you guessed it

yup.


doin' it again: I am SO happy!


Tonight was yet another perfect night.


Devin took me to La Jolla Groves -- which was amazing! We had a great time conjuring up the profile of our waiter, who, in case you were wondering, would wear, when not at work: bright colored vans, skinny jeans that weren't too tight, and either pink and purple deep v-neck shirts, or, on a chilly day, an ugly sweater. not quite the cardigan type, though, hahaha We're pro.


The food was good.
The service wasn't too bad.
Totally worth it.


Then, after an epic fail at Joseph A Banks on a search for a fitted search -- Devin drug a very reluctant Katie to the mall. I hate shopping. I do it as fast as I can, and I am good at it that way.


Shopping with Devin, on the other hand... is bearable. He makes it so much fun. We are hilarious. Quite a pair, I tell you! We found the perfect shirt, totally unexpectedly, and I have to say... Devin. Looks. GOOOOOOD! I definitely lucked out. He is so extremely attractive :) especially dressed up so nice! So we totally scored on the Bridal Show digs.


NEXT, we had to get his shirts ironed, and since he doesn't have an iron at his apartment, we headed to his parents, and while Devin ironed his shirts, his Mom and I teased him. Unknowingly to him, though haha.


We were teasing him about how OCD he is about everything, and that stemmed from guessing that he would take a long time to iron his shirts because he would take his time and make them absolutley perfect... and then I told her that I think Dev is a little OCD about everything... but we agreed that being a little OCD about everything, is A LOT better than being a slob. So... point Devin.


After that, we went to my favorite ice cream place, Farr's and got dessert with Devin's oldest friend, Skyler, who was very entertaining! They were both pretty impressed with my cherry-stem-knot-tying-in-my-mouth skills. I did it 3 times. BOO-YAH.


Basically, the jist is this: Spending time with Devin makes me so happy. He is so, so literally my very best friend. We have so much fun together -- I've never laughed so much in my life! We can tease each other, and play games, and I love that about him, and about the relationship that we have. Love it. He is so amazing.


And he looks really, really good. REALLY good. ;)


P.S. In case you were wondering... as of late, the worst possible combination is what I like to call the TIPSTER. A tool/hispter. augh.

Looking Into..

buying a Macbook. a nice, fancy one.


getting a credit card. because i need to start building credit. for various reasons.


reception locations for kelli and sean in the valley... it's been a struggle!


some awesome additions to my awesome shoe collection (Devin, don't you even begin!)


hmmm I think that's it. Lots of stuff to get, and lots of time to do it! Just the way I like it. I've been pretty productive lately. I'm proud of myself.


In other news:


Sewing tablecloths tomorrow. And yes, I have set aside my whole day, because I want them to be perfect! Sure, they are just tablecloths... but I don't care. They need to be awesome tablecloths. And they will be.


I spent about an hour today just cutting the fabric, measuring it exactly, and cutting a very, very accurate 9 feet of broad cloth basic cotton... 4 times. So tomorrow, the real fun will begin.


Tonight, at Gaylon's birthday party, Nana was giving me some tips for making it easier -- she's a genius! I think her tips will definitely help! Thanks, Nana! Also, this woman is now on Facebook, haha I love it! She's amazing :)


P.S. I can bend in half. In case you were wondering...

Birthdays

Today was all about birthdays:


1. Today, February 3, just happens to be MY HALF BIRTHDAY!!! I was telling Devin last night that I was excited, and he said "well... sorry, I didn't get you anything..." haha it was soooo funny. I don't celebrate it or anything, it's just fun to recognize, I guess. I am especially excited because I am a full 6 months closer to NOT being 19 anymore! I'm THRILLED! I think I've already talked about how I hate being 19 -- it makes me sound a lot, lot younger than I feel. You know, because 20... 20! OOOOH it just sounds so much older and more sophisticated! haha [sarcasm]


2. My mom's side of the family had a bit of an impromptu party at my Grandma Houston's house, so her and my Grandpa could tell us all about their trip to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tasmania! We also celebrated everyone's birthdays in January and February, including my now 15-year-old brother, and my cute, cute little cousin Claire, who will be 4 on the 22nd! I love my family! I got to hold Baby Haley, which I always love, and spend time with some of the funniest people ever! It's always entertaining with them.


Quote of the night:
Uncle Carl: "Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so the hillbillies live in the north, not the south." hahahaha never a dull moment!


3. Today is also Devin's dad, Gaylon's birthday! Devin had class tonight until about 8, but I decided to head to his parents around 7:30 without him :p haha, it was so much fun to spend time with his family! Both sets of grandparents were there -- I always love seeing them! Some of the most amazing people I've ever met! Also, I played Kayla's little made-up games... the ones where NO MATTER WHAT: she wins. Always. No if's, and's or but's! She will beat you. Every time. Sean decided to intervene, so I colored with Kaden, and once Devin showed up, we played with Sean and Chloe's dog, Moses, and then watched a Hallmark movie with Vicki, Gaylon, Sean and Chloe before calling it a night!


