YAY!

If you know me at all, it's no secret that I really, really miss my family in Michigan. Sure, I've acclimated well to being a South Carolina resident over the past three years, but I still think about the people I had to leave behind all the time.

Well, I called my sister a few days ago to tell her how homesick I've been, and to enjoy a goofy, sisterly conversation, and somehow within 24 hours, my amazing parents had bought her a plane ticket!

That's right, folks.. the Cothern sisters will be reunited again August 11th, and she'll be here until the 20th. Watch out, Columbia!

The timing is perfect. Justin will be out of town for work, and I would have been stuck spending my only break from school at home by myself. I will still be working part time while Callie's here, but she plans to use that time exploring USC's campus. I.am.so.excited!

Love and Lattés,

Katie

Thunderstorms, toads and geese... oh my!

Summertime in South Carolina always brings three things with it: storms, toads, and geese. This time of year, you are pretty much guaranteed to see all three of those things where we live. This year, I have managed to take photos of all three "gifts" of summer. First of all, storms.

I took this photo on I-20 one day when I was driving to Lugoff after work to have dinner with my best friend. Within about five minutes of taking this, it was raining so hard that I could barely see the road! Overall, summertime in the South is beautiful. But as the old saying goes, when it rains, it pours! We've had a couple doozies this year, one of which knocked out our air conditioning for nearly 3 days. Boy, was that miserable!

***

Secondly, summertime in South Carolina (or at least at our apartment complex) brings with it an infestation of toads. The little guy in the photo below actually kept me out of my apartment for a good five minutes one day. He thought it would be a good idea to hang out on my doorstep, with his body squished up against my door, all the while giving me this look that said "I know your type. You don't much like amphibians like myself and won't touch me. I can sit here for hours, babe."

Well, after a few minutes I finally got up the guts to move him, but I still refused to use my hands. So instead, I picked up our welcome mat and gently nudged him with it until he hopped away from the door. Whew! What took me so long to think of that?

***

Last, but not least, geese. One day, just a couple weeks ago, I was pulling into our complex with our Chinese takeout when I saw something amazing: a family of geese, walking in a straight line. Momma goose in front, goslings behind. I know this isn't something revolutionary, but for some reason that image was so awesome at that moment, that I knew I had to get my camera. I parked quickly and ran inside, throwing the Chinese on the coffee table and grabbing my Nikon. "Be right back!" I yelled to Justin. He stared at me with a completely puzzled expression. Unfortunately, by the time I got back to where the geese were, they had already made it to our complex's manmade pond and weren't in their perfect little line anymore. Still, they let me walk really close to them, and I took this:

Sure, they leave droppings everywhere, which my dogs like to try and eat whenever they can. (Gross, I know!) Even so, I kinda like the little guys. As I walked around them, they all had their beaks to the ground, pecking around for something to eat; all except one. The "babies" were so big that I couldn't decipher which was mom anymore, but as you can see in the photo, one goose always stayed "on the lookout" and watched out for the others as they ate in peace. I just thought that was neat. :)

***

Now, I could talk about many other things that come with the Southern summer season (try saying that three times fast!), like the heat for instance, the humidity, or the insects and spiders (EW!). But the three that always stick out in my mind are the storms, the toads, and the geese. Without these things, it just wouldn't be summer where I live.

Love and Lattés,

Katie

Three Things

Three Things...

that I'm thankful for:
*awesome friends and family
*weekends
*my non-stressful job

that I want to do before I die:
*become a mother
*see the Eiffel Tower in person
*make a difference in someone's life

that I did today:
*spoke French
*ate a sandwich with cranberries in it
*replenished my supply of quarters for parking

that I would do if I had a million dollars:
*open up a gigantic no-kill shelter/rehabilitation center/rescue for dogs
*buy an airplane so I could visit my family whenever I wanted to
*see the world

that have shaped my personality:
*my faith in God
*my wonderful parents and sibs
*being a wife

that I plan to do this weekend:
*spend some quality time with my husband
*sleep in
*hopefully see The Dark Knight

There's nothing super exciting to blog about at the moment; I'm really just trying to stay sane for a couple weeks until this rapid-fire French class is over. The good news is, Justin and I are planning a trip to Charleston for our upcoming anniversary. I am very much looking forward to a break!

