Day 2 of Thankfulness & NoSODAvember!

Gobble Gobble (that's what the Turkey Says!!)

     I'm still slightly obsessed with that What Does The Fox Say video.  Day 2 of NoSODAvember is going well.  I was exhausted last night!!  Last night my friend Jess and I went to see Diana.  It was...ehhhhh.  I thought it was going to be a little more about her life rather than her obsessing/dating/breaking up with Hasnat Khan.  I mean any Diana movie is better than no Diana movie.  I lerved her clothes!  A few years ago my mom and I went to the Constitution Center here in Philly to see her clothes on display.  It was cool to see the remakes of all of the clothes.  I also watched a BBC special about the designers behind her clothes and the use of soft power and independence the clothes conveyed.  Very fascinating!!

     Today I am thankful for mia famiglia!  I really do think I have the best family in the world.  We just have so much fun together and we just have a great time laughing, (eating), traveling, and enjoying life.  I couldn't be more happy with the people God chose for me to go through life with.  They make me smile every day.  (I do laugh at everything so this isn't a difficult quality to possess.)  I'm not limiting this to my immediate family either.  I love my extended family as well!  They are truly the nicest, least judgmental, most accepting family.  Are we a bunch of crazy people?  Absolutely!  Do we have or moments?  Definitely!  Would we be there for each other in an instant?  You better believe it!  Love love love them!  They're definitely my grandest blessing!  I've learned so much from them and become a better, more whole, person because of them.  They are so supportive and just awesome people and I couldn't be happier!!

I hope all of your Novembers are going superduper well!!

xoxo,

Erin

These are some of my fav fam shots!

Just a Typical Sunday....

Where'd you get that class?
I got it from my Momma, I got it from my Momma

Dylan's HS Grad

Visiting Dylly at JMU!  

Easter Brudder and Seester

FamSquad at my Grad

He Lerves Me and He Lerves Taking Selfies With ME<3

Daddy and Me at "Our Thing"  BASEBALL!!

Momma/Son

Daddy/Dylan Basketball Beasts

Typical Dylan and DebFace

Purse Twins

Everywhere We Go We Dance!

Break it Down Deb!

Preppy Siblings

Famiglia

Rally Cap Rowdy!

Ghost Huntin'

Halloween Then & Now

Happy November 1!!

So yesterday was Halloween...blah.  I've never been a big Halloween girl, I like to think of it as one day closer to Christmas!  Well this Halloween wasn't any different.  My Elle Woods costume fell through (I realized no one would get it) and it's a good thing because no one really dressed up at school.  So I wore some sweats and a Phils zip up and had a baseball hat...I was a ball girl.  Original, I know.  Halloween is hard to get into unless you're a little kid.  This got me thinking of all the ways Halloween is different now that I'm a grown up.  Here is a list of things that are different, in terms of Halloween, now that I'm a grown up.

1) Costumes-as a child I would stress so much about which princess to be.  Was I gonna be a pink princess?  Or was I going to be cinderella.  Or a ballerina princess (rocked that 4 years in a row thankyaverymuch) or maybe just a ballerina.  If I was going with ballerina would I be able to wear my ballet shoes?  If I was forced (every.year.) to wear sneakers would that ruin the authenticity of my costume?  (Yes at 4 I was that anal and concerned)  I mean if you can't wear ballet shoes with your tutu, sequined leotard, tights, and bun...will the people even know who you are?  Go home now!  Collect no candy, don't pass go.

Costume Now:  still wearing my sweats.  Hair is in a pony.  No costume whatsoever.  I'm so much happier in this costume--I think I'll title it Grad Student

2) Candy.  In my childhood I would scour the neighborhood for Regular Sized Hershey bars, or even convince my mom to drive me to the neighboring (richer) town to snatch some sweets!  I would come home with pounds and pounds and pillow cases full of treats.

Candy Now:  I'm happy eating the leftovers from our own lack of trick-or-treaters.  We have maybe 25 and I'm totally okay with this.

3) Dinner Then: total. waste. of. my. time.  Why eat food when I knew dinner was really candy?

Dinner Now:  Give me the food!  Why would anyone skip dinner?!

4) Counting My Candy Then:  Ahhh, a simpler time.  A time before calories made your jeans tight.  A time before when you took pride in eating 24 Twix minis...a time before you realized that 24 Twix minis meant 1,200 calories.  A time when I wanted to know how much candy I could shove in my face in one night.

