Gift Buying

Apparently around the Christmas season I am really talented at buying gifts for myself.

"Oh My Deer" is my absolulte favorite shop on etsy.com and I bought two new pieces on there this holiday season. One for fun, and the other for my wedding.

I can show you the fun one, the other one will be debuted June 28, 2009.

I haven't decided where I am going to be brave enough to wear this little lady, maybe a date night?

Oh Martha...

Add this to the list of places I would like to visit before I die...

Martha Stewarts prop room, uh, yes please!

Can you imagine all of the sweet dishes, cake stands etc. you would find in that place?

I might have a heart attack!

sNOw.

I really wish it would snow here. Well, let's get real, I wish it would snow, while still remaining at least 50 degrees or higher, the snow would only fall on rooftops and perfectly along sidewalks not touching the walking area at all, and only on Christmas Eve & morning.

That must be the California girl in me talking.

So, until that perfect snow happens, I will work on this craft for my windows, so it appears to be snowing, but it's not.

Alice....I miss you.

Today I really miss my friend Allison Hibbard. So I e mailed her to tell her that. This isn't out of the ordinary. I do it almost daily.

She sends me this back.

I've had a dream about Starbucks two nights in a row...both times I'm buying two drinks: one for me and one to surprise you...

Gosh. I love her.

Tomorrow is a hopeful day

This time last year magic happened. You can read about it here. Basically I met the Arquette's at Disneyland's Grand Adventure Hotel, and it was beyond incredible. 

Tomorrow Griff is taking the team back there for our annual "state of the union" for HSM. 

I can only hope for another celebrity sighting. 

[It really was one of the highlights of my life.]

My grown up Christmas list

In case you were sitting at your house thinking, man, what should I get Katie for Christmas?

I will take a pair of these, in white, in a size 6.5 

That would just rock. 

If I had $135

The responsible thing to do would be to get an oil change... but I would buy this. 

Not for me. But for someone awesome.

This ones for you Bran...my fiance, not the cereal.

Found on the free encouragement project, which I love.

What a lovely name!

I found this website where you can click on up to 3 words and it will tell you what names fall under those traits.

Or you can search by name, which is fun to see what your name means..

Brandon's name means: adventurous, American, calm, gentle, independent

My name means: American, creative, cute, fun

It was really informative...

For those of you who are having babies, it is fun to see what names it gives you...

Harold, Izzie, Theodore were among mine...

Won't help the wedding diet at all...

The other afternoon I was dreaming my way through Anthropologie and noticed that the cupcake store that had been close by was now gone. My heart sank, I had never even gone in! It seemed it was there and gone. 

BUT 

Much to my happiness I came across this article on ocregister.com ( yes I read ocregister.com) 

{A build your own cupcake shop is going in it's place! It is the worlds only do it yourself sweet crafting experience. It opens Monday & I will be there.}

HOORAY! 

And let me just say... at $4.45 a pop, they better be unbelievable.

No Doubt

Seriously, No Doubt is going back on tour. 

My heart might explode.

You think Bran will let us make a stop on our honeymoon to see them? 

I heart Gwen. 

love love loved it.

you know what I am referring to.

please refer to Ryanne's blog for the absolute perfect review.

Owens Market

i really like the following...

food

cute colors

fun locations

mindy weiss

so why would i not drive an hour and a half to visit this adorable organic food market that mindy weiss owns?

You can read more about it here...

the perfect t shirt.

so I have been trying to find the perfect t shirt for the premiere tonight.

i woke up with this idea.

Alanna brought it to life.

Here it is.

This will be on my t shirt tonight.

Should I laugh?

I am constantly the person who laughs at everything, I admit it. 

I think I need to memorize this chart. 

Target Designers

Target is extremley cool, I don't care what anyone else says.

Proof?

Hayden Harnett's line is coming December 28th.

I need to own this bag.

At least I looked cool.

The other day at lunch, I decided that I wanted to try and drive Brian's motorcycle around the church parking lot. He said ok, so I really gave it my best shot.

I couldn't even get the kickstand up.

But Bethany and I sure looked tough revving that engine for 10 minutes.

(So did my new bangs.)

New Years Resolution

Every New Years... like so many of us... I make some new years resolutions. Well New Years Eve is 2 1/2 months away now and so I was contemplating what this years resolution was to be. I came across this website a little while ago and they have some clever "daily" resolutions.

It's worth a look.

BEAUTIFUL

I stumbled upon this today... I really like it.

