Weekend happenings and Blogaversary winner

First of all, thank you guys for the sweet comments on my anniversary!
I will say, I'm a bit surprised there were only 24 entries.
We're talkin' free shit here, people,... do you not like free shit?
Whatevs, better odds for those of you who DID enter. We'll get to that at the bottom though.

Onto the weekend.
M was in Austin, TX at SXSW doing hipster-techy things for work, so I had a pretty low key weekend.

Friday night I headed over to one of M's friends' houses, actually, and had pizza with some married friends of ours, and another guy, and watched the high school hockey tournament and the Gopher's hockey games. For those unfamiliar with The Tourney- as it's called here in Minnesota- high school hockey is a HUGE deal in the state. Our professional hockey arena sells out (we're talking 18,000) for the championship game on Saturday night, and the 4-day attendance usually hits over 100,000. It's fun to watch because you inevitably recognize a lot of the guys on college teams within a year or two, and then often in the pros. If there's one thing MN does well, it's breed hockey players.

Saturday I bummed around the house. A lot. Woke up slow and enjoyed a grapefruit for breakfast

Snuggled with my buddy, obviously. 

I treated myself to lunch at Noodles & Co. ("you could make the buttered noodles & parmesan at home" you may be saying. NO, no you cannot. There's something in those damn noodles that makes them irresistible). 

Patrolled the neighborhood for hooligans.
Or... just squirrels.
and mostly it was just TJ. 

I spent the rest of the night watching tv and making escort cards.
Am I aware that we have 7 months until the wedding? Yep.
Instead of waiting for RSVP's to roll in, and making them at the last minute, I'd much rather make 30 extra and then pull them out of the stack as people decline. Yes, I'm an epic Type-A.
I've been meaning to take some photos of them and do a post on it, so I'll have to get around to that.

Sunday I slept in, again (this time I blame Daylight Savings) and then met my friend Molly at the most adorable little restaurant in Uptown.

it was delicious, and I loved chatting.
I hung around Calhoun Square (for you non MN's.. it's a shopping/restaurant area) and got 2 dresses at Francesca's. We have a wedding in April and it was buy one get one 50% off, so I couldn't NOT..annnnddd I got the giveaway gift!

I got an email at brunch confirming M's dad would be staying with us for a while, until he finds an apartment. He got a job down here in St. Paul (he lives in Moorhead right now) and I know M is very excited to have his dad around on a more regular basis.
SO, I've been advising on "where not to live" in STP, since I grew up there. We want to make sure he takes his time and finds the perfect spot, so we've told him he can stay with us as long as he needs. His job starts this Wednesday!
Sooo in anticipation, I tidied up the downstairs guest room (since he usually stays upstairs, but my closet is in that room, so we figured it'd be easier to put him downstairs for a slightly longer stay than usual). This of course meant I needed to buy a new duvet cover, some closet organization stuff, and towels for him. 

 (kind of an inside joke, I hope he gets a kick out of it)

The sign's temporary home until the wedding :)

Target had some Michael Grave's closet organization stuff on sale, so I grabbed the shelves and the hanging 2nd bar.  Once he finds an apartment, I think I will be adopting the hangy bar. It's awesome.

annddd finally, we have the giveaway winner! I bought a spring-y scarf and earrings at Francesca's for you. Hope you like them!

and I used the random number generator to determine a winner: 

aaand the winner is:

Leah!
No freakin' joke.
I say this because we are in fact, real life, very good friends. haha. I hope ya'll don't think I rigged this, swear on baby-TJ that I didn't. I was actually really surprised a "1" popped up in the number thing, it's never the first or last number! Anyway, Leah, haha, I'll bring it over tonight when we watch the Bachelor.

I might owe you guys another giveaway... haha. Actually, to be honest, a lot of you who commented I have met in real life also, and I consider us friends :)

As requested, here are some of the LOLcat entries from the giveaway:

And if you click one outside link from this blog, let it be this GIF that Melissa sent me. I died.

That's it for this Monday.
If ya'll liked my emo post about my family, you'll love my emo "friendship" post I have drafted. We'll see if I'm feelin' it this week. It'll get published.. it's just a matter of when. :)

Hope you all had a good weekend!

Kelly

Blogaversary

Wow, you guys. 

Thank you SO much for all the kind words on yesterday's post. 

I had today's post (below) drafted and scheduled and then realized that with the stark contrast of the topics, it'd be an awkward transition if I didn't at least address the response to yesterday's post. (blogging- ah iz lernin.) 

