My Favorites

We can’t NOT talk about the Olympics. I am more than obsessed. I have done nothing with my life the past two days except watch the Olympics. I also forced my Dad to contact Time Warner Cable to I can watch the live feed of the USWNT (soccer).  We all know the opening ceremony didn’t get good until the last fifteen minutes. {{Hello, Mary Poppins CANNOT beat Voldemort.}}

So who are my favorite athletes? Let’s take a look.

1. Kerri Strug – You know that girl that landed on her ankle and finalized the first team women gymnastics gold? Yeah, her. The 1996 Atlanta games are the first ones that I actually remember. I wanted to grow up to be just like her, minus the hair cut.

2. The Hamm Twins - Those would be the twins that stormed Athens in men’s gymnastics. But seriously though, how cool would it be to make the Olympic team with YOUR TWIN!? I think that is so cool. And I was still young enough to crush on the male gymnasts without it being illegal. {{Have you seen how young they are!? Geez… we need to get some actual men on that team. I feel dirty looking at their strong arms.}}

3. Brendan Hanson - He was my first swimming love. Swoon. He is only 7 years older than me. Hear me, B?  But really though. And he swims breaststroke. Man after my own heart. Double Swoon.

Call me, maybe?

5. Abby Wambach - You can’t be a woman and play soccer and not be obsessed with Abby. She is so chill, and acts like there isn’t a million girls looking up to her. She also helped bring back women’s soccer. It faded a while after Mia Hamm and the whole Brandi Chastain ripping her shirt off era. Girl can make some serious header goals. Abby started that whole short hair fad. I don’t care what you say. I would love to cut my hair like that, but I’m more than 100% sure my mom would kill me with her bare hands.

6. Misty May-Traenor and Kerri Walsh – I loved them long before Misty made her debut on Dancing With the Stars. Way before. They have been a team forever, and I just hope they can get a three-peat gold medal in London.

7. Michael Johnson - Why you ask? Because I had never paid attention to running before in my life until this man decided to sprint like a freaking cheetah. Boy was quick, real quick. Side note: Does anybody know what the deal is with track runners and their jewelry? I swear… these girls run with hoop earrings the size of my fist in their ears, necklaces, rings… whatever. Why are there no rules against that? I just don’t understand. If you are trying to sprint your fastest… why would you have blobs of silver dangling from your lobes?

8. And the love of my life… Michael Phelps – Sue me. I don’t care if you like Ryan Lochte better… you are just brainwashed by the main stream media. Add it to the list. Michael Phelps is the best ever. I have his books, his calendars, posters… everything. I love Michael Phelps. I also don’t care if  you think he has big ears or crooked teeth… boy is fast in the water. I can handle Worlds Greatest Athlete with a few flaws. Do not even mention what happened on Saturday night. I am still recovering.

I just lost my mind.

Who are your favorite Olympic athletes?

Katelyn

 

 

Dream Jobs & Pet Peeves

1. What is your dream job? The job I am working now is exactly where I want to be at this point in my life. Of course I want to move up the corporate ladder over the years, but my dreams can change. I hate the “where do you see yourself in five years” question. I have no idea where I am going to be in five years… why don’t you ask me that question in 4 years and 364 days. One thing I have always wanted to do is own a craft store. I would love to own a house with a lovely front porch, live in the top and have a shop in the bottom. I would have a few retrievers running around as the shop dogs. All the regulars will love them. One of these days I will have a craft store.

2. If you had just won the lottery and didn’t need to work for money, what would you do with your time? Buy a house and open a craft store, and then I would craft all day long. I would also want to foster Golden and Labrador retrievers. I am pretty picky about dogs, so those are the only breeds. I would also buy a beach house. My mom would more than likely quit her job and live there… you can keep it clean for when I come to visit, Ma.

3. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A veterinarian. I always thought my Aunt Julie had the coolest job in the world, getting to play with dogs all day, and I wanted to be just like her. I understand now that she just doesn’t play with dogs, she also plays with cats. That is why when I hit high school I changed my mind to being a Marine Veterinarian. I got to play with DOLPHINS all day, AND stay far away from those felines.

