This Friday Night....

I don't know about you, but the picture above is a great 'description' of how I am feeling this Friday night....EXHAUSTED (what a week). Doug will be in class tomorrow, and I will be doing party-prep for 'Superbowl at the Smith House' (GO STEELERS!). So, when Doug gets home in a few minutes here, we are dedicated to 'putting our feet up' and watching a few episodes of one of our favorite shows "FRINGE" or "The Closer", and having some laughs :) I hope you all have a great night and weekend! Thank you again for all of the emails this last week...seriously, "evermore thanks." :) Superbowl Party pictures to come :)

Happy Friday!!!
Kate

Thoughtful Thursday

“ God doesn’t give you the people you want... instead He gives you the people you need.... some to teach you, some to help you, some to hurt you, some to leave you, some to love you ---making you the person you were meant to be."

My blog-friend, Angie, designer/owner of Angelica Grace Designs (www.angelicagracedesigns.com/blog -- check her blog and designs out--super cute, chic, and original!), posted this quote on her well-written blog recently. I asked her if I could use it on mine here to share it with you. Angie said in her post that it was "profound"--much agreed.

Hugs & Love,

Kate

What inspires you? ! :)

Every so often.....I sit down and put together things that make me happy and that I hope for/am working towards....
Often, it's pictures of sunny beaches, dancing, smiles, celebrating, my current favorite fabric, pictures of my favorite interior design rooms, stories of God's faithfulness, pictures of ways I want to help others locally and globally, pictures representing joy, FREEDOM, gorgeous photography, pictures of exhaustive/challenging running paths , hard yoga poses, traveling, adventure, a favorite home (dream home...usually on the ocean :) ) , etc. You get the picture. My 'inspiration' board looks a lot like the one above....I love it. It is basically images that tell a story about who I am, what I love....it connects me with and inspires.....makes me feel understood and like these things are possible.
And, it's really simple. I'll buy a huge foam white board at "Michael's Craft Stores" for $1 , and use old magazines and simply cut out those words, pictures or phrases that inspire (glue or tape them on). You can keep it in your office, at home....whatever.....there are no rules. :) A lot of my friends here in Madison get together at a coffee shop once every couple months and bring magazines, ads, etc. and just have a ball....fun times!

Some people call it 'the law of attraction'....others call it goal setting....I just see it as inspiration that works for me...and hopefully you :)

Happy Tuesday!
Kate :)

Wisdom & a Frog :)

"Once you blend a frog, you can't put it back together."

Doug and I are grateful for a wonderful morning today... sleeping in, out to brunch and church! :) At brunch this morning, Doug was passionately telling me more about this speaker he really enjoyed in his Marketing class on Saturday at Northwestern. In addition to 'this important person' talking about Marketing at his company (his name was Doug, as well, by the way--good name!), he also gave a list of things that he wished he had allowed himself to learn earlier in life (I believe this man is currently in his fifties). And, one of those things is the quote above (he also showed a graphic of a frog and a blender, but probably a different/better one than this--lol). His point was that "you can't un-do what you have said or what you have done to someone...so think of the lasting effects before acting and speaking "(especially the serious stuff). WISE man, right?! I really enjoyed 'the visual' and the analogy on the whole....And, I LOVE love LOVE when humble wise individuals (this man is definitely leaps and bounds wiser than I from what I can see) speak about what they have learned in life.....SOOO helpful. Like Eleanor Roosevelt once said,
"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself." :)

P.S. I also had my first EMERGE classes Friday night and all-day Saturday in Milwaukee....it was amazing....will share more about the program and photos of our 2009 class later this week :)

Happy Almost Monday! ~Kate

A Blast from the Past..... :)

Just for fun, I dug up a few old photos (try at least 9 years ago!!!) and scanned them. I can't believe I am already telling kids, "When I was your age, there were no digital cameras....(serious face...lol)" hehe
Enjoy~Kate

P.S. Thank you all for your emails about our last post...your stories and perspectives were beautiful and much appreciated. :)

Me & my sister, Valerie and Erica in Whitehall, Michigan. It was the year 2000.... :)

Fall 2000 with Erin (still BEST friends) and our dear friend, Leah! This is our Freshman year at ONU in Williams Hall....oh, memories...good times :)

This was my dorm hall group picture my freshman year at ONU..... I am still (at LEAST) in contact with most of them on Facebook (LOVE Facebook!) Hi Ladies!

LOL--Performing, "I Want To Be In America!" from West Side Story at Olivet (ONU). This was called "Broadway Review!" Fun....fun....

A Perspective on Forgiveness...

