Treat You Better

I sat on my bed after trying to relax in the bathtub. Several days of terrible sleep, aches in my hip, knees, and ankles told me that I probably needed to eat a slice of humble pie and start using the shoe inserts that my husband got my for Christmas. I drug my eyes up to look at my reflection. A good hard look.

I asked my body, "Why aren't you giving me what I want?" I felt down about how little progress was showing. I was working out more consistently than I ever had since Paxton was born. I was eating better, and smaller portions often. And yet, staring back at me, I was frustrated. For all my efforts my clothes seemed unforgiving, along with the scale.

I kept looking.

And then, my body replied with it's own question... "Why aren't you giving me what I want?" A wave of emotion swept over me as all the ways I was discrediting my body filled me. All the amazing things my body could do and I was so focused on the one thing it wasn't doing. I stepped back and wondered if this was in the context of a workplace scenario if I wouldn't be asking the same questions to my boss. "What do you mean, 'not giving you what you want?'" "Isn't it enough that I'm keeping this business organized? I'm making sure all the vital areas continue functioning! I pay the bills so the lights don't get shut off. I regulate and distribute payroll fairly. I plan and provide enrichment activities for the employees. What else can I give you?"

Tears.

I was overwhelmed realizing that my body is doing everything I need it to. My brain keeps me organized so I can complete all of my tasks, even through all my ups and downs of nutrition. Blood delivers organs vital nutrients so my body can perform the tasks I enjoy like shopping, reading, and spending time with Paxton. I am able to run and play, but all this possibility gets overshadowed by the small task that lies undone. Miserable because the  numbers on the scale and on the tags of my clothes aren't what I think they should be.


Health is important, and I hope to get the baby weight off eventually, but looking in the mirror-- realizing how forgiving my body has been with me, I truly realize that there's more to life. In the waves of anxiety that now plagues me, I haven't given credit where it was due. I tried to think of the last time I praised my body. This body. Not a former version of it, but the one I currently live in?



So what can my body do?
It bore a child. It lifts that child and carries him daily.


It hugs those in need. It receives love, and is open to help to comfort me through heartbreaks.


It keeps ahead of my anxiety and sends signals before I crash.


It wears clothes! Clothes wouldn't be great if no one ever wore them.


It houses my spirit and all the essences of who I am. This body is great.
Our bodies deserve better.


For our health. For our families. For our children. For ourselves.

Looking forward to that illustrious day when happiness will radiate in our being fully with everything perfectly in place is the journey not the destination. My favorite quote wraps up this post in what should be the goal each and every day of life. Thanks for reading...

5 Things Women are Hypocrites About

This came to me on my way to work last week. As I was leaving my neighborhood and being closely tailgated by a car following behind me I thought to myself, "You're not going to make me go ANY faster." However, when I am in a hurry and the car in front of me isn't going fast enough, I test to see if riding just a little closer to their bumper will move things along. As I kept driving a few other ideas came to me, so I figured I'd share. This is meant to poke fun! With all the wedding posts I thought I'd throw the boys a bone and give them some humor to read. So without further adieu, here we have my 10 things women are hypocrites about.

1.) Tailgating: I mentioned it above, but sometimes we get the thought that if we tailgate we will somehow get to move faster all the while we hate when it happens to us.

2.) Modest is Hottest: As a wife, daughter, sister, and friend I feel for this generation of women and also of men. There is so much distraction and sexuality going on in the world. Society does not make it easy to be faithful and therefore, I applaud those that continue to work on their marriages even when it isn't easy. How many of you ladies are with me in this following situation: You're out with your man and some scantily clad woman comes up into their line of vision, even if they're with another guy, switching their hips, pouting their lips and doing everything except taking their clothes off. (If your man is anything like mine he is totally oblivious anything is even happening.) You suddenly feel a rush of rage and have increased your creative capabilities 10 fold by instantly coming up with 25 ways to ruin her life. However! Before you had your man, or when he suggests going out, you reached/reach for the sexiest thing you can find.

