Last Minute Things

I'm planning on heading back to "my" home in Lake Wales on Thursday. So today and tomorrow I'm trying to get everything together to leave my parent's house and go back. Last minute things include laundry, doctor appointments, haircut, getting together with Sarasota friends, and one of the biggest is the current car situation with the lease being up. So currently I've got some laundry in the dryer, other laundry folded and am re-organizing my messy suitcase. I can't stand living out of a suitcase. I just haven't found a way to ever keep a suitcase neat and organized. I guess it doesn't help when I bring half of my entire wardrobe for those "in-case-I-want-to-wear-this" scenarios. The joy of being a woman!

I met up at Applebee's today with my longtime friend, Jackie. She and I have known each other since we were in 3rd grade. We sang in our church's youth choir together all the way through 12th grade. We left quite the legacy, haha! It was good to catch up and hear about what's going on in her life. Then I went to the Honda dealership....by myself. I went in with a strong head and wasn't going to let those salesmen sweet-talk me into any so-called "deals." I test drove a car and after talking to the salesmen about the best possible deals, I left and called my dad. THEN, my dad called them up and offered a lower price and they got it down. So...tomorrow morning we're going to solidify the deal, I think. We'll see how everything plays out.

And that's been the extent of my day in a nutshell. Nothing overly exciting. I began filling out my paperwork for my new job. Looks like I've got some phone calls to make tomorrow in order to get fingerprinted and drug tested. Tomorrow, my most amazing friend, Dayna, comes to visit! I have missed her so much. We are going to see my sister Keleigh perform in the circus. It's kind of our tradition now! I'm SO excited for her to get here. She's just so much fun to be around and I have really missed that the last week and a half since we've both been with our families during the holidays. I'm really looking forward to our reunion!


Goodnight!

After Christmas Happenings...including first trip to the Animal ER

Yes, you read that right. My dad and I had our first experience with taking our dog, Jack, to the Animal ER the night after Christmas. But, I'll get to that later, as I like to write in sequential order. :)

The day after Christmas, my mom and I went to Target to find some good deals on all of the Holiday things that are always marked down 50% or more as soon as the holidays are over. Being new to the "apartment life," I wanted to find some good deals so that I can start adding to my collection of Christmas decorations. I found a few things...a snowman tin, some ornaments, pre-lit garland, festive bowls and a cute holiday frame. I am very into decorating festively, so I'm happy to have started a collection of my very own Christmas decorations.


Holiday Frame...I suppose when I have children, I can keep their yearly picture with Santa in this frame.


A tin...I can keep all kinds of things in here! :)

Later that afternoon, my uncle and I went to the Toyota dealership to look around and get some pricing information. My car lease is almost up, and being that I'm graduated now and have a job (huge blessing from above!) I am wanting to find the most affordable deal out there now that the payments will be my full responsibility! I am still looking around and will be making a trip to the Honda dealership tomorrow-that's where I'm currently leasing from. Enough about that...I'm bored of writing about it!

After going back and forth with the Toyota salesman, I was fortunate to have a family dinner at 5:30 that I needed to leave for. It was a great escape! Haha! Some of the family met at Lee Roy Selmon's for dinner. I had never been there before. My Aunt Diane and her family came, my Aunt Cathy and her family came, and all of my family was there except for my mom and sister, Keleigh because they had to be at the dress rehearsal for my sister's circus show (I'll be blogging about that after Wednesday night when I see the show-stay tuned). Afterward, we all walked around that shopping center. It was a cold night!

7 out of the 14 cousins at dinner!

We all came home and later played the game Whoonu..it's a lot like Apples to Apples, but it's more along the lines of guessing people's favorite things out of 4 cards you have in your hand. A lot of fun!!!


