Josh's Birthday Adventures and Surprises!

Warning: SUPER long post! My Apologies!

Yesterday was Josh's birthday and we decided we would go to Muir Woods, which is a National Monument we have been wanting to visit for some time now. It was so beautiful, but of course it didn't take long for the walk to become a disaster - more on that later....

Here is Josh next to a tree trunk thing that was dated back to 960 AD!!!!!!! So old!

The redwood trees were so pretty

The SUPER tall Redwood trees!

Me!

Right before all hell broke loose.

So about half way through the hike my legs started itching really bad. I remembered that I had shaved my legs that morning, (side note: I am allergic to basically every form of tree and grass) so with my freshly shaved legs with open pores on a windy day in a freaking redwood FOREST - the pollen naturally found its way into my pores. The itching got worse and WORSE. Then it was to the point of painful, and then I was getting light headed. I was itching and it was spreading all over my lower body super quick and was really unbearable.

So even though we were in such a beautiful setting with half of the trail left to go, we had no other option but to run the rest of the way. There was honestly no other option, I knew if I didn't rinse my legs off soon I was going to pass out or have some sort of panic attack haha. So we looked like idiots, running down the trail.
Then we finally made it to the park restrooms where I gave myself a quick water and paper towel wipe down, which somewhat eased the pain/itching long enough for us to run to the car. But of course, in the mean time, the wind was still acting up and my legs were at it again in no time. So once we got back to the Jetta I stripped down to my underwear (by this time the itching was creeping up my back too) and then I took another water and paper towel bath/wipe down. Luckily it started feeling much better once I was in the car and out of the wind, and I had damp napkins all over my legs. UGH!

We had originally planned to eat our yummy lunch that we packed along the trail, but that of course didn't happen. As soon as I was done car bathing I ordered Josh to get us out of the freaking redwood forest ASAP!

Once we were far enough away from the forest we pulled over on the side of the road and had our lunch! By this time I was feeling much better with food in my tummy and my legs cooling off.

The view of the bay from the Sausilito side

The Road, with some tourists of course

Then we came home and showered to get the pollen off of us, and then we headed out to run a few errands (or so Josh thought!) I told him I needed to get a price adjustment on a pair of jeans I recently bought, which was true, in order to get him to the mall so that I could surprise him with his gift!

As a little background info, Josh makes iPhone Apps, but he doesn't have a Mac, so he has to use his Mom's computer whenever he wants to work on them. So needless to say he has been wanting a Mac for a while now. In addition, his birthday is this month, our anniversary next month, and Christmas in December, so I decided rather than spend a bunch of money for each occasion on things he may not really need/want, I would give him one large gift for all three things: A Mac Laptop!

There was only one problem: they are expensive, and what I had budgeted would only cover the basic MacBook, which I know he would like, but I knew for the money, it would be a much better investment to get him the upgraded MacBook Pro. So I thought and thought and came up with a solution: call in reinforcements!

So here is how it all went down: a complete surprise to Josh, thanks to my genius-ness.

First Step: I collected a card and $ from my parents, Josh's parents, his sister, and my brother to go along with my card. Then we went to the mall to do my price adjustment. After that we started to walk towards the door when I handed Josh the birthday card that I made for him :) In side it said how for his birthversarymas present I was going to get him a MacBook! He was so excited, and we instantly headed towards the Apple store!
Once inside, we went up to the bottom of the line MacBook which I told him I was going to get him, and then I haded him a card from my parents, which said that as their gift they were going to upgrade him to the MacBook Pro 13"!

Then after that card I handed him another card that was from his parents that said they were going to upgrade him to the MacBook Pro 15"!

Then I gave him another card from his sister that said for her gift she was going to upgrade him to the Anti-Glare Screen Option! By this time Josh was getting overwhelmed with all of the cards, and really embarrassed that I was taking pictures inside the Apple store hahaha

Then I handed him the last card which was from my brother that said he was going to get Josh the InCase brand case for his new laptop!

