Here's to you Miss Shelton.

It is impossible to describe or define a lifelong friendship in just words or pictures or even one or two emotions. Friendship by definition is the state of being friends, one who is attached to another by affection or esteem. To me friendship is so much more than just a few words that Webster can define, friendship is precious, true friendship rare, and no one definition can explain all that is wrapped up in just that one word.

I had the luck of being given my best friend on a silver platter before the day I was even born. Kristen Nicole Shelton was born on April 7, 1983. I was born on July 21, 1983. Our parents were best friends, and that is how we met. Before either of us were even thought of we were already meant to be friends. For the past 22 years and 5 months I have had the privilege and luck of having my best friend within a 30 minute radius of me almost at all times. From the time when we were little and wearing matching fish bikini's, to the years of awkwardness and brace wearing until now when in a week and 3 days she is going to be wearing a Purdue cap & gown -- this next year is going to be the first time we have ever been truly apart. Like every friendship ours has gone through the good times and bad and at the worst times even the ugly, but we have made it 22 years & still manage to know & understand each other better than at times even we can ourselves.

When we were little Kristen & I used to hide things such as shoes or a mitten so one of us couldn't leave the other's house when our mom came to get us. When we were angry at one and other we would sit on either side of a closed bedroom door and pass notes underneath. We used to beg for sleepovers & on occasion even called in oldies 104.3 to request "Pretty Woman." We would spend New Years together eating ice cream from those little cups with the lids & the wooden spoons. In highschool we weren't as close in the beginning, (I will contribute this to the fact that I thought dog collars and black nail polish were cool and she did not) however, we were still friends. Towards and during our senior year we attended dances in the same group as well as parties and other such events. The day I got accepted to Purdue from Saint Joe's, Kristen was the one not only celebrating with me but getting arrested with me the same night as well. This is where the saying, "A good friend will bail you out a jail, a best friend will be sitting next to you saying that was awesome," really does apply. Although we never went to jail, I wouldn't have rather been through that with anyone else. Throughout these past 3 1/2 years our friendship has endured some of it's hardest trials yet. This was the kind of fighting that simply writing a note & sliding it under a door wouldn't fix. Low & behold we have survived relatively unscathed & more-so than not in tact.

While we have had our outs these past few years we have had some of our best times as well. Dancing on poles at Skulls and upsidedown margaritas, "re-arranging" our hole in Meredith or at least attempting to, joining the same sorority, dances that we honestly can't remember too much of, her 21st (also #1 of my 2, 21st birthdays, or so I thought that night,) my 21st, lifetime movie days, frat parties, Chris & Jake (ok we'll throw in Tator too) parties, driving around listening to Eminem, sleepovers at apt. 26, many, many nights at the bars & many afternoons that turned into nights at Stacks ---- All of which lead us back to her leaving.

It's not as simple as when we were young, I can't hide her shoe because she can leave without that & stealing her car would work however it would be considered rather unreasonable, even if I promise to tell the judge it was just because I couldn't deal with her leaving, I don't think it will fly. She is leaving, but at the same time moving onto another chapter of her life that is going to be so amazing and fulfilling, she is finished with college & I don't think she realizes how proud that makes everyone around her. My best friend did it! She is a nurse & I know that if I am ever sick, there is no one aside from my own mom I would rather take care of me. She is a great nurse, a great friend and a wonderful woman overall and I have been so blessed to have her in my life. I know that in the countless years to come she will continue to be the amazing woman that she has become & I can only hope that I am 1/2 of the strong person that she is.

So here's to you Miss Kristen Shelton, here's to graduation, here's to the future & all that is has to offer you. Here's to my best friend, thank you for all that you do for me. I love you, Congratulations & I really am going to miss you like hell.

What a good cup of coffee can do.

I can't say I have ever really felt completely, utterly inspired to write. Usually I think, I need something therapeutic I should write or I haven't updated in a few days, I should write. I just wrote my 100 things list last night so I know I don't need to update. Also, I am feeling okay today so it's not that I need something therapeutic to see me through the rest of the day. I had a sip of coffee and all of a sudden I needed to write. I was basically inspired to write about the sip that I had just taken, what an odd feeling.