More to come...

Love and Lattés,
Katie

3 Day Weekend

This July 4th was a memorable one, that's for sure! For the first time, the whole immediate Vaughan family - all 3 couples - were able to go out on the pontoon together. When we arrived at Lake Wateree, the weather was beautiful. It was around noon, and the sun was high in the sky. I lathered up with sunscreen - my fair skin doesn't tan so well, and I'd rather not burn!

Almost immediately, the crew separated into two groups. The men stayed toward the back, in the shade, and the ladies laid out in the sunshine, chit-chatting until the guys turned the music up loud.

It didn't take long to find the perfect spot, out in the middle of the lake. Captain Dad lowered the anchor, and we jumped in for a swim. The water was warm, except for a few shockingly cold patches. We talked and laughed and swam around the boat, and I felt about eight years old. :)

Before long, we all decided it was a good time for tubing. We climbed back into the boat except for Tim and Shannon, who got on the two-man tube together, ready for action.

The captain started up the boat and off we went, but it seemed like we weren't picking up much speed.

After a minute someone shouted that the anchor was still lowered.

Oops.

After that situation was remedied, we continued with our expedition. After Tim & Shannon, it was my turn. I rode on my belly for a while, and eventually got brave enough to sit up on my knees. What a rush! Next was my father-in-law. He was a tubing inspiration!

We stopped the boat for another quick dip, and realized that while we had been goofing off, we had failed to realize that storm clouds were beginning to roll in. As we moved toward the shore, the grey clouds seemed to be following us. The temperature was dropping fast, and we came to the conclusion that we needed to get going.

The wind was picking up as we walked back to our cars, and while we drove away, the rain came.

Tim and Shannon went to pick up baby Emily from Shannon's mom's house, and Justin and I stayed in Lugoff to have dinner with his parents. After that, we went home to lounge around a bit. Justin took a nap on the couch while I made myself look a bit more presentable.

When he woke up, the night was still young so we decided to go see the 8:00 showing of Hancock at Sandhill 16.

On the way in, we walked past two people - a dating couple, from the looks of it - sitting handcuffed on the ground while their car was being searched. Nice. I gripped Justin's hand a little tighter. This was supposed to be a nice area! We shook it off and continued with our date.

In the lobby, we laughed at an arcade game which was much too expensive to play ($2!) and had a very obvious misspelling on it.

The movie started off well, but about halfway through we started to hear a really strange sound that was obviously not in the soundtrack. It was a loud booming noise, sort of like thunder. Justin whispered to me that he hoped it wasn't gunfire; my mind immediately pictured the strange scene we had passed in the parking lot and I have to admit, I got pretty uncomfortable.

The echoing booms got closer and closer together, until they were so loud that we couldn't even hear the movie. All of a sudden I relaxed and laughed to myself. I cupped Justin's ear and whispered "honey, it's the 4th of July."

Why someone decided it would be a good idea to have a fireworks show so close to a theater is beyond me - it pretty much ruined 15-20 minutes of the movie for us. But the whole thing was pretty funny. I guess we know now what theater NOT to go to if we happen to get the movie urge on the fourth again.

So that was it for our Independence Day. Family, fun, and fireworks -- although we didn't actually see any ourselves except for a couple small ones in our neighborhood on the drive home.

***

On Saturday, we brought Ellie to the in-laws' to let her run around and burn off some energy.

She made a friend.

After a short visit, we returned home to relax and play our gaming systems (yes, we're nerds.) Oh, have I mentioned I got a Nintendo DS? I did.. and it's pink! I love it.

We also watched Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby together and enjoyed a good laugh.

Sunday we went to church and spent a little time catching up on some housework, since the weekend had taken its toll on our apartment.

