Not your Momma's Anniversary post

First, lets discuss something huge... Who's impressed that I've written not one, but TWO posts in one week?  Oh- just me?  Standard.

Second, guess what is today?!?!?!? (Hopefully yall all guessed right, due to the obvious title of this post)

MINE AND KEVIN'S SECOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!!!

Don't worry.... I'm not going to go soft on yall.  This post will not chronicle every detail of my wedding day from sun up to sun down.  I wasn't one of those brides. 

Actually, for as girlie & high maintenance as I can be, I wasn't your typical bride, at all.  In fact, the only thing I got Bridezilla about was having Bourbon at our reception.  Obviously, its a staple.  Scratch that.  In Kentucky, Bourbon at a reception is a necessity.

However, there is one piece of advice I would give any bride about serving bourbon.

Don't let your new husband drink more than 3, wait... more than 2, wait, no.. ANY at your reception. 

It will lead to disaster.

Mark.

My.

Words.

Let me back up just a bit....
I need to say one huge perk about my wedding day- It was pretty much flawless.  The day went by extremely smooth.  No big hiccups or drama, thank goodness.  No crazy weather either, which is an absolute gift from God in Kentucky in the month of February.  I legitimately thought that between my parents, my soon-to-be In-laws, and my girlfriends that we had made it through the entire Wedding Day & Wedding reception unscathed. And I was right...... Until it was time to for us to leave the reception.

Let me back up a bit more... As stated previously, Bourbon is a staple at Wedding Receptions in Kentucky.  So, of course, we had a signature Bourbon drink at our reception.  Let me introduce you to a Bourbon Street. 

Bourbon Street Ingredients
- 1 Shot (or 2 :) of Makers Mark (or Favorite Bourbon)
- Ginger Ale
-Orange Bitters Flavoring
-Orange Slice

We came across this cocktail when we were in Vegas, and we all fell in love with it out there.

Feeling frisky after discovering the Bourbon Streets in Vegas. So fun.

Once we got back, we knew it was the most perfect cocktail for our wedding.  And believe you me- they were a hit.  When made correctly, these bad boys can be dangerously good.  Let me re-emphasize- DANGEROUSLY good.  

Dangerously good meaning, my Grandmother-little 93 year old, 4'10" Hazel- had at least 4 of them at the reception.  People that didn't even like Bourbon were drinking them like they were going out of style.

So good that the caterer ran out of Makers Mark Bourbon & had to run out in order to buy more.... Who does that happen to? Only at Kevin & Caroline's wedding.  Again. Standard.

If you've had a big wedding, you'll understand that Kevin & I floated around the reception, greeting all our guests like we were running for office.  **Side Note- Brides: I highly recommend assigned seating for your guests.  It allows you to know exactly where everyone is seated & easily locate friends & family.**
Kev & I decided to divide & conquer so we could see everyone we invited, and still have time to enjoy our reception.  One major downfall in that is that I still feel like I didn't see Kevin very much during our reception, resulting in me having NO clue how many bourbons that boy had taken down.  Note that little detail.  Let me also say this: I'm not judging at all- Lord knows I was boozing it up too.  I definitely took part & enjoyed every aspect of our wedding, including the Bourbon Streets.  My view on Weddings is this:  If you spend months or years planning your wedding, you should get to partake in every single aspect.

Now, here is where we had our hiccup.... 

When it came time to leave the reception, my Dad & I both realized that we completely forget to arrange for transportation for Kevin & I to get home.  Major Fail.  Ooops. **Side note: Yes, we stayed at our own home on our wedding night.  I love my bed & our home, so why not?**  So, as I was having a slight panic attack, my best guy friend, since age 18 (Also an Usher in our Wedding), volunteered that he & his new girlfriend (now Fiancee!) would take us wherever we wanted to go.

Nevermind the fact that he drives a big, red Ford Pick-up Truck OR that he was actually volunteering his girlfriend to drive who wasn't familiar with Lexington.  No Big deal.  Soooooo, we began the treck to our house & we had been driving 10 or so minutes, and Kevin goes, "PULL OVER.  SERIOUSLY!" Obviously, Rachel obliged, but before she was able to successfully pull over, my new Husband lost his cookies alllllllllllll over the side of Ryan's Truck.  I was stunned because Kevin has maybe gotten sick a grand total of 4 times in our whole relationship.
Needless to say, the Bourbon Streets got the best of ole Kevin- especially when his nerves didn't allow him to eat much all day.  When we finally got to our house, Ryan & Rachel had to first help me get Kevin upstairs.  Then, as they were getting ready to leave, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I was going to have to sleep in my Wedding Dress if they didn't help get me out of it... As evidenced by the picture below, my dress seriously had a bazillion buttons going down the back.

