Sometimes it feels like life is just shitting on you, doesn't it?  Haven't you written this blog before? I think I may have but it will be different because this includes current events.

Do you ever just want to grab God and shake him and be like, "Are you fucking kidding me?!"  Sidenote: My God and I have an understanding that I'm allowed to cuss when I get upset.  We're pretty tight.  He rolls his eyes when I do that, but he gets me so He's cool with it.  I'm sorry if it offends you.

Anyway, we get so wrapped up in our stuff that we are almost drowning in it.  I think sometimes we have to be reminded that, while life is tough, and we all have our shit, it's not that bad.

So, I'm here to remind you (and me) that it's not that bad.


I just read a story on my 3TV News App that was so vile and disgusting that I almost don't want to mention it.  Have you read the book, A Child Called It?  I read it over 15 years ago and it still haunts me.  Well it was basically a version of that book. Adults hurting kids.   Ugh, it makes my stomach turn.   I honestly feel like there is NOTHING worse in the world and this is when the ultra-conservative part of my liberalness comes out.  Death penalty, all the freaking way, for that couple on the news.  I don't even want one cent of my tax dollars to buy them so much as a sandwich in prison.  
Where was I going with this story?  Oh yeah...I read stories like that and I remember that my life is not that bad.  Our lives (when I say "our" I'm referring to my collective group of BBRs (best blog readers...bah ha ha, I'm hilar) are not that bad.

Then I read about the woman who was floating, in a home, with her 2 children in the floods.  She called her sister and said, "I love you.  Call Mom and Dad and pray."  She hasn't been found yet.  Yeah, life isn't that bad and God be with her family.

Every day I see homeless people on the side of the road and I will admit that if I don't have any extra food in my car, which is often, I look the other way.  I don't want to give them money because I assume it's for drugs or alcohol but looking into their eyes is just too painful so I ignore it and I remember that life isn't that bad and I kick myself for not getting those baggies of food a water bottle and some baby wipes ready yet.

There are people I love who are full-fledged drug addicts and I know they wish to be clean.  They have tried over and over again but they just can't seem to kick the life-sucking habit.  I can't imagine being that addicted to something.  Life isn't that bad. 

And on a funnier note, I bet your day is better than these people's days.  Sidenote: Buzzfeed has some of the awesomest thing in life.  Things Could be Worse

In fact, life is good.  

I have a roof over my head.

I have a job that is secure and even when it drives me nuts I freakin love it.

My cupboards are full of food.

I'm super healthy, health wise.  Yeah, we get it but thanks for the clarification. 

I mopped my floors so I don't feel like I have to sell my house anymore (sometimes when my house is messy I feel like it's so ugly and I should sell it but as it turns out, I should just clean it)

I have a family who would, literally, give me the shirt off their back if I needed it even when I really piss them off or vice versa.

I have friends who have been and will be in my life forever.  For-e-va

My Scout loves me no matter what kind of mood I'm in at any given time.

What about you?  What makes your life not that bad?  What makes life good?



PS.  Because I tend to write a lot more often in the summer, I'm thinking of starting this challenge for myself so I can remember to be grateful.

I'm almost afraid to write what I'm doing because when I'm doing well, lately, I seem to have a tendency to write about it/talk about and !@#$ it up 38 seconds later.

But...far be it for me to deny you of my astute wisdom.
Dead on Katie.

Before we start, play this song right now.  You're welcome.  I need you to tell me you love this song. I need you to love it.  Do you love it?



This one too.

If you say nothing else, you have to love these songs...and tell me you love them.  Both of them.


Here's what's working...
1.  Hydroflask
I have officially bonded with my new pink water bottle.  Love, love, love.  The biggest thing that's helping is that I'm making sure that every time I get in the car, it's full because I seem to drink a ton of water in the car.  So, if I can finish a whole bottle by the time I get finished driving, I figure that's a good thing.


Glug, glug, glug.

Drink up!

2. Food Rules by Michael Pollan
I was doing some late night Amazon shopping.  Do you do that? Oh em gee, I do TOO MUCH late night Amazoning.  Sometimes I can't even remember what I bought.  I curse Amazon for making is so easy!

Anyway, this was a good purchase and I'm glad I own it.  This book is not as much scientific as it is common sense.  He has 64 Rules and they are exactly what you would think "healthy eating" would be.


Rule 20:  It's not food if arrived though the window of your car.

Rule 8: Avoid food products that make health claims.
"For a product to carry a health claim on its package, it must first have a package, so right off the bat it's more likely to be process rather than a whole food."

I love this brilliant man.

Read up!

3.  100 Days of Real Food
You know I have said before that I do well with hard and fast rules.  I don't know why and it probably means that I...I don't know...unable to make my own decisions? I don't give a !@#$, I do better when I have hard and fast rules.


