tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31194417768146491032024-03-13T08:00:22.100-04:00LemonDroppJust a normal girl from small town nowherekrqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-77913075924202334202014-01-27T12:16:00.001-05:002014-01-27T12:16:25.820-05:00something new<br />
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I'm so excited to FINALLY share this. I've really been working on it for over a year, but with the wedding and moving and a million other things, it was put on the back burner. I've had this vision for so long, and now it's happening! So what is it? </div>
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Well, this is the end of LemonDropp, but the beginning of something new. Kyle has helped me create this beautiful piece of Internet that is still part of what LemonDropp was for me (a place to write my thoughts and ideas and stories), but more organized, simpler to navigate, more official and a place where I can really begin to write about and do the things I've been dreaming of for years. Welcome, to <a href="http://mountain-gypsy.com/" target="_blank">Mountain Gypsy</a>.</div>
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You can read more about who Mountain Gypsy is and all that good stuff on this post, but for now, I just wanted to say goodbye here and welcome you to move with me over to the new site!</div>
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LemonDropp has been a place of refuge for me, especially when I was going through big life changes. It gave me a place to write down my thoughts and it was so helpful to know people were reading. It's almost like being able to talk things over with a friend, and it allowed me to practice running a site so that one day (now), I could have a blog like the ones I follow myself and love so much. I have always longed to connect with and inspire others, and I think this is a good way for that to happen. </div>
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I have big plans for this and I hope I can make them happen with Mountain Gypsy. Thank you for reading, following me on my many journeys and giving encouragement and advice right when I needed it. I hope to gain many more readers and followers, but most of all, I just hope to keep up with my writing and creations with this new site.</div>
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Thank you for everything.<br />
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love.</div>
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krq.</div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-85917026089385050012013-10-17T18:32:00.001-04:002013-10-17T18:36:09.559-04:00a life that's good<br />
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My sister sent me an email with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3-yDEI7V80" target="_blank">this song</a> to download and listen to with the very important instructions "LISTEN TO THE WORDS." All caps. This is serious. So, as I sliced up a banana and made some coffee this morning, I downloaded it on my phone and hit play. I stood at the stove, scooping out almond butter with my banana slices and then, there I was, ugly crying before it was even 8 a.m. </div>
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It could be because my sister sent it to me, or because it has to do with home and dreams, and y'all know I'm a cry-baby when it comes to my roots. I don't know…it was just beautiful and simple and hit me right in the heart.</div>
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But really, it was probably because after a year of planning, praying, getting our hopes up and being crushed over and over and over, Kyle and I are finally moving to a new city for new jobs and new adventures. Yay! I believe it was meant for us to be in Knoxville for a season, and then that season ended and we were ready for new things. <b>A fresh start. </b>And after much waiting and many prayers, it's all happening!</div>
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Kyle got a new job with a trade magazine for health and fitness companies in Louisville, Kentucky, and his last day at MCG is November 1. That's so soon, so we've been in total moving/finding a new place/pack up everything mode for the last few days.</div>
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I'm so excited! Since we got married, it's really been pressing at us to figure out the next step. We want a new place to start our married lives! We have goals and dreams and want to be involved and active! The thing about plans is, God usually has His own, and more often than not, your plans and His aren't exactly the same. This is how my plan/daydream has looked for a while…</div>
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<i>I want to move and I want to move right now! I'm going to wake up tomorrow and there will magically be an email about a new job that comes with it's own perfect apartment for us! There will also be free puppies at the corner, where I will promptly pick one up and name her Jackie O or Dorothy Gale! The barista at Starbucks will accidentally make me a venti skinny vanilla latte instead of a tall! I'll win a $2000 gift card to Ikea and go buy new things for our new, perfect home! </i></div>
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And God was all…</div>
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<i>Yeah, you're going to have to wait. Also, you're delusional…but I promise it'll be fine.</i></div>
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Obviously a little exaggerated, but you get the idea.</div>
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When you come to a big crossroad in life, that's when you really start to figure out how hard it can be to wait for something to happen. It's difficult to know what you want in your heart, but not know if it's what will actually happen. I've really struggled with really just trusting God and letting it be. This is obviously because I'm a stubborn control-freak. I'm working on it. </div>
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The song my sister sent me says <b>"Sometimes I'm hard on me// When dreams don't come easy."</b> MY. LIFE. </div>
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Just to give you a little idea about this whole situation…</div>
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A couple of weeks ago, I was home alone, as usual, while Kyle was at work. I had really been having a hard time with the whole "let it go" thing, and was pacing around the house obsessing about what our next step was going to be and when was something going to happen for us and WHEN GOD WHEN. I'm really awful about reading the Bible, that is to say, I don't…like, couldn't tell you the last time I picked one up and opened it. Yeah, I'm working on that, too. So I guess I was so desperate for answers and so frustrated that nothing was happening that I was like "Well nothing else is working, I guess I should read the Bible!" Yeah, only took me A YEAR to do that. So, I got a glass of water and one of Kyle's Bible (he has two in this house, I have zero…yeah I'm really winning over here), and went to the porch. I started flipping through it, looking for some kind of answer or sign or something. I don't know…I'm out of practice. Then I remembered that Kyle has a Bible app on his phone, so I downloaded that and started looking through the reading plans. I needed somewhere to start and I found one called "Doubt." The first verse for the plan was this…</div>
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<i>Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled. My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O Lord — how long? ---</i><i>Psalms 6:2-3</i></div>
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…yeah. I might as well have written that myself. He never left me, y'all. He knows how much I was struggling, how out of control I was feeling. He always has a plan. And after that, I could feel it in my bones that something was going to happen. </div>
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A few days later, Kyle started his interview process with Louisville. And now we're moving! Hello, answered prayer. Nice to see you.</div>
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Even though we've been ready for a change of pace for so long, it's still a little sad to leave a place. This was our first real place together. This is where we spent our engagement and our first moments of marriage. Despite it being a place with some serious problems, it will still always mean something to me. That's another thing about that song…it reminds me to look around at all that I already have. I'm bad to get caught up in what I don't have and not appreciate what's in front of me. The grass is always greener, you know.</div>
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<b>"Two arms around me// Heaven to ground me// And a family that always calls me home// Four wheels to get there// Enough love to share// And a sweet, sweet, sweet song."</b></div>
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That's all you need. </div>
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We're going to Louisville this weekend to check out some places to live, and my sweet brother is coming along for the ride. Another perk is that Louisville is closer to Huntington/our people. Yay! We're super excited and thankful to have our fresh start, and we're so grateful for the people who made Knoxville memorable for us. </div>
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Here's to new chapters, new adventures and trying to be better.</div>
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love.</div>
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krq.</div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-27063838197823983772013-10-10T13:49:00.001-04:002013-10-11T09:40:46.245-04:00Wedding: Bridal Shoot<br />
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I shattered my iPhone screen this morning, so to make myself feel better, I thought I'd go ahead and share some of the photos from my bridal/boudoir shoot with my fabulous photographer, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica</a>. </div>
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I went through the photos and chose some that weren't too risqué. There aren't really any that are too much, but I'd feel better leaving you with some mystery. Anyway, we took these photos more than a month before the wedding at my cousin's beautiful house. The location was a neutral ground for everyone and my cousin has the most perfect bathroom and private porch, so it was wonderful. </div>
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My dress hadn't been altered yet, so we had to be a little strategic about those photos, and the props I used were either from one of my grandmothers or one of Kyle's, so they were all very nostalgic. Me, nostalgic. Imagine that. </div>
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I made a photobook from <a href="http://www.shutterflyinc.com/" target="_blank">Shutterfly</a> with these for Kyle on the wedding day, along with his axe I bought him from <a href="http://www.bestmadeco.com/collections/axes/products/unfinished-hudson-bay-axe" target="_blank">Best Made Company</a>. (More on that later.) </div>
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For the boudoir photos, I wore a pair of high-waist, light pink lace underwear from <a href="http://store.americanapparel.net/product/?productId=rsals365&c=Chili" target="_blank">American Apparel</a> with a lace bralette from <a href="http://www.intimint.com/showroom" target="_blank">intimint</a>, as well as a little nighty I've had from <a href="http://www.victoriassecret.com/sleepwear/babydolls-and-slips" target="_blank">Victoria's Secret</a> for years. I liked these because they were so girly and vintage and didn't make me feel too scandalous. I love boudoir photos, but some of them I've seen are just…well…a little scary. To each her own, but I wanted mine to be fun and pretty and a little pin-up-y, and I think <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica</a> captured that balance perfectly. I felt comfortable with her, and not just because I've known her my whole life, but she really just makes you feel relaxed and excited to have your photo taken. </div>
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When it was time for the bridal portion of the shoot, I put my dress on with my hair clip and did a few poses on the porch where the sun was finally coming out and the lighting was nice. This was such a weird feeling…I had on my wedding dress and was taking photos but it wasn't my wedding yet. I sort of realized all at once, "I'm going to be doing this for real soon." So weird/exciting/wonderful.</div>
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After a couple hours, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica</a> had taken a zillion photos and we wrapped it up. We all joked during the shoot that I'm the cutest I'm ever going to be, so we really need to document it!</div>
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If you're not sure what to get your soon-to-be husband for a wedding gift, I really recommend this. It's special and romantic, and even if you don't want to go the boudoir/photos in your underwear route, you can always just have some pretty photos taken of you in your dress.</div>
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Find a photographer who understands what you're going for with the photos and makes you feel comfortable. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica</a> and I had a shared secret <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/" target="_blank">Pinterest </a>board where we could both pin examples of photos for each other to see, which really helps give your photographer an idea of what you're going for, and will let you see the styles your photographer likes.</div>
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Also, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica</a> and I are in contact all the time. She is great about texting me with updates on the status of the editing or previews of photos she's really loving. Find someone who is open with you and doesn't disappear after the shoot or event, but also remember that they need time to get all the photos ready and they probably won't be finished the very next day unless they have magical powers (and probably horrible photos), so it's best not to stalk them, either. I haven't had to contact <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica</a> myself much at all because she is so good at keeping me updated, and because I have seen <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica's</a> work and love it, I haven't been worried about the photos at all.</div>