After all of the card craziness was over we asked one of the associates for help, so we could get the laptop, but sadly they were out of the one Josh wanted! Boo! So we went home and ordered it online and it should be here by the end of the week! yay! :)

After the mall we headed to Best Buy so Josh could spend some gift cards he had, then we headed home to hang out until it was time to go out for his birthday dinner. Little did Josh know there was one more surprise in store for him even though he asked me point blank: "Are there any more surprises!??" And of course I lied and said no! haha

Anyways, his parents drove up for dinner and surprised Josh, which was a lot of fun. Sadly his sister had to work last night at Victoria's Secret so she couldn't join us for dinner, so after dinner we went back to the mall and brought some yummy Cupcakes from Sift along and she was able to celebrate with us on her break!

The cupcake place only had cupcake sparklers - not candles - and we were going to lite all of them but there was a security guard watching us the whole time, so we just lit three haha

Then we came home and went for a quick walk, put our jammies on, watched Hell's Kitchen, and went to bed. It was a great day and I am so thankful I got to spend it with Josh and make it so special for him :)

I Love You Joshy! Happy Birthday!

-Katie

Happy Birthday Joshy!

That's right folks, today is Josh's 23rd Birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOSHUA!!!!!!!!!

I'm so excited because I have the day off, and he doesn't have class today, so we get to spend the whole day together!!

We are going to go on a hike and out to dinner, and I may or may not have a few fun birthday gifts/surprises up my sleeve! yay! :)

Happy Birthday Baby Wa! I Love You So Much!

-Katie

Silly Boy

The other night while Josh was supposed to be watching our Chicken cook on the BBQ he decided he would water the backyard.

And this is how he decided he would do it:

Such a lazy bum! But at least it got watered! haha

In other news, I spent the weekend at work, as usual. We made our monthly sales goal though so I'm excited to report that I will be getting a little bonus spending cash on my next paycheck :)

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! And a quick shout out to Hailey and Matt! Less than a week until their special day!! Congrats!! :)

-Katie

Monday Funday!!

On Monday I had the day off, and as you know in my post on Sunday, I was contemplating if I should get the Ali Flap in Mahogany or not. The thing is, there was only one left in a store about an hour away and I was having a hard time justifying a)buying it and b)driving an hour for a purse.

So Sunday night I tossed and turned all night in my sleep and finally decided that I shouldn't go, I need to save my money and behave. Even though the bag would come down graciously in price to $160 with my discount from $398. But alas, I just couldn't justify it.

Monday morning rolls around and I decide to check out the outlet's website where the Coach store is that had the Ali, and I see that they are a Simon Brand Mall. Instantly a light bulb goes off in my head: I still have a $100 gift card to Simon Malls from my Mom for my birthday! After squealing with excitement and running around the house a few times I got ready and was on my way!

An hour of cruising in the Jetta to some sweet tunes I finally arrived at my destination: One of Two of the Flagship Coach Outlet Stores in Northern California.

Once inside, I introduced myself and let them know a friend of mine who works there put this beloved gem on hold for me:

With tax after my gift card I only had to pay $73 for this baby!! She is so pretty and the leather is SO comfortable. I get so excited every time I walk in the closet and see her! :)

With nothing but time on my hands during this girls day out with myself, I decided to drive around the rest of the outlet (because in all honestly it was too HUGE to walk around). Just as I think I'm going to get out of there cheap and easy, I see something that I had no idea existed- it was seriously like seeing a unicorn.

A Le Creuset Outlet!

I immediately pulled into a front row parking space and rushed in! The man who was working was SO nice and hilarious. He was about as gay as they come, and was dressed nicer than I was. He was so funny and was a great salesman. All in all and $198 later, I came away with 7 things!! I can only disclose a few of them because the rest are Christmas Gifts! Oh and the nice man gave me a BUNCH of coupons for next month - looks like I will be visiting him again soon! Oh and when I left he thanked me for talking and said he had a great time haha!

How cute are these little dessert ramekins!? I got two of these!

