Creole Wisdom

This is Halloween:

Happy scary holiday my friends! Here I am in my Halloween dress- as a lady bug avec t-shirt and leggings, because my booty is big and I was not going to have it hanging out! How tragic would that have been? Trés tragic if you ask me... I cut the tights so they would be arms for me.  Hey- it's chilly in Minnesota, and I'm not about to get a cold!

And can you believe this gorgeous, real life Snow White standing next to me?  Gorgeous lady, and a sorority sister of mine.

Speaking of frights... We are all positive this ancient house of ours is haunted.  With vibrating mirrors, and people having their named called when they're in an empty room it is confirmed that the ancient girls are still around.  Consider this little story: in the summer, the house is empty except for our house mom.  She noticed one of the doorknobs was falling off the door.  She made an appointment for the handyman to come over, and then left to do errands.  No one was in the house during this time, except the handyman.  She then came home to find a voice message from the handyman: "I went to check the door, and there's nothing wrong with the knob."  Sure enough the knob was mysteriously perfect when she went and took a look....

May your day be filled with frights and sweets alike.

i like fall (cozy)

this weather has me wanting to curl up.  on my list of fall favorites (minus anything haunted):

•Minnetonka Moccasins.  These are just a classic. I had a pair as a kid, and I love these new ones. Perfect for walking to class.
•Roster McCabe, a campus band, came and played for us at our scrapbooking activity. They sang "Crazy" (the Gnarles Barkley version) and I was so happy.  I just love that song, in fact, last year it was my ring tone for a while-

•Parent's weekend was a success.  We do this once a year.  I was responsible for the decorations and set up. It turned out really well, and I made the  Martha Stewart luminaries out of tissue paper, super easy.
•My little sister Becky and I.  A little FYI: when new girls come into the chapter they get a "big sis" who guides them through their experience in the chapter. Isn't she cute?

•Wow, and can I just say how awkward that one looonnnggg curl looks.  Someone def. needs a haircut!
•Went to Punch Pizza yesterday with a girlfriend from church.  We also stopped by Bibelot, and I picked up this adorable necklace (it has the golden rule on the back, how cool is that?!?)

•Listening to lots of good music:
-Belle and Sebastin
-Carole King
-Carly Simon ... and you are all going to die.  I love her song "Julie Though the Glass," and it just happens that it was featured in a vintage LDS advertisment.  Is that cute or what? Now I cannot get the song out of my head!


my serious heart condition

Let's just talk about scary stuff for a minute.  First of all, I do like a good horror movie.  Not anything like Saw or Hostel, but the Village, Disturbia and Flowers in the Attic.  More mystery than actual horror I suppose. Along with all the fun fall festivities that exist I am not a fan of anything where people dress up in costume solely to scare the hell out of you.  This is my idea of hell.  Flash back to August: my cousin begged, pleaded with me to go though our fair's haunted house.  It resulted in me crying and shaking for five minutes afterwards.  Not a fan of haunted houses.  Watching a scary movie is one thing, but being chased by men drenched in fake blood with roaring chain saws is another...

Flash forward to last night.  Our fall exchange with Kappa Alpha Psi.  We love these guys, we know it will be fun.  What wait, what is on the menu for the activity? a haunted house and hay ride.  And then- get this- you have to go through the house to get to the hayride. 

Well thank God for Claire, she can up with the brilliant idea of telling the owners that I, "have a serious heart condition, and cannot go through the house."  It worked perfectly.  She and I waited at the back door of the house where the hayride picks you up.

Now, are you wondering why I am such a wimp?  Let me tell you, some houses require you to sign a waiver before going in.  Yes.  A lot of houses, the scary people can touch you.  See why I had to wait out back?

The second part of the adventure was the hayride.  Nothing like a fun, fall hayride, right? Except this one is haunted to.  As a result you have 18,19,20,21,and 22 year old boys/men (whatever they are at this age) and girls screaming and clinging to each other as scary people JUMP from tree tops onto the ride and scare you.  Not to mention you are driving past scenes of horror movies where the characters run and try to grab you on the ride. 

<- this clearly was not taken by me- My eyes were closed tight during this!

Throughout the less-horrific parts of the ride we all came to a consensus that this activity in itself was the perfect setting for a horror movie.  Think about it.  A fraternity and sorority in the pitch of night go out to a haunted house and hayride, but then their hayride gets stuck... and it just so happens that a crazy man has escaped from the asylum... (okay, the last two parts were made up!) But still, a good horror movie in itself, huh?