"Why do little girls love to dress up in twirling skirts? why do they dream of a day their prince will come and together they will live in a great adventure? because that is the heart God set within every woman. that is the role she was created to play- to be a valiant and beautiful woman whose life changes the world."-Eldredge

Can't wait to live my great adventure with B.

November 20th @ 12:01 am

That is when Katie Edwards, Ryanne Witt and I will be enjoying Twilight.

I purchased the tickets today, yes today, 16 days in advance.

Voted.

For the first time in my life, I voted.

It was so awesome.

People let me tell ya bout my best friend

Brandon and I were Rob Dyrdek and Christopher "Big Black" Boykin for Halloween... naturally.

Skillz

I have learned that working in ministry long enough will teach you very valuable skills. One of these skills is being able to order, carry out and transport 12 individual starbucks drinks from the store back to the offices all by myself.



Dear Jeff Baker,
Must you order water? I mean, walk down the hallway. Sorry, that sounds rude.

The Great Pumpkin

Brandon and I spent the past weekend doing "fall activities"

Saturday included a day trip to Oak Glen, which was filled with apple cider tasting ( and buying) a dozen mini cider donuts being inhaled by us, walking through a raspberry field, purchasing my favorite, apple butter and a stop on the way home at in Riverside. One more stop, pumpkin patch. Where we selected the perfect specimens of pumpkins. Portillos

Sunday included carving of said pumpkins, at the community pool and church.

I really love fall.

I am on your side...

A while back I passed this petition around the office in order for Jonathan Witt to allow his bride Ryanne to buy passes to Disneyland.

Well apparently my words are like that of an angel, because for Ryanne's birthday, she got a pass!

Just plain funny

Candy Gram.


Without fail, everytime this comes on, I lose my composure and watch it at least 4 more times.

I love it.

atafurahi siku ya uzalishi Allison!!!

So supposedly that means HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLISON, in Swahili......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - HAPPY BIRTHDAY- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

I wish I was there eating funfetti cupcakes, drinking starbucks and watching romantic comedies with you, but enjoy your camel ride!


*photo courtesy of Julie Hibbard

On our way!

Today is 250 days until I marry my best friend! I don't know why but 250 days seems so official. We have only been engaged for one month and 14 days, but we have accomplished so much!

Done:
Photographer: check! Gabriel Ryan
Location: Check! Bell Tower Civic Center
Cuisine: Check! Thanks to the awesome Chip Bragg
Brandon's suit: Check! ( classy too...)
Bridal Suite at the montage in Laguna Beach: Check! ( thanks for the hookup Aunt Julie!)

Wedding planning is one time in your life where being overly organized and OCD is helpful!

I am loving it!

Tagged

Bethany tagged me on this... here we go! 7 random facts about me...


7. I really really love to sleep. I could nap two or three times a day, and I get really excited to go to bed at night.
6. I am paranoid about smelling bad, therefore I have perfume in my car, my bathroom, my laundry area and my living room. I also always have gum or mints.
5. I really love office supply stores, like more than the average human should. I could spend hours sifting through the items and placing them in my cart.
4. I have never had braces. I find this to be an interesting fact to people.
3. I have a fear of fish. Not a little one, a big big fear. I almost drowned my mother in hawaii on a snorkeling expedition, she will tell you all about my fear.
2. I am a closet scrapbooker. I love to scrapbook.
1. My hands get pruney faster than anyone I have ever known. I am talking I wash my face and my hands look like a 90 year old womans hands. It is out of control.

I tag T. Shan, Ryanne, Luke St. Hilaire and Ange

slacker

Yes, I know I have not posted in one month, forgive me, but I am now wedding planning which is proving to be quite time consuming. However, this is blog worthy. Wandering around the market the other day, I stumbled upon this beauty.

Here is the deal, I love coffee, I love chai, I love vanilla, so what could be better?

** I did not take this photo, disregard the other creamer, sounds horrid.

Yup

WE ARE ENGAGED!

Brandon asked me to be his wife yesterday, and of course I said yes!





We couldn't be more excited!!

if only....

If I showed up to a BBQ with these, how much more would you love me/admire me?

FYI

If you want to know what I will be doing November 21, 2008 ,I will be celebrating my brothers birthday and sitting in a theater watching twilight.


Get Ready...

Next Tuesday

So Professor Glen Dill just told us that class next Tuesday September 2nd is cancelled becuase of the holiday.

Ange and I both screamed because instead of managerial accounting, that night will now consist of...

Dinner, dessert and 90210 premiere at the Witt House.

God Bless Labor Day.

Dear David Hughes,

I know how much you love Misty May-Treanor, especially since our conversation in which Ryanne and I asked you via i chat which Olympic sport you were watching and you said "Misty May."

