Breath of Fresh Air

   Warning: I might practically go MIA for a little while, as I have a killer work schedule ahead of me for the next 1.5weeks. Last night I decided to be a good little domesticated wife, after wasting me entire day away, and made a fabulously healthy dinner. A little experimentation was called to play and I'm proud to say it turned out excellentaaay! The master-piece: Toasted 100% whole wheat sandwich thins, topped with a little pesto, provolone cheese, sliced avocado, and barbecue seasoned chicken breast sautéed with halved cherry tomatoes and yellow onion. The main course was accompanied by wild rice and baked thinly sliced sweet potatoes, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with Nutmeg, Curry, and Black pepper! After we stuffed our faces while watching our Netflix motion picture "Dear John", we decided to take a stroll down the street to Red Mango (in our pajamas no less, and knowing the kind of street we live on, that's a pretty big deal....people get dressed up to hang on our street.......BUT I DON'T GIVE A HOOT....get it?) and get some frozen yogurt! I had Original and Dulce De Leche, while Patrick got the Pomegranate, and of course I ended up wanting what he had too. That's just the kind of girl I am!



"treat yourself well' Red Mango



     A couple of days ago, I realized a pathetic thing about myself. My liquid foundation actually has the word "pale" on it. The worst part?? That particular foundation is suppose adjust to your skin tone, and it's still too dark for my skin. I actually have to mix it with a lighter shade!!! So today, I decided to spend some more time in the sun-lizzle (sun light), but felt guilty thinking of up pinning the pups up for pool time, so instead I took them to our favorite park.




Off-trails are the best, look at those flowers!!!! How could you not enjoy that run?

 



Creek bathing after our run in the sun.



     My Nana may think that all the rain has just been "watering concrete" out here lately, but I've got pictures to prove otherwise! The wildflowers are in full bloom right now, and it is beautiful out there. No Bluebonnets or Indian Blankets to be found, but some pretty ones at that. I ran the dogs until they were hiding for shade (2 hours), and eventually had to carry them to the car. They got plenty of creek-swimming time in, since it was bath day, and I swear I have to bring my real camera next time so I can get some footage of how much fun Sumo has running in the weeds. I could just kick myself when I forget my camera. It's always when I don't have it, that arise moments I really want to capture. When we were making our way to the water fountain, a little girl fell and hurt her pride on the sidewalk. As I tried to tune out the screams of bloody murder, a brilliant thought came to mind, and I took the doggies over for a little pet therapy. Of course sweet Callie and Sumo took away all the tears and we left with smiles, not only on the little girl's face, but the mommy's face as well, which made us all feel good. They always get a few smiles and compliments for being so darn cute, but when I get to see them lick away little girl's tears........well that's something really special.



Aghhhh, breathing in that fresh air.



Resting on a cool shaded rock, Sumo needed a break



     I know I mentioned "good 'ol fashioned" in my last blog, but at the risk of being repetitive, I must bring up some more. There's nothing like a good 'ol fashioned dirt covered beaten trail and grass to run on over concrete and cement any day of the week. I have gotten to where I just can't run on a sidewalk anymore. New tennis' and orthotics, it doesn't matter. I tried again today, and it kills my arthritic knee......KILLS IT. I'm not trying to whine, just being factual. Any sponsors for a knee replacement, I'm bone on bone here?!?!? Anyone????............ Besides that, the breathing in the smell of plants, trees, and water are just the best while you're working out. There's really nothing better. They need to in-cooperate that smell into gyms somehow.



Diggin' these: Ear Pollution



     Another good 'ol fashioned: whole ear coverage, over the head, headphones!!!! Well, these are a new and improved spin off the oldies. I'm done with those stupid little pieces of plastic that are supposed to fit into your ear canal. They slide out anytime you do anything vigorous, sweat, or accidently tug on the cord. I've moved on to bigger and better things. I really don't care if anyone thinks I look like a nerd in these. They are amazing at blocking out noise, don't fall off, sound great, and only have a cord off one side, so you don't have the whole cross cord issue! I totally rocked out to The Killers Radio on Pandora the entire time. I can't get enough of that station.