Someday, I'll be able to make choices by myself but I'm only 35.

Some of the "rules."
Don't eat any packaged, canned, or boxed food with more than 5 ingredients and none of them can be sugar in any form.

Robot Katie goes to the store, picks up the can and counts: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...I need to put this down," and then I put it down.

Of to the produce section and picks up a pepper, "1, ok I will buy this."

I don't know why but if you told me to log all my calories into the easiest system on the planet, My Fitness Pal.  I mean, for God Sakes, it remembers your meals FOR YOU but I can't seem to manage.  I just kept eating !@#$.
 




Count to 5?  I can handle that.

Count up...that's not advice because I am certain other people do it better but this is working for me right now.

Things I know for sure:
My body HATES processed food.  HATES IT.  I'm sure other people don't have such severe reactions to it but it's painful when I eat.

I started eating "real food" again and my body is so happy.


Ok, blog done.  I'm off to eat some Dairy Queen.  JK, JK Friends.  Phew, that was almost a close call.
Katie, you are so lameballs.
Awe, thanks for using lameballs!
We don't use that word, you do...and it's still absurd.  You're 35.  Grow the eff up.  
Lameballs!
Do you every start to feel a little crazy when you have entire conversations as us?
A little bit, lil bit.

Have a healthy, happy and full week all...mostly I'm talking to myself.  Have a healthy week Katie.  Don't !@#$ it up!

I'm posting a rant because that's how annoy, noy I am about this situation but then I'm going to counter it with a happy blog...

Onward.

I went to Paradise Valley Mall yesterday.

A few things...

1. What's that smell?!  
Have you always been greeted by the strong stench of Wetzel's Pretzels and that place that hands out samples of "meat." <--- I put it in quotes on purpose?  It just surrounded my nose and my clothes the second I walked in the doors.  Ew!  I HATE smelling like food.  Ugh.

2.  WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MALL?!
It did have all of the stores that I need to return/exchange things at: Victoria's Secret and New York and Co but it also had a variety of other stores, stores that I have never heard of and I'm not sure who shops at them.  This part would be funnier if I could remember the name of a single store that I'm referring to but just imagine a lot of stores where nobody shops.

3.  What's that other smell?!
Oh, it's Hollister, pumping 50 gallons of unisex cologne out the door to assault our noses as we walk by.  I'm surprised people aren't laying, passed out, near the entrance of that store.


4.  Welcome to the 21st Century!
I will admit that I am HORRIBLE at returning things.  This poses a bit of a problem since I like to buy clothes online.

So, the process usually goes...
1.  Click to buy clothes.
2.  Clothes arrive on my doorstep
2.  I like 1/3 items
3.  Lay the ones I don't like on the back of my kitchen chair.
4.  Let them sit there for 1-4 months, lose or throw away the receipt somewhere in that time frame
5.  Attempt to return the clothes.
6.  Get told that they will give me $3, store credit, for the shirt I paid $38 for.
7.  I get pissed.

As I write the next part, feel free to remind me that I need to follow the rules if I want to return things.  Remind me that I'm being irrational.  Perhaps that's true but I don't give a hoo-hah, I'm on a roll...

So, there I was...New York and Company.  I walked in to return the shirt that looks cute online but was stupid in person.  I asked the gal if I could return it.  "Sure, but since you don't have the receipt, we can only give you the lowest price it's listed for now."

I was totally the, "May I please speak with your manager," girl yesterday. (PS.  I hate when people are rude to anyone, so I was trying to work with him in the calmest way possible because, obviously, he didn't create the computer system and also (as a part of this run on sentence) my dad taught me how to get almost anything you want my calmly escalating).  He told me exactly what the girl told me.  Imagine my surprise when my Calm Escalation Technique (I'll go ahead and trademark that term to Tim Cartier) didn't work.

I didn't have the receipt.
Who saves receipts?!
Look it up with my card like every other store in America can do.
It was only about 1 month ago that I bought the shirt.
Why the hell can't they look up my purchase on my card?
THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY!


So...once again, I have a stupid shirt that I don't want because I refuse to give it back to them, only to get a few cents on a stupid gift card.


I'm not a fan of the mall.  I hate everybody who works there...or goes there.  I just hate everyone.

Next time I go back to the mall, I'll have my tennis shoes on, it will be before it opens, and I'll be power walking the inside perimeter of that !@#$.  

Rant over.

So many things to love and so much gratitude to give...
Facebook Posts
I mean, really, so many people took time to type out great Happy Birthday messages and I loved reading every single one.



Being Called Beautiful
Yep.  You already know I'm that vain.  I don't know why I appreciate being called beautiful more than anything else.  My mother is shaking her head somewhere in Heaven right now, "Kathryn Ann, that is NOT the daughter I raised!"  What?!  Who doesn't like being called beautiful?!