This is a couple small paragraphs, directly from Shauna Niequist’s book, Cold Tangerines , that really ‘hit home’ for me particularly about a year ago, and I believe God used these words and others in her book to help me heal and grow in some big ways…even still. I actually emailed Shauna (the author) to share with her and thank her (the first time I have ever felt compelled to write an author, actually, and she was very gracious). The seriousness of your situation and mine is our own. I don’t understand what you are going through/have been through, and I certainly don’t dare suggest that you ‘should or should not’ continue a relationship with someone in your life who has hurt you (maybe repeatedly). Again, your situation is your own….
This is simply a perspective from a wonderful author on forgiveness that I believe is extraordinarily healthy, honest and refreshing (one that continually helps me) and thus, I wanted to share some of Shauna’s words with you…. ☺

Cold Tangerines, Shauna Niequist
“The Hook”

"Why would I forgive someone who doesn’t’ even think he needs to be forgiven?
This is why. Because I want my neck and my back muscles to stop hurting, to unfurl like window shades. Because I want to sleep instead of having endless imaginary conversations. Because I want my mind back. Because I want my life back. Because he’s not the only one on the hook. Because every time I hang him up on that hook, the hook reaches down and grabs me, too. My friend says something like bitterness is when you drink poison hoping the other person dies. This person who hurt me is doing great, I think, but I stagger around in a fog of anger and clenched jaws and fists, waiting for a showdown that will never come and an apology that will NEVER be offered. So I let him off the hook. I let him off once, to start, and felt pretty good about myself, until someone brought his name up at lunch, and then I got mad all over again, which threw me for a loop. I forgave him. Why am I still so mad at him? I felt like I bought expensive wrinkle cream and woke up more wrinkly than even. I wanted my money back. I realized that I had to take him off the hook every single time, not just one big time. I had to take him off the hook in the morning, and then again at lunch, when someone gave me a NEW reason to be mad at this person. Over and over, all day, I had to do the heavy lifting work of letting him off the hook . It was like moving a piano all the way across the living room, and then waking up the next morning and finding it’s back in the other corner, and I have to move it again. Every day I had to push that heavy piano all the way across the living room, even though I just did it the day before. It was like a full-time job, forgiving him over and over, with each new angry thought or bad conversation we had… And I still have to keep letting him off, every day, sometimes several times a day. Not for his sake, but for mine, because I want off the hook. It’s hard work, and I don’t want to do it, but I keep on doing it. I keep on letting him off the hook, because when I do, I can breathe again.”

And move on….

Shauna's blog has been on my list of 'favorites' on Doug & I's blog here for a while, but here it is, again. I never miss a post she does :) Check it out...http://www.shaunaniequist.com/

With a deep breath,

Kate :)

Over 2,500 Visitors! Thanks everyone!

~ A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list. ~ Unknown

A blog is in many ways a continuing conversation ~ Andrew Sulllivan

Thank you all so much for reading/glancing at Doug & I's little blog here. I often check to see how many visits I have had per week (well--most of the time, anyway--not super detailed about this), but I have never checked how many visitors we have had in total....until.....today. :) So, since June (when we started the count), we have had over 2,500 visitors--pretty cool!!! :). I always joke with Doug that half of our number of visitors are probably my parents--lol (Hi Mom, John, Dad & Julie!!! You guys are great!), but either way this has been a F-U-N way to communicate with a lot of people we don't get to see on a regular basis--so, thanks again for taking the time to look at this small slice of our lives--we truly appreciate you. :)

P.S. If you haven't already, consider joining the BLOGGER WORLD! :)

Happy Wednesday to you! And, thank you once again for visiting!
Kate :)

Family :)

Uncle Doug (Or, as Alyse says, "Uncle Dog"--LOL) and Alyse

Everyone before the birthday cake! :)

Alyse 'playing' her Great Grandfather's piano (My Dad's Dad, Abraham Albert) who is in the large black and white photo on the piano. He was a wonderful pianist....I also played this piano for 10 years growing up, so it means a lot to me for many reasons.
On a different note, don't you love her fearless fashion?--haha :)

Tryistan being his photogenic self! He just got back from his first Wrestling Meet! He won a medal! yay! :)

John showing off one of his many presents. :) Since they just bought a new car, he received a few things for the 'new wheels' like the 'Garage Parking Signal' above. :)

Mommy and Daughter playing the piano (sweet)....Again, I just love the 'ski hat' and princess dress combo--taking fashion risks...GORGEOUS!

Mom & Granddaughter (twin) Alyse watching Wall-E together

Tryistan reading his new book "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (the newest book, which he was so excited to get from his Mama :)) Don't you love how he put three kitchen chairs together to lay on to read?? haha :)

We loved having my Mom, Step-Dad, John, Michelle, Alyse (niece) & Tryistan (nephew) stay with us this weekend...I was able to spend some quality time with my Mom and John early Saturday morning (which was much needed and so nice). They took me to my favorite restaurant "Old Fashioned" (yes, I go there a few times a month - :)) and drove me around in their new car--Congrats again Mom & John!!! Michelle, Tryistan & Alyse joined us early evening, and Doug joined us soon after (fresh in from Chicago and his classes at Kellogg). We had great conversations, watched "Wall-E" in Blu-Ray (of course!--haha) all together and celebrated John's birthday (which is in just a few days)--Happy Birthday again Grandpa John! :) It was simply a restful fun weekend with family :)

Hope you have a great week...until the next blog!
Kate :)

Dad & Julie Visited! Thanks guys!

Dad & Doug--Dry-Walling--I love this picture!

