Seeing Red

I never thought today would come. (This day being Game 7 of the World Series!!) Like many Cards fans out there, I never ever expected them to make it to the Worlds Series, much less make it to a Game 7. This whole season I've thought the Cards weren't all that great, just average (still better than the Royals and Nationals though). Even that last week of regular play, I didn't think they would beat the Braves in the Wild Card race. And now look where we are - Game. 7. of the. World. Series.

One of my co-workers, a Phillies fan, aptly pointed out after we beat the Phillies and the Brewers that maybe it's been my low expectations of the team that has gotten them this far. I don't know if it's their underdog status in many people's eyes that has somehow pulled out all these wins (or, it could be major hitting by the likes of Berkman, Pujols, and Freese), but I'll keep doing whatever I'm doing to help - you know, the typical superstitious rituals sports fans do.....

Soooo, for the last 3 weeks (since the Cards/Brewers series) I have been wearing something red and/or something St. Louis-y, every. day. Call me crazy, but it seems to be working. Me wearing something red or St. Louis-y = Cards winning each series. Makes sense, right?

Now, I'm not going to turn this into a fashion blog with pictures of myself in all of these fantastic red outfits, but here's a list of my "ritualistic" Cards and St. Louis garb:

• 2 Cardinals baseball hats
• 2 Cardinals t-shirts
• a red American Apparel tee
• 2 red cardigans
• a few red sweaters
• a pair of red flats
• St. Louis map pendant (a "bad day" gift from Chris a few weeks back)
• Missouri state necklace (a "honeymoon" gift from Chris. I seriously have the best husband!)
• To top it off, I have a wide array of Cardinals cups and glasses to put my beer water in as I watch the games!

And, maybe to make you laugh at my ridiculous "red"-wearing, here is a photo Chris took of me last night in the midst of the extra innings. Complete with my red American Apparel tee, St. Louis necklace, and, yes, a double-rally cap. (Excuse the crazy face. I maybe had too much wine/beer and it was past my bedtime...)

 So far, my red-wearing has worked because the Cards had an outstanding night last night in Game 6 and are on their way to beating the Rangers and winning their 11th World Series! And you better believe I am wearing red again today (a cardigan and my trusty St. Louis necklace). Let's hope it holds out for one more game!

Go Cards!!

Versatile Blogger Award!

Well, I found out this weekend that I have been nominated for my very first blog award - the Versatile Blogger Award - by the ever-so-lovely, Megan! Let me tell you, this means soooo much! Sometimes I feel like I'm just rambling on about stuff that only I find interesting, so it's great to hear that not only do I have an interested reader out there, but that she likes my ramblings enough to nominate me!

Here are the "rules" of the Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Thank the award-giver and provide a link back to their blog.
2. Tell your readers 7 things about yourself.
3. Give the award to up to 15 recently discovered bloggers.
4. Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news!

So, of course this calls for more rambling from moi! Here we go:

Thank you, thank you,  Megan, for nominating me! You should check out her blog because she does some pretty awesome Glee-caps - Glee recaps - and is a 30x30 re-mixer! (Oh, and she also just started a photography business, Megan Stoll Studios, in the S.T.L. that you should check her out at too. Pretty awesome stuff!

And, here's 7 random things about myself....

1. I am the oldest of three. As Megan mentioned, I have a younger sister, Danielle, who is pretty awesome,  and a younger brother, Will, who is pretty stellar himself. Danielle is a much better blogger than I am (you can check her out at Addicted to Television and Danielle's Other Blog) and she is my go-to person for all social media and fashion-related questions (she just helped me pick out a purse this morning). Will is a runner. He ran for his college cross country and track team and is always trying to fit in a workout. Every time he has visited us he has run a race here in DC - He totally won the SOME Turkey Trot last Thanksgiving here in DC, and will be running the DC Rock N Roll half with us this spring! The three of us didn't really get along all that great as kids, but I'm so glad that we're close now as adults and cannot wait until we can all get together again - miss you two!

The three of us being silly at a rainy Cards game!