     My last good 'ol fashioned: the fanny pack! I'm not joking. I'm lost without this thing on walks, trips to Six Flags, and anywhere else I don't want to carry a purse......but need stuff. Patrick has come to accept that fact that his wife sports this bright yellow 80's fad of a thing. It's the perfect accent to any nerd's attire! I once saw Carrie Bradshaw on Sex in the City wear one, and ever since then I use my fellow fashion diva as a example of how fanny packs can still be cool.

     Tonight, Patrick and I watched the Mav's kick some more booty and had a bar food menu in their honor. We accompanied the homemade New York style pizza, Sweet Potato French fries topped with my special sweet salty seasoning, and jalapeño poppers with some new flavored beers I picked up for us to try. The Apricot Ale would be great if I had some oranges to spruce it up with, but the Berry Weiss was delicious all by its lonesome. Shout out to Ashley for giving me the initiative to try some new flavors!



Callie's pitiful "Please, I don't want to take a bath" face




I'm always amazed at tree roots, these were exposed, making a bridge over a large trench, and super cool looking if I might add.



Pulp Free and Tasty to Me

Sundays with my hunny are great, especially when it includes a walk down the street for half price nachos, one dollar off tasty flavored beer, and listening to good old fashioned live music while sitting outside on a gloriously nice and cool spring-influenced evening. The only thing that could have made it better is having reclining lounge chairs for seating, instead of a picnic table bench seat. I improvised and just leaned on Patrick instead. The whole scene was just too relaxing not to lean on something!  

I can't get enough of this Raspberry flavored beer. It's so delightfully tasty.......very raspberry-yy. Fruit flavored beer, as girly as it sounds, is sooooo my thing. Even in my Corona and Dos Equis I add enough lime that you have to chew the pulp sometimes as you're drinking it. (Not becuase I don't like the taste of the beer, but becuase I like the taste of the fruit so much more.) Sounds gross to some maybe, but you won't see me bing diagnosed with scurvy anytime soon!!!! No chewing involved with this Belgium beer though, just fruity goodness.

As I enjoy all types of music, I think I'm always partial to the simplicity of an acoustic guitar, good lyrics, and maybe a little something extra......like the bongo's and a cymbal in this case. These guys had never played together before, but you'd never have known, unless you watched the guitarist tell the drummer the way he was going to strum the next song (and they also mentioned it during their break). Mixing uniquely styled covers and some of his own originals, this guy was a very good singer, and could pick the crap out of those strings. Job well done sir; thanks for the free entertainment.

Yay for Ringo's Pub for making it a Sunday Funday once again. Maybe you can let my husband play on your patio one night? It could be fun!

Like, You Know What I Mean, Like?!?!?




Out our window.  See the tiny 5k'ers?

       Nothing makes you feel more welcomed infuriated than coming home from work to find out there isn't a single un-blocked entrance into your own parking garage. After a long and patience-thinning shift, I drove around the entire apartment complex to search for an open street leading to my building....no luck. I finally had a short and sweet conversation with a friendly police officer, and discovered our community is hosting a 5k and apparently management didn't think it necessary to warn a single tenant! We get daily emails about crap and more crap, but forget the important stuff, like: you may not be able to get in and out of your own home on Saturday morning......Who cares about that? Since the race was about to start, I thought I might stick around to see the beginning. The results??? Smallest, and slowest 5k..........EVER. I witnessed a man in blue jeans, several strollers, toddlers, immediate walkers, and definitely no a lack of slackers. Who shows up to a race in blue jeans?


My speeding bullets, sprinting down the hallway

      Since I was awake, I took the dogs downstairs for their morning deuces (we run down the hallway and stairwell, because it's more fun that way) while Patrick slept in, and another stand-by officer asked me what kind of dogs I had. "Yorkies," I said. To which he hesitantly replied, "Aren't those....... really.......big Yorkies?!" Yes sir, yes sir, I happen to have a special talent for picking out extremely large-for-their-breed dogs; thanks for noticing. They get bigger every time.  I really liked what a woman I work with compared it to. Remember Clifford the dog? The more and more the family showered him with love, the more he grew. So maybe that's why they're so big. We do love them A-whole-heck-of-a-LOT!


