I've moved...

Hi Friends!!! 

I've moved!!! Please come check me out at

  www.apieceofkelsey.wordpress.com

xoxox Kelsey

ABC...123

Quick ABC game to get me back in the blogging mode....

ABC's of Kelsey 

A.   Age: 26 (or 21 for the 6th time, depends on how you want to look at it!)

B.    Bed size: CalKing and I still sleep right next to the BF

C.   Chore you hate: The act of folding laundry and unloading the dishwasher.

D.   Dogs: Love 'em!!!  Especially my cutie Delilah

 Doesn't she look like a piggy?!

E.    Essential start to your day: coffee of course!!

F.  Favorite color: pink or if I need a combination of color - then pink, purple and turquoise. 

G.  Gold or silver: Silver!! Or platinum ;)

H.  Height: 5'7"

I.   Instruments you play: well, i can play a couple hot songs on the recorder and about two 3 note songs on the piano.

J.   Job title: Account Manager

K.  Kids: none at this point in life, but I am sure that will change at some point.

L.  Live: San Francisco, CA

M. Mom’s name: Susan (or Crazy Sue as I call her)

N.  Nicknames: Kelsey, Babe, K-night, Buttercup, Kelchita, KDiz

O.  Overnight hospital stays: none that I can remember

P.  Pet peeve: Late people, selfish people and hearing people eat their food.

Q.  Quote from a movie: "Big gulps huh? Well, see ya later!" -Dumb & Dumber

R.  Righty or Lefty: Righty Tighty!!

S.   Siblings: Older sister Christin, younger brother Kenny

T.   Time you wake up: well, 5:15 on weekdays when I work out, 6:30ish when I don't, and whenever on the weekend/holidays!!

U.   Underwear: Wouldn't you like to know... ;)

V.    Vegetables you dislike: honestly, none that I can think of. I mean...I am trying really hard and nothing is coming to mind.  I even like brussel sprouts!  Most ones that come out of a can though would be hard to stomach.

W.   What makes you run late:When I don't get up when I should.  And traffic/bus delays.  But I am typically on time - if not early!

X.    X-rays you’ve had: um, my teeth once a year, my broken left arm, a fractured heel, and I think that is it.

Y.    Yummy food you make: cookies, bread, dinner foods, cakes - I can't choose one

Z.  Zoo Animal you love: the giraffe because it has a long neck like me! :)


Working on getting into regular blogging, so more to come!!! :)

Gorgeous

Not much to say...just a pretty picture of my drive back into SF today after some meetings for work...

Happy Wednesday Folks!!

What is my easy loss?

I read a lot of fitness magazines, articles, blogs, etc. You can learn a lot of good things, and also some crazy things.  One thing that I always come across when glancing through is this:

"If you don't eat/drink ______, then you could lose ____ pounds in a year."


Yesterday, I was reading Women's Health magazine...



And I came across this statistic - "People who live in a city with public transportation lose an average of 6.5 lbs in 12-18 months."

Well, when I moved to SF, I definitely did not lose 6.5 pounds.  And, I never got to lose 10 pounds in a year after stopping drinking soda because I don't drink soda.  I feel like I always read statistics like these - and I always think to myself "what do I get to stop eating/drinking to lose X amount of pounds?!?!" 

I guess the positive way to look at it is...if I did drink or eat those things, I guess I could be X pounds heavier, right?!

Here we go...

Alright. I am going to try something new. Quick, short posts to see if I can be more "regular" at this whole blogging thing. I mean, if I spent 1/4 of the time writing on my own blog then I did reading other peoples' blog, well, we wouldn't have the shortage of posts that we do. Anyways...

Here is the highlight of my day today:

I am walking back to work after being out at a few meetings. As I am walking down the street, an older man - who looks pretty normal and harmless - is walking towards me carrying a few large shopping bags. I try to move out of his way and he comes up to me. Here is the conversation that ensues:

Man: "Has anyone one told you?"
KK: "Told me what?"
Man: "That you are a gorgeous young lady?"
KK: Laugh politely..."thank you"

At this point, I think the man is nice and I am about to head off on my way. I mean, I will take a compliment any day of the week!

Man: "No, seriously, you are very pretty."
KK: "Thank you (polite smile)"
Man: "You look very nice and make sure you don't end up like those seals and whales that I see around."