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She actually texted me this week and told me the wedding photos are in the mail, so of course, I'm obsessively checking the mailbox. I can't wait to get them and eventually share some here.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span">I'd love to hear your thoughts on boudoir photos, and if you have any questions about my photos or working with </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/jessica.smithhutchinson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Jessica</a><span class="Apple-style-span">, just let me know! </span></div>
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love.</div>
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krq.</div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-6732484987522135932013-09-18T20:29:00.000-04:002013-10-11T09:40:27.648-04:00the new dyers<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well. It's over. It happened. I'm married.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's just a preview shot from my FREAKING AMAZING photographer. Of course, once I have all the photos, I'll post more extensive details, but in short, it was magical. The whole day. Of course everything never goes exactly as planned, but like my aunt Angie said, even if we drove up the day before the wedding and the barn was on fire, we'd still get married, and that's what matters. The barn wasn't on fire, by the way. Unless you count all of us crazies dancing to "Blurred Lines" like it was our job, then yeah, it was on fire. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone tells you leading up to this day that it's all a whirlwind and it goes by so fast and you feel like you don't get to talk to anyone or even really eat any of your own food. Well, everyone was right. It's really quite crazy. You plan and plan and plan, then eat nothing and talk to no one. Or at least that's how it feels, because it goes by so quickly, and if you're like us and invite an entire county, there are just too many people to have a meaningful conversation with in one night. Everyone also told us that once you leave, it's the most exhausted you've ever been. Also, correct. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kyle and I had a vision for what we wanted our wedding day to be like, but sometimes our ideas sounded crazy, and were never the easiest to accomplish.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Let's compile a list of songs no one knows and invite members of our families to sing them together, and let's hold practices for them three weeks before the wedding, so they can try to learn the songs, even though everyone has to like, work."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, everything turned out so incredibly. It was so beautiful. I've never felt so loved in my life, and not just because of Kyle. When people just show up to help decorate and make flower arrangements for the tables without you even having to ask...that's when you feel loved. When your parents bust themselves in the summer heat to build arrow-shaped signs and cut flowers off the side of the road because you actually like those weeds...you feel loved. When your college-student siblings buy gifts for you they know you'll absolutely love and know you want them for your wedding day and honeymoon...that's love. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I know this post isn't giving all the real details about the wedding, because really I just wanted to thank everyone. My parents, my siblings, Kyle's family, all my family and friends, our wedding party, everyone who sang and played instruments, the wonderful men who married us, our photographer and caterer and readers and cake-bakers, people who traveled pretty far to be there, people who posted such kind comments on our photos and Facebooks...everyone...thank you. Because of all of you, our day was exactly what we wanted — a day filled with people and love and fun.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/74532308" target="_blank">Click here</a> for the beautiful video my photographer made with some of the photos in it. So wonderful. I cry every time I watch it.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More details to come!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">love.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">krq(d)</span><br />
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-578583664629401472013-08-17T11:44:00.000-04:002013-10-11T09:41:23.269-04:00twentyonedays<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today is the three week mark. Twenty-one days until Kyle and I are married. Eek! It's coming up so quickly, and there are still a million things to do, but I just get more and more excited every day. If I think about me walking down the aisle, I cry. If I think about my sister singing or my brother crying or my best friends being there with us, I cry. I basically cry over everything that is related to that day. It's an emotional time. Give me a break. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I've picked up my dress. It's ready to go. I've got all my somethings…old, new, borrowed, blue. Most of the decorations are finished, and I'm working on finishing up some of the gifts for my people. There are still projects to be completed, but they are really good projects. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also, Katy Perry's "Roar" is my anthem. My iTunes tells me I've listened to it 67 times within the four days I've had it. Yep. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I recently had my wedding shower, which Kyle's family threw for me, with the help of a lot of my family, too, of course. It was crazy and hectic, but lovely and fun and we got SO MANY gifts. And like awesome ones, too.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To name a few…</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">vintage owl set from Finds&Designs from Kelli Barksdale!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">the rest of the luggage! we got pieces from my aunt and uncle, <br />Holly's parents, Holly & Caleb and Kyle's parents.</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">owl cookie jar from anthro that I've wanted for years!<br />from Kyle's aunt Janet.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">the perfect pie pan from anthro. from Lara & Chris.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">my bedspread from anthro! from my parents.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_KGOuUSQwY/Ug-SpZiAo9I/AAAAAAAACUo/fzudHJsEBko/s1600/IMG_7370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f_KGOuUSQwY/Ug-SpZiAo9I/AAAAAAAACUo/fzudHJsEBko/s320/IMG_7370.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">Italian wine glasses from Fishs Eddy <br />in New York. from my sister.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: xx-small;">and I just love this picture. all my pretty friends smiling!</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I have such wonderful people in my life, and I'm so glad you people really know me! All the gifts were perfect!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also, I got my bridal/boudoir photos back from Jessica, and holy moly. I don't want to post any of them here yet, but I will after the wedding. Eek!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kyle and I have another shower this coming weekend at my cousin's house. Then the next weekend is my bachelorette party. Then the next weekend is the wedding. AHHHHHHHH!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know everyone is probably so sick of hearing how excited I am, but seriously. So pumped. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-84624499743237746322013-07-28T22:20:00.001-04:002013-10-11T09:42:10.196-04:00fortyonedays<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So I'm sitting in the floor on my yoga mat, drinking coffee and listening to Coldplay. This is the first time in weeks that I've even had a minute to think about writing a blog, and as the theme has become in the last few months, I blame the wedding. There's SO MUCH GOING ON, and this morning on the way to church, Kyle said "Forty-one days." That's all he had to say and I had a little heart attack. That is NOT A LOT OF DAYS. That's almost just one month. ONE! Ahhh! I'm leaving Tennessee on Friday to go to West Virginia for the rest of the time until the wedding, because there's just too much that's going to be going on for me not to be there. There will be two showers, my bachelorette party/Color Run, endless projects that need to be completed, dress fittings, hair/makeup run-throughs, trying to get a good tan without looking crazy or having tan lines, meetings with caterer/DJ/preacher/singers, the rehearsal dinner/decorating and doing ALL the workouts.</span><br />
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Help.</span><br />
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BUT...on top of all this stress and fear that things will fall apart and it will pour the rain on my handmade veil that hasn't even been made yet, I have never been more excited in my life. So excited that I cry. Makes sense, right?</span><br />
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My sister and I were texting yesterday morning about music ideas and such, and she said...</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nIpU2K4G50Y/UfXH8UD7WSI/AAAAAAAACSo/hFtRYQgcSBo/s1600/sistertextpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nIpU2K4G50Y/UfXH8UD7WSI/AAAAAAAACSo/hFtRYQgcSBo/s320/sistertextpic.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Yeah. Me too, sister. I had my bridal photo shoot with my amaaaaazzzingg photographer, Jessica Hutchinson, at my cousin's house last week, and I wore my dress for some of the photos...and my sister choked up on me. Very briefly and then she got it under control, but yeah, basically we're all going to be a mess. Heaven help us...and my makeup.</span><br />
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Also, people are starting to get their invitations so I feel like it's ok to post this.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;">Stole this from Jodi. Thanks, Jodi for instagramming this! :)</span></td></tr>
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Eeeek! They turned out so great. Letterpress is where it's at, ya'll. If you can get it for your invitations, I promise it's worth it. And even though searching for vintage stamps wasn't easy, they look SO freaking awesome. Thanks, Kyle, for being a crazy-creative genius husband-to-be. </span><br />
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I know things are going to just keep getting crazier until the wedding, so I'm just going to write if I can, and if not, I'll have SO much to write about when it's all said and done. I'm learning to not beat myself up over not writing as much. This is my wedding season! I do want to post some of the DIY projects we've done with my family for the wedding and show that you can make cool stuff yourself without spending a fortune. Yes, it's been pretty expensive, but not nearly as much as it could have been if we hadn't done a lot of it ourselves, and I really think it's going to be wonderful. </span><br />
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It's really easy to get wrapped up in all the stuff we have to do...I do it every single day...but like so many of my family members have told me, the best part is when it's all over and it's just the two of us and we get to just BE married. Kyle is already wonderful, so I know having him as a husband will be even better. I mean, he walked back home in the pouring rain from the diner down the road, got the car and drove back to pick me up. So yeah, pretty excited to marry this guy.</span><br />
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So. Forty-one days. Actually now it's more like forty. That's forty days of crazy, forty days of excitement and forty days of me listening to our wedding songs over and over to remind myself that it's all going to be fine, it's all going to be worth it, and it's all going to lead me to the same thing...a happy marriage.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
love.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">krq.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-56309043891650545462013-06-26T17:13:00.000-04:002013-10-11T09:42:45.501-04:00nearly here<br />
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We are quickly approaching the TWO MONTH mark for the wedding. How in the hell did that happen? So much has been going on and my house in a constant state of "unbearably messy," but there's just no time (or energy) to deal with it right now. Lately, my days look something like this…</div>
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Get up. Make breakfast. Pack lunches. Squeeze in a very quick workout, if I'm lucky. Get ready for work. Go to work/put my makeup on in the car (Kyle drives). Work all day long. Pick up Kyle. Make dinner. Scarf down food. Do something wedding-related. Go to bed. </div>
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It's basically like that every single day. Granted, we did just get back from vacation and it always takes a few days to get back into the swing of things, plus Kyle has a sinus infection, but still. You get my point. </div>
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There is just so much to freaking do for the wedding. I know we'll get it all finished, and I know that it will be fine, blah blah blah. But when you're smack in the middle of it and people keep telling you how excited they are for the big day, you start to feel a little pressure. </div>
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However, I really do think it will be wonderful.</div>
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My cousin, Jessica, took some wonderful photos for us at the beach last week, just for funsies. Here are some faves.</div>
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I've been thinking about Corey a lot more than usual lately…probably because along with my wedding day, the one year mark is also quickly approaching. I can't believe he won't be there. This is a really weird memory, but it's just another example of how easily he creeps into my mind…I remember him telling Kelsey once that she had to scrub her face in the shower and not just move the soap around. I'm sure he was just giving her a hard time and I have no idea why we were talking about hygiene practices, but every single time I wash my face in the shower, I think of that. Isn't that odd? </div>