I woke up this morning and made my first pot of coffee of this year. I have tried to let go of this gripping caffeine addiction since the beginning of this summer. I was even doing well, (as in I didn't have to have it everyday, more than once a day, well) until I went to Arkansas with my mom this past fall break. I had gotten to the point at the end of last year where if I didn't have caffeine my head would pound & I would be all out of sorts. After Arkansas all of my hard work went down the drain -- I was once again an addict. I have been told before that if I'm going to be addicted to something I shouldn't have such a worthless addiction, however, I have just decided this addiction is far from worthless. The smell of fresh coffee reminds me of my grandparents house & cottage, it was with them that I had my first cup of black coffee. (Which most of the time is how I still take mine.) The aroma reminds me of Saturday afternoons & Sunday mornings at home & sitting around after dinner with friends and family. For me, half of the appeal of coffee is its nostalgic value. To me right now there is nothing more perfect than each sip that I am taking as I am writing this. I have my tinkerbell coffee mug - which I love because it portrays all of her personalities and at times I feel a lot like her. Happy, sad, mad, laughing and of course bratty all at once. I am all toasty warm inside drinking my coffee while the wind is blowing and it's 36° outside and I really can't think of a more perfect way to start today.

Love, Me


*Faith Trust & Pixiedust*

100 things about Kayte Marie

1. I love the color pink.
2. I used to love the color purple.
3. My room at home is ALL lavender. (Seriously!)
4. My room at school is white, we're not allowed to paint our apartment.
5. I would paint at least one wall of it pink if I could.
6. I squeal really loud when I see a dashaund. (Obnoxiously loud & high pitched and usually scare the living crap out of everyone around me.)
7. I will own at least one dashaund before I'm 30.
8. I also want to be married before I'm 30, but I refuse to settle for just anyone because of this fact.
9. I want my wedding reception to be at the Crystal Garden at Navy Pier or the ballroom below it.

10. I will NEVER be able to afford this because I have to pay for my own wedding, but it will always be a nice (unrealistic) thought.
11. I have to pay for my own wedding because my parents paid for me to go to college.
12. I am more grateful for this than I think they know.
13. I am happy I went to college, even though it has been the most challenging experience of my life.
14. I can't WAIT to be done with college.
15. The future makes me really nervous.
16. So do planes and flying.
17. I am not afraid of commitment though.
18. I love the feeling of being in loved & being loved.
19. The people I love most are my parents & sister.
20. My sister & I call eachother "Pants."
21. It's nice to have an inside joke with her that we won't explain to anyone but our parents.
22. I am obsessed with Christmas.
23. I think it's partially because of the lights, the trees & the snow.
24. I mostly think it's family time.

25. I want to get engaged around Christmas time, I really believe it's the most romantic time of the year.
26. I think the city of Chicago looks the most amazing at Christmas.
27. I used to think it was New York City.
28. I thought this until I realized Chicago was really my home.
29. I want to live on the North Side of Chicago when I graduate.

30. This is about as realistic as my wedding reception at Navy Pier because I will never have the money.
31. I will probably make less than $35,000 for the rest of my life.
32. I don't mind this, I changed my major to help others, not to make money.
33. Changing my major was the second best decision I've ever made in my life. (From Special Education to Youth Adult & Family Services & I just did it this year as a 5th year.)
34. The first best decision I ever made was transferring to Purdue.
35. I don't regret going to Saint Joe's.
36. I did regret how I behaved while I was there.
37. I no longer regret things. I feel that every decision I have made in my life has shaped the person I have become today. Regrets are a waste of time.
38. Worrying as a waste of time too, but I do that. I especially worry about things I can't control. I am fully aware that this is ridiculous.
39. I do a lot of ridiculous things.
40. One of them is not letting my food touch. I go as far as wiping off off my plate or getting a new one before putting something new on it.
41. Another ridiculous thing I do is check all of the closets in my apartment and under my bed before I go to sleep.
42. I do this regardless if my roommate is home or not.
43. I also do this at home where there are 3 other people & a dog aside from myself sleeping.
44. I am obviously kind of neurotic.
45. I have to eat my food either really hot or really cold. So hot that most people can't eat it & so cold that I put my milk in the freezer before I drink it.
46. I pronounce milk with an "E" not the "I"
47. My favorite food is cheese, of any kind.
48. I have random cravings for cottage cheese. My roommate does the same thing, I think that is why we get along so well.
49. I didn't really know my roommate before we moved in together.
50. She is now one of the people I can't live without & is one of my very best friends.
51. I still have 2 of my best friends from before I was ever in highschool.
52. They are Kristen Shelton & Jenny Lounsberry.
53. I'm in Jenny's wedding in June. I can't believe she's getting married. She is my first close girlfriend to do so.
54. I've never stood up in a wedding... the thought kind of makes me nervous even though I know everyone will be looking at the gorgeous Jennifer & Robbie. They are so attractive, they're going to have beautiful children.
55. I want 2 kids or 4 kids. No odd numbers. I want to be a stay at home mom eventually.
56. I like the names Faith & Noah. I really like the name London but my mom has told me she refuses to have a granddaughter with the name of a city.
57. I love the smell of clean laundry.