I was shocked at how many kids were there, and many went through the house by themselves.  Shocking.  The best part of the evening however was when we were done and waiting for our bus to pick us up.  There was a dance floor with music playing.  Everyone started dancing, and when soulja boy came on everyone watched the boys...  They ended up getting t-shirts from the owners for putting on such a fun show for everyone else.

Yes, I am smiling in this picture because all the scary stuff is over.  But the night did not end there- we got back the bus and headed back to campus.  Of course, this is a school bus and it's bringing back all sorts of memories for me. However, the driver had the radio on, and everyone was up dancing.  This would of not flown in elementary school.

Back on campus we headed over to their house, but made a pit stop home for Halloween costumes. I was a ladybug!

More photos and stories to share later.  Enjoy your scary weekend, I hope it is full of (less frightening) festivities!

photography site update

So it's been a long, long time since I updated my site.  But I have been advertising through my singles ward, and so there have been a few people interested in me doing their engagement/wedding photos.  So it was time to re-vamp, and get it going again.  I've also added a button, too.

my cousin and his bride. 6.2007.

iblog

From Kelly's blog: what are your thoughts on blogging? why do you do it/ not do it? what have you learned about yourself from blogging? has it been a blessing or curse in your life? how much time do you spend?

I don't think I was really conscious of how much blogging would literally "bless" my life when I started (July 2005).  In fact, it was on a whim.  I think I noticed some scrap celebs had one, and since, well I knew I was pretty cool, too I decided to start as well.  Also, my 2peas friends had kept up with me at my livejournal (which still exists, props to anyone who can find it/has read it) and followed me over via signature link to Creole Wisdom. So I guess the short story is I just started it for the heck of it, have kept with it, and thrive on it-

Now blogging provides a way for me to stay connected to the friends I have made via the web.  Whether it be old 2peas buddies or the slew of people I have met through other bloggers.  The goodness just keeps coming.  I guess I'm lucky because I'm blessed with a great "circle," there are/and have never been any creepers.  This is just not the blogging world I know.  For me, it's a creative, inspirational mecca.

Slowly, but surely I am learning (especially from reading my archives) how much I have grown in the past two years.  I know I am a half-way decent writer.  I know my readers enjoy my rantings and musings which are really unimportant in the grand scheme of things. 

This is funny to admit, but Creole Wisdom is almost therapeutic for me.  It provides me a place to express myself where my entries are what I want them to be and nothing more or less.  I am fulfilled by all the inspiration other bloggers have provided me.  It fuels me.  I have always been surrounded by motivated, admirable women- the blog world is no different.  Any of you ladies would by buddies in "real life." 

Thankfully blogging has never been a curse, but instead a blessing!  How much fun I have had with this.  I hope to keep going with it, and I really pray it never goes out of style and that I'll be writing here in 2012!

So, what about you?

I just could not help myself

I had to download this song off of itunes yesterday.  I was walking through the knoll area (a beautiful space with trees and winding paths) on the way home from class and got really, really excited.  This song is just so beautiful, and I love the message. 

Maybe it's because I have been doing so much winter shopping (got an adorable black peacoat last weekend, and a serious Columbia jacket two days ago) that has put me in the mood for snow and Christmas.  Even if it still is in the 60s.

I sometimes like winter, but really am mostly a Christmas person.  Once it's over I want it to be 75 degrees again!

pretty damn awkward

it's pretty damn awkward when your ex-boyfriend posts pictures of you together on their facebook.  And for inquiring minds it's this one:

Basically I have given up hope of ever understanding the male species.  And as if my week hasn't been stressful enough, now this. 

What do you think? 

"I'm a two stop light kinda girl"

My roomie Ashley is hilarious, and maybe even more so since it's one am and I'm getting loopy.  Some of my favorite quotes, just from the past half hour.

Going through our sorority's catalog:
A: "Do you think these are all our girls wearing our letters?"
K: "Yeah, because they use the same models over and over.  Why?"
K: "Because if they aren't, I'm going to call and bark at them."

uh-oh lol.

Looking at a pillow in the catalog (before you get initiated you are supposed to make a pillow for you "big sis" and give it to them)
A: "twelve bucks, there you are.  Just get out a magic marker and write their name on it."

A: "I think people in my class might think I'm a boy because I never wear my hair down." 

Well, with logic like that what can you say?

A: "Katie, did I ever tell you that sometimes last year I would just febreeze myself.  I would sometimes miss showering a few days. "

A: "I'm from a small town.  Everyone is white and Christian.  We only have two stoplights in my county.  I'm a two stop light kinda girl."

