{change}

today i called and got all the bills and my address transferred to my new place... it's almost here and i'm so excited!
i really can't wait.  there's a lot of changes, and i'm sure there will still be days that stress me out and i'll want to be back at sugar creek living with people, but for right now, all i am is excited.  i can't wait for monday, when i get to move all my things to a single bedroom apartment, decorate like a real adult, pay all my own bills, and move from a college house, to (for me) a grownup house.

i also can't wait to start working.  3, 4 and 5 year olds are my favorite.  they're so funny and full of life, and they haven't hit the stage where they're trying to be cool.  everything is new and fun.  i get to help them discover who they are and what they like and help them get excited for real school.
i'm also sure, just like the house, that at some point, i will want to be in college again, but i am legitimately excited to work (even if it means getting up super early and going to bed like an old woman).

change is coming.  i'm ready for it.  now who wants to help me move?

{a hippie kind of night}

tonight was fun...

last weekend, ian and i got some local ground beef at the farmer's market along with some kentucky proud green peppers, and tonight, we made stuffed peppers.  it's one of my favorite meals, the leftovers are even better, and it's really not that hard.

i actually really liked the beef.  it definitely had a different smell from the store bought while i cooked it, and it tasted a lot better.  it really was only a little bit more expensive than the store bought stuff, so looks like they made a believer out of me!

after dinner, ian and i took our bikes on a little journey to kroger.  i have a basket on the back of my bike, and we were able to put all the groceries (we didn't get a ton, but still...) on the back of my bike.

such a hippie date, but so much fun :)

{adventures in painting}

we're growing up... how crazy is that?

2 of my good friends, who are getting married on new year's eve, are currently picking colors to decorate their future apartment.  it's going to be super cute, and i'm so excited for them!

their new living room will be navy blue, gray, and one wall will be white and blue chevrons (hello pinterest!)

well last night i went over to help do some painting.  while attempting to paint near the carpet, i had one of those ah-ha moments.  i tore off some of the cardboard from a box and fashioned a little paint-blocker.  i was pretty impressed with how it worked!  i was able to get really far down past the carpet, while avoiding the actual carpet, and it even worked as a paint drip catcher.

you actually have to wedge the cardboard into the carpet, but that's hard to take pictures of... i also feel like you could use a dust pan and it would be even more affective!

maybe this helps... i can't wait to try it on my own apartment soon!

{new bikes!}

i have always loved biking, and especially since i found a place close to kroger (and let's be real... orange leaf), i really wanted a bike that i could get around town on.  i've been looking at craigslist for a while, and always got beat by someone else.

this morning, i went to a bike sale, and while they had some beautiful bikes, they were also super knowledgable, so no deals were to be found.  i had a strict budget i wanted to stay in, and none of the bikes met that (most exceeded by at least $40-$50... boo!)

i got home slightly disappointed not finding a bike and hopped in the shower to get ready for northern kentucky to see the lovely erica biery, and when i got out, had an email from a woman i found on craigslist selling a pair of schwinn continental bikes.  she said she wanted to sell them as a pair, so i set off to masterson station to take a look.

i came home with these 2 beauties- the pair was within my budget! awesome :)

i'm in love!  they're in great condition and they match and my bike came with a basket attachment and vintage lights :)  i had to wake up ian this morning... it's not every day someone gets a bike!  we took a little trip around woodland park, and made plans to head to the farmer's market next weekend!  better be good weather!

it's a great day and it's only 10:30

{ode to the fam}

today, i'm missing my family.

i feel so blessed by the family God has given me!  we'll do a little fam snap shot :)

i have great parents.  like for real, i kind of think they're the best (i'm a little biased, but still!)

my dad is one of a kind... he plays hockey several nights a week, and recently picked up a wakeboard and taught himself how to wakeboard in a morning!  i think i got a lot of his adventure and i sportiness from him.  dad has always been the person i call when something is wrong- i coined the phrase, 'daddy can fix anything', and as of right now, he pretty much has!  he's probably where i get my mentality of why pay someone when i can fix it myself?  he's the rock of our family and i'm so thankful for a dad who has given me a positive view of God as my father.

mom and keith get to share a picture because i like this one so much :)  today is mom's 6 month anniversary from becoming cancer free (she kind of inspired this post)!  going through cancer really showed my mom's spirit: she's always happy and looking at the positive.  she never complained, never showed fear, and with my dad, completely trusted God with her future.  she's the reason i can't wait to start working in preschool (she's a special needs preschool teacher... hello patience!)