58. I love the smell of vanilla bean noel from bath & body works, ralph lauren - romance, and I still love the smell of curve for women. I own all three but will only use vanilla bean noel in the fall and winter. (I told you I was neurotic)
59. I also secretly love the smell of garlic.
60. I put garlic in every meal I cook for dinner. If I ever encounter any vampires I know that they will run.
61. If I could I would add cheese to everything too, especially fresh grated parm.
62. My little sister gave me a cheese grater for my birthday (amongst a lot of other things.) I think it's one of the coolest things I own.
63. I could eat Mexcian food pretty much everyday.
64, I do eat it a lot but everytime I go to a restaurant I can never decide what to order.
65. Once on a date in highschool, I was so indecisive about what to order, I got so pressured & on the spur of the moment I ordered the fried fish dinner at Bennigan's.
66. I hate fish but ate it anyways so I didn't look stupid.
67. I love shellfish though.
68. The best cookout I have ever been to was a fish boil this summer, we had crab legs, lobster and shrimp. We made it all ourselves & drank Pino Grigio.
69. My favorite wine is Santa Margarita Pino Grigio.
70. Again, something I can't afford that often but at times I do spoil myself and buy it anyways.
71. My favoite beer is Guinness.
72. My favorite light beer is Miller Lite.
73. I'll drink almost any beer if it's cheap & any beer if it's free.
74. I am friends or on good terms with almost every guy I've ever dated.
75. My sister does the same thing, it makes me proud.
76. My sister often makes me proud..

77. She's one of the 3 people I admire most.
78. The other two people I admire most are my Mom & Dad.

79. I admire my mom because she keeps our house & family together. She was an only child & has no family left, including her parents. She is really strong. I am a lot like her & I find it to be a compliment when people tell me this.

80. I admire my dad for opening up his own business & for his dedication to hard work. He is the hardest working person I think I have ever met. He has made a lot of sacrifices to give us things he never had. I hope that my future husband is like him in that way.

81. Once, my junior year in highschool, we all went to Hawaii.
82. I want to go back, and with my family. Then I would like to go again with the family I start someday, or at least with my husband the first time.
83. After Hawaii, I refuse to eat canned pineapple because I ate fresh pineapple everyday while I was there.
84. I also refused to eat any kind of frozen veggies except peas & any other kind of canned fruit for that matter.
85. I am fully aware of the fact that this makes me sound like a spoiled rotten, picky brat.
86. The truth is I am spoiled rotten & rather picky.
87. I think being picky is just a sign that I really know what I want.
88. I do know what I want but a lot of times I'll let other people get what they want instead if it will make them happy.
89. I really like to make others happy even it it means that I'm not.
90. I consider this to be a positive characteristic as well as a flaw.
91. I love the Chicago Cubs & Chicacgo Bears
92. I hate the White Sox, Colts & Green Bay Packers.
93. I have been to as many Sox games if not more than Cubs games.
94. I work for a former Green Bay player, Jared Tomich. He is a teddy bear but still makes me so nervous. He didn't make me nervous until I found out who he was.
95. I work at Zuni's in Highland, Indiana.
96. I am a damn good waitress.
97. It's one of the few things I give myself credit for being really good at.
98. I don't give myself credit for much.
99. I would like to become a better writer.
100. One of the reasons for this journal is to help me do that.

Do, Re Me-me

Since all of my recent blogs have been rather depressing - (re-reading them kind of makes me go "ugh I'm that sad girl") (Which in all honesty I have been down but I KNOW that there are people out there with problems that I can't even compare mine to. I'm sure that "this too shall pass.") I thought I would complete this little survey thing I stole from Sammy to make everyone (including myself) alittle happier!

Three names I go by
-Kayte
-Kaytedid
-Kaytelan Marie (Even though my real name is JUST Kayte)

Three screen names I have or had
- KrazChorse (pronounced crazy - seahorse)
- Bonfire721
- Purplegizzy214

Three physical things I like about myself
- Smile
- Freckles
- Eyelashes

Three physical things I don't like about myself
- Upper thighs
- Butt
- Small Calves (Weird I know)

Three parts of my heritage
- Irish
- Czeck
- Sweedish

Three things that scare me
- FLYING
- The future
- The dark (fully aware of the fact that I'm 22)

Three of my everyday essentials
- caffeine in any form
- Mascara
- Baby Lotion

Three of my favorite musical artists
- Lucky Boys Confusion (Local Chicago)
- Triptii (Very local - Naperville, IL)
- Recently - Coldplay (Thanks to Matthew & Nick & this summer!)