Usually she just gets me laughing to tears.  Hilarious. 

Lincoln Park After Dark

I really need to be studying for my Philosophy 1001 and Comm 3411 tests.  Ah, I hate tests.  Seriosuly, I'm the person who gets 100% on a paper, but D's on tests.  Why is this!?! They are so horrible.  So instead of preparing for failure I'm reflecting on some goodies:

•OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark.  This is the most striking and beautiful nail color I have seen in forever.  My sorority sister Kate got us all addicted two nights ago during a viewing of Little Women.  We all came out of our lounge room looking rather stunning with this dark color. 

I am obsessed with this.  No kidding, last night around 11pm when I was eating my mother's homemade chocolate cake (in the still under construction home) with one of my lovers* (remember grocery store boy),  I said, "did you see I painted my nails?"  Ugh, how valley-girlish is that?!?  But he liked it, and of course I had to relay the name of the color to him.  Just in case he needed to pick some up, too.

•20% off everything at shade.  Such good deals.  I got this adorable turtleneck. 

•Gap finally has some nice stuff.  New dress for church along with opaque tights.  Do you know that opaque tights are now the "thing."  I wish I could find some in wild colors- like hot pink and mustard.  Any tips?
•This is the most feminine and lovely top ever created.  I am serious, and this store is so affordable.

*Wow, that sounded really, really ho-ish.  I just like to have a lot of choices ya know.

utah trip {part 2}

-Sunday 10/7
•Conference afternoon sessions down at the beautiful conference center.  This time it was sunny and gorgeous.  Lindsay and I walked around Temple Square after and took some great pictures.


•Later that night we drove down to Provo.  I was so excited to see BYU.  Could not wait!  Lindsay's roommates were so nice to me- it was fun to also meet her sister Sara.

-Monday 10/8
•We walked up the hill from Linday's apartment and had to snap this funny picture with me "holding" the "Y." Aren't those mountains amazing? Again, water, drinking lots of water. 

•I picked up a loot at the BYU bookstore, which was really fun.  We then headed to the museum where I saw a great exhibit.  Loved all the artwork there.
•Got to see where Lindsay works- the MTC.  I actually volunteered there as a pretend investigator.  It was a wonderful, neat way to serve.  Maybe next time I come I can be a French speaking person- but I still need to work on that! I did start reading the French printing of this, so we shall see if my skills develop

•Creamery run.  Delicious ice cream.

•Went on a fun double date to Fat Cats and played pool.  I just cannot get over how much there is to do, most college towns are just bars after bars. 

-Tuesday 10/9
•Woke up early to get ready and spend time with Lindsay before she left.
•Was walking alone in the bookstore looking for a cute gift to get for Lindsay when a boy bumped into me.  Turns out he served here in MN and Jana and I met & fed him once(with a couple other missionaries) as part of  "sustaining the priesthood." It took me a minute to recognize him, especially since he introduced himself as Trevor, I just knew him as Elder X.  He left MN not long after we made dinner for him, and he was really excited to hear about me maybe coming for a summer session in June.  "I will find you a great place to live where some girls in my ward are!" and "I would love to help you more stuff if you need it." He then gave me a big hug and we exchanged info.

•My dear friend Kirsten (another PDX buddy) drove me back from Provo to Bountiful. We chatted in the hour ride home, pretty exciting news: she is almost engaged.  So happy for her. 

•We then went out to Ogden and had dinner at this wonderful place, Roosters! I love that town.  We spent time at the Solomon Center and even drove past Weber State College.

-Wednesday 10/10
•My last day!  So sad.  I woke up earlier and Marsha took me downtown to eat at the Garden.  Excellent food, I had the ABLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado!)
•Loved the view from up there, it is so gorgeous.  Cannot wait to someday go inside that beautiful temple- Marsha said on my ride to the airport as we drove by the temple, "just think- someday soon you'll be able to do a session there."

It was a delightful, wonderful trip.  I am really hoping I can come out in the summer.  Some funny observations were:
•Linday's roomies making fun of my accent, saying I say "bag" differently (no, I don't do the MN "o")
•All the random "pretty" comments.  It was a self esteem boost to come there.
•Seeing all the cute families at conference, and seeing couples my age with babies (eek!)
•How dry everything was, drinking water excessively.
•Cheap, good food at the cougar eat with a "bridal guide" to look and laugh at with Lindsay
•Always being able to know you where you were with the mountains as your guide.

See my album for more photos and details : )