A Pain in My Bum

Sometimes I can be thoughtless. 
I signed up for some schools for the Army without realizing that if I went, I'd be missing out on my nieces first birthday.  The niece who's birth I missed because I was...get this, in training. That wasn't really in my control, but this was. I wish I would have realized what I'd done before I signed.  Now I'm secretly hoping I get denied and I have to go to a later course.

The Army can be so inconvenient. Except last night, I decided to take a little peak at my bank account. Looking at my bank account is something I dislike doing. It hurts my heart and gives me anxiety to see so little money and so many bills.  I have this delusion, that if I just don't look the money problems don't exist. 
And I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one. 
Well anyway, as I was saying, I look a little peak. AND THERE WAS SO MUCH MONEY!  Okay.  So when I say 'so much' I mean much more than I expected to see. I expected about $100 and I say $XXXX.  real life. That many figures. After waiting since July to get my bonus from the Army.  Some of my paperwork got screwed up, so I got it all at once.  
I gots MONEY IN THE BANK.  Ma boy asked me "What are you gonna do?" I replied as cleverly as I could with "It looks pretty happy in my bank account.  I think I'll leave it there." 
The Army, while it's a pain in my bum sometimes and super inconvenient, it makes can really make me happy. 

I'd Rather Be Inappropriately Funny

Real talk:
I get anxiety.  I don't mean that when something in my life happens that actually warrants a little bit of anxiety I have a few tough days.  I mean that I can't watch chick flics because they always have some big secret. Eventually the shit is going to hit the fan, and I'll be anxious about it the entire movie. To the point that I can't even enjoy it. 
Sounds a bit ridiculous, doesn't it? It is. Living with it all my life has been a challenge.  I have gotten a bit better. Being able to take life one day at a time has really helped, but sometimes, I still get that gross, nagging feeling in my stomach that everything is about to go wrong and my life as I know it is going to be over. 
I've gotten good at keeping a cool head over things, but sometimes I feel like this. 

I'll just...freak out. I'll burst into tears and feel defeated. I'll panic and just wish I'd never been born, because that way, I wouldn't have to feel like this. It's a hard life having this annoying anxiety, but I suppose I have learned to deal with it.  Most of my character traits are one that I love about myself. I have become a person I can be proud of.
Not always...
Anxiety, go away.  I'd rather be inappropriately funny in sad situations. 
Do you have any character traits you might trade away for another one?

I'm A Pretty Pretty Princess

First and foremost, I should probably apologize for being a little bit MIA...My life hasn't been cool enough to blog about, so I haven't really felt like it. Well, I decided that that is a stupid excuse and I should just do a bit of writing anyway. 

Last night, we went out for dinner for my mom's birthday.  She likes sea food, so we went to Joe's Crab Shack. I was lucky enough to sit next to these two. Forgive me while I post too many pictures of my adorable niece. 

She suddenly has four teeth. I swear, they all cropped up overnight at the same time. She is getting way too big way too fast...

Dinner was...eh. I don't like sea food, and Joe's doesn't really have any other options, but it was okay.  It was more about hanging out with my family and celebrating my mom's birthday. Plus, they made her shout "I'm a pretty, pretty princess" while they sang to her. It was too funny. We had a good time chatting the night away and laughing together.  It reminds me why I missed being home so much. 

For the past couple weeks, I've been working like a dog bringing in the big bucks. Okay...not the big bucks, but working nonetheless. I can't even tell you how much better it is to have a job and a purpose in life than it is to be unemployed and freaking bored all the damn time. Life is better now. It's busier, but oh man is it better. 

Although I'm loving being home because I've sincerely missed my family, there are somethings that I do not miss about being home. I am sooo not loving this inversion. That looks like fog out there in the distance, but you want to know what it really is? Pollution. Ew. I can barely breath and it's gross. I feel like I need to wear my ProMask (gas mask) everywhere...

