thoughts.

+ Denver trip is soon. I am halfway looking forward to it, halfway dreading it. Doctors are not my favorite. Hard beds that aren’t my own are definitely not my favorite, but I am excited to get measured for a new chair.

+ Stamps. I am sort of addicted to designing my own. So easy and so much of just what I want. Love that process.

+ Project Life continues to keep my attention. I don’t think I have kept up and kept interest in something like this in quite a long time. I am already noticing things I want to make consistent next year.

+ Seriously considering doing portrait shoot as a very small side business. Fun? Or stress? I can’t decide. The Fire Starter Sessions is getting me a little bit pumped, just to see what happens.

+ I’m having a hard time believing that school is ready to start again. It feels too early. I am so off since I don’t have a school schedule of my own anymore.

tiny thoughts today.

+ Happy 5th birthday to Miss Makinna. I can’t believe how time has flown so fast.

+ April 27 looks like it will be THE DAY. Now to find THE PLACE.

+ Lake weekend with my boy. Hoping for a lot of fun and a little bit of color.

thoughts.

+ I haven’t had much poetry up lately, but be looking for some soon. There are really only so many ways to say that I am blissfully happy.

+ This rest of this week/weekend are going to be so crazy busy. Graduations galore. I am tired already, just thinking about it.

+ Work has been better. People have backed off, and I have learned to not take on more than I am being paid to do.

+ I am ready for just one night of sleep without a nightmare. Does this happen often when people are slightly stressed or have a major life happening? I could really go for a good dream.

+ No wedding date set yet, but since my cousin Brooke is getting married March 16, 2013, I am guessing we’ll go for April sometime. <3 Don't worry, this blog will be up on all the plans as they go.

+ p.s. I’m sorry in advance for all the lovey dovey crazy happy posts that are sure to be in the future. :)

Thoughts.

+ New gun = fun! I can shoot it so much better than the little cotton candy colored one. Actually, handling it in general feels safer. Maybe I won’t end up shooting myself in the leg after all.

+ A new haircut is on my mind. I need something different.

+ Act of Valor. Amazing, amazing movie. I almost cried but held it together pretty well. Besides a few gasps and “oh no!”s anyway.

+ iPhone and Instagram all day long. Loooove it. (Find me @carrielkoch)

+ When we move, there will definitely be a California King bed in my bedroom. And tons of pillows. It’s like sleeping on heaven.

+ Taco Bueno chicken tacos are my craving of the week. I miss our TB!

thoughts.

+ Carrie = sick. My head feels like it might explode, but the cold medicine is quickly becoming my best friend. Tomorrow hopefully will be better.

+ G has me thinking of a new camera again. And that is bad news because I might splurge and just get one. Must. keep. impulses. in. CHECK!

+ Sons of Anarchy is amazing. I should have listened when everyone told me to start watching it. Now I am caught up on all 4 seasons and have to wait until September to see new episodes. It may be a long 9 months.

+ Work this coming week will be crazy, exhausting, and annoying. Just like the past week was thanks to an audit. I’ll be so glad when it is over.

+ oh btw, where is winter?

+ Life (besides the work stress) is amazing. I thought I knew happiness, but this is about as good as it gets.

+ Figured out a project for my sister’s birthday present…she’s gonna love it.

thoughts.

+ It has been a long week for only a four-day week. Not enough sleep and too many annoyances.  And I want summer back.

+ I have to force myself to keep quiet when people come into my office, look around, then ask why I don’t have any chairs. There are 100+ smartass comments I could make, but I stick with “because you people would stay!”

+ When I am eating a candy bar, it usually means two things: it has been a rough day, and you better not fuck with me. Few people learn this lesson very quickly.

+ I have been doing very little to my hair during the week, and it feels healthier than it has for a long time (besides needing trimmed). I might have to cut back on skin products too…just to see what happens.

