Sisterhood.

I have so much to write about. I still have to tell you about my trip to Seattle and Newport, RI. My next entry will be about the fun adventures from last week but there is something more important to write about today. I want to tell you about my sister, Kate, she was born on the 28^th of July. 

Kate – just Kate, not Kathryn, not Kaitlin, don’t even think about calling her Katie or you might end up with a black eye – her name is short, simple, yet unique. She is one of two of my big sisters and there is nothing in the world like the love and bond of sisterhood. One is not better than the other and I do not love one more than I love the other. We fight, we laugh, we cry, and we are there for one another when we need someone to lean on (of course we have the occasional slap or punch but that’s not important). My sisters’ will tell me the truth, even if it hurts and vice versa and they are the first to celebrate the joys in life.

As long as I can remember, I have always looked up to my big sister, Kate. She is the closest in age to me being three years apart. I want to share some of my fondest memories about her since today is her day.

When we were little, my mom would dress us in matching outfits – poor Kate, at least I was too young to remember – which consisted of disgusting floral patterns (sorry mom).

Kate taught, okay she actually forced me into doing a back handspring at the age of 3. It is probably because of her I became a gymnast.

We took dance classes and gymnastics together.

When I was very young, I had to get a tetanus shot because Kate told me to pick up a turtle, but it was actually a mole and it bit my finger. (Either I was really dumb or Kate was really mean - or both)

We shared a room until I was 13, with a sheet down the middle and my side always seemed to get smaller and smaller.

We had a hot pink record player with our one and only record Simon & Garfunkel, we played “Cecilia” over and over and over. To this day, I think of Kate when I hear that song.

My mom and Kate surprised me by painting my new bedroom the colors of Crayola (bright orange, yellow, pink and lime green).

I would watch her field hockey and basketball games in awe, hoping someday I would be a good player like she was.

I could never try to scare Kate because if you did, her first instinct is to come out swinging. I have been decked quite a few times, and trust me it knocks the wind out of you.

We used to hit and run… or at least I would get a punch in and run as fast as I could to the nearest room with a lock.

We would wear zebra and leopard pants, we thought they were so stylish.

Whenever we drove in the car together we would blast the radio or CD and sing at the top of our lungs.

We took our first long flight to Hawaii together and Kate hates traveling with me ever since. We have traveled to Hawaii, California, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, St. Thomas and most recently Seattle, Washington.

I hysterically cried (seriously, I sobbed to the point of not being able to breathe) when she left for college. The thought of not having her in the house with me anymore scared me. 

Kate picked me up the first time I got really drunk at a high school party – I later threw up. Sorry Kate for that obnoxious car ride home.

After a long week of field hockey camp when Kate was in college, she had to drive home because her roommate got me too drunk to drive. What a good sister! Ha

When I was upset and hated my first college, Kate and Travis came and took me shopping and to dinner.

When I transferred to Marist, Kate and Travis moved me into my new room in a blizzard; they also moved me out at the end of the year. This was the start of me calling them mom and dad.

Kate and Travis helped me celebrate my 21^st birthday. It was by far the best birthday because of them. They gave me my first digital camera (that I accidentally dropped and I will never live it down).

They came back to celebrate my 22^nd with an 80s themed party – hilarious.

After college, Kate, Travis and I lived at my parents’ house. We used to snuggle and watch TV in their gigantic bed, with me in the middle of course. Kate would eventually yell at me and tell me to leave. 

As Kate’s maid of honor in her wedding – with my sister Kelley, who refused to give a speech – I almost threw up having to give a speech in front of two hundred people.

Kate won tickets to Britney Spears Circus tour on the radio and took me with her because I was the first person to answer the phone.

Kate gave birth to my niece, Paige, almost two years ago and at that moment I had never been so proud of her.

Kate got me a job with the company she works for, we see each other almost every day.

Above were only the highlights of our twenty-five years together. We have so many good memories and some bad of course but she has always been there and is a huge part of my life. Almost every memory I have growing up includes Kate. She has been a best friend and an incredibly loving and generous sister. Happy 29^th Birthday Kate! I love you so much.   

Click above to listen to Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel

Below are some silly pictures through the years...

Capture a memory.

I woke up dreaming about photography. Maybe because before I went to bed, I finally charged both my cameras batteries for my trip to Seattle, ya that’s right, BOTH. I have a Canon Digital Rebel XSi, which I love. I also have a Nikon Coolpix - Yes, I am obsessed with cameras.

I have always LOVED photography. It has been a passion of mine for a long time and I really began to understand it my sophomore year of college when I took my first photography course (I wasn’t taking goofy pictures of my friends anymore). We didn’t use any of the digital stuff we have now, it was actual film – weird right? I hate that film is becoming obsolete. I miss the feeling of film, placing it in my camera just right so when I closed it I could hear the sound of the film being rolled and then a CLICK! it was ready to capture memories.