I also got the Le Creuset Cookbook that I have been wanting, a 2.75 Qt Soup Dish in a really cute green color, and some other great things. The prices were UNBELIEVABLE and they had first and second choice quality products. So you could buy second quality that would have a extra little cosmetic flaw, but was otherwise perfect. Knowing me, and my OCD I of course still got the first quality, but I mean really, it was such a great price I didn't mind paying a few extra dollars for the first quality!

When I got home I decided to tackle a craft project that I have had in the back of my mind for a while now. Let me explain my vision: Every time I got to American Eagle's Aerie store they tie my bag closed with a super cute ribbon. Being the weirdo that I am I have saved them all knowing I would find something to do with them. So one day it hit me: I should make a ribbon bouquet. I've never seen it before, so I totally just made this up as I went.

Cute Ribbons!

Wooden Dowels, some green wire sticks, and floral tape

I took the little wire sticks and put them through the back of the bows I tied, then I wrapped the dowels in floral tape, and used the tape to secure the wire holding the bow onto the dowel, thus making it kinda look like when people have those flower pens, but not - haha.

Up close of my ribbon bouquet!

I finished it off by putting some sand in the bottom of the cute Ikea vase!

It turned out to be the perfect decoration for my craft/sewing table!

After my crafty project I made a trip to the gym, and made a yummy chicken and pasta dinner in my new green Le Creuset!! It was a great day off and an excellent way to start the week. Today is my second day off for the week, so hopefully I can get just as much done today :)

-Katie

Gym Freak Of The Week

As usual, I was swimming laps (maybe only freaks swim?) and I stopped to take a drink from my water bottle. As I was standing there I heard someone talking, and after they didn't stop I realized they were talking to me.

I turn to my right and I see this:

A Real Life Leprechaun

Straight off of the box of Lucky Charms (or maybe not) was a short fat little man with a read beard and bald head. As if I wasn't already disoriented enough after just swimming my little heart out AND trying to comprehend what on earth this little man was, I finally was able to tune in to what he was actually saying.

It went something like this:

Leprechaun: You swim so well and make it look so easy!
Me: ohh, yea... we I have been swimming for a long time
Leprechaun: Maybe you could give me swim lessons?
*Disbelief/Confusion/Awkwardness*
Me: uhhh I just know how to swim, I'm not sure if I could actually teach someone (even though I am fully capable haha)
Leprechaun: Oh ok, well I'll just watch you swim from underwater and see if I can get the hang of it that way
Me: umm ok.

I had no idea what to say. Luckily my workout was pretty much done, so I just swam a couple cool down laps and got the eff out of there! So creepy that he was watching me! EW! I mean at least he asked, but what was I supposed to do? Say no? AWKWARD!

So just in case you are as shocked as I was, let me reiterate:

I was asked for swim lessons by a leprechaun, who then proceeded to sit underwater and watch me swim.

And to make the whole situation even more disappointing, I couldn't even find his pot of gold.

-Katie

Todays Lesson: Retail Etiquette

I've worked in retail for quite some time now, in various stores with a variety of clientele, and even to this day, I am still appalled by the way people act while shopping. Even though I know none of you lovely ladies act like this, I am still going to give a quick lesson in retail etiquette.

Trashing The Store:
I understand that this is not your house, but it is my place of work.

-Do not let your child throw cheerios all over the floor and then leave them there.
-Do not tear apart that stack of neatly folded shirts after I just asked "Can I help you find a size?"
-Do not leave your water bottle on a random table because you don't want to find a trash can.
-Do not carry around a huge hand full of items and then decide you don't want them anymore and just put them somewhere in a huge pile.
I have to clean up the mess you are making, so please tread lightly.

Noise/Out Of Control Children:
Really?

-Do not let your child RUN wild through out the store. This is Nordstrom's/Pottery Barn/ect. NOT Chuck-E-Cheese.
-Do not ignore your child that is screaming bloody murder in your stroller, take it outside. You are ruining the atmosphere/shopping experience for other customers and giving me a headache.
-Do not have inappropriate cell phone conversations while in the store - yes, we can still hear every detail about your one night stand even though you are trying to hide behind that rack.

-And a somewhat related topic: why did you just bring your full sized dog to the mall? Do you really think Fido wants to go shopping at the mall or that other customers appreciate his slobber all over the place? I think Not.