+ I heard Jesus Christ by Brand New and immediately thought of Jake. He loved that band. I can’t believe it has been almost a year since he has been gone.

+ Chiefs beat the Packers. Just thought I’d remind everyone. :)

+ I can’t believe Christmas is almost here. This year I am so ready and not ready at all. I think I missed some of 2011 because it seems super short.

thoughts.

+ Sometimes you find just what you need when you aren’t even looking for it.

+ I need to get seriously serious about this house. I can’t drag my feet anymore about it.

+ There are certain friends I can talk to about anything, and they are the best ones to have.  I feel much better after Friday’s dinner.

+ A neglected opportunity by one person turned into someone else’s good luck. So why, then, do I feel guilty about it?

+ Glitter can make or break any project I do.  Lately, it’s been making them.

+ I have sent more texts in the last 2 weeks than I think I ever have. My fingers are gonna get tired.

+ Never underestimate the power of unexpected roses. Even girls who aren’t typical “I like flowers” girls (me!) fall for them sometimes.

thoughts.

+ Lewis Black was awesome on Friday night. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time.

+ Tangled is such a cute movie. Funny and sarcastic and sweet for a kiddie movie.

+ I am looking forward to a quiet(er) week. I have been really stressed about the land and some other things. It will be nice to just chill out and breathe.

+ Cooler weather means hoodies and scarves and hot cider drinks. As much as I love summer (and tank tops), I love the coziness of fall. It’s just winter that I dread.

+ I am going to start carrying my camera everywhere again. I need that part of me back again.

+ Fantasy football = awesome. My Jamaal Charles is out with a torn ACL, but I am still doing well. It might be early to gloat, but I am the only girl in our league and am sitting on top. So I can gloat a little. :)

thoughts.

+ Life seems to get busier by the day. It’s sort of crazy how time is flying by…so often I think “holy crap! I’m really 26!”

+ Nothing seems so bad when I am listening to a Disney song. Really, how do they do that!? (Oo-de-lally is my fav.)

+ If dried cranberries had more calories, I’d have no problem gaining and keeping weight. I love those things.

+ I’ve had a really hard time sleeping lately. And when I do, I have nightmares. Weird ones. If it’s stress, let’s hope things slow down soon!

+ I used to take pretty pictures and then put pretty words with them, inspired by them. I have sort of fallen off that train, and I need to get another ticket.

thoughts.

+ I started my (homemade, of course) first Smash book. I hadn’t planned on doing a 26 book, but I think a Smash book would be easier (and sloppier and more fun) than a normal tidy mini book on what happens this year.

+ Birthday weekend was a success. Two great nights with great friends….but not so great hangovers.

+ I went to the bank and talked to the loan manager. I have a better understanding of how the “process” of building a house is going to go….so now I am going to start making the calls to the right people. :)

+ And the crazy penny-pinching is starting too.

+ Those days when a little compliment starts it off right are the best.

+ I am again hooked on Words with Friends. Man, who knew Scrabble could be so fun?

thoughts.

— It’s going to be a long week of training in Kansas City, so don’t be worried that I am being too quiet. Maybe sitting in a classroom all day will cure this itch I have to go back to college to get that Masters Degree…

— Land hunt is still on-going, and I lose a little bit of patience every time I look at a piece of land and hate it.

— Men who hit women are cowards. I think everyone knows that, but it is something we should remind people sometimes…

— I like to know I’m not the only obsessive list-maker. I’m going to convert Mandy.

— My bestie is almost ready to have her baby girl. Just a few more weeks before little baby Denny is here!

thoughts.

+  Someone told me once that I am getting better with age and that it shows in my face.  I totally felt that last night when I scrubbed off the makeup, threw up my messy hair up and had on a big old t-shirt. I felt more like “me” than I have in a long time. I loved it.

 

+  I think I am going to be addicted to painting on huge canvasses.  They are so….freeing.

 

+  I miss TM’s silly face.  I have missed him all week.  An enormous amount.

