Back to School....

The weather's getting cooler! While all my Florida friends start running for their fleeces, I am LOVING the 50 degree temps as I walk to my car each morning. Maybe it's the sap in me, or maybe it's because I grew up in chilly(er) Indiana, but this weather makes me happier, more sentimental and I believe more stylish...?

Like Meg Ryan, Fall makes me think of going back to school and getting "a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils".. Man I really loved school. Now that is the dorkiest thing I will ever say on this blog. Don't tell any of your cool friends.... but I miss school!

I miss backpacks, lunch boxes, schedules, day planners, starting fresh notebooks- all of it. I asked some high school girls I know if they got new Trapper Keepers for the school year. They had never even heard of them! Am I old?

Maybe I should go back to school...

Or AT LEAST back to school shopping!

Oh Happy Day!

Guess who's coming to Tulsey Town?

I'll give you a few hints...

CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT.

*ANTHROPOLOGIE*

And you want to know something else?

There is a Grand Opening Party.

Tonight.

Guess who's name is on the list?

Mine.

I'll be there or be square.

I hope there's a step & repeat.

I should have bought a new outfit for this,

but HELLO- we can't go in until the party.

Maybe I'll change in the Dressing Room.

So pumped right now.

xoxo,

anthro freak-out girl

Anniversary Wish List

So, I've put together a little list for the Mister, giving him some options on how to get an A+ on that blessed November day. Sure, some of these items are wishful thinking. But now that my list is compiled, I'll just keep it around for Christmas too. Even if you're not celebrating any special days soon, take a gander because I have discovered some serious goodies! Our real anniversary plan is to go to Europe in the next few months, but a recent engagement of a good friend has changed our holiday trip to Seattle instead! (Totally cool with me, as this was on our list of Must-See's as well.) So Europe is postponed a few months, and we'll spend our anniversary exchanging gifts and dreaming of our Euro adventure to come!

Now to the good stuff.

My hubby has really done well in the jewelry department on holidays and impromptu gifts, so I hate to even offer suggestion. HOWEVER, I found a few beauties to send his way Just In Case.

Number 1- this amazing bracelet from Kate Spade. Can be worn with ANYTHING!

Number 2- This girly flowery necklace number from Anthropologie. Every girl needs a good chunky charm necklace, and I mean EVERY.

Number 3- Another sweet piece from Anthropologie- A cute little knotted bow ring, dipped in either gold or silver. And because it's fun to say you're wearing something "dipped in gold". Very King Midas.

Number 4- And one more jewelry option- A great bangle from David Yurman. I love the modern design that still incorporates his signature roped look.

Number 5- I love this bright quilted Marc Jacobs Bag for fall. It seems like a good bag to jet-set with... you know, like to Europe in late winter?

Number 6- is another bag I've had my eyes on! And this one is definitely a good Carry-on for our upcoming journeys, as it is an overnighter. LV, I hate to love you.

Number 7- Switching gears but not designers, I love Louis' dayplanners. As the traditional first anniversary gift is PAPER (assuming newlyweds are still recovering their budgets from the cost of getting married and honeymooning, I guess?) If it must be paper, I'd love LV paper. Snob Alert!

Number 8- Restoration Hardware's latest catalog had some amazing pieces of furniture! One thing I fell in love with is this coffee table. How cool would it be, mixed into a room with modern and traditional elements? sigh..

Number 9- This gorgeous chair, also from Restoration Hardware. It's so structured, but still out there. I'm loving it, and I'll take two please.

Number 10- one more piece of furniture, this one from Anthropologie. I love sweet vanities, the ultimate girl station. Also- I love the mirrored top.

Number 11- I lied. I NEED this sofa. Anthro, Stop right now with all of this furniture madness. Every piece of furniture is calling my name, so it is awfully loud in my office and a lot of people are looking!

Number 12- I love these adorable Burberry Ballet flats. Perfect for traipsing across a London Park. Need them. Want them.

Number 13- Ipad, with a Vogue Subscription to boot. That is all.

Number 14- Season tickets to the Tulsa PAC! Wizard of Oz, Phantom, Wicked, Oh my!

Number 15- Last but not least, The new Juicy scent set- Couture Couture. Simply because I have not smelled it yet but I imagine I really like it.

I really am not materialistic.

It just happened!

Cast your votes on the Sweetest Thing.

And then tell my husband.

