Girls. And all I really want is Girls.

As I mentioned, last Saturday night I went out for my good friend Yuki's bon voyage party as she is moving to Spain in search of something along the lines of Eat.Pray.Love. Though I'm proud of her venture, I will definitely miss her while she's gone. I have never had a bad thing to say about Yuki in my life- she's always upbeat, sincere in her care and open/friendly/wonderful to people from all walks of life. Yuki immediately likes and trusts people and this quality makes her one of the most inviting friends I have. She's a good egg and I'll miss her!

Due to schedules, most of our night ended up being Girls only. But like that is ever a problem for any of us... I love my boyfriend but he and I both appreciate a good night out alone.

{Above: Me, Yuki, Miranda, Megan, Shanin Below: Miranda and Caitlin photo shoot I guess.}

So after spending the night all over the city, meeting people new and sticking with those who I came with... I got on a girl high. I love just being with my close girlfriends of years and years back. They make me happy.

In other news...

I want to be this girl:

Bluemarine Fall 2010

Walking around here today:

Chicago

But instead, I'll be chained to my desk in corporate America.

ho-hum.

Unflattering Picture Sunday

So I've been thinking lately about my pictures. I take, on average, about 1,000 pictures a month. It's true- my camera is with me wherever I go and I am always snapping away. Obviously, with that many pictures- there are doomed to be some ugly ones that I don't post online. Furthermore, with the constant photo-tagging by friends on Facebook of pictures you don't necessarily like- everyone has become familiar with an unflattering image of themselves.

Through this, I have concluded 2 things.

1. No one cares about a bad picture as much as you think.
   
   
2. An ugly picture of you is something that you can easily move on from.
   

I have decided that it would be wise to keep myself in check and start a little series (for as long as I have interest in it) called "Unflattering Picture Sunday".

Kicking off my segment- here's my unflattering photo for today's Sunday.

What's up: My guy friends and me at my 24th birthday party in 2008. I look... smart....

Stay tuned for next week's fugly image!

Happy Sunday!

Caitie's 26: Part 4. The Finale.

And you thought I was done with the birthday posts...

{Me turning 4 on 8-8-1988!}

{Left: Me with my cake Right: Jocie with hers}

well, I am (almost!). This is the last one.

A birthday wouldn't be a birthday without family, would it not? So there was a birthday BBQ gathering on Sunday night, August 8 (my actual bday), at my Dad's house to celebrate not just me turning 26 on 8/8 but my Sister turning 28 on 8/9.

Family, BBQ, The Boy & Summer? Sign me up.

Only sad part is that I did take some pics of my family but did so late in the night and to put it frankly... we all looked like sh*t. So sorry famdamily for waiting until everyone was greasy and ugly to capture the night thus eliminating any documentation of you from this post.

{The Boy and Yours Truly on my birthday}

{I will take the exact same picture over and over...just my nature}

One of the cutest parts of the night was my Mom making both Jocelyn and Myself feel like we were having our own birthday by making us each an individual cake. Jocie is more of a pink girl so hers was the pink one representing her year of marriage, being grown-up and being girly and mine was a color I like a bit more and gaudy decorations because well... I like to be done up. It was pretty sweet.

So that's it. That was my 4 days of birthday celebrations and now I will try to smile hugely as I roll off into the Sunset (aka age 30)... I'm aware 26 is not old, it is just my first birthday where I feel like HOLY CRAP... kind of like this clip from my favorite show of all time.

{I could "Friends" quote anyone under the table}

But I'm not too old to be out on the town like I will tonight to say Bon Voyage to my friend Yuki who is moving to Spain. Dresses & celebratory drinks will be in order- what are we celebrating? Her increased odds of bedding a Spanish soccer player. There- I said it.

{Yuki and Me. Will miss my happy friend!}

Happy Saturday!

Caitie's 26: Part 3

Phew. I'm sitting with The Boy right now, eating Thai Food takeout, watching Back to the Future Part III in his top-floor apartment with the windows open and a breeze shooting in and I am a happy camper. Especially because I am sitting here blogging to boot! It's the little things in life that excite me. Especially because watching Biff will forever make me ecstatic- one of the best villains of all time is he not?