The dark room in college was where I spent a majority of my time, it was a place to hang out and see an amazing photograph come to life, literally. A photograph will go from a blank piece of photo paper to an image that you captured. I miss the feeling of seeing a really great photo – after 10 tries of course trying to get the black and white areas just right –  floating in the chemicals as I would wait patiently to get a glimpse of it in the light. When you step out of the darkness you actually have to squint back to reality. You get lost in photographs and your thoughts in a dark room, it is as if you are lost in time. When you are in a dark room, it feels as though time has stopped. You don’t think about what is going on in the world outside the dark room, just you and your memories you have captured on film.

I need to explore new places and take more photographs. I need to find a way to make a living off of photography. Ha!  How can I combine my graphic skills with photography in a new and exciting way? I am going to keep thinking about it and get back to you. I want to share some of my favorite photographs.

Famous Photographer Sally Mann - LOVE this.

Elephants are my favorite animal, I think this photograph is beautiful.




My sister had this poster growing up and I have always loved this image, a moment shared by two people while everyone around them is moving forward in their life.

A candid photograph of Marilyn Monroe - not expecting it but still so beautiful. Candids can be some of the most amazing photgraphs, that's why I love them.

Now some of my own that are my favorites... Most are from my senior capping project for college. I took old photographs of actors/actresses and took modern day photographs of them.


 Sophia Loren

James Dean

Paul Newman

Another James Dean

Judy Garland

Natalie Wood

These are a few I just really like.





A busy bee.

Man, I have been such a slacker! I have tried to write 4 times and each time I close what I’m writing because 1. I have writers block, 2. I don’t like what I wrote, or 3. I am lazy and did not feel like posting it.  

For the fifth time, here I go.

Want to hear my new motto??  An hour of exercise a day keeps the cellulite away! Ha Seriously though, exercise is so important and the older I get, the more certain areas aren’t going to stay where I want them to stay, especially in the rear... I decided to challenge myself, and I am talking a HUGE challenge. I am running the Hartford Half Marathon. This may not seem like a big deal to some but I have never run more than six miles, in my life! So the 13.1 miles will be a stretch for me. My goal is to finish, that’s it, I don’t care about time or the fun stuff that comes after the race. If I can complete the half marathon, it will be one more check off my bucket list.

Running has never been a favorite exercise of mine but I am beginning to really enjoy it the more I run and hey! Heidi Klum runs all the time and she looks amazing and has had 4 children (or maybe 3?). Anyways! My training has begun and this is what a typical week looks like so far:

Monday: Stretch/Strength but I am going to run 2 miles on this day and take my normal spin class.

Tuesday: Run 3 miles and take cardio kickboxing if I have the energy (this week I did, go me!)

Wednesday: Boot camp at lunch and running 2 miles will be optional

Thursday: Run 3 miles/Strength train

Friday: Run 2 miles

Saturday or Sunday: Run 4 miles, whichever day I have free time. 

I also want to tell you about the cool watch I bought for my training. Nike+ has a band that tracks distance, time, calories, and pace with a simple chip that clips right into your Nikes (you do have to have a new pair of Nikes though – all of the new sneakers have this feature), which is 95% accurate. I LOVE it. It makes me run more.

I have so much going on and my boyfriend reminded me of that yesterday when I told him that I am thinking about opening an Etsy account (to add to everything else I do) to sell cute invitations for kids. Maybe when my pottery class is over, I train for my half marathon, I throw some Stella & Dot parties, keep up with my blog, and grow my herbs (which BTW, only 2 have survived and might not last another week). I am super busy ALL the time but that is how I like it. I still try to find time to go golfing once in a while, see Paige and enjoy my summer.

Oh and I leave for Seattle on Saturday and then I am surprising my boyfriend with a mini vacation for his 26th birthday J I cannot wait! Hello Summer!

Update.

This week was interesting… that’s for sure and I am just going to leave it at that.

I saw Paige on Sunday, Monday AND Wednesday – I loved every second of it. That girl cracks me up and she has quite the personality!! She tries to communicate as best she can using a mix of sign language and words. She has given my family very interesting names that she came up with all by herself. My sister Kelley and mine being the most interesting, Yaya and Kiki. She looks at me with the giant blue eyes of hers and sticks her hand out to she says, “c’mon Kiki!” Let’s just say, that girl has us ALL wrapped around her little finger.

We are learning a new technique in pottery, it is really cool and I can’t wait to show you what I made on Wednesday. I will take pictures as soon as it’s finished! My obsession with animal prints is coming through in my art, I hope it comes out good!

I had a goal to finish my book by July 1 but that didn’t happen. I am hoping I can start a new one by next week so I can keep up with my one book a month for the summer. Any ideas for what I can read next?

I can’t believe it is 4^th of July weekend!! This summer is going by WAY too fast. I hope you all have a safe and happy 4^th! Can’t wait for some fun in the sun!