Honestly...It is so dang yucky.  I hope that it starts to clear up soon.  It usually fades as the temperatures rise, and I was driving around with my window down today, so I think this air has some potential to clear up. At least a little bit. 

Now, I'm sitting in a nice chair, writing in my blog, and watching Seven Brides For Seven Brothers. I'm pretty sure that life doesn't get a whole lot better than that...Lets all hope I have the motivation to post some quality content. :)

Despite The Fact That...

Way back in the day (okay...so like two years ago) I wrote about something a friend of mine said to me.  Because it was a real long time ago, I want to re-visit the topic. I think that it's something worth reading. 
When I was in high school, a couple of friends and I were up late chatting at one of our houses. We were talking about boys of course, and she brought up the use of the phrase "despite the fact".  Ever since that day, I have avoided using it in all situations because of what we talked about. 
When you say, "Well, I really like him, despite the fact that..." or something stupid like that, you're basically saying that you like all the other qualities, except...eh, you could do without him being this way or that way. Or the same could be said about some character traits or whatever. 
What my friend was getting at, was that you should love someone or like someone for every single piece of them. Including their flaws.  Because their flaws are a part of makes them who they are.  I know that I never want to be with someone who has to say "I love her despite the fact that her teeth aren't white" or "despite the fact that she can't go 30 minutes without being sarcastic. It's just a part of who I am.  Take it or leave it. Don't love me despite it..

You Just Do

As you may or may not know, my blog's name comes from my not so fortunate history of things just...not going quite as I planned.  As a testament to this fact, I've created the "Chalk It Up" Series. This series is open for anyone to post. If you would like to write about a time when things didn't go as you had hoped, but you were able to shake it off and live your life afterwards please contact me! 

You can read the past "Chalk It Up" Posts here & here

Today's post was inspired by a call I received from a young man at work.  The company I work for is a jewelry financing company. We often deal with people purchasing engagements rings and wedding rings for their significant other's.  Well, yesterday, I was speaking with this guy who had recently broken up with his girlfriend and he was saddled with the burden of paying for the ring anyway as the store wouldn't take the return.  

At the end of the call, I told the guy "You know, I'm really sorry this happened. I know how that can be. I've totally been there." 

He asked me "How do you get over a thing like this?!" 

I said to him "Sir...You just do." 

Once upon a time, I was engaged to a lovely young man who was far too handsome for me.  I thought he was way out of my league and I felt...blessed to have in my life. We had this whirlwind of a romance where we fell in love so quickly. We were just...intoxicated by each other. 

That's us. For give me, this is before I knew about tweezers.

But then one day, it all fell apart. To this day, I really can't tell you what happened.  All I know is that I was devastated. My life was over.  I spent months crying myself to sleep just hoping and praying for things to change.  It was just so hard. I was 19 years old, working a dead end job.  I had just joined the Army Reserve because I wanted life to be easy for us. I wanted to be able to be with him, so I chose not to go active. It was kinda huge.  The entire course of my life had to change. 

Then all of a sudden, I started to just...feel better. It was like I had just realized that he didn't make me who I was.  That I would be okay and that life really does go on.  I started going to school.  I lived on my own for a while. I became a Soldier...I saw that there was far more to life than a boy.  To be honest, I don't think I really got over it until we reconciled and became friends.  Sometimes, I'll still feel a little sad about it, but I know that I'm a better person for the experiences that I've had.  Yeah, it sucked, but now I can look back on it and just remember the good parts.  Now we can talk and laugh and be friends and it really is...okay.  

Being able to take this HUGE thing in stride (okay, so at the time, I didn't take it in stride, but it has taught me to take other things in stride) has really helped me deal with other colossal changes in my life.  Now, I really can just...chalk it up to better luck.

R-Rated Reality.

