News! I have some! The good kind!

I don't know why I couldn't just title this post "I have good news!" My brain thinks more in spurts like it turned out, so it's probably best as it stands. Now on to the goods! I'm feeling very blessed this week.

1. I am employed! 

It's a contract writing/editing position that will soon turn into something long-term, so when that happens, I will give you all the juicy details! But just know that this girl has a steady income for the time being and the upcoming move to California is much less daunting! Ima celebrate with some....um....chicken and veggies for dinner. La vida loca, up in hurrr!

2. I have a new nephew!

Introducing, Jay Matthew Hawkes! I love this little squish. Well I pretty much love all babies. I'm not really a kid person, but I'm definitely a baby person. Now pictures:





3. It's time for another wedding!

It's the infamous Bridesmaid Round 13; it is upon us! I will post more excellent details about it after it goes down (because those posts are so much better with actual pictures of the event, amiright?) but for now you get a picture of the shoes and jewelry because why not:

And now I shall pack for yet another plane ride. I'm getting really good at those.

A&A: My Toenail Declared Mutiny at an Unfortunate Moment

hhhhola mis amigos! First, I'm guest posting today for my lovely blog soul sister Ashley at Happily Ever Ashley, so go check out my post about choosing your own love story. And then stalk the rest of her blog. And now on to the other goods...

Awkward...
▲ The prancercise fitness video. (But it's borderline awesome all at once.)
▲ Indulged in a pedicure recently, and...my big toenail came off in the pedicurist's hand. The shocked look on her face was nigh unto priceless. #runnerproblems #oops
▲ I'm a few years out of touch with current TV, and I've been exploring it since I moved in with the 'rents. But mostly I'm finding that TV is weird, because Exhibit A. But it's also good, because Exhibit B.
▲ This book exists:




Awesome...
▲This sad cat diary video. I think I'm posting too much about cats. It's just that I live with one now, and we're working on our friendship/frenemyship, as evidenced in this photo.
▲That one time it was National Donut Day and I had my first donut in 6 months. Bless you, gluten-free bakery. Bless you.
▲My friend Brook is amazing and travels to India and saves the world and stuff. For her master's thesis project she put together this incredibly moving photo essay about the oppression of Indian women. I got to see the gallery/exhibit in person, and...whoa.
▲ AND MOST AWESOME OF ALL... the new Jimmy Eat World album is out! Be still my heart! You can look it up on Spotify (it's called Damage). Or go buy it. And put it on repeat. I dig it because it pulls some influence from a few past albums, including a definite grunge vibe in a couple songs that throws all the way back to Static Prevails. I would list my favorites but I like almost all of them for different reasons, so let's not go there unless you REALLY want to go there, in which case please corner me in person sometime and a long conversation can indeed commence. Amen.

on apartment leases, job leads and leaps of faith

There's this strange pattern in my life involving apartment leases and leaps of faith.

But to back up a bit, you already know I went on a spontaneous, #bravekatie adventure to northern California for a few days. Why northern California? The idea first got in my head a couple months back after I randomly saw a job listing in the area. I decided to apply and...I got an interview. And then...I got two more interviews. And then.........they didn't hire me. Hrmmm.

But somewhere during that situation, I looked into the idea of living in the Bay Area. Palo Alto, to be exact -- about 30min south of San Francisco. I didn't get that job, but a northern California seed had already been planted. It kind of burrowed down inside me and took root and started putting crazy thoughts in my head. I started applying to more jobs in that area, not entirely sure yet that I even wanted to leave Arizona.

And then we get to the part of the story that you know more about, which is the part where my job went away and so did my condo and so did many of the details and structure of my Arizona life. And so I did the only thing I could think to do: I got on a plane to northern California. I spent money I barely had, knowing that not much more is on its way, moved the last of my stuff into the backseat of my car after several frenzied days of packing and discarding and donating, and I got on that plane. I got on that hooverdam airplane.

Yesterday my aunt told me she admires how brave I am. I told her that I cried on the airplane. I love airports, but I walked through my familiar Sky Harbor like a small lost child, clutching my beloved gray pillow for dear life, feeling like I was leaving my entire life behind. Even though I'd be coming back in a few days, it wouldn't be to the home and job and life that I'd known for so long. I was excited, but I was also terrified. Mostly I just felt very small and very unsure of myself.

When people asked why I was going, I said I had a job interview.