Well, now I can't stop laughing, but this guy is being totally serious. He repeats himself, I say "OK" and walk to my office.  And well, I think that conversation says enough. Until tomorrow :)

Just Enjoy

I am sitting here on a plane (well, by the time this is posted, I will be at home since there is no inflight wi-fi), and I am realizing that I am pretty productive when I fly. Well, unless I am incredibly tired, then I just sleep. And, I guess that is pretty productive when you think about it. But, I have managed to organize my calendar, clean out my purse, eavesdrop on the two guys next to me chatting about the iPad and everything in between. And, I have done a lot of thinking and mental organization. I have realized that I need to go back to a pen and paper "to-do" list as opposed to one on my phone. I've also realized that life is passing by pretty quickly. And I also have realized that I have been having an awful lot of "deja vu" moments in life. Like, a whole lot! Then I realized that this would be a great time to write a blog!

I went to my Grampa's 79th birthday party yesterday. I walked up, gave him a big hug, said "Happy Birthday" and then asked how he was doing. He then provided me with the funniest and most optimistic response I could have imagined.

He says "Welp, one more day above ground, so I am doing alright."

I laughed and then that thought had me thinking for the rest of the day. I go through every day worrying about small details, stressing about things that relative are pretty obsolete, and my Grampa's comment made me stop. I thought to myself, at the end of the day, what do I want to have spent my day doing. I can spend the day enjoying the people I am around, being thankful for a home, a wonderful boyfriend, family and friends. Or, I can stress about things I want to try and change, the crappy commute home from work, etc etc.

I am deciding to be thankful for what I have, and accept the things I cannot change. I would rather brush aside small things and be less stressed, then focus on them and have a crummy day in turn. Every day that I have is one more day above ground to enjoy what I can. So, take a moment each day to remember what makes you happy and be thankful for that.

That is what I plan to do.

Will I Ever Get It Right?

I can't tell you how many times each day I think to myself "OK, make sure to blog about this later. Even if it is only a few sentences." It happens at least 7 times a day. At least! I don't want to suck at blogging. I would love to write something every day. I think it helps me organize the mental vomit that occurs in my brain each day.

So, I am going to make another attempt at being better at this. Each entry doesn't have to be long and extensive. I think that even a quote or a funny picture from the day would be great. And that is what I am going to attempt to do. My thought is that f I make it less daunting that it will be easier to achieve. Baby steps people, baby steps.

Anyways...things are going well. Work is work, summer is here in SF - well, I mean it is June so it SHOULD be summer, but Mother Nature forgot to drop the sun off. It alternates between sunny with cold temperatures, and rain with cold temperatures. So, nothing like the summers that I love. Needless to say, I am pretty pale.

I am contemplating training for a half marathon...more on that tomorrow!

1/4 of a Century...

Yes, it is true. I am officially 25. It took me over a week to officially type this out because I am still coming to terms with it. For the most part, everything is the same. I obviously don't feel physically different. My knees haven't given out on me yet! But on the other hand, I keep having these thoughts and realizations that I feel like I have never had before. I feel like I am constantly evaluating where I am in my life in all it's different aspects. There is nothing like a milestone birthday to make you look at where you are in life and what you still want to achieve!

I have so many great things in my life. I am so blessed and so thankful for so many things. I am also realizing that there are lots of goals that I have to re-evaluate and strive for. I feel like the things that I have been focusing on are much longer term goals/dreams. I am excited to embark on working towards life goals and enjoying being 25.

Things can only go up from here- because you don't really go "over the hill" til 40 or 50, right?!

Rest & Relaxation

Seriously, who doesn't LOVE the weekend? There is no other day that I love more than Saturday. Yes, it is true, I like Saturday WAY more than I like Friday. I mean, Friday is great - that is probably why they came up with the slogan "TGIF." But you still go to work on Friday. You still have to wake up early and get important like things done.

But Saturday is a totally different story. And you might think that Sunday is a good day too, but the looming Monday is always in the back of your mind. And that is why Saturday is perfect and my favorite day of the week!

Today, I got to sleep in (minus the quick 5:30am trip to take Delilah outside to go potty). Then, I got to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee with Michael while we sat and watched TV. So pleasant! We finally made it to the gym at 11:30 and I did a few errands. The afternoon continued with some DVRd shows and left over Paxti's deep dish pizza - YUMMMM!!

