A summer to remember!

What a summer! Last school year was tough! I took my comprehensive exams from January to March and had a revision for one of my questions that I had to work on from end of April to the beginning of June.  Comps are a wretched process! Just takes over your life, but I had a lot of people always checking in on me and pulling me through.  Pat and I moved in together the week before they were due.  He was clutch BOTH times through comps-keeping me sane, always staying positive, and making coffee runs to Dunks.  I'll find out the final outcome in a few weeks-crossing fingers!

So, as I mentioned above, we started out the summer by moving in together.  We love our new place-it is so quiet and peaceful and I love sitting out on the porch with Darce-monster.  That first weekend we were visited by my cousins, my mother, and my siblings.  Here's our birthday dessert for mom:

Pat has spent the summer perfecting his mojito recipe-the perfect mix was found the last night of the Stanley Cup when Pat's brother and sister-in-law came into town.  Bruins lost :( but we had such a fun night!  I got to see my cousins again as they came in for their daughter's surgery at Duke, which went so well! I also got to spend time with my friends' new daughter, who is super cute and so snuggly.  In addition to working at the office, I wrote my first, first-author article which I just submitted yesterday (crossing fingers that it gets accepted).  We also gave Pat's store a facelift, as well as our new bedroom.  I hung up a hummingbird feeder in the back and now we have 6+ hummingbirds that whirl around outside every day and I love it.  Darcy and the hummingbirds are very intrigued by each other.

Pat played hockey all summer long and they actually won their championship game this week!

Towards the end of the summer, I was also able to run to the beach twice which was amazing.  There's just something about getting out there that just lets the craziness of the year wash away.  The first trip was with my mother and we went down to see my brother.  We had such a wonderful time! It was so good to see them both and to get Edson for a day on the beach!

SO much fun! Our second beach trip I'll detail more in my next post... :)

I went on a run

Yesterday, I went on a run.  Prior to Monday afternoon-4/15/13-this run was scheduled because I had decided to sign up to run the Tarheel 4-miler this coming weekend even though my body is in-no-way-shape-or-form back in shape to run this whole race.  A-holy crap, you need to get ready for this, you crazy woman, run.  However, yesterday's run took on new meaning as the bombs ripped through the finish line of the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon.

I don't think that I can completely explain how I felt during my run yesterday, but I'm going to try.

The thing is-yesterday, 4-16, is also a date permanently etched into my heart.  It's the anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech.

Also, my sister, who was also in NYC during 9-11, runs marathons.  She just ran the Marine Corps Marathon last fall.  Many of my friends and family members run all the time, many of us competing.  My boyfriend is from Brockton, outside of Boston.  Most of his family still lives in and around Boston. It was very apparent to me that, it could have been and could be any of us and anytime.

So yesterday, I put on my Hokies United shirt and I ran-and here's what I thought about.

As a person in my 20's, I remember the Oklahoma City bombing, my sister was in New York during 9-11 and I remember frantically finding my brother in the halls of our high school so that we could get to a pay phone to call home and see if Jess was ok, my roommate was in London during the bombings, and my friends and many of my loved one's friends and family were at Tech during the shootings.  These and the Boston marathon bombings have changed our lives-- this is what we know.

And I'm one of the lucky ones.  So far, I have been lucky that I have not lost anyone close to me during these events, though I know many people who have.  And I feel lucky, so lucky every time and so sorry for those who have.  No one deserves that kind of pain.  It also makes it difficult to discuss because you know that, for others, their experiences are an entirely different thing.

As I ran yesterday in my Hokies gear, thinking about the marathon, I felt so sad.  But, this time, I also felt a surge of something that was different.  Defiance maybe? Pride?  I know that sounds weird-but as I watched the news coverage that morning before my run, there were stories over and over of people helping others after those bombs went off.  Teams, cities, individuals reached out to help.  People gave people they didn't know a warm bed and a place to stay, they carried them to safety, for goodness sakes the Yankees put up a sign uniting them with the Red Sox--Just like my wahoos and every other ACC/Virginia/college team, in general, did after VA Tech--Hokies United.  We are VA Tech.  We are Boston.  We are runners.  We are Americans.  Period. And we, the ones who run/walk/stand together-we outnumber you, whoever you are.

So I ran.

And I'll run again this weekend-wearing my blue and yellow this time and thinking about all of those injured and who died on Monday, at Tech, in London, in OK city, in 9-11.  We will not forget and we should take care of each other, always.  Be on the lookout for ways to help others, some things may be as simple as giving blood in the coming months.