3.) Momma: Raise your hand if this inner conflict has ever occurred: My mother was completely right... but if I tell her that I will never get to live it down.

4.) Perfume: Walks into a room and is suffocated by someone else' fragrance. 6 hours later can't smell their own perfume anymore-- solves the problem by spraying more.

5.) PMS: How many of you have made an, "Ew," comment or face about someone who gave bad customer service or rubbed you the wrong way because they must have been in a bad mood having a bad day? And then when we have a bad day and an even worse mood accompanying, PMS is always a justification? Been there so many times.

Gentlemen, what do YOU notice? It's all fair in love and war, and it's all in good fun. Life is too serious to make so much of it. Summer is winding down, and I'm getting my wheels turning for some great Fall posts for you guys. Remember you can follow me if you have your own blog, sign up to get my posts in your e-mail inbox, or like my posts on Facebook. Know somebody that can benefit from this? Share it on their wall! Always open to ideas and feedback on what you want to hear about!

That's all for now. Brace for a good week! Happy Monday Eve!

Love,
Kate


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Where to Buy What?!:13 stores with hidden deals, Plus! 10 Who's Overpriced secrets

YEverybody is looking to save a little bit of dough. From previous posts you may notice that is something I think about. I try to get the most bang for my buck because just like Mom said, money doesn't grow on trees! So, I've done some shopping research on my own to pull some shopping tips to one location. 

Before we get into the good guys & the bad guys, I want to leave a disclaimer that this is what I've found through my personal experiences. Everybody feels differently-- tastebuds are different, everyone wears clothes different, etc. So, these are my opinions & my goal here is to leave some breadcrumbs for myself & help you guys out too.

The Villans:

Target

Walmart

Amazon.com

Payless

DSW

Kelly&Katie shoes

Bath & Body Works

Macy's

Victoria's Secret

Sephora

*gasp!!* you're all offended. But, Katie, Walmart is the lowest prices!! Target is good too!! B&B Works has sugar spice & everything that makes me smell nice.  Relax friends! I love a good deal as much as the next person and the Walmart $5.00 bin is one of my favorite places, however there are some items to watch out for in each of these stores that you may be paying for to get in your one-stop-shopping. 

Let me build my case...

Store Sins:

Target: avoid the beauty products! Their bar soaps and shampoos are $2-3.00 more expensive than your local grocery store. Go back to Hallmark for your greeting cards. 

Walmart: produce woahs! Stay away from the produce. Usually not fresh, falsely painted, & over priced. Fruit stands are surprisingly competitive. I'll give you my secret produce spot for the locals shortly (scroll down to DEALS if you can't wait!).

Amazon.com: stay away from their new movies. They have some great deals on older stuff. Ben & I picked up some Tyler Perry movies for an average of $6.00. Their new releases are over charged & then if you don't meet the free shipping minimum, there will be shipping too. Support a local store and buy it in person. 

DSW: Designer Shoe Warehouse. Before you walk in the doors you should really have a heart to heart with your checking account and make sure your relationship is prepared for this trip. I love my shoes! If you're heart set on a specific pair try Amazon.com, zappos.com, or just waiting a few months. Jessica Simpsons juicy orange summer pumps retailed for $89.99 at the beginning of the season, & I just picked them up in DSW's clearance section for $31.34!

You might notice I'm convicting a store & then bringing you right back to it. My purpose isn't to sway you from any of these stores. I've shopped at them all, & they all have something, for the most part, that their competitors can't touch. That's why they're still in business! Don't stop going there. Go! But go to them for what they're known for. Beware of loopholes, & the American laziness of one-stop shopping. 

Continuing...

Payless: their slogan, "Expect more, pay less, Payless." Rings true for many items like flats, sandals, & wannabe designer handbags (my favorite item in their stores). However! Beware the danger to pick up the trendy tall boots there. You know what I'm talking about! The ones you tuck leggings into before sorority squatting in all your Fall pictures. Don't do it! Resist the tempting price tag. Trust me... I speak from experience that the last thing you want is snow leaking through in the middle of an outing. 