Respect:
This is not my dream job.

-Do not treat me like an idiot, I went to college, and this is not my career of choice.
-Do not abuse our great customer service. You are an asshole. Just because you know we will do whatever you want once you start raising your voice does NOT make it ok to return a handbag that is fully used, 7 years old, and disgusting just because you don't like it anymore.
-Do not get mad when I ask for your email address or follow you around the store asking you if you are "still doing okay?" or "do you have any questions?" That is my JOB, if I don't do it, and you are the secret shopper then I am effed.
-We have secret shoppers (see above). Corporate gives us a list of 10 steps we must complete with each customer varying from greeting to having them try a product on. Don't think I want to do this, don't think I enjoy being all car-salesmen-ish.
-We are not on commission, we just need to get 100% on our secret shopper score each month, hence why we try to give you the BEST customer service possible, even if it is annoying.

The Return Policy:
Read it and Weep

-I did not personally create the return policy. Neither did the cashier standing next to me.
-The return policy is proudly displayed at every register, and printed on your receipt - so no, I don't really care that you claim you had no idea of the return policy. And sorry, but really, are you trying to return something from last Christmas?

And finally, the most IMPORTANT lesson....

Hours of Operation:
Get the eff out!

-If a store closes at 8:00pm and you walk in at 7:57pm please leave. Don't even bother entering our store. Not only are we pissed at you, but we aren't going to try to go out of our way to help you. We have families/lives/dinner waiting at home, and sitting here watching you TEAR apart the clearance wall which we just straightened is not something we enjoy.
-Do you see how there are 3 associates in the store? It costs money/payroll to keep them there for every minute you meander around the store aimlessly with zero intent to buy anything- and when you do buy that $40 item, it doesn't even come close to making it worthwhile for all 3 of us to stay late because of you.
-When I turn the music off in the store TAKE THE HINT.
-When I lock the door with you inside the store and shake the door loudly/violently so you know it's locked TAKE THE HINT.
-When I am counting registers and banging the change in the drawer super loud TAKE THE HINT.
-I don't care that you are having a fun day of shopping, I just worked 9 hours on a Saturday and I am ready to get the eff out of this stupid store and go home.

So ladies, if you are ever shopping with someone who does any of these things, please set them straight, the retail associates will think highly of you and appreciate your kindness.

-Katie

Blog Award!!

Nicole over at From Our Place To Yours bestowed upon me the Kreativ Blogger Award!

I'm so excited and thankful for this award!! THANKS NICOLE!!!

so here are the rules ...

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might not know.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

So here are 7 things you might not know about me...
1. I'm watching Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami right now
2. My Middle name is Nicole
3. I don't like gummy bears as a topping on ice cream because they get all hard and make my teeth hurt
4. I eat a bowl of cheerios for breakfast every morning
5. I don't just wash my car, I fully detail it every time I wash it
6. Cherry Kool-Aid is my drink of choice
7. I haven't read Harry Potter or Twilight - and I am perfectly okay with that

Now to pass the award on to some other Kreativ Bloggers that I love reading....
Hailey from Hailey and Matt tie the Knot
Jen from Haute Whimsy
Jen at Jennster's Blog
Ivy at Little Woman, Little Home
Jen at The House Itch
Heather at Step Inside
and Nicole at Summer is My Favorite

Thank you to all of you ladies for having such great blogs! :)

-Katie

Oh Ali...

The Ali Flap in Mahogany...

With a Cross Body Strap and a Shoulder Strap.

Yes or No?

-Katie

Can some one please tell me...

...what on EARTH this contraption is??? I saw it on my way to work the other day and I had to take a quick picture with my iPhone (highly dangerous haha).

It is a gutted van, with all of these crazy pvc pipe frames built around it, and what you can't see in the picture is that the van has a bunch of huge sub woofers in it as well - odd. I just don't understand the purpose of this "vehicle"
But regardless of the purpose behind this gypsy wagon, I'm going to go ahead and reasonably assume that the owner is a member of my gym...

