{one of those days...weeks?}

Ever have one of these days...

Yep, that's my week so far.  This always happens post-long-weekend.  It's not that I'm sleepy--I'm not, actually.  I just feel like it's so much harder to come back when you've had freedom for 3 whole days.  

Is it Thanksgiving break yet?

{it's after lunch on Wednesday}

Which means that we officially have less than half of the work week left before we get a three-day weekend.  I have only one response to that...

Happy Wednesday.

{an embarrassing confession, also known as "how starbucks is ruining my life"}

Friends, I have an embarrassing confession to make.  Here's the story:

{Inversion, Houston}

This morning I had to go into work, and unlike most mornings when I'm in a bug hurry {running late}, today {since it's Saturday and all} I had time to leisurely drive in and even stop at my favorite coffee shop.  And then it happened...

I got up to the counter to order and what did I say?  "I'd like a grande coconut mocha please"...

And I was ashamed.  I felt like the whole coffee shop stopped, dropped whatever they were holding and turned around to look at me in disgust.  How dare I, nay, how COULD I, go to a local coffee shop and use Starbucks lingo?!?!

The barista {after getting over her initial shock, of course} just kindly smiled at me and replied "so, is that a large?"  I was mortified.  I was so mortified, in fact, that I couldn't even get the words out to tell her that it was actually a medium.

Now, as someone who has always and will always prefer a local coffee shop to a chain, even being willing to drive out of my way just to hit a local spot, I can't explain to you how much of a personal failure it is that I have allowed myself to frequent Starbucks enough during the workweek {there's one right at the bottom of my office building} that my brain has gotten brainwashed by their stupid lingo.

So here I sit, large coconut mocha in hand {that I'll never be able to finish because I never order larges} and ashamed that this is what my life has come to.  At least I had enough sense to call it a "coconut mocha" rather than a "mocha coconut" like Starbucks calls their significantly-less-tasty comparable beverage. {that doesn't even make sense, by the way--I mean, everyone knows that the word describing the dominant characteristic comes second--just look at Crayons..."red-orange" means an orange that's reddish, "blue-green" means a green that's bluish and so on.  And Tex-Mex...it's Mexican food with a Texas flare.  The dominant word always comes second.}

As I see it, there's really only one solution to the problem: obviously I have to spend every weekend for the next three months local-coffee-shop-hopping, right?  Yes, that seems like quite an appropriate plan of recovery. 

Relatedly, see this article I found a few weeks ago that talks about how Starbucks is ruining the world {well, maybe it doesn't say that, but that's how I read it}.  It describes sort of the opposite problem from what I have.  Interesting.

Happy Saturday, all.

{grown-up office life}

How I feel when it's beautiful outside and I'm in the office...(which is always)

Looking forward to a day off next week to spend outside  :)

{summertime in H-Town}

Oh yes, it's summertime in Houston.  And you know what that means...

Adrian and I went to The Woodlands this past week to have dinner and hang out with some family.  We took a stroll from the restaurant where we had dinner just down the street and before we got to the end of the block, my hair looked JUST LIKE that little animal.  Sad day.  I very reluctantly had to put it in a ponytail, completely ruining the hour's worth of effort I had spent straightening it earlier that day.  

Fortunately, summertime brings a lot of good things too, so I'll try not to dwell too much on the hot...super hot...sweltering...drippy...humidity-filled air that comes with Houston summers.  

Anyone want to come visit?  :)

{ballet for dummies?}

Friends, I have been struggling.  Struggling to get into a routine of exercise.  Hubs and I were doing really super well getting up every single morning to go to the gym.  And then something happened.  Something inexplicable. Perhaps it was because I went on an out-of-town trip or because I got sick.  I can't remember the exact moment that it happened, but for some reason, we just stopped.