Three things I want in a relationship
- Honesty
- Passion/Emotion
- Loving that person for who they are & being loved for who I am - no changes or alterations for either of us.

Three lies and truths in no particular order
- I love Christmas in a very ridiculous way
- I love tomatoes
- I hate snow

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeal to me
- Eyes
- Sense of Humor
- Level of Manliness (It HAS to be high!)

Three of my favorite hobbies
- Watching Sitcoms
- Cooking
- Cat-napping

Three things I want to do really badly right now
- Go Shopping
- Get a hug
- Shower (I'm on my way in a minute I promise!)

Three Places I want to vacation
- Hawaii
- Ireland
- Italy

Three kid's names I like
- Noah
- Faith
- London

Three things I want to do before I die
- Start my own family
- Live in a big city
- Own at least one dashaund

Three ways that I am stereotypically a boy-
- I love red meat... haha seriously I do
- I could wear sweats everyday
- I like to drink beer

Three ways that I am stereotypically a girl
- I refuse to go anywhere without make-up on
- I am overly emotional
- The day I get my hair done is the greatest day of my life every few months!

Three celeb crushes
- Dr. McDreamy from Grey's Anatomy
- Colin Farrell
- Johnny Depp

My family.

I am fully aware that this will be the third time I have started a journal. I am hoping that this time around I will be able to write in it on a regular basis, you know what they say -- third times a
charm...

So for the first time since I have started writing, (I started probably 2 years ago or so & have been writing on & off since,) I am actually writing about how unhappy I am. Usually I write about how happy & lucky I am etc. - these days, not so much. It sounds so stupid because there are SO many people in this world with problems that I cannot even begin to fathom.

I think a very large part of what is wrong with me is that I miss home. Yes, I have been homesick before when I've been away at school, but most of the time it comes & goes. This year I have missed home every single day since I left & all I can focus on is going back. I am 22 years old, there are people without families, or people who live thousand upon thousands of miles away from them & don't give it a second thought daily. I however do have a family & one that I miss very much. I haven't been home since I left for school & it is really starting to get to me. When I graduated from highschool, I couldn't WAIT to get out of my house. I had no worries about leaving & being out on my "own." The summer after my freshman year my mom & I clashed so much that again, I couldn't WAIT to leave. (I'm sure she couldn't wait for me to leave either!!) Now, a few years later, I find myself counting down the days, hours & seconds until I get to be with my family again. It's strange what a few years can do for one's maturity. I am not saying I have completely matured by any means. I am saying, however, as we get older, for many of us something inside clicks. We realize our own mortality as well as that of those around us. We realize these people who we have been with all of our lives will not be around forever. I have begun to appreciate my family in a way I never knew that I could or for that matter would. I really believe that part of it is because they have given me the opportunity to go away & be on my own. I don't think that I would have this kind of appreciation for them if I had simply stayed at home.

This brings me to a whole different type of problem. I graduate in a year. Then what? I have always talked about moving away, going to New York, someplace different, new & exciting, but when it comes down to it, I honestly don't think that I could leave them again. I will have been apart from them for 5 1/2 years & to me that is plenty of time to grow & change & have new experiences without them. Now I want them with me. My values have completely changed even from just a year ago. I'm not saying I want to live in my parents basement for the rest of my life because I enjoy being on my own & "independent." I'm not even saying I have to live less than two hours away, it can be more. But I'm finished here I want my parents & Jackie to be close. I want to be able to drive to their house for Thanksgiving & Christmas or vice versa. I want to be able to meet them for dinner. When I get married & my husband & I have our first fight I want to be able to go to my parents house. I want to be able to have cookouts for the fourth of July. When I have my first baby & I have no clue what in the hell I am doing I want my mom to be able to be there when I cannot for the life of me figure out why they are crying, not 15 hours away. I know it sounds crazy to be thinking of this, but it was once something Kristen said to me & the more I think about it the more I realize it to be true. Some people are able to live without their families & only see them on holidays & special occasions, I however am starting to see that I don't think I can be one of those people. With all of that said, I feel a little better, not much, but a little because I know that I'll be home on Saturday & that will make a world of difference, but for now at least -- that is all I want to do. Dorothy really had it right, there really is no place like home, if only I had a pair of little red shoes that could get me there faster....

Love, Me