10 Fun Facts about Australia

Top of the morning to ya! 

Well, I've been here for about 12 days now, and I've learned quite a lot about this Australian way of life. Sadly most things have been learned the hard way, but alas, they've been learned. 

 

That being said, I thought it might be fun to share with y'all.... 

 

(taps pointer against chalkboard)
 
Let's begin!

1 - All things opposite. I know it's common knowledge that the driver is on the opposite side of the car and the cars drive on the opposite sides of the road, but you never realize how many other things in life follow the left. vs. right situation until you have to live in it. For example, I've tried to go down the 'up' escalator so many times - simply because it's on the wrong other side than what I'm used to. 

Let's just say I look both ways approximately 14 times each before crossing the road. #carsbecomingouttanowhere

2 - Australia is a lot healthier than America. Work catered in lunch one day last week and it was wraps and salads with a side of fruit and juice/water to drink. No soft drinks, no potato chips - just healthy options. I mean yes, they do have things such as ice cream and other desserts (and I'm making it my mission to find them all), but with healthier options, no artificial sweeteners, and smaller portion sizes, they just seem to be healthier.

3 - Speaking of food - Aussies (pronounced "ozzies") are absolute foodies. Several locals have told me the only thing to do here is eat (not true, but you get the point) and every single person I've met so far has a running list of restaurants they want to try. One person had over 600 restaurants on her list. Food is no joke here. Which is understandable as so far everything I've eaten is downright amazing.

 Lombardo Pizza @ Maybe Frank

4. Public transportation here is AMAZING, and once you get an Opal card (basically a prepaid travel card), you can use any form of transportation (light rail, bus, train, ferry) - all with the same card. The even better part? Every week, after 8 paid trips, the rest of your trips are free! So my commute to work Monday through Thursday basically gets me free travel on the weekend! I have no idea why this is, but I don't really care. It's awesome. 

5. If you read about my trip to Taronga Zoo then you already know this one, but it's illegal to touch or hold a koala in the city of Sydney. Which is quite depressing for many tourists. You can travel to other cities (Brisbane, Adelaide, etc.) and hold them though. Which is obviously on my list. 

Your koala can also touch (and smell) you - that doesn't appear to be illegal. :)

6. Trash cans Rubbish bins are few and far between. And you never realize how often you need a trash can (and how readily available they are in the US) until you suddenly don't have one.

7. Aussies are total coffee snobs. And I fully support it. They have magical coffee beans here. I always put sweetener in my coffee and I have had a million cups without it so far. And I don't even miss it. Starbucks apparently tried to infiltrate the continent back in 2008 with over 100 stores, and you know how many are left? 3. {T.h.r.e.e.}
Sorry Starbys, you just didn't make the cut. 

Flat White @ Reuben Hills


8. While the winter is quite mild (think 65 degrees), weather is just about as unpredictable as Texas. One morning I left my apartment in rainboots, a scarf, and an umbrella, and by the time I got home I had stripped down to a tank top and pulled out my sunglasses. It actually made me smile. I kinda miss those Texas weather mood swings :)

9. Hungry Jack's is the Australian version of Burger King. I was passing a train station the other day, saw this logo, and thought man that looks familiar. Then I asked about it and apparently when the Burger King franchise came over to Australia, that name was already taken. So they took the exact same restaurant - menu and everything - and called it Hungry Jack's.

 
10. How do you speak the lingo?
Abbreviate. Everything.
And 95% of the time you just add an "o" or a "y" at the end of it. 

Uni - University
Brekky - Breakfast
Prezzie - Present
Mozzie - Mosquito

Arvo - Afternoon
Avo - Avocado
Bizzo - Business
Garbo - Garbage

You get the idea :)

And there are your first 10 facts! I say "first" because I've already started a running list of more. There's just too much to share on this side of the planet! 

Y'all have a great Tuesday, I'm gonna go ahead and get started on Wednesday. Of like next week. :)

Until next time,
Katy

 
 

Taronga Zoo

After a week of being in Australia, I decided it was time to see some animals. 

Fun, or not so fun, fact about Sydney: they don't let you touch/hold koalas in the city. It's against the law. It, and I quote, "stresses them out." The silver lining is that you can hold them in other cities (Brisbane, Adelaide, etc.)., and I have lots of animal quality time set up in those cities after I finish working.

....but that's not for a whole 'nother month. 

