Resolution 2009: Planners

So at the beginning of the 2008-2009 school year, I told myself that I would get legitimately organized. I tried, and did pretty well actually. I modeled my planning skills after my friend Shannon, who is the ULTIMATE planner. Not only is she super organized, but she knows everyone's birthday, every possible due date you can imagine, ever important sporting event, and every other commitment that she has for the entire year. One can only dream to be as organized as Shannon. On top of all her organizational skills, it's all color coded with highlighters and colorful pens. Knowing I couldn't be as ambitious, I started out with a planner. It was pink and from B&N. Embossed on the front was "2008". I put all my work dates, cross country meets and everything else I could think of in the 2 x 1 box per day. I was impressed with my handiwork.

Then, the rest of the year rolled around. I have another school planner where I put my homework, and putting all that stuff in both planners drove me insane. Eventually, I just used my school-mandated one because I couldn't channel my inner Shannon enough.

For my resolution, I am going to try to get back into super-planning. I think I can do it. I'm crossing my fingers that my teachers don't assign as much work (although I know that it is only wishful thinking...). I already have my second semester mindset in check, and it's not even second semester yet! Not a good sign, not a good sign. Either way, I'm going to try to be more organized with this planner. I have my lacrosse schedule with tryouts, games, early outs, and spring break plans all in there already, so that's my start. (I manage my school's boy's varsity lacrosse, so it's pretty important that I know what's going on.) I am going to focus myself on putting as much stuff as I can into this planner and knowing what's happening when and where. I think I can do it, don't you? I mean I maintain a blog post just about everyday, so why can't I do this?

There are some great planners on bn.com if anyone is looking to put a little Shannon into their life too. I like this one, the "2009 Weekly Desk Mod Squares Magnetic Engagement Calendar". It will only run you about 10 bucks for an entire year! Happy Planning!

xxKatie

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year fellow bloggers! I hope that your 2009 is filled with happiness, health, good friends, yummy snacks, memorable pictures, fun shopping, good bargains, sunny days, big belly laughs, and time to enjoy it all!

I can't believe it's my graduation year already!

In the words of my math teacher: "Drive safely, the life you save could be mine...or yours." Happy New Years!

xxKatie

The Perfects

So, in an attempt to do a reflection on the 2008 year, I thought I'd come up with a "The Perfect ________" list. Here are some items on my personal "Perfect" list:

The Perfect Bag: The Vineyard Vines Classic Tote
This bag is huge, but not overwhelming. A step up from an LL Bean Boat' n' Tote Bag, this is a preppy must-have. I've used this bag at school, shopping, as a carry-all, at the beach, when I go out, you name it! I have a classic blue whale on pink pattern on mine, and I can't wait to monogram the top middle section above the front pocket.

The Perfect Sandal: Jack Rogers Navajo Sandal in Platinum
I have worn these shoes time and time again. Beware that the first few days of wearing them, they ARE NOT comfortable. Upon breaking them in, however, I could live in these shoes. Not kidding, either, this color is the one I always tell people to buy in the store. They can be dressed up (as I did wear them to both prom and the debutante ball) or dressed down (as I've worn them with a simple LP skirt and polo for a work day). This color is also a fusion between gold and silver and is still shiny, but much less attention-drawing than metallic.

The Perfect Trendy Accessory: Pashmina Scarves in Plain Colors
I have recently gotten one of these scarves (from Target nonetheless) for Christmas. Don't buy an expensive one because you can pick them up easily for $10-$20 and really, the quality is not that much different. I have a raspberry colored one that goes well with black, white, brown, navy, cream, jeans, dresses (as a shawl). Usually I'm not into very trendy things considering my wardrobe is cable knits, polos and jeans, but I do like these scarves very much. Head up though, if you don't like ironing, look for a different material for these scarves. If you want it to look neat 24/7 you'll have to iron these, I don't mind a wrinkle so I let it go.

The Perfect Book (it's a tie): The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao OR In Cold Blood
I read both of these books this year and loved them both. TBWLoOW won the Pulitzer Prize for literature earlier in the year and my English teacher in 11th grade wanted us to read it. Although not the most uplifting of stories, it takes a look into the life of Oscar Wao. It is very readable and is about real life. A funny running commentary by Junot Diaz on the history of the Dominican Republic is conveyed in the footnotes. ICB, on the other hand, is not a happy story at all. It follows the story of 2 murders and the family that they kill with the climax of the story at the murder scene. Besides Harry Potter, I have never read real literature SO fast in my entire life. It took me probably less than 48 hours over the summer to read this book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

The Perfect Scent: Lilly Pulitzer "Wink"
Cleverly put in a pink bottle, this steals it for me. I own this as well, from Christmas, and again, I tell everyone in the store to buy this one of all the LP scents. In the words of Lilly herself: "Wear pink and make the boys wink!" It is the one on the bottom!

