Currently Sipping Coffee

I've never been so tired before in my life. But it's a good tired, a very stressful, very busy tired, yet good. I'm constantly on the go or trying to get something done. I've gotten to the point where I was sick and still working at 2 AM and my neighbor walks into my room and starts yelling "KATE I AM GOING TO BRUSH MY TEETH AND IF YOU ARE NOT IN BED BY THE TIME I GET BACK WE ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME SERIOUS PROBLEMS" I may have been back in bed when she got back but I didn't stay there long. It's not my fault that I actually really enjoy everything I'm doing!

My classes are fun, they're something I want to be doing for the rest of my life, and my extra curriculars are just as much fun. I've never been more proud to say I'm a part of the organizations I am in. That being said it can be hard taking 18 credit hours, keeping a decent GPA, working 20 hours a week, being a part of my activities, and still being social. And I'm still trying to get it all figured out. So some days, aka today, I may be gone from 8AM-9PM and come back and lock myself in my room to work on homework. but other days I'm able to watch an ungodly amount of House of Cards. It's a balance, and I'm still trying to perfect it, but I'm getting better.

So I'm going to keep being tired. Most likely for awhile. After all my radio show doesn't even start until 11 at night and the tennis tournament I just registered for is going to be rough considering my partner and I haven't even started practicing... But it's a good tired. It's a tired that keeps me going through my 5 cups of coffee and 4 hours of sleep. Because after all, you don't remember the nights you spent getting a full eight hours. You remember the nights you spent cramming for a Psych test with your best friends (that is if your friends are as cool as mine and actually make studying for a psych test fun).

SO if you didn't get this already my days are kind of jam-packed right now so I'm going to try my hardest to write as often as I can but please excuse me if I forget every once in awhile IM ONLY HUMAN OKAY. That was uncalled for, I'm sorry, I'm going to sleep now. Maybe. Probably not.

Love,
Katie Christine aka me

Titles Are Hard-Bonus Post!

My goal was one post a week. That didn't happen, so I've given all you adoring fans a bonus post, because I love you for reading about my life rants.

I have officially been back at campus for a week now. That means back to the community bathrooms, back to the cafeteria food, and back to classes. For those who don't know I am a Marketing and Advertising double major with a concentration in leadership. I really didn't have any rhyme or reason for picking these degrees other than I knew I have absolutely no clue what I want to be doing in 4 years and both of these degrees sounded promising and had careers that I could see myself in.

After just two days back at classes I was feeling run down and out of energy. I was drinking coffee by the gallon and no nap would give my mind the break it so desperately needed. I thought maybe I was just adjusting to life back in Des Moines, but after talking to a friend I realized it was something much different. I wasn't happy with my classes, or at least not all of them. When I went to classes I'm excited about and look forward to it was easy to get out of bed. But I spent hours dreading to go to other classes, cough cough, accounting. So I made the decision to refocus what my interests are. I don't want to work in a cubicle, I'm not a fan of 9-5 workdays. I want excitement and challenges in my future. I don't want to be stuck in power suits for the rest of my life.

We spend the first 18 years of our lives being told what classes to take, what to wear, how to act. Not anymore. Life is in the hand of the beholder.

College is really cool because you can be like "This class sucks, its not what I want to do with the rest of my life and I dread going to it everyday" and then you can drop it. Just like that. Sure, maybe you need that class for a major or something but you can take it over the summer, next semester, or with a community college. Who knows, you might not even be the same major in six months. You do not have to feel miserable for 13 weeks because of one class. You can use that time to focus on other classes, ones you truly enjoy. If you like math you can take another calc course, don't stress about the foundations of art. You wanna take principles of advertising? Well then who says you need to take accounting right this very moment? Use your time at college to find your interests, your calling, then you pick a major. This is a time where you get to figure out what you want to do with your life, not what your parents want you to do with your life, not what your friends want you to do with your life, what you want to do. So don't stress the small stuff. History class will still be there next semester, but your life is now. Take this time to immerse yourself in something other than the classes you've been taking the past 12 years of your life. Find your passions, chase your dreams. Your life is out there, now go find it.