So, on Saturday morning, I decided to catch the ferry to Taronga Zoo - the closest zoo to the city. For those wondering, this is not Steve Irwin's zoo. That zoo is actually in Brisbane, and Jeff and I have plans to go there one of the weekends he's in town. But in all honesty I'll probably be walking around trying to take pictures with Bindi rather than animals... #iwanttohugher

I was told it's a beautiful zoo (as in a common wedding venue), the ferry ride gave great views of the city, and that the "giraffe encounter" was a great experience (I'll explain later). Good enough for me! I hopped over to Circular Quay, grabbed some coffee, and jumped on the ferry. 

I will note that as we approached the zoo, several of us thought it looked quite similar to those poor folk who took the ferry to Jurassic Park. Separate island...lots of trees...gondalas - one guy even started humming the theme song. 

But alas, there were no dinosaurs in sight, and after about a 15-minute boat ride - we made it!

I bought my entry ticket at the wharf, so once I got off the ferry I got in line to take a gondola ride up to the top of the park! The park is basically on the side of a big hill, so this way you just work your way down the zoo back to the ferry.

I looked behind me on the ride and this was my view. Not too shabby :)

Immediately after making it to the top, I went to book my "giraffe encounter." The zoo has a couple of "animal encounters" that let you go one by one into the animals habitat, hang out with them, and a photographer takes your picture with them. For the giraffe one, you walk in with a handful of carrots. Apparently the giraffes get all up in your personal space with their long black tongues and it's a grand ole time. 

Unfortunately for me, it's such a grand ole time that it was sold out when I got there. Wamp wamp. It turns out the only encounters still open were the koalas and the owls. I heard the koala encounter was nothing special since you can't touch or hold them, so basically you just take a picture standing next to the tree they're in. BUT - I had come all that way and birds freak me out (no way I was holding an owl), so I just decided to do the koala one. (Kristie - we may have to attempt the giraffe encounter when you get here!)

Not gonna lie - I was pretty bummed. BUT, I decided to not let it ruin my day, and just prayed that God would give me a good picture with a koala. 

No seriously. I really prayed that.

 In the meantime, I wandered around the beautiful grounds of the park. This zoo is b.e.a.u.tiful. You feel like you're in paradise the majority of the time. Plus, it has a "wild ropes" obstacle course so many times people are climbing ropes above your head like a buncha human monkeys :)

And then every now and then you'll turn a corner and see a glimpse of the city through the trees. Which still, after a week, makes me smile at the sight. :)

 After about 45-minutes of looking at animals, it was time for my koala encounter.You go in by groups (so if you came with 4 people, you could go in with four people), but as it was just me in my group, I got to do a solo. 

As I was walking in, I heard the keepers talking about how she (koala) was being really shy today and I thought 'great - this is going to be a bust.' So I went in, took the picture next to the tree, and then a keeper asked if I wanted a couple of pictures on my phone. So I said sure, gave her my phone, and resumed my position by the tree.

After a few seconds I begin to hear sniffing, and then feel a claw on my head. The keeper slightly panics, but luckily still keeps taking shots, because I have a nice little picture progression of how I met my sweet koala friend named Wattle. 

Starting top left, clockwise: 1) normal, 2) intrigued, 3) reaching, 4) petting, 5) sniffing, 6) a koala thumbs up and a smile. She likes me!

When the keeper gives me my phone back, I turn around and try to get some shots myself. Well, thanks to Pantene Pro-V, Wattle was quite intrigued and shimmied down her tree to get a closer look. And by closer I mean she had both her hands on my forearms and I got quite some close-ups of Wattle girl. 

"You come here to me"

"Gimme that phone"

Both hands on my arms (told you she got close...)

Then her keepers chastised her. This is her reprimanded pose.

And her "I will rise above this" pose. She was quite the prima donna. 

So at this point, I'm on cloud nine. The keepers said they've never see a koala latch to a visitor, and while it's illegal for me to touch her, the law doesn't say she can't touch me :) 

When I turned to leave (had to let the next group get a turn), I hear the keepers laugh so I quickly turned around. Sweet Wattle girl was following me!

Isn't she just the sweetest? I still am excited to hold a koala, but for an encounter that wasn't supposed to be all that great - mine turned out pretty fantastic. I love that God doesn't have to prioritize prayers. Because of all the prayers prayed that day, I just have a feeling cute koala pictures wouldn't have made the top ten. But He still made it happen. :)

At this point, I didn't really care what else happened. Looking at animals behind a railing just didn't quite have the same experience. :) Before the seal show, I decided to grab lunch at a restaurant called "The View," and when I got there I quickly understood why....

