25 Random things

I'm a little late on this "copy cat" post type thing but I'm in the mood:

25 Random things about myself

1. My favorite color is plum (specifically that shade of purple) and I currently have a million things, unintentionally, in that color.

2. I have a spending addiction. I'd say i have a shopping addiction, but i feel like the girl from Confessions of a Shopaholic where I can spend money anywhere and on anything. 

3. My new favorite place is Paris. Absolutely loved every last second of my trip. By far one of the best weeks of my entire life.

4. I love reading but I never seem to do it. 

5. I'm kind of addicted to the tv. If nothing else, I will sit and watch hours of tv with no breaks.

6. My favorite food is Tex-Mex (Cazadores) but now i could eat bread and cheese all day.

7. I hate a phobia of bathrooms. I hate showering anywhere but my own place.

8. I live by myself and have for almost a year and half now and I would recommend it to EVERYONE. It's really hard but really rewarding, too.

9. Nearly all my 'close' friends are married but don't worry, i don't feel any rush to tie the knot!

10. One of my favorite hobbies is sewing, although i don't do it as much as i wish i did. 

11. I absolutely hate feet!!! If you stick your feet near me I will get very very mad. It's not even funny!

12. I bite my nails like there's no tomorrow. It's stupid annoying. But luckily its nearly my only bad habit.

13. Dr. Pepper is like air to me. I have to have it! I won't drink any other type of soda unless i'm desperate and even then i'll probably go for water instead. haha. 

14. I'm a majorly bad procrastinator. I always wait until literally the last minute to do everything and stress hardcore for absolutely no reason.

15. One of my all time favorite things to do is give gifts. I love the look on people's faces when they open a gift. 

16. I grew up on the back of a Harley Davidson. Growing up my daddy and I were in a motorcycle club and we rode together all the time.

17. I'm kind of a picture-taker-freak. If you haven't experienced my amazing photography skills you're missing out. jk. But seriously, I will take a jillion photos on trips. no worries about capturing a moment, Kara got it!

18. When i was 16 I was in a car accident. Nothing big. But about a month later, the po-po came to my house to give me a ticket for the car accident saying it was my fault! Really??? <--It didn't work! I fought it. Sucka!

19. So, as outgoing and confident as I may seem in nearly any situation....if you put a boy infront of me I'm like straight out of a movie where i don't know what to say and i make a fool of myself. Never figured this one out. :-/

20. I'm def. not a morning person! I have gotten better, as in a i don't yell at people in the mornings, but not my best time of the day, by far! haha.

21. I had a thing with cheese for a while. There was a period of time where at my apartment I would have shredded cheese, sliced cheese, a block of cheese, string cheese, and cheese sticks (they are different) in my fridge, all at the same time! <--- thats a lot of cheese! 

22. I was really sick for about a year in high school. The doctors never figured out what was wrong with me. I was always throwing up and never really ate. Needless to say, i was kind of skinny! (Glad thats over!!!)

23. I could probably say that my absolute biggest pet peeve is people canceling last minute. I understand there are unforeseen situations that arise, but it still annoys me, regardless!

24. I'm a VERY proud Texan! I have lots of state pride! (And I'm proud that George Bush and W both come from Texas!!!) 

25. Currently I commute 40 MILES (not minutes!) to go to college in another city. Crazy! I know.

Thats all folks!

*Cheers* to blogging and randomness!

i killed my ipod!

Bonjour, again!

So I still haven't gotten caught up on life yet so my posts about my awesome beyond awesome trip to Paris will just have to wait. Jet lag hasn't been too bad yet. I've just been taking 2 hour naps and going to bed at 9pm every night... but that has also helped me wake up for class, haha. 

Anyways, so after i got home from my trip, I was doing laundry since i no longer have a washer or dryer. Anyways, long story short, my mom was so graciously moving all my clothes from the washer to the dryer and found an unlovely surprise....

MY IPOD!

I had accidentally left it in my northface jacket pocket and put the jacket in the washing machine. Needless to say, my ipod is now dead. :-( 

So...today i went and bought a new one. I live off this ipod thing! I take it running and to the computer lab to study and just all over. I went and got the cheapest one seeing as how i had not thought to budget for a new ipod. stupid me! haha. 

Anyways, i got the ipod shuffle today (the old one, not the new one, because i wanted it to be PINK). It's so cute and small! So i'm kind of excited about that, although i wish i had checked my pockets before dumping everything into the washing machine. i sure learned my lesson (for the 15th time, haha).

Oh, and I was so excited today because although the bummer of having to buy a new ipod (just kidding, no bummer, i LOVE spending money), i also went and got Thai tea (aka, bubble tea): the LOVE of my life. haha. So today has been pretty darn good so far! 

*Cheers* to favorite things, oops-ies, and hopefully being a little more careful in the future!!!! PEACE OUT!

paris, oh, paris

Bonjour!