2. I watch a lot of TV. Probably too much TV. Chris always asks what's on my "line-up" for the evening, and I'm guessing that's not a good thing. Some of my absolute favorites are So You Think You Can Dance, The Office, 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, True Blood, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Games of Thrones, Friends, Project Runway, and Design Star. I'm also a fan of all of Sarah Richardson's HGTV shows, Grey's Anatomy, and some of the Bachelor/Bachelorette stuff. Oh, and my guilty pleasure is definitely some Days of Our Lives. And, I was a huge fan of Brothers & Sisters, Greek, and, of course, LOST before they all ended/got canceled.Ok, so I know I just listed a lot of shows, but it really feels like I missed some??... Although, to my credit, I do read and workout too, on top of doing "home" stuff and going out occasionally, so a little TV is okay, right?

3. When I was younger I had a strange obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the Little House on the Prairie series. Not only have I read her books countless times, but I would watch the TV series regularly (I even own the VHS set of one season), and have even visited her final home in Mansfield, Missouri, Rocky Ridge Farm. To top it off, for Christmas two years ago, Chris got me the most spectacular gift ever: tickets to see Little House on the Prairie, The Musical! Even though Melissa Gilbert didn't play Ma that night, it was ah-mazing. I credit Wilder for developing my passion for history and it is a secret wish of mine to travel around the Midwest visiting all of her "homes." Now, if I could only find a way to travel back in time....

4. I used to be (knock on wood) somewhat accident prone. Or, as my dad put it, "I liked to play (too) hard." For example, I have 2 screws in my foot and a bone floating in my butt cheek. Attractive right? Long story short, I pulled part of my hamstring from my pelvis - and it took some bone with it - hence the bone "floating" in my booty and I also broke my foot which needed two screws put in to heal. If I've learned anything from all of my broken bones and pulled muscles it is that crutches suck. Sure, they might be a good workout for your "good" leg (I became a pro at hopping around) and a great workout for your triceps, but they SUCK. Be safe out there (and knock on wood)!

 5. For those of you that don't know, Chris and I met in Greece and got in engaged in Greece. We met on a travel abroad summer trip through our undergraduate college and then went back there again when we graduated, where Chris decided to propose along the way... I think we have a pretty cute little love story, no? Either way, Greece should be on everyone's travel lists because it is seriously the best place ever (I'm not biased or anything). Beautiful landscapes, yummy food, and amazing history. I absolutely love it so if you are planning to go there and want travel tips feel free to ask me, but be prepared for some major ramblings!

One of my own photos of Oia, Santorini, Greece. Swoon.

6. As you might be able to tell from some of my posts, I really love to decorate and really love learning about interior design (my Google Reader is full of design bloggers and hello, HGTV!). Ever since I got my own room when I was 13 (?) I've had the itch to decorate. Back then, that meant that I spray painted my bed with textured paint akin to a popcorn ceiling, painted each wall of my room its own pastel color, and even painted my closet light blue, complete with clouds. Classy stuff, right? If only I had a picture! Now that I have my own home, I am absolutely loving the freedom to decorate however I want, although, I hope that my aesthetics have improved even slightly since that first bedroom!

7. Although I really really love living in DC 95% of the time, the 5% of the time that I miss living back in Missouri is when I think about my family and when I think about all of the great St. Louis food. Sure, DC has a great food scene, but when I want a simple sandwich there is no P'sghetti's or Mom's Deli to swing by. Or, when I want something really bad, I can't drive to a White Castle's or Imo's. And, when I just want a super delicious and easy finger food, I can't go out and buy some toasted ravs. I was hoping I would find food in DC that would curb my cravings for my St. Louis food, but I haven't found anything yet and I'm starting to think those places are irreplaceable...sigh. Anyone want to mail me some toasted ravs or Imo's?!?

My mouth is seriously watering just looking at this. Yummmmmy!

And, last but definitely not least, here are two recently discovered fellow bloggers that I would like to bestow this award on as well:

Lacey from A Little Bit of Lovely. I had the privilege to meet Lacey during our unfortunate trip back to MO earlier this summer and could not help but to stalk her via the blog-o-sphere when we returned. Her insightful and funny thoughts put a smile on my face!

Sara from Running from the Law. I stumbled upon Running from the Law when Sara blogged about her map wall,which I instantly fell in love with. Her design aesthetic is inspiration for my own home-making and her pups are too too cute! While I do not personally know Sara, I love her blog and I'm so glad I found it. Plus, she is from St. Louis which gives her mad points in my book!