So, I thought you should know, that she was added to the lineup of dancing with the stars earlier today.

Now you can watch your " epitome of female perfection" show off her dancing.

Here is the article via www.people.com

MISTY MAY-TREANOR
AGE: 31
OCCUPATION: Beach volleyball player
THE 411: May-Treanor brought home her second career gold medal for team U.S.A. in this year's Beijing Olympics with teammate Kerri Walsh.
PARTNER: Maksim Chmerkovskiy
SECOND-CHANCE AT DANCE: Says May-Treanor: "I took a basic dance class in college, like a Dance 101, where we learned how to line dance, do ballroom and different styles, but because there were so few taller guys in the class, I had to be the guy! So I didn't learn the dances the way I wanted to.

My life because of TWILIGHT

Can I get an amen?

I heart surprises

This morning I got to work a little early to surprise Jason Petty and decorate his desk for his birthday ( of course Ryanne was there too...)

To my astonishment, the surpriser ( me) was surprised! I found three great little trinkets on my desk that just made my heart sing.

#1. A note from my sweet brother Ty ...


#2. Cute Jordan Gunderson had left me this note on my desk... complete with cupcake card. She really loves me.


#3. Ryanne had bought me the latest and greatest version of sharpie pens. She truly knows my heart.
Oh yes, it's a sharpie, pen. PEN.


It's going to be a good Thursday.

yuck

I just drank a juicy juice and 5 minutes later my stomach is aching, badly.

I looked at the box.

It expired May 08.

Oh.

Note to self, read date, then drink.

camp count

Yep. I am blogging about camp again.

Here is a count to make you feel closer to me.

78-pages I have read of twilight.
3-showers I have taken in 30 hours
4-games of recreation, that I actually enjoyed.
1-entire bag of circus peanuts inhaled.
1-box of mail, from my cute man friend Brandon.
6-hours of travel (add 3 more because i am driving back up tonight)
9-phone calls home to parents of campers
a lot- number of times I have thanked God because I have the best job on the planet.

bug juice!

I am at high school camp this week in Ojai Valley, and it's incredible! I literally feel like I am at a REAL summer camp. That may sound nutso since I have been at camp every year since I was 15, but this camp is different. There are tent-abins, which are tents and cabins at the same time. They have porches and screen doors. It's a beautiful thing. I was telling Ryanne yesterday I feel like I am at Bug Juice camp, which she told me is called camp anawana, not bug juice, but that is not the point. I wish I could stay here all summer, but bring up my family, and Brandon and a nail salon.

I just love camp.

Here is why-
walking everywhere
woodchips
picnic tables for every meal...outside.
the smell of bonfire
giant bugs
hoodies are worn at night, because it is actually cold.
though there is a schedule, it includes 5 hours of free time.
choco tacos (I even wrote a song about these delights...)
worship in the mornings and evenings
spending time, a lot of it, with friends
cards, for hours



Here are things that bug me..but not enough to sway my love-
trantulas in the middle of chapel, 5 inches from my feet
my feet are constantly dirty no matter how many times I wash them
there is a bee problem this year at our camp so they are constantly around, especially when I am trying to enjoy pancakes

so to sum that up, anything that has to do with bugs and my feet.

That is it.

Camp is the best.

total slacker

There is no real reason for lack of posting.

Hopefully some inspiration will come soon.

Be inspired

Ryanne and I loved MAMMA MIA so much we made up our own dance. Enjoy this.




S.O.S

The really really dark knight

Brandon and I have been dying to see Dark Knight since it was first advertised. Well when the Friday release date came around it was sold out, and we were sad. The only tickets that were available were 6 am saturday morning, so with no hesitation on either of our parts, we bought them.

The flick was incredible, and I was not even tired while watching it. I made coffee for us and brought a blanket. It was fun.

Brandon was like a 5 year old on his way to Disneyland for the first time, he told me he barely slept he was so excited.



so go see it.

clean out my car much?

Nope.

Therefore this is what it looks like when I do eventually clean it out.


Contents:
1 Bridesmaid dress
3 snow jackets
2 snow vests
4 pairs of shoes
1 pair of high heels
6 t shirts
2 sweatshirts
2 blankets
3 hats
4 magic bullet cups
2 scarves
7 towels
1 prescription
countless homework assignments
2 books from my freshman year, yes that is 3 years ago
etc.

yikes. for being such a clean freak, sometimes I am a real mess.

Dear Kenya....