An Open Letter to a High School Senior

There's nothing quite like being a high school senior. You spend your last months in a familiar place feeling as if nothing can touch you. You're caught up in the excitement of college fast approaching. Its a rush not knowing what exactly is next, you have a million doors open and you get to pick which one you go through.

Whether you know exactly where you wanted to go since you were five or your still trying to figure it out just remember, this is your life. Not your parents, not your friends, decisions should be made for yourself.

Its time to break free from the adults in your life making decisions for you. Spread your wings and fly. Don't be afraid to take chances. Life can throw some pretty amazing curve balls, but every inning brings each team to the pitching mound. Don't hold yourself back from something because you don't think someone will approve of it or because you think people will make fun of you. This is your life, so go live it. Be crazy, have fun, be young. You have the rest of your life to be old and boring and responsible but college is a time that you can do pretty much anything and its completely acceptable. You wanna move to Poland for a year? Put it on a resumé and call it a career building opportunity, after all Poland has become one of the biggest advertising hubs in the world. The world is out there for you to discover, don't let it get away from you.

You've heard it a million times and I'll say it again, the next few months will bring some of the biggest changes of your life. You'll leave you family and your security blanket at home, but you're going to be walking into some of the best years of your life. Make mistakes, make tons of them, and remember that no matter what you choose to do it is now you're decision. No one else's. And there's nothing more liberating than your parents thinking they have veto power but knowing that they actually don't.

Late Night Pie

As mentioned in this post, I have created a great support group while at school. And just like the woman of Sex and the City had their Sunday morning brunch we have created our own ritual. Late night pie, we still hit up brunch at the dining hall on the weekends though. It started just before Thanksgiving break when we decided to go out as a last hoorah before finals. While on this outing we learned that our local Perkins had not only pie but also appetizers for half price after 9 PM. Since that fateful night we have started going to late night pie almost every week.

Our very first late night pie run (I'm the overly excited one on the middle left)

This time together is more than just about having some terrific food. This is a time that we get together and forget about our lives outside of that Perkins. We don't think about the Econ test we might have failed, we don't replay the fight we had with our boyfriend, for an hour our world is confined to that restaurant. 

We haven't created any solid rules of no phones on these outings, nor do I think we will have to. This tradition has become something that we all cherish and look forward too, so why would we want to ruin that by not being completely there? Plus we can't ban phones because then we wouldn't be able to capture on film the characters that show up at the local Perkins after 9. And let me tell you, that's not something you want to miss.

We live in a world that is ruled by technology. Our phones act as another appendage and we would be lost without Google. But for one hour a week we can put down our phones, close our laptops, and turn off the TV. For one hour a week I challenge you to be 100% present with the people you love. Whether you decide to go on a drive, play a board game, or try to stuff more people than necessary into a booth at your favorite restaurant. I believe we can all benefit from being disconnected for a little while. We don't even have to turn off our phones anymore, after all this is 2015, we can talk through watches and teleport! Wait. No, we can't teleport yet, but the other stuff is true. Moving on, the "Do Not Disturb" feature on iPhones is perhaps the best thing in the world, airplane mode works great too. Who knows, maybe it'll become a habit! Maybe then I'll actually be able to get stuff done instead of going on Pinterest... I don't know if I'm ready to give up Pinterest. This was a bad idea.

The Best Present Ever

My sister is
-annoying
-spoiled
-a nuisance
-a pain
-crazy
-kind
-inspiring
-strong
-amazing
-my best friend

I love my sister with all my heart, that being said I don't always like her. But the thing about having a sister is that you don't always like each other, this is especially true when you're only 18 months apart, you wear pretty much the same size everything, and your closet doors don't lock. And even though it seems like we are at each others throats most of the time you can bet that we've also got each other's backs. I can't promise to her that she will never have to face any problems. But I can promise that she will never have to face those problems alone.

Tonight my parents are taking us to New York City for a long weekend as her birthday present. Yes, I'm completely mooching off this trip because I'm still on winter break. There's no way my parents would hear the end of it if they only take one of their daughters to NYC. This might be one of the best gifts my parents ever give to my sister. My sister is always going to remember the birthday we spent strolling through Central Park, eating croughnuts and food truck meals, and watching The Lion King live on Broadway. She's a lucky girl, and I'm pretty lucky too because I get to experience this with her.