Kelly&Katie heels: My graduation shoes were Kelly & Katie brand. They were so cute! & so useless... I wore them 3 times & they fell apart. As I did some research & talked to some others I have come to the conclusion that this brand has a manufacturing defect. Their heels that have platforms separate from the heel itself, & any of their heels with a pattern vinyl is guaranteed to peel in 1 season of light wear. If you're committed to this brand go for something patten without a platform. 

Sephora: like some of the other places I've mentioned, I am a rewards card holder at Sephora. I love their make up and would promote it! Their store brand foundation spray is my favorite. However, I have been vastly disappointed with their nail polish. Unless you have an acrylic top coat polish, it's relatively useless polish. Very thin, low quality polish.

Bath & Body Works: don't go there not on a sale. Just don't do it. 12-15.00 for a bottle of lotion is ridiculous. My Jergens original cherry almond super sized bottle is like $6.00 & lasts forever.

Now, these next two stores are strictly my opinion. I won't shop at them now, though I have in the past. I reserve the right to use my freedom of speech. 

Macy's!: JCPenney & Boscovs... Between the two there is almost a guarantee of finding the exact item or something similar for less.

Victoria's Secret/P!nk: you're paying for the brand name. The quality isn't any better or worse than the bras at most other department stores. If you're a bra snob (I kind of am), I recommend Aerie, very highly. I'll get to them in the deals section a little bit later actually! I love them. & theyll ship if there isn't a store close for fairly reasonable. 

Alright, phew! We got through the villains, & I hope we're still friends. If we made it this far, I'm so thrilled. If not, I hope you come around. (Baby, come back!)

Heroes:

Dollar Tree

Pier 1 Imports

Gigante

Walmart

Amazon Textbooks

Kohls

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Bath & Body Works

Aerie

Sinful Colors

TGI Fridays

Jamberry

Dollar Tree: if you don't have this great store nearby, I am so sorry. Everything in the store is $1.00 or less. Take advantage on those deals with some items lower than Walmart prices even. Items that will probably be cheaper there than anywhere else includes Pens, paper, Chapstick, & milk!

Pier 1 Imports: sometimes they get a bad reputation for being a name brand and expensive. I would not recommend buying throw pillows there! However, their dinnerware department is exceptional-- specifically their decorative dishwater. Check out their charger plates! Some with prices lower than Walmart & Target. 

Gigante: here's my produce secret! If you're a local Gigante is a Spanish grocery store run by Asians ( I know... It makes your head hurt if you think about it too much) with some of the best produce. Located on Kirkwood Highway in Wilmington next to Midas & Champion Trophies, in the same shopping center as Palace of Asia restaurant & Advanced Auto Parts. 

Walmart $5 Bin: if you don't know what this is you should probably reevaluate your Walmart trips. There is a magical bin full of movies that are $5.00! Yeah... Enough said. 

Target Men's Jeans: Pay attention to the brands. Target does carry some name brands like Wrangler, & of course their store brand version Mossimo. However, they're carrying a new denium brand called Denzio. Ben picked up 2 pairs of jeans for $6.95 each. Their his new favorites! 

Amazon Textbooks: if you are a student, go with Amazon for your textbooks. If you didn't buy them from Amazon, sell them to Amazon! You can do both. You can also rent them in some cases because remember, dollar for dollar nobody screws you over like the University bookstores. I ordered from Amazon for several semesters. My books arrived in good condition (I bought used!), & they arrived quickly. At the beginning of a semester Amazon textbooks will do free 2 day ship for students. Sweet!

Kohls: I love my kohls! Between the variety, the incredible return policy, kohls cash, & their yes2you rewards program, I always feel like I'm winning (perfect marketing on their part). If you don't like the Kohls idea, pay attention to the expiration dates. That's where they'll get you with the kohls cash usage. Men's white shirts on sale last week for $16.99 each!