Yesterday I had my a real live day off.  I got to sleep in until ten. I stayed in my underwear for hours.  Later in the day, my mom and I went to a movie.  
We saw Lone Survivor. I highly suggest that everyone goes to see it.  I know that it was a bit of a controversial thing because it was accused of being "war propaganda".  But all it really was, was a story about a mission gone wrong. One that you don't have to know all about the military to understand. It was about camaraderie, it was about pride, and it was about a love for something bigger than yourself on the American side and the Middle Eastern side.  It is rated R because it is violent and the dreaded F word is used a bit.  Really, I think that it's sad that reality has to be rated R, but it is what it is. 
After the movie, my momma dropped me off at the gym.  I ran one mile then sneezed for like literally 30 minutes. What the heck? Why?  I don't even know.  For some reason, running has been triggering my sneezy-flex and it sucks. 
After the gym, ma boy took me to get some Cafe Rio and gave me a wonderful gift. A DVD player! I upgraded from VHS. I can now watch more movies than just Star Wars and Mulan. Not that there is anything wrong with either of those, but it's nice to have some options...It was a good gift. This guy is pretty okay I guess.  
Overall it was a pretty nice day off. I need to start taking pictures of my little adventures so I actually have something to illustrate my bloggy with...
Oh well!  
I'm off for now. 
 

Take Me Back...

Tis a beautiful day to have off of work. I'm so happy that we're on the downhill side of the cold as we approach February. Usually, in Utah, it stay pretty cold until about April or May, but maybe we'll get lucky and it'll warm up real quick.  Speaking of warm...Will someone please take me back to Las Vegas?

I'm considering moving back there in a year or so after I have some serious money saved.  I'll even go back to my old job if I have to.  I just loved it there. Some people think I'm crazy for liking it there, but it became my home.  I miss it. I miss being on my own. I miss my friends at school (I really only had two, but they were probably the most genuine people I've ever known)  and I miss getting off the freeway and seeing MGM Grand, New York New York, Excalibur, and the Tropicana...it was a fun place to live and I think I just want to go back.  I have grown up in the house I live in.  When I went away for training, the again for school, it was a majorly welcome change. Now I just want that change back. Even if I don't go to school there, I think I may just go back anyway. If not there, somewhere near. Is that completely crazy? Maybe so. But I think I might just do it...
And just because I think it's funny...I'm not a football fanatic, but I did watch the 49ers v. Seahawks game last night. I was sad when the 49ers lost and I thought that Sherman's interview was a little bit ridiculous, but at least it strayed from the norm... via 

Is A Work Pot Luck Anxiety Worthy?

A couple of months ago, I made a solid attempt to catch onto the "No Spend" trend. Unfortunately, by an extremely awful turn of events, my grandpa passed away. That meant that I had to and from Salt Lake an extra time and I ended up just having to spend a little more than I wanted to. I did cut out a lot of extras, but overall, it wasn't nearly as successful as it could have been.    When I made my "New Years Resolutions"( you missed those? Read them all here) I had that unsuccessful month in mind. Well, I'm decided to really dig into "Save every possible penny." Now that I have a job, I have to budget my money very carefully. I really don't have any wiggle room. Yesterday, all I wanted was to stop for a hot chai at the Beans & Brews, but I stopped myself.  Don't ask me how...I was a miracle I didn't find myself in that drive up window.  Basically, I'm giving this no spend thing another shot.  That means no Costa Vida at work...No Beans & Brews.  No new shoes.  No new hair doo.  I just love being broke.  Besides all that though, there are some really good things going on right now. In a month, my best friend who has been stationed in Okinawa for the past two years is coming home. I'm so ridiculously excited about it that I want to cry.  I wanted to post a picture of us together...but I realized I don't have any! Dumb.  We're having a Pot Luck for a baby shower at work and I've offered to bring the main dish. Now I suddenly have anxiety. I feel like this is some kind of initiation. My office is small and everyone is really close. It's like what if everyone hates what I bring? Will they all hate me too?!  Okay..so deep down I know that isn't how life works, but somehow, that anxiety is still there. 
I suddenly can't even remember why I started typing. I know there was something specific I was wanting to talk about, but I honestly can't remember...What's new? 
 Remember how I'm working with The Sassy Seamstress? I'm so excited about it. Who wouldn't be? Look at this?  How could you not want this?!  Okay, so maybe you would have to be a Doctor Who fan to truly appreciated this particular item, but she has all kinds of other great products and does custom made stuff too. I suggest you go "Like" her on Facebook to keep up with all of the great stuff she's got going on. 
And I guess that's all for today.  I've got to work in a few hours and I've got a lunch to prepare complete with several sandwiches and a package of Ramen Noodles. Happy Sunday :)