4. What piece career advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field? In general I would say to not get discouraged. I had to have a part-time job for a year, and move to a different state in order to get the job I wanted. There are going to be many challenges and difficulties getting to where you want to go. You will cry. You will get frustrated. You will think that you aren’t worth much more than dirt because nobody seems to want you, but keep your head up buttercup, it will happen.

5. Biggest Pet Peeves either in life or in blogging or at work: People who take the elevator for one flight. Can you seriously not walk up one flight of stairs? By the time it take you to wait for the elevator and then get on and off you could be in your office already. I wish you could see the look I am giving the back of your head when you walk out. It isn’t nice. In blogging… It would have to be when people require you to entire their giveaways four billion times.  Seriously, can you not just require one comment and be done with it? If people wanted to follow you on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, your other website, make the craft you posted yesterday or kiss your baby… they would. Move on with it.

6. Biggest Fears: Roaches. Spiders. Anything that crawls. Failure.

Katelyn

 

 

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

Over the July 14th weekend I had the privilege to be in my cousin Sarah’s wedding.

Sarah is just shy of four months younger than me, and we have spent our entire lives together. It was a very exciting weekend for the Garlow clan! Not only was Sarah getting married, but we were going to see our cousin Beth who is preggers with the first great grand child!

I arrived to WV late Thursday night and spent Friday stuffing my face with cookies for breakfast while getting work done before the rehearsal dinner.

Luckily for me, I had already seen Sarah in dress when I went up to PA for her bridal party.  Also luckily for me, Beth and Sally had yet to see Sarah in her dress, and thus gave us and excuse to walk up to her house and have some cousin bonding time. Get it Garlow’s, BONDing time. Our cousin time was hilarious. I just wish I could tell you all about it, and I would if Sarah wouldn’t disown me.  Just think fantasies… and barrel rolls. Oh, and plenty of sex toys.

Saturday finally came, and it was time for Sarah to get married! She got engaged a little over a year ago at the lake in front of our entire family!

We kicked off the day with a bridesmaid brunch at a local church where I stuffed my face. It didn’t matter that I was going to have to fit into a bridesmaids dress later that afternoon… I was hungry and I don’t get delicious food like this everyday. So good.

Because I take myself so seriously.

After I had eaten my two chocolate chip bagels and two bear claws… washed down with more than the allotted 8 ounces of orange juice… we were off to the church to digest get our hair done!

Sarah striking a pose

Sarah was getting more nervous the closer and closer it got to go-time. I think it was finally setting in that she was getting married.  She was going to live permanently with some dude. forever. I would be a little nervous too.

The Cousin Patrol. We are the oldest five, and we run the cousin show. Fact of life.

That means it is our job to tell all them what to do.

Congrats Sarah and Jeff!

Katelyn

Today is the day!

Today is the day that I have lived in DC for SIX MONTHS! It is even a Tuesday, and I moved up on a Tuesday.

You know how you celebrate baby’s 6 month birthday? {{At least we did in my family.}} I feel like celebrating my six month birthday in DC. It is a huge deal. A lot has happened over the past six months, and y’all know about most of them.

Let’s review the top six moments you don’t know about.

We can countdown backwards to make it more special for you.

6. Discovering 7/11 Slurpees… I know I have briefly mentioned this before, but unless you have tried one, you cannot understand. These things are delicious. How was I ever so deprived?

I always get Cherry!

5. When all the Asians started asking me for help in the metro. That meant that I looked like I knew what I was doing. It felt SO GOOD to know what I was doing… even if it was on the Metro. {{And I have never given any false directions to foreigners… no matter how badly I want to.}} Number five also includes being able to close my eyes and fall asleep and wake up at my stop. Yeah, I was that commuter. I know you are jealous of my metro mind abilities.

4. Meeting Laura Bush at a restaurant in Clarendon. You read that right.

3. When Sadie came up to live with me. I can’t even describe how that changed everything for the better. It’s alright if you think I am weird for that, but Sadie being here really has made a huge difference in my level of happiness and how comfortable I feel here. Getting Sadie back was the single saving grace of my birthday weekend.

