A roller coaster

A roller coaster. That's the only way in which this weekend can be summed up. I had so much going on, pits and peaks galore, friends. Let's focus on the peaks shall we? Because if we're going to focus on the pits, it looks something like this and that looks a lot like depression.

Friday was a beautiful day and when sunshine meets a Labrador, it's only necessary you wear sunglasses and open your new BarkBox outside. Dogs have a simple way of just making your day a smidge more happy. God bless Maddie, she's pulled me through a lot. #lablove

Sunday I had the amazing opportunity to join two very good friends and mentors of mine as they launched their very first book. It's called "Women in High Gear" and it is hands down one of the most inspiring books I've ever read. It's available on Amazon here. If you've ever dared to dream--this book is for you. If you've ever questioned your own motivation and/or career path--this book is for you. I can't say enough good things about Anne and Amy--their drive has encouraged me to do big things in my life and, if nothing else, believe in myself above everything else.

Kicking into high gear is the new "leaning in"--just sayin'!

Are you ready to kick yourself and your career into high gear?

On another exciting note, Diana, the beautiful soul behind Livy Love Designs is having a huge sale! I blogged about her prints before here, so now is the perfect opportunity to stock up on all your favorites! Enjoy 50% off when you use the code SUMMER50 today through May 27th. I mean seriously, how can you say no to this?! You can't is the answer.

via

For the record, I know I'm not a big deal on my blog, but I do love you all dearly and I cannot even begin to thank all the amazing women who I've grown to love and appreciate as close friends. I appreciate your support more than you can ever know.

"The most important thing is to enjoy your life - to be happy - it's all that matters." 
Audrey Hepburn

Feeling friendly? Join me on my new Facebook page.

WHAT DEFINES YOU?

I don't post about religion on here. Mostly because I don't feel like I should have to. I go to church, you might not--it doesn't define who you are or who you aren't. It's a choice and one that every person can make for themselves. I am who I am and you are who you are. It's that simple.

That being said, I got a message in church this week that spoke to me in a way that sort of makes your heart and soul go "WOW! THANKS FOR THAT! Was that you talking directly to me?!"

I also think that it's a message that can be applied directly to all of our lives, something that makes us stop and think. Also, it has nothing to do with church, Jesus, or the Bible. So, if you're getting ready to click the 'X', I swear, you can keep reading!

 via

Who Tells You Who You Are?

You know, like, who has the right to tell you who or what you are? At first when you hear this, you think oh, don't be silly, of course, it's I who says who or what I am.

But do you, really?

Why is it that we wear certain clothes and wonder if they look okay? Would we do this if we didn't allow public perception to bother us? Probably not. But we're humans, we do. We need affirmation sometimes.

Why is it that we are bothered when someone says something negative about us? Is it because we know it to be true? Or that we care what other people think? Probably because we care what other people think.

I know, I know, enough with the philosophical questions. But seriously stopping to think about these opened my eyes. In this society, such an emphasis is placed upon what other people may or may not think. From subtle things like "Oh, I'm not going to have XYZ food at my party, because so-and-so will think it's weird." to larger, more pronounced things like "I want to stay home and raise my kids instead of working a job even though I have a degree, because it's what's best for my family right now."

The bottom line is that people are judgmental by nature and pleasing every single person is never going to happen.  Why should we follow constraints put on ourselves by someone other than us? It's not fair. We should all feel confident and comfortable enough in our own decisions to stand by them wholeheartedly and not cower in the face of society.

 via

But what happens when the "face of society" is a friend? A relative? Someone close to you making you feel like your decisions are not worthy? You stand up to them. Explain your reasoning and let it go, because those people have no rhyme or reasoning behind their statements than their own insecurities and personal battles.

I know this is sometimes easier said than done, but I think a good reminder from time to time is all it takes.

Are you rough and dirty?

Your skin, that is...

If your interest is at all piqued, read on.

I don't know about you, but no matter what the season is, I suffer from dry skin all over. My face, my hands, my legs...ALL DRY! I love The Body Shop's Shea Sugar Body Scrub, but money isn't growing on trees at my house right now. Something about them not being in season...

The other issue with body scrubs from the store is that they are sometimes filled with things like gluten--which is not for me. More on that here.