Anyway, for the final celebrations of my birthday my best friend Megan threw me a gorgeous brunch at her Parent's house. As I had stated as I asked for suggestions on my blog, I wasn't sure what i wanted to do for my birthday. I didn't want a huge shebang but I wanted something simple, lovely and fun. And I'm so blessed that she took the reins and gave me a beautiful brunch with my girlfriends.

I arrived at her house and was welcomed by a plethora of food, a beautiful execution of place settings, a champagne buffet, Frank Sinatra, my beautiful friends in their dresses, sun and croquet. It was seriously perfect and exactly what I wanted. Albeit a few gals were hungover but hey, it ain't no thang to me!

{Me and Kristi}

{Yuki, Megan, Me and Kristi}

{Croquet for the ladies?}

{Miranda and Me]

{Sinatra induced}


{LEFT: the settings RIGHT: Polka dots are all the rage }

{Garden party}

Anyway, if any of you need fun ideas for a party...I highly suggest a garden party. Was perf, perf! And thank you Megan :)

Happy Thursday, Thursday friends!

Caitie's 26: Part 2.

I'm back! I'm back! I'm back!

Oh how I missed you all, surriously-I don't want to name names because I would be going down a list and forget half the people but I thought about what many of you were doing during my absence. Your lives and stories gain my interest and my care and I missed being a part of them.

My computer broken last week was the most annoying thing I've ever dealt with (minus when I discovered they canceled "DirtySexyMoney" due to the stupid writer's strike). But at least I had my favorite weekend in the history of time to help me get over it... that my dears, will be in the following days. But can I please finish my birthday posts? I do only turn 26 once, you know? And with my comp all shiny and new, I have access to my pics again.

So here we go... as I mentioned in THIS POST, I kicked off my birthday weekend by going out to dinner with The Boy. It was perfecto. But what is a birthday weekend without some short, tight clothes and dark bars?

That's why Saturday night, August 7, was used for just that purpose. Oddly enough, my friends and I all showed up in primary, solid-colored dresses. It made for some great pictures and for some even better comments by men we encountered at the bar (i.e. "BUNCH A HOT F*CKING POPSICLES AT THAT TABLE!"- thank you drunk man at table 7). The night was nothing more and nothing less than that of feelin' a girl about town in my city, with my friends, dressed up and embracing being 26 (which admittedly, makes me feel old).

{Miranda, Me, Tracy, Megan & Lindsey on my birthday celebration}

{At Tiger Bar downtown}

{Popsicles & Us: Separated at birth}

{Kiesha, Yuki, Tracy, Miranda and Me}

{The Boy and Me getting down the only way we know how... horribly. But sometimes the worst pictures are the best ones}

Have a wonderful Tuesday - glad to be back!:)

I'll be back in a week!

So here's what's going on with me:

{Bro, Me, Dad- annual rafting trip 2009}

My computer is completely shot and is at the Doctor's until Thursday.

Sadly (for blogging but happy in my real life), I will be leaving Thursday for my absolute favorite weekend of the year - my 17th year white water rafting in Maupin, OR. We head off with a large group for a weekend of camping, rafting, hot dogs, sun, beer, rodeos, families, tanning, cook outs.... it's THE BEST. I'm telling you- I am so happy every year on this weekend.

So because my computer time is limited and I can't be the blogger/blogging friend I want to be while it's at the Doc's, I'm going to sign off for a week and will be back, in full blogging force, with a computer and all... next week.

Have a great rest of your week! I wish I could catch up as much as I want to right now.

I can't wait to visit you all next week!

Fightin' off the broken comp blues

Heyyyyo to Friday!

{NYC. Sept. 2009}

You should be grateful as I am SEVERELY fighting off my bad mood about my still not working computer and postponing my birthday pics (yet again) because I can't get to them. Nothing bums me out like a non-working computer. I am also sidelining my disgust that people still wear XL zip-up sweatshirts to a business office (sick) and I can quite seriously say that I hate going to sites where music starts instantly playing. I have never, ever, ever gone to a website and found myself happy that they're playing a song upon pageload. I think some people think that the music sets a tone but my general feeling is "I didn't ask for this song, where the h*ll is my volume control?"

