Pb

The grocery store where my parents live has the BEST peanut butter cookies on the entire planet.
When I was home last week my parents sent me home with some.
The only problem...some was not nearly enough.
I needed lots.
So I decided to make my own delicious and out of this world pb cookies.
Only problem...they don't even compare.

I used this recipe and followed it mostly to a T.
The cookies are thick, chewy and soft.
But there is something about them that just isn't right...and I can't tell what it is.
Something...maybe the aren't sweet enough....or maybe there isn't enought of a pb flavor?
I also maybe could have over mixed them. Because I don't have a fancy mixer, I have to use a classic wooden spoon.
I just can't put my finger on what it is.
But they are good enough to hold me over until I drive through Champaign next weekend.

Happy Monday.

HBH

So have I ever mentioned how I have the BEST boyfriend in the entire world?
Because he really is the best. By a long shot.
When he left me to go "frat" it up in Padre for a week...I was never far from his mind.
He even sent me the most beautiful tulips.

It was such a pleasant surprise.
So thanks hbh for being the best hunny on the entire planet.
i love you.

Sarah's Key

So I brought two books to Charlotte with me...not realizing that most of our drive down there would take place in the dark. So I did ZERO reading on the way there.

But on the way back I read all of Sarah's Key. Cover to cover.
I needed to get lost in something. I needed to let my mind wander and forget about the perils of the last few days. Sarah's Key was the perfect escape.

I wasn't really planning on reading the whole book...certainly didn't plan on reading it straight through with out stopping...but it was just so good. I literally could not put it down. I wanted to know what the next page was going to bring.
It was a sweet and loving story (I really need a new adjective...I use sweet too much!)
It was two stories that merged into one story somewhere in the middle/end and I really liked that.
It kept me entertained...I was never bored, not even in the slightest.
This is definitely a good book to check out if you have a weekend with nothing to do.
It is easy to read and flows from page to page effortlessly.

So pick it up!

I'm a Charlotte

Well....my trip to North Carolina did not go as perfectly as I had planned in my head.
(I need to stop doing that...you know perfectly planning things out in my head....I never brace myself for a letdown.)
I drove down with my Dad Tuesday evening. Got to Charlotte at about 3 a.m. Wednesday.
Had my first interview Wednesday afternoon.
That was a bust.
In the first five minutes I knew that I was not what the agent was looking for.
So that was a huge ego killer right off the bat.
I tried to be as positive as my anxiety would allow me to be....which is not very positive.

My dad and I spent the rest of the day driving around the Huntersville area...15 miles north of Charlotte.
I LOVE THIS AREA!
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!
We did some apartment hunting and I found the most perfect of perfect apartments.
Which was a highlight of the day.
But I was still pretty bummed about my interview.
And it certainly did not help that I was super tired and missing my hunny so much.
So we called it a night pretty early.
I woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed on Thursday with a brand new attitude and a smile on my face.
I was off to my second interview.
A young agent, looking to grow his business.
He was located in a super trendy part of town.
Had a killer office...which is always a plus.
The interview was FANTASTIC!
We talked for an hour and twenty minutes.
Good solid talk, too...no bullshit.
Just the good stuff.
He gave me a book to read and said he would be in touch...
So I left super happy!
Did a little more exploring.
Drove into Charlotte.
Ate at Chick-fil-A ....uber yumm
And was feeling pretty good about myself and my next meeting with the State Farm Executive in the area.
Well...boy o boy was in for something when I sat down for that meeting.
I was ripped apart.
This man liked NOTHING about me.
Nothing.
I don't even think he liked the sound of my voice.
I have never experienced that before.
This man just hated me.
After a very short meeting with him, I shook his hand, thanked him for his time and smiled the prettiest, happiest Kati smile of all time and walked out the door.
I put my sunglasses on, hustled to my car, and cried.
Cried like no one's business.
Did I really drive all the way to North Carolina with the fantasy that everyone was going to love me, that I was going to get offered a job on the spot, come back to IL, finish school, move away and live happily ever after....and was it all crumbling before my eyes?
YES.
That was indeed happening.
Me and my stupid dream world that I live in.
I swear my head is filled with nothing but fluffy white clouds, glitter, butterflies and puppies.
I live in a totally unrealistic world where everything is going to be perfect and life will just present its self to me on a silver  platinum platter.
So I called Jeffrey, who was in South Padre...and just let it all out.
I was mad that he wasn't there with me.
I was mad that my dad was being logical instead of mushy gushy.
I was mad that the first agent didn't want me.
I was mad at this old rude man that tore me apart.
I was MAD.
Why weren't things working out?
What happened?
So my dad took me out for some much needed beer.
I needed to relax and not worry about what happened.
But if you know me....you know that I worry...and I don't relax very well.
So I worried.
The terrible imperfect events never left my mind.
Again...was I really planning to just pick my life up and move away...and was it really not working out right now?
Yep. That is exactly what was going on.
So Friday morning we packed up and hit the road....headed back home.
I got lost in my book, so I wouldn't think about anything else.
So I wouldn't dwell on what had happened and what I couldn't change.