The END.

"The First Year is the Toughest..." ???

This morning I was checking my good old email at my office, and all my emails from today are time-stamped "14 September 2010". Which, for some reason totally caught me off guard as I realized we (all of humanity) are halfway through September, which means we are practically finished with October which means it is almost November 6th!!

November 6th... Our FIRST anniversary!

Sound the Alarm!

What in the ...!!!

Now, Here's a small confession:

This rapidly approaching day *almost* makes me sad! Time is flying way too fast and we are having way too much fun for it to be buzzing right by.

At the same time, having our first year of marriage under our belt and being way way way more in love than we were a year ago is quite a feat.

Definitely cause for celebration.

Which, since I am taking it upon myself to plan, we will.

Now, to all of you people who told us things like,

"Your first year of marriage is the hardest"

or

"Watch out- things are gonna change"

I'd like to say

"Boo on You."

All of you dark clouds trying to rain on our love parade

have another thing coming.

Our first year of marriage has been

W-O-N-D-E-R-F-U-L.

In fact, I would be happy to live in this year forever,

although we DO listen to the people who have said

"It gets better every year."

Marriage to me is the most exciting, humbling, inspiring, comforting adventure one can go on in life. To have a constant companion to walk through life with, a person to fight all your battles with, a forever confidante, one who brings out the best in you and tells you "You can do anything in the world!"... what a gift.

People say Marriage isn't for everyone and I'd like to know why not!

When thinking back on our first year, I've figured out why people do think the first year of marriage is tough. It's because your spouse's presence in your daily life reveals all of the areas in which you are selfish- self-preserving, self-centered, self-seeking, self self self self, etc.

Your life is not about YOU anymore, the way it is when you are single and only answer to yourself. A lot does change when your life is joined to another. Your schedule, your meal times and free time, your time commitments, your priorities, your budget.

But those things don't harm a relationship unless people are unwilling to negotiate and talk it out.

Our marriage counselors told us to "define a win for both of us" when we come to an area where we need to find balance.

Any fight we've had this year has forced me to ask myself, "Are you being selfish and unwilling to budge here?" Oops- the answer is always yes.

Now, I gotta go put together a wish lists of proper anniversary gifts to give the Mister a few ideas on how to WOW me on November 6th. Don't worry, I will post that too!

Your marriage vet,

CPK

Yo fro-yo!

I've deemed this past summer, "The Summer of Fro-Yo" because our city has had about 25 different Frozen Yogurt joints pop up out of the woodwork! Not that I'm complaining- because I LOVE a good frozen delight, expecially when people say it's low-calorie! Now, I'm not sure if that is even true or not- but I'm not concerned enough to actually go to caloriecount.com about it. I'll just continue eating it as my daily dairy in the food pyramid.

This picture captures a recent dinner Mr. King & I had at Orange Leaf.

MMMM!

Now, for you adventurous types- I've found a delightful treat that we need to try ASAP!

1. Key Lime Bars, from myrecipes.com

Prep: 5 min., Freeze: 30 min. Serve with fresh raspberries or blackberries, pressed between graham crackers or gingersnaps, or on its own for a tangy treat.

Yield: Makes 12 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 1 (32-ounce) container whole milk French vanilla yogurt
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup Key lime juice

Preparation

Whisk together all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Pour mixture into the freezer container of a 1 1/2-quart electric ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions. (Instructions and times will vary.) Cover and freeze until desired firmness.

A very good year

It's a VERY good year to be a shoe in the J Crew catalog.

They have some real beauties!

I've made a list of all the pairs I NEED,

and a separate pair of ones I just WANT.

We'll see what the Mister says...

1.

These would be perfect with tights and a cute dress on a date night, or boyfriend jeans and a scarf at a football game!

2.

Are these not flossy? I would wear these when I go to all the holiday parties that are bound to be thrown! The color is perfect to wear with everything.

3.

Now these would really get their usage in. These are perfect for Saturday brunch with leggings and a tunic, plane rides and walking around the pumpkin patch.

Now that I've come up with some very persuasive reasoning, let me see what you-know-who says!