Counting My Candy Now:  I don't wanna know.  I don't wanna know that I need to run 20 miles to cancel out all of the junk food I just ate.  No thanks.  I'd prefer not to know how much candy I ate, thank you.

5) Halloween Party at School Then:  Best.Day.EVER!!
Halloween Party at School Now:  Worst.Day.EVER!!

6) Halloween Night Festivities Then:  Trick-or-treating with my neighborhood buddies.  Running across yards in hopes of beating those slow pokes to the good candy!  Freezing my booty off because I refused to wear a coat and compromise the integrity of my costume.  Warming up in the kitchen with hot cocoa after hours of trick-or-treating.

Halloween Night Festivities Now:  School.  Wearing sweats.  Sitting on the couch catching up on missed tv shows.  Drinking wine.  Staying warm.  Eating candy....watching ELF!!  Elf was on today and that means Christmas is coming soon!!


In reality, I don't miss Halloween.  I think Halloween is only fun if you are a little kid or a party girl.  If you are neither of these things then Halloween is usually not your fav holiday.  Well people on 55 days til Christmas!!

xoxo,

Erin

NoSODAvember

Heeeeeey!!

     So Happy November!!  Are we all excited?!  It is the 11th month and that means what?  *This is my example of using my teacher voice in everyday life.  A fun little discourse experiment, eh?*  Well the answer boys and girls is...The Christmas Season Is Upon Us!!!  Yep, yep, this girl is ready for Christmas and all the seasonal festivities!!  To all of you who are saying, "But we just had Halloween,"  I say yes but (as my dear friend Corinne wrote on my FB wall today) "November is just a pregame for Christmas".  Do you see why I love my cohort?  They get me.  We're all a little Christmas obsessed!  I completed the local radio station's Christmas Survey (like I do every year) and I put that I want Christmas music to start November 1.  However, when I turned on my radio this morning, what should my wondering ear appear, but Rihanna not Christmas JAMS!!  So.  Sad.

I saw this lil gem on Pinterest and thought it captures
my dream world perfectly!

     Also, I have been inspired by those No_____vembers.  You know the NoSAHVEmber, NoSTRESSvember, etc and have decided to start my very own.  I'm doing a NoSODAvember.  I'm a sweet tooth to the nth degree and I just can't stop drinking my sweet stuff.  All the sugar and carbonation really take a toll on my body, energy level, and mood.  So for 30 days I'm going to detox and be soda free.  I have already made a behavior chart for myself.  (Raise your hand if you're a SPED)  I am going to give myself a star for every day I go soda free.  My reward will be a pre-Thanksgiving mani.  Total relaxation after a very stressful (and caffeine free) November.

     November is going to be a busy month!  On the docket I already have multiple friends' birthdays, concerts, my COMPREHENSIVE EXAM (Oh you know the all inclusive exam that I must pass in order to graduate...no pressure or anything.)  The South Pole elves must have decided to test us during the holiday season :(  My parents anniversary--Happy 28th!! and their anniversary dinner! Thanksgiving!  Black Friday!  Babysitting!  Plus pretty much every project for school ever created!  But alas, in 30 days it will be the best month ever!  I think I can deal with that!

My professors deciding Christmas time was the
appropriate time to give our Comps Exam...

     So with the holiday season quickly approaching, I figured I would jump into the season with a 30 Days of Thankfulness posting series because I think this time of year it is very easy to take things for granted.  I know I do.  I'm always creating, editing, revising it to make it perfect.  And guess what?  I usually get everything on my list.  I also take for granted that I will get everything on my list.  *I'm not a totally heartless individual, I do buy a lot of presents for my local toy drive*  I think right now is a pretty good time to be thankful that I have so many blessings.  I think this time of year becomes the time of year when I'm stressing over will I find the perfect gift for _____________?  Do I have to buy them a gift?  What if they don't get me anything but I show up with a present, will that be awkward?  I think I often times lose sight of the fact that this time of year is supposed to be about being thankful for what we do have.  So today I am going to start the first of these posts.

Thankfulness Day One:

I am thankful for God and my faith.  I don't usually write about this topic because I believe to each their own, but I am very thankful for God and prayers and faith.  I say my prayers every night and thank God every night for all the wonderful things He has given me.  I do sometimes oftentimes get impatient and ask if He could answer my prayer right now that'dbegreat but I know that He is going to let it all work out in the end.  

Happy November and wish me luck with my NoSODAvember!  I'm already sleepy and it's only 12:30 pm...this no caffeine thing may actually kill me.  Keep your thankful thoughts coming!

