awkward and awesome thursday

So I've seen a few other bloggers participating awkward and awesome thursdays and realized that I am both awkward and awesome so here it goes:

AWKWARD:

• putting my hair in a french braid and having ALL the short pieces of hair fall down
• being late to all of my classes this week and walking into class in the middle of lecture
• getting sick and having to take nyquil at night. According to Brent I: sobbed, screamed, hit, and laughed uncontrollably.
• The following conversation which took place the morning after the nyquil incident:

Brent: "You went crazy. You were sobbing and yelling for me to protect you because someone was trying to take your arm."

Katie: "You must have done well, I woke up with two arms."
Brent: "Ya. Don't ever say I don't do well in crisis situations."

AWESOME:

• started watching the Biggest Loser again instead of watching people lose weight over the course of several weeks I watched it all in just a few days :)
• Beating Brent in Quiddler Sunday night
• During a classroom observation this week I recognized J- a boy who I met a few summers ago who spoke no English. We worked together all summer and he is a big reason why I am going back to be an ESL teacher. He read aloud from a book for the whole class. His English is awesome!
• rediscovering the cheese curds and rootbeer at A&Ws (I've gone three times in the past week!)

What is awkward and awesome in your life?

blogstalking

I have a confession to make... I am a blogstalker. One of the nameless who drop by your blog read every post you've ever written and don't leave a single comment. If you are blogstalking me right now feel free to keep stalking, but think about leaving a comment too , I won't judge you no matter how well we don't know each other.

I love blogstalking because there are so many witty, creative and genuine people out there who have the most incredible things to say. I thought today I would share some of my favorite blogs (I read tons of blogs so if I don't mention yours I promise you are an awesome blogger and I am still reading, just wanted to list the ones I am currently obsessed with)

1. Ashley Rose Reeves

Ashley is my sister-in-law, my friend, and my blogspiration. She writes regularly for two blogs, her family blog: http://justinandashleyreeves.blogspot.com/ which is filled with craft projects, awesome outfits, fun foods, adventures and my favorite: pics of the babies (my nephews) and http://adailydoseofdieting.blogspot.com/ which is a dieting blog that she started a few years ago. She turned it over to her sister Courtney, but still posts once a week. The blog catalogs her personal weight loss journey as well as giving tips for a healthy life. This blog was very helpful when figuring out our diet.

2. http://vintagerevivals.blogspot.com/

This is a recent find for me. I love her projects and hope that some day my house can be just half as cool as hers. Here is hoping that I'll have time to attempt a few of these projects this summer. If you have time go check out the awesome mirrors, as soon as I find a good mirror at the DI I am trying it.

3. http://peachtreecooking.blogspot.com/

This site is a mother and her 10 (yes TEN!) daughters. They post all of their recipes that they like. Some are from restaurants (Zupas soups, Olive Garden chicken etc.) and others are just good home recipes. I read a lot of cooking blogs but this is one of my favorites. Every recipe I have tried has been delicious. They almost always have pictures of the food which is a must for me, I have a hard time cooking something if I don't know how it is supposed to look. My favorite recipe that I make several times a week is the roasted vegetables. It is super easy and tastes amazing. (http://peachtreecooking.blogspot.com/2011/03/oven-roasted-vegetables.html)

4. http://diaryofabirthmom.blogspot.com/

Warning tear jerker. Sterling worked with me as an RA a few years ago. We both had a busy year and I wish I had gotten to know her better, she is an incredible person. This is her story of giving her little boy up for adoption. I am so impressed with Sterling and how she has handled herself through everything. She got engaged this past weekend and I am thrilled that she is so happy.

5. http://mormoninmanhattan.blogspot.com/

I love this blog because it is hilarious. The tagline is (NO) Sex in the City. The author is currently on broadway. She writes about her adventures in NYC. My favorite posts she has ever done are on engagement poses. (Look it up, SO funny)

Hope you enjoyed my favorite blogs. Let me know your favorite blogs to read, I'd love suggestions for others.

March Madness

Our blogging efforts at the beginning of 2011 were great but the past month has been an epic fail. So here is a post to catch you up on our life.

February

Sharolee and Jason's Wedding

Early in the month we got to go to Lindon for Sharolee's wedding reception. Sharolee is one of my closest friends. We really got to know each other through orchestra. Here are some pics :)

This is me with Libby's beautiful little girl Anna Liberty. Oh and Tess is making a funny face in the background.

Here is brent playing with Anna. They got along great.

Here we are with the happy couple. We are so happy for Lee and Jason. Also-- check out how great Brent looks-- this was after 1.5 months on our diet.

The black pack- we don't get to see these girls nearly enough. They are some of the sweetest, funniest and all around best friends a girl could have.

Valentine's Day

Forgot to take pictures of our cute dinner (darn!) Last year we started a tradition of having Valentine's at home. We made a big dinner-- fettuccine alfredo, chicken, asparagus, salad. This year for gifts we decided to do homemade gifts. I made Brent a valentine and he wrote me a poem. It ended up being a lovely evening and a nice break from homework.

Brent's Birthday

Brent turned 24 this year. We celebrated by:

• A big breakfast
• Going shopping for new clothes (for him)
• Dinner at Hamilton's
• Troy's state playoff basketball game
• Played games with Maren and Greg
• Watched movies until late

Overall Brent deemed the day a success. The picture below is old... but I feel like it is a great representation of my husband. This is his "don't be this crevice in my arm" look

March

Spring Break!

We decided to hit the road and head to California this spring break. Brent had never met my dad's parents and there were several other family members whom he'd never met. Also he had never had a Ferrarese's sandwich, which obviously needed to be fixed. We had a great week out there. I am waiting for Brent to edit the pictures so I'll do more about that topic soon!

Back to the Grind

Since spring break we have been busy with life. Brent is doing well in his classes, keeping up with homework and tests. In addition to work Brent is volunteering as an interpreter at the hospital. He is very involved with Spanish Ambassadors on campus and is serving in the Elder's Quorum Presidency. He does a great job of balancing it all. I am very impressed with him.

My life has been a bit chaotic this month. In addition to my classes, I am observing classes at Mt. Logan Middle School, which is close enough that I can walk over. I still LOVE my job as after school program director. We decided to apply for a grant to do a health fair and got $1000 to put it together. So now I am running around trying to make this fair happen. Friday to get the kids excited we had an international foods fair. I brought in several foods for the kids to try. My favorite (of course) is pictured below.

If you would like to come to our health fair it will be April 13 (Wednesday) in the Millville Elementary gym at 3:30.

That's it for now. I promise to keep up with this better :)