 

+  Orange fingernails might not have been the best idea.  2 people have asked me why I am getting ready for Halloween.

 

+  I need many more productive days like yesterday.  I had spunk at work, and I got so much done.

 

+ Pretty sure I have ear infection again.  That sh!t hurts.  :-(

thoughts.

+ Since I got a job and am not in school myself, I have no idea what days the kids start school, get out of school, any of that. It’s an odd feeling to see kids going home from the pool when I am on the way home from work. Not so long ago, that was me walking home with a heavy towel and hair that smelled of chlorine.

+ I still don’t like our crazy neighbors.

+ I wish I had your patience. And stability.

+ This past weekend was exhausting. I’m still catching up.

+ The van door is broken. Like it works because the repair guys rigged it until they can get the parts in, but it’s broken anyway.

+ I don’t get why people are surprised when their “sexting” photos are leaked/forwarded. Seriously, have we learned nothing from celebrity sex tapes? Nothing is private to someone who hates you!

thoughts.

+ Stressed out at work because the auditor will (finally) be here on the 13th. I’m aggravated with everything, it seems (like you couldn’t tell from yesterday’s post, ha). Plus the van door is acting up. I swear! A day off is much needed.

+ Swamp People is my new favorite show. It’s just…funny.

+ I’m waiting to hear about loan options. It’s a different, exciting kind of stress.

+ Summer will never be as good as the summer of 2002 was. Never.

+ I realized that one of the things I am going to miss the most about this house when I move will be the color of Chuck’s tree in the fall. That gorgeous gold.

+ I found a new tinted moisturizer called Jouer. Feels like lotion, looks like foundation, lasts all day. Love it. Ordered!

+ Protein bars aren’t too bad. I think I just had to get used to them. Boost is still a work in progress. That stuff still makes me gag.

+ I am working on looking at things a little bit differently. I’ll go into that later on, in a much longer post.

thoughts.

+ The Hunger Games is an insanely good book. I think that it is the fastest I have read a book in the past 2 years. I started book 2 of the series, Catching Fire, last night, and it’s going to be good too.

+ Work was both good and frustrating this week. Both are long stories, and since it’s Friday, I don’t feel like discussing it.

+ Hoping to have a play date with my camera this weekend. I miss it. :-/

+ iPad is on its way soon. I don’t even think I can say how excited I am.

+ I’m finishing up the family reunion invites soon (which have changed a little bit), so I suppose I’ll write about them again. Be on the lookout (or don’t. Whatever).

+ I have this good feeling inside that someone is thinking of me, and it is pretty nice.

thoughts.

+ Yes, I am that girl that dances alone in the car next to you at the stoplight.

+ I spent much of last week leading up to Friday dreading all the news coverage of the Royal Wedding (it really does deserve caps), but I actually enjoyed it. It turned out much better than I expected. She looked beautiful. He looked…balding. But together, they looked perfectly adorable.

+ Peter Seller’s “A Right Bird.” Totally funny. Google it. (Thanks Ryan)

+ I’m kind of quiet lately because I’m too tired to think of anything to say. It’s just been one of those weeks.

+ Little Miss Serenity is having another scope in June to see what they can do about her throat. They’ll either put a gel insert in or do laser surgery at a later date, depending on how things go. I hope it’s easy for her, but something tells me that even if it isn’t, she’ll be okay. She’s a tough little girl (like Aunt Carrie, duh).

+ Our neighbors are nuts. End of story.

+ I never got into the Farmville thing on Facebook. I thought it was stupid, but Papaya Farm on Android? Psh, It’s fun stealing my brother’s corn or my nephew’s hens from his ranch.

+ Self-tanner makes me smell like you’re sweating. It’s not really appealing, but it works. I’m darker than I was 2 days ago. And no skin cancer. :)

thoughts.

+ New printer works like a champ. I am excited to make the kids’ birthday invites and family reunion invites now. I was so far past due for an upgrade.