And then, after a great day, our 7 pound Chihuahua starts acting really weird. He couldn't stand up. He kept falling over. He looked dazed and confused. So, considering our family has only had a dog for about 9 months we start freaking out, and I immediately look up online the number for an animal hospital. Within 10 minutes, my dad and I are on the way to the Animal ER which is literally right next door to the place we had dinner at just a few hours earlier. It's 1:00 in the morning by now. So we take the dog in, and he is seen immediately because there were no other animals there. The nurse took him back, and she had asked if he had been exposed to anything toxic. And clearly, he was. We took him home that night, and it took about 20 hours for him to release all of those toxins from his body and return to normal. He really looked like he was dying. He was THAT out of it.I have never been so attached to an animal in my life, and I felt SO terribly bad for little Jack. I'm SO glad he is better!!! We love you, Jack!


Yesterday afternoon, I met up with Rachel. She is the oldest sister of my ex-boyfriend, but her and I have always gotten along really well! We're both oldest children and have a lot in common, even though she is 10 years older than I am! We usually get together at Starbucks and then we just hang out and talk at her house and it's a good chance for me to see her two boys, Murray and Miles. Then, we all went over to her mom's house for the famous chicken, rice and gravy meal. It was delicious!

Today I had planned on going to the Honda dealership, but changed my mind and decided to go tomorrow. It doesn't help that I haven't been waking up until so late this past week. I guess I have really needed to catch up on sleep! This evening I had dinner with my friend Tressie while we're both still in town for the holidays. We ate at the Olive Garden and my Chicken Parmesan was as good as always!

Now I'm just home and think I am going to order some books off of Scholastic for my classroom. Because my mom has been teaching for a long time, she has accumulated points that are redeemable for books and so she is going to let me have all of those points and I'll be able to get about 20 books with them! Being a "real" teacher is getting closer and closer each day! I'm excited to find out all of the details of this new adventure in my life! Soon enough...

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 has come and gone. My family woke up much later than planned around 9:00 a.m., and then before I knew it, it was time for dinner. The day just flew by! It was a good day. Christmas morning, between 10:30 and 11, my dad's side of the family comes over for brunch. My grandma was unable to come, but a few of my aunts, uncles and cousins joined us. After that family left, most of us took naps (my mom and I didn't go to bed until 3:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve)while we waited for the arrival of some of my mom's family. We had a nice turkey dinner and some great dessert! Later on, we played Apples to Apples-all 10 of us! It was a lot of fun! Here are some pictures from the day...


Morning pictures are just so pleasant, aren't they?


I thought this was funny. This is apparently my brother's version of a gift tag. I also love the "From: Son" part. :) Last year, he gave me a pair of Nike running shorts...and he wrote on the actual tag of the shorts, "Merry Christmas, Kaitlin. I thought these were you. Love, Kiernan." I still have the tag!


A present only a father and son could appreciate. Even if their ages are 21 and 48. A remote control car! I love this picture because of the look on my brother's face! He's so excited about this gift!


Jack in his new raincoat that he got in his stocking.


Some of the Kaliher cousins. There are literally probably 25 more cousins on this side of the family, not including second cousins, etc.!


Aunt Cathy, Korinne and Mom. Korinne is eating her very own ice cream cake that she bought with her own money. They are her FAVORITE!


Katrina and Uncle Ralph


I like this picture of my dad and Kiernan.


Me and Katrina..I think red-eye reduction messed up my nose in this picture, oh well!


Jack in one of his new sweaters. It's adorable!

So, Christmas was good. The gifts were just enough! Gifts are fun to receive of course, but I do not understand why some "go all out." I think huge amounts of gifts distract from the real reason we celebrate Christmas. Now, I am not naive in thinking that everyone believes the same way I do. I just feel like so many people buy just to buy, or to make themselves look better than the rest. And it's not about that. I am looking forward to finally having a salary next year so that I can give more gifts to children who are unfortunate and to people who TRULY need. I gave what I could this year to some children, but wish it could have been more. And I think most of us can agree that looking back, we don't remember which type of materialistic gifts we got, but rather, who we spent the holiday season with and the memories that were made. THAT is what this season is TRULY about! Because Christmas is centered around Christ, I somehow feel that Christ would be so happy to see His people give to those who are needy, rather than shower ourselves or others with gifts that are "wants" and not "needs." I include myself in this too and I realize how I want to change my giving so that it may impact people less fortunate than I am.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. -Luke 2:11

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve is already here! My favorite day of the whole Christmas season! I woke up and went to do some LAST minute shopping with my mom. It was her last minute shopping, not mine. Ha! She's a busy woman though, so I understand why she shops at the last minute. The parking lots were crazy as to be expected. Luckily, the check-out lines weren't too bad.