Non-Working Lunches
We didn't even have our computers out!  We just sat and chatting and enjoyed the most delicious home-cooked meal AND dessert that I didn't feel the least bit guilty about eating because it was my birthday.  Did you feel guilty for the Tropical Sno you ate the other day...it wasn't your birthday that day. 


High/Low
"Katie!!!," they collectively yell when I force them to play High/Low but I know they secretly love it just like I do and all my work friends fully appeased my need to play.  Because we knew you wouldn't shut up if we didn't. 



Thoughtful Gifts
The girls bought me so much great stuff but I was SO excited that they remembered how much I wanted to try a french press.  I'm so excited.  A friend is coming in town this weekend so french press coffee will be served!  I'll wait for the #coffeefail post on Facebook. 

And...I got a HYDROFLASK!  The ice stays as ice ALL. DAY.  LONG.  Yes, even in Arizona.


Flowers
I got 3 bouquets of flowers!  So, so beautiful and so thoughtful!



Dinner with Old Friends
It feels like we have known each other forever, we pretty much have.  It's just easy.  No niceties, just normal.  I love that they made it happen.


Unexpected Texts
I got a text from an old friend.  Short.  Simple.  Unexpected.


Video Messages From My Family
They all sang to me and now I have that video to keep so I can see those cute faces anytime I want.  Win.


Old Pictures
My friend sent me tons of old pictures of us from college...we were such babies!  I loved taking a walk down memory lane every few hours.  I had the best college experience and best friends anywhere...and with a little bit of luck, I even got a degree.

Cool pleather pants

A Text an Hour
Are you ready for this?  My brother sent me the most detailed, sincere text every hour.  I literally had tears in my eyes every hour.  Almost every single conversation I have with Tom involves him telling me why I'm wrong about something but on Monday, he was Mr. Sensitive and I loved every minute of it.  Until next year Little Brother.


A little insight into my blog...finding each of these pictures takes a really long time and after the first few, I don't want to find anymore but I feel bad for the other little paragraphs, like they will get their feelings hurt if they don't get a picture, so I keep going.  You're such an odd duck KC. 

Yesterday was so great.  Today, I'm just fucking 35.

Ladies, is there anything better than a strategically placed tattoo?

Somewhere on the back or arm or...well, that's about all I can do.  But really, how hot is that?  It adds at least two points to an, otherwise, 6 or 7, add in a bit of cologne and a well maintained beard...he's a 10.  10.


I'm down with the ink but, for me, it needs to be:
Well thought out
Well placed
Good work 

In order words, my expectation is that a man's tattoos are everything that mine are NOT.
What?  Katie! You have tattoos? 
Yes, 2 of them.
I got my first tattoo at 30.  I waited a LONG time to really decide and get the perfect tattoo.

I knew exactly what I wanted written, the first line of Desiderata.  It's such a sentimental poem to me so I knew it wouldn't be some fleeting or trendy thing.  I pinned the placement I wanted on Pinterest-the instep of my foot-my left foot.

I was ready.

Here's a few tips...

DO research the skin you're about to tattoo.  Unbeknownst to me, that skin is "the worst skin you can possibly tattoo-thin and the tattoo doesn't stay."

DON'T get your first (or any actually) tattoos from a guy who learned to tattoo in prison.
You did that?!
I did that.

DO leave the shop immediately if you're getting bad vibes.
I second guessed myself because I just thought I wasn't hardcore enough and needed to toughen up in there.  While that may be true, I'm pretty sure if a virgin skinned lady walks in and asked you to tattoo in a stupid place, it's your obligation to warn her.



DO follow all of the directions to the letter for after-care.   Hot yoga wasn't on the list and neither was wearing flip-flops.

4/7 of the words rubbed completely away.
You're shitting me!?
I've never actually understood that term, but no I am not shitting you.

DON'T go back and let them "go deeper."
They certainly went deeper and although I was a rockstar sitting in that chair (I really was), it resulted in the entire tattoo blowing out.

And now one of my most frequently asked questions is, "What does your foot say." To which I reply, "It says I'm a shitty tattoo," and then they look at me sideways as if to say, "Did you really put that on your foot?" to which I say to their glance, "No, it was supposed to say Go Placidly Amid the Noise and Haste."

My options...
Laser it off-OUCH.  My friend is hard core and did that and her leg had blisters all over it.  I can't.
Cover it up-Hmmm, what do you think would blend in best with black blob?
Leave it-That's probably what I'll do.  Cool.

My story is starting out a little scary

If you want me to go with you to get your next tattoo, I obviously am awesome at it...and that's just my first tattoo.

Haphazard strikes again!

To be continued...

I think my passion may be getting in the way of my life...er, career...and life

Perhaps, every person who knows me would describe me as passionate.  I'm beginning to think it's my biggest blessing and biggest curse.