-Katie

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to have won Jennifer's giveaway over at Crazy Shenanigans!!!! She was nice enough to send me two great books, Dead Until Dark and Living Dead in Dallas!
I've actually seen these books on a few other blogger's reading lists and I have been pretty excited to check them out... there is only one thing getting in my way...

My growing stack of books!
For those of you who personally know me, you know that I am not a HUGE reader. I like to read, and once I start a book I am hooked, but I am really bad at making time to read, thus resulting in it taking me about 6-8 months to finish a book - no joke. Which explains why I have such a traffic jam of books piling up on my desk. I am currently reading Sarah Dessen's Lock and Key which is pretty good. Her books are really easy reads and are very teenager-ish but I still like them :)

Here are the rest of the titles in the stack:
Of course Dead Until Dark and Living Dead in Dallas!
The Time Traveler's Wife
Pretty Is What Changes (a gift from my friend Katie!)
Just Listen
and Asking for Trouble (which has been sitting on my shelf for at least 3 years haha)

You have no idea how excited I am to finish all of these books! But I just can't help buying more! Whenever Josh and I go in to Barnes and Noble I just can't help but go crazy! I know one day I will get to them all, so that is how I justify it haha.

But for now, I will keep chugging through my pile and hopefully I can write a review of the books I won on the giveaway!

Thanks Again Jennifer!!

-Katie

My Weekend Off! :)

I had this weekend off from work, and let me tell you it was so much fun! Friday started out wonderful, I was able to go home 2 hours early from work because my brother Clay was coming up to visit! When I got home Clay and Josh were hanging out and I had some beautiful flowers waiting for me too!!

Thank you Joshy for starting the weekend off with a wonderful surprise! :)

When I got home I made a quick trip to the gym to swim some laps and then Josh, Clay, my other brother Kevin, and Josh's friend Marcus and I all went out to our favorite local Chinese Food Restaurant!! So delicious! After dinner we headed over to campus to see Marcus's new dorm (which let me tell you is nicer than any apartment I have ever lived in! click the link to see a virtual tour) They are brand new suite style dorms with crown molding and stainless steel appliances!! It's Insane!

After that the boys headed to a party and I went home to watch some 9/11 tribute documentaries. I must say that I was some what disappointed in the lack of patriotism on Friday. I wore a ribbon all day at work and if we didn't have painting/construction going on at the house I would have been flying my American Flag too! Oh well.

On Saturday we got up and got ready because Clay was going to practice his photog skills by taking some portraits of Josh, my friend Stephanie, and I. It was a bit chilly and cloudy, but apparently when it is cloudy is the best time to shoot - so that is what we did! We took pictures all over campus which worked out really great because it is so lush and pretty.

Josh carrying the light umbrella

Clay snapping a few shots of Josh

Final ProductIt was funny how many people were walking by and staring at us haha

Here are a few of the many we took that day. Clay quickly cleaned up a few of the shots in photoshop and sent them over, when he gives me the rest I will post them!

Steph and IJosh being a model hahaha

Joshy and I

:)

Not a huge fan of this one

I am in dire need of a tan haha

After pictures we came home and made pizza for lunch and then Clay headed home. Josh and I ran our errands and did the grocery shopping and then when we came home we headed over to the park with Stephanie and Anthony to play some tennis!

Lets just stay Stephanie and I don't have the best aim and a few of the balls ended up outside of the tennis court, and even in a tree haha

We finished the night off with some hungry hungry hippo and watched the season finale of the Real World Cancun - I can't believe Aiiya slept with Joey!

Sunday was a super productive day! Not only did we sleep in, which felt lovely, we also did some major house cleaning and a ton of laundry.
I also framed my College Diploma and hung it on the wall... it only took me a year and a half after I graduated to do it haha

Framing it up!

Closing it up tight!

And last but not least, putting it on the wall!

Joshy and I also took a bike ride in the rain :)
And we made some delicious bean dip for dinner and watched the news. Then I had to go to a Manager's meeting for work at 8pm which sucked, but oh well, it was still a great weekend!

Happy Monday!

-Katie