Such a fun day. I love birthdays! I love any reason to celebrate, really. It was so much fun to spend so much time with family today! The Ashby's have become family to me, and I love it! They are amazing people - all of them!


P.S. Nobody famous has this birthday, I checked. Just a bunch of random "celebrities" [darn google search], and a woman named - this is not a joke - Linda Papadopoulos. She's a psychologist. And that's really her last name, I checked.

Pop Culture Thoughts of the Day

I think Taylor Swift is asking for it. These boys keep dating her, and breaking her heart... she just hasn't caught on. I think all these guys are doing it on purpose because they know they'll be in a song! She's writing #1 singles about these heartbreakers -- I don't blame them!


I think somebody poured a bucket of ice down Michael Jackson's pants when he was recording "Black or White". I'm a HUGE MJ fan, don't get me wrong. But I don't know any other man that can squeal like that!

Eminem is talented. No comparison.

Kanye West is dumb. Most of the time.

If Prince and Madonna had a baby, and it mutated, it would be Lady Gaga. This, because Prince and Madonna are the most weird, but to an extreme that's sort of acceptable. Lady Gaga would have to be their mutated spawn, because she is FAR, FAR away from anything even resembling normal.

Skinny jeans on boys STILL ISNT COOL. In case you were wondering.

articles and embarrassment

couple things.


A: sometimes, I re-read my posts, because a lot of the time, I write these late at night, or in a hurry, so I don't really remember what I'm saying... and I apologize profusely. I make so many typo's! Sometimes, I go back and edit my posts to fix them, but not always. This will probably keep happening too. I type fast, late at night, and usually with a lot of different things running through my mind -- so it is what it is. But I'm still sorry.


B: I clean up my computer a lot, and I don't mean my actual computer, well I do that too, but I mean, my files. I go through and delete old stuff, and organize on a very regular basis. I was going through Microsoft Office files of old school papers and found a file called "Katie's Published Articles" -- with every single article I ever wrote for the Dixie Sun!


I had a moment of pride, like a proud parent, more than a cocky athlete, really -- but there were a LOT of stories in there, all stories that I worked really hard on. All stories I am very proud of, regardless of all the stuff I had to go through to get them! Being a journalist is a TOUGH job, and I have a lot of respect for those that do it! There were about 75 stories in there though! If any of you understand anything about journalism, and being on a fast-paced, high-stress Newspaper Staff -- you know it's something to be impressed by. And if you don't understand... be impressed by me anyway, haha!


I have to share these with you though. There are 2 comic opinion pieces I did back in the day, and they are pretty entertaining. There were a few different sections of the paper: News, Sports, A&E (the section I was the Editor for), Lifestyles and Opinion. I think that's it... anyway, the Opinion section was always small, and was mostly made up of Editorials, political comics, and the weekly columnists that wrote pieces for each issue, but every once in awhile, the Editor would have people from the staff take a shot, and write an opinion piece on whatever they wanted. I was super intimidated by that kind of freedom, so I only did it a few times. 2 of those times, I wrote funny ones.


I crack myself up:


Keep in mind, though, that these are Newspaper articles, written in AP style... so it's different. Not what people are used to reading. Also, AP style makes it sort of difficult to have a sense of humor.


Disney Princesses Offer Good, Awful Examples (actual headline... not written by me... written by the Editor)


Several people argue for and against the statement that Disney’s princesses are a bad influence on young girls.
I can’t decide if I agree or disagree with this, so I will cover both sides of the issue at hand. I only see problems with a couple of the princesses which could definitely be causing such a bad rep. Jasmine, the Arabian princess in Aladdin, starts her “bad girl” streak with her costume choice: a midriff-baring top and over-done make-up.
Her choice in clothes is not the only thing about her that proves her “bad girl” personality. Toward the end of the movie, Jasmine attempts to seduce Jafar, the sultan. I don’t know about you, but I think it could have easily turned into an outlandish PG-13 sex scene at that point.
I get a strong feeling that Jasmine must have been a teenager going through puberty. First, the skanky outfit, and on top of that, her attitude is totally seditious. She raises her voice to her father on multiple occasions and gives him the classic sixteen-year-old girl attitude. After that, she sneaks out of the palace—to be with a boy—a street rat! Gasp!
I see a pattern in most Disney princesses, because Pocahontas and Ariel also disobey their fathers to be with boys. This is suggesting to the young viewers that it is okay to break the rules as long as you are doing it for “love.”
Other than that, Cinderella has a weird thing with small rodents which may or may not have rabies, and Snow White is living with not one, not two, but seven men, but other than that, these girls are pretty nice.
Oh, and if you count Mulan as a princess (she’s not usually on the paraphernalia), she too disobeys her father and dresses in drag! Now I’m no expert, but I highly doubt that cross-dressing is the way to get the attention of Shang, the warrior leader captain.
Each princess has some good qualities, well, except for Aurora, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty, but in her defense, she really does just sleep during the majority of the movie.
Cinderella and Snow White both befriend forest creatures, and Belle tames the psychopathic mutant beast man. Jasmine accepts Aladdin for his poor, stealing self, and Ariel only rebels against her father in the name of love… and curiosity.
Pocahontas does her own good by not only trying to learn about the strange new settlers before judging them, but also by putting John Smith in his place when he calls her people savages, then educating him on the colors of the wind and the spirits inside inanimate objects while she asks him strange questions about bobcats and the blue corn moon, all mixed together in one popular song.
Snow White and Cinderella must have been great friends, because they both cleaned enough to compensate for everyone else, and both were slaves of evil older women, and Belle don’t lower her standards for nobody—not even Gaston, the ladies man!
So, I see the good and the bad in each Disney princess, but honestly, I say the argument should be put to rest! These princesses are meant to solely entertain young girls, and they definitely do their job, regardless of how us big kids see them.