Luckily, Rachel was a trooper & helped me get out of my dress.  The best part?  I had known her for all of 24 hours at that point & she was the one, not Kevin, to get me out of my Wedding Dress.

 110% Not Normal. But hysterical.

Ryan & Rachel... aka my Saviors :)

I can't lie- that night I just kept thinking... "Is this really happening?  Seriously? Who does this happen to? "  The next morning, an extremely remorseful Kevin woke me up with, "I'm so sorry.  I love you. Do you hate me?  I'm so sorry.... How much trouble am I in?"

LISTEN UP LADIES-  The one fabulous aspect of having your new husband do something clownie on your Wedding Day/Night is that you get to remind them of it forever & ever & ever & ever!  I'd even venture to say its a blessing in disguise, even though it doesn't feel that way at the time :)  Besides that- 

It makes for one hell of a story.

Obviously, that one incident wasn't an indicator of how our marriage was going to go because we are still rock solid 2 years later :)  And to commemorate our Anniversary, Kev & I put together a nice little Vlog for yall regarding key learnings from the past 2 years. Enjoy!

Thats it for now! Have a Great Monday! xoxo

Pink Lou Lou has John K... Carol has who???

Hi.  My name is Caroline.  I'm about 5'1, w/ blonde hair, have a major affinity for cats, obsessed w/ my dog, and have a handsome husband.  Remember me?  Ohhhh you do?  Was it because I am clearly the obvious winner of the Worst Blogger in February award?  Fantastic!  Regardless of previous little bout of underachieving, I'm back in action....

After years of being out of the spotlight, my #1 childhood celeb crush, Mr. Jonathan Taylor-Thomas, surfaced a few months ago for some interviews/photo shoot with his former Home Improvement co-stars.  I remembered JTT (you know- his nickname used by those of us who were close to him. ahem.) looking exactly like the 1st picture below, ie: super hot to an awkward 12 year old.

How youuu doinnnn????- JTT in his prime

Sooo, obviously I was super pumped to get the Entertainment weekly to see how amazing time has been to Mr. Thomas.

I was 110% he was still going to be the stone cold fox that he was when I was 12.  

Big.

Letdown.

HUGE, actually.

I thought men were supposed to get hotter as they got older, no?  Look at Brad Pitt.  Leo.  Clooney.  Hell, even Sean Connery is still kinda sexy in a geriatric James Bond kind of way.  Ohhh no- Carol's crush had to peak when he was 16.  Big Shock. The Universe just loooooves to play games w/ me.

Anywho, seeing good ole JTT got me thinking about celebrity crushes.  Everyone has one.  

For example, my dad loves him some Ashley Judd. 

 He used to joke with my mom & say that Ash was the only woman he'd ever leave her for.  **Side note- I honestly can't blame him.  She IS a UK fan, after all.  Gotta love a woman that bleeds Blue.**

Kev absolutely loves him some Kate Hudson & Reese Witherspoon.    One major perk about this for me is that he will watch ANY chick flick with either of them in it, regardless of how terrible it actually is.  It's kind of a win/win for the both of us.  Plus- both women are beyond adorable, so I can't say I blame him.

Then we have my dear friend, Allie, or as yall know her- Pink Lou Lou, who is utterly obsessed with her celebrity crush, Carrie Underwood John Krasinski.  To be perfectly blunt (ha- Allie- you see what I did there? ), I didn't really understand her attraction or love for Mr. K..... until I started watching The Office.  Now, I completely 110% get it.  You win, Lou Lou.  

+

=

True. Love. (In Lou Lou's mind, anyways :)  )

So, that brings me back to JTT.  I honestly haven't really had a big thing for any celebrity in years.  I mean, sure- do I find Channing Tatum banging hot?  Abso-freakin-lutely.  Do I think he's super talented?  Not so much.......

THEN.... this happened. 

(ps- I know I've posted this before, but I'm still pretty obsessed)

Hhheeelllloooooo Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Beyond cute.  