Well, my husband, the dedicated and self-disciplined man that he is, started back going to the gym every morning.  It doesn't matter what time that man goes to bed {and if you have any sort of interaction with us, I'm sure you already know that his work hours are not for the faint of heart}, he will still get up to go to the gym.  But alas...I am not him.  I do not, and have never claimed to, have his level of self-discipline.  So alone he goes...sad and crying {okay, maybe not that part} to the gym at the crack of dawn.

I have been trying to make myself more motivated, but really...getting psyched up to go exert a massive amount of energy at 6 in the morning is just really not my style.  But the other day, I was over at my friend Kristin's house {You remember Kristin, right?  The one I basically spend all my free, hubby-is-working-so-I-need-a-buddy time with?} and in her TV console I spotted some videos..."New York Ballet" was on the cover so of course I was intrigued.  I danced for many years growing up, but unfortunately, I never go a strong grasp on ballet.  We were always required to take ballet classes, of course, but it was not the main type of dance that I preferred.  I was always in awe of the beautiful ballerinas who graced the stages and wanted to be just like them, but I, being stubborn and not so much into all the work it would take to develop the technique of ballet, never really got into it.  What I do know, though, is that dancing {and especially ballet} develops amazing muscle tone and helps you develop control and strength.  So I thought I would reach back into my roots and try these videos out.  I had my first go at it last night and let me tell you, I had truly forgotten just how difficult ballet is--even just holding your arms in second position for such a long time is very, very difficult!  {Side note: The exercises are based on ballet moves, but for anyone out there who's scared of having to dance, don't worry--it's mostly just slow, controlled movements as opposed to learning dance combinations.}  But I really loved it and I will definitely be making this a regular part of my life schedule.

I probably should have started here:

But instead I started here:

Recently, one of my good friends, Lyndsay, started taking ballet classes as an adult.  {She took only a year of ballet classes as a small child.}  I admire her so much for doing that, for taking on the task of trying something new that most people believe you cannot do unless you have a strong background in it from a very young age.  She even had a recital last weekend!

cute baby Lyndsay on the left

beautiful grown-up Lyndsay!

Do you have any new or unique workouts that you have started recently?

{oh yes, I ran}

Last night, I got home and got inspired.  I got our chicken all fixed up for dinner and threw it in the oven.  I knew that I had about 30 minutes of free time before it would be ready, so I decided that I would go to the gym.  {what?!?!}  Oh yes, I went to the gym.  {and of course, that decision had nothing at all to do with the fact that the Thunder was playing the Lakers last night and we don't have cable but the gym does...}  I hopped on the treadmill, all energized and ready to go, and I started jogging right away.  Go me!  I planned to jog for 20 minutes but the game was so good that I didn't want to leave, so when the 20 minute mark came around, I just kept on going.  And of course, in my head, I had this amazing vision of myself--perfect form, excellent breathing technique, total focus...

this was totally how I felt last night {Carl Lewis}

Then I glanced over at a reflection of myself in the mirror and what did I see?

sad day

Oh well...that didn't matter.  The point was that I was running!  I got to the end of my 30 minutes and I was SO PROUD of myself.  {p.s. did I mention that I am not, by any stretch of the word, a runner?}  I went back to our apartment and bragged to my husband about how well I did.  I showered, grabbed our dinner out of the oven and sat down to eat.  As soon as dinner was over, I turned to my husband and said "man, I just got really tired."  And next thing I knew...

me, post-dinner

Oh well.  It was a good effort.  I probably won't be doing it again any time soon, though.  Until, of course, there's another Thunder game to be watched.  :)

What do you like to do for exercise?

{keeping house and LAST DAY TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!!!}

Aside before I start my post for today:  TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER THE PURPLE AURA JEWELS GIVEAWAY ON MY BLOG!  Go here and leave a comment so you can have a chance of winning a STUNNING piece of jewelry from my friend's collection.   

