A Little Bit About Me

While I'm not new to the blogging scene, I wanted to tell you a bit about me in case you're new here. So, grab a drink and read along!

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Name: Katie or Kate {by my family and close friends}. Do I love my name...eh. Do I like my name...sure, it'll do and has served me well for the past 31 years. I suppose its better than some.

Height: 5'7" - {though my old high school volleyball program read differently}

Relationship Status: Happily married to the most wonderful guy for me. He is sweet, smart as hell, HOT, loving, an amazing dad, funny {though often found laughing at his own jokes}, and just about the most frustrating person I have ever met...all rolled up into one big ball of love.

Kiddos: I'm mom to the most amazing little boy, C. He has changed almost everything about my life, but for the better (and sometimes the very challenging). I always knew I wanted to be a mother, but never thought I would be lucky enough to have such a great little guy - he is so intelligent, stubborn, handsome, funny and absolutely adorable.

Location: Nebraska - and before you ask, I did grow up on a farm and loved every minute of it...well, most of the time. Those other times included when my dad felt I needed to walk beans or clean out the pig shed. Yuck.

Occupation: I work in casino marketing for the world's largest gaming company...and they have been great to me for the past 9 years.

College: Major: Travel/Tourism {no I didn't want to be a travel agent!}. Minor: Marketing/Management from the University of Nebraska-Kearney. {You can't spell drunk without U-N-K!} That little phrase there coupled with the fact that at the time they had Chick-Fil-A in the Student Union made my college choice.

Family: my parents {still married}, three older sisters {sorry, ladies, had to throw that in there} and a younger, much taller/balder brother.

Car: 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee...yeah, me and about a million other people. {Which, by the way, my hubs still refers to as my "push present" although I know better and didn't actually get one.}

Lucky number: I don't really believe in these, although I'm not a fan of odd numbers and would choose even every time.

Music preferences: growing up I hated country music and only listen to Top 40s, pop, R&B and rap {yeah, this small town farm girl was pretty street - I can rap all of Snoop Dogg's "Lodi Dodi" - true story}. Through the hubs I picked up a love for country music - specifically Kenny Chesney - and these days choose that over any other type.

Best movie(s) ever: if you know me, you know I {heart} movies, mostly going to them in the theater with a big vat of buttery popcorn in my right hand and a large diet Mt. Dew in my left. My all-time favorite movie is Now & Then - back in the day my 3 best girlfriends and I assigned each character based on who they fit most. I was "Teeny" {not sure, though, what that says about me if you know the movie}. Rolling right along in the tween genre, I'm also a Twilight lover. Big time. And I'm Team Edward, in case you wondered. And I'm beyond devastated that it's over. I'm also a big fan of Beaches, Breakfast at Tiffany's and I could watch The Devil Wears Prada over and over and over. You know, the classics.

Exercise style: a great work to describe my exercise style is sporadic. I have great intentions, but these days with a toddler getting up early enough or having the energy later in the day to exercise doesn't usually happen. I workout 3 to 5 times per week, usually closer to 3, this week closer to once + a handful of ab exercises.

What time do I wake up in the morning?:  now that the kiddo is back to sleeping through the night, my normal routine is to wake-up any time between 5am and 7am, depending on what I have going on at work that day. Very rarely do I sleep past 8am these days.

A few fun facts about me:
{Have you ever seen Us Weekly's '25 Things You Don't Know About Me'? Whelp, it's my absolute most fave magazine AND I've always wondered what mine would be...so I snagged this opp!}

1. I don't know what I would do without my iPhone.
2. Being pregnant with my son and his birth are my greatest accomplishments.
3. I'm also pretty proud of my success at work.
4. Though sometimes I wish I could stay at home with my son so as not to miss so many of his milestones. {Shoot, I'm sure that would last about a month!}
5. I love to travel. I also love flying. The anticipation of going somewhere is overwhelming.
6. However, I do not like unpacking.
7. My favorite food forever had been Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets. That is until I had a terrible case of morning sickness while eating said nuggets and that love is no more.
8. I {heart} caffeine -specifically Diet Mtn. Dew and Green Mountain Coffee English Toffee k-cups with two dollops of Coffee-Mate Carmel Macchiato creamer. 
9. Getting a handwritten card is waaaay better than an email or a text.
10. I lived in Manhattan for four months doing my internship for the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
11. I refuse to litter. 
12. I cannot sing at all. I used to think I could, and evidently so did my mom, because she used to make me sing in a group with my sisters at church on Sundays in front of the whole congregation.
13. I love to shop. Shoes and clothes primarily, but I also love browsing Target, the grocery store, online...anything at all that has to do with shopping.
14. Someday I will own a clothing boutique.
15. I love photography and wish it could be my profession.
16. I bite my fingernails and despise myself for doing it.
17. I absolutely love running outside. I completed my first half marathon in September and hope to do quite a few more this year.
18. I love to read - I just wish I had more time to do it.
19. I wish I were more creative than I actually am. Pinterest has been a bit of a lifesaver for me.
20. I love a great pair of heels and everyone who knows me will attest to this and the fact that you rarely see me wear anything else.
21. I don't cook, or clean for that matter. {Yeah, my hubs picked out a broken model}.
22. I think I have a slight case of ADD. Even when I'm laying on the couch, I have to be doing something {on the internet, playing sudoku or solitaire, flipping through a magazine}. It frustrates the hubs...bad.
23. I keep Blistex with me at all times and apply it approximately 1,200 times a day. I have one located in my make-up bag, my purse, my car, my gym bag, at both offices, on my nightstand, in the crease of "my couch" at home. 
24. I pray frequently for the health and well-being of those close to me.
25. I have the best family and friends ever. Period.
26. I love wine. And generally the cheap stuff. {Keepin' it classy.}