The four of us out to eat at "Old Fashioned" downtown

Dad & Me :) :)

Dad & Julie taking us out to eat! :)

Cute pic of them!

LOL--Dad, this one's for you!!!! We just wanted to make sure we could all tell which one was 'you.' Haha :) (inside joke...sorry to my bloggers!)

This weekend we were SO happy to see my Dad & Step-Mom, Julie, who drove in from Chicago.We had a BLAST--Doug and my Dad worked on drywalling (remember, my Dad is a serious talented construction guy!), while Julie and I worked hard at enjoying a shopping outing (haha). That evening, Dad and Julie took us out to eat at our favorite restaurant (thank you again SO much Dad & Julie for your generosity!). Then, we celebrated Julie's birthday (Happy Birthday!!!) and watched a movie together --"Ironman"

Doug and I are very blessed to have my parents (Dad, Julie, Mom & John). They are always helping us with house stuff (landscaping, dry-walling, small projects, bringing furniture over, advice at 1 a.m. in the morning--lol). Being first-time home owners, this means so much to us....we feel a lot less alone in trying to figure everything out--thank you you guys, we love you so much, and we are beyond grateful for your constant support of us and for us!

Dad and Julie, thank you again for visiting--we had a great time!
LOVE,
Katie & Doug :)

A dose of Eleanor

(Yes, I can relate with Eleanor in this picture-lol. Like myself, she was relatively tall :))

One of favorite persons in history is Eleanor Roosevelt....I admire her for many reasons....one is the wisdom she had and shared. Here are some of her famous words and some of my favorite quotes of hers. I hope they inspire, challenge and encourage you today. ENJOY!

Kate :)

(Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 - 1962) US diplomat & reformer)

A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water.

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art.

Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Friendship with oneself is all-important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world.

Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people.

I could not at any age be content to take my place in a corner by the fireside and simply look on.

I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.

If someone betrays you once, it’s their fault; if they betray you twice, it’s your fault.

It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.

Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.

Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.

Life was meant to be lived, and curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.

One thing life has taught me: if you are interested, you never have to look for new interests. They come to you. When you are genuinely interested in one thing, it will always lead to something else.

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built.

When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.

Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.

When life is too easy for us, we must beware or we may not be ready to meet the blows which sooner or later come to everyone, rich or poor.

Baby Eden!

On December 4, I wrote a short blog congratulating our friends, R.J. and Marisa on the birth of their daughter, Eden!!! This Saturday, I had the opportunity to hang out with Marisa, Eden and big brother Noah at their home, and captured quite a few shots of the beautiful baby girl!!! Thanks again Marisa for having me over! :)

Here are some pictures of the very adorable....EDEN!  Enjoy! <3

Isn't Eden a doll?  It looks like she is grinning here...love it. :)

Since her parents and brother are such great dancers, I'd like to think this is one of her 'newborn dance moves.'--hehe--She's a CUTIE!

"Hello Beautiful!"

This is my favorite picture with Eden's pinky finger out....Marisa & I were joking that she was saying "Peace out people!" LOL

Big Brother Noah trying to cheer up his sister with a kiss.  Sweet, right?

Beautiful Mama Marisa & Eden.  Notice the "Mommy & Me" hair (which Eden had at birth! Lucky girl!)

Precious :)

Kelly's Skating Pictures & Weekend Recap :)

We had a very busy & full, but GREAT weekend... On Friday night we had the opportunity to watch Doug's sister, Kelly, skate with her team from Miami University here in Wisconsin. Kelly and her entire team looked AWESOME (as you can see in the pictures below). :) Thank you so much for inviting us, Kelly. It meant a lot to us to see you skate--we are proud of you! :)



And, while Doug got up at 5 a.m. Saturday to brave the ice/snowy highways on his way to downtown Chicago for class (back to Kellogg!), I went to go see little miss beautiful newborn, Eden, along with Mommy Marisa and big brother, Noah! And when Doug returned late Saturday night, we had a neighborhood party at Jason & Kim's where we met a lot of neighbors and such. On Sunday morning, my Dad and Julie visited (and stayed the night--just left this morning) and helped up with a few projects around the house (drywalling--yay!). Actually, my Dad and Doug did the drywalling and Julie and I had a lovely day shopping --LOL:) SO.....more posts and pictures of Eden, Noah, Marisa, Dad & Julie to come....very soon! :)

A few more Captiva Photos :)

It took me a while to go through all the photos....finally, I am done. So, here are just a few more...

Thanks for taking a look !:)

Friday Fun!

"I got it on EBAY"

Enjoy! Happy Merry Friday!
Kate :-)

Captiva Photos!

Me and Hubby on beach :)

beautiful birds EVERWHERE

Yep, this was the sunset.....AMAZING, right?

SMOOCH...Uncle Mike took this of us.  He said he liked it because it was a 'candid shot' :) .  I agree.

Shells....Shells....Shells....LOVE them!

Captain Fluffy & Doug on Uncle Mike's boat :)  

Me & Auntie Marcia!

Doug, Aunt Marcia & Uncle Mike.....enjoying time together....!