I kept seeing all these DIY body scrubs all over Pinterest and all of them called for olive oil. Every. Single. One. And maybe it's just me, but good olive oil is meant for cooking, not for body lubing.

So onward I went.

Last weekend my mom and I were hanging out and she was telling me about this recipe she saw that called for coconut oil, lime zest, and sugar. I kind of felt like I had won the sugar scrub lottery. So, I did what any rational person would do, which is drive to Christmas Tree Shops and buy as many mason jars as I could for cute packaging. Because seriously...

EVERYONE KNOWS A GOOD PINTEREST CRAFT IS ALL ABOUT THE PRESENTATION.

Am I right, or am I right?

Original Pin:

via

My creation:

Are you dying to make your own yet?

You will need:

Zest from 1 lime (which also requires owning a lime zester)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sugar (I used organic cane sugar, because I like the bigger granules for more exfoliating)
Optional: lime or coconut flavoring oils (this was not optional for me--it was mandatory. I want to smell good, too!)

Pour it all into a bowl, mix well, and distribute evenly into jars. Find your fanciest Sharpie, write out the labels, and voila! Not only will your friends be impressed, their bodies will be as smooth as butter. Body butter. Ba-dum-bum.

Linking up with Steph and Katie for Saw it! Pinned It! Did It!

A day in the life...in photos

This is the first day I'm participating in Blog Every Day in May, but better late than never I always say. I'm also late to every trend, so there's that.

7:45a.m WAKEUP! There is nothing pretty or remotely engaging about this part of the day. It's hairy at best and don't even think about talking to me before I've had a cup of coffee. Usually I lay in bed and read through e-mails or surf social channels.

8:00a.m. Coffee. STAT.

And getting ready to start the day. Even though my schedule allows me to be pretty flexible, I am never productive unless I feel put together.

And yes, that includes putting my weave in.

 By 8:30 I'm in full work mode doing any number of things. Some days it's this:

Other days it's this. 

I can never be sure where my day will lead, so it's good to have trusty assistants.

In all reality, I spend a lot of time looking at my computer and writing a great deal. Writing keeps me fresh and excited about things and people that I'm working with.  At any given moment, I have about 15 tabs open and one of them is always HootSuite.

I might be a crazy person, but the highlight of my day is getting the mail. It's a huge deal around here.

Yes, we still write each other letters and it's actually pretty special.

Conscious Cakes

Mail from Hawaii and an enormous box of my favorite gluten-free cakes EVER--Conscious Cakes. Pretty solid mail day and certainly a very happy Tuesday.

Our engagement photo CD came as well, so I just can't resist posting another one of those, too. #shameless

By mid-afternoon, my eyes are getting a little droopy from staring at the computer screen and I need a little pick-me-up, ya feel me?

When my day is over, I'm usually pretty spent, so curling up with this face and catching some news is pretty high on the agenda. 

And when I'm away from my other favorite face, I spend a bit more time on the computer.

Because my schedule is so different day-to-day, I can't give a better timeline, so this is just more or less the flow of my day--and I kind of dig that. I'm much more of a flow type of girl, anyhow.

What does your day look like?

Do you like shoes?

I kind of felt like the TOMS guy when I was writing that title. I think TOMS is such a great cause and any campaign that allows me to get shoes and someone else, too, well--that's even better! Great enough, actually, that I'm in the process of convincing Dane he needs a pair just like me. Wish me luck with that one.  Today, I'm bringing you someone who likes shoes just as much as I do AND she's got some kickin' style. Pun fully intended. Shoes, kick, ha? ha? I'm just going to stop and let Samantha take it from here...

Hello GridIron Lipstick friends! My name is Samantha and I blog over at Hooah and Hiccups!

Kait is sweet enough to let me say hi today and..ask for your help and votes!! A few months back, Onlineshoes.com contacted me in regards to a Blogger Styling Contest! Of course, I was ALL over it!

How it works: myself and three other bloggers each received the same pair of shoes. We were all told to style it our own way and then the public would be voting on who styled the pair of shoes the best!

So here's how I styled them! 