I was able to bring my family to a "Candlelight, Carols & Christ" church service tonight for Christmas Eve. See, my family on both sides are very traditional Catholics. Nothing wrong with that, but because I no longer consider myself Catholic, and our home church has changed a lot, I thought it would be worth at least bringing up the idea to go to a different Christmas Eve service we'd never been to before. And, to my surprise, they agreed. The key is getting my dad to agree, and I was so happy he went! I took them to a church I attended this past summer when I was living at my parent's house. The service was of course very different than anything my family is used to, but I think they enjoyed it and were able to experience the true meaning of the season. And, that's all I wanted.


The Kaliher Kids before church


The family


Jack went to his own Christmas Eve service while we were gone :)

We came home from church and my mom made some finger food snacks for us to eat. When my grandparents were alive, we always used to have them over for dinner on Christmas Eve. But now it's just our family. After dinner, my mom, sisters, and I went looking at Christmas lights. That's always fun to do on Christmas Eve!




Jack came with us! He has his own carseat that my sister got from one of our aunts for her birthday. It's quite a sight to see!


Cute little face!

When we got home, my mom gave me and my sisters matching Christmas pajamas! They are SO comfy! I have a feeling I'll be wearing them well into the winter months, not just December! We had my dad take a few pictures of us.




Keleigh and I were holding Korinne in this picture.

I'm off to wrap ONE more gift and celebrate Christmas Eve. I just LOVE this day!


"You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at His birth." Luke 1:14

Enjoying Christmas Break!

One of my favorite things about Christmas break (or ANY break) is that I usually get to sleep in. Late. Like, early afternoon kind of late. It's ridiculous, but I've accepted the fact that I'm a sleeper! I love staying up late, but do NOT like getting up early. After such a busy semester, I am sure enjoying sleeping in everyday.

So, I did not bake as planned today with my mom, because, well, I slept in. If I don't shower at night, first thing I do in the morning is shower and get completely ready; make-up and hair. It's just my routine. So, by the time I was ready for the day, the baking wasn't something I wanted to dive into. I had late lunch plans, so I didn't want to get started on baking something and then leave halfway into it. It was easier to just watch the baking. :) Although, I did do some baking at my apartment last week...and that counts, right?

I met my ex-boyfriend's mom at Panera Bread for lunch. Although my ex and I have been "over" for a few years, we both still have good, established relationships with each others families. Considering we met in 2001 and dated for a few years, we began to love each others families as our own, even though we had our own differences. Anyway...it's always good to get together with her and share with her what's going on in my life and she is someone I respect a lot, so I always appreciate what she has to say. She is such a sweet woman!

I said yesterday that I needed to still find gifts for my brother and sister. Well, thanks to Old Navy and Marshall's, I found their gifts. I'll wrap those in a little while and put them under the tree. It's so hard to believe that Christmas is basically a day away. It seems to come faster each year!

My friend Tressie invited me yesterday to her parents' Christmas party which was tonight. I went one other time, and they have a hay ride and stuff so it's fun. They live in a cute log cabin out in the country. Tressie moved to Alabama a year ago with her husband after she graduated from Warner. We were roommates our first two years in college and I was one of her Maid of Honors in her wedding (she had 2 of us, her cousin and I). We also were in the same pre-school class many years ago! So, whenever we're both home in Sarasota at the same time we try and get together and catch up. It was good to see her!