So I am writing the quickest blog ever known to man. It is the end of day 5 of my trip to Paris. I can't even believe that I have been here that long. These have been the longest days of my life and yet the shortest (if that makes any sense). If i blogged about everything i have done everyday, your mind would be spinning, because honestly, mine almost is. 

Today we took a 2 hour train ride out to Bayeux, France today to see the beaches at Normandy (D-Day). It was so overwhelmingly powerful. Long day of taking it all in but it was so crazy to think I am standing on soil that was bloody with American bodies, all fighting for the liberation of a country that they had no ties to. These people gave up their lives for people they didn't know and for countries they had never visited. And to know i was standing where those stupid Germans stood and lived and killed our American soldiers. It was so cool (but in a sad way). 

Anyways, so Paris is my new favorite place. I've traveled a little here and there but I have never fallen in love with some place so quickly (since Dallas). I really want to move here and funny thing is my aunt is kind of adamant about me moving here too. It is the loveliest place ever. I have taken over 600 pictures since we left Houston 6 days ago and I'm sure i'll take a few hundred more before the trip is over. (I'll post those later)

PS-i found this company called fat tire bike tours dot come and it is an american created and run company and they take you on bike tours of the city. most amazing experience of my life. I took a night tour of the city on a "california cruiser" last night and words can't even describe the amazingness i saw. And tomorrow i'm going on a day tour of the city on a bike. wow. 

Thats all for now....

Here's to looooooving Paris, but missing my America! :-) *cheers* (and lots of wine being drunk!) 

Broken Heart

So today was a little bit of a tough one. And not in the sense that I had a bad day.

It's a bit weird. I forget a lot that I am so blessed. Its so easy to get caught up in the every day stuff and forget that I am supposed to be thankful for the good seasons of my life and praise God for those times just as much as I am to go to Him during the rainy seasons. These past few days have just opened my eyes and for the better. 

I have a few close friends going through some hard times. Specifically 2 of my dear friends in Dallas and I have seen them both in the last few hours and heard about what they are going through. These girls are two beautiful Christian ladies with the most wonderful hearts you've ever met and yet their struggles are so deep and heartbreaking. 

Today it was just hard thinking about how they are in their rainy season, while i'm here in the sunshine. Sure, I have a bad day (sometimes a bad week), school sucks, i get lonely, blah blah blah. But what does that compare to when I have my health, I have a wonderful family who loves me, I have a job, etc. Today God blessed me with the remembrance of these things I have. And in doing so, He burdened my heart with the pains of my dear friends. It sucks. I wish I could be in their place and take their pain away. I wish I could be there for them more than I am. I wish there was something I could physically do to take it all away, to make it better. God reminded me today, "just bring it to me, Kara, just bring it to me". 

So in changing the *cheers* to a prayer:

I pray, dear Lord, for these wonderful ladies who you have blessed my life with. I want to lift up their tears and their pain to you. I pray that you would comfort them, and give them peace. I pray that they would seek you in these tough times and be reminded of your love for them. I pray that your will be done in each of these situations. In Jesus name, *AMEN*

Phone camera

So this post is going to be quite random, let me warn you. So i'm like everyone else who takes pictures with my phone when the occasion arises that its necessary to photograph the moment and I just don't have my camera with me. Well, i had forgotten all about these pictures until today and here is what my phone has been carrying around:

So here's one of my fav's. If you look closely, the picture was taken of the sign, not the car. (although i would love to be driving around in that thing) but anyways, I work in Highland Park and now i live here also. But i drive all over the neighborhood all during the week and these signs were all over the place in January. They have started to fade away as this is old news but President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush moved into Preston Hollow (a neighborhood adjacent to Highland Park) and so some creative person decided to make "welcome home" signs. If the people i were living with didn't vote for Obama, I would've found one myself and put it proudly in their yard. If you can't read, the signs say, "Welcome home George and Laura", with a Texas flag. This just made my heart beat a skip. With all the hatred you hear about for George at the end of his presidency and the transition, i was glad to not only be a Texan, the home of the 43rd president, but also proud to live near the president's new residence. I like George, OK?!?!

So this picture kind of baffled me. Please let me if you've seen this before, but I never had and I thought it was picture worthy. It's literally called "orange cauliflower" and "purple cauliflower". Seriously? Is that natural? At the local Kroger? I thought that might 

be something you see at Whole Foods or an 

"all natural" store even though purple and orange cauliflower don't seen

 "all natural". Just kind of a weird grocery trip if i do say so myself.