10 Things I Hate About You [Blog Edition]

Today as I sat down to blog, my brain was completely empty. I could think of literally nothing to write about. Because I've been working and my job actually requires brain activity now, I don't just brain storm odd brilliance anymore. 

When thinking about this fact, I came around to the simple prompt of "hate".  Remember 

"10 Things I Hate About You: Gym Edition"?Well...I give you...

I thought I was kind of hilarious when I made the graphic for this post because it is...disheveled. I was getting frustrated with creating the picture. I didn't like the colors, I didn't like the fonts...I was just being a flat out negative Nancy. So...I give you. 

10)  Photo editing

Although I think it really makes a blog post a lot better to have nicely edited photos that are watermarked and graphics that are nice and cute that draw the eye and catch attention of internet browsers everywhere, it is so time consuming. It can turn a 10 minute blog project into a 2 hour deal. 

Am I right?!

9)  Networking

Networking is more of a love/hate sort of deal. While I love to make new friends and connect with other bloggers, it can really get to be difficult to find blogs like yours and discover a group that you fit in with...it's difficult. Not only that, some bloggers are all like "you better stay out of my blog circle" 

8) Finding inspiration

I really am a 5 days a week blogger, I promise but lately, I just can't think of anything to write about.  7) Knowing what to share and what not to share
Back in the day, I used to basically air out my dirty laundry on my blog. I didn't really see it as the worst thing in the world then, but now, I hold it back a little. Sometimes I will spill my guts, but I try to do in a more...classy manner. It's just hard to know what it okay to put out there, and what should be kept to myself. 

6)Spell checking & Proof reading I hat ot soo muuch htat I raerly even do it at alllll.  see what I did there?  5) The undeniable urge to say "did you read my blog?" I'm a blog whore. I ask people all the time if they had the chance to check it out.  I really try not to, but it will just pop out. Or I post it on Facebook more than once or tweet it 4 times. I just wanna be loved... :'(

4) Commenting on other blogs I read a zillion blogs. I really do, but lately, I don't have all day to sit around and leave my two cents on them. Especially the ones that already get like 50983240932 comments on them..I'll just skip over it thinking, you don't need my love.  3) It is oddly time consuming.  I used to be this awesome blogger than came home, sat at the computer, wrote a post, scheduled it. and it was done. Bam. Ready for the next day. Now, here I am at 10 o'clock considering just making this Thursday post a Friday post because this is taking way too long.  2)  The obligation to show how perfect my life is...when it isn't.  Oh, no one else?....oh...this is embarrassing.  1)Taking 4000 pictures of everything I do because it might be "blogable" I know I'm not the only one who has unused pictures of food, outfits, outings, my fingernails, my toenails, my planner, my hairdo, my car... Really, I could probably write 20-25 things that I hate about blogging.  But honestly, I don't really care. Because overall, I like to blog.  It really is a huge part of my life and I love it including all the crappy stuff that comes with it.  What do you hate about blogging?

Why Did I Even Write Today?