...which wasn't entirely true. What I had was a job lead. Up until a few hours before I got on the plane, all I had was a hopeful job lead, a sent email and a prayer that the person behind said job lead would meet me for coffee on Friday since I "happened" to be in town. Luckily, that coffee date did pan out. And then another interview a few days later. And a lot of socializing and exploring and ocean-finding adventures in the meantime.

Let me tell you about this area of California: it has trees, charming houses, a cool breeze, hippie-dressing people and did-I-mention-the-trees. They line the streets like you wouldn't believe. I couldn't stop talking about the trees, meaning my Arizona was showing all over the place. It was not hard to fall in love with this new town. And somewhere during all of that, I came across a potential apartment and roommate in a really great neighborhood.

Now let me tell you about me and apartment leases.

I have this funny pattern in my life of signing apartment leases before I know all the other concrete details about my life. Once, I wanted to move to a new city but I felt unsure. My best friend already lived there, and she called me one day and said, "I found an apartment. Are you in?" And so I was in, without ever seeing the place or having fully made the decision to go. I faxed a signature for that lease, and just like that, I had made the decision to go.

Another time, I was interning at two places and fresh out of college and unsure what might pan out to a long-term job. A friend called me and asked if I wanted to go to a church activity in a nearby city. So I went. And then she wanted to look around at apartments. So we looked. Two days later, we had keys in our hands.

Yet another time, a potentially ideal apartment situation fell through 3 days before I was set to move in. A girl I barely knew called me and said, "I found a condo. Do you want to be roommates?" And so I signed a lease. I do not have words for the impact that girl, the other girls we lived with, and that last-minute decision have had on my life. That all deserves its own post.

So what I'm saying is, there is this pattern in my life. And I do believe that God works in patterns. Today I thought, "I found this great apartment and new roommate in northern California, but I don't have a job offer yet. What do I do?" And then I remembered that I know exactly what to do. I know this pattern. I know how this part goes. This is a leap of faith my feet already know. 

And so, today I will sign a lease.

I am supposed to hear back from my job interview/lead/coffee meeting in the next couple days. I thought about waiting to post all these other details until I had some news, be it good or bad, so I could at least put a fitting conclusion on this little novel. But then I decided that, no, I want to post it now. I want to post it mid-leap. I want to post it and say that I have a lease in one hand and no job offer in the other. And yet, I sign.

Because here's a truth I know: I've made the best decisions in my life by letting my feet leave the ground when I can't see anything but sky and a long drop below me. And God has always caught me.

music: furr

I have returned to Arizona!

We're going to hold off on my ramblings and recaps about my adventures in northern California (by the way, that's where I went) and just focus on some good tunes for the time being. This song by Blitzen Trapper is from a few years back, but it's new to me as of a couple months ago.

And it was love at first listen. 

L-o-v-e. The "can't-eat, can't-sleep, reach-for-the-stars, over-the-fence, World Series kind of stuff." (Name that movie.) The thing is, I grow ever more certain that all I really want out of life is a dozen plaid shirts, simplicity, some folk music, and to be surrounded by people and places who make my heart feel squishy and full.

And something about that all adds up to liking a song about living among the wolves. I dare you not to get a crush on this little ditty. There's nothing wrong with putting it on repeat for a few days in a row. If you did that, hypothetically speaking, I wouldn't be one to judge.

Today I was a wild child.

I woke up today, on the last day of this adventure, with nothing but time and a fixed determination to see the ocean. 

Half an hour after embarking, I came across a main street in a small town. If there's  one thing I can't resist, it's a main street in a small town. So, I found a parking space and set off on foot. It was chilly and blustery as small oceanside towns are prone to be, so I spent the first few minutes of my walk trying to keep my hair tucked in place while simultaneously holding my skirt down in a battle against the invasive gusts of wind.

And then, suddenly, it just didn't matter.

I thought, "Enough of this." I untied my hair and let it run free into happy tangles and wavy tomfoolery. I let go of my skirt and decided I couldn't be that much worse for the wear if this small ocean town saw a little leg or thought I was an improper hippie child.

I found a sushi place with a fantastic lunch special and I lunched with myself. I didn't bother to run my fingers through my windswept hair. I used the chopsticks and didn't even ask for a fork, even though I am really bad at chopsticks. I muscled through, and, it turns out I am not so bad at chopsticks after all. I put a whole piece of California roll in my mouth, even if it wasn't ladylike because my mouth is just never big enough for the California roll.