my brother is hilarious.  he's a hard worker who loves being outside.  he may also be the most loyal friend.  my brother is the guy who you could call at 2 a.m., and he would come to your aid, no questions asked.  he's also super outdoorsy- he hunts, fishes, canoes, camps... he spent a whole summer out west, waking up at 4 am to go cut trails!  he will always be my baby brother, but i'm proud of the man he's becoming

i have a super pretty sister... she also is very original and knows who she is.  even as girly and pretty as she is, she's currently out west hanging out with inner city kids and taking them on hikes thorough the wilderness.  she's thrifty, and the girl can take the ugliest piece of clothing and make it really cool.  i like that over the years, we're friends AND sisters.  she also makes me a little more stylish...


there ya go!  a little snap shot into the crook family... i love my fam and i'm so thankful for them :)  they're a big reason of why i am the way i am today.

{operation organization}

i have this goal of being organized and really clean when i move to my new place... i want my house to be somewhere comfortable and feel at home.

i'm attempting to jumpstart the cleaning by being really organized about HOW i'm going to clean.  i work well when following a plan, so why not make a cleaning plan?

i started by making a calendar...

i found one on pinterest that i liked, but wanted to make it cute.  if it's cute, i'll use it (i hope!).  i like that stuff is broken down into daily and then the weekly stuff is incorporated.  it means i won't spend one day cleaning everything.  we'll see how well i stick to it.  my plan is to print that off, put it in a picture frame, and mark things off with a dry erase marker.

to go along with that, i also made these 2 things!

paint chip calendar.  i promise it looks cuter in real life...

memo board- menu for the week, to do in the middle, and a grocery list on the bottom

i feel pretty good about today's crafts!  useful and cute :)  i can't wait to hang them in my new place and start using them!

{bread maker}

i've been cleaning out the house lately... 2 loads to goodwill (not all mine... erin and i cleaned the garage!) and a load to half price books today.  after the second load to goodwill, i had to take a gander to see if there was anything i could use for my new house.  i have a few items i've been looking for, and what better place to look than goodwill?

i came across a diamond.

look at that beauty.  ian and i really like making bread and pizza dough... life just got easier!  mom and dad use a bread maker all the time and love it... i remember when we were kids- the whole house would smell good and it doesn't take much work!  literally throw the ingredients in the pan and the bread maker does all the work.  3 hours later, i have homemade bread.  it also has a timer, so i can set it to be done after work/church/something fun.

how about that pretty bread???  i can't wait to eat it (or surprise ian with the fact that i got a bread maker).  while that wasn't on my list of items i need, for $6 i couldn't pass it up.  by the look of this bread, i'd say it was an investment i'll be pretty pleased in!

{ending of an era}

sugar creek has been a good home...

it's been home for 2 years for me with many fond memories.  still, it's the ghetto.  we have the fugitive task force and the narcotic division of lexington police on our street in the same day, we have kids setting off fireworks with a bow and arrow (with a firework ban going on), and 2 of our neighbors recently got evicted.  needless to say, i'm ready to move.

today was humorous.  my roommate and i cleaned our garage.  wow we know how to accumulate stuff! it feels good to purge... i took a huge load to goodwill, with another on the way tomorrow and a trip to half price books to attempt to make a few bucks on some books.

i officially cannot wait to move into my new place... i'm excited to decorate, to organize, and to make a place a home.  i don't want to feel temporary, i want to feel settled and home.

bring on the new stage!

{adventures as a speech path!}

new blog title... new stage in life!

i have a job :)  and it's pretty much my dream job... i feel so blessed.  people aren't supposed to get their dream job as their first job, but that's really what i feel like this one is.

this is the type of job i said i wanted even before i discovered i loved schools.  it's the age group i like, it's a community size i like, it's with people i feel like i will like.

i can't wait to start working.  i'm sure that come next summer, i'll be praising summer's off and not having to wake up early and see little people, but right now, i can't wait to start.  i can't wait to decorate my classroom, i can't wait to meet my little people, i can't wait to meet my coworkers, and i can't wait for a real paycheck :)

i also think i found a great apartment- not huge but perfect for just me, but a place of my own, a place to come home to and feel like home, a place to really feel like an adult.

tomorrow i go in for orientation.  i feel like it's the first real day of being an independent adult contributing to society.

i can't wait to use the gifts God has given me with working with little ones come august.  we'll see how the blog evolves with this new stage in my life!

kellie crook, maed cf-slp