Weekend Wrap Up: Games 4 and 5

Well, I'm coming to you this morning happy, grateful, and completely exhausted. :)

This past weekend my dad and I made a quick 48-hour jaunt to California to catch the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics in a couple home games. If you're new around here, last June I made a {30} Before Thirty list. Thirty things I want to accomplish before I turn thirty (in June 2018). You can see the complete list here.

One day last spring, I was at my parents house and we were watching baseball on TV. I asked my dad how many different stadiums he had been to, and he mentioned how he always wanted to take a "tour" of the various out of state stadiums and catch home games in each. I thought that sounded like a great father/daughter/hot dog opportunity so I added it to my list! We thought 10 games were doable before June 2018, so that's our goal!

This past weekend were games 4 and 5 - so I'd say we're making good progress!

{See Game 1 Recap here}

{See Games 2 and 3 Recap here}

Game 4

We left DFW around lunchtime on Saturday and landed into the Golden State a little after lunchtime (perks of a two hour time difference). Only after taking a pre-flight "here I go on a trip" selfie. #itstradition

Once we landed, we mastered the BART (SF's public transportation system), and headed to the hotel to settle in. We stayed in the Union Square area as it was less than 2 miles west of the ballpark, and less than two miles south of Fisherman's Wharf. With a little over an hour until game time, we grabbed a snack, "piddled," and began our walk to the park. 

The corner of union square. Dad took this exact picture of me (minus the Giant's hat) back in 2009 when we came to San Fran, so we had to recreate :)

I ordered my Giants hat back in Texas, but my dad picked up one on the way to the game. We are now officially ready for the first pitch!

The walks to the ballpark are always very interesting - mainly due to where the ballpark is located. Since this ballpark was in the city, right along the bay, we had lots of SF friends join us on our walk :)

But we made it! 

Hey there Willie Mays. 

Palm trees are a California must and all - but it was very difficult to get a picture where you could see the AT&T park entrance. This is the best I got (without getting pummeled by Giants fans).

We headed to our seats and this was our view. 

Isn't that just amazing? The pictures don't do it justice, but it gives you an idea. When deliberating ballparks to visit, this one was my request. The bay as a backdrop to a baseball stadium was a must see. At one point during the game I looked over to my right and saw kayaks, sailboats, and seagulls. That's just not a normal "add-on" to a baseball game - and I loved it!

Another fun fact - I was absolutely freezing. Our seats were in the shade and between the lack of sun and the wind - I was shivering. So, I broke down and went to the gift store and bought some warmth. The hoodies were all $100 (yeah, no thanks), so I settled on a scarf. Yes. I now have an orange plaid SF Giants scarf if anyone ever finds themselves in need for one. Desperate times, my friends, desperate times.

 Can't hack the cold.

We cheered on the Giants (though dad admitted he was kind of pulling for the Cubs) to a 5-3 victory against Chicago, ate four hotdogs, and logged Game 4 in the books!

Game 4 - Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants - May 21, 2016

 

 

The game was at 4:15, so afterwards we decided to celebrate at Fisherman's Wharf. We heard the walk along the coast from the park to the wharf was lengthy, but beautiful, so we decided to give that route a try. And while we walked so far my feet almost fell off, and dad thought they moved the Wharf to a different city, it was beautiful indeed!

 No but seriously. We logged over 20,000 steps that day.

Which I guess was a good thing....because this was our next destination.

That's right. We Ghiradellied. 

We also came here back in 2009 on our trip, and it was so delicious we decided to do it again. If you're in the San Fran area, you must add the Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory to your list! Worth every calorie! (and there are plenty of calories to go around....)

I got a Nob Hill Chill (vanilla ice cream blended with fudge and chocolate chips), and my dad got a mint chocolate ice cream brownie thing (basically a tall glass of goodness). 

We ate until we couldn't eat no-mo, and decided to call it a night. 

Game 5

The Oakland game wasn't until 1:10, so we woke up Sunday morning and set out to get a big breakfast. We ate at Sears Fine Food - which opened in 1938 and is famous for their pancakes. My dad knew about it because he and my mom ate there on their first trip to San Francisco over 30 years ago! (everybody "aw" with me - ready? "Awwwwww!)  :)

I generally am an eggs and bacon girl for breakfast, but if you say you're known for your pancakes - I'm going to go for the pancakes. 

And after breakfast I had me a DJ Tanner moment. 

"Whatever happened to predictability...." 

 We piddled some more around the Union Square area before heading over to Oakland for the game. 