Now on to today's story:

My husband and I got married in August.  It was a glorious day full of joy and merriment.  After our wedding, I was fortunate enough to have a whole month off (no school, no work) to just be a wife.  It was so amazing.  I had absolutely every single meal cooked and ready for my husband--a hot breakfast everyday, a sack lunch to take to work, and a nice dinner on the table when he got home.  I was getting our apartment all set up, everything was always clean AND I got to watch tons of tv and read tons of books.  It was basically my ideal life.  

I started looking a little something like this.

...and this.

and our apartment was looking something like this (this is not my apartment, by the way...this was taken from the Container Store website...it is for illustration purposes only.  Isn't it beautiful?  :))

So then in October, I started working.  I was SO excited to finally be earning an income after, count them, 20 years of school.  Managing life (housekeeping, exercise, etc.) and work was going really well at first.  I was still making a good effort to get up in the mornings and make breakfast and attempting to make dinner at night.  Our apartment was staying pretty clean and I was continuing to get organized.  I was SO proud of myself for being able to maintain this elusive work-life balance.  I was even exercising on a regular basis--in the mornings with my husband and sometimes even in the evenings with my friend Kristin.  Go me!

But then, something weird happened.  This is how I would describe it--it's sort of like when someone has a really bad injury and they are so traumatized that they don't even feel the pain at first.  And then, hours later, the adrenaline from the trauma wears off and all of a sudden they realize that their leg has been chopped off and they start freaking out.  Yeah, that's what happened to me.  Okay, well, maybe I'm being a bit extremely dramatic.  But for real...I started realizing that this was just not sustainable.  (And everyone reading this who has worked for more than 8 months now has my permission to say "duh, Katherine.")  While I would like to appear as though I'm a behind-the-scenes Martha Stewart all the time, I have to say that it's really hard to be a good attorney (oh, p.s. that's what I do for a living) and be super wife too.  And let's face it, I'm just starting my career.  I have a lot to learn, and that requires putting in a lot of hours and a lot of focus and attention to my job.  

So, my house started looking something more like this...

haha, just kidding. It's not that bad.  But I do really love Whataburger and ate a lot of it there for a while. Pic came from this article. 

To make a long story short (let's be honest, this story has already been too long), I had to get it together.  If you have ever met me in person, one thing you will certainly know about me is that I have some obsessive compulsive tendencies.  I am very particular about where things go, how they're placed and whether they coordinate.  This whole nutso housekeeping situation was driving me batty.  So I came up with a plan.  I wrote down a list of all the things that needed to get done around the house and I assigned each task a day over a two-week period.  I figured that if I had a plan, then things would actually get done and I wouldn't have anxiety about not doing a bunch of household stuff when I got home each day.  And guess what?  IT WORKED!  (I'll do another post at some point to give you my plan.)

But, just as is characteristic of life, not everything always goes according to plan.  I have started to slack on my daily duties and over this past weekend, I was just overwhelmed by how much needed to be done.  I convinced myself to get off the sofa and do most of it, but really...some days I just wish we lived in Jetson times and could have a robot housekeeper to make all the mess go away.  

What do you do to keep up with the balance of home and work?

haha, awesome.

{that crazy Karl}

Random aside before I get into today's post:  Don't you just love it when God reveals his faithfulness to you in tangible ways?  Like, when you pray about something for a long time (in this case, my husband and I have been praying over a certain situation for two whole years) and you sorta feel like things will never change and then out of the blue, when you least expect it, the impossible happens?  That's just really cool.  It helps me remember that God's timing is SO different from mine...and sometimes we just have to be patient, believing that He will act right when the time is proper.  Yeah, God's pretty cool.

Now, on to the meat of today's post:

Karl Lagerfeld.  An icon of the fashion world.  A man who, while he designs amazing works of art, touches no fabric to create these designs.  (He leaves that to the less...ahem..."seasoned" designers.  In his words, "I’m not there in the studio draping—I don’t do those things.")