While I'm well aware that he was on a hit show that competed with my former celeb crush, I'm just going to have to live with the guilt that I've jumped ship w/ JTT.  

So, what is it about Mr. Gordon-Levitt that makes him such a doll? 

Two words.

Triple Threat.

Homeboy can act.  He is a musician.  And he is extremely intelligent (Attended Columbia University & has also started a production company).  Lets be honest- added together, all 3 of those things are extremely hot.  And it doesn't hurt he's pretty easy on the eyes :)

Hey boy, heyyyyyyy....

So, have I sold yall on him yet?  If not, check out the video of him below, where he rocks out to some Beatles.  Gotta love a man who likes the Beatles.  

So, in conclusion, I definitely now have a celebrity crush.  I'm pretty convinced that Joseph is probably the nicest, sweetest, & all around coolest guy currently in Hollywood right now.

I'm also confident sure we would probably be best friends if we hung out.  Well..... 98% confidence level anyways...- Afterall, we don't know if he loves cats, and that's pretty much a deal breaker for me :) bahahahahahahaha.

Lets be honest though- who wouldn't love that diva-esque face?  HA!

MMMkay yall- thats it for now! 

I have a new best friend

So... after 26 years, 4 years of college, 4.5 years in the real world, and with only 7 months left to go on my MBA, guess what I have discovered that I actually like?

COFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Those who know me well are probably now scared out of their minds, due to the fact that I am wired enough as it is. Caroline on coffee just takes everything to another level. However, people forget that I'm always caffeinated- I just have always obtained my usual morning caffeine fix through Diet Coke. And honestly, I probably wouldve been just peachy continuing on with that habit but Big P & Jan kept pushing for me to give coffee another try.
Sounds kind of crazy, right? What parents urge their child to get hooked on something as addictive as coffee? Welllll.....let me explain

You see, my parents literally live for coffee. I honestly think one of the reasons why Starbucks has been able to keep their doors open through our current economic downturn is because of my father's unwavering commitment to them & his daily coffees. I'm not exaggerating. If you ever have the distinct pleasure of joining him for coffee, I would be willing to place a $20 bet that the Starbucks staff Will not only know his name, but also his order. It's incredible. Even more amazing is that my $20 wager probably applies to at least 3 different Starbucks locations that I'm aware of. Getting coffee with Big P feels like your either with a local celebrity or in a Cheers episode by EVERYONE knows his name.

Big P & I during Christmas

But I digress... Okay.. So- my personal journey of finding a new BFF in coffee has truthfully occurred because I absolutely detest being cold in the mornings. Obviously, diet coke does sbsoutely anything to help when I'm freezing to death while fixing to leave the house on these Winter mornings. Actually, drinking that delicious goodness just made me feel even more like an ice cube. I thought by implementing the use of a koozie might help with this problem, due to the fact that my fingers/hands wouldn't be as cold drinking it while driving to work.
Well, that was a negative. All the koozie helped me accomplish was perfecting the look of a raging alcoholic bc a diet coke covered up by a koozie looks remarkably like a beer. Huge fail.

I swear on everything that is holy that I'm holding a Diet Coke. Promise

Soooo I happened to mention to Big P how much I enjoyed the White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks, but I have them put in nonfat milk and leave off the whip to make it less caloric. And it also was starting to get to be an expensive habit at like $3.75/day. Big P comes back with something like "ummm hon? You realize if you like that, you probably would like real coffee too?"
I balked at the idea & proceeded to tell him that even if that were true, I didn't even own a coffee maker. Even worse? I HAD NO EARTHLY IDEA HOW TO MAKE COFFEE.

White Chocolate Mocha... sooo delish. Sooo Pricey. 

Pretty incredible, right? What 26 year old has never made coffee or tried an actual cup of coffee out of a normal coffee pot? Me. Oh wait- my husband falls into this same category. Clearly, it was not our mutual love for caffeine that brought us together, as was probably the case for Big P & Jan ;)

Like I mentioned earlier, my parents love for coffee runs pretty darn deep... But even I was surprised when my Dad said "Actually Caroline, you do own a coffee pot, along with filters & s scoop. I keep one in your pantry to make coffee for when I come & visit."
ummmmmmmm...... SERIOUSLY?!?!? Only my father.... gotta love him.

So, sure enoughh, sitting in a box at the very top of my pantry was this little guy....