The Perfect Nail Polish: Sephora Brand Nail Color in L19 "tagada"
Talk about the perfect pink, this is it. Barbie Pink, Princess Pink, "Tagada", "L19", call it what you want, it is true pink, $4 to boot, and I love it. Cover it with a good clear topcoat and you're all set! As I look at my bottle, I have to remember to get more!

The Perfect Coat: H&M 6 Button Pea Coat
This is a great dressy, light coat. I have it in a charcoal color that is functional for everything. I love the way this looks with my uniform at school, over an outfit, and with a black turtleneck underneath. The only problem is that it is lined with polyester or something like that, and if any wind gets up there, it chills the fabric and your arms get cold!

The Perfect Running Shoes: Any Shoe From The Brand "Asics"
Now, I know there are some runners out there who will disagree, but I've run for 4 years of cross country with Asics. Some people argue that the toe box is too big or that Mizuno or New Balance make the best running shoes, but I love these shoes. I have had 2 pairs of the exact same model and changed recently for my past running season. Now, I am in no way a serious runner, but I did it for fun and to keep in shape. These shoes were so comfortable, held up beautifully, and I will be an Asics girl for the rest of my life.

The Perfect Gift: A Handmade Gift Basket
I have fallen in love with doing this. I think that for people that you really care about, this is the best gift that you can give. With a color scheme or theme in mind, you can't go wrong with putting one of these together. Bonus: it's a crafty project and you get to go shopping in a few different places!

Perfect Earrings: Silver Pearls
A twist on the traditional pearls, silver pearls are easy to find, stylish, and come in a variety of sizes. You can go with real silver or silver plated. I love wearing silver pearls because they go with everything, minus like gold stuff, and you can find coordinating bracelets and necklaces to go with them!

Perfect Treat: Funfetti Cupcakes!
Boy oh boy, am I a fan of these bad boys. I have become known as the cupcake queen at my school for making funfetti cupcakes. They are SO easy to make and are always good. It's tough to mess up cupcakes from a box. Tip: don't overmix the batter. If you overmix, you lose that melt in your mouth taste (as corny as that sounds...). Although, I have had a friend tell me that she's bitten into a little rock of batter from me not mixing enough!!

Any other additions? Leave a comment with some of your Perfects!

xxKatie

Spirit Week 2008

Well, semi-recently we had homecoming! It's one of the hands-down best days ever. There are only a few days that are better than homecoming, all I can really think about are prom video debut day and prom. As a hoco precursor, we have spirit week. It's a time to get pumped for homecoming, have fun dress up days and get a great competition between the different classes.

Spirit Week always has to do with the "overall theme" of homecoming. This year I was on the committee that helps to plan both homecoming and spirit week. The Senior Prefects, which I am one of, and Student Council jointly plan the festivities of the week. This year, we took a different approach one of picking days we thought that the students would enjoy and then finding an "overall theme". The days we picked included: decade day, movie day, consumer product day (we had to have something that the boys wanted...that's another story), and then the usual class color day. We then decided that our overall theme was "Americana" because "America" sounded lame, but "Americana" was just awesome.

I decided to be, as I am the token prep among my peers, Elle Woods for Movie day. That's me on the far right with my friends Caitlin (tinkerbell), Caroline (Holly Golightly) and Sarah (Mary Katherine Gallagher). Channeling my inner Delta Nu, I found the best pink and green stuff I could. I then had to craft a Bruiser Woods too, which was when I had to get crafty! I headed out to Michael's to see what I could find. I came back, hands full of things that I could get crafty with. I found a tiny pink poodle and bought some feather boas that I knew would come in handy. This was definitely one of my favorite Spirit Weeks ever, and most successful.

That day, my fellow newspaper editor, Katherine, came in dressed up as the same thing. Not only are we co-editors, but we have lockers right next to each other, AND we had to make an announcement about that week's edition of the newspaper that day at our biweekly morning meeting. It was such a coincidence when we both got to school. We both ended up in pink dresses, pink long-ish coats, and heels. Not only did I wear heels for the whole day, but I had successfully run the Baltimore half marathon the day before. That was one of THE coolest things I've ever accomplished. Anyway, I'm super disappointed that I have no more spirit weeks left because I'll be graduating in June, but I'm not ready to start thinking about that yet...

Everyone- cross your fingers over the weekend for me, I have a friend's deb ball (actually, the girl who's Holly Golightly is the debutante) and I find out from my first choice school on Saturday!!

xxKatie