Sweet Friends and La Jolla

La Jolla: Pronounced "la hoy-ya" fyi :) 

We are so so blessed to have had an amazing community in Seattle. We each had our own friends and we also had awesome "couple friends" as well. One of our favorite couples got to visit us last week! We love visitors.

Emily and Joe had a trip planned to Disneyland and decided to spend a night at camp before they flew home. We were SO excited to see them and get to spend quality time together! We hung out around camp and before their flight on Friday, took them to La Jolla to see the beautiful beaches and views. (Thanks Tammy for your recommendation!)

We loved seeing you two and hope we will get to spend a little more time with you next time! Thanks for making the trip up here - we love you guys. Also we won't forget to take you on the zipline when you come back haha.

Seriously, we live here. Soo amazing!

Joe's cool iPhone case! 

Getting to See Family

Alright, so I brag all the time about how much I love my job, but what I don't always talk about is how much I miss my family. I've mentioned a few times just how blessed I am to have such an amazing family. I have nine (maybe eight? I cant count. Mom help!) a lot of aunts and five uncles and I honestly could go to anyone of them for support, advice, a smack on the side of the head if I needed it.. you get the picture.

All my aunties and me. I count eight! :) haha

Anyways, the majority of the family lives in Seattle area, so moving to California has been hard in that aspect! I am used to living within driving distance to like 17 family members. And I miss them,  a lot.

So the point is, my Aunt Michelle and Uncle Jon were in Coronado this past weekend, and luckily we got off work early enough to go see them!! These two have poured so much into my life, and into our marriage. We are SO thankful for their influence in our lives and our relationship, for all the advice and all the laughs :) It was so refreshing to see them!

We met at Hotel del Coronado where they were staying (a-maze-ing by the way) and went to dinner at Miguel's (delish).

On our drive home that night, I was really quiet. As I was driving, my heart was so full of love and joy. I know not everyone is as blessed as I am, and I just couldn't stop thinking about how much I love my family. Like really, really, love. 


I am also blessed to have so many strong, positive, elegant, beautiful on the inside and outside, passionate, and FUN aunts! I have eight women to look up to (well more than that, especially you Mom!) but eight aunties who I look up to and strive to be more like each day! Hi Mimi :)

Don't know where this post is going.. besides sappy and thankful and missing my family. Love you guys, I hope I get to come to Seattle soon.

Me love her :)

Sometimes I Forget to Have Faith.. But HE is Always Faithful

Time to tell a little story I've been wanting to write out for awhile. I couldn't share until it was official but now that it is, I am so glad to share yet another way that God is so incredibly faithful to His children! aka YOU & me :)

OK so this story requires me to back up a bit, I'm gonna try to keep it concise though. In 2007, I dropped out of college to pursue my dream of being a hairdresser. I soared through beauty school, on cloud 9 the whole time, except for my lower back pain. I would lay awake at night with muscle spasms, but I assumed it was normal from standing on my feet all day.

Fast forward two years from graduation [now early 2010], I've been doing hair full time and the busier my schedule gets, the more my back hurts. The pain had spread to my shoulders & neck, and after a full day, I would barely be able to get home, lay on the couch, and beg someone to bring me ice. It felt like a catch 22 because I wanted to build my clientele, and have a full schedule, but all it did was cause me tons of pain. Finally, my lovely friend Devon [start your blog!!!!!!!!] finally says to me, "Katie..that is NOT normal pain. You need to figure something out". I ended up spending thousands of dollars on physical therapy and chiropractic care and it did nothing.

In January of 2011, I got rear ended on the freeway. I was stopped, they were going between 45-55 mph and hit me dead on. Whiplash ensued, headaches, etc. I started with PT and chiropractic, and after a few months of no improvement, my chiropractor referred me to acupuncture. I was terrified, but it ended up helping so much. I was basically cured in about 8 weeks of care. [someday I'll write about how much I loooooove acupuncture!]

In October of 2011, Zach was offered his almost dream job of working maintenance at a Christian camp [it would be his total dream job if we were at a YL camp - but we are very happy here]. Along with his offer came an offer for me to work in "accommodations", which I learned was the housekeeping department. My immediate reaction was, I don't want that job. Not only is it less than glamorous work, but I was concerned about my neck/back pain returning. I knew how much Zach wanted this job at camp and I felt like I just needed to deal with the implications of my new job in housekeeping. I chose not to say anything about my history of neck and back pain when we accepted the jobs, just because I didn't want to seem high maintenance.

A week into the job here, I knew I was going to struggle. My neck immediately started bothering me & I still felt like I couldnt say anything since I was the one who chose to accept this job. I kept thinking I should pray about this, but for some reason I didn't. Don't ask why.. I decided I would go to my immediate boss and then the executive director to ask about switching departments if the oppurtunity arose.

In early January, I was at home laying on a heating pad to relax my neck muscles when I got a call over the radio for me to come down to the director's office. I wasn't worried even though it felt a little like being called to the principle's office in school, lol.