I recently came across this article detailing his daily schedule.  I found it to be very interesting!  People fascinate me, so I am always curious to learn more about how others live.  I hope you find it to be interesting too.  


What are some of your quirky daily habits? 

{the amazingness of technology}

As you might remember, I recently was a resident of the great city of Chicago.  I love Chicago for many reasons, and yes, one of those reasons includes my love for seasons (even the winter).  Art, music, culture and beauty are the heartbeat of the city.  Because of Chicagoans' love for those aspects of life, it is a place to discover all sorts of new technology, forms of art and fashion.

Enter: Peapod's new virtual grocery store.

{photo courtesy Chicago Tribune, article found here}

This is truly amazing to me.  Peapod is a grocery home-delivery service that many Chicagoans use as an alternative to going to the actual grocery store.  You order items online and they are shipped directly to your house.  Peapod has recently taken this one step further by installing a "virtual grocery store" in one of the 'L' stations.  It is literally a huge flat installation of pictures of various products that the "shopper" can purchase.  Using a Peapod mobile app, the "shopper" can simply fill up their "grocery carts" and all the items get delivered to their homes the next day.  


GENIUS!  This is so great.  A hallmark of Chicago culture is residents' use of public transportation.  What better way to help busy residents than to provide a service to them in places they would already be, often with idle time on their hands as they wait for the train to arrive?!  Now, one thing you must know about me is that I am very old-fashioned in many ways. Going to an actual grocery store is a highlight of my week.  But I will also say that when I lived in Chicago, in a place where many people don't have cars (and don't really need to, given the amazing public transit system) and where the winters can be brutal, I had many moments where, carrying armfuls of groceries back in the middle of winter with 6 inches of snow on the ground, I would have LOVED to have my groceries delivered to me.  I had many classmates who used the Peapod service (the old-fashioned Peapod service, that is--the one where you order online).  But how great it would have been for them to be able to also be able to do their ordering while standing in the 'L' station!


Congratulations, Peapod.  You have won my heart.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this--is this genius or is it just making the world one step more removed from human interaction?  

P.S.  You can find the Chicago Tribune article about this topic here.

{thrilling debate that everyone is patiently waiting for}

...has been postponed due to a lawyerly occupational hazard (we have to actually work outside of standard hours).  My co-contributor (also a lawyer) is being held hostage by his firm (not really.  just working.) so we need more time to get our thoughts together.

But, here's a sneak preview to show you what the debate pertains to:

The difference between this: apples, bananas and pears
and this:  apples, bananas, and pears

Excited?  Only if you're a nerd like me.

Happy Thursday everyone!  It's almost Friday, which means it's almost the weekend!  Happy dance comin' right up...

{sometimes it's just a two-cup kind of day}

Today was a two-cup kind of day.  It's really warm in Houston today so I wanted a cool coffee beverage for my typical morning cup.  But the problem with having a cold coffee drink in the morning is that I never feel really fulfilled.  There's just something comforting and settling about my ritual of sitting down at the desk with a warm cup of coffee in hand.  So what did I do?  I just bought two drinks.

Tall Bold on the left to soothe my soul, Iced Tall Non-Fat Toffee Nut Mocha on the right to please my palate

Some days, it's just like that.  What's a morning ritual that keeps you settled and comforted?

P.S.  Be on the look-out this evening for a thrilling post containing a very serious debate.  (And by "very serious" I obviously mean "not serious at all but super interesting if you're a nerd like me")

{it's almost party time}

It's almost party time!  And you know what that means!



haha, just kidding. She's not that old...(actually...maybe she is).

But a note for my sister: I know the flame will be exciting and might put you in a trance, but please refrain from doing this:



...because I'm not stopping the party to take you to your Wound Care Clinic for burnt lips.  (Or maybe we won't have to if one of your co-workers decides to help.  In that case...eat away.)

Yay Party!

{sleepy day}

It looks like this outside...



Which means this is what's happening to me...