I walked into a bookstore and I bought a children's book, as I am prone to do on my travels. I talked to the owner about her pet birds behind the counter, named Bridget and Tilly. I asked her, "How do I get to the ocean?"

"Take a right turn and keep going," she said. And so I went. 

Today was a particularly rare and delicious kind of happy.

I am blogging from the sky.

As I write this, I am sitting on an airplane.

First, I'd like to tell you that I'm guest posting today over at Love, The Skinnys because Deidre is the nicest and asked me to write a little something-something for her blog. My post is about...what it feels like to fall in love! I'm attached to this piece and had a hard time parting with it for a guest post, so you should probably go check it out. Oh, look, here's an excerpt: "It was simple and sweet and like the rush of an oncoming train all at once..." Keep reading here.

But back to the airplane.

There is a cloud to my right and a sleeping passenger to my left. Plus a kid kicking my seat behind me. There is no good angle for an opportune death glare so I'll just enjoy the turbulent ride.

In the past few days, I have done the following: a) quit my job, b) sold/donated half my belongings, c) parked the rest of my stuff at my parents' house, d) handed over my condo key after 3 years in my little home, e) bought a plane ticket, f) gotten on the plane, g) written this blog on said plane, h) now we're all caught up to the present moment.

You could say it's been quite the week.

I mean, good grief you guys. Where am I at on all this? I think I'm half excited and half terrified. And then there's another half of me that's really hungry. (Where are my plane snacks?)

You may follow my shenanigans on instagram at @katildagrams if you'd like. I'm chasing crazy dreams and stuff. Please stay tuned.

A&A: a boy caught me eating an avocado at church

What we need up in here is a little lighthearted happiness and laughter. I figure some A&A is just the ticket, especially since I have two particularly excellent stories in the awkward category this week. Enjoy!

Awkward...
▲ I sent someone an email and didn't proofread it. I later discovered that I'd numbered a list as 1) and then b). So I'm really good at both counting and the alphabet.
▲ There is a city in the bible named Shittim. Dreading the day I get asked to read that chapter out loud at church.
▲ Recently I purchased lingerie for a friend for a bachelorette party. I'm about 13 rounds of bridesmaiding past being embarrassed about shopping for lingerie, but this experience became unique as I stood in line with four men behind me (one of them was a too-close-stander), and the cashier held a lacy little number up, looked at me with raised eyebrows and said, "Did you try this on?"
▲ Sometimes on Sundays, I have to arrive at church early (organ player right here) and I neglect to eat lunch. This particular Sunday, I grabbed an avocado and some tortilla chips on my way out the door for snacking purposes. Fast forward a couple hours: it was time for sunday school, and my tummy was like, "Feed me now or I'll make you cranky and ruin your social life." The sequence of events went as follows:
1. Slip into the kitchen and out the side door to my car to retrieve said avocado.
2. Make sure kitchen-to-hallway door is closed so I can chill alone with my shoes off while I mash up my avocado for eating.
3. Just as the first chip enters my mouth and my hands are covered in green smush (avocados are messy), the kitchen door opens and an attractive (important detail) fella enters the room.
4. I try to play it off and casually introduce myself in all my snack-eating, hiding-in-the-kitchen, barefoot-at-church glory. He reaches to shake my hand. I have to decline and admit that there is avocado all over my fingers.
5. I buy his silence with a tortilla chip.
6. Stories like this are why I'll be able to write a killer MoRo (mormon romance) novel someday.

Awesome...
▲ This article about a guy who took his elderly dog on a final amazing journey via bicycle.
▲ Amidst all my condo packing, I managed to pack all my underwears and take them to my parents' house with the first load. After showering yesterday at my own place, this obviously presented a problem. I then discovered a grocery bag in the back corner of my closet with a dozen brand new underwears waiting for me. You guys, it was a biblical miracle.
▲ Speaking of back corners of my closet, this discovery equaled about 10 levels of awesome.
▲ I've been in a Facebook poke war with a guy since 2006. Guinness here we come!
▲ Snap chat. Snap chat is both hilarious and awesome.

▲ Why you should date someone who travels.
▲ Kmart wins again with this big gas wordplay ad. I want to kiss their marketing team on the mouth. I mean that not in a weird way. If that's possible. No, let's just let it go.
▲ The entire avocado story was actually awesome in its own way.