Happy Halloween!

As usual, Tessa is the best big sister! Caroline wanted to be a vampire for Halloween, and Tessa gladly stepped into the role of being Caroline's victim.

You won't believe this one...

So, Caroline and her BFF from her daycare days had to part ways this year as they embarked on their respective Kindergarten careers. And as we all know, maintaining friendships takes some work when your lives go in completely opposite directions. Or in this case, opposite school districts. Well, we were able to squeeze in some much needed Gwyn time. As a part of this celebration of friendship we went to Graeters. When we dropped Gwyn off I realized I had neglected to bring ice cream for Gwyns brother, so I asked the girls to leave their used ice cream cups outside while we walked Gwyn into her house. And me being me, I forgot about the ice cream cups sitting on the back of my car and drove to Barnes and Noble. Where I noticed the ice cream cups sitting on the back of my car. Still. I was pretty amused by this. Amused enough that I decided to see if I could make it home without the cups falling off. (FYI- I am not a proponent for littering. I told myself if the cups fell off I would pick up trash around my neighborhood to make up for it.) By the time I got home, I forgot about the cups. But here is where the story gets good. In the morning, I got up, took Caroline to school and proceeded to drive to Beavercreek Ohio (A Dayton suburb) to my property there for the day. When I got to Beavercreek the CUPS WERE STILL ON THE BACK OF MY CAR! No joke! I drove over 70 miles at an average of 70 miles per hour and those freaking ice cream cups were still there! I made the manager of the property look out of her office window at my car in the parking lot with the ice cream cups still on there! Spoons and all! (And then I finally got rid of them. OK, truth, I tossed them in the backseat of my car. I suck.) Can you even believe that???

At what point do you become "That girl?"

Do you know the girl I am talking about? If you do, I'm interested to hear about her, because I've been thinking about her.

She came up in a conversation I was having with a friend the other day.

"That girl."

We were discussing spinning class at 5:45 a.m. and it was decided that neither of us was "that girl."

Until last year though, I was "that girl."

I never wanted to be a stay at home mom, until Caroline inched closer and closer to Kindergarten and I felt like time and opportunities were slipping away from me and then I realized I wished I had even a few months to be "that girl."

There was a time where I would never have been "that girl" and purchased a pair of Louboutins, but sure did appreciate the thought of them. (Although I sure did jump all over them when Gilt had them on their website for all of 15 minutes before they sold out!)

A matter of years ago, I would never judge anyone for having/wanting Botox, but wasn't sure I would ever be "that girl."

And as all of these scenarios play out, I can't quite put my finger on who "that girl" is.

Is she the person we want to be? The person we never thought we would be but are becoming?

The person who is easy to judge and is interesting to talk about? The girl down the street or in the office next to ours?

I'm not quite sure who "she" is, but I sure am spending a lot of time thinking about her lately.

Seventeen!

Well, the time has come once again. Birthday time. This time, my "baby" is 17. Seven-teen. That is a One followed by a Seven. And while this stumps me every year, it really, really hit home this year. This is is the last time Tessa will be spending her birthday living at home. And my heart breaks just a little. Sigh...

So, here goes a little play list I've put together for Tessa:

A little tune by the Beatles

Another by Metro Station

Stray Cats

Happy Birthday Tessa! Thanks for being a great big sister and a wonderful daughter! May your last year at home provide you with many great memories!

Love you!!!!!

Wish list- We'll start with Vera Bradley...

OK, as much as I try to avoid catalogs that get sent to me there are a few that I have a hard time not thumbing through.

And as we roll into the holiday season (sorry folks, sad but true, the signs are everywhere) the catalogs get harder to ignore. My mailbox is BOMBARDED.

Well, Vera Bradley caught my eye. Devil. You know how she got me? She got to me through my five year old. Dirty devil rat. Man. You know what Vera did?

I'll tell you, and it was a SMART MOVE. My intent was to quickly thumb through and then add the catalog to my recycling. But, as I thumbed through there were heavy card stock pages in the center of the catalog. Damn you Vera Bradley! The most STINKING CUTE paper dolls I have ever seen. Complete with little Vera Bradley handbags. Smack dab in the center of the catalog. And a little paper doll house for the two cute dolls to hang out in. With little holiday gifts wrapped in Vera paper. Yes, Vera Bradley, you got my attention. And now, well now I have decided I NEED the So Over It bag in Imperial Toile. And the microfiber clutch. (I'm pretty much banking on the fact that I will cave and order the clutch.)