+ I am really bad at being sick. It makes me emotional, and I cry almost every time. I hate it.

+ A trip to KC is in the future. Soon. I miss my buds.

+ I love looking through old photos, even the ones of times that weren’t so fun (rehab). It’s nice to go back sometimes. And it’s more fun to post them on Facebook and tag every single name so all their friends can se how much of a nerd they were.

+ My friend’s baby died, and he was 2 years old and looked like a little angel porcelain doll in his tiny white coffin. Pretty little lips and long eyelashes. So, so sad.

+ The Book Thief is done and read. Great book. A few parts are slow, but I mostly love the point-of-view. Definitely recommend.

+ I used to be good at babysitting. Lately, I have no patience for the screaming. I’d rather they just want to watch movies.

+ New blog design = refreshing. A change is so nice sometimes.

+ Slipped and cut my forearm open on my mirror stand. I think the only good thing is that it’s a part of my arm that I can’t stand. Uck, makes me queasy.

+ First trip to Subtropix, Mike and Debbie’s new sub shop.  Sooo good!  I think that having a good sub shop so close to home will be a really good thing or a really bad thing!

thoughts.

+ I don’t think many of my real life friends read my blog. Maybe one or so. My sister does sometimes, when she needs a good cry. My uncle Danny. That’s all I can think of. The rest of you are my blog internet buddies, and that’s just fine with me.

+ Spent Saturday at my brother’s farm. They cleaned chickens all day, and we drank beer at the pond that night. It was probably the best Saturday I have had in quite a long time.

+ An old friend’s baby is in the hospital (with a grave prognosis) due to someone’s pure damn stupidity and ignorance. I won’t even get into it because it pisses me off so bad. It makes me wonder what happens in people’s heads sometimes!

+ My mom found the book with my uncle Art’s poems. It’s musty and looks like it was typed on a typewriter, and I love it. I think he would have been proud that I sort of am like him in ways.

+ Kid Rock’s “Rock On” from his new cd is my newest favorite song. So pretty.

+ I’m almost done with The Book Thief. It’s a good book, but it sort of feels like a chore completing it. I don’t think I am going to complete my goal of 15 books by August either. I just don’t have time.

+ I have been going to work with almost no makeup on at all, and it’s sort of liberating. I don’t need all that junk on my face. And I don’t need to impress anyone either.

thoughts.

+ KU basketball made me cry again this year. Who is VCU anyway? (Besides the team that kicked our butts?!)

+ Allergies turned into ear ache. I think there is probably a doctor appointment in my very near future. That is a weird pain.

+ Saturday night was so much fun. Reliving and laughing hysterically about it again on Monday morning at work was almost as much fun.

+ Learning to pace myself at work is paying off. Mondays don’t have to be so busy, and Fridays don’t have to be so boring.

+ Boys who ask me to dance are so funny. I think they think they’re going to offend me if they ask wrong. My legs don’t work, but I can still get down! :)

+ I missed cucumber melon lotion. I haven’t hardly used it since my accident because it made me feel nauseous, but I have rediscovered its wonder.

+ Topeka changed its name for Google. Kansas City got the optical fiber. If I didn’t love Google so much, I’d probably be pissed.

+ New ringtones are fun, especially when they’re free!

it’s probably already there…

There are so many words out there to inspire us, get us thinking, get us moving, get us to do something. They tell us things that should be important and ways to be strong or feel worthwhile or live happily. They are beautiful words, no doubt, but I think it’s about time that some of us start living by our words.

Say it yourself. Aloud. Be your own philosopher.

Put your quote out there and then follow it.

I guess I have noticed that many people follow the words of others rather than themselves while on Pinterest. Don’t get me wrong. I am in love with that site because there are so many ideas there, but it’s sort of a catch-22. If you just get ideas, words, inspirations from other people all the time, you can’t really nuture your own, right? You are just bettering someone else’s idea, I think.