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I really can't believe how little I've written this year. I definitely blame the wedding planning, but I'm hoping once it's here and all over and I have a new name (eek), then I'll write more. Surely I'll have way more to talk about, too. I'd love to have some posts about wedding details we did ourselves, etc. Because God knows I haven't kept anyone updated throughout like I said I would. </div>
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I guess I could give you a quick list of things we DO have…</div>
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my dress</div>
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his suit</div>
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his shoes</div>
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save the dates/invitations</div>
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decorations (kinda…)</div>
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the place</div>
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the cake (meeting with Candice this weekend!)</div>
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the DJ (meeting with Jimmy and Allison this weekend, too!)</div>
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the photographer</div>
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the food (hoping to see Pat when I see Candice. haha!)</div>
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the preacher</div>
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the wedding party</div>
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the flowers (thanks, mom!)</div>
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the entertainment</div>
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the honeymoon (can't freaking wait)</div>
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Still need…</div>
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everything else</div>
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If I list the things I still need on here, I might have some kind of attack. So just use your imagination. </div>
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Even though I'm stressed with everything we have to do, I'm becoming more and more aware of how excited I am to marry Kyle. Like, really freaking excited. And happy...so very happy. </div>
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love.</div>
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krq.</div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-67402207994357491822013-05-11T13:24:00.001-04:002013-10-11T09:51:14.710-04:00progress<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;">I'm currently sitting in my favorite Starbucks, the one in Huntington at Pullman Square. I have a lot of good memories here, so that's why it's my favorite. There are a ton of people out today because of graduation, so the air is filled with </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"><b>excitement and possibility</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;">. What better atmosphere to write about this? </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've been having this conversation with myself over the past week or so, and I'm still debating whether or not I am making the right move here. <i>We'll see.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">You've heard me write about Paleo and TurboFire and all that jazz several times, but I wanted to share with you my progress and where I am at this point and talk more about what's going on overall instead of just what I'm doing to progress. I'm still not finished, but I'm getting there, and my mindset has completely changed, even after I had lost a lot of weight in the beginning and changed my way of living.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I posted about this once before <a href="http://lemon-dropp.blogspot.com/2012/04/almost-after.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>, and that was over a year ago. It doesn't seem like that long, really, but that makes me realize how much farther I've come from that point.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I feel compelled to write about this for a few reasons, but lately the main reason is because I get people commenting and asking about my routine or a recipe, etc., mostly from people I know, but even some from people I don't know but who found my photos or blog. It's encouraging and inspiring, so I feel like sharing a little more. Also, I have noticed that I get more readership on my blog if the post is about fitness. I highly doubt this is because people think I am some expert, because obviously <b>I am not</b>, but it is interesting. Maybe it's because people are just curious, but I like to think that I'm actually helping someone, or motivating them somehow. I've always wanted to inspire people, I even wrote that on my portfolio website in college, and I think talking about fitness and health might be a good way for me to do that at this point in my life. I also hope that I could drive people to change their mindsets about healthy living, and the only reason I say that is because I had to figure out how to change mine for myself along the way, and that made it so much easier. I'm still learning, but I'm in a much better place than I was before. And it makes me wonder, what did these graduates in this Starbucks right now write about in <b>their portfolios</b>? What did they say they wanted to do? When I graduated, I knew what I wanted but didn't know how to make it happen, and I'm still not sure how, but if this is one outlet I can make that happen, then why not try?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Anyway, so here's where I am right now...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was really at a standstill for about 8 months. I just stopped losing any more weight and I wasn't dropping inches and I wasn't getting stronger, no matter what I did. Then I started Paleo in February, and I'm down <b>13 more pounds</b> and I'm toning up, slowly but surely. That's the gist of the physical state I'm in right now. As for mentally, I'm shifting. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've always liked to feel independent. Even as a little girl, I didn't want to ask for help for things, and I didn't even want hugs sometimes because it felt like I was being babied, and at 6 years old, <b>I was a grown-up, dammit</b>. Now, I love hugs, <i>thank God</i>, and I am still learning to ask for help, but because of this, I've had a hard time wanting to connect to a "fitness community," or any community for that matter. I'm working on that, too. I wanted to be alone in my journey. I don't need any help! <i>Um, not cool.</i> Kyle can attest to this. When he was trying very patiently to get me to start working out three years ago, I would get seriously defensive and shut down, probably because <b>I knew I needed to</b> and I wanted to decide to do it on my own, or maybe because I was in denial. I always felt like I looked ok, but now looking back, I can see that I wasn't ok. I wasn't healthy, and I don't just mean in a physical way. Kyle didn't want me to work out because he didn't think I was beautiful, <i>because he did and he does</i>, but he just wanted us to be healthy together, and I <b>was not</b> ready to face that. When it finally clicked for me, I was beyond ready to get started and felt like I had made the decision on my own, and now, I can't imagine the two of us not living a healthy life together. Of course we indulge from time to time, but we are always on the same page about this.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When I started this whole thing, it was <b>pre-Instagram</b>, if you can even imagine what that was like. Actually, it may have existed, but it wasn't what it is now. <i>SIDEBAR: Just so everyone knows, I really was the FIRST of my friends to use it. I started using it because I wanted to edit pictures for this very blog, so yeah, there's a random fact for the day. </i>Anyway, so there wasn't this world of pictures with filters and hashtags to match it and there was not a <b>million bazillion people</b> to follow who solely post fitness inspiration. Now, these are endless, and I am just now accepting the fact that I might enjoy reading about and following these people. I'm not sure why I take forever to give into these things, but now that I'm in, <i>I'm all in</i>, and I'm not afraid to ask for help. I don't know why I'm so resistant to join something, but now that I've set aside my pride or <b>whateverthehell</b> has been holding me back, I'm a lot happier and I'm enjoying this part of my life a lot more.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Throughout this process, I've really put a lot of effort into learning and educating myself. I've always been someone who likes to find out more information about things that interest me. Like when I saw <i>127 Hours</i>, I researched everything I could find about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aron_Ralston" target="_blank">Aron Ralston</a> and wanted to know the whole story and talked to my sister on the phone while we read articles online about him. I like details and information. I mean, I did go to <b>journalism school</b>, so that makes sense. With this part of my life, it's no different. Kyle bought me a fitbit for Christmas, and I'm obsessed with what it can tell me…<i>my steps, my calories, my sleep, everything</i>. Same thing with Paleo. When I decided to try it out, I bought three books on my Kindle app for the iPad and read them all. I started following Paleo blogs and found all the information I could find about it. I am currently reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Paleo-Coach-Extraordinary-Sustainable/dp/1936608472" target="_blank">The Paleo Coach</a>, and use Paleo cookbooks and blogs for recipes all the time. I love knowledge and learning, and it feels <i>amazing</i> when someone asks me a question about Paleo or work outs and I can immediately give an answer. Again, not an expert over here, but I have done my homework.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm learning what works for me as far as workouts go, and I'm learning to be happy with where I am now, even though that doesn't mean I'm going to stop. I've still got a <i>long way to go</i>. The <a href="http://lemon-dropp.blogspot.com/2013/02/turbopaleo.html" target="_blank">90 Day TurboFire Challenge</a> is almost over, and I've stuck with it as much as possible with my sister, but throughout the last couple of months, I've found that I need something else to push myself, probably because I've been doing TurboFire for a long time. I added in more strength training in the last few weeks and I've started to feel like I'm progressing again, and I'm learning to listen to my body. I make sure that I do something active at least 5 days a week, even if it's not exactly what the TurboFire schedule says, and I'm not beating myself up over that anymore. If I don't have time for a 55 minute workout, I'll fit in a 30 minute one. If I'm so sore that I can't do a squat, I take a rest from squats and do something else, or rest. I'm trying to learn to rest more when I feel like I need it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The thing is, I STILL don't realize how far I've come. There are still things I want to work on, and probably always will, but it isn't until I see photos of myself from two or three years ago that I see the difference, or when people see me who haven't seen me in a long time and can't believe it's me. That feels nice.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I mean…</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">…yeah.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Granted, this is also before and after my breast reduction surgery <i>(if you didn't know about that, yeah I had one)</i>, so it makes the comparison even more drastic. But yeah! Like, is that really me? In the picture in the left, I always felt like I looked more of what I look like now, the picture on the right. Then I'd see photos of myself and be shocked. I'd have a moment, click "untag" and move on. I don't know why it took me so long to change things when that's how I felt. Also, it feels <b>weird</b> posting these pictures of myself here, side by side, for total comparison. It feels weird because it's almost <i>embarrassing</i>, but at the same time, it motivates me to keep going.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Like I said, I'm still working hard and trying to progress. My wedding is in less than four months (EEK!) and I'm <b>so excited</b> to marry Kyle and feel awesome in my dress. I am so glad I started getting healthy when I did, because it's taken me so long to get to where I am now, and I would never want to feel anything but confident for my wedding day. Of course I still have insecurities and issues, but who doesn't? I'm just learning to love being healthy and learning to love myself for where I am right now. My life feels out of control sometimes, but one thing I can <b>be in control of is my health</b>, and that is probably the most important thing I can do for myself.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'd love to hear from you and know if you like posts like this, or if you have questions, or if you want to know more, or if you hate this. Seriously. Tell me! I'm excited for what's to come.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-23543189898676030882013-04-08T09:05:00.001-04:002013-04-08T09:05:52.350-04:00lemonlime<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Citrusy colors remind me of spring and the upcoming summer. There are few things I love more than drinking a lime margarita on the beach while wearing something bright. So here are a few things I've been eyeing and wanting to try, all citrusy and warm-weather approved.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. <a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/yoga/Flow-And-Go-Tank-II?cc=7208&skuId=3491270&catId=yoga" target="_blank">lululemon flow and go tank II</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/womens_category/knitstees/shortsleevetees/PRDOVR~71290/71290.jsp" target="_blank">jcrew linen v-neck pocket tee</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3.<a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2013/03/26/spiked-key-lime-limeade/" target="_blank"> spiked key-lime lemonade from culinary concoctions</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4. l<a href="http://feedinggersasser.blogspot.com/2013/01/lemon-lime-protein-balls.html" target="_blank">emon lime protein balls from feeding ger sasser</a>...I made these and they were delicious.