Hellooooo Sydney.

Also notable: in Texas, our zoos serve hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken tenders. In Australian zoos, your only options are grilled fish, fried fish, and squid. :)

The seal show was pretty amazing. Seals "walking" on dry land just makes me laugh. The Taronga Zoo is a rehabilitation zoo (think Finding Dory for those of you that have seen it), so all of the seals were rescued from beaches and "in rehab" here. So the show allowed you to see newbies in training all the way to the most experienced/healthy seal.

I looked around for a bit more, and tried not to buy a thousand stuffed animals for my niece and nephew. And in all honesty, I really wanted to buy myself a stuffed koala and name her Wattle... #kidatheart

One more shot with the view before I headed home... with a selfie stick.

Oh and then I was leaving and saw a giant stuffed koala and naturally had a random human take a picture of me on it. Though now that I look at it, this koala is quite creepy looking.

Ferry ride home! I have about ten thousand different pictures of this skyline on my phone. It just doesn't get old. 

And then - like any normal person would do - I treated myself to a job well done. I'm so glad ice cream doesn't have calories over here....

<<crickets>>

And that was my trip to Taronga Zoo! I miss Wattle already. 

Have a great weekend!

Until next time,
Katy

The Aussie Has Landed!

Okay. So maybe after only 24 hours here I'm not technically an Aussie. But the fact that I did survive a 17-hour flight and day one certainly stands for something! 

It's currently 7:30 a.m. on Saturday (so right now y'all should be determining where you'll be eating Friday night dinner in Texas), and I'm sipping a cappuccino and watching the sunrise over the city skyline in my apartment. So I decided it was prime blogging time!

Oh goodness. So many things to share. 

Let's just start from the beginning. 

Thanks (undoubtedly) to your prayers, the flight was a piece of cake. No joke. Like from the second I walked into the DFW airport it was like God said "I got this." 

Considering international planes carry 450 people, I was prepared for long check-in lines, long security lines, enhanced security scrutiny, etc. Jeff and I walked in and there was no security line and no check in line. It was quite easy and welcoming. Then the ticket agent told me there was no one in the middle seat next to me (I was in a window) and I all but jumped over the counter to hug the man's neck. 

Security was a breeze, and the agents were so nice and accommodating. The bright red rainboots I was wearing (...they were too big to pack) struck up a conversation starter and we had the nicest time. Then I decided to see if my airline status could get me into the Admirals Club, and while I was fully prepared to get rejected (I was wearing red rainboots, remember?), the nice lady told me to go on in and enjoy myself! So many wins. 

The flight itself was pretty simple. I watched Brothers & Sisters for a couple hours, they fed us dinner (yes, at midnight Dallas time), I went to sleep for 9 hours, I watched 4 more episodes of Brothers & Sisters, I ate breakfast, watched 2 more episodes, and I landed! My two recommendations for long-haul flights are as follows: 1) be really into a TV series you can binge watch, and 2) take a sleeping pill :)

I got through customs, found my driver, and got to my apartment by 8 a.m. My driver told me that Taylor Swift was landing at the Sydney airport around that time, and that the paparazzi was expected to be a nightmare. I'm just glad they didn't pull out the paps for me because after 22 hours of travel, I was not looking my best... 

And yes, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, and myself are all in Sydney right now. This city has some serious celebrity status at the moment. :)

Friday was a day of both excitement and frustration. When I walked into my apartment and put my bags down, I literally said "now what?" I had no agenda. I can't tell you the last time I didn't have an agenda. 

Coffee. 

That's what I decided was the first thing on my list. I left my bags in the middle of the living room and went to explore my neighborhood. Fun fact: Australian coffee is magical. And they don't do the whole "artificial sweetener" thing so looks like I'm going to wean myself off that real quick. I was sipping my coffee through the to-go take-away lid and tasted what could only be explained as chocolate-fairy dust. So I opened the lid and this was what I found: 

Isn't that amazing? So yes, the first picture I took in Australia is of coffee. And my infamous bright red rainboots. 

This is when things started to turn a bit frustrating. There's just something inherently frustrating about unfamiliarity. I had no map, no correct currency, no phone, and no idea what was "American" vs. "world-wide." For instance, I was trying to explain to the nice mom-n-pop shop clerk that I need hangers and she had zero idea what I was talking about. Like I got to the point where I took off my jacket and acted like I was hanging it in a closet and still...nothing. 