2. Vegas. I still can’t tell you about it, but just know you wouldn’t have survived. I barely did. Okay, I can give you a little story. Every single time I walked down from my room to the conference hall and back I would get lost. The final night of Vegas I was set at a dead sprint through the Venetian and got to my room perfectly fine. Did I mention dead sprint? This wasn’t your average 100 meter sprint. This was an obstacle course of a lifetime. I won’t give you deets on why that was the case, but the security guard was pretty much my BFF after that. My race to my room was the fourth time I had passed him that night and when I woke up and went to breakfast the next day… he was still there… and boy did he remember me. I might have been shouting as I flew through the halls of the Venetian. Maybe… You’ll never know.  And this was after I blew some other guys money at the BlackJack table. Say what?

1. When my mom spent the night in my house after she dropped me off from the beach. It was hands down the funniest thing ever. You see my mom is this thing called high maintenance.  She needs her space.

“Where are the outlets?”
“You live here?”
“You mean you have to share the bathroom?”
“WHAT IS THE INTERNET PASSWORD!?”
“How do you move in this house?”

I could see the panic rising in her eyes as she sat on the couch and watched the walls close in on her. I thought it was hilarious. My mom packed enough stuff to fill the entire townhouse on her own. There just wasn’t space for her 400 Vera Bradley bags. And you best believe there should have been space for them.

“I am your mother.”
“You mean you, Sally AND Matt all fit into this room for THREE days!?”
“I am just going to leave in the morning. I am not taking a shower here. You can’t even turn around in the bathroom.”

hahahahahahahaha I was rolling.

“YOU DON’T SLEEP WITH A SHEET!?”

No mom, it is too hot. I usually don’t sleep with covers. You should have seen the look of horror on her face. hahahaha Thinking back on it… omg. It was so funny. I wished I had videotaped her experience in a small townhouse. I would have sent that straight to Funniest Home Videos. I ended up taking a double dose of melatonin to sleep through that night. Most all was redeemed after I introduced her to Brooklyn Bagel (my favorite breakfast spot) and went to Georgetown Cupcakes. There isn’t much a Chocolate Coconut cupcake can’t fix, but after she stepped out of the house… she never went back in. She packed her car BEFORE we even left for breakfast. Mom couldn’t handle the poor intern life in the big city. Good thing she never stayed in my dorm room.

And those are some of my top moments you didn’t really know about here in DC.

Happy un-birthday to me.

Katelyn

HANK.

Everyone meet Hank.

On my way back from my cousins wedding I found Sir Hank trying to make his way up the entrance ramp on I-77 in the middle of podunk nowhere, WV.  I saw a car almost hit Hank and immediately pulled over. He was the sweetest little thing could ever meet in your entire life. He came prancing right on up to me, and immediately I noticed something was wrong with this picture. This chocolate lab, with GIANT paws and a very skinny body, was obviously dumped on the side of the road. He did have a rabies tag on him that my aunt investigated, but we will get to that later. I called my Dad freaking out wanting to know what I should do with this dog that was sitting at my feet looking at me like the bowl of water he hadn’t had in who knows how long. I called the shelters, but they were all closed on Sunday’s.

So where does Hank go?

In my backseat on a five hour car ride to Washington DC. See ya, WV.

My Aunt works on finding the owners through the rabies tag number and it turns out the tag number is registered for a DIFFERENT dog who was actually SEEN at the Vet THAT DAY!  The next step was taking him for a microchip check at the vet, but if a dog is not neutered I doubt his owners cared enough to microchip him. (If he was used for breeding… you better believe it he would have a microchip.)  The vet I took him to refused to remove the ticks on him without an appointment. Wow, you lover of animals you, you suck.

They suggested I take Hank to the shelter here, but I would have had to sign over ownership and they would not promise me they wouldn’t euthanize Hank. Again, you lover of animals you, you suck.  I called around to multiple lab rescues in the area, as well as just plain old animal rescues, and nobody would take Hank because he came from WV. Say it with me now, you lover of animals you, you suck.

You all suck a big fat one.

