I really don't care. I'm going to do what I have to do to make things work. In all reality, it probably wasn't the smartest move to start school this fall. I should have stayed at home and worked for a while. I should have saved some money and planned on starting school in the fall of 2014. But I didn't want to. I wanted to start right away. I didn't want to sit around and twiddle my thumbs for an entire year doing nothing.

So I packed my bags and went on an adventure that I wasn't exactly prepared for. I'm not going to call it a mistake, becasue it isn't. Coming here has been such an amazing experience. Living away from home and being truly all on my own has been trying at times but worth every minute and every penny it has cost me so far.

What now? Well, I'm going to finish this semester of school and head home over winter break. After winter break, I won't be coming back. I say that with a heavy heart, because I truly love living here. Unfortunately, money doesn't grow on trees and I need to make a better plan for the future. You're probably thinking, Oh Katie, don't you know that you can't plan for everything?!

Yes. I do. But if you don't have a plan at all, you won't have anyplace to start! For me, plans are more like...goals. I have a few checkpoints in my head, but if I go off course and find something different, that is okay too. But having a plan is important! At least it is to me.

For me this doesn't count as a failure or something like that. It just isn't working out like I wanted it to. So I'm going to just start a new adventure :)

In other news, I am starting a new blog. At the end of the year, this blog will lay dormant and I will be starting on a fresh blank page. With that being said, I am looking for a designer who would like to work with me! I'm trying to just do it by myself...but I'm just not savvy enough for it. I'm going to need help. So if you design, or you know someone who does, let me know, because I'm in the market!

This new project will be launching on January 1, 2014. It will be a 5-days-a-week blog that will have *gasp* blog business hours. I still don't plan to make money from it, but it sounds so much more professional when I call them "business hours" don't you think so?

Speaking of blogs! Have you met my friend Kara?

Kara blog over at Ramblings of a Marine Wife.

There she talks about her adventures with her kids at her husband's current duty station. She has recently returned stateside after a year long adventure in Okinawa. I always love to read about the fun things that she does with her kids and I bet you will too! She's not your average mom-blogger. Go and check her out!

Today she is hosting a link up! Go join in on the fun :)

Contributing Member of Society

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 20:15:00 +0000

Wow...Is it really Monday again? That always makes me a little sad inside...

So I decided to go straight for the defense.

Today I did this crazy things where I got up and I dressed as if I was a contributing member of society. I put on my favorite dress, some socks that don't really match it, and some booties. Get this. I even put on...wait for it...Make up! I know...a real #OOTD It's a Christmas miracle.

I figure as a sweet single lady in this world, maybe I should try to be cute every now and then? Or maybe...I just wanted to wear my booties. That's probably it.

I won't lie, I don't understand why the front camera on the iPhone is always so grainy, but whatever...

I've had this dress since I was in the 8th grade. I'm actually surprised that it still fits comfortably. I have a dress I wore at my high school graduation that I can't even consider zipping because I will stop breathing...

Forgive me. This is before I knew about tweezing eye brows and apparently being cute at all because this is an awful photograph. At least my friend looks good!

I guess I'm just glad I finally learned how to take what I've got and work it. I really don't know why that dress doesn't fit...I'm way more fit now than I was then. Let's blame it on all of my awesome-ness not being able to fit into one dress.

Speaking of awesome...

Have you checked out my sidebar lately? It's got a few new things going on.

Did you know that I'm on Bloglovin'? Well now you do! If you aren't following me there, go ahead and take a minute to click it.

Also, I have several new sponsors! Today I'd like to introduce you to Jenn from Party Of One.

I love to read her blog and I think you will too. She's an awesome single gal just like me working to make it in a world filled with parties of two. Take a minute to go and check her out.

Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest

Or Don't. Your Call.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 20 Oct 2013 22:14:00 +0000

So....You know how I said something about a lost weekend? What the heck happened last night? Not a clue.

But I guess that's part of growing up, right? Doing really stupid shit you probably shouldn't EVER do again. In fact, I'm pretty sure when I read the brochure about your twenties, there was a picture of all the bad decisions a person could make and a catchy slogan coaxing me to try them all.

Oh there's not a brochure? There should be. And it should come with a warning label.

Sadly, the warning label would do no good and I would probably still do all the same stupid stuff, but at least I have been warned right?

Don't get me wrong! I had a lot of fun this weekend. I always do. I'm getting pretty good at living in the moment, but I should probably stop letting my life story be told in memes and e-cards, huh?

Bring on the Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 22:02:00 +0000

Although I have been super sick for the past week, I'm finally starting to feel a little bit better.

My friend brought me some Nyquil and Dayquil the other day which has done amazing things for my ability to sleep. Thank goodness for good friends right? So after a lovely cold-cocktail...I'm feeling like I can actually have a little bit of fun!

It wasn't a minute too late either. This weekend is hopefully going to be a lot like the last. Only better. This time both of my friends will be visiting at the same time!

Don't send me pictures boys. they end up on the blog. ;)

You can expect a full recap complete with pictures and hopefully some pretty crazy stories to go with them. I'm pretty sure we're going to have a great time.

I don't know if I've said this here, but I really only have about...two friends here at school. They're in a fraternity and don't tend to have time to hang out with me all the time. I often get a little left out because they do "Greek Only" sort of stuff and I end up going to the wayside a little bit...

It's nice that I have plans too. That way I don't just end up sleeping all damn day. That is no fun.
Instead, I'm going to celebrate the fact that my midterms are over and have a lost weekend...

TiK ToK by Ke$ha on Grooveshark

So #backthatazzup and enjoy your weekend!