I mean, it wasn't the most exciting day, but I wasn't rushed to get major things accomplished because I can use Sunday for that! And if I wanted to, I could even be lazy tomorrow because I have Monday off - quick thanks to MLK Jr!! I plan on using this nice long weekend to rest up, try and recover from this lingering sickness, and get some things done around the house. Oh, and continue to celebrate Michael's 24th birthday!!

Basically, if someone doesn't love the weekend - then don't bother coming back and reading this blog again reading - we shouldn't be friends. I am also going to start campaigning for 3 day weekends every weekend! I vow to work a little bit longer and harder Monday through Thursday if I can have Friday-Sunday off. Then, I will love Friday as much as I love Saturday!

Beauty is Pain

I got a lot of great presents for Christmas. I am one lucky girl- that is for sure! I needed a lot of practical things - a new coat, jeans, and so on. There were also some things that I wanted/got that might not be viewed as "completely necessary..." but what is a must have for me could be totally lame to you.

Case in point...one of my favorite gifts I got is this - footzyrolls:


Ok, wait, let me give you a little background first. I LOVE heels. The taller the better, and I am confident that I will never feel like I have too many heels. I prefer heels over flats for many reasons and even if they are painful (which some of them are) I will still wear them. It's the price of being a "girly" girl, I guess.

So, there have been many times when i have needed to walk somewhere after work, and would be able to do this much faster and with much less pain, if I weren't wearing heels. A lot of the time, I will bring a pair of flats or flip flops for my walk.

I was reading a magazine on the treadmill a few weeks ago and came across these lovely little inventions. They are such a great concept - wear your super cute shoes, and then, in your purse you can carry these cute lil roll up ballet flats to switch out of to walk home, or wherever you need to go. GENIUS!! I was involved in a few secret santa exchanges at work, and I put the link to these up on my gchat status jokingly asking my secret santa for them. Then, during one of the exchanges...I GOT THEM!! I was so excited!

I have worn them a few times since I got them, and let me tell you- I would buy 5 more pairs. I am definitely including these in my gift giving repertoire for my girlfriends. So convenient, compact and just plan amazing!! LOVE THEM!

Appointments Available...

Michael needed a hair cut. Michael didn't want to pay to have someone cut his hair (this topic could be a whole different post). Michael asks if I want to try and cut his hair.

I could not believe the above mentioned situation happened today. But, it did. So, let me tell you how it turns out. Michael said that I could try and cut his hair. If I messed up badly, or if he didn't like it, he would just buzz it. So, nothing too bad could happen, right?!

Let me make it known that I have never cut someone else's hair before. In 4th grade my friend Tricia and I would randomly take pieces of our own hair and chop them with the crappy scissors we had in our pencil boxes. I guess you could say it was my first experience with a layered hair cut.

So, we set up what I am now referring to as "Kelsey's Salon" right in the middle of the living room. I provide my client with a great TV show to watch and get to work. Well, what I think you might really call what I was doing is haphazard chopping. I do the things I have seen my hair girl do on me, as well as things I have seen other hair stylists do on the men at the salon. I try and make sure things are even, I precisely cut around the ears and at the base of the neck. I part his hair in different ways to make sure when he styles it that it will actually look decent.

Basically, I am doing everything that I can to make sure this isn't a total bust because, well, I really like Michael with hair on his head. So, about 30 minutes into this hair cut, i step back and think that I have done a pretty good job. I grab a mirror (because I am confident enough that Michael isn't going to freak out) and I show him what is now resting on his head. And, to my surprise- he is pretty impressed!! He points out a few uneven portions, as well as the need to trim the sideburns, and I take a few more minutes to fix those spots. Ok, it was more like another 15 minutes, but it was my first time...I can't be too speedy just yet!

I get the mirror again to display the final look...and well...see for yourself:



I mean, pretty good for my first time cutting hair!! And, he hasn't buzzed it, so I guess I did an OK job by his standards too. So, what I am thinking, is that if I need to find a backup career, being a hair stylist is definitely a possibility. Would you come to my salon?! Ha ha

A Fresh Start

I am not sure about you, but I for one am very excited about 2010. The start of a new year is always a good excuse to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. So, that is what I am going to do. Well, I am not going to completely start fresh, because there are things that are great that I would like to keep. But, I am going to wipe clean on all the things that have been crummy or so-so, and make room for great things in my life.