I was so furious that all of these organizations and establishment that BASE THEIR MISSION on supporting abandoned animals were just letting Hank be in pain and not take him in because he was stranded on the road in a different state. An abandoned animal is an abandoned animal, jerk faces.  I sent out an all staff email in hopes that somebody in the area would want this sweet boy and give him a new home. I desperately wanted to keep him, but having three large animals in a town house just isn’t a habitable situation.

Then, a miracle happened. My co-worker Matt wanted Hank! Matt took Hank to the vet last Tuesday night, but for rescue animals he had to wait in a line, and wasn’t able to be seen. They are going back today, and Hank is going to get the full look over!  Hank now has a new owner, new tags, new collar, new leash and lots of food!

Matt texted me and told me that he had pulled 25 ticks off Hank, including 8 in his ear!  He only weighs 62 pounds and VERY malnourished… so he will probably end up being one big fella! The Vet also confirmed that Hank does have Lymes Disease, but is a healthy carrier, meaning that with a big dose of antibiotics he shouldn’t show symptoms. The poor boy also has a yeast infection in his ear… but that is all! I know it is still a lot but for not knowing how long Hank was out in the wilderness there could have been so much more wrong with him. No worms, no rabies, no super crazy stuff…

I can’t wait until Hank is all better and him and Sadie can have play dates!

So that is the story of my little Hank. He is such a lover, and is one of the best dogs I have come across. I cannot even begin to explain how happy I am that Hank has a new home where I know he will be very loved… or else Matty will not be inhabiting his cubicle down the hall after I am done with him.

Katelyn

It’s Okay Thursday

It’s okay that today I wore heels to work for the first time… ever? And it was like my entire office saw Santa Clause in real life.

It’s okay that I feel like there is a special, deep and dark place in Hell for those people who abandon animals on the side of the interstate. (More on that later)

It’s okay that this has been the longest week in the history of forever and I honestly cannot even wait for the weekend.

It’s okay that I told myself I was going to stop drinking soda, but am sitting here drinking a Mr. Pibb

Its okay that I wish my phone battery would just die while I am out on the town so I can forcefully be disconnected from the world.

It’s okay that I already miss my cousin Beth. We didn’t even get to jam to Justin Bieber…

But it’s definitely okay that I am planning my first vacation for next year to Colorado to visit her!

It’s okay that these meme’s are making my entire week.

{{And before you get your panties in a wad… it’s funny.}}

It’s okay that I have listened to The Cival Wars over 100 times on Spotify… and it is just this one song…

Peace out home skillet.

Katelyn

Screen on the Green

I think I might have found my most favorite summer activity in DC. {{But really though.}}

I do love going to the Nationals games, but they can be pricey (unless you get free suite seats) and you can’t take your precious golden retriever!

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon God’s gift to new people in the DC area… 365 Things to do in DC.  Every week they break down what there is to do in DC day-by-day. Last night as my friend Drew and I were bored and wanting something to do, so I just hopped on over to their website and discovered Screen on the Green.

You mean a giant movie screen set up on the Mall with the Capitol in the background, I can take my dog, food and it’s free?  See ya there.

We loaded up water, lawn chairs and Sadie Muffin for the Screen on the Green adventure.

First Mall experience! She was the star of the show! {{except for all the girls came up and thought she was Drew’s dog.}}

I mean all of the girls… “Is this your dog?” “Can I pet it?” “Is it a girl or a boy?” “Oh, my gosh, so cute!!!” In that horrible flirty voice. I just sat there and laughed while he ate up all the attention in true guy fashion. Because every guy buys a pink leash and purple harness for their dogs.

Didn’t you know?

Our seats! With the Capitol in the background! It was quite the backdrop once the sun went down!

The movie playing this week was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

I enjoyed it, even though it consisted of shooting scene here, shooting scene there, shooting scene everywhere. It was a great way to spend a normally boring Monday night.

Luckily for me, Screen on the Green is happening every week up until August 6th! This is going to have to become a weekly tradition, but next time I am going to have to remember to pack a sandwich and a bowl for Sadie. Some lady gave Sadie her cup so she could have some water! {{Told you she steals the show.}} {{Side note: I had my first ever peanut butter and fluff sandwich last night… life changing.}}

The “preview” was an old Looney Tunes cartoon.