Mildly psychotic move played by my parents, but yet how gratuitous was that for me and my new found addicition  love? So, on my next grocery run, I bought some Vanilla Coffee & fat free vanilla creamer, and I have been continuing my love affair with my new BFF ever since.

Yum Yum Yum

Wait........ What? You're completely jealous of my coffee mug?  Yeah, I don't blame you.  I'm sure you wish you had a personalized Looney Tunes coffee mug too- I hear they're a pretty hot item these days.  Along with scrunchies & stirrup pants. Ha.  

 Sidebar- When we took trips as a child, my parents always tried to buy me a momento from every trip we took so I could have something to remember that particular trip.  Unfortunately, "CAROLINE" was not a popular name & none of my trip trinkets have my name on it.  So, when I found that beautiful piece of tableware at a six flags when I was 16, you better bet your sweetness I purchased it.  Immediately.  That mug has made it through 4 years of college, and 3 moves after college.  Its kind of like an Ancient Artifact... minus that whole high value factor thing.  Hmm. Oh well.  

Soooo, since I am complete coffee novice, I now need all the suggestions I can get.
SOOOOO First off- What's the best coffee maker to buy? Do I buy a fancy Keurig single cup since I'm the only one drinking it?  Or do the old person thing & get nicer 12 Cup-er, so I can serve coffee when I have gatherings at our house?  Although, now that I think about it, I have yet to attend a party with our friends where coffee is being served.  At what age does that start to happen?  30? I just need to know to be prepared for that transition.  Hahahaha

Single?

Fancy?

          OR














































Second novice question- What type of coffee do y'all prefer? I still really like sweet coffee versus super bitter/black cups.  I've been pretty happy w/ my vanilla infused Starbucks, but I'm down to try anything yall recommend!

Anyway, I'm thrilled I've now had the chance to introduce yall to my new BFF.  I have a feeling this is the start of an absolutely beautiful and long term addiction   relationship!
Soooooo with that- thats about it for now!

A Creature of Habit or just plain OCD?

Soooo, it's the beginning of the week.  Again.

 It is dreary as all get out.  Again.

Not what I'd call a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  Our street looks depressed.  

I have to make the long haul across town in rush hour traffic only to sit & listen to a professor drone on & on about the riveting topic of Supply and Demand in my MBA class.  Again.

Now, when you add all of those factors together for a normal person, it would make for a pretty miserable Monday.  

However, am I in a horrendous mood today?  Nope.  Do I absolutely LOVE being on a schedule & in a routine?  Absolutely.  Does this make me part of the 1% of America that doesn't mind Mondays?  I'd bank on it.  

Kevin, on the other hand, reminds me of a grumpy 8 year old little boy when his alarm goes off on Monday mornings.  Ptsch, who am I kidding?  His grumpiness level is pretty incredible to witness every morning.  I have no idea how his mother put up with him as a child.  

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the happiest person when I first wake up (Jan & Big P will verify that I was comparable to that of a hibernating bear throughout high school....) , but it doesn't take me more than about 5 minutes for me to up, kicking, and totally awake.  

Let me walk you through my daily routine....

-I'm pretty confident that Kevin still longs for his bachelor pad & possibly contemplates slapping me on most mornings because once those five minutes have passed after I wake up, I'm rearing to go, at 110 mph, in full Caroline glory.  I am a non-morning person's nightmare.  

-Once, I walk into the bathroom, I immediately turn on the Today Show to keep me company while I get ready.  Partially because Kevin has the personality of our coffee table in the morning & I'd have better luck starting a career as a tattoo artist than I would w/ getting him to hold a convo.  But I also watch it because it puts me in the best mood.  I typically don't watch a ton of news shows, but the Today Show lets me know whats going on in the world in an entertaining way.  

-After I get ready, I get all of my resources together & organized for the day.  I eat the exact same type of breakfast bar for breakfast every single day & accompany that with a Diet Coke (Remember that detail.  You might see a pattern later.) My schedule is set to where I know exactly where I am headed every day.  I know most people like sales because of the flexibility, but I've managed to plan my days in a succinct routine that I follow to a T.  

-I spend my day making my sales calls, stopping only if I don't have a planned lunch.  If no lunch is planned, I tend to run home for lunch to eat a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.  Complete w/ a side of yogurt & a diet coke.  Every day.  