Bed, Bath & Beyond: although I find them somewhat overpriced forint items. Their swifter items and their Tervis items are competitively marked! Spider wether pads for $5.99 a box. Swifter itself Ben & I picked up for $17.99.

Bath & Body works Sales: yES! Shop them! On a day trip in Baltimore they were having their annual 75% off sale & we picked up their full size hand soaps (foamy & microbead kind!!) for $1.50-$3.00. THAT is worth it! $4.00 body sprays, lotions, bubble baths, & creams too. 

Aerie: bras & undies! Get them here. They are a branch of American Eagle brand, but they last forever and cost less than VSecret. New incentive for buyers trying to rebuild their bra wardrobe-- they have a rewards program. If you buy 5 bras in a year you get 1 free. 

Sinful Colors Nailpolish: my new favorite polish brand!! I love them better than my OPI polishes. They are long lasting & inexpensive! You can find them located at Walmart & Walgreens for around $1.99 each! 

TGI Fridays Rewards Program: you know that email thing your server asks you about every time you go there? Oh yeah, it's totally worth it. You get free chips & salsa on every visit & earn points for every non- alcoholic dollar you spend! At a certain number of points you get free items & coupons. Signing up is free, & any place that gives back to you at no charge for buying what you were already going to spend money on is a BENEFIT to you.

Jamberrys: the nail sensation sweeping the nation! They are a nail vinyl that becomes reactive with heat. They can be used on your natural or acrylic nail and are cut to your length of nail. You can order them online through Jamberrys.com or your local consultant. I've thought about becoming a consultant, but I'm not sure I've got the time to dedicate to it... Side rant!! Many of the Jamberrys styles are intricate, "in" designs most salons won't even do. Stand out! With Jams! They cost less than a manicure & last about the same length with proper application. (Entry about Jamberrys application tips forthcoming.)

Ok! Now that we covered the cheaters & the white knights, to wrap it up I just wanted to share a few items I! Think ArE worth those extra dollars. I'll just run through those quickly & wish you all a good night! 

Worth Your $$$:

Delias! jeans: they were my favorite before getting discontinued!

Otter box iPhone cases: I've never used their android cases so I can't say, but I had an otter box for my last iPhone & no case compares. I like the commuter series. My brother Billy swears by the Defender series. 

Kay Jewelers!: shout out to our girl Jess at the Christiana Mall Kay! She has been fantastic with helping us find exactly what we wanted. & with their warranty they mean it! I've realized my rings 3 times & haven't been charged at all. Their cleaning job is outstanding. Go see Jess for your fine jewelry needs. Brunette, pretty Jess! Not pale, slightly ginger looking Jess.. 

Professional hair Dye: those boxes dyes will ruin your hair!! If your local go see Heather Bibey at Hair Nucleus & Sun in Elkton. She's great! 

Lauren Conrad Brand: located at Kohls nearest you. The jeans are a little straight legged, so I stay away from those buy her blouses are beautiful & comfortable.

Love,

Kate

It's Always a Good Time

As I mentioned in my post just prior to this one... you NEVER know how much one 24 hour period can change your everything. It's true. And boy have I learned that in the past little while ("boy" haha, see what I did there? because it's all about a boy. Sheesh... am I a typical 21 year old or what??). So there's this guy... & he's fantastic. And though he deserves much more than just a sentence, he's one of the best parts of me and I just don't really like sharing him with anyone else but myself. He's so fantastic. He helps me to feel so alive and is endlessly patient with me.

BUT! before I get too carried away in B, let me express something even MORE wonderful than that! ... Dear Readers, something most wonderful has happened to me in the past month... Something serendipitous. (Serendipitous definition by Kate: God acting anonymously.) I have become settled. That's right... Where I'm at. Who I am. What I'm doing. It's all coming together. All these pieces that I thought were lost, I guess just got tossed in the puzzle lid and I didn't even think to look for them. They weren't even lost! I feel so accomplished getting to finish the product. The birds eye view of everything this picture is becoming is beautiful!!!!

