250 Words

Story of My Life's first challenge: "the story of your life in 250 words or less" (a very brief auto-biography).  

This is going into way more than 250...I apologize in advance.

I'm the blonde-looking child and that's my cousin, who I just placed a block on because we enjoyed nudity in our youth...hey it was always scorching hot outside!

I was born in the Philippines and grew up as part of a rather large Navy family.  

My mom came from a large family and so I have several aunts, uncles, and cousins who still live there.  My mom worked in a bar/restaurant owned by family friends who were practically family and it was located very close to a U.S. Naval base (my memory wavers but it could have actually been on the base).  My mom met a sailor with a son and ended up becoming a nanny for him.  The sailor and my mom ended up falling in love and eventually had me.  This is a tough part of my history because that man was unfaithful to my mother and he left for the U.S. without her.  Over time my mom met another man, named Jim, and married him.  Although he's technically my step-dad, he's always been dad to me.  We lived in Southern California for several years and moved back to Wisconsin so my father could pursue employment by his family.  I spent most of my life in Wisconsin and am a proud Sconnie.  My brother Jimmy was born when I was 8 and we ended up moving several times, all within the same city.  I have so many fond memories of different families back there and of different school programs.  My favorites come from a charter school that I attended from 6th to 8th grade.  One of my best-friends that I met during Middle School is getting married this summer and I can't wait to see her!  During high school I was one of the captains for my swim team and spent a total of 10 years competitively swimming.  Looking back, I wished I had taken it more seriously because I had a lot of talent and wasted it by loathing practices.  Also in high school, I was part of your yearbook program which competed nationally.  That's where my love for design and journalism blossomed.  It was further cultivated in DECA and our Advanced Marketing program.  

I was nervous about getting into a good school but after ramping up my resume, I had nothing to worry about. I got into 11 different universities and was going to attend the University of Central Florida but after representing Wisconsin at DECA Internationals, I changed my mind.  I called my dad up and told him I wanted to go to Wisconsin and he was so excited, especially since he's a Wisconsin alum.  He drove up to Madison the next day and changed over all of my paperwork.  That's just one of many reasons that I absolutely adore my dad.  I attended UW-Madison and it's one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I can only look back on fond memories or ones that taught me so much.  I'm a Theta and I did the recruitment process, all while balancing the last part of try-outs for the Wisconsin Band.  Love the band, but boy howdy was that rigorous.  I didn't make the band, percussion killed my legs, but I did get a bid from Theta and it was a wonderful experience.  I did several jobs while I was there, including being a tour guide, event coordinator for Sex Out Loud, and a House Fellow for Sellery.  These were the best jobs ever and I miss them so much.  Being a tour guide helped shape my public presentation skills and I met so many awesome people.  Sex Out Loud is an organization at UW that does peer-to-peer sexual health education and advocacy.  That job taught me so much about the necessity for sexual health education and how drastically different the education process is for different school systems.  We got the results of that with incoming college freshmen.  A lot of my beliefs come from those experiences.  I was a House Fellow or RA for one of the rambunctious dorms at Wisconsin.  It taught me a lot about being a role model, multi-tasking, patience, time management, and how I would like to raise my future kids.  I also joined the Air Force ROTC program after my freshman year and then a few years later became an officer.

I also got married while I was in college to my best-friend, Ryan.  I have discussed so many aspects of the joys and issues that came with this in previous posts and I'm sure I'll keep on talking about it in the future.  I moved to Southern California twice (each summer), where Ryan was stationed for the Marine Corps.  I then moved to Central Coast California, where I was stationed for training and now to Montana where we live with our two German Shepherds.  There's so much I can go into about certain elements of my life, but I'm just excited to have the opportunity to be a part of this challenge.

     

Experiencing the Rose Bowl

While in college, going to the Rose Bowl never worked out.  Luckily for me, the Badgers went for a third time! In case you didn't catch the game, *spoiler alert* they lost.  Nevertheless, Ryan and I had a great time and here are some pictures from our little vacay.

We decided to board Holly at a local kennel.  This involved packing up little baggies for her and collecting some of her favorite toys and a blanket that our friend Meagan sent her for Christmas.  Holly was so excited to go there and was super hyper in the office.  This was our first time boarding her, so Ryan was nervous, but it all worked out.  German Shepherds experience separation anxiety, so I don't think she fully enjoyed her experience but I was happy that she was being taken care of and had the opportunity to play with other dogs.

 Snuggling and Holly showing some classic yoga moves

So we were off to the Rose Bowl.  It was a little over a three hour drive to get there and decided to stay in Rosemead instead of Pasadena.  We arrived on the 31st and surprisingly enough, did not shop around at the mall located conveniently across the street.  However, when we did drive into Pasadena, I fell in love.  It had a great mix of stores and restaurants and just a fun vibe.   

