Plungefest 2013

If you'll remember, I jumped into Lake Chapman last February and it was cold...I was under a false notion that after being so warm all winter, it would continue to be warm! Boy, was I wrong!

It was a freezing 36 degrees when we jumped into the Lake Chapman this year...36 DEGREES!  I took a selfie because as most people know, I don't function until about 55 degrees so I'm about 20 degrees out of my comfort zone.



This year, all money raised goes to Athens Habitat for Humanity and building on a house here in Athens begins later this month. It feels good to know that we are making a difference in the community. Since the money went to build a house, we decided to dress up like ATC construction workers, hence the plaid shirts and hats!

 I left my camera with Thomas so he could get some pictures of me running in! He managed to not get me in any running in shots, but he did get this cool picture of everyone else running in!

 I didn't go all the way under this year since I didn't meet my goal but I still got about waist deep, which was pretty cold!

 

I did it again! I won the best costume and won for the most money raised! Thank you to all my friends and family for supporting me again...I definitely appreciate it

 

Until next year, stay warm!

 

Love,

K

A Letter

In honor of my 26th birthday, I wrote a letter to my 16 year old self.


Dear 16 year old Kala,
       Wow! 16! What an exciting time! Being in high school and getting your driver's license feels like its the most important thing ever... and to a certain extent, it is! You now have the world at your fingertips (which means you don't have to ask your mom to take you somewhere!) But, while it seems like everything that happens to you is the most important thing that will EVER happen, its not! Life really does go on! 
       So here's my advice to you: Don't worry about what other people think about you and ignore those bullies when they make fun of your teeth and hair. Those things can be fixed but self appreciation and a kind heart are hard to come by. Don't worry about what you wear to school. While you think its important to plan out every outfit, down to the matching jewelry, no one else will notice. With that being said, don't buy stuff just because it's cheap, and don't spend so much money: save! You'll be glad you have it when you get older and you truly learn the value of money! Appreciate yourself and don't put up with people who don't appreciate you. Come up with a dream of your own and follow them. Don't care about what your boyfriend, or your parents or your best friend want for you.
        Laugh more. Laugh at yourself, laugh at others, laugh when things don't go right. Just laugh! Nothing is as bad as it seems--ever. Make time for your friends. They will always be there for you and you will develop relationships that will survive anything! And nothing can compare to knowing that you always have someone on your side. Same for your family; it is important to remember where you came from and only your family can give you a sense of that. They are the only people that have to love you no matter what! Be grateful that you had family that invested their time to you so that you knew how much you really did matter. 
        Don't worry about that ass of a boyfriend, someone will come along who treats you better. He'll make you mad and he'll make you cry but you will know that he is always on your side. Even though he will make you mad, he'll also make you happy and make you smile and those are the things worth remembering.  He will be worth the heartache you had to go through to get to him. Because small heartache doesn't even compare to knowing you found your soulmate, love of your life, and partner.
        Believe me when I say you will have some regrets, and you'll wonder what if, but everything you have done in your life has led you to where you are. As Steve Maraboli says, “The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday.” 
        Most importantly, enjoy life and don't sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to let anything get you down. As your mom is always telling you, this too shall pass, and it will.

Love,
Your 26 year old self

ps. your life 10 years later is pretty freaking amazing!

2012: A Year in Review

I know I'm a couple days late (ok like a month late) but 2012 is over and 2013 has started in full swing!

I can't say that I'm sad to see it go...2012 wasn't the best year for us, but we are always very blessed! Here's a look back at 2012:

We rung 2013 celebrating in Athens

I spent a lot of time in 2012 reading

And baking

We traveled to Brantley to celebrate LE's 1st birthday...it was nursery rhyme themed and Thomas and I were the itsy bitsy spider and the water spout

I jumped into Lake Chapman in February

and celebrated birthdays

My niece, Carley, spend the night with us and we had to have our traditional Cracker Barrel meal!

and we went to see the Georgia Gymdogs

We spent the summer on the lake

and the dogs loved it

even in those chillier months

We celebrated both of my grandparents being happy and healthy :)

We celebrated a lot---babies

our first anniversary

and more babies

with a girl's trip to HHI in the middle

I had a minor set back with a wrist injury

but it was overshadowed by the fact that I bought my first car

and welcomed my first niece (as an official member of the family)

I also finally legally changed my name

And we celebrated weddings

and more weddings

I just can't get over how cute Gracie is!