Each day has so much to offer me. The sensational part is that I know nothing has changed but me. The opportunities have been here the entire time just waiting for me to reach out and grab them. They've basically been dangling in front of my face since... forever. I thought I was lost. I thought I was blind

but now I see.

Work is a blast! I'm ready for busy season. We've been prepping the store and getting everything together so when fit hits the shan in May and June with way too many orders and people coming in needing things yesterday Ree, Cari, Zabba, & the rest of the greatest work force ever, don't wring necks. None of us can really afford a felony. Too much life to live.

... I wish I could express more fully what life is like... It's winter and I hate winter... But... even though it's ridiculously  cold outside... it feels like Summer everyday inside me. ... THAT'S IT! I have summer everyday.

I'm going to mull that over and marinate on it a little while. What season do you have storming inside of you?

Sending Sunshine,
Kate

Life's A Beach:
"No Such Thing" John Mayer
"Banana Pancakes" Jack Johnson
"Get Your Shine On" Florida Georgia Line
"Summer of '69" Bryan Adams
"Honey Bee" Blake Shelton
"Price Tag" Jessie J
"Gold" Britt Nicole

To find my complete Beach playlist follow me on Spotify! (Katie Leigh Tritt)

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Passenger Seats are not for Purses

Recently I've rediscovered the joy of having my own car. It's the best and I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I experienced it again. It's the best.... Dallas, that's my new car, and I have already traveled a lot together, but something I decided was that passenger seats are not for purses. Placing items in the passenger seat, for one, is just a temptation to be distracted while you drive which is unsafe and there's plenty of guilt tripping commercials to tell you all about those so I won't waste your time. If you're really feeling an itch to watch some or just have too much free time on your hands here's a link to get your fix--> https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=don%27t+text+and+drive+commercial

Moving on, have you ever gotten into someone else's car and they have 50 million things in the front seat and you feel like the biggest inconvenience ever? That happens to me all the time. So, when I got my car I looked at my shotgun seat, which has often been empty, and decided that I would always do my best to make sure that seat was available. Always vacant for the friend that needs it, the person that needs picking up, the unexpected ice cream run, ready for adventuring! My purse, groceries, shopping bags find their place in the back seat, along with my buckled in stuffed trunk monkey. Because passenger seats are for people not for purses. They are for people who need pick-me-ups and for smiles and for having fun. Not for another reminder of the next item on my to-do list or of the fast paced life I live. It's for real life.

Passenger seats are not for purses.

Sincerely <3
Kate

Of Gratitude & Perspective

Gray days are my favorites. It's been a popular color in the sky here lately. We haven't had too many crazy thunderstorms. It's not monsooning by any means, it's just always gray... and now the writer inside of me is going to create a metaphor with this whole thing. I love my loved ones (obviously). And when I have to witness them go through HUGE seemingly insurmountable obstacles in life it's hard and I want to help, but I know that ultimately it's up to them to figure out a way through it. My heart goes out even more to those that seem to always be dealing with something. Just the small everyday things that are so overwhelming that they can't seem to stay above the water level...

My great-grandfather lives with us. He is the most optimistic person I have ever met in my life. In every memory I have of him he's always laughing, joking, smiling, dancing, singing, whistling, yodeling (yup, my great-grandfather yodels! Isn't he adorable?), or sleeping... he does a lot of that too. Looking at him now, it's hard for me to imagine him when he was in a dark and difficult place with choices to make.

Today I went outside to throw some trash into the can. It smelled awful and needed to go. On our porch swing was my great-grandfather swinging away and sipping on a beer. We had a short exchange and then he started talking about the weather people. I love my great-grandfather but he spends a lot of time talking about nothing so sometimes (I know, I know I'm a terrible human being) I just nod and mostly ignore him. I was getting ready to head back inside when I heard him say looking towards the cloudy sky, "Those weather people don't know what they're talking about. Calling for rain. They were saying it's going to be a dreary day. It's a be-YOU-tiful day. I'm enjoying the sunshine!" And then he tilted his face up to the sky trying to soak up the few rays futilely trying to peak through. I smiled and looked up as well completely agreeing.