With love,
Katy

Why I Love This Picture

Ok, full disclosure- I should be writing my goal of 3 more pages of my comps at this moment instead of writing about this picture.

However, I'm in my first week of comps and I realized today that I have been looking at this picture a lot this week, especially when I get  frustrated or tired.

(I also look at this one,

but that's for other reasons. P.S., I found that on APW's blog, I did not take the picture myself-though I need that mug). 

This morning I realized what I was doing.  I love this picture because it reminds me every time that these people have got my back and that I can do this-- no matter what "this" is.  Right now, "this" is my 6 week comprehensive exam hell.  Sometimes, "this" is when I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing with my life, sometimes it's when I just have a bad day or do something wrong, and sometimes it's good things.  For instance, my sister's wedding , or vacation, or celebrating a new addition, or that I'm freaking going to get out of school for the last time within a year/year and a half, dammit!

That's the stuff that life is all about and I couldn't be more lucky.  So thanks visual representation of my cheerleading squad/peanut gallery.  Love you guys.

Fall updates

Just a quick update! Sorry things have been busy!

I am in my last semester of classes (woot!) before I begin my comprehensive exams next spring.  Classes, work, and my social life have been "go go go"! but always fun.

Here are a few pictures from the last month.

Here are Pat and I during our UNC vs ECU tailgate.

 Here's me and my wonderful friend Rachael at the tailgate.

 Mini-pineapple upside down cakes for the tailgate (don't know that I ever got a "finished" shot).  They were super easy and delicious! Always makes me think of my Aunt Sam.

  

Here's the first birthday cake that my roommate and I made for her niece.  It was good times and we were only up til midnight (success!)

 This was my southwest breakfast (I need to empty out my refrigerator) scramble!

Finally, one of my professors asked me to write a blog entry for the American Psychological Association's Div 15: Educational Psychology blog: Psychology Today.  Here's the link below!

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psyched/201209/retention-it-s-just-what-we-ve-always-done

October and November are going to be equally as busy but, hopefully, equally as fun!  Tonight, Pat and I are going to Durham's Beerfest and then a Bellx1 concert tomorrow!

Love to all!

And this is what failure looks like

Ah, complacency-- Even happens to the best of us. 

 I've been making this lemon yogurt pound cake for a few years and thought that I would make it for a bake sale.  Well, what you're seeing is what happens when you take a pan out of the oven and instead of being a good little baker and letting it cool on a rack, you put it on the eye of the stove.  A few minutes later after you smell and then see the smoke that is rising from the middle of the cake, you realize that the eye was still on from where you made dinner. 

Sigh... the brown spots in the cake are from where it was burning up through the cake. 

It's like they tell carpenters-sometimes the worst mistakes (like losing a finger) come when you're actually getting better at what you do.

Stay sharp fellow bakers! Stay sharp!

And don't worry--I paid a lot more attention the next time around and it was delicious! :)

Spotlight on....(two-fer today!)

Watt's Grocery in Durham, NC and Beasley's in Raleigh, NC

Just wanted to take a moment to highlight some amazing culinary experiences I've had. 

First, I wanted to talk about Watt's.  I've been hearing about Watt's for years and have had it on my "need to go eat here list" forever.  It is a little pricier for dinner, so I haven't had many opportunities to go during that time slot, but it has been on me that I haven't gone for brunch which is a totally reasonable price range.

Well, this year I came into a little extra money around March Madness time and so Pat and I decided that before going to see Louis Black (hilarious) at the DPAC, we would go for a nice dinner at Watt's Grocery.  Man, I will have to tell you that this has been one of the best meals that I have eaten in a restaurant at least in the last few years, if not my whole life.

Their menu is seasonal (they use local products-LOVE that), so I'm sure it's not the same now but I will try as best as I can to remember everything that was on each dish.

We started out with a pimento cheese and fried potato chip appetizer.  It wasn't the highlight of the meal (too much cheese and the chips were a little overdone) but I thought their approach was really cool.  They had the pepper relish (instead of traditional pimentos) on top of the cheese and it was both spicy and sweet. 