And lastly, but definitely not least: I saw these shoes at Target and they were just too cute! And by too cute, i mean, so ugly they were cute. Haha. My dear friend, Taylor, just have a baby girl almost 2 weeks ago and so everywhere i go i can't help but look at all the little girl stuff and trust me, as cute (ugly) as they were, if they had a size infant, i would've gotten them in a heartbeat. (although i'm sure Taylor would've never put them on her little Raleigh)  

So going in with the cheers mode: Here's to random moments captured, great friends to share them with, and lots of laughter along the way!!! *cheers*

Testing overload

So I definitely have 4 tests this week. 4 is also the number of classes i am taking. Therefore, i have a test in every single class this week. I'm not gonna lie, i always dread those weeks. It thankfully doesn't happen very often that every single teacher decides to give a test in the same week, but, this is one of those rare occasions. The only thing keeping me sane at this moment is knowing that once i'm done with all my tests, i will be on my way to paris. (and that is enough right now) 

But in the meantime (meantime being about 4 days)... I'm going to enjoy my new habit of running around my new neighborhood, and hope it does the job. Ps-Highland Park in Dallas is probably the most beautiful neighborhood I've ever seen. There are random parks and fountains all over the place and luscious green grass (which you don't see very often right now) and such beautifully landscaped yards. I'll have to take pictures sometime. 

Here's to staying sane long enough to make it to my vacation destination, and to enjoying my new, peaceful runs *cheers*

I'm in love...

Hello! So tonight i'm in a really good mood. Like a REALLY good mood. So good that i almost don't even want to go to bed. I just feel like i accomplished so much this evening. This doesn't happen very often, but i spent 3 straight hours tonight studying. It felt good. If only I could remember that and do it more often. haha. Anyways, so i'm very grateful that some of my stress from school has been lifted off of my shoulders thanks to a little studying....who knew?

Now all i need is to get through next week which includes a few tests and i'm paris bound. 

Oh, and I just feel the need to profess my love:

I am in love with George. 

my George Forman grill, that is! haha. GOTCHA!

but in all seriousness, I don't know where the world would be had the George Foreman grill not been invented. Ever since he was brought into my home, i have been eating like a king. Salmon, chicken, tilapia, even steak wrapped in bacon. All i can say is that the way to my heart was through my stomach and he definitely won my heart. haha. 

Mine looks just like this one pictured, pint size if you will, just large enough to cook one serving, but its just so perfect! If you do not own one, it would be money well spent to go and get one. I'm going to shut up about the george foreman grill now or I'll have to start being their new spokesperson. haha.

So, *to studying instead of cramming and eating well thanks to my george foreman grill, today couldn't have been any better (unless i was in paris, of coarse!) *cheers*

PS- I forgot another reason my day was good. The girls i watch, 2 of them are 11 years old and in 5th grade. They came home from school and told me about how they had the "puberty" talk today at school. Can i please tell you how funny it is to hear 11 year old girls talk about something they have no clue?!?! muchless that topic be puberty. My afternoon was full of lots of laughs to say the least. 

Paris!!! and then the bachelor...

Ok, so last night I was at this Bible Study I started going to recently and we all started talking about spring break. The girls in the Bible Study all go to SMU and apparently their spring break is next week. For a minute I started to freak out (internally)...SPRING BREAK IS NEXT WEEK?!?!?!?!? ...Ok, chill, Kara! But seriously, mine isn't next week but its the following which is still pretty darn close. I have been planning this trip to Paris for 4 or 5 months now and to think that this time in 1 1/2 weeks I am going to be in the most romantic city in the world just blows my mind. I never thought these days would actually come.

So, to make you blogger's jealous of my traveling self, here is where I am going to be staying: 

And then, the Bachelor Finale?!?! This is probably one of my most favorite shows ever (sadly). I think I have missed one season, last season, the entire time it's been on and it wasn't even my fault. I didn't have a tv during that season. But this finale was like none other. Anyone glued to the tv like I was? Ok, I have been glued to my computer screen watching it on the internet all today (ya'll it was like 7 hours long). Last night stunk to find out that I had to wait until TODAY to watch it online, but it has been the longest day of my life because I haven't been able to watch it in one sitting. And dude, there is ANOTHER episode tonight. I think this is the never ending finale. 

I am kind of grateful that it is finally over because it has been consuming my Monday nights, a bit ridiculous. So now I have a full 2 hours open to, ya know, do anything else besides watch Jason on the Bachelor. This was kind of a sucky finale. Jason seriously can't make up his mind, I hope Molly does it for him. This is actually all Deanna's fault if you look at it. If she had chosen the right one in the beginning, none of this would have happened. haha. But I feel bad for Melissa. I think I am going to try and find her here in Dallas and give her a big hug. :-( (and I wasn't even gunning for her). All I have to say is that as horrible as the show is, I can't not watch it, haha, and I can't wait for next season and to see who the next bachelor/bachelorette is. :-)

Oh, and one last thought....I'M GETTING OLD, ya'll!!

...my final day in Paris will be my 22nd birthday. (crazy)

**So here's to traveling abroad, getting old while doing so, and Jason hopefully finding the woman of his dreams (finally) *cheers*