Tomorrow is mine and my dad's favorite part of Christmas, Christmas Eve. We both LOVE Christmas Eve. We like watching the different choirs and musicians that perform specials on TV at night. My mom will usually wrap presents and my dad and I will just switch from channel to channel finding more Christmas music! Christmas Eve is filled with so much anticipation and it's just a special night! Although Christmas Day is celebrated as Christ's birth, something about Christmas Eve really makes that celebration real for me. To think that thousands of years ago at this time, Mary and Joseph were traveling to Bethlehem so that Mary could deliver her son which would save all people from their sins. I wonder what it would have been like during that time. Nowadays, women have the luxury of delivering their babies in hospitals with doctors and nurses to assist in the process. But Mary had such a different and unique experience, not only with where she gave birth, but to WHO she gave birth to. The Messiah. The Prince of Peace. Jesus, the Savior of the world.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

How thankful I am to be a recipient of Christ's love and grace, everyday!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Most of today was spent shopping, although I still did not find anything for my brother and sister. Hopefully tomorrow will be my lucky day at finding their gifts! So, I came home and wrapped the gifts I do have. Not many, but enough to make me experience the joy of giving!



The gifts that I have wrapped will be the only ones under the tree until Christmas morning. My mom and dad put all of the "kids" presents out after we go to bed on Christmas Eve, even though we are 23, 21, 18 and 16. But, I like it that way. It keeps the anticipation for Christmas morning that much more alive! I'm also a HUGE traditionalist, so I expect that tradition to keep at least until we start adding spouses and grandchildren to the picture! :)

Before my mom and I went shopping, we made a stop at the elementary school where she teaches. She had a lot of chapter books she wanted to lend me to use in my classroom. Then, we went to Sam's to pick up our Christmas picture cards and my graduation announcements. We ate some lunch real quick and then ventured out into the crazy world of last-minute Christmas shoppers (including us)! We went to Burlington, Bealls, Sally's Beauty Supply, Target, Kohl's and Walmart. My mom HATES shopping, and she HATES crowds. So, she likes to be in and out, but I think I help calm her when I shop with her!

We got home and had plans to address envelopes for Christmas cards and graduation announcements and watch a Christmas movie. Well, the movie is still going on-but I'm just so not a movie person (I know, many people look at me funny when I say that)so I came to write my "post" for tonight! Haha.

Considering the title of my post is "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," I thought I'd share some pictures of me and my roommate Dayna's very own first Christmas tree! We got it at Lowe's for $20 right after we got back from Thanksgiving break and really enjoyed decorating it and spending money on tons of ornaments! Ha! It's a 5-6 ft. tree, but perfect enough for an apartment! It smells SO good! It was sad to leave it when we both went to our parents' houses for Christmas break.






Dayna and I also baked some Christmas sugar cookies the night I was COMPLETELY FINISHED with college! It was a huge mess, but a delicious success! :) I also made zucchini bread to give to my professors for Christmas and as a thank-you for their contribution to my college education!









Tomorrow the Kaliher girls are going to do some more baking. Zucchini bread, fudge, and sugar cookies are what my mom always makes every year. I think I'm going to try and find a new recipe for something different. I love peppermint, so I'm thinking peppermint bark? I'll find something new and good to eat! The Christmas baking tradition is one of my favorites. When I was a little girl, it was one of my most favorite things to do with my mom! Back then we made butterball cookies, peanut butter cookies, thumbprint cookies...all in addition to the traditional zucchini bread, fudge and cut-out sugar cookies. Now that we're older and busier, we don't do as much baking. But, it will always be one of my favorite Christmas memories!

This is the 4th Christmas spent without my maternal grandparents (the grandparents I was SO close to). Christmas will never be the same without them and their traditions. Growing up, we always spent our Christmas afternoon with them and all of our aunts, uncles, and many cousins! We exchanged gifts and ate so much dessert! Late at night, we'd go for a walk in their neighborhood and look at Christmas lights. It's so sad not having them here anymore to celebrate this special time of year. Since their deaths in 2006, Christmas has not been the same. I look forward to having a family of my own and taking them to "Grandma and Grandpa's" for Christmas so that those traditions can be re-created and restored in my life! I miss them dearly!


This is one of the last pictures taken in 2005, around Christmas time. My grandparents and their 13 grandchildren (3 of which aren't pictured, and one who wasn't added to the family until 2008). We Love and Miss You, Mamie and Boppie!