And I'll tell you something else. This year I said I was going to the Vera Bradley outlet sale (held annually in my hometown of Fort Wayne Indiana) and I didn't. Well, next year, I'm in. Until then, I'll order online.

This weekends read- After You

I loved this book. Sometimes I devour certain books as fast as I can because I NEED to know what is going to happen next. (Twilight, Luxe, Rumors, Envy...) Then there are books that I savor. I draw them out because I know that the end is the end. Not like a series where I can get more, more, more. After You by Julie Buxbaum was one of my "drawn out" books. I was not ready to reach the end. After You is the story of what happens to a friendship, life and a family after your best friend is killed. How you can drop everything to come to the aid of a friend, but also to the aid of yourself as well. I have to admit that as the pages dwindled in this book I was not quite ready to be done with it. Good news is that I am picking up Julie's other book The Opposite of Love today.

If anyone wants to read After You let me know. You will absolutely enjoy it!

ktlangmeyer@yahoo.com

Real Simple...

I LOVE Real Simple. Love it. I get more recipes and useful information from there than just about any other magazine.

Today for lunch I made roast beef salad with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. Just like the magazine says: Real Simple.

And so yummy!

Try it!

TGIF!

Just when you thought it would never get here, it's FRIDAY! And while I won't be hanging with Ice Cube I will be:

Celebrating Tessa's 17th birthday. How did this happen? Father Time, what did I ever do to you???

Watching more Melrose Place. Yes, I was hooked the first time around, now I am hooked the second time around. And I have to fess up to ordering Season 1 (original) from Amazon to watch.

Reading After You by Julie Buxbaum. I started this earlier in the week but keep getting sidetracked. So far it is a good read though.

Making more progress on my basement. I don't know about you, but I am big on avoiding stuff I don't want to deal with. And there is a HUGE pile of it in my basement and I've been weeding (throwing this crap away) through it and am determined to finish it. Unfortunately as my family knows (and hates about me) when I "deal" with things it means I just move them to another room. It's kind of progress, right???

And finally, to tell the truth... for MONTHS I have been debating Botox. To Botox or not to Botox. That has been the question. The question has been answered. Monday is the day. I'm not getting any younger here kids.

Happy weekend!

You never know until it's too late...

The value of a hug. I don't consider myself (unless my perception of myself is off) to be a very "touchy feely" kind of person. At least I didn't think I was. Until today. I have had the HARDEST time figuring out what it was about my old position within my company that I missed so much. And while there are many answers, I think I have it narrowed down. (Because when you spend 4 hours alone in your car with no car stereo, you can figure a lot out.) I miss the hugs. If I were smart enough to know how to do graphics I would do a chart of my job. (Actually, this one comes down to laziness. I bet I could do it if I wanted to.) I would guess it is like many jobs that involve dealing with the public. A huge portion of my job was being a social worker. A listener. And in many cases, being a participant in the day to day lives of people. And sometimes, this goes on year after year. A lot of times, I got hugged. Today I realized that as I travel for work and am not really involved in the day to day aspects of individuals and their lives that they don't know me and I don't know them. Which I miss. And now I realize. I'm not getting hugged enough. A little hug goes a long way.

Hugs. Give somebody one today.

Secret crushes....

Which after this, may not be so secret. I got to thinking about this after a facebook posting from another person which prompted me to fess up.

I am HOOKED on Buddy the Cake Boss. Love him. Love that show. Tessa and Caroline even watch it with me. I got asked what it was that I liked about him. I just think he is so cute, and I love the way he likes to play little pranks on people at work to keep things fun and entertaining.

So, my question to you:

Who is your secret, or not so secret crush?

You'd think I would grow up at some point, right?

