Catherine's Blogging Day!

I love life!!

In order to celebrate each day more fully we have decided to celebrate random holidays.
There are TONS TONS TONS of fun silly holidays all of the time. We started to look at calendars and find fun days we want to participate in and then have fun!
On National Video Game Day we had a Rock Band PartyOn National Thrift Store Day we went Thrift Store hoppingFrom now on we shall be playing A LOT on these days and then blogging them on here for everyone to enjoy! Feel free to join in!

Here are some photos from last week when it was National Cupcake Day, Young made chocolate chip cookie cupcakes and they were delicious and boy do we love cupcakes!

Baking like the Bon-Bon

My mother has had the same sourdough bread starter for something like 30 years. Every Sunday morning we wake up to the smell of homemade bread baking, which has always been an amazing treat and a lovely memory, (except on fast Sunday when it is torture.)
On my last trip home I took some starter from my Mama so that I can start (no pun intended) to make yummy bread for my family and start those memories and traditions.
On my first try it didn't work out perfectly but I think it was pretty good considering I am no chef. Young said it was not quite as good as my mom's but hey she has had decades of practice.
Here's to many more experiments and yummy food to some...

Trip to Kentucky

Right before our trip we moved to a new apartment right down the street, this is our classy first dinner in the new house.Our new apartment is great (and much cheaper) i will post photos soon.

so after a hectic few days we headed to Kentucky

We were excited to get away for a few days and see the family!
I posted a few fun photos here from the trip so enjoy;

-We had dinner and went to Inception with Ty Ty and Jo Jo for Tyler's birthday, which was fun!Happy Birthday STINKY!
- Sunday was full of family and friends celebrating the baby blessings of ALL three new babies.
Cindy, JoAnna, and Brooke all had babies that I had never seen, so I was excited to squeeze them.
So pretty much the entire Nicholasville Ward was filled with Hamilton's (and Coopers)
It was fun to see everyone...
The whole afternoon was spent celebrating and playing, I loved it and it felt like home! I have tons, tons, tons more photos, including the photography of Eliza, Drew, and Minxy if anyone is interested...

-Monday was spent playing with Alli, we went to lunch and got pedicures, it was fun.
Then we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese, which was hectic and crazy, FYI I love SKI BALL-Tuesday we just relaxed and played with some people we love and had dinner with Jessica
-Wednesday we headed to the Cabin and then on to Huntington West Virginia to eat at the glorious establishment that is GD Ritzy's ( a classic burger joint we used to go to in Lexington)-Thursday through Sunday were spent at the Hamilton Family Reunion. Three hundred Hamilton's; lots of junk food, tons of games, hiking, playing in the creek, four-wheeling, loving the kids, talking for hours, corn hole, and NO Air Conditioning.
It was an amazing time, we had a great turn-out and an even better time! It was a joy to relax and catch up with loved-ones.
Young was a hit at the reunion and survived the family...
-Back to Lexington for a few days of rest and play. more games and food, just how I like it.
We had a dinner for Gabi's birthday and played games!
I LOVE MY FAMILY!


Now back to reality and our cute new place...

save that money!

I have officially become a coupon clipper!! Thanks to the inspiration from Natalie, Amanda, and being poor. It is really fun and fulfilling though, I search ads and clip coupons, also I search sites, like red plum, coupons.com, and others, I even look at lots of blogs, you can see the ones I follow in the frugal Fonuas list. Then I write out a game plan describing what stores I am headed to for what items!!

In other news; in the past month we have had three new nieces! Cooper Jay Hamilton, Lola Glow Hamilton, and Maya Naomi Diaz. I cannot wait to see and squeeze my little babies.

It is raining like crazy here in Iowa lately so be very jealous. I have never lived in a place where during rain storms there is so much standing water on the roads, it is a pain in the butt.

what a year!

It's official we have been married for a year!!
May 16th 2009 until now and going strong.

I must say it has been wonderful. A lot to get used to; dirty sock everywhere, and someone snoring in your bed, but it has been amazing!