{can't find the actual headline for this one... but's it's about DATING IN THE WORKPLACE}


Dating in the workplace has been a common policy for most companies since the beginning of time.
Why then, am I surrounded by gushy, mushy, lovey-dovey couples every time I walk into work? I know my company has a policy, but it is obvious that managers are letting it slide.
Of course, there are pros and cons to dating in the workplace: work is a great place to meet new people, it makes your job a more positive experience. You also get to spend that additional time with your partner that other couples are usually reluctant to spend apart.
But, you will, undoubtedly be the punch line of every joke, and the subject of all the gossip in the break room. And what if you break up? Wouldn’t you still have to see each other on a very regular basis, if not every single day?
That would force all of the positive aspects of dating in the workplace to become your dreaded fate. If you or your ex-partner met someone else in the workplace, jealousy would take its toll. You would hate going to work, and the result of that would most likely be taken by your clients or customers.
This being your consequence because, let’s face it, it is a very, very rare occurrence that relationships end mutually and happily for both involved.
Not only are you making everyone else in the company feel awkward and distracted, but you will create the exact same situation for yourself if the relationship ended badly.
There are those couples that try to keep their relationship a secret for as long as possible, which in my opinion only makes it even more embarrassing when everyone finds out, because they will realize all the little things they missed over the past three months that you have been “secretly” dating, and will tease you relentlessly for said “secret.”
I also think there is a fine line when it comes to staying professional. When you go to work, you should always feel at ease with your supervisors and co-workers, which elicits friendly activity. But when, exactly, does friendly cross over to flirty? And where is the line between flirting and sexual harassment?
Dating in the workplace is inappropriate and unprofessional, so maybe—hopefully—you will think twice about that cute guy in IT, or the new receptionist.


Oooh... these articles make me realize how much I do not miss being at Editor. Or on a newspaper staff at all, really. THAT is also another story for another time.

not only

Devin's the greatest.


After a long, slow night of work, I finally got over to his apartment, and when I opened the door, he was sitting on the couch, dinner made, Cops on TV, and a huge smile on his handsome face :)


Not only was Cops especially entertaining entertaining...
Not only was the food delicious (fajitas! soooo good)...
Not only is Dev probably the best cook ever...
Not only was I so happy to see this surprise waiting for me...
Not only did he say "Babe, you're really pretty," and make me smile HUGE. ALL NIGHT LONG...
Not only did he laugh at my stupid jokes...




...But Devin made it 100% better. Just by being there. And doing it all for me. I love him!


After dinner, we had some really good ice cream that he got when we were grocery shopping last night, and I didn't think it looked good -- but it WAS. In fact, it was probably some of the best chocolate ice ream I've ever had. And it was even dark chocolate, which I usually don't like!


THEN, we watched Local Ad (one of our favorite episodes of The Office...) and said goodnight.


perfect.
he's the best.


Thanks for another great night, babe. Just like every other night! You are so good to me!

antique

new addiction: the antique mall. i have a feeling i will be there at least once a week for the rest of my life. and i will love every minute of it.


obviously... today's shopping trip was a total success. probably the most rewarding kind of shopping experience i've ever had! it's an antique mall-- you have to dig, and have a good eye (chloe's pro), so when you find something awesome and it's cheap... your day has been made!


found some awesome stuff {more later...}, and spent next to nothing! Amanda, Chloe, Lee and I all went, and it was such a blast! Love those girls. We went to Cracker Barrel too, since I had never been -- delicious!


ended the night making fajitas with Devin, who is an expert cook, and of course, some Ghost Adventures and The Office.


perfect day :)