If you live in the DC area (and you probably don’t) you should check out DC 365′s Blog.  It really does have a ton of great ideas on things do to! Much better than just going to the Smithsonian every weekend.

Katelyn

 

 

 

 

DC Just Doesn’t Understand

I am coming up on six months in the big city! I can’t even believe it has been that long. I just cannot fathom that I have lived in DC for half a year. It was like yesterday I made the most rash decision of my life to move up here, then cried all the time, and now I am having a blast! Funny how time flies.

One constant is others living in DC (not from the southern states) just don’t understand a lot of things.

The Things DC People Don’t Understand

1. Monograms – Just get over the fact I like my monogram on absolutely everything I own. Seriously though, get over it. It is what people do where I am from. Oh, and the majority of the people I have met up here don’t even know what a monogram is. They just think that it is my initials. Sorry I am not sorry you just don’t know what the greatest thing on earth is. It is a monogram. Get with the program.

{{via}}

2. College Sports - Here in DC there are major professional sports team all concentrated right in this one area, not spread over an entire state. (Or there are people from NY who have about 6 professional teams per sport.) Down in NC (and the majority of the south) we rely on college sports to get us through our life. And I mean heavily rely on college sports. People up here just don’t understand that I would rather sit and watch college football all day over the NFL. It really isn’t that difficult of a decision…

3. Why I don’t like wearing heels - Pretty sure I used to never wear shoes, especially heels, and the idea of cramming my foot in something that makes me five inches higher isn’t my idea of a good time. Hello broken ankles. I like my flats. My flats are comfortable. I don’t care that I don’t look chic or my legs look short… I am going to survive the day without blisters or broken ankles. Good day.

4. Southern Food – Insert cornbread here. They just don’t get it. They would rather eat nuts and seeds to make sure their “pipes are clean” than stuff their face with mashed potatoes and pork tenderloin. Are you out of your mind? Give me that pipe clogging food. It tastes delicious. Also, I just don’t understand how people can live their life without eating bread. You are depriving yourself from one of the best tasting things on this planet. I could eat bread all day, every day. Yum, refined carbohydrates.

5. My Planner – “Why don’t you just use your phone to plan? It much simpler and you don’t have to carry that book everywhere.” Boy you best just step back and remove yourself from this situation. Trying to talk me out of using a planner would be like I don’t even know, cutting a swimmers arm off. It is a necessity. Something I cannot live without. They also don’t understand why I color code everything in my planner. Not only is it a habit, but forming good organization skills is a key life skill. If I needed somebody to look in my planner for something they could easily find it for me. {{not like I let anybody touch my planner}}

{{via}}

6. Vera Bradley – LOL at this one. They just DO NOT understand. “Wow, that is one busy print on your bag.” Yes, yes it is, it is supposed to be busy you fool, it is a Vera Bradley. “I’ve never heard of that.” Well you obviously have yet to live. I could fill up my entire car with the amount of VB I own. And as OCD as I am, I shockingly do not have all the same pattern. So dear northerner that doesn’t understand squat, that is a lot of busy printed bags in my back seat. #woof

7. Taco Bell – For some reason I thought Taco Bell could break geographical barriers, but it cannot. Some people just don’t understand that there are times where I am consumed with intense craving for Taco Bell. Yes, the meat probably isn’t real. Yes, that flour tortilla is not the best for me, their cheese probably is made from some type of plastic and they do not start fresh with new ingredients everyday. I GET IT PEOPLE! But I cannot keep myself away when I get hit with the Taco Bell craving. Many of you fine folks understand this. We need to stay together, us band of brothers.

8. Along the same note, Bojangles and Cook-Out. After I had been downtown all night and on my way home, they don’t understand that my one single tear drop is for the Cook-Out on Western Blvd that is open late at night just waiting for me to come through the drive thru and thank them for bestowing this delicious food upon me. They also don’t understand why I go into straight beast mode the next morning when there is nothing on this earth that will make me feel better than Bojangles on a Saturday morning.  These poor people just have no idea what they are missing. It isn’t my fault you haven’t lived.

Don’t knock it till you try it.