Hopefully now you know a little something about me...and it didn't scare you away!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Another Link Up to "From Mrs to Mama" - all about my favorite things:


1.  Tell us about five favorite memories in your life.
How do I limit it to just five...but here goes...

November 13, 2011 - Cruz's birth
This was by far the happiest day of my life...its the day that I learned a different kind of love for this little person the hubby and I created together. My first memory of him is of him grabbing Nick's finger and squeezing it just seconds after he was born. The look on Nick's face and the tears streaming down our faces were evidence of a love unconditional.

October 11, 2000 - The day that started it all.
It's hard to believe that the hubby and I have been dating since Oct 2000 and married for three years. I'm not going to sugar coat it because it's not always easy, but I'm so fortunate to have met this man. He is truly the only person for me and I love him more than words can say.

March 2008 - Cabo San Lucas
I love this for two reasons. 1) it was the trip we got engaged. 2) but more so it was the best vacation I've had in my life. Not necessarily the location - although Cabo was gorgeous, there are many other places that I can't wait to vacation - but it was just the hubby and I on this trip. We got to spend uninterrupted time with each other, met some great people, relaxed and enjoyed every bit of this time together. It was a true vacation - not one that you come back from and feel you need time to recover.

September-December 2003 - Life in New York City
I will never forget the four months I spent living in Manhattan and my time interning for Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks. I feel I became more of my own person - living on my own in this massive, foreign city, but I will never forget the experiences I had and the people I met.

December 24th (many years when I was younger) - Christmas Eve w/ my family
Christmas Eve with my immediate family is a favorite memory of mine. This was before boyfriends came over, any of us were married or had children and it was just the seven of us spending time together - eating, opening presents and best of all us five kids spending the night in the big bedroom playing glow in the dark catch, telling stories, listening for mom & dad putting our presents under the Christmas tree. I love this time with my family.


2. Show us three of your favorite beauty products.

                 Prevent                                     Conceal                                                 Bronze

Proactiv - I'm just giving up my secrets here, but yep I get zits.  I never had many issues UNTIL my adult life and then BAM! breakout city. I tried EVERYTHING my dermatologist recommended and finally discovered this amazing product. I should be like Jessica Simpson doing a commercial of my problems, because it wasn't pretty.

Dior Concealer - I was also graced with my gorgeous mama's deep, dark circles. It doesn't matter how much sleep I get, they are there. I'm also not able to be one of those girls who can leave the house without make-up, I just can't - it would be like Night of the Living Dead. As long as I have a little concealer, I'm at least good to go. And this stuff is the best I've found.

Victoria's Secret Beach Sexy Self Tan - this stuff is the bomb. I can't lie, I'm a tanning bed girl, but in my old age I'm trying to limit my exposure, but I still want the tan look. I've tried every sunless tanner out there (Clinique, Clarins, Loreal...) and this one by far is the easiest (read: foolproof/no streaks) to apply, smells the best and lasts the longest.  Bonus: my SIL found it on mega sale last year and got me 8 tubes for way cheap.

 3. Tell us what your favorite TV shows are to watch.
Wow, I'm really divulging all the embarrassing stuff about myself here - TV is my guilty pleasure and I watch some ridiculous shows.

Shark Tank - someday I will invent/create something that will be featured on that show and make me millions.

Sons of Anarchy - newest infactuation. I realize I don't seem like the type of girl to be fascinated over a show about a biker gang, killer, drug running, but this show rocks. Start from the first season and you'll be hooked.

HGTV: House Hunters, Property Brothers, Income Property, etc - people are so dang creative and talented. I love to feel worse about my lack of creativity by watching these types of shows and pretending I'm going to take their ideas and use them on my own home.

Real World, the Challenges, Teen Mom on MTV - I get sucked in every single time. (perhaps because we didn't have MTV growing up. I suppose I can blame my parents?)

Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor Pad - who doesn't love girls catfighting to find the man of their dreams?

Friends & SATC re-runs - the two best.shows.ever. hands down.


4. Show us two of your favorite pictures.




Makes me smile every.single.time.



My family - I'm the luckiest girl in the world



5. Tell us your favorite thing to do during "me" time.

Go for a run - this has quickly become one of my favorite things to do. A time where I can clear my head, think about anything, get my workout in and enjoy the outdoors. Sometimes it's just hard to find the time to do it between working full time, raising a little one and doing all of the other "life" chores that need to get done.

Read - I have always loved to read and that hasn't changed, the time I have available to do so, has though. One of my favorite things is cuddling up with a book, a glass of wine and just laying on the couch getting lost in a book.

Go shopping - this is a favorite of mine whether I'm alone, with little man, with family/friends...this girl just LOVES to shop. And it doesn't matter if it's a mall, boutique, Target, online, grocery shopping or at the pharmacy - I don't discriminate when it comes to shopping!

Blog - it's been about a year and a half since I started this blog and I've absolutely loved writing it. Not only as a place where I've documented my pregnancy, the first year of little man's life and my life in general - but it's a place where I've documented so many memories and frustrations and loves.

Reading Blogs, Shopping Etsy, Searchinig Pinterest - there are SO many creative people out there...I love to live through them!