Now - hear this. I admittedly was not overly excited for the A's game. I knew their stadium wasn't as nice, they weren't a big name in baseball - I just wasn't as excited. 

UNTIL - I watched Moneyball on the plane ride over to California. I actually had no idea the movie was about the Oakland A's until I started watching it. All I knew is it was free and had Brad Pitt in it, so it was good enough for me. 

Then I fell in love with Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics. I'm a sucker for the underdog, and this team is an underdog. But they make a comparable baseball team with about half the payroll of other baseball teams and I just heart them. Which I realize is a problem because they're in the same league as my Texas Rangers but I'm just not going to think about that. 

If you're going to an Oakland game any time soon (Emily) - you have to watch Moneyball before you go! Plus the movie is about math and baseball. Yes, please. 

But yeah the stadium ain't cute. This is about the best picture I got :)

Dad and I both decided it was one of our favorite games. It was just all about the baseball. The game was fast-paced and entertaining (slow pitchers make me want to cuss), and we were in the fly-ball zone so you had to pay attention if you wanted to keep your face intact. 

Game 5 - New York Yankees vs. Oakland A's  - May 22, 2016

We had to leave around the 6th inning to head to the airport, but unfortunately found out later that the A's didn't come through for a victory. Wamp wamp. 

All in all it was a fantastic weekend, and the airport goodbyes are the absolute worst part. They make me sad just thinking about them. I love these weekends with my dad. Even if nothing else gets crossed off my list, I know I'll have these games, and that's good enough for me. 

On the way to the airport, we started discussing next year's games. We still have one left this year, but it's never too early to start planning! We realized that we've completed 5 games so far (halfway point!), and 4 out of those 5 games have been in California. So next year we're heading to the east coast :) 

And that's a wrap on our weekend! Now I'm chugging coffee and about to dump-n-repack for my next adventure in a couple of hours. Chicago - here I come!

But first I'll leave you with a couple of game selfies - which dad requested during the games. See why I love this man? :)

Happy Monday everyone!

Until next time,
Katy

 

Peek at the Week

So begins the hustle and bustle :) 

Last month I told you about how I'm making 7 flights in 8 days to four different states. Well - all that begins today. 

...I already miss my bed. 

Here's a little peek at the week leading up to it:

My dog doesn't quite understand this whole blogging thing. He has attention issues. If I blog in front of him he cries and pouts and makes his 85 pound presence quite known. Exhibit A. 

This past weekend I headed down to Austin to celebrate a certain little bachelorette! We didn't take too many pictures (and we signed a confidentiality agreement!), but here's one of us on the boat. 

Unfortunately the bachelorette herself was in the water!

These girls make me laugh :)

After a weekend of a good time and an extremely long drive back to Dallas, I assumed this position beginning at 3:53 p.m. And I didn't get up until the next day. 

By the way - I hate that my pup is getting older, but I love the lazy factor. He used to need countless hours of non-stop play, and now he's good with a quick winkie outside and non-stop cuddles. That I can provide, sweet boy. That I can provide. 

OH - and I watched Eat, Pray, Love on Sunday night. I was getting anxious about the whole "travel in another country" thing so I decided to let Julia Roberts show me how it's done. 

This is my favorite scene :)

Who wants pasta now? 
Who wants to go to Italy now?

I took a picture of this much needed reminder on Monday morning. I bought this a few months ago, but as I knew I was moving, I didn't really think about hanging it. Then, considering I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off, I decided I needed it.

I feel like I should treat it like my Friday Night Lights symbol and hit it on my way out to life everyday :)

On Monday night, my mom asked to do dinner at none other than Sissy's Southern Kitchen! So I met her after work and we got our fried chicken on! #andfriedokra #andmashedpotatoes #anddessert

This place has my favorite banana pudding....in a dad gum mason jar. 

All restaurants should serve their banana pudding in a mason jar. 

Mom got buttermilk pie. Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?! I love my little sweet toothed mama!

Then after dinner, we walked to Trader Joes because 1) I needed a few groceries, and 2) why not walk to a grocery store when it's only three minutes from you?!

I laugh at this picture. She just makes me smile :)

Tuesday at work, my phone went off and this is what I was greeted with. HOW ADORABLE is this baby boy?! I just want to steal squeeze him. And he's so grown up! How is he sitting up already?! He was seriously just born...ish.

Easton Blake - Aunt Katy loves you.

Tuesday night was a huge dose of Australia planning! 

My friend Kristie is going to come travel with me for a couple of weeks after I finish working, so we needed to plan some logistics. I went over to her house after work and this was waiting when I arrived. 