Here is my dinner: Lamb with goat cheese dumplings and fava beans.  Now, those who know me really well know that I do not eat "young foods" (lamb, veal) but it just sounded so good that Pat told me he would forgo the next opportunity to eat veal or lamb (he loves both) if I wanted to get this (the goat cheese dumplings just sounded so good).  It was AMAZING.  The combination of flavors with just a hint of mint was genius and the lamb was so tender it just melted in your mouth.  *Update he did pass up an opportunity to eat veal at one of the best steakhouses, so the universe has been balanced-such a good man. 

 Pat's dinner was a local steak with herbed butter, asparagus, and purple potatoes.  You barely really needed a knife to cut it because it was so perfectly cooked.  He said it was one of the best steaks he's ever had. 

 Here we are :)

 This may have been my favorite part of the whole meal and I'm DYING to make it myself.  Ginger is one of my favorite flavors.  I find it so warm and sweet and I'm just fascinated by its versatility in the kitchen (savory, sweet, alone, as a spice).  Like mushrooms, it's become one of those "deciding" elements on a menu- if it's present, there's a good possibility I will get it. 

At the beginning of our dinner I had a great ginger martini.  Then, at the end I could not resist this ginger pot de creme with a rhubarb relish and a fresh made ginger snap.  I can't even talk about it because it was just SO GOOD that it transcends words.  I'm dying to know how to make something this good, but I am a little worried that I will just eat the whole thing myself!

 Finally, I had an after dinner espresso martini. 

Fast forward to June and my friend Rachael (who shares my love for food/photographing food) took me to Beasley's in Raleigh. They are known for their chicken biscuits (complete with green tomatoes, honey, and mustard) and they make some amazing drinks (seen below).  We had been at the pool all day and this Dark and Stormier (ginger beer/rum) drink was just the ticket!  Thanks Rach for taking me here.  Best chicken biscuit ever!

Well June was a blur!

Hello Friends!

As I said earlier, June was a complete blur! I've been lucky enough to have an almost full time job (35 hours a week), plus a fabulous part time job that has been keeping me busy.  Also, June was full of catching up with friends, dog sitting, vacation, and wedding planning for my sister and her awesome fiancee, Mike.  So, I've barely had time to catch a breath (much less post), but not being able to catch a breath because you're having so much fun is definitely the kind of problem I like to have. 

Since I have finally downloaded all my pictures onto my computer, I hopefully will be able to upload a number of posts and not just cram it all in here.  So, let's cover the beach, first, shall we?

This year we were lucky enough to return to one of my favorite places in the whole world, Edisto Island, SC.

We were able to stay for a WHOLE week together.  The beauty of this place is that it's not touristy.  It's just you and your family: playing pictionary, laying on the beach, laughing, making food, relaxing, talking about life, sleeping to the sounds of the ocean--so great.  I especially loved the beach storms we had at the beginning of the week. 

How amazing is that?  The only thing better than listening to the waves while you're going to sleep is listening to a storm WITH the waves.

The house was so cute.  I love that Pat and my room had this cool little turtle art work.

Here is a picture of Pat and I on our porch.

 

We ate ourselves silly over the course of the week.  I am so lucky to be in a family that loves to cook (and eat) just as much as I do.  Here's some selections of things we made over the week:

 Pat and I had made steak tips from the night before for steak and eggs the next morning...yum!!

 This the lime tart I made.  SO good here's what it looks like when it's cut and polished ;)

This is my turtle face... which apparently I make when I'm cooking.

 Lemon ricotta pancakes with watermelon.

 Now I KNOW that I have no more room for kitchen tools in my teeny tiny kitchen, but I will say that this skillet made making pancakes for a large group SO much easier.

 This is my brother's shrimp and grits! Can't take credit for this one :)

I wish that I had pictures of everything we had.  Pat made burgers and hot dogs on the grill (which was a feat in an of itself to get that thing lit) per the request of my grandmother.  Mike made some bangin chicken as well as fried fish and brats (which are also delicious for breakfast in lieu of bacon or traditional breakfast sausage).  We also had beach peach pie, of course (you aren't at the beach if you haven't had peach pie!) and other things that I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Finally, a moment for some family shots and other shots from the trip:

 Pat and I went to the driving range one morning- it was so hot but tons of fun.  He's a good teacher and I got a free woman's gold club from some random guy who had one in his bag that he had bought at the Salvation Army.

 Mike's representin Pat in his absence at the end of the week.

 I love this picture of my Nana.  So glad that she and I got to spend so much time together (we were car buddies). 

 My brother is too cool for school.

Last morning before heading out.  Little teary.

Until next time Edisto-thanks for a great trip.