-Once my day is finished, I come home & immediately change into gym clothes.  I prefer for my workouts to be started by 5:15pm.  I start to get extremely edgy if I haven't left for the gym or gone on a run by 5:30.  

-I try to get our dinner prep completed as soon as I get home from the gym.  If I start responding to work emails or doing other tidbits, it becomes extremely hard to derail me, and then we end up eating at 10pm.  Obviously, this makes for a pissy husband who turns into a hungry hippo once his blood sugar gets low.

-After we eat dinner, we settle into the living room & watch our shows.  Or, err, I guess my shows.  Believe it or not, Kevin doesn't share the same sentiment about me on Real Housewives.  Shocking, right?  We usually toggle back & forth between channels to keep us both happy, which works out great for me because I tend to get a TON of work completed while he's watching his weird Nat Geo or History Channel shows.  

-Around 11, we start to mosey upstairs to get ready for bed.  I take a quick shower, and then go to bed.  Or... try to.  As we all know, Kev snores like freight train, so I'm generally up til around 1230ish until I'm tired enough to block out that lovely rhythmic pleasure.  

-Then, I wake up the next morning, and do the exact same thing as the day before.  

Other Carol OCD tendencies

-I tend to get pretty cranky if my routine is thrown off for very long- hints why I prefer shorter vacations to longer ones.

-I am the world's worst lazy person on the weekends.  I cannot sit still to save my life.  I want to get things accomplished versus slopping it up on the couch all day (coughcoughkevincoughcough)

-I do not do a messy house.  I will have a guaranteed meltdown if I come home to find that our house is a hot mess.  

-It takes an act of Congress to get me to do anything social on a week night.  Since I drive all day, the last thing I want to do is to leave our house again.  

So, the question remains... Am I just a creature of habit or super OCD?  Hahahaha- regardless, it works for us :) 

That about does it for me, but I have to throw this in here just for kicks.....

Of course baby Reese helped us cheer on our Wildcats this past Saturday.  Clearly, she came prepared in her UK attire to help clinch another win over the Vols.  So. flippin. Presh.  

Anywho, thats all I've got today! xoxoxo

Why hello January...

Lets just pause a minute & take in the fact that it is already January 11th.  The first 1/3 of the month is over.  That is just insane.  A million things (all good!) have been going on in my life, which yall wouldn't know about because I have yet to have my first post in 2012 yet.  Oops, my bad.  A life update is definitely in order.
Let me start off this post by introducing you guys to the MOST exciting thing to happen in 2012 so far.

Reese Erin was born!!!!!!!!!!

Our 2nd Niece, Reese, was born last Wednesday.  Isn't she just so incredibly precious??  Kevin & I went straight over to the hospital after work the night she was born so we could meet Riley's new baby sister!

I know I look super pensive, but I'm always petrified that I might break a newborn.  They are just so fragile.  Kevin, on the other hand, continues to think he is the Baby Whisperer.

Such a natural.

As much as it pains me to admit it, Reese got fussy while I was holding her, but as soon as Kevin took her, she was fine.  And yes, he is still glowing over that little tidbit.  Men.  Sigh.  

Anywho, we've also been super busy cheering on our CATS.  

Oh Heyyyy Doron... :)

We're ranked #2.  15-1.  Boom.  So...How's your fav basketball team doing this year??

I'm sorry, I can't help but be a little obnoxious over the fact that it's good to be a Wildcat fan.  I feel like I've earned the right to be a bit pious because I did attend UK during the down years, which was every bit as painful as it sounds.  It would be like if Alabama was all of a sudden terrible at Football.  It just doesn't happen.  And to say that fans were cranky with a losing record would be the understatement of the century.  Therefore, it feels flippin fantastic to cheer on such amazing teams again.

Chi Omega for life :)

Truth be told, on gamedays, it doesn't matter who we are playing, every bar is absolutely packed w/ UK fans, which makes every game beyond fun to watch.  I was lucky enough to watch this past game with one of my college bffs (& sorority sister & former roommate), Erin!  We're lucky that South Carolina didn't give us much of a game because we probably talked through about 96% of that match up.  Love love love my college girls.  

As all married people know, marriage is all about give & take.  After frequenting the bar scene all throughout college,  I can only handle being in a bar for so long, until I am ready to pound my head against a wall.   So, once UK had won & it was looking like the Bengals were gonna lose, I was able to talk Kevin into heading over to Whole Foods for some Vino.