But I do love a few other things today... such as:

Enjoying summer hair, dresses, colors and purses while we can.

Do you realize summer is closing in on us? Wear your white, wear your white!

My friend Krysta.

Long story short... for the last 4 days, I have thought that Krysta's Mother, who I have spent much time with, had passed away (our friend heard someone say something wrong), it has been horrible and saddening to think about all of this all week. Turns out, Krysta's Mom is alive and well and I'm so happy. And the ensuing conversation with Krysta explaining the mix-up was quite hilarious.

Gettin' out into the city purely for pleasure.

Miranda and I enjoy the beauty of a weekend afternoon.

Loungin this weekend

My first non-busy weekend in awhile and I'll be out of town all next weekend. Bring on the fleece pants and movies!

Getting outside for exercise

I can think outside the gym and actually get outside to burn those calories this weekend.

How are you spending your weekend???

Blue Bangles & Maddie

After a day of hard work and a nice workout at the gym, I was so excited to come home, drink some ice water and sit back and blog about my birthday party on Saturday night with my friends. However, my computer decided to stop turning on and thus I have no access to my images as of this moment. Ugh!

The silver lining is that I instead spent the evening with my good friend Ian from high school who now lives in Dubai with his fiancee, who I also finally met. It was fun to sit with someone I've known since age 14 and hear him tell me about the world from his years of travel he's done since we graduated. He has travelled to India, Dubai, Thailand, Russia (etc. etc). He was telling me all about his new life and the wonders and travesties he has seen. So interesting because the majority of our hangout time years ago was centered around insulting one another on the drive home from school.

So since I can't load pictures tonight from my birthday, I wanted to show this picture from last weekend of my dog, Maddie, and Me.

No not because my dog is the cutest thing in the world... but because I wanted Holly at 504 Main to see me wearing what I won from her!

She said she was sending me something stylish... and boy did she ever. Those blue bangles? From her! Love them!!! Thank you Holly! And for your awesome wedding book.

Anyway, I'm on a loaner comp so I'm not sure how this formatting all looks. But have a great Thursday! I will post the rest of my birthday pics as quickly as I can!

Thanks again Holly!

Image: Maddie & Caitlin. 8.8.2010 (my birthday)

Caitie's 26: Part 1.

I'm writing this Tuesday night and literally, I would give anything for it to be Friday. First of all, I am so excited to have a weekend this weekend with no set plans besides lounging and taking care of some housekeeping items. The Boy is getting his wisdom teeth removed so I'll be caretaker for him as well as grab lunch with my first real boyfriend (now longtime pal) who is now married and expecting a baby! I am excited for the simple tasks of the weekend ahead because this week (even 2 days in) is throwing me for a whirlwind of adventure. Truly, being at work this week has felt like being a player on MarioKart... think it's smooth sailing and a then a banana gets thrown in your path. Best part of it is though... you get to show off how well you can drive :)

So basically... I want it to be this upcoming weekend but I'm still swooning over my birthday celebrations last weekend- I guess I just don't want it to be now!

As I did something Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in celebration of my birthday.. I'll take it day by day with 3 little posts instead of one large one.

Today: Thursday.

{The Boy and Me... 8.5.10}

Per the usual, The Boy took me out for a solo date the Thursday before my birthday. He likes to go when it's First Thursday downtown because there's an artwalk, lots of wine, lots of music, lots of people... it makes for a nice after-dinner stroll. Anyway, we had dinner at a new, upbeat eatery called Irving Street Kitchen. We enjoyed each others company while people watching and basking in my birthday :)

After dinner we strolled through town where we ran into our good friend Yuki who was at a PR party on a balcony, so we joined her for a drink before heading home for the night. It was simple, sweet and divine (but I still took a few hundred pics).

{Me, handsome Gay men and beautiful Yuki!}

{The Boy looks like a serial killer here hahahah}

Oh... and did I mention we saw Brian Grant at dinner?

Anyway, my writing on this post is horrible but I'm super tired so I'm going to shove off and leave this C+ post as is. Can't wait to show more this week and best wishes for the best of YOUR week!!!

Happy Wednesday!

{Or as my friend Jordan delightfully calls it- "Friendsday"}