-E

photo credit pic 2:  

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/287104544965390541/

Halloween Dilemma

Happy Mischief Night!!

Happy Almost Halloween Night!!

So you know I'm a sub and sometimes I get a call to work the night before.  Thank God I got the call tonight and not tomorrow at 6 am.  Being a sub sometimes puts you in a strange position.  You aren't really a member of the school but you are there a lot and should participate in the school culture.  Since Halloween falls into the category of school culture, I think I should dress up.  So my dilemma comes now.  I've never been a fan of slutty clothes to begin with and I am never one to wear them on Halloween.  (Last year I was Miss Dolly Parton)  So now I have a dilemma.  What do I wear?  I can't run out and get a costume because all the good ones will be picked over and no one wants to go as this was the last thing Target had so I had to buy it.  Secondly, the World Series is on and I don't wanna run to Target to get a Halloween themed shirt.  Plus, on Mischief Night they only have the sizes XXL and XXS...and I am neither of those sizes.  Also, I don't wanna be that boring teacher who wears teh black sweater with the orange scarf.  She's no bueno and people probably think she's "ugly and boring.  And you button are none of those things," (Legally Blonde quotes...always applicable)  Unfortunately, I quickly eliminated my spirit animal Dolly Parton but, you can't walk around with Dolly's eh hem twins at school...you could poke an eye out!  So I went to choice number 2:  Real Housewife of NJ.  Sparkly dress?  Check!  Loubs?  Check!  Teased Big Hair?  Um...duh check!  But alas, table flipping is inappropriate for children.  Option 3:  Carrie Bradshaw.  The title of her iconic feminist show eliminates that one.  Teen Mom:  Probably shouldn't bring up the inappropriate, yet topical and PSA worthy, topic of teen pregnancy.  Choice 4:  Honey Boo Boo.  I think I'd need a little more than 12 hours to create the masterpiece that would be Honey Boo Boo in all her costume glory.  So now I move to my spirit animals:  Jackie O and Kate Middleton.  Do I own enough preppy clothes to pull them off?  Absofreakinglutely!  But, alas, I'm a blonde.  Halloween is the only time I wish I was a brunette.  My costume choices would be so easy!! I'd be Jackie every year!  Katniss?  Nope, no weapons in school.  (And really, is Katniss half as cool if you can't bring the quiver?)  Daisy Buchanan?  No, can't be a flapper in 5th grade.  Elin Woods?  Nope, even though I have the costume I don't think marital infidelity is a school appropriate topic.  Now I'm left with my favorite movie of all time:  Legally Blonde.  If anyone is my spirit animal it's Elle Woods.  I don't have enough time to tell you why she is my life idol.  Elle is the easiest costume to create at 8:00 the night before.  I'm going to wear my pink tweed Lilly skirt, a pink overcoat, my pink Kate Spade bag, nude pumps, and I'm debating between my Harvard tee and my pink sweater...decisions decisions.

I'm going to wear this to my class tomorrow night, too!!  Get ready assistive tech!  Elle Woods is here!! P.S. I'm bringing candy!  I'm not as much a Halloween fan as I am a December/Christmas is soon fan!  Also, I hope I get to eat some treats tomorrow!!


Well, wish me luck everyone!!


Happy Halloween,

Elle<3

Halloween 2012!

Where My Girls At?!

Do you remember that song?  It was a late 90's-early 2000's jam that I came to love during my awkward pre-tween years at dance.  This was one of the songs the "big girls" danced to.  By "big girls" I mean they were 13 and I was 11.  I wasn't in the much adored "big girls" class...yet.  (For any of you interested I became a "big girl" at age 12)   Anyway, I just enjoyed a mucho needed Zumba class with Stef.  The class kicked our booties and I just felt totally off.  It took me a few dances to get into my Zumba groove, eventually I got there though.  Anyway, as I looked around my Zumba class I couldn't help but notice:  Where The Boys At??  Zumba, like most of my favorite lifeventures, is a very Girl Power typa thang.  Hmmmm...

In keeping with the Girl Power life weltenschauung I have working for me I realized something.  People are always telling ladies where to meet gentlemen and this got me thinking...maybe women need to back off the Sacagawea explorer band wagon and let the gentlemen find us.  I know, I know, men are terrible with directions and they'd never find us ;) So this can just be a fun little list about the places gentlemen could go to find ladies if they so chose.  These happen to be my favorite places...just saying...