SYTYCD Mid-season Musings

As I've already expressed, I absolutely love So You Think You Can Dance. Every season (except for Seasons 1 & 4 which I, for some reason, did not watch) I watch in awe as young men and women take to the stage performing some of the most amazing work. Every season I have my own favorite dancers and routines, and my own gripes and complaints. And, I'm vocal about it to anyone who listens. I'm probably even vocal about it when no one else is in the room... (my cats listen, right?).

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Chris and I were contemplating what to watch on our DVR queue. The most recent SYTYCD week was listed. I hadn't had a chance to watch it yet, but I was not about to suggest it. Chris does not watch those types of shows, or anything else I like for that matter (unless it is NBC's Thursday night "Must See TV", HBO, It's Always Sunny, or Planet Earth). I was about to suggest popping in a movie or letting him pick when Chris suggested SYTYCD. I think my mouth fell open. I told him that I didn't want to make him watch it, but he told me he wanted to, because apparently my "commentary was fun to listen to." (I guess I do talk out loud.)

I figured, if Chris can stand my SYTYCD commentary, so can all of you! I know that we are already down to the top 10 dancers and the season is more than half way over, but here are my thoughts thus far...

1. Everyone says "Sasha Fierce" will win. And everyone is rooting for her to win. Not me though (not yet, at least). I don't know if it's because I liked her sister, Natalia, better or if I find her personality grating and fake, but as of this post, she hasn't won me over yet. And, she's definitely not even in my imaginary top 3.
2. Speaking of grating personalities, at first I found Jess super annoying. Again, I don't really know why -  was it his height (or lack thereof) or his cheesy smile - who knows? Unlike Sasha though, he's starting to grow on me. I mean, he is an excellent Broadway dancer. And, if he can sing and dance you can count me in to see one of his shows. I am a sucker for good musical numbers. (He's not in my top 3 though yet either.)
3. Who is in my top 3, you ask? Definitely Melanie and Tadd, although the 3rd spot is up for grabs. Maybe Marko or Caitlynn? (I mean, Marko has a BULLET in his shoulder!) Each season I have that one "favorite" - Travis (S2), Kayla (S5), Kathryn (S6), and Robert (S7) - and this season none of them have jumped out at me yet. We'll just have to wait and see now that the competition is becoming fiercer. (btw, anyone else notice that none of my favorites have won? Maybe I should say my favorite is Sasha...)
4. Also, I wasn't too much of a fan of Ryan, but I think the producers wanted us to be a fan of her. Don't get me wrong, she is a GREAT dancer and she is probably suuuper nice in person, but she just did not connect. I'm kinda bummed she got the boot though because I think she is more talented than Jordan and Clarice, but, oh well, that's the game.
5. Now on to Cat. Love her. I think she completely deserved that Emmy nod last week, and I am really hoping she wins it! But, who is dressing her for some of these episodes? Yes, she oftentimes looks Awesome (with a capital A), but one week in particular I thought she looked like a hot mess:



Adam Rose/Fox for InStyle

The strange rhinestone/bedazzled multicolored fake-tatoo-as-a-necklace "skin jewelry"? The strange rat-tail braid amongst her wavy hair which usually looks lovely? And, the very purple eyeshadow? HOT. MESS. The poor Catherine Malandrino dress was overshadowed by all of the other ridiculousness going on. (I think I talked more out loud that week about her "look" than about the dances.) Here's to better outfits on our Emmy-nominated host!
6. Judges. First, I'm super glad Mary Murphy is back! It's great to have a ballroom expert on the panel. Secondly, I'm suuuuper happy about the guest judge arrangement they've made this season with a mix of celebrity judges and/or choreographer judges. Not only do we get the expert opinions from the likes of Tyce Diorio and Lil C (along with his vocabulary lessons), but we get a little slice of celebrity along with it. My favorite so far was last week's Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family. Not only was it incredibly endearing that Ferguson was SUCH a fan of the show (I love TV stars that watch TV), but he was HIL-LARIOUS. On another note, Carmen Electra was a dud. She might have dance cred, but she could not articulate a single sentence. 
7. Lastly, formatting. I have to be honest and say that I was not a fan of the changes made in Season 7. I did not like the "All-Stars" format since I love watching the pairings of newbie dancers attempting to rock out their dances and create chemistry. (I love the drama of great dancers being paired with the not-so-great ones too!) And, I did not like starting the competition with only 10 dancers. But, this season is my favorite format thus far. I get my 20 dancers, I get the paired contestants, AND, I'll get the All-Stars (which grew on me). Plus, is it me, or are the producers really trying to give viewers more of a taste of the dancers' personalities and talent through more group dances and interviews? Liking it so far!