WRONG. Given just about any excuse to be silly and have fun and you can count me in. For sure. It was the 50th birthday of a co-worker and I was not about to let a great opportunity pass me up. I was able to combine two of my favorite loves, cake and humor and turn it into something really special for the event. This, ladies and gentlemen is exactly the type of behavior that got my short story published in the Cake Wrecks book. Which, I have not even ordered a copy of for myself. Boo hiss on me. Any-who, I present to you my latest culinary challenge. Possibly better than when I did the boob shaped cheeseballs. Those were pretty good. Still, not quite up to the level of this little doozy. Don't worry. I'm not quitting my day job. Contact me for custom orders! :)

Columbus Marathon

The Columbus Marathon is one of my favorite days to call Columbus home. The race is a big one, and is a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon. So many people come out to support the runners, and it is so much fun to be a part of. We are especially lucky, because our neighborhood is along the race route, right at the 19th mile marker. Every year I get out my calculator and figure out about what time I can expect to go outside and see the race leaders go by. I have my little formula for doing this and for the last seven years my system has not let me down! (Which is more than I can say for Ohio State this season...) I have no idea why, but the combination of the camaraderie between the runners and the crowd always gets me fired up, and a little emotional. You have to admit, the time and dedication to go into preparing for a race like this is impressive. And to see the runners support one another mile after mile is really something to see. This year we got to see our friend Jurriaan whiz right by us! Rumor has it that he ran his personal best today!

Good job runners! Looking forward to cheering you on next year!

To be or not to be...

Noticed?
Whenever I get "serious" I know it is like throwing a curveball at people. I tend to keep these thoughts to myself. I'm just not a big one for inviting deep conversations. But I'll still share this one.
I was driving home today and turned at the corner. Just beyond the crosswalk there was a man attempting to get across the street, and no one was paying attention to the fact that he was trying to cross. This was a man who was visibly handicapped. Granted, he was crossing at the wrong point but it made me think.
Are we all so busy trying to get to where we need to be that we fail to notice the needs of others?
Do we overlook those people who WANT to be seen? Or those who need to be seen?
Is it too easy to not pay attention to people we perceive as invisible or those not wanting to be seen?
Guess I'll get off my soapbox now, but I can't stop thinking about that man and hoping the next intersection is not so unkind to him. For some reason it really bothered me.
My Volvo. Coming soon to an intersection near you.

I don't often do this...

But I'm going to talk in advance about what I'm reading tonight. I AM SO EXCITED! I have been waiting for this book to come out.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker

I have been waiting to read this, and it just came out today. Not that I was on the phone with Barnes and Noble ASAP this morning having them hold my copy. Keep your fingers crossed, but I already KNOW this is going to be a great read. I'll post deets on how much I enjoyed it. ('Cause I know I will.)

Sisters...

Let me tell you who I nominate for sister of the year. Tessa. That kid is a good sport. This past weekend was homecoming and all of the kids got together to do pictures prior to the dance. I took Caroline to see Tessa off on the big night and Caroline was just itching to get in on the action. One of the parents was gracious enough to invite Caroline into a group photo with all of the "girls" and Caroline could not insert herself into the group fast enough. All of the kids were so gracious about including Caroline. At one point Caroline thought she was not going to be in a group photo and she started BAWLING. Tessa had to come down a set of stairs to comfort her and lead her back in to the group. Love her.

When it was time to see Tessa (and her date) off, Caroline lost it. She really, really had every intention of going to the dance with her sister. When the realization hit that she was not going she told me it was the worst date ever and that she was never going on another date again. Whew. Although she did insist that she is going to prom with Tessa. Thankfully we have a few months to tackle that one.

Shu Uemura- Free falsies!

Shu Uemura= LOVE

Free Shu Uemura false eyelashes= SWOON!

Of all of the falsies I've ever used, Shu Uemura's are THE BEST!

Orders over $50 get free shipping, orders over $75 get the free falsies.

Use promo code HALLOWEEN.

FYI- Shue Uemura has AWESOME eyelash curlers, mascara and gel eyeliners. LOVE THEM!

And the bride wore leopard print Loubies...

And let me tell you they were gorgeous. GORGEOUS. I can not believe I did not snap a photo of them. AARGH. Any-whooo, here's the deets. This weekend was the awesomely fun wedding reception for Al and Allison. No joke, the cutest and fun couple a girl could hope to befriend. My friend Kathy was my date for the evening, as she is also a big fan of the happy couple and was hoping (and requesting) that she could be my date for the event. So off in the Volvo to Louisville we went. And what could make it even better? Well gee, maybe if Kimberly could be there also. Mmmm hmmm... It was a bloggy smackdown evening. Fun any way you cut it.

I'll tell you the details as I remember them:

8:15- arrived. Late. Frazzled about that. Ugh.