The Naya Shoes are absolutely adorable! Not to mention they're super comfortable and perfect for shorts and a tee, a maxi dress, or really any casual look you want to pair them with. My Bubba Bear has been giving me a run for my money recently and these shoes are comfortable enough for me to chase him around! 

I also love that they are made using eco-friendly materials; cork, bamboo and chrome-free leather are among the materials used. 

So now I need your help!! These shoes are totally down my fashion alley and I hope that you love how I styled them; enough so that you'll vote for me to win!

Want to win a pair too? You can enter to win a pair on the voting page after casting your vote! (Hopefully for me ;))

So please, vote here! Leave me a little comment if you voted... I want to thank each and every one of you for your support and help! Love you ALL!

In case you missed it... VOTE HERE!

 

 

A Mash-Up

Hello again Monday!

I felt like this weekend was full speed ahead right from the beginning. I like to think that weekends that go by really fast do so because I have accomplished so much and I have been so busy working on necessary tasks to stop and realize OH HEY IT'S THE WEEKEND. These two days did not disappoint, let me tell you.

Friday evening I went on a blate (that's a blogger date, if you were wondering #bloggingnerd) with Courtney and Stevie. I always get nervous before these sorts of things..like, what if they think I'm a total loser in real life? What if I have on weird clothes? What if I eat too fast? Drink too much? Talk too fast? Too slow? WHERE IS THE HAPPY MEDIUM FRIENDS!

 via

Turns out, we chatted like long lost soul sisters. Which, when I think about, I believe the blog world is a lot of kindred spirits floating around. We all read blogs we are drawn to for various reasons and when we find those connections, it's because we clicked in some facet of life and were drawn to those individuals. I know REAL DEEP FOR A MONDAY KAIT. But seriously, think about it. Needless to say, Friday was great and I was so happy to meet two lovely PA bloggers.

Saturday was head-to-toe wedding planning. I had my first look at my dress (major squeal!) and we picked out our tuxedos. I say we, but really, I brought my parents and had a virtual fashion show for Dane. That 6 hour time difference all but killed us--thankfully we have some pretty dapper looks for the bridal party.

"All dressed up in black and white
And you’re dressed in that dress I like
Love is swinging in the air tonight"

I digress...

Sunday was all about the queen of the day--my momma! She's a real star. Don't believe me? Check yesterday's post. I knew I couldn't resist spoiling her for the day. We checked out a local brunch spot that we mightttt just have to book for our post wedding bridal brunch. It was amazing. Amazing food and amazing drinks makes for happy people.

Passionfruit Mimosas? Strawberry Basil Mojito? Bloody Mary? SIGN US THE HECK UP!

Two PSAs regarding Target for everyone:

1. The maxi dresses at Target right now are OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. Go get some. Now. Plus, some are one sale.

2. The new Sam & Libby style shoes are just as cute as they look in photos. Sadly, my Target was already picked over in my size. BUT! If you have the chance, go take a peek for yourself. There's a large chance your Target is styled like mine and the maxis are right across from the sandals. Double win.

Any PSAs for me? Hope everyone is recovering from overindulging and spoiling MOM :)

Thank you, Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, but especially to my own mom. She is without a doubt the greatest lady in the world. Sorry for the rest of your moms. Just kidding. Being a mom takes a lot of strength and courage. I tip my hat to every mom out there. Sorry dads, your day is coming in June.

I don't ever get too serious around here, because life is too short to be serious all the time, but I wanted to pop in today to honor such a special woman.

Dear Mom:

From the time I was a little girl, you've always hoped and wished only the best for me. You've encouraged me to shoot for the stars, dream big and follow the path that made me happiest. You're my loudest cheerleader and my biggest critic. We laugh about it all the time, but I truly am your mini-me.

The truth of it is, mom, is that if I become half the woman you are, I will have succeeded in this life. You are an inspiration to me every single day. You're so strong and passionate in every facet of your life--home, work and in the community. Your heart's giving knows no bounds and your laugh is contagious.Your generous spirit leaves me in awe most days.

I think the nicest compliment someone has ever given me was saying I was just like you. I AM just like you--and I wouldn't have it any other way. Thank you for being my mom, role model and best friend. Thank you for loving me when I was not lovable. And thank you for being you. I would be lost without you.

You rock. A lot.

Love, Kait