Since this was our first New Years together, I was pretty amped up.  I was ready and waiting for my first New Year's kiss and to spend that time with my husband.  We had a really relaxed evening and ate dinner at a restaurant/bar called BJ's (I know...tactful).  I'm not big into drinking, but I still enjoy a few drinks every now and then (I did go to Wisconsin), so I had a great Long Island at the hotel bar and Ryan continued with a few drinks at the restaurant.  Ryan picked up a few more drinks later on and then Ryan went to bed. He went to bed! It was only 10:30!  I thought I could let him rest but he was super sleepy, so I continued watching the ball drop on TV.  I was slightly upset that my New Year's kiss was fast asleep due to the effects of alcohol but in Kimberly fashion, I made a bad situation good.  I made a hilarious photoshoot in which Ryan won't let me post.  It's not inappropriate, I promise, he's just sleeping through all of it :P

Although I didn't get my kiss at midnight, I remember sleepily complaining to Ryan at like three in the morning and I got a nice kiss then.

Time for Game Day! I wore my classic, well-worn Game Day bibs and we had room service for breakfast.  There, my friends, is the deliciousness of a mango-pineapple smoothie. Da-lish!

ON WISCONSIN

 Stanford Band, although they looked ridiculous, created this awesome Wisconsin!

 The Wisconsin Band- Love em!

We ended up losing the game and it was actually pretty disappointing but we ran into a few Wisconsin friends and it was really nice to catch up.  Ryan and I enjoyed some Cheesecake Factory and it was so good.  I miss really good eats like that!  The next day we headed back home and this little lady missed us tremendously.

As if I couldn't enjoy enough of Wisconsin loves, one of my wonderful friends, Becky, visited her hometown for Christmas and brought back these awesome goodies.

 Coffee from Watertown, WI

Penzey's Spices that originated in Wisconsin

We've had a great week!

Thanks for Reading :)

Dear Santa: A Letter from the Grown-Up Me

Source

As a kid, I remember Christmas being downright amazing.

During the winter months, our cable provider with Disney made the Disney Channel available as a selling incentive, now it's available on basically every cable provider but at the time you had to pay extra.  I loved it!

Christmas time also meant waking to up to Market Day french toast sticks with syrup and my mom playing a range of Christmas cds.  Getting up in the mornings was awesome.

I adored decorating the Christmas tree and have several pictures of my dad lifting me up, into the air to put our angel on top.  We had a little one with blonde, ceramic hair that was meant to be more of an incredibly large ornament than a tree topper but she did a great job as the beacon of our family tree.

Our ornaments would be placed out and each one had a significance to it.  One of my favorites was a blown glass sailor that my grandma gave to my dad for his service in the Navy.  Others were the million and one Disney ornaments I collected over the years and of course, the ones you make in elementary school out of the lids of jars and handprints.  Simply classics

Did you write Santa letters as a kid?

I sure did.

In fact, rough drafts.

Mine were elaborately long, filled with details as I scoured the pages of the Penney's mega toy catalog, American Girl, and any commercials that invaded our preview of the Disney Channel or on ABC Family. I would nit pick, erase, delete (as I got older and more tech savvy) and would debate whether or not an item was deserving enough to make it on the list.  I didn't want to ask for too much but then again, "ask and you shall receive." ya dig?

So as a grown-up (ew, when did that happen), I started thinking about what that letter to Santa might look like today.  Something along the lines of "Santa Baby"...I suppose.

Santa honey, I wanna yacht and really that's
Not a lot
I've been an angel all year
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight
Santa cutie, there's one thing I really do need, the deed
To a platinum mine
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight
Santa baby, I'm filling my stocking with a duplex, and checks
Sign your 'X' on the line
Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight

So out of some fun, here is my letter to Santa, if I had the wants and desires of an adult and the childhood wonder and adoration of Santa from my youth (which admittedly never really went away).

Dear Santa,

  I hope you're doing well sir and that you and Mrs. Claus have enjoyed your time off.  I'm sure the off-season never stops being hectic but you certainly deserve some time to yourselves.  Just saw "Rise of the Guardians" and I definitely have a different perspective on how you handle your job.  Kudos sir, kudos.  I've been a wonderful young lady this year.  I graduated from a great university with a bachelors degree, commissioned into the Air Force, and welcomed my husband home from his last deployment.  I don't want to ask for too much this year, but if you would be so kind to look at my Christmas list, I would most certainly appreciate.

With Lots of Love,

Kimmie

P.S. I've whipped you up some cookies from Pinterest recipes...so you know they're good ;)

First item of business

Belle's Library 

from "Beauty and the Beast" fame

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Santa, as I'm sure you know, I'm a voracious reader and although I've had to slow down a bit for training, I still love reading.  The discovery of a good book amongst the shelves of a used book store or even a Goodwill gives me such great thrills.  I probably spend more on books than food.

I realize that creating a mythical library out of nowhere can be a daunting task, but I've already found the perfect solution

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Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Austria's National Library

Yep, right behind that statue over there, you'll find my copy of 50 Shades of Grey.

I joke, I keed.

But seriously, I'm running out of room on my bookshelves.