So that's that.
I guess I have a lot of thinking to do, and more interviews to set.
We'll see where the next few months go.........

Happy Tuesday...

MARCH MADNESS

"My girlfriend fills out brackets"

My boyfriend shouted that while in South Padre.
He's a wacko.

I don't follow college basketball too closely, but I think I know enough to do decently well on the bracket.

So here are my picks

Elite 8 :  Ohio St.  UNC.  Duke.  UConn.  Kansas.  Purdue.  Pittsburgh.  Florida.
Final 4:  Ohio St.  Duke.  Kansas.  Florida.
Championship:  Ohio St.  Kansas.
Champion:  Kansas

And Jeffrey's picks...

Elite 8: Ohio St.  Syracuse.  Duke.  UConn. Kansas.  Georgetown.  Kansas St.  St.John's
Final 4:  Syracuse.  Duke.  Kansas.  Kansas St.
Championship:  Syracuse Kansas
Champion: Kansas

Go JAYHAWKS!

Our picks are super different...as different as different can be. Maybe we will have to place a little wager and see who comes out the victor. :]

Happy Wednesday

Charlotte

EEP!
Today is the day I leave for....
Charlotte, North Carolina!
The future city I will call my home.
The place where I will learn to be a big girl.
Where I will live far far away from family.
Where I will make new friends...good friends.
Where I will live with my handsome and loving boyfriend.
EEP!

I leave this evening, for the 13 hour car ride with my dad!
So duhhh I had to pick up a few books!
A road trip isn't a road trip with out some good reads.

And

I have started reading them both...and so far I am pleased with both stories.

Can't wait for a long car ride where I can just read and read and read!

Watch out Charlotte...HERE I COME!



Thank God it' s MONDAY!

Today you are you, that is truer than true.

There is no one alive who is youer than you.

-Dr.Seuss

My brothers sweet sweet girlfriend sent that to me yesterday, said it reminded her of me.

I love it so much. I have never heard this quote before. It's funny how true it is, and it's going to stick with me for a long time. Thanks for the little pick-me-up my dear!

..................................................................................

So anyways....I had a terribly boring weekend. With Jeffrey on spring break with his "boys" in South Padre, this little lady is left alone. And sad :(

So believe me...I have never been more excited for a Sunday to end and a Monday to being, at least work meant I would have people to interact with! But more on that later...

One thing that got me through was movies...I watched a total of 7..yes 7...movies this weekend. Talk about cabin fever. And most all of them were "chick-flicks"

Up first...

-Leap Year. It was cute and light-hearted. I guess some would call it predictable. But it was sweet and I enjoyed it,

-When in Rome.  It too was cute and "predictable". But again it was a good movie and helped get me through my Saturday. Plus a little Josh Duhamell...don't think any girl is going to argue with that!

The third movie on my plate for the day was...

-Love & Other Drugs. My favorite of the weekend! This one really made me miss Jeffrey a lot though. But it was ssooo sweet and funny and wonderful. I am going to re-rent it when J gets back and make him watch it with me. I definitely recommend this one!

Then I took a break, and watched TV...unfortunately there is NOTHING on tv on Saturday afternoons/evenings. So I watched Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. It was on ABC Family.
Lucky me.