Can I just say...working full time doing the same thing all day is difficult. It's hard to sit at a desk all day. It's hard to speak with angry people all day. It's hard to feel like I never have free time and like I never see my family. 
But I love my job.  Besides the military, I have never worked in a place where I feel like I can just chat with the people around me.  I'm never afraid to ask questions.  Everyone is so nice and I really caught on quick.  I love the people I work with and although it is hard to drag my bum to work, when I get there, I don't even look at the clock. It's just...good. It might not be a dream job, but it is enough. 
Item #2

This planner was literally the best idea I ever had. It is my life and never leaves my side. There is a possibility that I won't ever have excuses for forgetting things ever again. It's an amazing thing.  I know that bloggers have a thing for planners and some really have trouble finding the right one. Well for me, Plum Paper is the way to go! I'm in love. 
#3  Part of the reason I have been so absent from the blogging world and such is because I got a life.  I'm dating someone right now that I am really compatible with. He's completely different than most of the guys I've dated and so far, it's going really well. At least I think so.  As it's still new...I don't want to jinx it. For now, this is all you get on that topic!

#4

There really isn't a number four. but this post didn't feel over yet...I suppose I can use this item for blogging business. 

Item #4 is...I partnered up with The Sassy Seamstress .

Shop // Twitter // Facebook

As I've said before, I'm all about small business and I love to see those people succeed.  Watch out for weekly deals, reviews, and all kinds of great things from her. And from me ;)

I Think I Know What Do After the Tone

Have I ever told you that I'm weird?  I probably don't have to. If you read my blog, it's likely that you know that I'm a bit of an odd duck.  I have some weird habits
Sometimes, words come out of my mouth and I'm like...um what the hell did I just say? I'm such a weirdo.  Well, with that being said, odd things bug me. I have a bunch of pet peeves and strange thoughts about the world that I rarely hear others voicing. With that being said, I would guess that a lot of things I do, say, and think aren't as odd as I assume, but when people don't talk about it, I assume I'm alone in the world.  Today I'm going to share some of my seemingly strange complaints with the world.  If these things bother you also, please raise your hand so I know that I'm not just freaking weird.
I severely dislike the message that plays after someone's outgoing voicemail message. How long have we been recordning a message after the tone? Do you think we don't know what the little beep means?!
The fact that the pockets in girl pants aren't big enough to hold my car keys and then I end up flushing them down a toilet. 
Automatic toilets.
I'm not a particularly "neat" person, but I am ridiculous about how my towels and clothes, socks included, are folded. If it isn't perfect, I redo it.
People who only ever write lyrics as their Facebook Statuses.  Say something original people! Someone else already said that. Sure, throw out a song lyric or a quote every now and then, but come on people... Taylor Swift's lyrics fit most of our lives. You aren't special.
People who will send me a Snap Chat then never ever reply. Ever. What was the point of sending me a Snap Chat if you don't want to...chat?
Missing the previews at a movie in the theatre.
When people tell me not to bite my fork.  I'll eat how I want, thank you. 
When I write a blog post that I freaking love and I think is genius and it gets 4 views and 1 comment but when I write something I did quickly that I'm not even a big fan of, everyone reads it, everyone comments and I'm just...confused.
When people post a million pictures of their kids/nieces and nephews....oh wait...
When people add "...for a girl" onto a compliment. 
Tone deaf individuals. 
Sleeping with my door open
DVDs on a self that are not in alphabetical order or books on a shelf that are in order by title and not author. Like seriously...that's just...sick and wrong. 
and seriously, I could go on and on...
What bugs you?