BUT - I decided to keep putting one foot in front of the other and just keep going. #justkeepswimming Then before I knew it, I turned the corner and BOOM. I found it. The Kroger-equivalent of Australia. And all was right in my world. With that new-found discovery came confidence, and with that confidence I got correct currency, an opal card (for public transportation), and a giant container of body wash.

I went home, showered (best.shower.ever), and began the nesting process. My little apartment has a bedroom, bathroom/laundry room combo, kitchen and living room. And this is my view. Hello downtown Sydney. 

After doing some settling-in, I tried to figure out the phone situation (still a work-in-progress, can't quite figure it out) and gave up. After being awake for so long, I wasn't the sharpest of tacks. I'll try again today. I then reached out to my friend Angel (she was the office manager at my dad's office when I worked there a couple summers in college) to meet up with her for the rest of the day. I took what felt like 37 different trains and then arrived in Olympic Park for the last night of the 2016 Hillsong conference.  

What better way to spend your first night in Australia than a Jesus-conference with 20,000 others?

It was one of the coolest things I've experienced. And you know what was especially amazing? When Brian Houston came out and prayed for Dallas in light of the tragedies that hit earlier that day. Australians are good people. 

After the conference, it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. I had been up for 37-billion hours and fought the good fight against jet-lag. I was so proud of myself for making it to 10:30p and just knew I had successfully switched over to Australian time. 

...until I woke up at 4:30 this morning. Sigh. Adjustment still in progress. 

So yeah, you may have been expecting pictures of kangaroos, beaches, the opera house, etc., but this weekend I'm still getting familiar. I have small goals: figure out the phone situation, learn how to work the trains, get familiar with my neighborhood, and put groceries in my kitchen. 

Then I'll work on the touristy things. :) 

Love and miss you all!

Until next time,
Katy

Prayers for Australia

 Good morning! I don't know about y'all, but I had one heck of a 4-day weekend. My original lake plans didn't pan out (65 degrees and 100% chance of rain all weekend), so I was originally pretty bummed, but things turned out quite alright. 

My weekend was filled with a surprise Bon Voyage party (complete with a cake resembling the Australian flag), extreme pool time, several BBQs, family, friends, fireworks, and homemade ice cream. That is one heck of a way to prep for a temporary hiatus from America. 

Then I woke up this morning and this happened. 

Sweet mother of wallabies. I leave for Australia tomorrow. 

As I'm scrambling to cross to-dos off lists, throw clothes in suitcases, and give hugs that are tight enough to last for two months, I also want to take a step back and realize what I'm doing here. I'm going to live on the other side of the world, essentially by myself, for two months. Several people have asked me if I'm nervous, and I'm really not. I'm honestly just excited. 

I see the next couple months as a blank canvas. God can write a whole new chapter of my story. New chapter. Blank pages. No words yet. 

So with that amazing and overwhelming opportunity comes several prayer requests. So if/when you think of me over the next couple months and wondering how I'm doing, feel free to offer up a few prayer requests as well :) 

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Prayers for the Flight

I'm not an idiot. 17 hours is a long time on a plane. Pray for my sanity (not kidding), my eye (sometimes it's finicky on planes due to cabin pressure), and for a safe and uneventful flight. And if you also happen to pray that the person next to me is not a small screaming child, that would also be much appreciated :) 

Prayers for my Eye

Right now I basically see an eye doctor every other month, and even so, I never feel anxious knowing one is always a quick drive away. So the fact that I'm flying far far away and won't have my doctors at my fingertips does make me a little nervous. Y'all, I'm praying for zero eye problems while I'm over there. No pain. No issues. I've had to "bend" to the needs of this eye several times in my life and I'm just really praying that I can just be me on this venture. 

Now, I have done my due diligence and my Dallas doctor does have an Australian doctor on standby if need be, but I'm praying I won't need him :)

Prayers for Safety

I mean, I've seen my fair share of Lifetime movies. I know creepy not-cool things can happen to people. I also know not to walk in dark alleys at night by myself. I've been told Australia is a pretty safe continent, but if you could support my mom and sister in prayers for my safety (and peace of mind) that'd be great!