Typical Cat vs Dog. Lucie to Sumo-  "Why you act so stupid?"



     I'm currently struggling with something that I don't know how to fix. It's an issue I have with phrase repeating. I've noticed that sometimes a group of people that are around each other will occasionally pick up on certain words or phrases and use them in a out of control manner. The current one in circulation is, "Do you know what I mean?" I've been keeping a rough mental tally for the last 3 days and at risk of sounding exaggeratory, I'd say I've heard it about 100 times too many. This is different than saying a catch-phrase from a movie to be funny; this is real conversation. A few weeks ago, Patrick and I were taking a stroll in our favorite nature preserve and happened to walk by a small group of teenagers. After passing them and reaching a safe distance, we simultaneously looked at each other and started laughing. The teeny-boppers were very seriously discussing some sort of scavenger hunt and the yappy one must have said the word "like" no less than every 2-3words. I have a witness of this. I just hope I don't want it to influence my own verbal language. If I start saying any variance of the previously mentioned, please feel free to slap me. Do you know what I mean? I'm just kidding!!! Not really. Or am I?



Tasty goodness

 

      One more note: I've fallen into a mild love affair with a new coffee treat. I stumbled upon this drink at the last minute pick me-did you forget something-don't you need this-I know you want me display in front of the register at Wal-mart last week. I think it tastes like a coffee flavored liquid marshmallow, and doesn't have the bitterness that those Starbucks canned frappuccinos can have. Of course I added a little bit of caramel to mine, but that's just me; it's an art to make everything complicated. 'You know? (Kidding again.)

     Is that poison ivy itching the crap out of my foot? Oh wait....no, it's just my tattoo healing and peeling. I think the recovery period could quite possibly be worse than the acute pain of the needle.







Come on mom, let's play!

 









The flip-side to my new cute bangs, too crazy not to share

 

Salute to ya Motha

     The absolute best part about keeping some sort of written journal throughout your life is reading back over it years later. It's true that writing isn't for everyone and many actually cringe at the thought, but if they had the opportunity to read back on how their lives and thoughts have evolved over the years, they may be a little more open minded to putting forth the effort. As a little girl, I kept a journal because I saw girls in movies that I admired do it. The imaginary idealism of a lock and key on the outside of a worn-from-use-journal was so excitingly secretive, and I pictured how fascinating it would be when someone found it years later and wonder what was in there. I wrote in it off and on, eventually getting "too busy" to find routine time. As a high school student, although keeping a journal became cliché and un-cool, I started taking an English class on the side at a local college, and my professor assigned a daily journal as a huge chunk of our semester grade. "Even if you only write a few sentences, you MUST make an entry every day," he said, "and I WILL read it!" The idea being, the more you are in touch with the writing side of your brain, the easier it becomes. He wasn't lying....about any of it. It did become easier and easier and the words would just flow out of me. Being in high school, I had plenty of mellow-drama to write about, and as I expressed my uncensored feelings, every now and then I would apologize for the language (just in case he was reading it), and he would note, "no need for apologies" beside my entry. The man just loved to read that much. My point is, as much as I hated making those daily entries for a grade, it's amazing to read back on them now. The words bring back feelings and memories that would otherwise be long gone and forgotten. Some good, some sad, some stupid, but regardless, mine. Pictures remind us of a lot, but well written memories bring back much more. Although I have the luxury of being able to read back to grade school on many of my thoughts, and see how I've grown on the inside, it's never too late to start recording those memories for yourself.   They truly are priceless.

     Mother's Day was a success. We relaxed at the river with the family, ate some fried catfish and cornbread, and Sumo went swimming in something other than a creek for the first time in his life. The weather couldn’t have cooperated more and I think I did a pretty good job picking out presents and finding the perfect cards this year. It feels good to be able to make someone so deserving smile. Where would we be without Mothers and Grandmothers? They gave us life, and then taught us how to smile. What an honor to have that much purpose in one's life.