My dear friend Alice is leaving for Kitale,Kenya Wednesday morning super early, and will live there for 6 whole months. The closer it gets to the day she is leaving, the more sad I get. I know that God is going to do spectacular things through her while she is there, but it's going to be super hard for me while she is gone! ( selfish sally, I know.)

So Alice, this post if for you!

My favorite things about Allison Danielle-

She taught me how to blog
She introduced me to iced caramel macchiatos
She lets me come to her house and just relax and laugh
She always has my favorite foods at her house just so I feel welcome
She is always willing to listen to what I have to say, and always has great advice
She is PG # 1
We have sleepovers and laugh about nothing in her bed ( LaMadera scent...)
She has a loud, loud laugh and does not care who hears her
She can sing better than anyone I have ever heard
We can watch movies on her couch and look up at each other and are always crying at the same time, laughing at the same things, and oooh-ing at the same moments.
She understands my stupid humor
She marks clothes for me in my anthropologie magazine, therefore inspiring me to be more fashionable
She once told me black and brown do not match, I have not worn them together ever since
She always has a camera and captures awesome moments
We love to eat great food
I can text her about Bill Cosby at 1 am and she will respond


There are hundreds more, but I think she knows them.

Alice, I love you, and I am so proud of who you are. I hope one day I can be just like you. You are strong, independant, funny and beautiful. The fact that you are following God's will for your life, literally across the world, is incredible. Though I will miss you like crazy, know that I am thinking about you... and will keep your house in tip top shape!!

You are the best.

Seriously.

I made you a mix tape

I stumbled upon this website today, its called Muxtape basically what it is, is a place where people can upload their favorite songs and form them into playlists and web surfers such as myself can listen to them.

you should check it out. As Jaime would say, it's a real ear blessing.

This day is awesome

Want to know why?

Ok.

I am watching the office season finale
I am eating mini corn dogs with BBQ dipping sauce and ketchup
When I am done eating, I am going to read the 3 new magazines I just purchased
I am doing laundry
The AC is on
I am drinking a homemade shirley temple

oh man, life is good.

This is brand new information!

This whole week I have been telling people how FRIENDS is being turned into a movie, well according to E! News weekend, it's not true, and I am so sad.

Thanks a lot Josh Treece.

Wait... what?

For the last 10 minutes I have been laying in my bed with my T.V tuned into channel 4. I have been laughing out loud thinking what I was watching was an SNL re run skit about tennis.

You might be thinking, really? You couldn't tell it wasn't a comic mocking someone else... but here are my arguments...

A. I really did think that this was a skit mocking tennis, the lady looked like a man trying to be a woman
B. I kept thinking, this is the longest skit ever but just kept watching
C. I laughed, hard, and did not even realize there was no audience laughter

What I was really watching was a behind the scenes of Wimbledon, moment by moment documentary.

I am still tuned in.

somebody loved

I don't normally blog about music, because I don't consider myself musically talented in any way, therefore I shouldn't make any recommendations. BUT Sunday I was at Brenna and Ryan's beautiful wedding and Janu and the Whalesharks sang a beautiful version of "Somebody loved" by The Weepies, and if you have a heart, and it beats, and you breathe air, you should buy this song.

It is beautiful.

It is unbelievable.

It made me cry, in full daylight.

yes

and the answer is yes, that was my last Kung Fu Panda post.

told you so.

What if EYE looked different?

Would you still be my friend?






Eye didn't think so.

The Anatomy of How to Enjoy Chips and Salsa

Chips and Salsa is one of the most delicious mid afternoon treats I can think of.

I decided I should share the knowledge of the proper way to enjoy this snack.

Step one, grab a scoops version of the tortilla chip.
Step two, dip the aforementioned scoop into mild chunky tostitos salsa
Step three, place the concoction onto your palette
Step four, enjoy.


You are welcome.

you may not know this....

But I seriously heart Kung Fu Panda...

Bethany knowing this full well, brought me this little trinket home.

You can look for it on my desk.

THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!

Brandon and I had a pretty great day today. Started with Ben and Stacey's wedding which was complete with an office theme song at the end, a haircut for Brandon at Toni and Guy, some new clothes and make-up for me from all over the spectrum, dinner at CPK and The Incredible Hulk at the movies.

All throughout the day, all I kept saying was, can we watch wedding crashers tonight?

Well, we got back to my apartment, and what would you guess was on TV.... WEDDING CRASHERS.

Oh, how perfect.

What have I been doing?

Modeling.

Not really, but these are some fun pictures from the refinery opening. Including Ryanne's impression of the water monkeys from planet earth, a modeling shoot in the new baptismal pool, and playing soccer with Leighton.