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5. <a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/yoga/Energy-Bra-32925?cc=5747&skuId=3488036&catId=yoga" target="_blank">lululemon energy bra</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6. <a href="http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2013/02/whiskey-lemonade-with-honey.html" target="_blank">whiskey lemonade from a beautiful mess</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-28466972862171749192013-03-28T13:23:00.001-04:002013-04-02T18:37:00.657-04:00reap what you sow<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I receive hundreds of emails a day, most of which are retail stores trying to get me to buy everything, but I also get several emails from blogs I like, which are a lot cheaper anyway. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today I got one with a link to this post and it is just one of the many posts I've read about people experiencing incredible changes from just changing the way they eat. Not just the "I lost 100 pounds" variety, either, but real, life-altering things. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This woman tells the story of how changing her family to a Paleo way of living saved them. You can read it <a href="http://paleononpaleo.com/paleo-diet-behavioral-issues-children/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Really. Read it now. It's inspiring and amazing how changing her son's food changed his life.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hope I'm not annoying everyone with all the Paleo talk (I probably am), but don't knock it until you try it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That's all I've got today. Kyle and I are heading to West Virginia tonight for Easter/Casey's birthday weekend. I hope everyone has a nice weekend and gets something fun in their baskets! :)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span>krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-86792295420277751272013-03-25T21:36:00.003-04:002013-03-25T21:36:56.057-04:00getting caught up<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I haven't been writing much lately, and I hate myself for it. It's just that there's really not much else going on except a lot of wedding planning and concentrating on eating healthy and working out a lot for said wedding.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kyle and I sent out little invitations to people we want to be in the bridal party and participate in the wedding. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They looked like this. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_JusSpyQg4s/UVD3ARIEKeI/AAAAAAAACEk/paQYYp33ndw/s1600/photo+2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_JusSpyQg4s/UVD3ARIEKeI/AAAAAAAACEk/paQYYp33ndw/s320/photo+2.PNG" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stole this photo from Becca's instagram</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stole this photo from my sister's instagram</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">They were tiny little matchboxes with a bag of <a href="http://www.davidstea.com/" target="_blank">David's Tea</a> in the flavor "<a href="http://www.davidstea.com/glitter-and-gold?&TF=&DEID=" target="_blank">glitter & gold</a>," which has little gold, shimmering sugar balls in it. Perfect for the wedding! The little cards fit right into the boxes. <i>All Kyle's idea of course.</i> We sent jelly beans in the matchboxes for the little kids we want in the wedding, because what kid drinks tea?! I think everyone is excited, which makes me even more excited. And nervous. Eek!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kyle and I also found our venue, which is a huge relief, and also makes me more excited. Everything is slowly but surely falling into place. The next thing will be all the crafts we're planning to do for decorations and such. <i>Any volunteers???</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And as for the crazy lady fitness lately, I'm still going strong, and I'm sorry if no one cares about hearing about my food/workout shenanigans. Like I said, there's not much else going on! Unless you want to know a running list of sad movies Kyle's been making me watch lately. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway…</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Yeah, looking real sweaty up there. It's about day 33 for the TurboFire Challenge, and I am feeling better all the time. I had a rest day yesterday, and I mean I REALLY rested. Like, I slept until 11:22, which almost never happens anymore. Oops. It felt nice, so I must have needed it, and then today's workout went really well. I felt energetic! What?! I was jumping when I was supposed to, and not just doing the modified versions. I started TurboFire over a year ago, and even after I had done it religiously for months, I was still not able to really jump, but for whatever reason, I can now. It's very possible I'll be crazy sore tomorrow, but oh well. I did get sort of discouraged when I had to send in my Day 30 progress photos, because I didn't really see THAT much of a difference, but 6 pounds is nothing to shake your head at, and when Kyle told me I looked thinner, that made me feel pretty good. Even though he chose to tell me that as I was shoveling mounds of sweet potato into my mouth. Whatevs. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Even if I wasn't getting married, I'd still be working this hard. I'm going to the beach for god's sake! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The holidays really messed me up, and I was eager to start up again, and that plus trying to eat as Paleo as possible has definitely helped me get back on track.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm planning to incorporate running into my week again soon. I actually had planned to do that this week, but then a March blizzard showed up and I just don't know if I can get up at 6:30 and run in the snow. I can only do so much. Really though, I'm just trying to keep up with one of my besties <a href="https://twitter.com/JennWould" target="_blank">Jennifer Wood</a>, because that girl runs <b>every single effing day</b>. I know because the Map My Run app tells me so! Go, pretty lady, go!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One last thing, Justin Timberlake is BACK and I've never been happier.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I hope everyone is staying warm during this not-so-springlike week. Like really, what is up with the snow, Mother Nature? I'll probably wear leggings and boots on Easter. Cool.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-69942989735345176532013-03-10T16:24:00.000-04:002013-03-10T16:24:00.036-04:00paleo-my-darlin'<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So apparently, this Paleo thing really works, and I thought I'd tell you all about what I'm experiencing so far.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've lost 4 pounds since starting it, which doesn't sound like much, but the scale literally hadn't budged an ounce since Christmas, no matter what I ate or how much I exercised. So that's something! Just to be totally clear, I haven't gone 100% Paleo. I eat hummus sometimes, and we've been drinking beer with dinner for the past week, because, well, it's in the fridge, and I still use coffee creamer, because I just can't give that up. I'd say about 90% of what we've been eating is Paleo approved, and all but a few things have been delicious and things I would love to eat again. There have been a couple of way-too-spicy recipes I've made that Kyle would rather not revisit, but those can be saved with a few changes.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After eating pretty strictly all last week, I planned for us to have a treat meal at our favorite BBQ place that serves <b>BBQ NACHOS</b>. Yes. So exciting, right?! Well, I thought it was at first. We ate and it was delicious until about halfway through, but then I started feeling like <i>total crap</i>. It felt like there was a brick in my stomach. Real cute, I know. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I ate great all week, felt good all week, only to reward myself with a delicious meal of misery. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Makes total sense.</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I don't know that the nachos will be our treat meal next time. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've also noticed just how hard it can be to eat this way without some serious planning. On Friday, we were running low on food, so I just packed Kyle the last of the leftovers for his lunch and I planned to just get something at the store on my break from work. I went to Fresh Market, which you would think would be filled with options. Nope. Not really. I got some soup and some blood oranges. The soup was fine, but not what I really wanted, and it didn't fill me up like some of the previous lunches I'd been having. It just didn't really cut it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I've often fallen victim to trying new things based on what others say, only to be disappointed in the end…like that really expensive face cream I bought that everyone was raving about and said it would brighten my skin overnight. But with this, I have yet to be disappointed, and my skin is looking better all the time, and not because of the face cream because I accidentally left it in West Virginia. Usually when I wake up, my skin is red and sort of looking like someone has slapped me, but today I woke up to this. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Whaa?</span> Yes, I look sort of sleepy <i>(damn you, daylight savings), </i>but my skin isn't red. Or splotchy. Or uneven. I totally think it has to do with what I've been eating (and not eating). And just to be clear, I was <b>not</b> eating candy or McDonald's or potato chips before starting Paleo. I was just eating what I thought was healthy and easy. Frozen Healthy Choice meals, granola, low-fat cheese and whole wheat crackers. These things don't sound that bad, but apparently, something about them wasn't working well with my body, and now that they're gone, I feel better and my skin is evening out. I don't think that's a coincidence, and if something can make that happen for me, I will love it with my whole heart. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also I feel like I should say this…these things might totally work for some of you, but they stopped working for me. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When my dad first started getting interested in Paleo, and he and I were talking to our family about it, I said "Don't eat bread, dairy, beans or processed foods," and my sister said "Well, what do we eat, then?!" </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Good question. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here are a few recipes I've made so far that were delicious. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://paleomg.com/chicken-tortilla-soup/" target="_blank">Chicken Tortilla Soup</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was the recipe that almost killed Kyle because it was so spicy. Take note of the amount of heat you like if you decide to follow this recipe.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.multiplydelicious.com/thefood/2012/01/skillet-sweet-potato-sausage-and-spinach-hash/" target="_blank">Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Zucchini Pizza Bites</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://paleomg.com/leftovers-bbq-chicken-burgers-crispy-sweet-potato-fries/" target="_blank">BBQ Turkey Burger with Sweet Potato Fries</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">These also were pretty spicy because of the cayenne pepper. Again, take note.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://paleomg.com/sweet-potato-chai-muffins/" target="_blank">Sweet Potato Chai Muffins</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://nomnompaleo.com/post/1670459416/roasted-brussels-sprouts-and-bacon" target="_blank">Brussel Sprouts with Bacon</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm planning on making a Paleo-ized version of my mom's meatloaf this week, too. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So there are some ideas. The links to those recipes are from the three main blogs I've been reading and getting ideas from. Here they are again, just in case.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://paleomg.com/" target="_blank">PaleOMG</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://nomnompaleo.com/" target="_blank">NomNomPaleo</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://www.multiplydelicious.com/" target="_blank">Multiply Delicious</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm entering into my fourth week of Paleo, and I'm <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>weirdly excited</i></span>. Here's to more adventurous cooking and better health.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-77852273173103536832013-02-27T15:46:00.002-05:002013-02-28T12:25:11.174-05:00turbo+paleo<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w3HV7sUrMi0/US5wRl5d5NI/AAAAAAAACCE/8zpJr00aauI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w3HV7sUrMi0/US5wRl5d5NI/AAAAAAAACCE/8zpJr00aauI/s320/photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, my sister and I have signed up for a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/TurboFire?fref=ts" target="_blank">TurboFire 90 Day Challenge</a>. You can win prizes, but I thought that would be a good way to motivate myself to work out like a crazy person before going to the beach and getting married. Plus if I am going to spend $100 on the new bathing suit I want from Anthropologie, I sure as hell want to look good in it. You know what doesn't make you look good? Standing in weird positions wearing tight clothes for the "before" pictures you have to send in for the contest. That shiz makes you wanna cry.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I feel like I'm finally back on track. I didn't <i>totally</i> disregard what I was eating and stop working out, but I definitely wasn't doing as much as before, and I was back to talking myself into believing that two<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">(hundred)</span> bowls of Frosted Flakes wouldn't kill me. <b>Bad. News. Bears.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In the last few weeks, I've eased myself back into a routine, then Taylor and I decided to sign up for the contest, and I started reading about Paleo eating. All of these things happened in a relatively short span of time. I mentioned Paleo to my dad a few weeks ago, and he seemed super interested, which was a surprise to me, because normally he's all <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Where are the Little Debbies?"</span> But he had me print out some things for him about what to eat/what not to eat, and then a week or so later, he was reading a book all about Paleo. <b><i>Whaa??