Even though Blair's getting an amazing gift I still received the best present ever from my parents. There will never be another person that understands every quirk of my family. No one will ever be able to comfort me like my sister can. And there is definitely no one who can get on my nerves quite like she can. My sister was and forever will be the best present I've ever gotten, even though my first edition Kindle was pretty rad at the time.

My Dad is Not a 50's Housewife

I'm reminded of this quite frequently. I haven't trusted my father with laundry since my sophomore year in high school and I asked him to wash my white tennis skirt. He's a terrific father and did just as I asked and then promptly put the white tennis skirt in the dryer with blue jeans. Needless to say my tennis coach was not very happy with my uniform that day. She completely dismissed my joke about my skirt being our new mascot, we were the Blue Streaks, I thought it was very witty.

For Christmas my friend Sarah gave me this awesome mug.

Its perfect. It has everything I look for in a mug. Its not one of those little wimpy mugs that hold 2 drops of coffee then its reached capacity. Nope this mug held its ground. It was branded with my name and on the other side it has a K, and I have an unhealthy obsession with things that have my name or initials on it. But what really made this mug special was Sarah took the time to come up with her definition of me.

Kate [Kāt]

noun

1. Music enthusiast hailing from Woodstock, IL

2. One who sleeps past noon and consumes all things apple

This may have been one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. 

Today the mug looks like this

I know, much sadness. Tears were shed when my mom came into my room and asked if I had put my mug in the dishwasher. It turns out my dad thought he would help me out and he put it in there. You're probably wondering why I didn't just do my dishes myself. Well friends, at this time I was stuck in bed with strep. I love my dad but sometimes he can be just a little too helpful.

But I've learned my lesson once again, my dad is not a 50's housewife. Nor should he be treated as such. Dad, if you're reading this, don't quit your day job.

The Science of Love

Recently as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed I found a link to the article, To Fall In Love With Anyone, Do This. This may be the best article ever because who doesn't want to know how to make someone fall in love with you. I'm looking at you Adam Levine. That's not just me, right?
Moving on. This article references a study by Dr. Arthur Aron. He proposed that he could take two people who started off as complete strangers and have them fall in love with each other in just 45 minutes with the help of 36 questions. Seems crazy, right? Maybe it is.
The questions start off pretty innocent, "If you had your choice of anyone as your dinner guest who would it be? Why?" or "Do you ever rehearse what you're going to say before making a phone call?". As the list goes on the questions start getting more intimate.
This got me thinking to the past couple of months, also known as my first semester of college. The past four months of my life have been a totally new adventure. I've met new people who have become some of my closest friends and my biggest supporters. The weird thing about that, I didn't know they existed a few months ago. Which leads to the question, how did we become so close in such a short amount of time?
If you ask me why I think that is, I would attribute it to Dr. Aron's 36 questions to find love. I didn't fall in love with my friends, we did however, ask many of these questions in our few months of friendship. Together we have been through one of the biggest changes of our lives. We experienced leaving our homes, our families, and our friends. We also experienced crazy roommates, community bathrooms, and the joys of college life. There have been many nights spent lying on the floor/futon/twin-xl bed of our dorm rooms eating ice cream/mozzarella sticks/apple rings and talking about nothing and everything. We know each other's hopes and dreams, our pasts and what we want our futures to be like. We have held each other when we cried and we have celebrated our victories together. We've seen each other in our most vulnerable states, and yet we still love each other.
We've asked each other about our best (and our worst) memories, we were the last people we cried in front of, and we've asked each other advice on our problems. We may not have followed Dr. Aron's questions in order, or word for word. But we've answered many of the questions that he has decided provoke love. And while we may not be falling in love with each other, we love each other. We love each other enough to get in our cars and drive hundreds of miles to see each other. We love each other enough to get up at 8 AM to help study for a test over breakfast, and if you know how much I love sleep you know that this is a an act of true love.
Love is not a one size fits all. It comes in all shapes and sizes. Its not limited to just people we've known our entire life. Love is what makes you crazy, love is what makes you sane, and love is that warm fuzzy feeling you get when you look around at the people you're surrounded with and can't help but smile and think that this is where you belong.