I Might Actually Get to Be a Real Soldier

Can you say "longest weekend of my life?" That is what I had. And not in a good way...
Well, there were some good things about it. Let's start with that. 
I found out that I have the chance to acutally serve my purpose as a Soldier and get deployed. I have to go to a school or two, destroy some APFTs, get promoted and basically be the most fantastic Soldier that I can possibly be so that I get selected to go when the time comes. 
Some people join the military in hopes that they never have to go anywhere or really actually do the job they are trained for. I'm not that person. I really hope that this happens for me. I'm well on my way to being a real Soldier. :) That is pretty okay with me. 
Drill is always very interesting. I'm always a lot happier when I'm actually getting things done. I like to be productive and get stuff done. It's really hard to go there to work and just end up standing around waiting for things to happen, but that's just how the military is sometimes.
I won't even talk about the negative. I feel good today. No need to drag myself down with all of the crap that can happen in a weekend. 
Did anybody watch the new show on Fox "Enlisted?" I was busy being...enlisted. I couldn't watch it, but I heard that it was hilarious. If I get the chance to watch on Friday I'll review it here.  I'll tell you what parts of it are closer to fact and those that would fall under the category of fiction. Maybe I'll try to watch it online. I'll let you know what I think.
Well, I have to get ready for work, so I had better go. I'm sorry most of my posts have been so...blah lately. I've just been too busy to come up with some truly good content.  It will happen though, I promise, you will like reading this blog again someday soon.

Katie: Unfiltered

Wanna know something really awesome?  Okay, I'll tell you. I got to work all week this week, and then, I get to have three days of Drill and go to work again on Monday.  I'm all about that workaholic life. Sarcasm. On the bright side, I got my planner last night that my mother got me for Christmas, so not only do I get to be busy, I get to have a visual aid of how busy I am too.   I can't wait to start filling this baby up with all of the details of my days.  In case you were wondering where I got it, it's a Plum Paper as recommended by Heather (The Life Unexpected) So far I love it. I'll keep you posted.  This weekend will be one of epic proportions I am sure. So epic that you won't hear from me again until Monday. But really, I only promise to blog 5 days a week...so that isn't really unusual. Sometimes I get so rambly on this thing. Maybe I should fix that....NAH. Well, as I am in high demand in this world, I must cut yet another post short. If you feel like getting a play by play of my weekend and you don't feel like you've had enough Katie in your life, I'd recommend you hop on the Twitter bandwagon and follow me.  It's like..."Katie:  Unfiltered" on there. That was supposed to be my super discreet way of saying "Hey, you, go follow my twitter account @kt_nay. It'll change your life, or maybe just your views of what I'm really like, one or the other.  Peace out, girl scouts.

Particularly Shallow Benefits

I know. It's 8:52 and I haven't blogged today. I'm a failure. But I'm still getting it done which makes me cool anyway, right?
Today I worked from 12:00 to 8:15.  I have trained for 2 days and today I was on the phones by my self making calls and taking calls.  I freaking love it.  I didn't have to sit in a class forever learning the same crap over and over, I don't beg the minute hand to move faster, and today my boss brought everyone in the office a Frosty. If that isn't a pretty good job, I don't know what is. I got my schedule for the rest of the month and I'm so grateful to be employed...I don't care if I have to pretend I'm a workaholic for a while. 
And get this, blog, you will never believe it, unless you occasionally glance at my tweets...I go on dates.  In the past few weeks, I've been on more dates than I even care to admit. I've seen nearly every movie that is playing in the theaters and I've been eating out like a whole lot.  For free. One major and particularly shallow benefit of the dating scene.  
I'm really enjoying it, I've been out with a lot of really nice guys and I'm learning a lot about myself and about guys...I'm busy pretty much every night. I love it. 
I feel extremely scattered right now and I don't even know how to put this post together...so I think I'm just going to stop.  Life is good 
   

Slim Jims Do Not a Lunch Make

First day of work! First day of work!
Okay, so the first day of work was yesterday, but I'm writing about it today, so the exclamation seems appropriate. 
Of course, I arrived over 30 minutes early. I knew there would be zero traffic yet I left a solid 45 minutes early anything. Facebook told me that it's a woman thing...So of course, I sat in the car and took several first-day-of-work selfies for days...
There are about four more similar to this...I'm cool. I know.
While the work wasn't hard, it was quite overwhelming to learn so much stuff. I was catching on pretty quick and I think it's going to be a good fit for me! I'm still excited about it, so that is a good sign. 
Unfortuantely, I wasn't smart enough to bring a lunch, or even money for a lunch...I ended up eating random things I found in my car. My lunch consisted of a Slim Jim, some sour gummy worms, and wint-o-green Life Savers. Whle I quite like each of those things, I think that I'll make sure I have a lunch today!