</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think what sold him were all the stories of how people turned their health around by giving up processed foods. That and the fact that it gives you a long list of meat my dad can eat. It's not just salads and tiny portions, it's stuff he already likes and will enjoy just as much without the bread or cheese. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Eating this way makes sense to me. I'm not going to say that I'm never going to eat bread or dairy again, because I know that I will, but if I don't buy it, I won't eat it. Kyle and I don't buy a lot of bread, anyway, but we do buy processed stuff and dairy. Just cutting out the processed stuff for the last few weeks has made me feel so much better. Like it's weird how much better I feel. It might take my dad a little longer to feel it, because like he said <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"I've been eating like this for 54 years. I think my body is going to do some weird stuff,"</span> but I think he will be surprised at how good he feels by not eating so many things from a package. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My mom has been a little hesitant about "the changes that are gonna happen around here," (my dad's words) but I think she's looking at it from a financial perspective at this point. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Coconut oil is NINE DOLLARS!"</span> she told me. Yes, mom. I know. But Crisco can fix squeaky door handles, just like Minny says in <i>The Help</i>. I also think she's worried that my dad is going to change his tune whenever he REALLY wants a sleeve of Oreos, but I told her that he'll get over it. Eventually.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think she's also worried about having to re-learn everything she's known her whole like about cooking. But really, all that has to change is the ingredients. Plus, my mom grew up in a generation that believed cigarettes and diet pop made you skinny. Which may be true, but they don't make you healthy, and that's the difference. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As I (and my parents) get older, I worry about them more, and this is one way they can help themselves. I told my dad I don't care if he loses one pound from changing the way he eats, but I just want to know that they are eating good things that are actual foods instead of packaged products with things they can't pronounce. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anyway, she's coming around. She told me she bought the coconut oil and fresh deli meat, not from a package. I don't think my family is going to be able to stop bread and dairy forever, either, but I think if they could just get rid of the cereals called "Marshmallow Mateys" and not buy so many frozen, pre-cooked things and learn to read labels, then I think they will feel a lot better. I'm definitely not blaming them. It's just how we have learned to live. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thanks to the wonderful</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://thiswildpreciouslife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sara Queen</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;">, I read an article in the</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/24/magazine/the-extraordinary-science-of-junk-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times Magazine</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;">about how processed foods are designed to be addictive, and that just added to my list of reasons why I should give that crap up. The information is there, we just have to take it into account and really think about what we're eating.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, that's what's up on 106 Rose Drive. I'm sorry this has been a little rambl-y.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let me know what (if any) Paleo recipes you like! Here's to the next 84 days of Turbo! ouch.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-8866910861756652812013-02-14T13:49:00.002-05:002013-02-14T13:49:26.925-05:00west virginia cowboy: part four<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Today is one of my favorite holidays, because it encourages you to really appreciate the people in your life who love you. When things are crazy and you're so busy you barely have time to think, it's easy to forget to tell your people you love them. So, this year is a little different than previous Valentine's Days I've had. Kyle and I are busy with life things, neither of us have each other's gifts prepared, and I've traveled a lot during the last few days for something that isn't fun at all.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">By now, you know about Corey, but I haven't spent enough time talking about the people he left behind. His sister, his mother, and his daddy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Corey was a cowboy because his dad taught him to be. Kelsey is a good-hearted, smart, strong woman, because her daddy taught her to be. And Tina is a wonderful mother because Jeff was there beside her to be her babies' father.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On Sunday morning, Jeff died of a broken heart. I really believe that. Kelsey wrote on Corey's Facebook wall that she guessed it was only fair that he get a parent in heaven and she get one on earth, but I know that doesn't make losing her daddy and her brother any easier.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm not sure why bad (read "really freaking awful") things happen to good (read "amazing, strong, loving") people. I don't know what "plan" could possibly be in play with this, but I do know that Tina and Kelsey Queen are two of the strongest women I've ever met.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I know this isn't my typical V-day post, but my point is that today is about the <b>people you love</b>, and these two women are missing the two people they love the most. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">While I'm so heartbroken for my family and friends, I am also incredibly thankful for the people in my life who love me. It's weird being so sad and so grateful at the same time. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, please go hug the people you love. Hug them really freaking tight. If you can't hug them, call them. Don't use Valentine's Day as an excuse, either. Hug them <i>all the time</i>. Hold onto the moments with them for as long as you can. I promise, you won't regret it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-44047622007123145642012-12-31T17:13:00.002-05:002012-12-31T17:13:26.630-05:00another year<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the beginning of this year, <a href="http://lemon-dropp.blogspot.com/2012/01/setting-myself-up.html" target="_blank">I said I was going to do a lot of things</a>. Now, it's time to see how I did and plan for the upcoming year. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>So a little recap for 2012…</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>live healthier</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. I've lived one of the healthiest years of my life, but not really because I've done so well with eating healthy or because I've worked out every day…because I haven't…it's more because my mindset changed. I'm conscious of what I'm eating and doing. I know that nachos aren't a food group, but they are delicious and I'm going to indulge in them every once in a while. I don't believe in depriving yourself, but as the year has passed, I've grown more responsible for what I'm putting into my body and how active I am, and I'm healthier because of it…both physically and mentally.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>create more</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. I did some freelance work for a while, created simple design work for my Etsy account, and learned to crochet. I dove into several DIY projects, including making some Halloween decorations for the door using stuff I had laying around the house. Creating things has helped make me less stressed, but has definitely made our house a little messier.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>start planning the wedding</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes! In case you didn't know, I'm engaged now. Weird! So now I'm officially planning the wedding for September. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>get a bike</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope. Where we live really isn't conducive to bike riding. We basically live on a strip mall, so a bike might be dangerous. Maybe next year…</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>plant a garden</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. Kinda. I started some plants in containers, because when I tried to dig up a part of the yard, I found that the dirt was basically clay. Not really good for plants. So I had several plants on the porch. Some grew nicely, some didn't. And any time I had to leave to go out of town and leave Kyle to take care of them, he would forget to water them and they'd dry up and be dust when I came home. So again, maybe next year…</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>volunteer</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope. I did take a part time job working for a nonprofit organization, though. But yeah, not really volunteering because I get paid.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">start running</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes! I haven't kept it up like I'd hoped, but I participated in two 5Ks with Kyle and my family and friends. Super fun. And I got a North Face jacket for Christmas, so no excuses about the weather being too cold now! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>write more letters</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. I joined something called moreloveletters.com, but I need to keep it up!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>learn to take a compliment</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. I'm working on it. I honestly think about this all the time and make a conscious effort to take one gracefully. But yeah, I still need some work.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>learn to be patient</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. Kyle would probably argue with me here. Some things just don't require a fit of impatience, and I'm trying to deal with that.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>write more</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. I have written less blog posts this year, but I've written more in other ways. For instance, I started writing about the conversations that Kyle and I have before we fall asleep. I'd try to remember them each morning and type them into a document. Sometimes they are sweet, and sometimes they are hilarious/ridiculous. I've found that to be a nice way to keep track of memories and allow me to write some each day. I need to keep that up, too.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>travel more</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. We went to Nashville and Savannah, and we've driven back to Huntington about a bajillion times. So I guess that counts. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>pay off credit cards</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. Well, two of them are paid off, and I still have two more. Progress, I guess.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>update blog</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. I decided to create a new website altogether, so that's what I'm working on now. I'm hoping to have it up in the next couple of months!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>read a book a week</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope. I would say I read a book about every month. Which is NOT what I wanted to do. Work harder on this one, for sure.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>be more thoughtful</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. Since Kyle is basically the only person I see on a daily basis, this mostly relates to him. I try to remember to do tiny things for him that will make his day nicer or easier, but I definitely need to do this more. And I think I should make a bigger effort to text or call or send people things in the mail, just to let them know I'm thinking of them. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>love deeper</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. As you grow up, I feel like you realize how important your people are more and more. I have never loved Kyle more than I do right now, and I will probably love him more with each day we are together. And my family and friends…I can't say enough about them. Being away from them makes me love them more all the time, because I've realized how much I need them. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>read bible/pray more</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. I pray a lot more than I used to, but I still don't read very much. I've got to make time for that. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>be more organized</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kinda. Kyle is really good at organizing things. I'm not. But I've done an okay job at making sure things have a place…even if that place is the coffee table.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>drink more water</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes. Absolutely. I have finally started drinking enough water consistently, and now, if I go a day without drinking very much of it (like at Christmas, when it was all coffee, iced tea, and coke zero), I almost feel sick. And my skin is dry. And I wake up feeling like I'm stranded in the Sahara. So yeah. I get an A for water drinking.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overall, I give myself a C. Not that great. If this were high school and this were a real report card, I might have cried. But whatever. I'm not going to forget about these goals for 2013. I have new goals, plus my old ones, so I guess I'll be busy again this year. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>For 2013…</b></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x6PCrm84CwU/UOIMQZlf42I/AAAAAAAACAM/Oea1WeFnkeM/s1600/2013goals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x6PCrm84CwU/UOIMQZlf42I/AAAAAAAACAM/Oea1WeFnkeM/s320/2013goals.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel like all of these are pretty self-explanatory, and mostly just extensions of last year's. But <i>"stop keeping score"</i> is definitely going to be a hard one.