This girl has some serious hostess skills. Even on casual sweatpants nights. Remember the Grease! Live Watch Party? Yep - that was her, too. 

We snacked, chatted, engulfed pizza, and settled in for some research. 

Our planning stations - computers, planners, vino, and Miss Bailey :)

#permissionwasgrantedbeforeIstoodonthecouch

My view getting ready Wednesday morning. Ah, the life of a dog. 

Last night was errands and prep work for all the travel, but I snapped my dad this picture. We are hitting up two more baseball games in California this weekend (as part of my {30} Before Thirty bucket list), and my hats are in and ready to play ball!

You can check back on Monday for the Weekend Wrap-Up :)

And there's a little peek at my week!

Until next time,
Katy

Owning Some Crazy

Morning, folks! 

Grab some coffee and settle on in, cause today we're owning some crazy. 

I did a few of these posts about a year ago, but decided I had a little more crazy in me to share.

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 Word. I mean I'd rather be a Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but you get the point.

Alright - let's get crazy.

_____

You know when you're listening to the radio and the bits come on with the famous people's introductions? Like "this is Miranda Lambert," "hey it's Luke Bryan," "this is Carrie Underwood." Yeah well 99% of the time when I'm in the car alone, I always say "this is Katy Reeves" at the end. Like outloud. Is that weird? Don't you just want to know how you would sound saying your own name on the radio? I've found that I sound like a dodo who doesn't enunciate well. 

I ugly cry every time Rachel gets off the plane. Like I know she will get off the plane. Why does that still affect me? Oh but it does. But I guess I also still laugh at Chandler's jokes even though I've heard them 20+ times. 

Speaking of ugly cry - unless I'm a good solid 5 on the emotional scale - I'm usually crying. Happy? Crying. Sad? Crying. Overwhelmed with emotion of any kind? Crying. Am I proud of it? NO! It's quite an inconvenience. On Idol I used to cry harder than the contestants when they visited their hometowns. I teared up when Eric got into Pennbrooke (yes, I'm referring to Boy Meets World). I just have all the feels. In fact I already feel bad for my future self at my wedding. My ugly cry is going to ruin all my pictures. 

Whenever I need to go to the gym but don't want to - so like 85% of the time - I put on my bathing suit and stand in front of the mirror. 

...it usually gets me to the gym within the next 15 minutes.

I always always always lose the remote in my comforter. Like why are remote controls a neutral color? I need me a neon remote with blinky lights. You know that cool "fast forward through commercials" thing? Yeah - can't much do that when you can't find the blasted remote. #firstworldproblems #justletmebe

I booty dance in the dressing room when I try on clothes. Always have. My mom says she could always tell which room I was in from the feet that were dancing a jig. It doesn't matter what I'm trying on either. Like will I actually be dropping it like it's hot in my pencil skirt for work? Probably not. But my instincts are to make sure I can do the wobble.
Anytime. Anywhere.

When running late for work I've been known to wash the body and then just blow-dry the sweat into my hair and add baby powder. I don't even have children and I can't find time to fully hygiene myself. I'm doomed. PS - ensure your hair is dried completely before adding baby powder or one will create a white..."paste."

Speaking of hair. Once in high school I was out of shampoo, so I ran downstairs before school and borrowed some of my mom's. I started drying my hair - and it would.not.dry. It was like I put waaaay too much coconut oil in my hair or something. So then I go downstairs, complain to my mother, we look at her shampoo, and the genius bought shampoo for women "of" color, rather than women "with" color. I had to miss first and second periods just to get my hair back to normal. 
#shegethercrazyfromhermama

I'm freakishly afraid of the ocean. I haven't even seen the movie Jaws, but even thinking of swimming in the ocean gives me the willies. Like being surrounded by nothing but water and not being able to see sharks until, oh I don't know, they're chewing on your leg!? No. It's not okay. And my pits are sweaty just thinking about it. Jeff wants to visit the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and I'm staying in the boat. What I can see from the comfort of safety will be enough for me, thanks. #sorryboutchanemo #catchyaonthebigscreen

I have a "sleeping position." Like a sure-fire way to fall asleep. If I am slightly restless, I crawl into this position and I'm out within a couple of minutes. I lay on my stomach, push my head into a (man-made) hole between my pillow and the mattress (my bangs look good the next morning), and put my hands above my head on the pillow. I have the ability to fall into the world's deepest REM cycle within 3 minutes of turning my light out. It's my favorite quality about myself. 

_____


There's a little crazy. 

To read Crazy - Round One, click here. 
To read Crazy - Round Two, click here.
To read Crazy - Round Three, click here. 