I walked down to camp and was offered a full time position working in the camp office, as an assistant to the Guest Relations Coordinator, aka my dream job! I now get to help coordinate all the groups planning their retreats up here, help with their needs the weekends they are here, and have personal interaction over the phone when anyone calls. I love my job.

After being offered the job, all I could think of was just how faithful our God is! I always put my trust in Him, but in this case I definitely wasn't relying on Him to solve the issue. I was taking matters into my own hands by deciding to talk to my two bosses about moving jobs. I just love how God swooped in and took care of everything before I even could, as if saying,

"Katie, my precious daughter, I know your needs and I will always provide for them."

Amen.

Source: roadcalledlife.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Baby Will

This post is about a month late, but better late than never =)

William Howell Haunson

Our sweet nephew was born on March 15, 2012.

Congratulations Melissa and Trey, he is beautiful! We can't wait to meet him in October!

When big brother Logan met Will he said, "I like it!"

"I look just like my daddy"

And here are the cute onesies I made for the babe!

Maybe someday we'll live close to our nephews. It's weird that I've only been a part of the Harris fam for a little while, I miss them like I miss my own family.

Dear Logan and Will,

We might only get to see you a few times a year, but we love you just as much as if we lived on the East Coast too. We pray for you everyday and we love getting to see sweet pictures of you. It's especially fun to talk to you on Skype! We are proud to be your Uncle & Aunt. You are going to grow up to be pretty amazing young men, since you have such a great example in your daddy and such a great encourager in your mommy. We will be blessed to watch you each grow up and become little boys. Be sweet to your momma, and give your dad extra hugs when he gets home from work at night. Oh, and when you get to visit your auntie and uncle, give us extra snuggles since they have to last a long time, ok?

We love you guys so much! Love, Uncle Zach and Aunt Katie

She Made Me Do It

Some of you may know how I feel about ombre hair. I just feel like most of the time it isn't done well and ends up looking tacky. If everyone with ombre hair looked like Alex Hunter, my opinions would change, but until then, I'm picky kapeesh?

perfection : a subtle fade from dark to light
[source]

ugly : overdue for a highlight touch up
[source]

Anywayyyyyyyys my little sissy wissy poo has been begging me to do her hair ombre for months now and I finally gave in this weekend :) And it actually changed my opinion. When its a subtle fade, it's really pretty!

Before:

After:

So what do you think?! It's not that orange in person.. these are with my iPhone in direct sunlight. I wish I had better pictures!

After doing this, Lauren sent me a pic of her new ombre .. umm GORGEOUS!!

Friday's Letters

Dear Blog Friends, Thanks for always being so encouraging. Your texts and comments and tweets sometimes make me happier than my real life. Dear Zach, thanks for choosing me. I don't deserve you & I love you more than you could ever know. Dear Ashley, thanks for being so open about depression. It's easy to think I'm the only one who struggles sometimes. Your post this week gave me so much hope, I wish I could express how thankful I am for you writing what you did. I think God led you to write it partially for me. :) Dear April, umm snow?! I moved to California for a reason!! Dear Miami Ink, thanks for keeping us entertained when we feel like being couch potatoes. Dear Norman, thanks for letting me hold you like a teddy bear when we sleep. You're the cutest little kitty in the world. Dear Seattle, I don't miss your weather, but I am really, really missing my friends (family included) right now. Dear Young Life, I am praying for the day we get to be involved again. Dear Campaigner Girls, I miss you and love you dearly. I am always praying for you :)

He Is Risen Indeed

I love Easter. It is the most meaningful holiday to me, as it symbolizes Christ rising from the dead, proving he is the Son of God.

This was our first holiday all by our selves, and I will admit I was pretty lonely for our familes. Zach's parents and grandmother were with his sister and her family, and my parents had all of our extended family over for dinner.

I had big plans for our first Easter as a married couple; at Target last week I tricked Zach into picking out his favorite Easter candy (ps. after three years, why do I still not know what it is?!) and also letting me buy Easter eggs. Z always goes to bed before me, so I was going to do a little egg hunt Saturday night for him to wake up to Easter morning. Welp, I ended up falling asleep on the couch with him so that did not happen! I'm actually dissapointed about it :(

Sunday morning, we drove to San Diego to pick up my sister who wanted to come to church with us. Church was not your typical Easter service. We did sing a lot of worship songs about Christ rising from the dead, but the sermon had nothing to do with Easter (??) I was a little surprised! At the end, they did cardboard testimonies, which I love! It's so meaningful to see how Christ has totally healed people!

After church we hung out at our little house, I worked on finishing up my garden outside, and later we had a bonfire outside. It was just perfect. We also got to skype with Zach's family and finally meet baby Will! We FaceTimed with my family, and Cara and I got to say hi to everyone there :) We even dressed up in matching Easter outfits...

hahaha cute I know!

And lastly, we hung a hummingbird feeder outside and it's pretty much my favorite thing in the world. It's amazing how much joy the little things can bring!

See him!? so cool!

The Curls Post! {finally}

Alright, this has been long awaited. After posting a few pictures on Instagram, I've gotten quite a few requests to dish on how I curl my hair, and also how I make those curls last three days :) I finally had enough time to take photos while I did it so here goes.