I get to go and play big-bad Army swoldier this weekend. It has been ages since I ran around in my combat boots, so I'm not totally broken up about it.  It's just a part of that life.  I may or may not have some exciting new about the Army by the end of the weekend, but I'm not quite sure yet. Just cross your fingers and hope for good things!

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week, for now I must go, but you will see me again if I am not enveloped by the insanity that is every-day life.

Here's to not getting swallowed up in da real world.

The Solution Is Obvious

Yesterday...Yesterday was poopy. It did not go as I planned.  I was supposed to bake a chicken. I was excited because I've never baked a chicken. I wanted to try something new.  I planned on it being a mind-blowingly amazing freaking chicken. That didn't happen because while I was stoking the fire that would NOT stay, well, on fire, I pressed my palm into a nice hot fire poker. That pretty much laid me up for the rest of the day. It hurt. 

When my momma got home, she did some Googling on "What to do for a burn" The solution was obvious:  Put a tea bag on it.  Okay...Mabye that wasn't so obvious, but It ended up working pretty well. It drew the heat out and really made it feel much better.  So if you're looking for a home remedy for a burn, black tea works!  I also took a couple anti-inflammatories...they helped too. That also means that I didn't get to go to the gym.  That made me terribly sad. I was so pumped to go destroy the place.  Oh well, I guess I'll have to give it a go tomorrow!  No body said you can't start your workout on a Tuesday, right?
***** Today, I start a new job. I'm truly so excited. It's only the second job I've ever had, not including the Army, so it's a little bit scary.  I haven't had to start at a new place and learn new things like this in quite some time, but I'm willing and excited. Besdies, I've got 99 problems and 98 of them can be solved by monies. 

True facts people. True facts. 

In the coming weeks, I have a feeling that my life is going to start making me much happier. Having a schedule and a routine will completely change how things have been doing lately.  Even though everything has been a big old mess and real stressful being back home, I'm optimistic.

Life is good...Today.

Patience You Must Have

Although I will admit that I'm not particularly into that whole "New Year, New Me" thing, several new things have already found their way into my life. 
For example, my Sony internet consol I have for my TV stopped working fantastically, so I had to resort to watching stuff other than Netflix. Oddly enough, instead of whipping out a DVD player, I uncovered some "Special Edition" original VHS copies of Stars Wars episodes IV, V, & VI. Don't judge me. I hadn't ever seen them before. So I hooked up the VCR and watched them all. 
Instantly obsessed. 
Hopefully my mother will be kind enough to get me I, II, and III tomorrow so my obsession can be fed.
I can stop being so bored because--drum roll please--I got a job! Starting this week, I will be working at financing company. I am beyond excited about it and I cannot wait to be working again. I feel so...broke. I feel that way because I am.
I'm starting a new 6-days-a-week gym routine as of today.  I've been pretending that I'm bulking and eating like crap and doing this whole two milkshakes in one meal. Yep, I started my meal with one and I ended it with one...Not so cool. I also decided to crack down on my "resolutions" and quit drinking soda. I drank my last one with my lunch yesterday. It was a sad but necsessary moment if I really want to get into the shape I want.  bye bye milkshake...bye bye delicious. 
  And saying goodbye to the ever so delicious two milkshake meal is only the tip of the iceberg of change. Not necessarily enormous changes, but change nonetheless. While I don't want to be all cliche and say that "New Year, New Me"  bullshit I'm kinda feeling like a new me anyway.  I was so sure that life would stay gloomy, but I learn from Yoda "Patience you must have". Yoda was right. 

