My Parents are 2 in 576,000!

Sure they are awesome (probably more like the two coolest people in a trillion infinity) but as far as their odds of being struck by lightning: My parents are 576000 to 1...and they did it. Luckily it was just their house and no one was hurt, but yesterday my parents got a big ol surge of electricity that as my mom joked ( i think) left her hair kind of frizzy and their tv and phones fried! Weird huh?

Glad you are okay Mom Dad and Buddha!

we did it again....

The seemingly impossible has occurred. Pat and I found another house that we like 10o times more than the last heartbreaker. We have signed a contract and we are waiting for a new closing date of June 10th!!!

The house is gorgeous and perfect, which unfortunately makes my anxiety of losing it just that much more extreme. So far, everything seems like it should be okay and my gut tells me that this house might actually be "the one" - although i guess i felt like that last time too -ha ha (...wait - Boo). We called to schedule a home inspection this weekend after doing a post-contract walk through and I couldn't help but feel sort of like an old pro at all of this. Not that that is neccessarily a good thing (becasue it sure sucked when the last house fell through) but, it is nice to feel like you have a good sense of how to make the best decision.

Walking through the house, I felt so lucky. Pat's dad reminded us that "some of your best decisions are made for you" and he was so right! We have honestly been looking for a house for close to a year and a half now and we easily could have ended up in the wrong place by getting impatient or compromising. You have to trust that everything (especially things far more important than buying/selling houses/moving) happens for a reason.....which hopefully i will not have to remind myself of too much just in case this house falls through during escrow and I once again find myself bitter and loathing house hunts :)

So that is the biggest news I have for now. Like I promised last time - maybe a house will mean much more interesting posts about fabric and bedding, and light fixtures!!! j/k - My blog will probably become more about my little niecephew (who is the size of a bell pepper this week and should be showing off his/her business in the next 2 weeks so that we all know whether he or she is a niece or a phew.......CAN'T WAIT!!!

The weekend was awesome and I should have some pictures up of that soon.

my blog has sucked lately....

So I have been trying to take some more pictures of what I have been up to. The problem is....i haven't been up to much. I was sick this weekend and then work has been keeping me very very very busy so my list of fun things to post is sort of limited. I have managed to make a couple of good dinners this week so i will just post about those in case you are looking for ideas. Both recipes are simple but they turned out pretty well so here you go:

Tilapia Tacos!

These were really light, fresh and delicious. I marinated the (awesome Sam's Club individually wrapped) tilapia filets in lots of lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper, and a little chili powder. Then i shredded a little cabbage, made my own guacomole, took the salsa out of the fridge, and mixed tapatio hot sauce with some light sour cream. I set all of those ingredients aside and grilled the fish up in my handy dandy grill pan. Last, but not least, I toasted the tortillas in the oven and then filled them with all of the good stuff - They were easy, fast and delicious.

Then on Tuesday night (tonight) i decided to try to make Jambalaya. Our friend Chris in Florida made it a few times when we would go to his house and it was always so good. It's not like I am any fancy louisianian but I do like to chop so this was a good recipe for me.

Jazzy ( i hate that word but whatev) Jambalaya!!!

Chop up - a medium onion, two stalks of celery, green or yellow pepper. Throw it into the good ole crock pot. Empty a 28oz can of diced tomatoes, add a cup of reduced sodium chicken broth. sliced andouille sausage, and 2 boneless skinnless chicken breasts all diced up.

Mix in a bunch of old bay seasoning, hot sauce, oregeno, thyme, salt, pepper, then ignore it for about 6 hours while it cooks on low. Make a little bit of white rice and pour the jambalaya over the top. You can also add in some shrimp with about 5 minutes to go - but I opted away from this because i like all kinds of shrimp except for the kind that i make. It always taste awful if i have anything to do with it

So the one other boring thing that i have decided to update you on for today are my new recycleable shopping bags that i bought for 99cents a piece. I am very proud of them. They actually hold about 10 times the amount of groceries that a plastic bag does and I just feel all smart when i hand them to the bagger :)

My mom would be so proud! You should buy these too (if you haven't already).

I am way Irisher than you are (probably)

I remember when St. Patricks Day meant so much more than just wearing a conservative green shirt to work. Although it has been "fun" explaining to every single person that has called me in my office today that "no, my boss didn't give me the day off....yeah can you believe it? .....with a name like Katie O'Brien- har har har (work laugh)"... I still miss the fun of st.pattys day when i was in college - or even just when i was in a slacker job in Florida where i could take off early to drink green beer and tell people that they should kiss me because I am like for real Irish. SO anyways, as an ode to the good ole days here are two pictures: one of me celebrating as an O'Connor and the other is me when i was an O'Brien.

Turtle Creek in South Bend Indiana = best place to celebrate St. Patt's day!

Keeping my fingers crossed...