Prayers for the TRIP OF A LIFETIME

I am praying that God rocks my world on this trip. I'm currently in a "where is my life going?" "what's my purpose?" "what do you want me to do with my life?" phase right now (it happens, we all go through it), and I'm really praying that God shows me something. I have a slightly busy jam-packed life here in the USofA, so sometimes I really struggle at the "be still and know" part. My spiritual life could use some TLC. So I'm praying for a spiritual spa treatment :) 

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So those are my prayers. And I would truly be honored if you'd join me in them. I will still be blogging about my adventures and will likely post more pictures (of animals) on social media than you care to see. And I'll also likely be quite snapchatty. 

You can follow me:

 on Facebook here

on Instagram here

on Twitter here

Snapchat handle: katy688

See? So many ways to Keep up with Katy. 

My blog title has never felt more appropriate. :)

Until next time,
so AUSSIE TIME,
Katy

What's Up Wednesday

It's the June edition of What's Up Wednesday.
Which means June is almost over.
Which means 2016 is half over. 

How on earth have we already been through half the year!? I promise these years get faster and faster. 

Okay, so let's see what's up. 

What I'm Eating This Month

Well, this month was birthday month. And birthday month means I let my healthy guard down. Birthday month means lots of ice cream. And while you may think Blue Bell, this birthday month appeared to be "sponsored" by Baskin Robbins. Who woulda thought? You can read all about said birthday eating here. 

There was also that weekend in Mississippi where I ate a whole lotta southern cooking...

What I'm Excited About

One. Week. From. Today.
I'll be moving to Australia for nine weeks. 

So what am I excited about? Nuff said.

What I'm Reminiscing About

Since I'll be on another continent for two months, I'm reminiscing about all the family/friend time I've soaked up this month - and there's been a lot of it! I took a Father's Day trip to St. Louis with my dad, spent my birthday brunching and playing with my mom, spent a weekend (eating) in Mississippi with my grandmama, and then last weekend I spent some time with my sister, niece, and nephew at the waterpark :)

And the pup snuggles. Oh the pup snuggles. There has been a serious amount of pup snuggles.

I'm really going to miss my family when I'm over there. It makes my heart sad to think about it.
So I'm just not going to.

What I'm Dreading

This is where I would likely put that I'm dreading my impending 17-hour flight next week, but I'm viewing it as a mental game. Mind over matter. So we can't let my mind know I'm dreading it. Promise you'll keep my secret :)

What I'm Working On

Getting all my ducks in a row. Last week I did a lot of this:

...and then last weekend I did a lot of this:

And so this week I'm doing things like pharmacy runs, packing, dry-cleaning runs, etc.
There are just so many little things to do! Every time I cross something off my list I think of something to add!

What I'm Watching/Reading

If you were here last Friday, you know I've been binge watching one of my favorite TV shows:

I'm seriously obsessed with this show. Like have dreams about this show. Please call my Katy Walker. 

And as far as what I've been reading, you can check out my June Book review here!

What I'm Doing This Weekend

This weekend Kelsey and I are making one last roommate trip to the lake for July 4th! It's a yearly ritual for us, and since she'll be living in Charleston when I move home from Australia, it's like our last "hoorah!"

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

Go follow "Australia" on instagram. I did that yesterday and haven't been able to stop smiling since. 

Looking forward to it is an understatement. 

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And that's what's up! 

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Katy

Trim Down Tuesday: Veggietales

Today we're talking Veggietales. 

But not the "Larry the Cucumber" kind. 

This past weekend I made some pretty unfortunate eating decisions (wamp wamp), and decided that by Sunday night, all I needed was a hearty dose of veggies. 

Now, normally I'm not a "veggie a la carte" girl. I'm more of a meat + veggie + starch/carb kinda girl. You know, based on the food pyramid you learned in 2nd grade. Eating a plate full of veggies as a meal just never really crossed my mind. My Shape magazines tell me that all the skinny people we see on TV (Jennifer, Carrie, Kate, etc.) do this often. So I decided to channel my inner skinny girl (she was on Mars) and give it a go. 

The result? This masterpiece.

What are you looking at? You're looking at sauteed garlic mushrooms on a bed of steamed kale/spinach, roasted butternut squash, and roasted colorful carrots. Yes, people. Orange, yellow, and purple carrots. Lisa introduced me to these puppies the other week, and when I saw them in Trader Joe's, I decided to give them a try. 

Here's another thing: this entire meal was seasoned with nothing but olive oil, salt, and pepper, but it was beyond flavorful and delicious. Like the "eat a little more when you're packing up the leftovers" kind of delicious. And it's easy, too!