September Sessions

Things I am currently wondering about:

1. Why I've given a thumbs-down to the same song on Pandora three times, and yet it just started again?

2. Why it took me so long to buckle down and listen to Broken Bells. I LOVE them.

3. If Mr. King has watched a single solitary TV show while he is out of the country without his doting wife. His doting wife who is addicted to reality TV, and it drives him a little bonkerosity. He is probably loving the much-needed break from the drama I bring through our Tube. I would be overseas too, but I just couldn't miss the finale of Top Chef. (ok, i wasn't invited. WHATEVER)

4. How my sister and Motha have both received J Crew's new catalog, and it has yet to appear on my doorstep?? so wrong in so many ways.

5. How it has taken me a year and 8 months to memorize Romans 8, my favorite chapter in the Good Book. Oh, and I am only half-way through. Seriously, I made good grades in college. Did I never have to use memory?

6. What new halloween candy will make its debut this season?

7. How has it been 3:04 pm for the last three hours?

8. What is Lady Gaga doing? (Can I even type it right now?)

9. Why am I not drinking a latte?

10. When is Mr. King surprising me with a European getaway? (You know, the one I have already planned from start to finish, with maps and all!)

Baby Fever!

Now don't go getting any ideas! No kids for the Kings for years. YEARS. but....

I'm surrounded by the most adorable precious babies. Really.

Everywhere I look.

If I were the suspicious type, I would think they were all conspiring against me and Mr. King, to get us to change our life plan!

And we're sticking to our guns alright.

We love being married and we love sleeping at night!

It's nice to come and go as we please, skipping town for the weekend if we choose to.

We are in no rush to change that.

But that doesn't keep me from daydreaming about the future King nurseries.

We don't even have a HOUSE for a nursery!

But if we did, and we were expecting-

Aren't these the sweetest?

and like I said. We have a plan. We're stickin to it! These are just ideas for other people....

What Happened in Vegas..

Ok, well here's what happened: Our feet fell right off!

Because the Kings got over-zealous on the Strip and walked approx. 58 miles a day in order to take in every sight. Bad planning, but quite a feat in our own eyes. And we really did cram so much into our 3-day weekend. Next time, we'll hit the spa and a few more shows. This time, it was our goal to see every resort- and we almost did!

A few MUSTs for all you that are hoping to elope there sometime in the next year.

1. LOVE by Cirque- at the Mirage. The absolutely best show of all times. Seeing as to how we already are major Beatles fans, we sang along the whole time. But even if you aren't, you'll still be dazzled by the whole thing. It's that Fab.

2. Visiting the Venetian!

It is magical at any time of day- Please partake of the cheesy touristy Gondola Ride-

When in Rome! or.. Venice! It's all part of the experience.

This is us eating dinner inside the main square & riding along the canals.

3. Forum Shoppes!

This is the best thing about Ceasar's Palace-

if you are in to high-end window shopping, gelato, amazing scenery and huge portions of Italian,

Which- I am!

4. BELLAGIO- for the Brunch and the Fountain Show! Both of these were two of our favorite moments of the trip.

not pictured: My NEW LOUIS!, New York New York, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Paris, Trump Tower, The Wynn, Monte Carlo, Palazzo, Tropicana, Luxor, Treasure Island, and the 1110000000 pounds of food we consumed.

My, how the time passes!

Dear friends and family,

Once again I am coming to you with my head down,

offering my apologies for waiting a few months to update you on my

*extremely a-little-bit exciting life*...

But, hey hey- I'm back again.

And this time...

Well, no promises. But Here I am!

Anyway- Much to say, considering it's been

6 MONTHS.

So here's the long and short of it.

1. The King and I are positively experts at the ripe married age of 10 months- Happy and Getting better at boring things like active listening everyday. ("What I'm hearing you say is ______..")

2. Our dearest Niecey girl is 6 months old now, and is a different sort of "Mrs." everyday. Currently, Mrs. Eyelashes, Mrs. Biggey Bigs, Mrs. Summy (Thumb-y.. She loves that thumb!).. and any other Mrs. name you can come up with to describe Chubby, Sassy Perfection.

3. Mr. King had a job change and is on the other side of the world right now as I type. Don't worry, he's coming back in 3 days and 7 hours.

4. We DID get to take our Vegas Vacay, and my love surprised me with my first (wink!) Louis Bag to date. I've now had it for over 4 months and I have yet to spill a lip gloss or a smuggled Starbucks-into-a-movie inside my bag on its divine red suede!

5. We had a delicious Summer, but the weather's getting sweeter and it's about to be FALL!

Here come a few more posts- You're WELCOME!