So, although I know I've mentioned it before, if you have a Whole Foods in your town, make SURE to ask about their wine tastings.  The one in Lexington does FREE (Check it, Bargain Blonde) wine & liquor tastings every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  And when I say tasting, I mean each pour is the equalivlent of 1/4 of a glass.  Plus, they will tell you all about the origin of the wine, the best food pairings with each, etc.  Obviously, I take advantage of this as frequently as possible.  I think Kevin might have been embarrassed when about 1/2 the room knew my name when I walked in.  To Me, on the other hand, it felt like I was the long lost cast member on Cheers.  I loveeeee it!  

So as you all can see, between work & school starting back, gaining a new niece, and keeping our UK fan dedication at an adequate level, I have been busy.  But, now that I'm back in a routine, expect some quality posts coming your way soon.  Thats about it for now!  xoxoxoo

My 3 Year Old Life Coach

So obviously, I am going to skip a Christmas post.  Not because I had a bad Christmas, mind you (The husband even managed to purchase me an actual present for Christmas.  I guess the cash-back option at Target wasn't working.... Juuuust kidding.) I am just completely absent-minded when I'm on vacation, which means I forgot to take any pictures during our Holiday events. Woops....
However, as we all know, the Holidays are ALL about some family time, which suits me just fine.  Both of our families are wildly entertaining.  But I'll have to say that this little Monkey is by FAR the most entertaining character we have around these days.

Hot. Mess. Express. 

So for those of you who don't know, the above picture is of my Niece, Riley.  She's 3, and very good at it.  Homegirl is also fixing to be a BIG SISTER (as evidenced by her shirt above) next week, so the countdown is on for her parents (aka my sister in-law & her hubs).  Anywho, I figured my Sister In-law & Bro In-law could use a night to themselves, so I offered to watch Riley last week so they could go out to her Christmas Party.  I can always rely on Riley to make me laugh, but let me tell you, little girl was ON POINT that night.  Granted, I may or may not have let her eat about an POUND of Christmas Candy to wind her up to get her that way (Sorry Erin), but lawddddd, that child is funny.  Annnnd does wonders for my Ego--especially when she tells me that I am her "smallest, youngest Aunt."  And when I asked her about how old she thought I was, she replied with "Ummm, 9. Yeah. 9."  Um, hello? Stuff like that is why she is my favorite niece (Granted, she is my only niece at the moment, but thats a minor detail.)

In addition to being a little Ego booster, I decided that a person could seriously take some cues from the way Riley lives her life.  Let me provide yall with a few examples....

1) When in doubt, ALWAYS lie about your age.  Higher or lower, it doesn't really matter, just fib if you get confused.  Because if you're cute, you'll get away with it.  

Riley is utterly fascinated by iPhones, so she got a HUGE kick out of the Facetime feature on the iPhone 4.  When she was over, we facetimed my Dad, who asked her how old she was.  Riley's answer, "Ummm 5!!!" I respond with, "Riley, show him how many you are." Then, she proceeded to hold up 4 fingers.  Yall- she doesn't turn 4 until next September.  Regardless, due to her cuteness, I'm pretty sure my dad thought I was lying about her age & she was the one telling the truth.  

I swear, she is only 3.  This was taken in September, I promise.

2) Who CARES what's in style- Express your Individualism.  

Like most 3 year old little girls, Riley LOVES all things girlie.  As yall know, my make-up addiction has led to me having an insane make-up collection, which is knowledge that Riley is privy to.  So, anytime I'm around her, she digs through my purse to find the goods.  And she's no different at our house.  She leads me straight up to our bathroom to try out any new make-up and/or nail polish that her Aunt CeCe has stashed away (Riley calls me CeCe because Caroline = waaay too hard for her to say when she was learning to talk.)
Last week, Riley's big hot button was nail polish, so we had to scour over my bazillion colors of nail polish- half of which are probably inappropriate for a 3 year old.  Don't worry guys, I kept her away from all of my dark purples, blacks, browns, etc.  Call me crazy, but I just didn't really think the gothic nails went with her bright blue hair bow.  So after that debate, she insisted that I paint 5 of her toes in a purple-sparkly polish, 2 toes bright orange, 2 toes light pink, and 1 bright red.  I tried negotiating with her to make them all be 1 color... or even alternating colors, but I lost that battle in a hurry. But hey- whatever floats her boat, right?  