What You'll Need:

Organic Colorful Carrots (I use TJs)
Butternut Squash, cubed
Mushrooms
Some type of leafy green (I used a spinach/kale/chard combo)

Garlic, salt, and pepper to taste

What You'll Do:

Carrots: Cut the end off the carrots, cut into halves or thirds (to make the carrots about 3-in long), and then halve each of those carrots lengthwise. Place on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. 

Butternut Squash: Since cutting raw butternut squash is about as easy as doing a back-flip on a balance beam, I buy the Trader Joe's pre-cubed butternut squash. Bless the person who thought of that. Once the squash is cubed, just place on a cookie sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes. 

Note: I roasted the carrots and squash together - easy peasy!

Mushrooms: In a medium skillet, saute olive oil and garlic clove. Mix in sliced mushrooms and stir until cooked. 

Greens: Place fresh greens in a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds, 3 times, stirring in between. 

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And that's it! A delicious, easy, and extremely healthy meal. All kinds of wins. 

Even if you're a meat-eater, give it a try. You won't be disappointed! And you might even put it in your regular routine. Never know until you try :)

AND - to see other Trim Down Tuesday recipes, click here. 

Have a great Tuesday!

Until next time,
Katy

Friday Favorites

FRIDAY!

In my past Friday favorites, I usually comment on how the weekdays drag on and on....but lately? Lately these weeks have been fuh-lying by. I mean, I leave for Australia in 12 days. T.w.e.l.v.e.

It's kind of funny when people ask me if I'm ready. 

Define "ready."

Emotionally? I mean yes I'm pretty excited.
Physically? Yes, so over the heat. Gimme all the 60 degrees.
Actually? No. Not packed, not prepared, and the to-do list is still quite long. 

Bless my heart.

Anywho - I'm just taking one day at a time. And today? Today we're talking favorites. 

Let's begin!

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1 - Trader Joe's Coconut Milk Ice Cream

via

I feel like for as many little gems I find at TJs, I should probably just do a themed "Friday Favorites of Trader Joe's" post. This is my latest find (thank you, Mercedes) and it is amazing. Now, I'm not naive. I know replacing dairy milk with coconut milk doesn't mean it's healthy, but for those of you who are trying to limit your dairy intake - I promise this tastes fantastic. I'm not saying it's better than Blue Bell (my loyalty goes back to birth), but I'd pick up a carton or six of this. It comes in both chocolate and strawberry. I've only tried the chocolate, but I'm sure the strawberry is delicious too!

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2 - Brothers and Sisters

I love binge watching TV. Not that it's new news around here, but I just needed to reiterate. Kelsey and I started (re)watching Brothers and Sisters from the beginning last week, and our scheduled "roommate" nights before I leave primarily consist of watching 5+ episodes of this show. No, really. The night before my birthday we watched until 2:30 in the morning. 

I thought long and hard about what TV show I wanted to put on my {30} Before Thirty list, and I have zero regrets about choosing this one. If you are a Parenthood watcher, you need this show. It's dramatic, funny, and makes you want to be a part of their family. Or have 5 children. One of the two. 

And I love Sally Field. She is just a gem.

I'm actually considering buying an iPad just to be able to continue my binge watching on the plane :)

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3 - Favorite Quote

Kristie sent this to me yesterday and I yelled "preach!" outloud and told her this was most definitely going to be a favorite today. What I would give for an hour of sweatpant yoga. 

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4 - Kendra Scott "Scottie" Choker

...I promise this blog is not sponsored by Kendra Scott. Though it totally should be now that I think about it. Anyways, since it's birthday month, my mom and I went into KS to do a little perusing of what I might want my 50% birthday month discount on. And after much deliberation, we decided on the Scottie choker. It's much different from your "token Kendra" items, and I'm kind of in love. 

It's gold with tiny little cubic zirconia stones in the middle. And my favorite part? It's adjustable. You can make it a true choker or a longer necklace. And if you make it a choker, the pretty adjustable chain hangs down your back. I wore it to my birthday dinner with Jeff and made him take pictures for y'all! 

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5 - "Thy Will" by Hillary Scott

This song tugs at my heart strings. If you're going through anything...and I mean anything, this song will speak to your soul. Hillary Scott is the female singer in Lady Antebellum but she rocks this solo song, too. She (and her hubs) wrote this song after going through a miscarriage last fall. And quite frankly, the words are raw enough to where you just know they're coming from someplace real. I love those song. Give it a listen, you won't be sorry!

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And there are this week's favorite five! I hope you have such a wonderful weekend!

Until next time,
Katy