I was talking to a friend this morning and upset about a few things, saying, "I think I need to be more even keel about things, just kinda there," and she said, "Maybe you do but your passion is one of my favorite things about you.  Do you remember that kid in your class who just complied with everything you said all the time?  Me either.  Those aren't the kids we remember."


Blessing
The people who are drawn to me are because everything about me is real.
I write exactly the way I talk, which is exactly the way I feel.
I get super close with people because I give those relationships everything I've got.

I think that's what made me a good teacher-I loved each of those kids like they were my own and I MADE them learn by any means necessary <---- that kinda makes me sound like I was torturing them in my room, but I assure you, most days you wouldn't find any medieval torture devices in my room <---- I just goggled those words to find a specific one to mention that you'd know too and a) I didn't find any b) it was gross and made my eyes and heart hurt c) don't Google that.

Sidenote: I hate saying "a good teacher" because I think it sounds like I'm bragging which I'm not trying to do, but just like I can tell you about all the things I super suck at, I know what I'm good at as well.  I think we all know where our strengths lie.

I am really good at dealing with tough kids because I can have those tough conversations.

There's a girl at our school who constantly bullies other kids, constantly.  I didn't know her that well but one day I was sitting with her and said, "Hey, I hear you've been pretty mean to other kids and here's the only thing I know.  I know, for a fact, that every kid I have ever seen who bullies other kids does not like themselves.  There is something they are so insecure about, within themselves, that they have to be mean to other people.  It makes me wonder because you are a beautiful girl.  I hear you understand things so quickly and I have seen you be so nice to other kids."  She said, with tears in her eyes, "I'm not beautiful.  I'm ugly..." and the conversation continued and she talks to me all the time now.  I don't know if her bullying stopped but it was a good talk.  However,  I really didn't know this girl and I probably should have stayed right on the surface with her, but I didn't.  I hit that behavior head on.


Curse
I feel like as you move higher and higher in leadership, you need to be more political.  I'm not.  You're kidding, Katie.  Honestly, I don't really want to become more political.

I really work hard to be uber professional all the time, and I think I have grown in that area, but sometimes I just say what's on my mind.

My face always tells what I'm thinking.

Nothing just "rolls off my back."  I get so excited or upset based on what people say.


I think my passion can get me in trouble at work.  The people who I have seen, who never get in "trouble" (I don't actually get in big trouble just minor conversations) are the ones who are even keel all the time.



Questions 
So, here are my questions and I am truly curious about your answers:

I envy people who have a great poker face...but not enough to change who I am because I have spent 35 years perfecting me...but I am always trying to improve myself too so where does that leave me?

Can you, simultaneously, be professional and passionate and political?

Can you be a good leader if you're not political?

Can I become more political without losing who I am?

Is political correctness the opposite end of the spectrum from passion?

Is there a stopping point for me, career-wise?  As in, "Katie, you can be super passionate but you're never going to move "up the ladder that way."


Feel free to put your answers on Facebook or, anonymously, as comments.

My week in review...from last Sunday to this Sunday


Work Outs: 2, 1 of which was a ralk (run, jog, walk) my self-appointed "Life Coach" told me to do

Eating: I logged most of my food, except dinner sometimes.  Why do I just quit logging after I get home?!

Non-Scale Victories: The cottage cheese that was trying to form above my knees is gone.  Get the !@#$ out of here cottage cheese!

High:  I logged my food.

Low(s): 

• I ate out 2 times:  1 salad from Whole Foods (not good on the wallet but still healthy) and 1 trip to In and Out (yep, that happened).  
• I drank out 5 DAYS: Dutch Bros Medium Coffee with cream and 1/2 scoop of vanilla.  I mean, it's not a Carmel Machiatto which is what I would have every day if I wouldn't get diabetes. 
• Up 1 lb

Goals: 

• 120 oz of water per day 

• Coffee at home every day except Friday.  So far I have made it 1/1 day.  
• Food Prep

Guess what, I ALREADY DID THIS!

Egg Muffins: My go to favorite breakfast meal
Spring Stir Fry:  I'd give it 3/4 stars and 1 #katiecookedagain (see reason below) from Pinterest and this recipe from Skinny Taste.

Southwest Spaghetti Squash from this past blog: 4/4 stars and 1 #katiecookedagain (see reason below)

So, there I was...making the two dishes above simultaneously.  I opened the 3 cans I needed: black beans, corn, and chicken broth.  I pick up the "corn" to drain it into the sink and it just keep draining.  "That's weird," I thought, "Do you think they forgot to put the corn in here?  I have never had that happen."  No, they didn't forget the corn in the CHICKEN BROTH.  #katiecookedagain

What are you doing to be healthy this week?  Here's to us!