Well, that's my musings on SYTYCD so far. Maybe next time I shouldn't wait 6 weeks to comment. Or, I should keep my comments to myself, and my cats.

Things I'm loving lately...

I know I've been a poor blogger lately, but I thought I didn't really have anything to write about.... Until I found some inspiration from a recent conversation g-chat with my trusty sister and uber-blogger, Danielle. (Thanks, Danielle!)

While there hasn't been too many exciting things going on in my life, there are some things that I've been loving on lately that I thought I could share with all of you:

#1. Insanity. Last summer I was looking for a way to get in shape and get into an exercise routine. I decided to buck-up and purchase Insanity by BeachBody. (You've probably been mesmerized by the infomercials just like I was . . . right?) Insanity has been compared to P90X, however, Insanity uses your own body as the strength training instead of weights and emphasizes cardio (or, so I've heard). The Insanity plan consists of 60 days of high intensity interval training divided into 2 months. Go ahead, you can laugh at the thought of me jumping around my living room and basement to an exercise video dvd, but Insanity is no Buns of Steel (and you really might want to watch the video on that link. Hil-larious!) Last summer, Insanity kicked. my. butt. After the first month of training, I thought I was doing great, and then I hit the second month whose exercises are absolutely brutal (in a good way, of course). I think I tweaked a muscle in my leg doing the half marathon earlier this spring which would hurt when I ran, but I still wanted needed to stay active. So, in true "Kristin" fashion, I decided to repeat Insanity. I've already done about 6 weeks and I feel great. Not only am I feeling and looking more in shape (I think), but I have to brag and say that I'm rockin' my workouts. Sure they are hard, and sure, sometimes my thighs or triceps or lungs are burning, but boy do I feel good afterward. Gotta love endorphins. I'm liking it so much that after I finish the remaining 2 weeks I must just repeat it. Or mix it with half marathon training, or yoga, or dance (see love #4 below).

#2. Green Smoothies. If you follow any nutrition or health blogs or news like I do, you've probably heard of the components and benefits of green smoothies. Basically green smoothies consist of raw veggies and fruit thrown in a blender. Not only are they good, but they are good for you. I've been cheating and easing my way into making real green smoothies with raw veggies and have been using the drink Bolthouse Farms Green Goodness with a little non-fat plain frozen yogurt (with active cultures, thank you Trader Joe's), and then chocolate protein powder. While it's not made with raw veggies and fruit, it's close enough for now and is definitely delicious and nutritious. I've been drinking it directly after my Insanity workouts as a way to get protein and nutrients into my body to recover. Yummy! Maybe I'll graduate to real green smoothies after I go grocery shopping . . .

#3. Pinterest.com. I love Pinterest. One blog that I follow and adore, Young House Love, has posted a few times about Pinterest, so I finally requested an invite to join and see what all the hype is about. And let me tell you, I instantly fell in love. Basically all it is is a collection of mood/inspiration boards of pictures online. So, when I find a great skirt at Gap, or the perfect designer room, I can "pin" them to my Pinterest boards. My favorite board that I've created is "Making My House My Home" where I'm pinning inspiration and ideas to decorate my house. Although, my "Yummy" board is looking pretty good right now... Anyway, I'm such a visual person that it is proving to be a great way to collect my ideas and see the patterns of my styles, likes, and desires. Check out my boards, or, better yet, request to join and follow me!

#4. SYTYCD. Yes, this might be a little over-the-top, but So You Think You Can Dance started Season 8 last night and I am so so so excited! Besides my new found obsession for the Bachelor/Bachelorette, SYTYCD is the only "contest" reality show I watch and I LOVE it. Every time I watch SYTYCD, I get a yearning to dance again . . . swoon. In preparation for this season, I looked up adult dance classes in the area and am prepared to start taking classes this summer just in case . . . I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, watch SYTYCD on Fox Wednesdays and Thursdays 8/7cst. (And, be prepared for some commentary posts about the show from me. I might not be able to resist!)

Anyway, those are things I am loving lately. I'll find more to write about soon. Promise ; )