I still have some ad space available for half off, so be sure to check that out over here. Start your new year off right! Start it with me :) Watch for some giveaways and other fun stuff!  

Saying Goodbye to December's Sponsors

My sidebar is looking pretty bare because I've said goodbye to all of my awesome sponsors. Sadly, I didn't get to give them all as much attention as I wanted to. The month of december ended up being far busier than I would have liked.  I just want to be sure that you don't miss out on all these great people have to offer. 

To sponsor this blog, please check out my sponsor page. All ad space is currently 50% off. 

Headliner

Krafts for Kuties is a small Utah business run by a good friend of mine. She makes some of the most amazing hand-crocheted crafts that I have ever seen. Her prices are rock bottom and her products are amazing quality. To learn more about her business check out her facebook page

facebook.com/kraftsforkuties

Kylie's blog is definitely among my favorite blogs to read. She writes about her life and always has some insiteful things to say about life. To learn more about Kylie, I suggest you start here.  Her blog is definitely one you should add to your list of "Must reads"

Blog │Facebook │Twitter│Instagram

Ashley is the author of American Honey. I would consider Ashley my best bloggy friend. We trade blogging secrets and help each other out when we need it. She is engaged to a handsome airman and has an extremely exciting life ahead of her. I love to read about her life, drool over her recipes, and be inspired by her good attitude. She has faced a lot of challenges, but she is always positive about it. She has a the sort of blog you can read forever and never get tired of it!

Blog │Twitter │Instagram


Oh the Rambling of a Marine Wife...Kara's blog was one of the very first blogs that I started reading. I am pretty sure that I creeped all the way back to her first post and read her blog from day one. I learned a lot about blogging just from reading hers. She lives the exciting life of a military spouse.  She's a mom, but you won't find yourself wishing she'd talk about something besides her kids. She always blogs about fun and interesting things has great product reviews and is certainly not your average "mommy blogger". I vote you absolutely give her blog a shot.

Blog │Facebook │ Twitter │Instagram

I only just barely started discovering the plethora of Utah blogger.  This was one of the first ones that I found. I was so happy to have a couple of "Utah bloggers" on my sidebar for the month of December. I enjoyed reading and entering a bunch of her giveaways. This blog definitely got a long term follower out of me and I hope it will do the same to you!

Check out Utah County Moms!

Blog │Facebook │Twitter │ Instagram

Rearranging The Pieces

With this new series, I almost forgot that I should be sharing one of my own stories too!  Seems how all of these little incidents that I've had make up the name of this blog, I should probably tell you about how I've "Chalked it up to better luck".

Well, as you may or may not know...I'm a member of the United States armed forces

Da Army to be exact.

I'm a Soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve. While being in the Army isn't exactly what I had planned for myself, it ended up working out quite well. I really enjoy being a Soldier. Originally, I wanted to be a Marine, but I got into a little bike accident that brought the dream to sudden stop.  I broke my arm and I broke my dreams...

Instead of letting it hurt me though, I picked up the pieces and I rearranged them. When I was finished, the picture looked a lot different than when I started. I changed my perspective, I changed my goals and before I knew it, I was shipping out to Basic Training for the Army. Something I thought would never be possible.

Now, I encourage everyone who isn't exactly sure what to do with their lives to consider the military. While it isn't for everyone, it is for a lot of people, even if it doesn't seem like it at first.  For me, it's exactly where I fit best. I am glad that instead of allowing my broken arm to bring my dreams to a complete halt that I worked towards something new. You know what they say, when one door closes, another door opens. I suppose you just have to keep an open mind and hope for the best.  ***** If you would like share a time when things didn't go exactly as you planned, but it all ended up fine in the the end, please contact me at katherine.c.nay@gmail.com to be a part of the "Chalk it up" series.