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've realized this year, that I like to keep score. If Kyle asks me to do something, I sometimes come back with "I did it last time" or "It's your turn." I'm not really sure why it even matters, but I do this. And I don't like that about myself. It goes beyond "turns," too. I'll even say "I swept the floors, so you can change the lightbulb." That's just not how I should go about things. It's like I want recognition for mundane crap that doesn't matter. Who wants to hang out with someone like that? So I'm going to try to work on that this year. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Year's Eve may seem stressful sometimes, but it's a time of hope and opportunity and change. It's a new year and now is the time to make a change if you want one. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope everyone's evening is fun and safe, and that 2013 looks bright for you.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cheers!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-28489798795883623852012-12-01T19:01:00.001-05:002012-12-01T19:50:38.892-05:00antibride<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm really not your typical bride. Or maybe I am, and I just have these preconceived notions about brides.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I don't really care about feeling like a princess or whatever on my wedding day. My hair is probably just going to look like the best version of itself for my wedding, nothing new or done up. And I would <b>rather not</b> have "two hearts become one" printed on our programs. Kyle and I have our own, separate hearts, that make each of our bodies work. So that's that. I mean, obviously we love each other, but I think there are cooler ways for us to express that to our families and friends at our wedding. I don't want to walk down the aisle to the Wedding March or have vases of sand or dance with my dad to "Butterfly Kisses." All of those things are all beautiful and wonderful for the right people, they just aren't right for me. So, yeah, I'd say I'm sort of an <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>antibride</i></span>.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, <i>then I ordered my wedding dress. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think I said I <b>wasn't</b> going to order it just yet. I think I said I wanted to just try some on and then think it over. That's what I said. Then, something <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>magical</i></span> happened and I became a bride while standing in front of the mirror at The Rose Tree. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's the story.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I was in town staying with my family for the week of Thanksgiving, so we figured that would be a good time to go try on some dresses. No work or school for anyone, so, yeah, perfect. I'm not really sure why I thought this was a good idea, but I decided that David's Bridal would be a good place to start. Nothing against David's Bridal, but this was just not a good experience for me. The night before we had decided to go, I started getting some serious anxiety about the whole thing. I was manically texting Kyle, who was still in Tennessee at the time, and he's all "Chill out, crazy lady." He didn't understand! I was going to have to go try on dresses and come out in them for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>everyone to see</b></span>, and then have everyone tell me their thoughts and feelings about how I looked in them. <b>Who the eff wants to do that?</b> <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Not. Me.</span></b> But I know it's just part of this whole wedding process, so I had to bite the bullet and move on.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On Monday morning, I chose a comfortable but cute outfit for shopping that was easily removed and put back on in dressing rooms. Little did I know how handy this would be when I was ready to fly out of that dressing room and <b>GTFO</b> of there. My mom drove my sister, brother and I to David's Bridal, and the whole time I'm getting increasingly more nervous. I get there, register, get a consultant and talk to her about what I'm looking for. As I'm talking to her I realize, <b>I have no effing clue what I want</b>. I'm telling her a million different things, and somehow I've become one of those crazy people from Say Yes to the Dress who want everything and nothing at the same time. My mind is whirling, but I see some really beautiful Vera Wang gowns and think "This might not be so bad."</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My consultant picks out a few dresses for me and makes sure to tell me that she has to pull dresses that are actually way bigger than I need because of how they are sized and tries to reassure me that she's not trying to offend me, when what she actually did is just make me more nervous and self-conscious. Awesome. I've bought formal dresses before, I know the drill.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So I go into the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>mirrorless, coat-closet-sized dressing room</i></span> and begin to put on the undergarments she gave me. A corset and a weird slip thing with some tulle on it. The corset is too big, the slip is too small, and there's gum stuck onto the walls in the dressing room. This is off to a <i>great</i> start.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">She put me into 6 dresses in the hour-and-a-half's time I was there. I tried on the Vera Wang one, and as beautiful as it was, it just wasn't right for me. It was too big on the bottom, too much going on for an outdoor wedding, and while it was beautifully made, it was not the most flattering thing for me. Three of the others were ok, and the other two I <b>hated to my very core</b>, but still put on a nice smile and tried to be polite and stand there for a respectful amount of time since it took her 10 minutes to get me into one of the because it had a lace-up back, which I hate.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At one point while the consultant was going back to pull more dresses, I turned to my mom, sister and brother and said, with a few more choice words, that I was ready to go and became more frustrated when my mother informed me that I'd only been there for half an hour. I survived and was so glad to get that corset off and my leggings back on. <i>Flustered and frustrated</i>, we went to Panera for some lunch and regrouping. My family didn't really understand why I was on the verge of breaking out in hives, because the consultant was indeed very nice and it was the first time I'd tried on dresses. The entire thing was just not what I'd expected and I was already feeling defeated and self-consious. Honestly, there is nothing worse than trying on formalwear and bathing suits. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After lunch, we started driving back toward Huntington, and decided to go to The Rose Tree because my friend Jessica was working and there weren't really any customers there to bother us. We arrive, me with <b>a newly sore nail that I have nervously chewed to the quick</b> in the car after the David's Bridal fiasco, and I think to myself "You just need to try some on and see what you like. Just stay calm." Here's the thing about The Rose Tree. They have horror stories of their own. <i>Alteration mishaps, ordering the wrong dress, snobby workers, etc.</i> I've heard them all and even been involved in some, and while I understand that these things happen sometimes, I just really wanted to avoid dealing with any sort of dress shop altogether. I'd order my dress online and that would be that. But the problem with The Rose Tree is that no matter how many bad things you've heard about them, the truth is that they have REALLY great stuff and really know what they're doing. Their lighting is better, they have nicer dresses and the experience of trying on dresses there is just an overall better one. Since Jessica was there helping me, too, it was so much better than David's Bridal. She knows me and knows what the wedding is going to be like, she's been married already and knows what goes into it and how stressful it can be, and she's my friend so there was no fear of hurting her feelings if I hated a dress she picked for me to try. She would just say, <b>"Ok, you don't like it? Next!"</b> Just what I needed. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So here I am, all <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"Not getting a dress today, dodododah,"</span></i> and she puts me in the first one. Something happened. I know people say <b>you just know</b> when it's the right dress, but I never believed them. I always thought that was a crock for those princess-y brides. Well, people, when you are put into a dress that is flattering and beautiful and you're standing on that little white box with the nice lights hitting your face and making everything sparkle, then you know. <b>It's real.</b> I even had the hugest zit ever on my chin and it was like it just sort of disappeared. Or I just didn't notice it anymore. The weirdest thing was that <i>this dress</i> was not at all what I thought I wanted. I said I didn't want beads, it has beads. I only tried on strapless dresses at David's Bridal, but this one has straps. I thought I wanted lace, but this dress has none. But somehow, when I put this dress on, I went from being a <i>grumpy, stressed out, engaged girl with a gnawed off fingernail</i>, to a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">bride</span>. I tried on a few other dresses after that one, just to see, and I just kept thinking about the first one. So we put that one back on, and it was like when Flora, Fauna and Merryweather make Aurora's dress in Sleeping Beauty and she goes and dances with the Prince. As princess-y as that is, it is true. It was like it was meant for me. Jessica picked out a jeweled hair comb for me that matched the dress and stuck it in my hair and I just laughed and said "Who am I?" My family was crying. It was the weirdest and best thing ever. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I told Jessica I was going to sleep on it that night before deciding anything, and then I literally <i>had dreams about the dress</i>. So I took that as a good sign. I waited until their Black Friday sale and went to order it with my mom and sister and one of my oldest friends, Zachary. I want to take all of my girlfriends and cousins to see it when it comes in, so that will be wonderful. I've already showed most of them a photo, but I'm anxious for them to see it in person. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now that the dress is ordered, I feel so much better. I didn't expect to feel so relieved, but I do, and now I feel like Kyle and I can really plan things. It's starting to feel a little more exciting and a little less stressful. I'm still an antibride, just an antibride with a dress. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-49374668328440668852012-11-13T08:13:00.000-05:002012-11-13T08:13:49.479-05:00twentyone<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My sister is 21 today. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Twenty-one.</span> Eek!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Taylor is the middle child in our family, and I think God knew what He was doing when He put us in the order He did. You know how you have bookends on a shelf, and sometimes they don't really stand up unless there are actually books in between them?<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> That's us.</span></i> Casey and I are the bookends and Taylor is the book in the middle that holds it all up. <b>She balances us.</b> Casey and I would probably just fall over if Taylor wasn't there in the middle. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When we were little, I was sort of mean. Not really because I wanted to hurt anyone's feelings, but because I thought it was funny. Which I guess makes me even meaner than I thought. <i>Anyway</i>...there is a home video that my dad took with a new videocamera, so he's really just testing it out, and my sister is standing on top of one of those big popcorn tins and smiling this hilarious smile, like she thinks dad is taking her picture. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">She's just standing there. Smiling.</span> I'm laughing just typing this out and thinking about it. Then out of nowhere, I knock her off the tin and get up on it myself and start doing something ridiculous and not nearly as funny as my little sister standing there waiting for the flash. I was an attention whore. <i>Sorry, sister. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm so proud of my sister and proud to be her sister. She's beautiful and smart and hilarious and she cares about people. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>She loves me even when I'm being crazy or pushing her off of popcorn tins</i></span> and she always tells me the truth even when I don't want to hear it. We trust each other. We know each other. <b>We love each other. </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Having siblings has been one of my biggest blessings, and I'm so excited to celebrate my sister's birthday with them when I go home this weekend.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>Happy birthday, sister.</i></span> Put the champagne in the fridge. I'm on my way to celebrate!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-9471453405069026932012-11-01T16:50:00.003-04:002012-11-01T16:52:46.054-04:00thursday's list<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Well, it's officially November. How did that happen? Anyway, here's a list of random thoughts and happenings. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><i>thursday ten</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1. I came home to a broken freezer yesterday. Everything was melted and watery and I'm waiting for our unreliable landlord to get here. He said he'd be here in about an hour <b>27 HOURS AGO</b>.* Yes, that's more than a day late. Apparently he's on his way now, but I told Kyle I'll believe it when I see it.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2. One of my bfs, <a href="https://twitter.com/anotherkj" target="_blank">Kristin</a>, survived Sandy in NYC and I want to hear all the details about it when I (hopefully) see her this weekend. Haven't seen her since July! And while I'm excited to see her and hear everything, I am truly sad for everyone who lost their homes. <b><3</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3. Tonight, I'm going to Target to buy all the Halloween candy that's going to be on sale. <b>Big plans, people.