I want to say a few more things. 

First, I obviously knew this, but your sweet comments reminded me: sick or healthy, everybody has VERY complex relationships with their parents and other family members. I appreciate so many of you sharing such personal details about your families. It's always nice to have people to identify with. 

Second, I hope (and I don't think it did? but who knows) my post didn't come off in some weird tone of sickness-competitiveness. I don't think M.S. is 'worse' than cancer, by any means.. just that, not many people are familiar with it, so it can feel more isolating at times. They're not sure how to ask about it. If that makes sense. Or what types of things they should even be asking about, if at all.

Not that I didn't know these things, and not like anybody's comments made me feel bad or anything, but I wanted to put it out there, regardless.

 

(via)

Onto perkier topics! 

One year ago today I finally decided to cut the crap, and just start a blog.
I was always waiting for the right time, obsessed about a "niche" and direction for my writing, saying that once we got engaged.. I'd start a blog. After I finished law school, I'd start a blog. Finally one day, after reading dozens of blogs for years, I decided there was no better time then the present, so I actually.. started a blog. THIS blog, that you are reading at this very moment. 
It's my blogaversary!

Tell me I'm not the only one who has an aversion to working the word "blog" into seemingly innocuous nouns, verbs, or adjectives?
It sort of makes me cringe, and yet, what else do you call the anniversary of your blog BESIDES your blogaversary? I just can't NOT, you guys.

Anyyyywayyy, I just wanted to say thank you for following along.
Thank you for leaving SUCH sweet and insightful comments on posts like yesterday's.
Thank you for telling me my latest DIY is adorable (seriously ego-boost, ya'll are too kind).
Thank you for telling me my outfits are cute, sometimes (it makes this oft-insecure-curly-haired-girl feel really good about myself, which is nice)

I'm feeling more comfortable with this space, with my routine, and with my voice. I've really come to love drafting posts, editing photos, and getting such fantastic comments from you guys. I'm content. I guess the same can be said about my life in general, lately. So thank you, for reading about my (boring?) life and growing along with me.

As a thank you, and because I got my tax return back last week, (but seriously) I want to host my first ever little giveaway! I don't have anything purchased yet, (I think that will largely depend on who wins! tailor-made, yo) but I'm going to put together a little package. Think: statement necklace, earrings, a pretty scarf...something along those lines. :)

All you have to do to enter is follow my blog (I assume if you're reading..you're following? maybe I'm wrong) and leave a comment. Just one from each of you, please! Mayyybbeee, hmm, tell me what you'd like to see more of on the blog, what are you favorite types of posts? random ramblings? wedding posts? Or what you've enjoyed about past posts? Or just say hi! (lookin' at you, lurkers.) I'll use that random number generator thing to pick a winner. (Once I google it and figure out how to use it.)

Awww hell, bonus entry: email me a LOLcat meme photo. No, I'm not joking. aannnnddd leave a comment telling me you've done so, so I am sure to count you.
What's an LOLcat photo? (the normal people, ask). Here's an example:

I'll go shopping this weekend and pick a winner on monday/simultaneously reveal what you're gettin'

annnndd GO!

New Year's Eve and our Anniversary

Is it New Year's Eve? or New Years Eve? Does the "eve" belong to the year? I think it might.

Monday was M and I's 3 year anniversary! For a girl whose previous "relationship record" was a whopping 7 consecutive months (the ex and I had our fair share of on's, then off's...1.5 years total) sometimes I'm surprised that it's been 3 years. It's felt both faster and longer than that. I suppose that's what happens when you are in love (awwwww!) and comfortable with someone.

We celebrated just like we have the last two years, by going ice skating at the Depot, where we met.
See?! Here's year 1 and 2:

on the way, I made a wee pit stop to revisit the exact spot where M proposed.

You see, it was kitty corner from The Depot (in front of the MacPhail performing arts center, for those familiar with the area).

We laced up, skated, and added to our "anniversary photo" collection

and then I took out a 4 year old who skated in my path. She spun me around, but thankfully I stayed on my feet, corrected myself, and kept skating. I felt like I was getting the stink-eye from fellow skaters for not stopping to check on her. Rest assured, she bounced back to her annoying "I'm trying to be Michelle Kwan" self in no time.

We headed over to Republic (at seven corners) in Minneapolis. It used to be called Sergeant Preston's and was kind of a fratty place. I heard it underwent a bit of a transformation and wanted to check it out. The food was FABULOUS and it was empty, even better. My guess was everyone was home pre-gaming NYE. 