Getting ready for Christmas

I have not had any time to do any Christmas shopping until this past Friday night. I got a few things then, but still had a few people to shop for. Being single usually means a small "to shop for" list, but being in college in a town where the main store is Wal-Mart means shopping must wait until you're in a place with more than just, well, Wal-Mart! So, today I was able to go to Michael's Crafts, my favorite consignment shop where I got a cute shirt and sweater, both "professional" for work which is an added bonus! I would take a picture to show you, but they're currently in the dryer.

Today began by going to the Social Security office so that I could get a new Social Security card. Mine was stolen back in high school, and I have never committed to getting a new one made. Lazy, I suppose. But with getting hired as a teacher, and beginning my real adult life, I figured I needed to get one ASAP so that I wouldn't be delayed in starting my job in January. Without a social security card, I managed to get by with using my passport...but I'm not so sure that will cut it for much longer. So, within 7-10 days, I'll have my new card.

Each Christmas, ever since I was born, my parents have done the traditional Christmas picture cards. We love receiving them from other families and it's one of the highlights of the Christmas season! It's fun to see how much people change from year to year. Anyway, I'm astonished as to how taking the pictures seems to be so difficult for my family. No one can agree to where the picture is going to be taken. No one can agree on which one should be sent out. It's just ridiculous. My 21 year old brother had the idea of re-creating a pose from one of our Christmas pictures about 12 years ago, but then when it came time to making it happen, he had to go surfing. Yeah, surfing. What about priorities, right? Well, that's another story for a different day. So, we ended up in front of our fireplace. Good enough it will have to be! Here are a few shots from the ever-so-exciting Christmas pictures experience!







So, after this was over, my mom and my sister Keleigh went shopping so I volunteered myself to go make the picture cards at Sam's Club. The machine is really easy to use and it's fun! While I was there, I also made my graduation announcements. I opted for the picture card announcement rather than the expensive university ones. They're more personal this way, in my opinion. I'll post the announcement once I get it. I'm satisfied with the way it looks! Simple yet classy! :)

My late lunch/early dinner consisted of a great sub from this place.

This is one of my favorite sub shops ever! Whenever I'm home visiting, I love to get in at least one meal at this place, haha! The consignment shop I shop at is literally right next to Jersey Mike's, so it's always a fun combination!

I only have my sister Korinne and brother Kiernan to shop for still. And, I think I have a good idea of what I'm getting them. I would like to do some baking too, so that we have some delicious desserts to eat during the holiday season! I addressed my own personal Christmas cards to college friends and some other family friends. I cannot believe Christmas 2009 is only a few days away. This year has flown by!

Senior Pictures

The fall semester is over...which means I'm D-O-N-E! Well, until graduate school! :) It hasn't sunk in yet that I have my Bachelor's degree and will be a full-time, REAL teacher in January. I am SO blessed to have a job in this economy. Not just any job, but a job that is in my chosen field. I am so, so, so thankful to God for this HUGE blessing!

Anyway, I had some senior pictures taken that I'll share. They were taken by a girl I go to college with, her name is Dee Dee. (Just have to make sure I give photo credit!) She's very good at photography and I appreciated her using her talents so that I could have some good pictures to send to family and friends with my graduation announcements.











These are just a few of the many that were taken. My actual graduation ceremony is not until January 16th, so there will be many more graduation pictures to share soon!

My First Post!

Hello!

I finally did it! I finally created my blog! Creating a blog is something I've wanted to do for awhile. Over the past several months, I have taken an interest in blog reading. It seems that most people who blog are moms wanting to record the day-to-day happenings of their growing children, and even though I don't have near as much going on in my life as a mother does, I wanted to record my new life as a college-graduate and new teacher! I enjoy writing in the form of journals, etc., so I figure this blog will be a good outlet for me! And maybe someday, this blog will turn into stories of meeting my husband, pictures of my wedding, and the announcements of pregnancies! Someday....

So, the next few posts will probably be various postings of random things. Bear with me until I get the hang of this blog world! :)