Deeper than Skin

What does my first sock mean to me, you ask?

Hoot Owl: Standing for my earned wisdom and wisdom to come, also representing that I could "give a hoot" about what others think, and I'd rather stay up late than get up early.

Cherry Blossom: To represent my own individualism, strength and beauty.

Celtic Cross: This one's an oldy, already residing on my ankle from when I was 18. It represents my Savior and will always be one of the first things I got to do as an "adult" to express myself.

Stars as background: (This part won't be finished until I go back after my first session is healed.) In remembrance of our time living in Hollywood on the walk of fame amongst the stars, where our hearts stay, and that KpLove will always be stars of our own life.

 

Outline complete 





Shading complete, with my fuzzy cross in view. You already can't see my ankle at this point, with the wimpy swelling, not it's hardcore.





It's almost done! It took hours of research, 1.5 hours of drawing in the shop to put all my favorite things together and then to design it on my foot, and 3.5 hours of needle time, but I now have a beauty to show for it.

I can't wait to appreciate it more after my extreme swelling and bruising subsides, and am even more excited to have it completely finished. Until then, I already can't stop looking at it (partly because I'm amazed at how stretched my skin is right now without bursting open, and partly because I love it so much). I'm also especially happy that Germ, the artist, fixed my old cross for me. It now has the swirly detail back that I initially loved it for. Thanks Germ!



Dear Martha




Sumo helping out

  "Dear Martha Stewart,

     Can you please make a little room in this world for me? I love creating sentimental yet useful things for friends, decorating my living space with warm and cozy yet inspiring repurposed projects, and cooking food to nourish the soul. I need a bit of tutoring in thank you note mailing and voice message returning etiquette, but those things are nothing that a personal assistant and my "I'm sorry smile" can't fix. If you could please discover me soon and make me rich from doing what I love to do best, I would be eternally grateful.

Yours truly,
k"

     Last weekend was Mother's Day, so that means it was time to hit the flower arrangement designing sweat shop and get to work! Us girls always have some good laughs and sip on some good wine when we get together, putting our creative hats on and mixing play with work. Knowing how I enjoy a challenge, Vickie always gives me what I call the "fun orders". This year I got to make a few arrangements that resembled a puppy dog coming out of the basket, adogable. Get it? A-dog-able, instead of adorable? I brought Callie and Sumo with me for the weekend and they had a blast at Granny's as always. Sumo was our little helper for the weekend and assumed role of destroying compose! Call Park Lake Flowers for all your flower needs! Here's a few of my favorite arrangements that I had the pleasure of putting together:




Smogely the Bear modeling this veil:

Pink ribbon, white sequined flowers,
chocolate material flowered crown

 

     Last week, I also sewed a classy bachelorette party veil for one of my mother's friends. Every girl wants a fun veil to party in, as her last unmarried night on the town, but not all girls want condoms hanging out everywhere. That's where I come in handy! I discovered my niche for this a couple years ago and although it's always a pain in the butt, the finished product is Oh-So-Cute.  




Tina's Veil: Pink and silver ruffles with Pink flowered material and silver bling dangles crown



  

 



Amy's Veil: Pink and Purple Ribbon with pearl beading and Feathered Crown

  


Amanda's Veil: Camo Polka Dots with pink beading and Three layered pink beading crown

 





Inside Outwards




Throwing T.P. into the crowd

 



Just the two of us at Edge Fest

       So this last month of work has been really hard on my body. Due to the nature of our Ranger game schedule, day-time work meetings, and weekend requirements, my schedule has been all jacked up and choppy (which does terrible things to a night-shifter's internal rhythm). It's traumatized my brain in such ways that I actually wore my pants inside out to work one day this week. The sad part is, I didn't even realize it until about 5 am when I went to the stock room to gather some supplies and tried to slide some syringes in my cargo pocket, not understanding why they wouldn't go in! Dum-de-dum-dum-DUMB! The good news is we have a vacation comming up this month! Nawlins here we come!!!!!!