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4. I've entered like 12 contests to win money for my wedding. So far, nothing. I know, I'm a dweeb.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5. I love Spotify. I know I'm like the last one in the world to get one, but whatever. I like to be sure of things before I make a true commitment. Just ask Kyle. ;) JK. <i>I knew he was it when I was 17. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6. I really want to get my hands on the new <a href="http://www.narscosmetics.com/" target="_blank">NARS Andy Warhol</a> collection. It looks pretty amazing.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7. I can't get over how awesome these costumes are. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Ellie Stapleton and Bradley Hammond as Claire & Charlie from LOST</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBdZeQiOYBk/UJLfWJfMlRI/AAAAAAAAB5g/6h3reXIav5Q/s1600/tobias.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iBdZeQiOYBk/UJLfWJfMlRI/AAAAAAAAB5g/6h3reXIav5Q/s320/tobias.png" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Lauren Herman as Tobias from Arrested Development</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I mean, how great are those?!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8. Kyle and I saw Cloud Atlas last night, and honestly, I have very little idea what even happened. I mean, I understand the main parts, but the whole time I kept telling myself "You're going to totally get this any minute now. It's all going to come together soon." It sort of did, but it was weird. And I like weird! So I don't know…I'm still trying to decide my true feelings about it. The best part was that I snuck a container full of s'mores into the movie. And we ate them all. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9. The only movies I can think about right now are Les Miserables and Lincoln. I mean, OMG.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10. I got a temporary job today and I'm hoping Kyle will buy me a congratulatory <a href="http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/run/Run-Puddle-Jumper-Jacket?cc=9732&skuId=3457458&catId=run" target="_blank">lululemon running jacket</a>. No? </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To end this wildly unorganized post, here's a little Throwback Thursday action for you.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Taylor pulling my hair out</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Casey without pants and Taylor rocking a windbreaker</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Casey and I wearing a pair of weirdly similar Easter shoes</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">* The landlord finally showed up and "fixed" the fridge. We'll see. </span></div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-12698954277740634632012-10-29T11:04:00.000-04:002012-10-29T11:04:26.210-04:00west virginia cowboy: part three<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;">over the weekend, i got to go to a bonfire at tina and jeff's house. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://losingalegend.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank">kelsey</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"> was having people over and when i found out about it, i knew i had to go…not because of an obligation, but because </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;"><i>i physically needed to be around people who understand. </i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we got to talk and catch up and tell stories about corey together. telling stories about him might not seem like something you would want to do at a party, but of course we did, because, well, <b>he should be there.</b> he is there. his memory is all over the place.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it was good to be around kelsey and hug her and be able to talk to her about the <b>crazy people</b> who have really been driving everyone insane. i know kelsey and our friends who knew corey well understand that being around each other is easier than being around strangers or friends who didn't know him. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>it's more comfortable, </i></span>for lack of a better word. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">since corey died, it's been difficult to be around people who just don't get it. kelsey talks about this pretty often in her blog and talked to me about it as we stood in the dark outside her parents' house. it's like this feeling of <b>anxiety</b> that no one around you understands and you just want to scream at them <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>"don't you know that he's gone?!"</i></span> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">after the bonfire, i realized just how<b> therapeutic</b> it was to be with some of my oldest friends. these people are my first friends and the people who knew corey best, and no matter how far away i live or how long we go without seeing each other, they will always be some of <b>my people.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">no matter where kyle and i live, we will always know <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.kyledyer.com/the-journey-home/" target="_blank">where home is</a></span>, and while it might seem that being home would be harder because there are so many corey memories, it actually feels better because i feel closer to him there. i feel closer to everyone i love, not just because that's where they are geographically, but because of the memories and the sense of belonging.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">home is where my people are.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">home is where i can work on dealing with corey being gone after just 24 years of life.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>home is where everything makes a little more sense.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-84112982713845452492012-10-25T10:22:00.002-04:002012-10-26T10:02:01.102-04:00hocus pocus<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px;">Yesterday started off with me being so sore from my workout the day before, that it was hard to get out of bed, so i spent most of the day fighting a headache and my insanely sore muscles. I just did random things around the house most of the day, and feeling in a generally weird mood. And then I thought of something that would make me feel better.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><b>Hocus Pocus. Obviously.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I love Halloween. Kyle said to me a week or so ago, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>"I have been with you for a long time and I still don't get your fascination with Halloween."</i></span> Whatever, Kyle.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I always think of Hocus Pocus during this time of year, because it was one of those movies that I would watch over and over and it was always funny, and as I watched it last night, as a 24 year old, there were things that made me laugh even harder now because I actually understand them.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>(as the townspeople are trying to break down their door)</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><b>Winifred</b> (Bette Midler)<b>:</b> Don't get your knickers in a twist! We're just three kindly old spinster ladies.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><b>Mary</b> (Kathy Najimy)<b>:</b> Spending a quiet evening at home.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's really all very creepy. I mean, they're sucking the life out of children! But I would still sing their weird children-luring song all through October.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>"Come little children / I'll take thee away / Into a land of enchantment. / Come little children / the time's come to play / Here in my garden of magic." </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>How effing creepy is that?! </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Throughout the entire movie, everyone consistently reminds poor Max that he's a virgin and that he lit <b>that damn black flame candle</b> and brought back those crazy <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sanderson Sisters</span></i>, when all he wanted to do was impress that hottie Allison and possibly touch her "yabbos." I'm willing to bet the being a virgin part made it all way worse. And Max's little sister, Dani, is 8 years old and usually the one reminding him and everyone else that he's a virgin.<b> Does she even know what that means?!</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i><b>Winifred:</b> You know, I've always wanted a child. And now I think I'll have one…ON TOAST!</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At one point, the witches are chasing the kids as they drive a car (how old are they?!) and Winifred flies up next to the car on a broom. She says, <i>"Pull over! Let me see your driver's permit!" </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I find this really funny because she is supposed to be from 1693. The sisters didn't know what a blacktop road was, didn't understand the concept of trick-or-treating and were afraid of the city bus that pulled up beside them, but somehow Winifred knows that Max needs a driver's permit. <b>huh?</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Growing up, I think we probably wore out our VHS tape we had of it, just like we did with <i>Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</i>, and it started to play all warped and weird after so many times in the VCR. Watching it last night made me think of my siblings and being piled up on the couch with them in our pajamas and thinking about our costumes and who will get the most candy.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Obviously I don't really dress up anymore. Kyle doesn't like it really and we never actually have a party to go to, so we just eat candy and take pictures of Brady and my cousins in their costumes and carve pumpkins. But I always enjoy this time of year. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's the one day of the year (unless you're an actor or a con-artist) you get to be someone else...a PowerRanger, a Hunger Games tribute, Harry Potter...you can be anything. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That childhood love of dressing up will probably always be with me, and I'll probably always want to watch Hocus Pocus.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Get with the program, Kyle.</span> Halloween is freaking great.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-36226835601137282042012-10-22T16:17:00.005-04:002012-10-22T16:17:53.036-04:00crossroad<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm at point right now where there are a bunch of different things i want to do, and i just need to choose what to do first.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i want to change my blog and/or transfer it over to my wordpress site.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i want to get serious about some wedding things.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i want to carve a pumpkin.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i want to make hot mulled apple cider.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i want to write a short story book. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i want to figure out how to make/do cool things and that be my job.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><b><i>womp womp.</i></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i am thinking of transforming my blog/website into something more organized and detailed, with different sections and topics, such as recipes, beauty, etc. i'm just at a sort of crossroad with where i want to go from here. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><b>what do you like to read about? what interests you? i'd love to hear your thoughts!</b></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-42953414100630513732012-10-12T13:24:00.000-04:002012-10-12T13:24:47.337-04:00ghost decoration diy<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SKZt6aosfaA/UHhONNg_hgI/AAAAAAAAB0g/XjdB7gPIIoQ/s1600/image_10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SKZt6aosfaA/UHhONNg_hgI/AAAAAAAAB0g/XjdB7gPIIoQ/s320/image_10.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">i thought a little diy tutorial might be fun for a friday. i made these little ghosts to hang on our front door for halloween, and i just used things i had around the house and was able to recycle some things! super easy!</span><div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">materials</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">some old plastic bags (like from target or kroger)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">white fabric (i used an old top that i no longer wear)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">white or gray tulle</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">twine or some sort of string</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">pins</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">pieces of red and brown fabric (i used scraps of felt)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">hot glue gun</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">black marker</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">wire</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">scissors</span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">step one</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">roll up several of the bags to make a ball, then put the ball inside one of the bags and twist it around to make the ghost shape.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hEotU3CcuIY/UHhOK24clZI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/XF_1Np5dG1w/s1600/image_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hEotU3CcuIY/UHhOK24clZI/AAAAAAAAB0Y/XF_1Np5dG1w/s320/image_1.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">step two</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">place the fabric over top of the ball, then the tulle, and twist that around to make the ghost.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K8Ub1PZYq0E/UHhOSRyMXdI/AAAAAAAAB0o/Slt-RXT-E1M/s1600/image_2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K8Ub1PZYq0E/UHhOSRyMXdI/AAAAAAAAB0o/Slt-RXT-E1M/s320/image_2.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">step three</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">wrap some of the twine or string around the ball and tie tightly. snip off any of the hanging strands of the string with scissors.