Then I watched the worst movie of the weekend...

-Revolutionary Road - Terrible. Slow, long, angry, bi-polar, crazy, and sad. There was nothing nice about this movie. Not one single thing.

Then I watched another Kristen Bell movie....

-You again. This one was cute, same sort of chick flick stlye movie. But sweet and ended happily.

Then the last of the weekend....

-Love Happens. Say what you want about Jennifer Aniston and her movies, but this was simply adorable. The story was sweet (I need a new adjective, eh?) and romantic...so that of course made me miss Jeffrey all over again. But I recommend this one too.

So that was my long weekend of movies. I've got one more to watch tonight.

Oh the exciting life of a girl when her boyfriend is on vacation.

Happy Monday

Parents.

So I was talking to my boss, who is a single father to two teenagers. He is having some problems with his 18 year old daughter. He was asking for my advise on how to "connect" with her. And I suggested he take her on a father/daughter date. Just the two of them, dinner and a movie or something....well he rolled his eyes and said he didn't like that idea. That is was weird....and it got me thinking about how lucky I am to have the best parents in the whole world.

My mom is my best friend and everyday I start acting like her more and more and more and more (UGH!) ! But I am also extremely lucky to be very to close to my dad as well.

Some of my fondest memories are of my father/daughter times.

Like every Valentine's Day for many years the Army would host a father/daughter dance. I would get a pretty new dress and get my hair done all pretty. My dad would buy me a corsage, take me to dinner and then to the dance. It was always so much fun, I remember him looking so handsome in his dress blues and us having so much fun dancing the night away.

We would go out to dinners here and there.
Trips to the grocery store or to Stupid-Mart

He would randomly pull me out of school and take me to lunch.

Freshman year of college he took me to St. Louis for a few days. Just me and him. We went to the Zoo, went to the Arch, rode go karts, ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory (yumm!) and had a great time!

And next week we are road-tripping to North Carolina! Just me and my dad!

Having these relationships with my parents, especially my dad, has made me the person I am today. I hold all the lessons they taught me close to my heart. I would never want to do anything to disappoint them. Had I had a different upbringing, where I didn't spend quality time with my parents, I can't say what kind of a person I would be today.

I only hope that one day....[in like 5 years]...I can do the same for my children.

It makes me sad that my boss does not have that relationship with his daughter, that just simply taking her to dinner is "weird" for him. I hope that he can try and step out of his comfort zone and take a little interest in her, and spend some quality time with her.

No more pepsi for this girl.

I'm taking the plunge and giving up pop...Pepsi...for Lent.
So today I indulged in a Polar Pop one last time.
See you in 40 days delicious polar pops.

As for me....I will be drinking water and Gatorade for the next 40 days
Hopefully....my face will clear up and my waistline will slim down.
Ya know, because I drink like seven Pepsi's a day!
We'll see...

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Okay.
So I have kind of been s u p e r boring lately.

Last week I didn't do a whole lot of anything.
In fact, on Wednesday I went to work until 1:00...then decided to skip my two afternoon classes in order to take a glorious nap. Unfortunately my nap caused me to not sleep an ounce that night.
Friday though, I suppose, was a little fun.
Work like usual all day then Aaron took us out for drinks after quitting time!
We went to this neat little "towny" bar in East Peoria...called EP's.
We had a few beers then Aaron hit the road and Jeffrey and I stayed for dinner and a little date.
It was quite nice. We went home and watched Life as We Know It
It was so cute. I loved it. Jeffrey fell asleep.

Then to prove how boring I am...and how sleepy I have been lately.
Saturday I got out of bed twice...once to pee and once to heat up left over pizza from EP's.
Then around like 6:30pm I got up to brush my teeth and wipe the make up off my face because Jeffrey was coming over.
It was a pretty lame day for me.
But it was nice.

So yeah....I am boring!
But one exciting piece of information.......
Graduation is sneaking up quickly!
 I got my cap and gown order form in the mail this weekend!

Woohoo!!! So close to being a big girl!

So then my next idea...is dresses! I remember searching forever for my perfect high school graduation dress, and now it's time for a college graduation dress!

MOM here are some ideas!

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mmmkayy...That's all!
Happy Monday