Make-up application was just as spastic.  I always let her do her own make-up application, sooo of course, she not only put blush all over her face, she also found it necessary to accompany the blush on her cheeks w/ about 19 different colors of eye-shadow.  None of which wound up on her eyes, just solely on her cheeks.  Quite the look, let me tell ya! When I questioned her about the eye-shadow on her face, Riley explained that the eye shadow had the MOST SPARKLES so she needed it all over.  Duh, CeCe.  So again, go on with your bad self & do your own thing.  (Granted, I made her take it all off before playing with anything else because she legit looked like she was gonna hit up a late night Rave w/ the 59 colors/sparkle combo all over her cute face. Seriously- all she needed was some glow sticks & she would've been good as gold.)

Riley rationale--I know wearing 1 Tutu is cool, but I think I'll wear 3.  Why not? :)

3) Pick your battles, because if not, no one will wind up happy.    

Like I said before, Riley is 3... and good at it.  Sometimes trying to get her to do something is like trying to herd a group of cats.  Its ridiculously impossible.  So, there are just certain times where you have to just bargain with her to get her to do what you want her to do.  When she was over last week, homegirl straight up refused to eat her dinner (Easy Mac... usually her #1 favorite meal in the world), yet she was DYING to eat Gummies.  So obviously, when there are starving children in African, I'm not gonna waste a whole thing of Easy mac if there wasn't a chance in hell she was gonna eat it.  Instead, I told her if she could find something in my pantry to be her dinner, she could eat Gummies as a dessert.  Done and Done.  Granted, she opted for a bag of Kettle Corn, but hey- its still relatively healthy & she ate dern near the whole bag.  Then, I was happy because she had some (quasi) dinner & she was happy because she got her Gummies! Everyone wins.  

4) Do things JUST because you can.  

One of my absolute favorite Riley-isms is her ability to justify WHY she does certain things.  One such example went as follows:
Me: "Riles, why exactly was she jumping up & down on our couch?
Riley: " BECAUSE I'M 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Hmmm. Can't really argue with that justification, can you?  Or, how about this?
Me (after realizing she fed Hudson, our dog, half a bag of giant marshmellows): "WOMAN! Why have you fed Hudson 8000 marshmellows???
Riley: "Cuzz..... I just wanted to CECE."
Well, again, I can't really argue with that rationale either.  Its not like we've ever had a heart to heart discussing Hudson's dietary habits, so if I was 3, I'd probably want to feed Hudson marshmellows too.
The best example came when she threw this little curve ball at me....
Riley: "CeCe, you & Keeebbbin (aka Kevin) should have a wittle BABY!!!"
Me (Completely flabbergasted & at a loss for words): "Ummmm, uhhhh.... why on earth do you think that, Riley?"
Riley (Looking at me like I'm slowest person on Earth) : "Cuz.... you CAN!!!! And you're silly!"
Oh, well then, in that case, I'll be sure to get right on that because those are such valid points & will make child-rearing a complete breeze......

So basically, if you're on the fence about a major life decision, just go ask Riley her thoughts on the matter.  I'm sure she'll coach you through the whole thought process :)  Sure, her methodology might be a tad unorthodox, but you can't really argue with the sentiment behind her thoughts!  

Anyways, I cannot believe New Years Eve is tomorrow!!  Our plans consist of watching UK (hopefully) put a beat down on those dirty UofL Cardinal birds, and then, as my sweet girl, Steph,  so eloquently stated in her post yesterday, yall know the Kentucky Bourbon will be flowing like crazy as we ring in the New Year w/ a party with all our dear friends! So So So excited for the festivities to begin.  Lets kick this 4 day weekend off w/ the sweetest NYE song of all time.  I am completely obsessed.

Now all thats left for me to do is find a dress :)  Have a great New Years yall!!!!! Xoxoxo

Oh my gosh, are you sick?

We all know how I visit Web MD on a regular basis to self diagnose myself, Kevin, my parents, my dog, etc.  However, what I've failed to mention is that I absolutely despise going to the doctor, even when I need  to go.  It seriously takes me having a couple days of 101 degree fever for me to actually make an appointment.  Anyway, so when I actually do take the initiative to go to the doctor, I try to get out every medical concern that I have had in the past 3 months.  Lucky for me, my doctor is used to this & is adequately prepared to deal w/ my 800 health related questions.  She is amazing.  However, because I try to fit in my zillion concerns in a 20 min appointment, I sometimes fail to remember everything.