 Every girl dreams of vacationing to a wonderful land so for my second item I would like

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

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With my husband and I not having a honeymoon, this would be a wonderful place to call our vacation home.  It's one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  

Accounts indicate that the garden was built by King Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled the city for 43 years starting in 605 BC (There is an alternative story that the gardens were built by the Assyrian Queen Semiramis during her five year reign starting in 810 BC).  the gardens were built to cheer up Nebuchadnezzar's homesick wife, Amyitis. Amyitis, daughter of the king of the Medes, was married to Nebuchadnezzar to create an alliance between the two nations. The land she came from, though, was green, rugged and mountainous, and she found the flat, sun-baked terrain of Mesopotamia depressing. The king decided to relieve her depression by recreating her homeland through the building of an artificial mountain with rooftop gardens. - The Museum of Unnatural Mystery

 Talk about romantic! He could have been a total jerk but he built her this massive garden to remind her of home.  That's like if Ryan created a massive snowglobe to overtake our house, so I could have snow for Christmas! *hint hint husband hint hint*

The Third Item

As stated before, Ryan and I never went on a honeymoon and we spent more than 75% of our first year of marriage apart due to his deployment.  We've always wanted to go to Europe so if we could go on a European Cruise, that would be amazing!

 I've never been and I have always wanted to go!  I want to see all of the historical landmarks and just see the architecture.  I would swoon and I know Ryan would just love it.  Plus, it would be nice to take a romantic vacation together.  I always feel like we're constantly doing something or worrying about this or that.  I think that's why people are always surprised to hear that people as young as we are happened to be married.  

My fourth and last item:

New Wedding Band

When Ryan and I got married, we didn't have a lot of money or time (almost two years later and that hasn't changed :P)  however, we did get very simple wedding bands.  I love my engagement ring because my husband picked it out and for not being a romantic guy, he did a great job.  It's a heart, solitaire diamond on a silver band.  My wedding ring is a silver band.  Although in reality, getting a new wedding band may be a few years off, I would love something with a little extra sparkle.  So yes, I do suppose I follow the song, "Santa Baby" a little bit on that one. 

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I am so grateful for everything I have in my life, including my family and friends. 

They continually support me and cheer me up whenever I am down.  

They are there for everything, no matter how far the distance.  

So I lied, my last and final item would be to go home for Christmas, although that's not feasible for us this year.  No worries though, enjoy this holiday classic with a fun twist 

(filmed not too far from my hometown).

 

xoxo,

Sconnie Gift-Giving Guide

Since I am missing the wonders of my beautiful home state, I thought a Sconnie gift-giving guide would be the perfect touch to reminisce on all I love about being a Badger.

Friday nights as an adult are a weird thing.  I can't really get away with going to Ian's for mac-n-cheese pizza in the wee hours of the morning.  Mainly because there isn't an Ian's out here but also because I'm a responsible adult <--worst worst--="worst--">

But when all fails, this $25 tee expresses exactly how I feel many a day ;)

Source: IMISSMYCOLLEGE on Etsy

I have a necklace very similar to this and I absolutely love it.  It's a simple, yet charming way to show off your Sconnie pride. I adore the tiny heart detail.  While most of these necklaces are pricey, this comes in at $15.

Source: zailove on Etsy

The Jellycat Woodland Badger is so adorable.  At 12" he is just the perfect size to cuddle up with during a chilly night or pulling all nighters in college.

Source: Amazon for $20

One year I asked for a Badger Snuggie and now I have three Badger Snuggies.  If you are without a Badger Snuggie, remove yourself from the rock you've been hiding under.  At $25, popularity is worth its price.

Source: Badger Planet

Do you ever get those wonderful Pinterest urges and realize if I make this, it will look awesome.  However, if I mess it up, it will be a really expensive waste of materials?  Well in case you've been swooning over the nail-and-yarn art, World on a String gives you some gorgeous options for reasonable prices.

Source: henriettabloomfield on Etsy

and we can't forget the Green Bay Packers Go Pack Go!

Source: henriettabloom on Etsy

Sometimes, you gotta do a good ol' #TBT

Source: IKnowWhatImWearing on Etsy

I would totally LOVE to wear this on game day.  Love me some Badger gear.
But if that doesn't stand out enough for you, check out these totally adorable headbands from WisconsinSquirrels.  For $14, they're totes mcgoats adorbs. Yes, so much slang- so little time.

Source: WisconsinSquirrels on Etsy

We dabbled a little bit in home decor, but if you want to add your own Badger-ific, Sconnie touch to items- this cross stitch is for you.  For $4.50, get the pattern and invest in some embroidery thread.  You could put this on a tote bag, sweatshirt, tee, or whatever.  It would be a really cute gift for any Sconnie.

Source: Nrapture on Etsy

Speaking of cute little touches, these would be perfect in any Badger home.  Not only do they have that adorable heart detailing, but it's in the cardinal red and white.  Perfect!

Source: RecreativeCrafts on Etsy

Now many of my good friends have graduate from Madison and other Wisconsin schools.  They're growing up, getting married and having wee lil Badgers themselves.

Here are a few of my favorite items for love, marriage and baby carriages:

Source: EmbieOnline at Etsy

Source: BosBlossoms on Etsy

Source: lynleameiser on Etsy

Alright, well since I basically want everything on this page, I think it's time to call it quits.
Hopefully this will spark some creative gift-giving this holiday season.

xoxo,