As soon as the sun is shining on a full-time basis and I get a day off work, I am going to just spend time with my thoughts, my journal, and my pen. And we’ll just see what I come up with.

thoughts.

+ It was a rough week. I wanted to strangle someone, anyone really, but I managed to keep my composure. You know how I wrote once about not having my dream job? This week has felt more like it is a nightmare.

+ American Idol has become a guilty pleasure again. Paul (the Rod Stewart sound-a-like) is so awkwardly adorable. I love it.

+ I miss football, but at least I have KU basketball to keep me occupied. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

+ I didn’t give up anything for Lent this year. Bad? Maybe. But I figure I have given up enough in my life to hopefully be forgiven one day.

+ Paper cuts + antibacterical hand sanitizer = PAIN!!!

+ Retail therapy is weird. I don’t understand how spending money can make me feel better about anything, but it does.

+ Reed’s chicken sanchos are my fav. The end.

thoughts (again).

+ I am trying to write nearly every day, and sometimes it’s nice to just have a little update. I am hoping to actually write this weekend. You know, something worth reading.

+ The video that was so fun last week at work has become boring and tedious, but I got it DONE today! Heat seals are not my favorite thing.

+ Ankle twisting = NO fun.

+ I want to spray paint everything in sight. This DIY thing could easily become an addiction.

+ I put on makeup, not because I was going anywhere special, just because I wanted to do it for me. And that’s always a good feeling.

thoughts.

+ KU vs KSU = total letdown on my end. Seriously, we got beat by K-State?

+ The boss left Wednesday for England for 2 weeks. I’m waiting for some catastrophe to happen. Something always does!

+ Valentine’s Day didn’t phase me at all.

+ I love my job. I hate my job. I love my job. I hate my job.

+ Insurance companies love to annoy me on purpose I think.

+ Video editing at work has been fun. I missed video more than I realized.

+ A clean office feels like heaven to me.

+ Videos that feature my voice as the voiceover are not.

+ IcyHot has totally been a lifesaver for me lately. My shoulders are just tired.

Thoughts.

+ My birthday is in 13 days.

+ I am brushing up on Excel stuff for the next few weeks because there’s a lot of it in my job description.

+ Fudge bars = love.

+ I am in need of a very good time at a country bar. I don’t know why–I’m just in the mood for that type of fun.

+ This week has been one of the best weeks I’ve had in quite a long time. I might be jinxing myself, but there have been no bumps….yet.

+ I know I just changed my blog banner and added matching buttons along the side (over there <====), but I'm going to change them again in the next few weeks. I just need something new.

+ It's going to be a busy day, but hopefully I'll get to my Polaroid cards I want to make.

+ I am inviting the rain that the weatherman says we'll be getting. I want a great big, bad ass storm. Lightning and all.

+ I download Swype for my EVO, and it's a pretty awesome app. It will take some getting used to though.

+ I will never understand guys. And they'll probably never understand women. We might as well give up on it!

Thoughts.

I haven’t done a “thoughts” post in a very long time, and I realized that I need to start up again. I have things I want to say, but not enough about each topic to make an entire blog for each. Does that make any kind of sense? Anyway, here goes:

–My new stretched canvas is going on my “prized possession” list. Not only because it is of a photo that I took (and love), but because it is simply glistening on my new shelf. Photos of it to come sometime soon.

–Since rearranging and purging the bedroom, I am less stressed. Seriously, the more in order “things” are, the calmer I am. Love it.

–I have been writing a LOT lately, and you’ve probably noticed by the consistent posting over the past days. Love it too.

–I have been putting off the job search, just trying to figure out exactly what I want to do, but I have got to get on it soon. Life won’t wait for me forever (unfortunately!).

–Chiefs won one. Probably the only one this season, but hey, we won!!

–They closed Taco Bueno on 21st Street. I might die of hunger now. Thanks TB bosses! Geesh.