Katelyn

High Roller

This past weekend was filled with sports, and I loved every second of it.

Friday night, my friend Drew won Nationals baseball tickets and invited me and some other people to join along in the fun. We were expecting to sweat it out with the sun beating down on us, making us want to just cry for mercy, but we were thrilled to go none-the-less.

On the way to the ball park we realized something… our tickets said “suite.” In my mind I was thinking this is a joke, but I was beyond thrilled for the possibility.

And it was a suite folks. A suite full of delicious food and drinks with a bunch of great people that we talked to throughout the night. It was so nice grand to be able to sit outside and watch the game, and then move into the AC if it was getting too hot. We also had our own personal bathroom in the suite. I told you, high rollers.

Me, Whit, Drew and Corey

Zimmerman broke his bat! First MLB broken bat experience. I enjoyed it.

The “running of the Presidents.” These are our mascots and they race every single game. It is hysterical. Lincoln has won both times I have been at a Nats game.

Then on Saturday night, my friend Danielle came into town and we went to the DC United Women’s soccer game.  Having played soccer the majority of my life, it was really awesome to see a professional women’s soccer game. One of the DC United Women’s players, Becky Sauerbrunn, plays for the Women’s national team and is heading to London! Danielle used to work for the WPS Washington Freedom a while back, and knows a lot of the players. We went to a fundraiser after the game, and I got to meet a lot of the players on the team and even got to tell Becky good luck in London. It was very exciting. Take my word on it if you don’t like soccer.

On a side note: I am very thankful all of the professional sports teams up here have RED and white or RED and black in their team colors.  It’s good thing I don’t have to compromise my morals and wear blue.

Katelyn

 

 

 

 

A 4th of July Miracle

Six days, a heat wave, 2 overflowing baskets of laundry, pawning off my dog, a bucket of sweat, and 7 cold showers later… my power came back on during the fireworks on the Fourth of July.

It was a Fourth of July Miracle.

I ended up having a blazing hot, but still fantastic Fourth. I tagged along with a friend from work and we house hopped throughout the day to several different barbeques, and ended up on the Mall for the fireworks.

We did several very patriotic things like eat pasta salad, wear red, white and blue, and watch the Olympic Trials. {{Side note: I am obsessed with the summer Olympics.}}

Starting off my day off with my best girl!

Nothing says America like a cherry Slurpee from 7-11 {{p.s these will change your life. I never had one until I moved up here, and they are the most addicting things on this planet. I crave them… all day long.}}

I didn’t get any pictures of the barbeques because I had just met all of those people. Literally, just met all of them. My friend Drew went to a different party and I stayed with all of the fun girls I had just met… nothing like making new friends, right? We had a good time talking about clothes, college and other things. One of the boys I met that day went to college with one of my good high school friends! AND one of the girls I met that day went to a different college with three girls I knew from my home town! People were blown away by my connections… what can I say? I am my mothers daughter.

Heading to the festivities! One of the boys we were with works on the Hill and we got in through the secret entrance for Hill workers and bypassed all the security lines! boom.

The city, or some people that have a ridiculous amount of money, pay to have a concert of sorts for everybody on the mall. Tom Bergeron from Dancing with the Stars hosted the event! Insert my mothers jealousy. She is disturbingly obsessed with DWTS. I got to see Matthew Broderick (that’s Ferris Bueller), Phillip Morris (for those American Idol fans out there), Amber Riley (Mercedes on Glee) and Josh Turner (your good old country boy) all perform that night! It was so cool. I loved every sweaty second of it.

Then came the real show, the fireworks.

I swear they lasted 10-15 minutes. It was the longest, biggest and most spectacular fireworks show I had ever seen. I just sat there thinking how magical it all seemed. Everything in DC seems magical to me at times.

Don’t feel bad. Not everybody can see a fireworks show illuminate the Washington Monument. Lucky for you though, you have me.

After the last firework went off and the military band had stopped playing, all I could think of was how I never want to leave this place.

All it took was five months of crying, making a few friends and one spectacular Fourth of July, but this place is starting to feel a little bit like home. And that my friends is another Fourth of July miracle.

Katelyn