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Until next time,
Katy

Dear Abby: Volume 1

Remember Dear Abby?

Remember how it still exists? I had no idea. 

For those of you that don't know (how's the shade under that rock?), Dear Abby is an advice column that originated in 1956 and was published by the Universal Press. #thankyouwikipedia

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While I never have actually written to Dear Abby in my 27 years of life, I have often written (unsolicited) advice columns to my surroundings. Always in my head; never (okay, rarely) out loud. 

A couple of weeks ago I decided to jot down my Dear Abby moments and put pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboard. Whatever - I wanted to give them life. Mainly because I honestly think several of you can relate to these moments, so why not get them out in the open?

Also - just so you know, you're getting a front row seat to all the random, never-ending, jargon in my head. #blessyou
Enjoy! :)

_____

Dear Skinny Fit Girl in the Cookie Dough Aisle:

Stop. Just stop. When I'm headed to the raw cookie dough section, I'm usually emotionally eating and already teeter-tottering on a hysterical breakdown. So seeing your little fit body perusing the double chocolate chunk does nothing but confuse my already unstable emotions. I would like to believe you can wear spandex shorts because of your dedication to raw fruits and veggies, and has nothing to do with the fact that you were blessed with "good genes."

Please retreat to the produce section. I beg you.

Yours truly,
I break but don't bake

_________

Dear Rachel Green:

Can you please try to find a haircut that doesn't look good on you? Ten seasons of Friends, ten different hairstyles. And they ALL. WORK. What is that about? Have pity on the female population and try to be "ugly." Just once. I dare you.

Sincerely,
I used to cut my own bangs

_________

Dear Person on the Elevator who Only Goes Up One Floor:

Are you kidding me? You're getting on the elevator at floor two, and have the audacity to ask someone to "hit three for you?" Nuh uh. You can take one (1) flight of stairs. It likely takes the same amount of time to take the elevator up as it does your two feet, except it eliminates a stop for the rest of us going up 3-4 floors. Save yourself the glares and stares to the back of your head. Buy a fitbit and take the stairs. As my granddaddy used to say: "your feet ain't put on backwards."

Yours truly,
The keeper of the unwritten elevator rules

_________

Dear Operator of the Vehicular Device:

If I let you over, please say thank you. It doesn't have to be grand, just a simple hand wave. Just a a small gesture of appreciation that I paused my driving, and likely my singing, long enough to let your 8 ft. car squeeze into the 9 ft. space between myself and the car in front of me. When you don't wave, it makes me want to ram into the back of your car. Make your mama proud; use your manners.

Yours Truly,
Road Rage

_________

Dear Cellulite,

Hoookay. That's great that you've really latched on and all - but I don't quite think we need to be this close. Or be friends for this long. And you weren't my friend when I was younger, so it must be my "mature" age that draws you near. Well I'm here to tell you - you have got.to.go. And why do you have a thing for females and leave males the heck alone? That's discriminatory. And I'm calling you out. I don't appreciate that I could be naked for Halloween and call myself "cottage cheese."

Sincerely,
The dimples on my face are quite enough for me

_________

Dear $5.99 over-the-counter Cellulite Cream:

Work Faster. 

Thanks,
Me


 _________

Dear Manufacturers of Dry-Shampoo, 

Initially, I must thank you. I thank you for giving me 45-minutes of my morning back, usually which are spent dreaming, procrastinating via social media, or drinking additional cups of coffee. My plea is for varying degrees of hair help. Just as hairspray allows cans for slight hold, moderate hold, extreme hold, and resisting-gale-force-winds, I need additional assistance in the grease department. You don't have to get creative: day two, day three, day four, etc. is enough of a description for me. Just as long as day seven has the power to cut through the crude oil that's sitting atop my head. 

Yeah. I said it.

Sincerely,
I promise I wash my body on a daily basis

_________
 

Until next time,
Katy

Trim Down Tuesday: Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are paleo-friendly, gluten free, and quite frankly.... I think they're better than "real" chocolate chip cookies. 

I found this recipe on pinterest over four years ago, and they're still one of my #1 go-to guilt-free indulgences. What makes them even better? They're made with 6 ingredients, and 4 out of the 6 you probably already have in your kitchen. 

So there's really no excuse to NOT give these a try. 

I fed these to Jeff and his roommate the other night and they were huge fans. Jeff also said he liked them better than the real thing. These cookies are no joke. 

What You'll Need

1 cup almond butter (I prefer Justin's brand)

1 egg

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

What You'll Do

Mix together the almond butter, egg, honey, baking soda, and salt until the ingredients form a batter. 