At the moment, there are hundreds of different ideas swirling around in my brain about things to change, try and master in 2010. Things like eating less junk food, completing my 'to do' lists when I create them, send people birthday cards on time in the mail, etc etc. And luckily, there are already things in my life that I am consistently doing that I don't need to make a New Years Resolution (such as going to the gym consistently...YAY ME!). My plan for 2010 is to have small, tangible goals that I can easily achieve, as well as bigger developmental ones that I can work on over longer periods of time.

Here are some goals I plan on achieving in 2010"

-have better posture
-send birthday cards & other special occasion cards to people via USPS and make sure they are sent on time!
-take more pictures!
-plant an herb garden
-complete to do lists in a timely fashion (because I am really good at making them!)
-Stay organized and keep all important information, lists, notes, etc in one place!
-eat more fruits & veggies
-have more date night with my boyfriend
-be a consistent blogger!

Well, that looks like a lot now that I put them down on paper (er-website) but I think they can all be achieved as long as I focus! Like, right now, I am sitting up straight with good posture while I type this. Go me!! I figure that I can keep everyone updated on how my goals are going through my blog since I will be doing this on a more consistent basis.

2010 is going to be a great year for everyone- I am excited to share this journey with everyone here and in my life!

Does This Bother You?!

Today at work, I walked into the kitchen and, like always, there is stuff all over the table that is OBVIOUSLY supposed to go back into the refrigerator. Now, when you work at a company with a median age of 26.5 (I learned that at our company meeting yesterday) I understand that some people may still be adjusting to being out of college. I guess it is hard for some people to not be slobs. And no, your mother does not work here. But honestly people, mayonnaise goes in the fridge!!! Oh, and so does turkey and cheese- DUH!!!

In all honesty, things going in the fridge isn't the point of my rant. It just made me realize how many pet peeves I actually have. I know that everyone has things that always bother them. So, I started to make the list mentally in my head, and I realized that a lot of things have the potential to bother me. Ha Ha. Don't worry, I won't sit here and type them all out - that would be boring for you to read, and I would look like a beeeeotch!

Although, I can't help but list just a few so that in case you do this, you can stop doing it around me! :)

-chewing with your mouth open or having people be able to hear you chew (SO GROSS and probably my #1 pet peeve)
-not using the proper form of a word (too vs. to, where vs. wear, etc)
-pictures hung crooked on a wall
-not replacing something when you use the last of it
-wearing black with black and the two blacks not matching

OK, that is enough. I have to cut myself off or I will keep going. I mean, I know everyone has pet peeves, but I guess I just never really thought about mine- let alone make a mental list that was longer than the waiting list of a hot new club. Oh well!!

Black, Orange and Nothing to Wear

So, Halloween is 3 days away, and in my normal fashion, I still don't know what I am going to be. Well, for the Halloween Party at work on Friday I have a costume that is part of a group, but as for a costume for the main event, I am drawing a blank. Sure, I could buy a pair of wings and be an angel (which would only be dressing up in my true colors) or find some typical costume that lacks creativity. I just can't seem to think of anything to be.

And when Halloween comes, I can't help but think of one of the best movie quotes I have ever heard, compliments of the movie Mean Girls. "Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it. "

Now, I am not innocent when it comes to taking a perfectly wholesome costume and turning it into the scandalous version. Like, when I was homemaker Barbie - complete with a slip, apron, spatula and heels. Or a cowgirl in platforms and a tied up flannel. It is not hard to find a cute idea for a costume, cut the amount of material needed in half and have a nice "adult" version of the costume!

I just can't haven't found something that I really want to be. Everything I find is either too time consuming to create, too boring or just not fun. So, hopefully I will be inspired between now and Saturday when it is time to go out. And if not, well, Michael and I will just wait to go out until later when everyone is drunk and won't remember that we don't have costumes. hahaha

Thanks Mom...

I know that getting traits from you parents is inevitable. These gorgeous baby blues that look at the world everyday are compliments of my mother (Crazy Sue), while my height I can thank my father....err....maybe that skipped his generation. Well, if it didn't come from my Dad, I do think it came from that side- somewhere. So, thanks! My point being- everyone is bound to be a combination of their Mom & Dad's looks to some degree.