One minute I'm laughing, happy, working hard...and then I'm out.

It's gonna be a long afternoon.

{to know}

It's a rainy day in Houston today.  The sky is grey and the whole city seems to be moving a little slower.

Most people think I'm crazy for this, but my favorite kinds of days are cold, dreary, grey and rainy days.  (I sort of blame it on the three years I spent in Chicago, during which time I probably just started liking grey days as a coping mechanism so I wouldn't go crazy.)  There's something comforting about the rain.  It has a way of slowing the world down a bit.  Since it's a part of life that no one can control, it affects everyone equally.  The drive into work is a little shower and everyone's moods seem to be a little calmer.  The rain melts away the typically frazzled demeanor I carry and replaces it with one that's somehow more patient and more gentle and more kind.

The rain reminds me that our amazing Creator is and will always be in control of the universe.  It reminds me of the story of Noah--a story from which I draw two reminders about God's character:  (1)  God is so powerful.  He is able, with a single swipe of his hand, to destroy the Earth if he wants.  Yet (2)  He is also merciful to spare those who seek Him.  He saw Noah's heart and, as Noah's Father, knew that Noah loved Him.   

It's human nature for parents to often feel disconnected from their children, especially parents with teenagers (oh yes, I remember being a teenager and wanting to be independent and not share things with my parents).  Parents may know what activities their children are involved in and what their favorite color is, but they often are limited in their ability to know their children's hearts, their desires, their struggles and their victories.  It's simply human nature.  Even in the best of parent-child relationships, there is only so much of a person's life that another person can truly understand.  But God knows us.

{For you created my inmost being; 

   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.}

Psalm 139:13

He is able to break that boundary of communication that is otherwise limited by our humanness.  He knows even our inmost being because He created it.  Today, on this dark and dreary day, I seek to know more of God's character.  I, like Noah, am only a simple and unworthy creature, living at the mercy of my mighty and powerful Father.  But He knows me.  He cares about my life and my future, because He created me in his image.  And, as his child, He cares whether I make it out of the flood alive.  No, there will never be another literal flood of the whole Earth--God promised us that.  But everyday, we are surrounded by sin and evil, just like Noah was, and that same sin and evil destroys people everyday just like it did in the Old Testament.   God didn't destroy those people because he didn't like the color of their skin or the accent they carried.  He destroyed them because they chose sin.  Everyday we have the chance to choose God and to help bring others with us to His kingdom.  Noah chose to be faithful and God rewarded him by allowing him to make it out of the flood alive.  What will you choose today?

{He Sees. He is Mighty}

There are days when I sit at my desk, in my big beautiful office that's my very own, in this big beautiful building in the middle of the big city and I wonder...what am I doing here?  Some days, I sit in my office, making very little contact with my co-workers, simply staring at documents, trying to make sense not only of what I'm reading, but also of what role this whole thing will play in God's plan.  I wonder if I'm actually affecting anyone's life.  I wonder why God chose to put me here, rather than half-way across the world, loving on some sweet, hungry (both physically and spiritually) babies in Africa or Russia or somewhere else, where my heart so often longs to be.

But here is what I know to be true:  God sees.  He is El Roi.  And God is mighty.  He is El Shaddai.

When my small eyes are unable to see God's greater plan and when my small mind is unable to comprehend how He could use me--an imperfect, simple, always-messing-up person--in this place, the Holy Spirit reminds me that God is in control and His hand is in everything.  I am reminded that it is an honor to serve Him, and not a right--He is mighty enough to not use me if He doesn't want to.  I am reminded that although my heart may long to be doing something that looks more like what I think I should be doing, my purpose here on Earth is only to glorify him, to serve him and to be present, wherever I am--wherever He has placed me.