Mix in dark chocolate chips. 

Spoon dollops (yes, dollops) of dough onto a prepared cookie sheet (foil + olive oil).

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes (until the edges look cooked). Then let the cookies "set" on the pan while cooling. 

Disclaimer: these cookies won't look cooked when you pull them out. Walk away, let them cool, and come back and they'll look like sure-fire cookies. 

And there you go! Simple, no sugar, real food, and will cure any and every sweet tooth. 

Oh - and you're going to want a glass of milk with these. Whether it's almond milk or real milk, your call. I won't tell :) 

To see other "Trim Down Tuesday" items, click here!

Until next time,
Katy

Weekend Wrap Up

Wamp wamp. 

Hey there Monday. 

This past weekend was pretty special. Not only was I able to celebrate my sweet mama, but I also got to celebrate my big sister! My sister's birthday has always been around Mother's Day, but this year they actually shared the same day. I love celebrating the two greatest women in my life :)

Oh - and I ran a 5k. But that wasn't nearly as exciting. 

Friday night was a little Girls Night Out action. I met my mom and sister after work for dinner, and then we headed to see the new Mother's Day movie (with Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, etc.). It's a great movie to see with the women in your life. You laugh, you cry, and it's just a good, slightly cheesy, heart-warming movie!

Can I say - it's really cool when your mom/daughter relationship turns into a best friend relationship? I loved laughing with these two crazies all night :)  They're two of the best role models I could ever have, and I'm so dang lucky to call them mine. 

We love each other. Just a smidge. :) 

Don't know where I'd be without this one. I just can't even tell y'all what she means to me.

Oh hey - then on Saturday morning I woke up at the booty crack of dawn to run. 

Yes. Okay so I work out (sometimes), but running? Never. My body doesn't do that.
BUT it was a work team event and supported Young Texans Against Cancer, so I laced up my tennis shoes and put on my game face. Only after signing Jeff up to run with me.
#miserylovescompany #boyfriendblackmail

It was definitely one of the harder mental things I've ever done. I maybe can run one mile on a good day, so to push myself to run 3 miles in the sun? That was a challenge. And my body had zero idea what happened to it. And I could barely walk on Sunday. But other than that - I survived!

Post race victory smiles. 

Four of my team members and their significant others. Really this just turned into a take-a-date event.

But I will say... the view of downtown while running was pretty spectacular. 

After being comatose for a couple of hours in the afternoon, my mom came up to Dallas so I could cash in my Mother's Day gift to her -- tickets to Wicked! 

First things first, we went to The Porch for some dinner where mom got their famous grilled cheese and tomato soup. And she was highly impressed. With all three courses :)

Ain't my mama just the prettiest darn thing you've ever seen? I love this woman. 

Then it was showtime! We naturally had to ask random people to take our photo in front of the sign. I thought I'd be nice and tell these two women that I'd take theirs if they'd take ours. And let me tell you - I chose the wrong. people. I took over ten pictures of those people. And they took one of us. I can't even. They were a tad much. 

This show was INCREDIBLE. We were pretty spellbound. And talked/researched all things Wicked the rest of the weekend. We are seriously in love with this musical. 

Pssssst. Notice my earrings I shared with you Friday? They were perfect!

Intermission selfie!

Also - the chick in front of me had her hair teased up so high she basically blocked 90% of my view. And get this - home girl continually teased that sucker throughout the whole show! So see how close I'm sitting to my mom in this picture? That's basically how I watched the show. This ain't 1960 sweetie. Tracy Turnblad called - she wants her volume back.

Then it was Mother's Day!

This one's lack of opposable thumbs prevented a card, but he certainly didn't skimp on the snuggles :)

I love being a puppy mama :)

So we are a breakfast in bed family. Any event - birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc. results in breakfast in bed. And since mom stayed with me after Wicked, this year was no different. 

I tried my hand at quiche (it was quite delicious!), and since I didn't have a TV tray, my dad suggested an old piece of wood. I think it turned out quite nicely :) 

Then I just let mom drink coffee and read her book in bed until NOON. We were all about the relaxation this year. 

There are many things I love about my mom (you can read them here), and there are many things I share with my mom (big ole smile, love of baking and party-throwing, the ability to talk to a wall, etc.). Well I was also reminded that we share an obsession with coffee. That woman drank FOUR cups of coffee yesterday! She put my two cups to shame! 

I was so proud. 

And that was our weekend! Quite busy and full, but oh so wonderful. 

Happy Monday everyone! 

Until next time,
Katy