I've had seasonal allergies for as long as I can remember.  Living in Lexington, those allergies are exacerbated exponentially.  Last I heard, Lexington was ranked one of the top 5 worst cities for Allergy sufferers, so I chalk any kind of cough, throat, or stuffy nose issue to being a Lexington Resident.

Beautiful Scenery = horrendous allergies

Anywho, over the past year, my voice has continued to get more & more raspy.  I'm not exaggerating when I say that on most mornings, I sound like I smoked a carton of Marlboros & its painful to get words. Again, I just figured it was all related to my allergies.... Probably a pretty accurate assumption, seeing how I have so much medical training & all.  Oh wait, not. at. all.  

So after the combination of dealing w/ people asking me on a daily basis if I was sick & then one of my customers told me I might have a thyroid issue, I finally took the bull by horns & made an appointment with my ENT (Ear, Nose, & Throat specialist).  

I assumed that the ENT would just ask me a few questions, do a quick diagnosis, and write me a script for some miracle product that would help my voice.

I. Was. So. Utterly. Wrong. 

Much to my surprise, homeboy looked at his watch & told me he had time to do a full scope today.  He sounded really excited about it, so it never entered my mind that a scope would be a bad thing.  Um, don't worry kids, please look at the little camera gadget that was stuck down my nose so my ENT could get a better look at my throat.  Its cute mini size is beyond deceiving because it was a devil machine.

ENT Homeboy was excited because that little number is not only a camera, but it is also a flashlight & a magnifier.  Its like the Swiss Army Knife of doctor gadgets.  If it hadn't hurt like hell, I would have probably been pretty pumped about it too.  

Anywho, the scope ended up showing the ENT exactly what was causing my voice to mimic that of a 59 year old with emphysema.  What? You all are dying to see the gorgeousness that is also known as my vocal chords?? Well, as luck would have it, I kept the pictures.  They're obviously pretty frame worthy.  

**(Side note- I feel like I should preface this picture because it is kind of ummm, graphic.)**

Let me decode for yall: 

Top pic: My vocal chords w/out me talking--> note that you can still vocal chords (diamond shape in the middle)

Bottom Pic: My vocal chords w/ me trying to talk --> Note you can't see the little diamond shape at all.

So, what does that mean?  Apparently, I have Stage 4 Vocal Chord Nodules.   What? you've never heard of them?  Yeah, me neither.  But apparently, Adele has been suffering from this same affliction, which is why she recently underwent surgery to get them removed.  Yes, I said surgery.  The worst thing about Vocal Chord Nodules is that there are ZERO medications to help them improve. 

 Oh & Don't worry, along with weekly speech therapy, they gave me this handy little sheet with explicit instructions on pointers to possibly downgrade the nodules to a lower stage.  

So, if you see me out, please sweet Jesus, don't ask me about my voice.  #1, it takes forever to explain, and #2, while I'm explaining this random affliction to you, I'm having to talk more, which ends worsening the dern nodules.  Its a lose lose kind of situation.  But who knows, maybe I'll end up sounding like this after I eventually give in the the notion of getting them surgically removed.

  

Moving on, regardless of that little roadshow, I'm finally in the Christmas Spirit.  Don't believe me?  Our friends' annual Tacky Xmas Party last night, and I love this party more than I love Halloween.  I'm not kidding.  

One year, I was a life-sized stocking. 

Feel free to stuff me full of wine.  Thanks.  

And last year, we were life-sized Candy Canes.... (that kind of resemble Wheres Waldo, Christmas-edition, but hey, still unique.)

Clearly, Kevin loved it.

Pretty ridiculous.

This year our costumes weren't nearly as elaborate as they've been in the past, but they were definitely equally as festive.  Check out our 3rd Grade Throwback sweatshirts & please tell me you all remember making these back in the day in Art Class (...you know, before everyone got so sensitive about Christmas in public schools. Sigh. )

My Beautiful Sweatshirt

The Masterpiece I made for Kevin

So so so hot.  Especially the purple eyeshadow :)

Only a few shopping days left yall!  Who's ready for Christmas?!?!? Ummm, I'm not, so I better jump off here & get to some online shopping.  Thats it for now yall! xoxo