We are starting back with the house hunting this weekend and I have mixed feelings about it. I am so ready to get settled in a new house, but I seriously don't think I can handle the chance of getting my heart broken again. Thinking about all of the things I want in a house has made me miss my old houses (and even parts of my apartments and dorm rooms). Not that you care at all, but here are a few of my favorite things that i want to try to find in the next go-round of house hunting:

1. I miss the view from my house in Anaheim Hills. I loved laying in my pink and white bunk bed looking at the city lights and mountains. Nothing was prettier than a clear day in our backyard.
2. I miss my pool and jacuzzi in California...and not having a job interfere with the amount of time I could spend lounging in both of them.
3. I miss watching my dad and brother throw lemons at the fire hydrant across the cul-de-sac and i miss the awesome herb garden that my mom had.
4. I miss the pocket doors that would fold away and open up my whole family room in Florida. Usually it was too hot to do this in the summer, but right around this time of year Pat and I would always open up the doors, bbq on the patio and sit outside eating chicken teryaki shishkabobs (sp?) with pineapple and peppers.
5. I miss the pretty cypress trees with moss in our Jacksonville neighborhood and the close proximity to the beach and intercoastal.
6. I miss the perfect shades of paint that were on all of the walls in my Florida house and the cold tile floors.
7. I miss the fun of living with girlfriends in an apartment that cost $325/month that was next door to pretty much everyone else I knew.
8. I miss the surprisingly awesome closet organizer that was in my freshman year dorm room.
9. I miss knowing exactly where to go when i needed some off the wall thing. It takes a while to find a good tailor, know where to go for wholesale flowers, and finding another place that makes birthday cakes as good as Rockwell's.
10. I miss decorating. Buying stuff for your house is sooo much better than buying clothes. Mostly because it is so much more permanent but also because a couch can never make you feel fat.

So long story short, based on this list, I need to find a house that has: a pretty view (prob not going to be mountains but trees are pretty too), maybe a hot tub, a fabulous outdoor living space, lots of decorating potential, friends nearby, big fancy closets, and nice updated flooring

Wish me luck!

My fancy shmancy sister.

My sister recently sent me some pictures of design projects that she has done and I was seriously so impressed. I had to post a couple of them just to brag about what a "top designer" she is. All of them are pretty much tdf -clean, modern, casual and classy. I guess she was inspired by "me" (J/K).

Yeahh...wow - huh?

Wednesday = poodle suicide (attempt)

weird stuff happened tonight...

• A poodle ran directly head-on to my car at lightning fast speeds (in the dark) in a parking lot. Lucky for the dog I have cat-like reflexes and I managed to spare his life
• I watched Scarface with Pat...and yes this was my first time. Apparently scarface is Cuban? Who knew? I spent the last 25 years imagining him as a total italian
• I watched approximately 30 youtube videos....all different versions of "single ladies" by Beyonce. I would highly reccomend checking out this fantastic online library and then when you are done - call me, because I really want to learn the dance with 2 of my friends and make a video. Call me. I am serious.
• I found this picture of my knee after I slipped on ice and fell on a curb. a while back. Couldn't help but think how awesome (and obviously attention starved i am) for taking a picture of a minor injury with the intention of posting in online so people can see how "hurt" i was. I fell so hard that i actually cried. ALthough when i was laying flat on the ground crying and a car pulled backwards around the corner to check on me - i turned my tears into half laughter just so i would look"cool"

And that was how I spent my wednesday.....

nobody does spinning like the OC...

I went to spinning class tonight, and while the librarian voiced lady played Willie Nelson "Cat's in the Cradle" I couldn't help but remember the good old days at 24 hour fitness in the OC. Not only did the girl to your right look like Heidi Klum, but the girl on the left was a clone of B-spears in her hay day.... and the teacher was also an 8 months pregnant Giselle - screaming at the top of her lungs telling you to climb!!! It's not like all of the people in the class tonight were ugly or anything it is just really different here in Ohio at my new gym.

Ohio spinning still totally kicked my butt...it was just harder to get "in the zone" when you are surrounded by nice people listening to your mom's 1976 "rainy day/cleaning the house" mix.

The OC 24 Hr fitness was almost hilarious in a way, but really fun because of how incredibly predictable it was.Every other person working out was half clothed (at best) , fully makeup-ed, and really super intense about getting hotter. I miss the super dark spinning rooms that had strobe lights, supermodels, and "really cool" people listening to techno - those classes always made me want to tie a light stick around my neck and put a whistle in my mouth while intermittently screaming woo- wooo.....wooooo.

I have to say though - It was refreshing to be at a new place where I didn't waste any time hating myself for washing my makeup off before I arrived. The desire to become a raver wasn't there and hence a little bit of the fun was missing.... but i did take advantage of the hour long workout to think about some really important stuff = old California gym memories and my butt...and how much it hurt.