July

Well things haven't changed much since my last post so this will be brief! I was fortunate enough to take some time off and go back to FL for some vacation as well as job hunting. It was great to spend time with my family as well as see some great friends down in St. Petersburg. The bad news is I haven't landed a job in Florida yet but the good news is I'm going on interviews so that means companies are hiring and I'm getting in some great practice! (and I already know where I want to live when I get there LOL, somewhat the cart before the horse I know but hey, a girl's got to be prepared!)

Things in Texas are extremely HOT - For the last three weeks I'm pretty sure we've hit triple digit temps every day; and of course we've had little to zero rain - hints the burn ban. All in all I don't have any complaints - I know something will come through in Florida when the time is right; until then its that awful waiting game I must play! However I'm so into Bikram Yoga these days that its really helping me stay calm, cool and collected as well as stay in pretty decent shape (approx 15lbs lighter these days, woo hoo!)

Last but not least I'm absolutely thrilled for two of my very good friends. My college teammate Julie Zitterkopf got engaged to her boyfriend Mike. He proposed while they were horsback riding on the coast of Oregon. Julie is from Nebraska so I see a trip to the midwest in my near future! However, I'm most excited for one of my besties of over 20 years - Ms. Annie Lee Adams - Her and Matt got engaged in Paris! - WOW. They are two of the best people I know and Matt couldn't be more lucky. Annie has the biggest heart, can always make me laugh and has been there for me in some pretty desperate times. I can't wait for this shin-dig in New Orleans! Congrats Julie and Mike and Annie and Matt!--- holy crap does anyone else realize that this puts pressure on me??-- Mr. Right where the heck are you??? LOL just kidding. I know he will come when the time is right!

That's all for now kids. But I'm happy to report I've started The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - the third in the series of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. and its FABULOUS!!

And I've just put up a few pictures from my trip to FL. Happy July ya'll!

Logan, His GF Carrie, and I :)

St. Pete Beach :)
GBHS Reunion in St. Pete
One of the greatests :) - me and Harry

XO

KK

O April, Wait May, Nope.. JUNE! :)

I sit here typing this entry on a Saturday night, sitting on the couch with a bottle of layer cake wine and Cabo(well when I started this its what I was doing :p ). April was extremely challenging but May has led to a clearer head for this gal and hopes of new opportunities and blessings. And now on to June!



Furthermore the journey back to Florida has officially begun!! I'm nervous as hell but then my excitement balances it out. I've begun my job search as well and if anyone has any leads please let me know. I'm looking both at home in Pensacola and in the Tampa/st Pete area...( although I'm thinking more towards Tampa as job opportunities are more and its a great place...) Finally I've realized its OK for me to say "I'd rather be home in Florida than out here in Texas". At somepoint you just have to tune out all the noise and follow your heart - my heart yearns for Florida!



That's a quick wrap of what's been going on for me. Currently getting back home is number one on my list. I'm very excited to say that in 2 wks I'll be taking a week long trip to FL - visiting family and friends all over :) This past weekend for Memorial Day I took a mini vaca to South Padre Island - when I say its at the border, I mean at the border!--guards, guns and all. They don't mess around. It was a great trip, relaxation on the beach and by a pool - just what this girl needed. This weekend coming up I'm excited for my cousin Emily to be graduating High School - WOW, I can't believe it! Congrats Em :) I'm so thrilled she included me on this special event and can't wait to sit through a graduation for 800 kids (can you sense the sarcasm??)

So stay tuned for what's to come!
And I want to leave you with a quick link to a documentary I was able to watch. It may seem a bit much but wow, what an eye-opening experience to see how lucky we are sometimes. Literally I sat sobbing as I watched this - even just reading the article is hard but the patients chronicled in this piece are amazing individuals that really taught me some great things about life. Please read and watch some of the clips if you can. < How to Die in Oregon >

Till next time!
XO
K

MARCH MADNESS

The title of my post sums it UP - not only personally has this been a crazy ridiculous month but just in the overall grand scheme of things nothing has slowed down one bit! This girl has been on the go non-stop it seems like. I kicked off the month with a visit home to the Breeze; always a great time when I'm there and even better this trip as I surprised my brother and sister with my visit; the looks on their faces were priceless and it makes me smile so much to hear "KK I love you so much, I can't believe you're here!". Kiersten had a volleyball tournament and I'm so thrilled to say I think she is going to be quite the volleyball stud! Her team won the tournament and Kiersten is quite the spark plug on the court - full of energy and she goes for everything. Also, I go to see Luke's baseball scrimmage where he seems to be following Logan's steps by playing catcher. He did awesome! Lastly - my stepdad was in a BBQ competition with three friends - check out their grill!! The weekend was capped off with some Mardi Gras fun and I was able to see some dear friends which all in all capped off my weekend to perfection (minus the fact it had to end :( )

Immediately I came into a whirl-wind in Houston as two of my favorite gals from Quinnipiac came to visit Big Texas. Ashley and Kristy came in town and we did it up right - Tons of food, The Rodeo and St. Arnold's...not to mention some fun times at my favorite hookah place Cafe Byblos. I think the girls definitely left with a new perspective on Texas and I hope they come back, it really meant the world to have them come all the way from New Jersey to see little ole' me :) Following their visit the family came to see me for the rodeo. We were packed like sardines in my little apartment but Mom, Ed, Kiersten and Luke

were troopers and had a great time. They had so many "firsts" in Texas and I'm so glad I could be a part of them: Their First NBA Game, their First Rodeo and their First KISS concert.

What a four days we had! They really are the best!:) Lastly, this girl ain't getting any younger! LOL I had found out I needed to have my meniscus repaired for yet a THIRD time and quite possibly my ACL as well. WOW, do ya think I need to take it easy at some point?? At 26 years old I have stage 3 out of 4 early arthritis in my knee...which translates into only getting worse as I get older. Thankfully my Aunt and Uncle took care of me on Friday, March 25th for my orthroscopic procedure and then if my ACL is needed to be replaced good ole' Momma-Dukes will be coming into town for a week :) ---(IT DOES need to be replaced LOL) Hey, she doesn't have a choice - I don't have a boyfriend and I'm not married so I'm all alone on this one and need her! Needless to say between all the entertaining I've been doing, traveling and now dealing with my knee I still have to move to my new apartment at somepoint in time! This girl will be in Houston for at least one more year so we'll see what happens. Although, gas prices are better here than FL so that could be a selling point to stay. I cannot believe we are back up to $3.50/gallon and higher in some places.

I'm so sick of how these foreign countries have so much affect on our lives here but they are so far away; the turmoil in Libya is just sickening and coupling it with the devastation in Japan has just made for a rough couple of weeks around the world. My heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan affected by Mother Nature. Stay Strong!

Lastly the NCAA Final Four is in town starting today and THIS GIRL will be at the finals on Monday night. I'm so excited! those of you that know me know I'm not the biggest basketball fan however when the finals roll around I start to pay attention. What a fun weekend ahead - not only will the games be going on but there are tons of festivities going on downtown and free concerts - Sublime, Panic! At the Disco, Kings of Leon, Roger Craeger, Pat Green and my boyfriend ;) Kenny Chesney!

Any good books out there? I still need to finish the Dragon Tattooo series but I'm always open to suggestions!

XO See ya next time K

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.”- Morrie Schwartz