The thing I find funny is the personality traits & weird quirks that you inherit from your parents. What made me think of this was the fact that I am sitting on my couch writing this after I just rearranged my whole living room (Michael is going to be so excited when he gets home). I tend to rearrange some part of the house every few weeks, and this is definitely something that I got from Crazy Sue. I remember coming home from school - or waking up in the morning sometimes- to a whole new kitchen/living/dining room. Crazy Sue would get the creative urge, and instead of making a greeting card or baking a cake, she would move furniture. And I am not taking swapping out one picture for another on the mantel. She would take furniture that was in the living room to the dining room and vice versa. It was like a puzzle that could be fit together 20 different ways- and she was bound to do it ever way possible.

So, while I was pushing my couch from one side of the room to the other, I just burst out laughing. Partly because I am not sure if this new arrangement is going to work, and secondly, because my Mom would be so proud that she passed this onto me. Oh Crazy Sue!! I guess there are worse things I could have gotten from my Mom- like how she says "roll-y-coaster" instead of "rollercoaster." Michael is going to go bonkers when he gets home, but I guess that's what he gets for being gone on a Saturday when I am feeling 'inspired.'

So, now, I will enjoy this new set up- until I come up with an even better one in my head.

Disclaimer...

Just so everyone knows- this musical lifestyle is re-enforced every week when I watch Glee

Where Is My Backround Music?!

I am shocked that I haven't shared with ya'll the fact that I wish my life was like a musical. And I am being 100% serious. Sometimes, when I walk down the street or am in a certain moment in time- I think it would be 100% appropriate for some background music to que in, or to be able to break out in song like a Broadway Show.

Do you know what I mean? Like, sometimes, I am walking to work, fresh off the T MUNI, and am feeling great about the day ahead of me. The sun is shinning (rare here in SF) and it seems SO fitting for a song to slowly crescendo while I walk down the street so I can strut my stuff down 3rd Street and walk right into Yelp.

Now, I know that I can't be the only person to think this. I know that everyone has had that moment in their life, when they have done something great and just feel the need for the Rocky theme song to start blasting in the background.

And if I am the only person that thinks like this, well, I am ok with that too. But, I have a strong feeling that I am not the only one.....

TGIF!!

Oh. My. Goodness. Friday, you could not have come sooner. You know when you wake up on Tuesday and are CONVINCED that is has to be at least Thursday?! That was this week for me. I need some time to catch up and sleep! Plus, Michael was in Las Vegas for a work conference (I know, right?!) and so it was not as fun here as it normally is.

So, what is the best way to spend Friday night?! Just like we did- catching up on all out favorite shows that were DVRed (CSI, Grey's, SVU, etc), and Chinese food!!! We tried out a new (to us) place that was super tasty and I am not sitting here in a Chinese food coma, which is always a good sign! Sometimes, this is my favorite was to spend Friday night. Then it is like I have rested up for a good weekend and am ready for fun!

Anyways, no major plans for the weekend. Gonna head to the farmer's market for some fresh yummy fruits & veggies, dinner with a friend and maybe torturing myself with some football tomorrow. But, at least it will be with fun people. Well, that's all for now!

Introducing...Mornings on Muni

I have decided that now that we live in SF, BART tales would be few and far between. So, for your reading pleasure I'll try to do a morning segment I'll be calling "Mornings on MUNI.". Too many crazy things happen on public transportation not to share them with all of you. So, with no further adue...

I understand personal space may not be able to exist on a crowded bus or rail car. I know I will probably have to get too close for comfort to the dingy looking man getting his nap on the T-train. BUT, there is NO reason for personal space not to be allowed on a wide open platform. So, to the mother and her child who felt It necessary to practically lean on me yesterday at the 4th & King station - please allow me 3 minutes of platform breathing so that I can hold my breath until I get off at my station. Thanks.

Whatevs...

Sorry, I am not regular. With blogging - get your head out of the gutter!! Sitting outside of Michael's karate school waiting for Michael so that we can head to sushi and see a movie! I am so excited for sushi - not even that I am that adventurous in my raw fish consumption, but I love sushi!!

And then, we are going to the movies - either Extract of Julie & Julia - depends on who wins the battle I guess, me or Michael. I'll report back. It is gorgeous weather today, and I was able to get some color on my pasty skin!! So exciting!

Just wanted to say hello to all and wish you a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the rest and the people around you!!

xoxo and much love,
kelsey