It's for real

  

     During my last measily two days off (I know what you're thinking...."Don't complain about two days off. That's what we all get." But that entails me not getting off until 0720am, not going to sleep until 0900am after taking the dogs on a walk and grabbing some grub, waking up in the afternoon after a short nap to feel jet-lagged for the rest of the day, making the most of my evening, and then going back to sleep to be regular the next day.........so it really only feels like 1 day off.....and after all that work to be regular, going back to a night schedule so soon just screws it up all over again!), if you can follow me back to the begining, I tried to make the most of them. Friday night Patrick and I tried a new resturuant with his work friends. Fuzzy Tacos! It was a laid back envoironment, and by laid back I mean you don't have to tip anyone, pretty cheap prices and strong drinks. The tasty-goodness of the food was satisfying to my belly and afterwards we enjoyed one of our last nights of the cool weather on a back porch somewhere in Lewisville.





My fav hat there

  

     And now to get to the good stuff; we arose early on Saturday morning to hang with the animals and make it to Edge Fest to spend the day rocking out in the sunshine. For 12 hours, we chilled to a variety of great bands, had a couple of cold ones, and enoyed some good ol' fashioned people-watching with our feet propped up on the bleachers. I'd like to note that for the first time ever in KpLove history, "K" finished a beer first! It was a unforgetful moment to be recorded. Neon Trees was better on stage then I preconcieving-ly thought they'd be; that lead singer is so crazy hyper. He was all over the place, barefooted and all, and sang laying on the ground for a while. Social Distortion did a fun cover for Ring of Fire, and Seether was great as always including their cover of Smells like Teen Spirit. I enjoy hearing different bands takes on famous songs. A couple more of my favorite day time bands would have been Panic at the Disco and Flogging Molly. The "School of Rock" program was also there with several kid bands tearing up the guitar/bass/drums and fundraising for the cause. Those kids were having a blast, showing off their talent and we had fun watching them.





Halloween lady

 

     As day turned into evening the crowds started to get a little crazy and I swear I saw more titty flashing and crowd surfing that has ever existed at a single concert. Every girl the camera featured on the big screens revealed her knockers...large, medium and small, the boys loved them all! Even a couple of guys flashed theirs, to which the lead singer of Wheezer showed a little nipple in return. Speaking of that guy, he was hallarious. He kept referring to the crowd as "the pizzahut people" and to introduce a throw back song said, "We've got a special pizza for you" (the concert venue was Pizza Hut Park) and said to "Support your local Wheezer". They put on a spectacular show and the lead singer came down into the crowd and ran over to our side of the bleachers to sing amongst the people for some "good physical contact", he called it. Everyone just ate it up. My first time to see something like that happen.  They finished on a drum solo with the entire band playing a single set of drums. Also a first for me. I actually felt bad for Jane's Addiction anit-climatic following of Weezer........until they didn't sing Jane Says. Everyone waited for that song, and the turd heads didn't play it. As closure, we hit-up Whataburger on the way home and let the lead in our eye lids take over after chowing down while the puppies played around us. Any that, my friends, is what you call a pretty perfect day.







Hamster ball crowd surfer





Guess they couldn't find a babysitter, at least it had ear muffs 

 

Neon Trees




Weezer's grand drum finale




Jane's Addiction sky dancing girls





Spoiled is the Best

Would you like me to gag you with a sweet story about my husband?

     He slaved away yesterday afternoon making me Chicago style Pizza from scratch that I was going to eat for dinner and then bring with me to work for my lunch. It was great, minus the fact that he got a little carried away with the seasoned salt in the meat, and after I ate it for "dinner", didn't want to eat again for "lunch" at work and I whined about not wanting a single ready-made thing we had at the apartment. And even though he had just bought groceries for me that day, he went back to the stove, cooked me another entire 3 course meal and brought it to me at work so I didn't have to eat something I wasn't in the mood for. He even taped a sweet little "I love you" note to my tubaware.
     He is currently at home cleaning house and doing laundry for me. I don't know what I would do without him! He is the bomb diggity; the mustard to my hotdog (he HATES mustard, but I don't like hotdogs without it); the mayo to my sourdough jack; the cheese sauce to my broccoli!