Ummm.. don't judge my awkward faces. It's weird taking pictures of yourself while you curl your hair, ok!?

Let's get started, shall we?

You will need: Curling Iron, clips, mousse, shine serum, flexible hold hairspray

[See my Hair Products post for some of my favorites]

First things first, I "cocktail" products when my hair is damp. I mix a mousse and serum in my palms and run it through my hair. This way I get shine & hold in one. And also then the mousse isn't too sticky. My favorite one is Davines Wizards No. 3. Then blowdry..

We start by sectioning the hair. My hair is thick so I start with just above my ear, and pin the rest on top of my head. Cute, I know.

Next, you start curling using a technique called "clicking out". You start the curl towards the top of your hair shaft, rather than at the bottom and rolling up. This way, the heat is evenly distributed throughout your hair, instead of the ends being really hot and the top barely getting any heat. 

As you click out, let the hair wrap underneath what you already have heated. Each time you click out, hold it for about five seconds. Repeat until your little ends are all the way tucked in!

I don't spray each individual curl. Instead, once I've curled an entire section, I spray that layer. Then I let down the next layer and start curling, etc. Let your curls lay how they fell when you released the curling iron. No touchy!

At the very top section, I start curling really close to my head (opposed to the bottom layers I start 2/3 - 1/2 way down since you wont see it anyways). 

Finish this section then do an all over spray. You don't want to hairspray too much, otherwise it will weigh down the curls and they'll fall easily. Since you haven't touched your curls yet (right?!) you should look like you are ready for prom with your perfect little ringlets.

Also notice I curl away from my face. I prefer that look. 

At this point, you need to let your curls cool completely before you touch them. When they cool in this position, you get longer life out of them. This is when I usually get dressed, add jewelry, etc, so that the very last thing I do is brush out the curls. Once you know you are totally cooled, flip your head upside down and gently run your fingers through the curls to break them up. This is how you make the prom look become more beachy/casual!

Spritz all over (again, not too much) and style how you want!

And lastly, the way I make these babies last three days is ...

Simple as that. The messy bun keeps your hair in a semi-curly hold all night, but since it's loose you still get waves in the morning!

Hopefully that all makes sense, please don't hesitate to ask me to clarify anything for you! Happy Friday my friends :)

Easy-Peasy Trail Mix and A Sunburn

Here's me Monday morning, enjoying the sunshine.

Here's me Monday night, cursing the sunshine.

And to answer your question, no it will not turn into a golden bronze tan after the red. That would just be too easy wouldn't it? My skin goes from ghostly white, to red, and fades to a nice off white. :) Ahh the joys of being fair skinned!

Anyways, after working in our yard all day, I was tired and wanted a healthy pick me up. I wanted sweet and salty and didn't want to feel like crap after eating it, and I came up with something so delicious that I had to share!

Outta the Cupboard Trail Mix:

Ingredients:
Sliced almonds (raw, unsalted)
Sunflower seeds (roasted, unsalted)
Dried cranberries
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (enough so that you get chocolate with every bite!)
All ingredients from Trader Joe's.


Mix together and enjoy! 

The Start of My Three Day Weekend

First things first, how amazing is my blog design?! Thanks to Nicole at Poppy Pixel Designs, it looks absolutely amazing. I'm in love with it.

So I get to have Sunday through Tuesday off (yesterday, today, tomorrow) and I am stoked about it. We would have gone somewhere to take advantage of the 3 days of glory, but we didn't know about it til last week sometime (we didn't get our April schedule til this week). Anyways, we had a pretty fun Sunday!

We missed church - when you live an hour away from anything, there are a lot of opportunities to get stuck behind slow drivers. So we walked around Old Town Temecula - which was adorable.

Lots of cute gift shops, antique shops, and cafes. All the buildings look old fashioned with that wood you can see in the picture above. We will definitely be going back to explore a little more :)

Then we met up with Meg [henning love] and her husband, Sean! We went wine tasting together and had a blast. Meg and I got to meet in February but have wanted to get together again ever since. I'm sure glad we brought along the boys, we kept having to interrupt them if we wanted to talk. Zach and I loved getting to hang out with them & can't wait for the next time :) Meg took most of the pictures so check out her blog until I have time to steal them from her!

By far best quote of the day was from Sean, "So Zach.. how much of your life is taken over by blogging?"

I loved that wisteria ... mmmm!

After winetasting, we were deciding if we should eat in town or trek back up the mountain when I realized Zach has never been to BJ's. When I lived in Thousand Oaks, I was at BJ's pretty regularly. It's just so good. Zach has heard me talk about it more than once, so we decided to go out :) Why is their pizza SO GOOD?! And their homemade root beer / cream soda / orange cream soda ?? To die! 

No BJ's trip is complete without a Pizookie!! YUM!

We also bought paint and flowers at Lowe's... I know how the rest of my weekend is looking! So excited :) Hope y'all had a great weekend too!

Did anyone play any April Fools jokes? ? I thought about telling my family I was pregnant, but I was afraid they wouldn't think it was very funny, lol.