It was nice to forget about the monotony of routine for a few days and just enjoy summertime. It's been a while since I've been able to do that. :) I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Love and Lattés,

Katie

Tarnished
By Katie Vaughan

The garage was dark and damp and the faint odor of gasoline hung in the air. Claire’s bare feet were cold against the concrete floor. She heard nothing besides the muffled sound of crickets and toads. Her head began to spin; taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. It was difficult to see – the three small windows were crusted over by years of grime – but a small ray of moonlight pouring from a hole in the ceiling revealed a pile of boxes, a tool bench, and an old lawnmower clustered together in a corner. A man was slumped over the tool bench, his bloodied face tilted upward and the fingertips of one arm brushing the floor. Fighting the urge to gag, Claire brought one hand to her mouth and jumped when she felt that her fingers were wet. A step toward the light revealed a thick, crimson fluid on her fingertips. Blood! She felt no pain except for the pounding in her head, so she dismissed the idea that it was hers. She wiped her shaking hands on her thighs, soiling her jeans.


Claire did not recognize her surroundings, and she thought the man looked familiar, but the immense amount of blood consumed his features. As the instinct to survive took over, she scrambled toward the garage door. She ran her hands along the wall beside the massive door, searching for the button that would set her free. Her heartbeat pounded like a jackhammer in her temples as she attempted to suppress the panic that surged within her. Her fingers met with the handle of a shovel mounted on the wall, a sticky cobweb, and then the large button she had been looking for. She pushed it and nothing happened. She tried again with both hands. It didn’t work. Her eyes brimmed with tears of frustration.


Claire turned toward the center of the room and glanced at the moonlit corner. Her eyes narrowed in the darkness, and then widened as she realized that the body was gone. A dark bloodstain on the tool bench marked the spot where the man’s head had been just moments before. Claire’s breaths became quick and shallow. She felt like a caged animal. She pushed tangled blonde hair out of her face and spun around to reach for the shovel. She patted the wall with both hands, and jumped back when she felt bare skin against her palm. She rushed over to the tool bench and grabbed a hammer. The moment a bloody face appeared in the light, she swung with all her might and heard a loud crack. A second later, she felt something like a bee sting in her neck and she withered to the floor.


***


The smell of coffee roused Claire from a deep sleep. She sat up too quickly from the bed and brought one hand to her head, groaning. She stretched out her arms and studied her hands; they were clean. The room was bright with butter colored walls. Early morning sunlight spilled in through an open window and a cool breeze rippled a lacy white curtain.


A low creak captured Claire’s attention. She watched a glass doorknob turn, and in walked Adam Levi. He and Claire had dated as teenagers, and the last time she had laid eyes on him, they were both eighteen. Seeing him now, she felt the deep, aching pain again. She had tried to forget, but she knew she would never be able to erase the memory of the night Adam raped her.


He hadn’t changed at all in fifteen years, except that he had gained a few pounds and his hairline had begun to recede. He walked toward the bed, carrying a breakfast tray with one hand. She glanced at the tray. It held a plate of steak and eggs, a steaming cup of coffee, and a single pink carnation. He set the tray on the small night table beside Claire and kissed her on the forehead. “Good morning, darling,” he said, smiling. Claire did not speak. She only stared. His smile widened. “I know you’ve had a rough night, Claire, but everything is going to be okay now. I always knew you loved me more than him. You made the right choice.” Perplexed, her glassy eyes wandered and nausea gripped her stomach when she spotted a framed photograph of herself propped up on a dresser across the room. Claire’s gaze moved back to the breakfast tray and her heart beat faster when she noticed a steak knife glinting in the sunlight.


In one rapid motion Claire snatched the knife and stabbed Adam in the chest over and over again. She couldn’t stop. He fell to the floor and she let out a primal scream as she gave one final blow, blood spattering onto her face and white shirt. Knife still in hand, she ran out of the room. Crashing through the front door, Claire sprinted to the garage. She kicked herself when she saw a side door; she had not noticed it the night before. She threw the door open and hot bile rose in her throat. The knife in her hand clattered to the floor. The body was facing away from her, but she could see that part of the man’s skull was caved in. Claire held her breath and walked in a wide circle around him. Despite his bloody and bruised face, the daylight allowed her to see more clearly. The eyes that stared blankly at the ceiling were the same eyes Claire had known for years. The lips that remained frozen in a silent scream were the ones that had kissed her every night before bed. The gold band on his left ring finger, though tarnished with dried blood, matched the one she wore.