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uUQ2W2tvcXc/UHhOX5onZ7I/AAAAAAAAB00/ljvRkrUtUw0/s1600/image_3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uUQ2W2tvcXc/UHhOX5onZ7I/AAAAAAAAB00/ljvRkrUtUw0/s320/image_3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">step four</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">take the pins and draw on the tips with the black marker. add the pins to the head of the ghost to make the eyes.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JjVneosAMjk/UHhOdIrzS3I/AAAAAAAAB08/yWb8Di_wzFE/s1600/image_4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JjVneosAMjk/UHhOdIrzS3I/AAAAAAAAB08/yWb8Di_wzFE/s320/image_4.jpeg" width="239" /></a></span></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P7673KTTv4M/UHhOhmVGN0I/AAAAAAAAB1E/KodcvZp9LI8/s1600/image_5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P7673KTTv4M/UHhOhmVGN0I/AAAAAAAAB1E/KodcvZp9LI8/s320/image_5.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">step five</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">draw the shape for the mouth of the ghost on the felt/fabric. i made red lips and a mustache, but you could make whatever type of mouth you want. a simple black circle would make a spookier ghost! cut out the shape and hot glue them to the ghost's face.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iRgqbn-1Yb8/UHhOrpY4oAI/AAAAAAAAB1U/uf4XZUoeZWM/s1600/image_7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iRgqbn-1Yb8/UHhOrpY4oAI/AAAAAAAAB1U/uf4XZUoeZWM/s320/image_7.jpeg" width="239" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PW9RIsWkOnk/UHhQzoJlpgI/AAAAAAAAB1w/OmZYkUA-yb4/s1600/image_8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PW9RIsWkOnk/UHhQzoJlpgI/AAAAAAAAB1w/OmZYkUA-yb4/s320/image_8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">step six</span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">cut off a short piece of wire and weave it through the tulle on the top of the ghost's head. twist it to make it into a small loop, then snip off any excess pieces of the wire.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONUV-VXS6P8/UHhO1v7_g-I/AAAAAAAAB1o/07CXLEt-Em0/s1600/image_9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ONUV-VXS6P8/UHhO1v7_g-I/AAAAAAAAB1o/07CXLEt-Em0/s320/image_9.jpeg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hang up the ghost on your front door or wherever you want.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">i hope you enjoyed this little halloween diy. kyle doesn't understand my obsession with halloween, but i don't care. i love it! we're supposed to go on a hike this weekend (aka a walk with a trail and some trees. i don't really like hikes), so that should be fun.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">let me know if you make any ghosts or other halloween decorations!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-2060866714532721512012-10-10T22:32:00.001-04:002012-10-10T22:32:22.922-04:00west virginia cowboy: part two<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i've never lost someone so unexpectedly. not that you're ever totally prepared for someone to die, but with corey, there was absolutely no preparation. when your grandparents die, there is normally some thought process or realization that they are getting older, they are getting sicker, and they won't be around forever. when it's someone <b>young</b>, it is pretty much always going to feel like it came out of nowhere. <i>like he was stolen.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i feel guilty even writing about my feelings when i know <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://losingalegend.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">his sister</a></span> and parents are more devastated than i've ever thought of being, but i haven't stopped thinking about corey since september 21st and <i>i can't get his brown eyes out of my head. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hearing of corey's death was like someone kicked me in the stomach and when i heard my mom say "corey queen," my eyesight went all weird and white like in a movie when they show you what someone feels like as they are passing out. that's what i felt like. i cried before i hit the ground and kyle hugged me as i wailed. and again, if i felt like <b>that</b>, what did his mother feel like when she heard? i'm not sure i even want to know.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">not everyone understands the relationship corey and i had, and i'm not sure i even care to explain it. but it was special. when you meet someone at the age of 11 and stay friends for each year of life after that, <b>it's bound to be special</b>. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i went to west virginia this past weekend and kyle stayed in tennessee. when i got back on sunday evening, the house was clean and one of the first things kyle said to me was,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> "i found some pictures of corey."</i></span> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">one of them was one i'd been looking for but hadn't told him about. it's from our junior year of high school at the spirit week pep rally at the football field. he's standing on the front row of the bleachers and <b>he's smiling</b>. and for whatever reason, he's not wearing red or black like every single person around him, but orange.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">when kyle said that he had found these photos, i felt simultaneously sad and blessed. <b>sad</b> that i was going to look at photos of corey, knowing he was no longer here on this earth with me, and <b>blessed</b> that i am with a person who somehow knew i'd been looking for these photos and knew i wanted to see them.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">last week while i was home by myself one day, i listened to the voicemails i had on my phone from corey. the last one he left was telling me congratulations on my engagement and that he loved me. <i>i love you, too.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">kelsey's beautiful and heartbreaking <a href="http://losingalegend.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> about her brother has truly helped me, and i think it's helping her, too. if you haven't read it, read it immediately. it's honest and open and a wonderful way to share with the world the life that her brother lived while he was here, and if you've ever lost someone you love, you can relate to pretty much everything she says. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><i>i love you, queen family.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-25085383458233092632012-10-02T15:23:00.002-04:002012-10-02T15:23:44.857-04:00bag lady<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>in my dreamlife</i></span>, i have a job like <a href="http://www.laurenconrad.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Conrad's</a> and the wardrobe of <a href="http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/fashion/celebrity-fashion/2012/04/kate-middleton-royal-style-fashion-every-outfit-since-wedding" target="_blank">Kate Middleton</a>. so since LC posted what's in her handbag, I thought I'd do the same, and i guess i'll just keep dreaming of how to get the Duchess of Cambridge's dress collection. I also think it is weirdly interesting to see what is in others' bags or pockets. you can tell so much about them just by what they carry around. so have a look.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>1. toothpicks & mints.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">when restaurants have those individually wrapped toothpicks or mints in a basket near the door, i usually take <i>several</i>. probably not supposed to do that, but you never know how when you'll need one!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>2. cash.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i actually rarely have cash, but it really is best to have some on hand. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>3. ticket stubs & perfume samples.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i love keeping all movie ticket stubs from films that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://twitter.com/Kyle_Dyer" target="_blank">kyle</a></span> and i go see together. <i>after 7 years together, </i>i know i have hundreds by now, plus movies that i've seen with other people. so you can usually find one or two of those in my bag. also, i don't get to buy as many different fragrances as i'd like, but i like to get the little cards and spray a sample on them. if i decide i'm in love with a scent, i can plan to make the big purchase. most recently i picked up a sample of the new lady gaga perfume and i love it. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>4. field notes notebook from kyle.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">you can't see it here, but this little notebook is personalized and says <i>"lemon drop"</i> on the front. i carry it with me everywhere, just in case i need to jot down a list, story or blog post idea or just something i want to remember. even if i go two weeks without writing in it, i always have it with me and feel naked without something to write on.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>5. change purse with cards.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i am so bad about losing my debit card or ID in the bottom of my bag somewhere. then i'm standing at the checkout at target digging around for it. i've finally figured that if i just keep it in my change purse, i'll know where to find it. most important card in this little pouch? <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">my starbucks gold card.</span></i> for sure.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>6. compact mirror.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i got this one at old navy about a hundred years ago and it has been the best little mirror ever. it's thin, has two sides — one magnified, one regular — and i love the gold design, even though it's sort of started to fade off over the years.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>7. lipgloss & lipsticks.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i'm also really bad to carry around <i>12 different lip items.</i> i actually should have had a chapstick in there, too, and now i'm wondering where it is. currently, i have two mac lipsticks — one red, one neutral — and two lipglosses. one is by mac and is one of my favorites ever called "narcissus," and the other is a new one from one of my best friends, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://twitter.com/BrookeAHartman" target="_blank">brooke</a></span>, that came with my birthday gifts she got me. now, i'll be looking for my chopstick.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>8. roll-on perfume. </b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i bought this little tube in a shop downtown in knoxville. the fragrance is called "dew blossom" and is by a brand called <a href="http://www.loveandtoast.com/" target="_blank">love&toast</a>. it's a clean smell and it's just what i need when i need to freshen up.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>9. hair things.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i always have some random bobby-pins and hair ties in my bag, just in case the one that is permanently on my wrist disappears. also, i keep this <i>beaded headband</i> with me that i bought in a weird little gift shop in Cherokee, NC. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>10. the bag.</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">this little suede bag is from <a href="http://www.jcrew.com/index.jsp" target="_blank">JCrew</a> and was a gift from kyle's aunt for christmas. she has expensive taste, which usually means we get some snazzy gifts. this bag isn't too small, and goes with pretty much everything.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hope you enjoyed creeping into my bag. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>anything interesting in yours?</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
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krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119441776814649103.post-87192736664245256512012-09-24T18:21:00.000-04:002012-09-24T23:15:20.099-04:00west virginia cowboy<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i met Corey in the 6th grade and never looked back.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">he was all <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>boots and belt buckles</i></span> with a side of ornery and the brownest eyes you've ever seen. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">and i loved him.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">sitting in my first homeroom class with him then, i only knew that his name was Corey Queen, which was in front of me alphabetically, that he looked like me and he was already making me laugh. i didn't know i was sitting next to someone i'd talk on the phone to for hours at a time, someone i'd have countryside adventures with, someone i'd know and love forever. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>i didn't know that then, but i do now.</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">that was 13 years ago. i thought we'd have at least 100 more.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">we talked about break-ups and bad dreams, heartache and homecoming skits. i told him secrets and <b>he told me the truth</b>. we grew up and i moved away and i wish so much i would have been around more. i wish i would have gone to wayne a few more times. i <i>should</i> have made time.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">it's awful seeing so many people i know and grew up with and love all in one place because of something so awful, but at the same time, i know i've <b>never been prouder</b> to be <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a Queen or a Pioneer.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">i have a lot of questions and i don't think i'll ever <b>understand why</b> this happened to a good person with a good family. so just remember me, his friends and his beautiful family in your prayers and good thoughts. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">hold your people close, be kind to one another and do what makes you happy. <i><b>there's not enough time for anything else.</b></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">love.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">krq.</span></div>
krqhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362304537593732189noreply@blogger.com1