8:30- Beer #1

Sometime later: DJ. More beer.

Sometime later: DJ, more beer, Lil Jon. Kimberly, tell Dave for the rest of my life this song will be associated with him in my mind. For real. Too fun.

Party ends, we decide to hop the trolley from another wedding back to their hotel. Why? Seemed like a perfectly fine idea at the time, and they invited us. So why not???

After the trolley ride: Walked to 4th Street Live.

Sometime around 4 a.m.: Back to the hotel.

Upon arrival back in Columbus and in the shower, found a huge bruise on my foot. Why is it that whenever I have a night with Kathy I come home bruised? Is she kicking me in my sleep?

This my friends, is why I don't go out and play very often. The next trolley ride in my future is in November at my 20th class reunion.

I need to lay low for a while. Whew.

Feelings...

If everyone has them, why do they make you feel so alone sometimes?

Ugh, what is the word I want???

Absentminded
Blech
Challenged
Distracted
Exhausted
Frustrated (With myself)
Grrr
Harrumph
Irresponsible
Jumpy
Knackered
Lackadaisical
Mojo-less
Nostalgic
Overly everything
Pesky
Querulous
Resistant
Stagnant
Tired
Unsure
Very ugh
Wishy Washy
Xactly all of the above
Zampone

In summary, I'm just not feeling it. I think it's time to recharge my batteries or something. I've got nothing people. Nothin'. And if anyone actually reads through all of these words, I got stuck by the time I got to the letter Z. And I have to fess up that I researched words beginning with the letter Z and chose Zampone. Anyone who decides to look it up, enjoy. Let me know what you think.

Un-motivationally yours...
KT

Sephora's Cash for Clunkers Program!!!

Yippee!!! Until October 12, 2009 you can bring 5 of your old beauty items to Sephora and get $10 off a purchase of $50 or more!!!

Click on the link for full details...

Guess which girl will be headed to Sephora soon???

The Water Giver

What a great book. This is the true story of what a family goes through when their teenage son is in a traumatic skateboarding accident. It chronicles his illness, recovery, triumphs and setbacks as he faces the long road to recovery. A very inspirational book. If anyone would like to read it let me know. Well worth devoting some time to if you would like a feel-good book with a positive outcome.

The Water Giver by Joan Ryan

Sweet Success!

Well, after 6 months of planning, the Swap N Shop that I organized is over. At the end it made me think of Thanksgiving dinner. A lot of work, but over so quickly. I was glad I did it, because it showed me another glimpse of what I am able to do if I have a plan and follow it. I was able to take an idea, a handful of people and a little time and turn it into something big. We had over $5,000 donated in door prizes and goody bag items. Girls came from Kentucky as well as other parts of Ohio. It was fun! We were able to benefit the Dress for Success charity, which makes me feel good. Many, many thanks go out to everyone who participated and made it such a nice afternoon. I was asked... will I do it again??? Well, it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks so let this old dog take a breather and we will see.
Next up on the agenda... A relaxing facial. Ah, Aveda.

Reading is fun!

I think I'm making headway in my "I love to read and so should you" campaign. I talked someone into giving reading a chance! Presious!!! Now, some of you voluntarily read the books I mention. That alone makes me happy. Really, it does. Now Presious on the other hand needed a little arm twisting but I got her!!!! I knew she worked with children, which means she has "Presious" little time but I knew of the perfect book for her and talked her into letting me send it to her. And she likes it! A-ha!

A convert! Be careful, or I may get you next!

Speaking of good reads- A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore. This is a great story about an unusual family dynamic and a girl finding her way during the college years. If anyone is interested in reading this just let me know!

TGIF!!!!!!!

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better...

It does. Trust me, it does.

Let's recap the week:

Monday- Lock myself in a hallway prior to interviewing a new employee and had to exit the back door and walk around to the front.

Wednesday- Left for work wearing what I believed was a dress but turned out to be a tunic top that I was wearing with tights and boots. Had to stop at Target to pick up pants.

Thursday- Stopped by Z Cucina (The best ever) on Grandview Avenue to pick up a gift card for an event I am hosting. Dropped my glasses and they flew under the demon Volvo. Could not even see them. Decided to screw it and drove off and over my glasses.

Hey everyone, tomorrow is Friday!