You may be sitting there today wondering how it is that God could use you, wherever you are.  If that's you, I encourage you to remember who God is.  Remember that He is the God whose angel went to be by Hagar's side when she felt all alone and confused and lost and unable to understand what was happening to her {See Genesis 16}.  He sees you.  He knows you.  And He made you to be exactly who you are.  Because He made you, he knows exactly how your gifts will be best used.  Remember that He is the God who was mighty enough to know that his Son could overcome the great equalizer--death itself.  And that God is with you every single day.

I still don't have a clear answer to my question.  But with each day, I'm learning to just be present and be still.  He sees and He is mighty.  And that's all I need to know.

{Happy National Coffee Day}

Today, my friends, is National Coffee Day!!! I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I LOVE a good cup of coffee. In fact, Adrian and I have shared so many special moments over coffee that we even had coffee as favors at our wedding!





In addition to its amazing ability to cure the common case of crabbiness, a new study has also shown that coffee may even help lower the risk of clinical depression in women. Can't beat that!

Other great uses for coffee: wood stain, ice cream component, and a great way to hold candles in their place! (which we also did at our wedding!)

So go enjoy a good ole cup o' joe in honor of this glorious day! (I sure did!)

p.s. all photos in this post were taken and edited by Holli B Photography (our wedding photographer!)

{because love is awesome and Jesus is awesomer}

This isn't news, but I'm just having a renewed moment of excitement.

My best friend is getting married. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! (and she loves Jesus, and her hubby-to-be is uh-mazing and he loves Jesus too. So duh...exciting!)

yep, that's all.

{what's better than a best friend you can jam with?}

{because sometimes we have to be reminded that we are children of light}

Some days I am just blown away.

Adrian and I have been dating/engaged for about four and a half years. Throughout those years, there have been various times when I just have to pause. I pause because those are the moments in which I begin to understand why God created relationships between a man and a woman. I am convinced that God uses our partners as a way to give us faint glimpses of how much He loves us and to reveal to us truths about His character. Two nights ago, I had one of those moments.

For anyone who knows me, you know that I am a very sensitive person. I take everything personally and I have this innate desire to please. But, just like every other human being, I make a lot of mistakes. The problem with having a sensitive heart is that sometimes it's difficult for those who love me to correct me, because they don't want to hurt my feelings. While he may not realize it, over the years, Adrian has developed a unique ability to lovingly demonstrate to me when I am in need of correction. I cannot fully describe it, but he has a way of leading by example that lets me realize on my own that I am in error, without making me feel condemned or judged. It is truly a gift of God.

So, two nights ago, we had a situation in which I was being very hard on someone we love. I was making snap judgments about the situation this person was in, without being willing to consider all aspects of the situation. The truth is, I was being judgmental and not very gracious. It was in this moment that the Lord used Adrian to call me back to Him. In his sweet, patient way, Adrian lovingly defended this person, describing how even though he knows this person has made mistakes in the past, he has chosen to love him and be patient with him and hear about the whole situation before making any decisions on how to proceed in giving our friend advice. He never had to tell me I was wrong. He never had to speak roughly to me to make me realize I was being a jerk. All he had to do was let God's love and patience work through Him. It is this willing heart that has allowed our relationship to flourish and allowed Adrian's walk with Christ to grow over the years. I am blown away.

In this moment, I am thankful for God's love. I am thankful that He knew each one us before we even made an appearance on this earth. I am thankful that He teaches each of us differently, according to the way in which He has made us.

In Paul's letter to the Church at Ephesus, Paul reminds us that God has called us to treat our fellow brothers and sisters in a certain way. He says:

{Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.}

He also reminds us that we are to...

{Be kind and compassionate to one another...}

He not only reminds us of these commands, but he also explains why God has given us these commands.

{For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.}

So today, I am humbled. I am thankful that God cares enough about me to love me and rebuke me in a very specific kind of way. And today, I will choose to live as a child of light, being patient, gentle, and compassionate, because that's how God chooses to be with me. Praise Him.

{because sometimes you just need to realize your own potential}

Is this guy for real?

Uh...mazing......