Bad News, Good News

First, the bad news: I have been sick all week. Monday afternoon, I started to feel the telltale body ache that can only signal one thing: fever. I came home and confirmed my suspicions, dressed down and went into couch potato mode. Over the course of the next few days, I went from feeling "blah" to feeling all-out miserable. I called in sick to work on Wednesday, which, for the record, was my first sick day in the entire 14 months of working at my current job.

Thursday morning around 5:30 am, I woke up feeling extremely nauseous and got up to walk to the bathroom. One second, I was standing by the doorway, and the next, I was laying down between the wall and our nightstand with a throbbing pain in my head. Justin woke up to a loud noise, which we now know was my unconscious body falling against our nightstand. I have to say.. that was one scary experience for the both of us! I have passed out before due to blood sugar issues and such, but I never actually injured myself in the process. When I fell, I hit the right side of my face, my chin, and my right shoulder on the nightstand. (I'm okay now, though - just a bit sore).

My episode scared Justin and I both so much that we decided I should see a doctor, even though I had already gone earlier in the week. The doc confirmed what a nurse already suspected - I was dehydrated. Apparently, the fever, which lasted over 3 days, had taken a lot out of me. I was prescribed rest and fluids, and told to take it easy for a while. I called in sick again today, since I still feel a bit like I've been run over by a truck. I have been drinking water and gatorade nonstop though, and already I'm starting to feel less icky.

***

And now for the good news...

We have a house!!!

Well, pending inspections and some paperwork, that is. We made an offer on an adorable, brand new home in a developing neighborhood, received a counter offer, and decided to accept the counter. For a reasonable price, we will be getting a *new* 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home in a great location! We are set to close in April. Justin and I are so excited at the thought of becoming homeowners! More info on this to come at a later date.

I have to say, being sick this week has been pretty awful, but the excitement of finding our first home has kept me going. For the first time, Justin and I are talking about paint colors and decor ideas. We will definitely be on a budget, but it's so awesome to finally have an opportunity to be creative in our living space. That is a first for us, for sure!

I hope my fellow bloggers have had a good week, and I wish you all a happy weekend!

Love and Lattés,
Katie

Long Time No Blog

Sorry it's been such a long time since I blogged. Things have been so busy, I haven't had time to do the things I *need* to do, much less the things I *want* to do - like blog! I don't want to get ahead of myself, but let's just say that Justin and I are planning to do something pretty huge (no, we're not having a baby). More details to come as we know them. :) Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here is a cuteness fix for the day. Happy Friday.. TGIF!



Love and Lattés,

Katie

Love is in the Air

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are a few fun facts about the traditions behind this day for lovers:

• In Medieval times people who couldn't write their names signed with an 'X' in front of a witness. The 'X' was then kissed to show sincerity. Many believe this is how the 'X' symbol became synonymous with the kiss.

• It is believed that lovers first began exchanging mementos in the 17th century, perhaps heeding the words of Shakespeare's Hamlet, "Sweets to the Sweet."

• Cheaper postage and mass-produced cards in the 17th and 18th centuries added to the increasing popularity of Valentine's Day.

• Esther Howland was the first American to make commercial Valentine's Day cards out of scraps of ribbon, lace and pictures.

• Presently there are 192 million Valentine's Day cards exchanged annually.

• Chocolate is a traditional Valentine's Day gift. Throughout history, it was believed that chocolate brought smiles to the broken-hearted and prompted amorous feelings. In the 1800's physicians commonly advised their patients to eat chocolate to calm their pining for lost love.

I know that a lot of people feel that Valentine's Day is all about commercialism, and I will admit... like many other holidays, it has become pretty materialistic. Even so, the hopeless romantic in me still enjoys the extra excuse to go out on the town with my favorite guy. Besides, who doesn't enjoy a holiday specifically set aside for love and chocolate?

Love and Lattés,

Katie

A Case of the Mondays

Saturday, December 31, Justin and I attended our niece's first birthday party. Emily was cuter than ever, as usual, but was very unsure of how to feel about hearing 60+ people sing the birthday song.

After church on Sunday, where I worked in the nursery during the service, we went to my mother-in-law's 50th birthday party. My father-in-law made that cake himself. It was vanilla pound cake with homemade chocolate icing, and it was deeeelicious.

Sunday night, we hosted a small get-together at our place to watch the Superbowl. Everyone there was rooting for the Cardinals... we all know how that turned out.

This morning, I woke up exhausted with the realization that, due to the busy weekend we had, I did not get a thing done school-wise.

Having run out of coffee, I decided to leave a few minutes early today and grab some java at Caffé Corner, which is a nice little place... well, just around the corner. I arrived only to discover that they were not taking credit cards. I thought, "Really? The one time I run out of coffee in, like, a year you're not taking credit cards?" Of course, I had no cash. I never carry cash. So, I made my way downtown and somehow made it to Bull Street with a little time to spare before I had to be at work. I decided to stop at Cool Beans for my caffeine fix. I asked the lady for a single shot soy vanilla latté. She made my drink, and as soon as I saw the to-go cup, it occured to me that they only have one size latté, and that size typically takes two shots of espresso... not one. I tasted it and sure enough, it was pretty watered down. Oh, well. There was no time to worry about it at this point. I took my lidless latté (in my hurry, I forgot to look for a lid after she handed over my drink without one) and headed to work.

I really hope the events of this morning aren't an indication of how the rest of the week is going to be! The good news is, I got my caffeine. That's all that matters, right? Have a great week, everyone. And Happy Groundhog Day... even though Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. Too bad for those of you still buried under snow!

Love and Lattés,

Katie