1) Zumba.  This is a room full of senoritas dancing and shaking to Latin beats.  Who wouldn't want to scour this place for chicas?  Guys you're already at the gym working on your fitness, why not try a little Zumba.  Senoritas love senors who can boogie...just saying...

2) The Ballet.  Okay, this place is chocked full of single ex-ballerinas.  The ballet is naturally romantic, boys all you have to do is just show up and throw in these 3 little words:  tondu, passe, and tour jete.  You don't really even have to know what these mean.  Just say them and the patrons will think you know what's going on.  (Think about when girls memorize words like catalytic converter, axel, and Xbox...we don't care what they mean, we just wan to impress you)

3) Pilates.  Most of the ladies who go to Pilates are again, ex dancers.  Plus, Pilates is surprisingly a very sexy form of exercise.  *Note I did not put striprobics on this list....no bueno senoritas*

4) Barnes & Noble.  Ahhhh my own personal Heaven.  Ladies venture to B&N because, as Carrie Bradshaw, Queen of all things dating, says about Book Heavens, Book Heavens, "house all the best love stories."  Ladies are suckers for love stories.  Even feisty feminists like yours truly quiver in the knees when they read a well written love story.  B&N also houses the Children's Literature section and the Biography/History section. Of these two, I am a frequent patron.  These are easy places to strike up a conversation with a lady.  It also lets you bypass all of the awkward small talk and creepy pick up lines and go right for the meat.  Try "Hey, are you a big fan of (fill in author/subject/character...do not say movie)?"  And you're in...it's like a secret code girls have (Elf reference!!  3 days until I can watch that movie)

5) The Mall.  Gentlemen, I can't stress this enough:  Ladies love the mall.  Why?  Oh I don't know, they sell shoes there?!  All you have to do is wander the mall on a Saturday or Sunday and you will see swarms of ladies there.  All you have to do is ask our opinion on something for your MOM (Side note-ladies lerve giving their opinion on anything...especially clothes.  This is seen as a compliment because secretly you have told us that you like our outfit without creeping us out!  Mazel Tov!  NEVER just ask our opinion on a sweater or necklace because we will assume it's for your girlfriend.  Always lead with "I'm picking a birthday present out for my mom_______________".  P.S. we won't care if you are fictitiously celebrating your mom's birthday, we'll forgive you because we'll think it was sweet.

6)  Cupcake or Specialty Dessert Stores.  Here is some Erin Kitley math at it's finest.  This is like the commutative property.  Girls are A.  Cake is B.  Boys are C.  Girls Love Cake.  If boy buy girl cupcake, girl loves boy.  A+B=C.  B=B+C.  Tada!!  MATH.  BOOM.

7)  Baseball Games.  (Any sporting even will do, but this girl likes baseball best)  If any girl is at a baseball game with her girlfriends you need to wife her up.  Girls who like sports are winners.  Girls who like sports also eat boneless buffalo wings and cake.  You want a girl who will hold her own in an eating contest.


Alrighty fraaaands, this is just a small list of places where gentlemen can meet quality ladies.  Ladies, I hope you echo my feelings about these places and feel free to add your own.  I think we need to redirect the idea that women should go to certain places to find gentlemen.  Gentlemen need to pick up the slack!!  :)


Have a Marvelous Monday,

Er

Rocking My New Zumba Swag!
*I know I dislike ladies who dress up for the gym but I got this on sale at a little French boutique you may have heard of called, Tarje?  Aka Target for all you Americans who butcher the French language.  Phoebe Buffay, ladies and gentlemen.  

Sunday Funday

Heyyyyy!!

      Happy Sunday!  Raise your hand if you don't want it to be Monday tomorrow!  *This girl is raising her hand*  I'm actually on Fall Break now from TCNJ.  However, Fall Break in grad school means you still have to edit a paper, read three articles and six chapters, and collect your thoughts for your jigsaw.  Plus, it means I still have to go to work.  I do love working though so that doesn't really count.  Anyway, enough complaining, my life's pretty fab.

    Today our family continued the long lasting Kitley Sunday Tradition of attending 10 am Mass, brunch, shopping, and concluding our day with some shopping.  Last week we discovered The Robin's Nest in Mt. Holly and we are hooked!  Last Sunday I had oatmeal raisin pancakes with strawberries and a mimosa.  The place is adorable!!  Think Victorian mixed with country.  Today Deb and I had Nutella Waffles.  O.M.G. Foodgasm!  I loved every minute of them.  They tasted like what I envision happiness to taste like.  Fantabulous, y'all!!

Deb & Me & Mimosas!