Walking inside I considered what he had said and how what we saw and what the rest of everyone else in the world saw were totally different. It's the same sky, but different perspectives. Everyone can look at a thunderstorm and agree on it. I mean, let's call a spade a spade, ya know? But when the grey is there, and it decided to have an extended stay our perspective and ability to rise though our situation is not what we would have chosen for ourselves is an amazing attribute that closely resembles resilience. Sometimes we have gray skies in our lives and there's nothing that can be done. Walking around without an umbrella in the rain doesn't change the fact that it's raining. But when it's gray we don't need to walk around with an umbrella waiting for the storm. And should it start to get a bit darker than we think we can handle, it's so worth making the effort to learn to love it. Gray is a great color. :)

The next thing I wanted to express in this entry is gratitude. Coming back from my mission, I've said this before, was hard. But, nevertheless and notwithstanding, I can now say that the heavens totally know what's up and what's going on. Today I was blessed with some new employment opportunities. I'm hoping and faith filled that it will all pan out exactly the way it's supposed to be (with a lotta bit of effort on my end, of course. :) ).

Hey, it's raining...
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Affectionately Damp,
Kate :)

Chasing Kate

I have resolved to have more adventures in my life. Now, with that being laid out there, I completely believe that adventure can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people and, I think, that's beautiful! In my life I've had adventure be spelled for me every way from a new haircut or style to moving across the country to serve a mission with less than a well-planned agenda. Recently I have returned from that journey and it was so fantastic that I have this unquenchable desire to continue experiencing and adventuring everyday of my life.

“Don’t live the same year 75 times

& call it a LIFE.” 

Was basically the thought that struck me shortly after returning back to my, "home". I use the term home loosely because, honestly, there's so little left for me in this place I can't imagine staying for a very extended period of time. My family is finally beginning to spread out, but even without that incentive it doesn't feel like a place I want to be rooted, so I have joined the ranks of countless bloggers around the world and this, dear readers, is going to be my story: the cliche coming of age, go find yourself, roller coaster adventure that is my voyage. 

I find myself conveniently located in the United States of America where people are anxiously engaged in the dialogue of supporting, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." As I look around me, however, I see less life in people, less liberty reflected in our "freedoms" and less people on a trip for their happiness. In my humble opinion, life is for living, liberty keeps us aware and thoughtful, and happiness makes the earth turn. At the ripe age of (almost!) twenty-one I have fiercely decided to go find more of myself, live my life, exercise my liberties, and pursue happiness. I'm going to go chase Kate. 

Growing up my everyone called me by my given name: Katie. No, it's not short for Katherine, or Katelynn, it's just Katie. Everyone, that is, except my parents. Endearingly, I was nicknamed Kate and as I grew up (let's be honest, I'm definitely not "grown up" yet) Kate became this part of me that I wanted to be full-time. I didn't like the split. Nobody makes enough working part-time, anyways. But I didn't feel like I could be. In my mind it was the best parts of me and I had not the slightest idea how to be the best me 24/7. That sounded like a heck-of-a-lot of work! 

Along with this rejuvenation in my spirit to be whole, and the wanderlust running through my veins, I want to chase this best part of me and figure out how to be her all the time. Now, to some of you who are smarter or wiser than I am, this might seem trivial, childish or that my energy is being funneled in the wrong direction. To you, I would say a.) this is my blog so don't read it, b.) to be old and wise you must have first been young and stupid, and c.) maybe you should be on a pursuit of happiness...? Just some food for thought. :)

Now, please do not misunderstand me, here people. I am so blessed! and I love waking up each morning with the knowledge of who I am, who I can be, where I came from and where I am going, however, we each need that segment of life to hash out the details and refine our personalities. That's what I'm getting to here. That's what I'm after. I know who I am and I know where I'm going. I don't know the way, but I'll be there soon! :) 

Ever Sincerely, 

Kate