Warmth

Our housewarming was well-attended and a lot of fun! We had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends, some of whom we don't get to see very often, and it was awesome! The food turned out pretty nicely too, in my not-so-humble opinion. :) We served grilled hot dogs, ham and turkey finger sandwiches, fresh fruit with cream cheese dip, chips with onion dip, yellow cake cupcakes with chocolate frosting, and a variety of beverages including lemonade and sweet tea. Deeeeelicious!

Our lovely guests gave us lots of beautiful gifts, including wall hangings, decorative plates, a set of trivets, a fragrance diffuser, gardening supplies, and an assortment of colorful plants to spruce up our yard. Everyone was so thoughtful, and we appreciated everything so much! (Pictures to come soon.) It warmed my heart to be surrounded by such great people. We are blessed!

And speaking of warmth, it has been H-O-T outside lately... Michiganders, you have no idea! It has easily reached the 100s every day this past week, if I'm not mistaken. The only thing that has made it a bit more manageable is the in-ground pool my in-laws had put in recently. I am rediscovering my love for swimming pools, and have spent so much time in the pool already that my hair is in need of a nice conditioning treatment after being soaked in chlorinated water for hours at a time!

As my current Facebook status says, my freckles have come out of hiding, which can only mean one thing - summertime is here! I love summer. :)

Love and Iced Lattés,

Katie

Fences and Weeds

Had a privacy fence installed this week.

It's everything we wanted and more! Funny how something like a fence in the backyard can bring so much peace. No more leashes, people! That means a lot to this former apartment-dweller. Daisy and Ellie didn't seem to understand their newfound freedom at first, but they have since learned to run and play and enjoy themselves a bit. Still, after about five minutes of this they come straight to the door and beg to come inside.

And speaking of newfound freedom, I absolutely do not know what to do with my time now that I'm finished with classes! Of course, I am working full time now at UTS, but in the evenings I always get that "what am I supposed to be doing right now?" feeling. It's quite a relief not to have homework, let me tell you.

Justin and I have discovered a couple "new to us" TV shows: True Blood and Weeds. Both are pretty addictive and worth a look if you're interested! (We're Netflixing episodes of Weeds- they are available for instant viewing online!)

Also, we recently bought Sims 3 which brought the already addicting game to a whole new level for me. Oops, sorry... is my nerdiness showing?

Other than that, there is nothing new to report. Just waiting to hear from the PACE program to see if I have been accepted into the teaching certification program, and trying to get ready for our housewarming BBQ which is Saturday.

Gotta run, lunch is almost over. Have a great week, readers! Don't be afraid to comment every now and then... I see there are plenty of you out there, but I have no idea who *you* are! :)

I promise I'll make more of an effort to find interesting things to post about this summer. Here I am bragging about having extra time, and yet my blog gets so little attention these days!

Okay, really have to go now!

Love and Lattés,

Katie

Amazing

That's the only word to describe the past week - amazing. I was so blessed to be able to see my family and attend my baby sister's graduation from high school. During the time I spent in Tecumseh, there was a lot of food, laughter, and most of all silliness. Callie's open house, which was at my parents' house, was what you might call organized chaos. The better part of my huge extended family was there, as well as a number of church members, friends and neighbors. There were two half-sheet cakes, which my dad thought would be too much, and by the end of the party there were only about four pieces left! People seemed to really enjoy themselves; I know I did!

I must say, it is really crazy to think that all three of the Cothern siblings have graduated- and that I will be graduating again in August with my BA! I am already finished with classes, and it started to sink in yesterday. I was sitting on the couch watching Friends reruns, when I got that "I feel like I should be doing something" feeling. I was about to get up and check my notebook for homework assignments when I realized... oh my goodness. Never again will I have to worry about the horror that is being a full-time undergraduate student! Let me tell you, it still doesn't completely feel real but it is NICE to know that I am finished with classes, homework, professors... all of it.

Besides news of travel and graduations, there isn't much else to report. Justin is still great, our house is still fantastic, and Daisy and Ellie are still being their crazy, adorable selves. I will end this entry with a photo of my beautiful sister in her cap and gown. I am so proud of the gorgeous, mature young lady she has become!


Love and Lattés,


Katie


PS - Congratulations to my brother's band, Bel and the Dragon, for recently recording their first album. Check them out on Facebook and MySpace!