Nutella Waffles...OMG

Daddy In The Big Chair.
We may have done a little 3 Little Bears here...


Next, we went to Target for a little Halloween candy shopping and came across THESE GEMS!

Geishas Anyone?

I talked myself out of buying all of these Christmas Albums...
Self Control is Only Buying Michael Buble's Christmas Album

I have a confession to make.  For the past two days I have been listening to Christmas Jams and watching ABCFamily Christmas Movies on Netflix.  I also may or may not have added the ABCFamily 25 Days of Christmas lineup to my Lilly Pulitzer Agenda...

Then I saw the 2013 version of Skipper.  Skipper was blonde in my day kiddos.  Chelsea's name was also Kelly....hmmmmmm Mattel.....Is the 2013 Skipper gothic?  Idunno but in my day Whitney had brown hair...Skipper was blonde...P.S. Midge was also randomly at Target.  Midge, whereyabeen the past 40 years?

After Target Funday I had to return to reality because App Reviews won't write themselves honey.  I also may or may not have rewarded myself with ABCFamily's Holiday in Handcuffs.  :)  Pretty fab day!

Alrighty, I'm getting ready for bed so I can watch Hocus Pocus and The World Series.  Go Cards!  Have a Happy Last Day of The Weekend!!

xoxo,

e

Who You Gonna Call???

Ghostbusters!!!!

Boo!  So this past weekend was super fun!  On Saturday night my roomie, Cara (Even though we *sadly* no longer are roomies, I will always refer to her as my roomie because for 3 years she was not just my friend...we were roommates!  *Inside joke*)  Anyway, Cara's become part of our crazy family and so she, my dad, and I ventured in Philly for a ghost tour!  *Deb didn't want to come because she was afraid of ghosts attaching themselves to her) If you've read my blog, you know that I've gone on a few ghost tours in New Orleans and I loved them!  NOLA ghost tours are cool because everyone down there believes the ghostly tales!  Here in Philly, and the Northeast in general, we are more skeptical of the paranormal and life in general.  We like our world concrete.  We like to see everything and if we can't touch it we don't believe it.  NO. GHOSTS. ALLOWED.  Annnnnnyyyywayyyy, I love ghosts!  I have even seen a few.  I've always believed in ghosts.  I think it stems from my Catholic upbringing.  I know, I know, Catholics and ghosts are a total dichotomy but let me explain.  When I was little I always believed in Guardian Angels and their ability to help you out in life.  I always believed that Guardian Angels can look down and see you.  I know that my grandparents are my Guardian Angels and I can talk to them whenever I want.  I always believed in that very thin line between the real world and Heaven.  Also, you can't ever destroy
an energy.  People are energy+you can't destroy energy=ghosts are real.  Erin Kitley logic and science there for ya kids.

After extensive research (eh hem dorky Type-A personality for ya) I decided to book us spots on the Spirit of '76 Ghost Tour.  The other tours had guides in kitschy costumes, capes, and lanterns.  Our guide wore a Temple kamikaze looking hat.  That's legit folks.  So we started out on our 90 minute tour through Old City and stopped at several haunted places.  For the full info see:  http://www.spiritsof76.com  We learned all about the hauntings of several famous Philadelphia sites including Carpenter's Hall, Independence Hall, City Tavern, and Old Pine Street Cemetery to name a few.  It was really creepy and I had so much fun throughout the whole thing!  The weather was perfect ghost touring weather.  It was crisp and cool and perfect for ghost touring!!  It wasn't very scary, I prefer my ghost tours a little bit scarier.  However, I did learn a lot of cool Philadelphia history.  History Dorks For The Win!!!  (P.S. we scored sweet glow stix!)



Happy Hauntings,

Erin


Here are a few of my favorite pics from the night:

Roomie Love!!
Peacoat:  Old Navy
Scarf: Gap
Purse: Kate Spade
Glove: Target
Jeans: Jessica Simpson
Boots: Target
Watch: Michael Kors
Earrings: Tiffany & Co.

Charlie's Angels Ghost Busters

Daddy (or the Green Monster) and Me Before The Tour

Ghost Busters!

Orb In The Tree By Carpenter's Hall

Ghost In the Upper Right Window!

At The Pine Street Cemetery...Look at the creepy apparition on the right...

Oh Hey Ghost That's Just Casually Walking Across The Camera's Lens

Physick House

That Lamp Post Blew Out As Soon As The Guide Started Talking About The Ghosts In Washington Square

Liberty Bell!

Phlying Ghostly Orbs