In the past year we have; been really poor, hunted for jobs, found an amazing job, gotten promoted (I am officially lead photographer at FLASH!!), moved and decorated our home, learned to cook (a little), watched tons of office, flight of the conchords, and seinfeld, went on a honeymoon, drove to Kentucky a few times, Minneapolis twice, St. Louis, Utah, South Dakota, New Orleans, Chicago, Nauvoo, and then some, went on a cruise, gained weight and dieted, froze in the Iowa winter, dealt with birth and death, had great visitors, spent ALOT of time together, and pretty much loved life!














Life is going well. Young is going to summer school and has officially decided to go to Dental school when all is said and done. So cross your fingers and say your prayers that we will get to KY for that! He loves to play x-box online with his brother-in-laws, has gotten wonderful grades, does most of the cooking, plays golf, and is an amazing husband.
I work all the time, in my spare time, I try to take more photos, am learning how to paint and make jewlery, try to clean and decorate or home, and miss my bratkins in Kentucky.

It's a charmed life! Sometimes it gets tough trying to balance life here and keep in contact with friends and family in Kentucky and Utah. I miss my loves. It seems to me that I have three different people in one- there is high school Kentucky Catherine with those friends and memories, college Catherine with even more memories and specific friends, and all grown up Catherine with a husband and no Iowa friends. So it gets hard to actually talk to those people I still care about and need from all the years, but now that I think about you and care.

My goal as always is to actually update this blog often so everyone can enjoy the life we enjoy!
So keep watching and loving!

Pale Force

So I had a big girl job interview today! It was at a dermatologist slash treatment spa that is actually really coool, and one of the benefits are getting use of the spa treatments. During the interview I was informed that employees can not tan and must use sunscreen. After which the interviewer stated taht I CLEARLY follow these regulations. Apparently I quite obviously and perma-pale.

I also have gotten alot of responses back from my yahoo group post to the ward about photography sessions so woo hoo!

Also my husband shall be back in two days!!

Love my life!

Well friends, family, random strangers who are reading my blog it is time for more of the unconnected stream of consciousness that is a blog post by yours truly.

It is the day after valentine's and I am sitting at home by myself on my couch as my husband is in Utah and I do not have anyone else I really spend time with here in the frozen tundra I call home currently. I have been married for approximately nine months and it has been an amazing different time.
In that time I have-
-become a sappy love song
-gained ten pounds
-been very lazy
-given up some of my compulsions
-learning to cook
-hunted and hunted for stable, well paying employment
-discovered new passions
-tolerated new peopl
-traveled the country and then some (Minneapolis, South Dakota, Utah, Kentucky, all over Iowa, Chicago, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, New Orleans...)
-become a professionally certified photographer
-missed my family like crazy
-found pieces of myself
-etc.

I have spent so much time in my life doing things I was expected to, being lazy, and/or letting my passions slide by, I have decided to do this no more. Althought many people think I am a unique free thinker I have many times done the expected but I have decided to only do what I want from now on. I have decided that with the free time I have I need to take more time to be myself, to follow my passions, and to do producative, worthwhile things I enjoy. I want to do things that matter, which is not watching simpsons all night (although that is awesome!)

I have been working in a job I love for months now however in opposition to the above paragraph I feel the need to get a job that pays better and gives this lemon car some health benefits, so I must hold on to myself while I sell out. Also job hunting sucks!

Life has been a roller coaster lately, I have experienced so so many amazing things in the past few months. I have also been simply happy being married and spending time with young. However there has been so many hard things and things that stress me. It makes me appreciate my life even more and I have gained alot of perspective.

I may bot be the most successful post-grad ever but I am happy. In the future I will be a full time mom, I will have my own catering/party planning company, I will have my own home organization business, and continue my photography. Then I will have the business cards and things to shove.

I am slowly working on finally after years and years of desire and nudges getting my own photography business going, website coming soon cafrin.com. Anyone in Iowa City area look me up!! and soon to come in Lexington. As I will be there as soon as possible hopefully.

In the mode of finding more time for myself and my passions, and missing my family I fullt intend to blog much more often so look out for those!!

Until then know that I am happy, sappy, and poor. I love my family and I will grow into this skin someday.