We headed home, watched a movie (Pitch Perfect, which was surprisingly funny.. "I ate my twin in the womb." ---the asian girl killed me..hahah), and I was doing this by 12:06:

I'm just not as wild as I once was.

New Year's Day involved a lot of lounging with my 2 favorites

NYD night we watched Moonrise Kingdom with some popcorn.

and M sported a very necessary bib. It's like he had giant holes in his fingers because no matter how many kernals he grabbed, at least 2 wound up on the couch or down his shirt. Special guy. :)

As far as New Year's resolutions... I've never been good at that. I'd just like to improve all around. What, that's not vague enough? Mkay, here are just a few things I've thought about that I'd like to see happen in 2013

1. Nail down something on the job front. I haven't talked about it much here but I'm still clerking at the firm I have been with since last summer. I've started taking on more work that a first year associate would, but due to the economy and work slowing down, they're hesitant to hire on full time. That being said, they're letting me stay in the capacity (and at the pay rate) that I've been working at, which has been really nice. I'm grateful to have a job in this economy, a LEGAL job at that, since many of my friends do not yet have one.

2. Work out more consistently. I have the gym membership, but I can't seem to find a schedule that works for me. I need to pick some days, and have my bag packed. I've found the easier I make it on myself (going straight from work with a bag packed vs. coming home to change) the more likely I am to go. In that same vein, I need to buy some more work out clothes. It's too easy of an excuse right now when my 3 sports bras and 2 sets of shorts are dirty and then I don't do laundry for 2 weeks. woops.

3. Improve my wardrobe. I know this sounds super vain, but hear me out. I have this problem where I only shop with a certain event in mind. I.e. "a new dress" or "a new top for this one party" etc. THEN I wear that new item to death because it's new and trendy (unlike the rest of my closet) and before long its worn out and just as frumpy as the rest of my clothes. I want to move items in and out on a more regular basis, and shop more periodically instead of the "all or nothing" approach. I've found I'm happier and more confident when I feel like my outfit is put together. I also want to style what I already own in different ways. I get so stuck in outfit ruts.

4. Be a better blogger. I wouldn't consider myself BAD, but much like the gym, I need to get into more of a rhythm. I need to jot down a little list of topics other than weekend recaps and "M and I did this, this and this" posts. I always think of good posts after the fact or after seeing another blog. Granted, I do consider this blog my virtual scrapbook, so I can't see myself straying far from that.

5. Learn how to use my camera. Self explanatory. I feel remotely confident with it, and I got some great pointers from my cousin. I can't wait for spring/summer and longer days of better natural light.

sooooo.. those are just some of the things on my mind for 2013.

2012.

What is there to say about 2012?

Blame it on the horomones, but when I think about everything that happened this year, it makes me a teensy bit weepy. 2012 really will unequivocally be the best year of my life.

 

I KNOW, I KNOW.. "but you're getting married next year!" you say, or "wait until you have kids!" but 2012 symbolized the beginning of all of that. The things that happened this year started the ball rolling on everything else, and for that, I will always hold 2012 close.

 

Let's see...in April I got engaged to my internet love M. 

In May I achieved a lifelong goal and graduated from law school, complete with wizard gown and cap.

I'm offish a "doctor" ...although don't hand me a scalpel.

 

I have nothing fond to say about June or July. June and July I went a wee bit nutso whilst studying for the bar exam. I survived, barely. And then began the LONG tortuous wait....

 

and actually I was a wee bit crazy from August-October as well.

 

Until October (the 5th to be precise) when I got the news I've been waiting my whole life for.

I passed the bar exam. 

 

(When I went to print the photo of my results letter today (December 28th) I checked it, again, to make sure they had gotten it right).... Hi, crazy.

Later in October, I was sworn in before the Minnesota Supreme Court and became the fourth generation in my family to practice law :)

The rest of 2012 was spent in a blissful haze wondering if all that really actually happened. I'm sad to see 2012 go. 2012 will always be super special to me (and not because we all survived the Mayan apocalypse).

However, 2013 has one thing,... one BIG thing on 2012.

I'm getting MARRIED!!

To THIS handsome fella:

and I really could not be any more excited. :)

I'm hoping to get off early today to go ice skating at the Depot, since it's been M and I's little tradition. It is after all the THIRD anniversary of the day we met/our first date :)

Hope you all have a great end to 2012, and a fantastic 2013.