Saturday, July 26, 2014

getting dirty


this morning a few friends and i ran a dirty dash and we had an absolute blast.  it's a 5k with obstacles in the mud. what's better than climbing walls and jumping in mud?? jeremy came along for the ride to cheer us on and document the whole thing.

here we are getting ready for the race:

 we put our bibs on, gave each other tattoos, bought souvenirs ($6 tank top, yes please!), and had time to take a bunch of jumping pictures, which i think are always hilarious.

 our start time finally rolled around and we of course wanted to be at the front of the pack. 

and we were off!  there were probably 10 obstacles total. we crawled through muddy tunnels, scaled walls, jumped over fences, climbed nets and hay bales, balanced on logs, waded through mud pits, flew down a giant slip and slide, threw mud at each other, and chugged root beer right before our final descent.  jeremy was amazing with the camera and captured us at the top of the hill whooping and hollering.

we were covered in mud! (and scrapes, blood, and bruises... it was brutal.)

 we grabbed our free loot, thanked our supporters, and we hit the hoses to try to get some of the mud off.  it was the best race ever!  maybe because it wasn't timed and we were all just out for a good time.  no stress, only fun. and lots of mud. i see more of these in my future.  jeremy's doing the next one with me!


Friday, July 25, 2014

new specs


i ordered some new glasses last friday after i visited warby parker on newbury street.  that store was a dream.  i found these blue beauties and i had to have them.  and then had to patiently wait for them to come in the mail.

 well, today they came:


and i love them.  they are the walker glasses in canton blue.  they had so many tempting options, but i went with my gut.  i'm so glad i ignored reason and didn't get a more neutral pair. i love anything that's a bit on the bold side and these are perfect. 


Thursday, July 24, 2014

promoted


yesterday i got the official news that i am getting promoted.

woot woot!

i get a raise, i get a bigger desk, and i get to leave my mental health counselor duties behind and become a full-time clinician.  i have been doing half and half for the past year.  i get to ditch the chart making, note filing, etc, etc and focus 100% on my clients and our work together.  i love my job and it is just getting better.  i am living the dream.

so last night, i did what anyone would do to celebrate.  i bought a fancy dress and went out for frozen yogurt.

life is good. life is so so good.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

black thumbs


and another 2 bite the dust...


we even killed a cactus and 2 succulents we potted last fall.
keeping plants alive is not our forte.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

can this be forever?


we have some great friends, dane and aimee, and each summer we have been in boston they invite us up to her family's cabin.  it has become a tradition of sorts and we know i loooove traditions - more cabin posts here, here, and here. so we drove to new hampshire and spent yesterday at our favorite lake.  it's the best place to be.  i mean look at that view from the dock.  it's dreamy. 


 the cabin is complete with lots of fun toys so we enjoyed every bit of our day.


jeremy loves those kayaks.  that's always the first thing he wants to do.  jeremy and i kayaked around and then jeremy took his turn water-skiing.  he's a champ! i was too nervous to try. 


see?  everyone is just so happy at the lake.  

i got photo-bombed by amber and ryan and thought it better to just embrace it.

we took turns hitting some floating golf balls into the lake (this activity is a must for the boys) while the kayakers fetched the balls.  aimee and i went on the jetski ride of a lifetime.  she's a wild one when it comes to getting that adrenaline going so i knew it was going to be awesome.  we zigzagged across wakes from the boats and caught some air a few times.  i loved it.  it's like a vespa on water.  when we came back to the house i was told they could hear me whooping and hollering as we ventured all over the lake.  you can thank my mom for my loudness, it's something she's known for.


we ate some lunch, practiced our dives off of the dock, swam around, and relaxed in the hammock - also one of my favorite things.  i tried to convince my parents to put one in my bedroom from wall to wall when i was 9.  sadly, they didn't go for it.  something about it not being good for my back as a bed replacement.  the funny thing is i ended up with scoliosis regardless.  but i digress.

in the afternoon aimee and her dad, jim, convinced me to give water-skiing a try.  they taught me what to do and what not to do in "ski school" and before i knew it i was in the water fumbling to put the skis on my feet completely terrified and sure it would be disaster.  the first time i struggled and quickly fell, but every time after that i got up and was off and running skiing.  i fell a couple times on the turn arounds, but otherwise was able to maneuver in and out of the wake.  i was pleasantly surprised and totally excited about the whole thing.

evidence: scared katie on the left (look at that furrowed brow) and happy katie on the right.

there is something about conquering what i don't think i can do that just makes my day.  it reminds me to take risks because sometimes i surprise myself.  jim told me i was a natural on the skis and that was the icing on the gluten free cake.  it rocked.  then he showed us his skills on the slalom ski.  he was carving it up. i couldn't help but think of my own daddy that surprised us with his water-skiing talent when we went boating with family friends for the first time when i was in high school.  dads are pretty cool.

after we were all tuckered out, we grilled up some burgers and ate so much watermelon that it was coming out of our ears.  while we were filling our bellies and chatting away, a small family of loons wandered over.  everyone stopped to watch the endangered birds dive for fish.  a boat follows them around on saturdays to keep them safe.


after the loons safely passed, we hit some more golf balls, put away all of the toys, posed for a quick photo, and said adieu to the lovely scene.

i love this boy so much.

we had a sublime day. the cabin is the perfect place for all things summer: good company, tasty food, adrenaline rushes, and so much fun and games.  it truly is my favorite.  jeremy and i keep talking about the need to have a lake house of our own some day.  we sure dream big.

thanks, dane, aimee and family for being our friends and letting us play and relax in the mountains with you.