Another minor set back---Thomas had to have an emergency surgery

but I did get to attend my first Falcons game

my bum wrist didn't stop me from throwing elbows on our 2nd annual Black Friday trip

I spent a lot of time enjoying the beautiful weather with the pups (the dog on the left is Harley, our neighbor's dog)

but half a year couldn't heal my wrist injury so I had surgery to repair some torn ligaments

                                         We celebrated Gracie's first Christmas in Sandersville

and had our annual Christmas lunch at Waffle House

and we ended the year by ringing in 2013 in Athens

2013 has started off with a bang! Thomas found out that he passed his boards and I found out that I got a promotion at work (which I interviewed for 3 days after surgery)

Here's looking forward to the next 11 months of 2013...if there are half as good as the first month, its going to be a GREAT year!

Love,
K

Halloween

So along with everything about Fall, I love everything about Halloween. I love the costumes and the decorations and the candy, especially the candy.  I also love being an Aunt! Even though I've only seen Gracie one time, I know we are in for the long haul together :) I always had the best aunts growing up. The ones that did the cool things with you.... The one that took you toliet papering when you were 12...the one that took you for rides in her jeep with the top down and the one that let you eat Cookie Crisp no matter what time of day and blast Billy Jean on the record player. So, needless to say, I want to be that aunt (don't worry Daniel and Katrina, we won't tell you when we toliet paper)

I feel like I'm getting too old to dress up for Halloween, and unfortunatlely, wayyyyy too old to trick or treat.But I do love Halloween things. So I thought how can I make being an Aunt and Halloween go hand in hand? I decided to make Gracie a Halloween basket.

The basket

So since I am such a reader, I want to inspire Gracie to read...what better way to get her library collection going than with her own copy of Harry Potter! My goal is to give her a book for each holiday, a good mix of old classics and new classics!

I bought this pumpkin from Hobby Lobby and used a white paint marker to paint the G on it. It rubbed off really easily when I first did it, but I'm hoping that after sitting for a while, it will be more permanent!

I made a card from scrapbook paper. I just cut a scrapbook paper to be card size and then glued some spiders on the front

On the inside, more scrapbook embellishments!

I got the Onesie from A Children's Place and thought it would be too cute!



Who is this 'Aunt Kala' woman and why did I get stuck with her?

I'm sure this was Gracie's face when Daniel and Katrina told her that Aunt Kala sent her a Halloween basket. I just can't get over how cute she is! Its okay readers, you can be jealous that I have the cutest niece!

I want to make a basket for every holiday so any suggestions are welcome! There's a lot of holidays in the year!

See you soon Gracie!

Love,

"Aunt" K





Cook Kala

I learned to cook when I was 16. I worked at a bookstore and the ladies felt bad for me that my mom never cooked (Sorry, P) so they taught me how to make Seasoned Salt Chicken and Shrimp Stirfry. When I went to college, it was hard to cook in the dorm, but I still tried.

When I was 19 and I moved into my own apartment, I started really cooking! I love trying new recipes and then adding or changing ingredients to make it unique to me! I received so many recipes from the wedding, that I decided I was going to pull a Julie and Julia and make them all (yes, even the grilled quail but it will probably be last!)

I'm about half way done and I've made everything from hummus, to taco soup and chicken and all those yummy desserts!

Here are some pictures of my time in the kitchen!

I added a little parmesean to my hummus and served it with pita chips, melba toast, strawberries and celery

I used 2 round 9" pans for my spice cake

And I made my own cream cheese frosting for it

Then I sprinkled cinnamon on top and served!

The first pound cake I've ever made that turned out successful

I would love to take a cooking class to learn more about cooking with spices and I would love to take a class to learn how to use the knife set I got as a wedding present, but we'll see :)

Love,
K