wait a second

Did I really just go to a bridal shower for one of my own friends? 
Are two of my best friends really celebrating their 4 year anniversary next week?
(I feel so old...and single.  I thought that wasn't supposed to happen yet?!)
Am I actually graduating this May?
And don't tell me I am going to be living on my own in less than a year....?!

What?  Wait-- No.  This can't be happening to me, Kaylie.

...Yet, it is. 

Oh Life. You are so crazy, but oh so lovable. 

christmas in my room

just for the record

This photo is the epitome of my high school existence.

 (found here)

modern family

My mom has been joking about how our family is a total "Modern Family."  I can't really argue with that, for more reasons than one!  Example:  Today we celebrated our third Thanksgiving this week.  I feel so spoiled, like I stole the three--technically four, actually--coolest pairs of grandparents ever.  Sorry folks!

i ♥ black friday

The lovely Melanie and I were crazy enough to set out at around 11:30 PM (after fueling up on coffee drinks from ampm) for Chandler Mall.  Yep, it opened at 12 AM and we were there.  I may or may not have yelled at a group of teenage boys to get out of our way when we were trying to find a parking spot...

After hitting up Forever 21 (2 long sleeved shirts, pretty barrettes, cute socks), Charlotte Russe (no luck), and Gap (scored some super cute socks I've been eyeing--I have a thing for quirky socks), we headed to Scottsdale.

We took our time, getting lost and talking about serious--and not so serious--stuff.  Upon our arrival, we decided to have an impromptu photo-shoot in Old Town when we couldn't find anywhere to get food (hence all the pictures).  It was great fun.

When we finally got to Urban, we had a ton of time to kill (it opened at 5; it was 3:30), so we back-tracked and went to Target, which opened at 4.  There were so many people there!  We waited in the car  until the line started disappearing into the store.  Our main objectives fulfilled (bathroom break and food!!!), we bypassed the deals and long lines and headed back to Urban with 15 minutes to spare.

Urban was A MAD HOUSE.  I swear, I haven't seen that many hipsters in one place since the Sufjan Stevens concert.  It was insane.  Thankfully we found some friends, so we certainly weren't the last ones in line.  When the doors opened, Melanie and I locked arms and ran for it.  Everyone swarmed to the sale corner--this is when the spirit of Black Friday (and the wrath of broke hipsters) kicked in.  There was no room to move--I am still amazed I ever got out of that mass of shoppers...  I ended up with a button-up horse tunic, red dress, navy cardigan, and blue fedora, all for under $50--really awesome considering the tunic and dress were originally $48 each and the cardigan originally $58.  SCORE!  The two hour line (not exaggerating much) was definitely worth it, especially because we found another group of friends to hang out with in line.  Of course, at 7 AM, Urban was like, Hey, let's have a DJ come in and blast music!  That was pretty funny.

...And then I got home at 8 AM (after witnessing no less than the rapping stylings of Melanie).

Nine hours of craziness!  Life is so fun.

today i am thankful for...holidays that remind you what you're thankful for

Life is fantastic!  And yes, I have officially started listening to Christmas music...and started decorating my room. Also, in less than four hours, I will be experiencing MY FIRST BLACK FRIDAY EVER.  I am so excited (and a little terrified).  Time to try to sleep...  Wish me luck--I'm usually going TO SLEEP at midnight.

Oh well, because guess what?

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.

today i am thankful for...this

When I turned on my calculator today in French to study for my trig midterm, I found this message staring back at me.  I just about died.  It took me until well into lunch to find the culprit--clever Stephanie  A. did it during fifth hour yearbook yesterday.  (Proof that yearbook editors are the coolest cats.)  

P.S. Just got home from seeing Harry Potter again....better believe it.

my sister the hipster

Okay, so my sister and her friend just came out of the playroom and said, "LOOK, WE'RE NERDS!"  I took one look at my nine year old sister and said, "Geez, Kendal, you are such a hipster!"  She kills me.  Reminds of when I was at Kate's and threw on her HP glasses, Diana camera, and multiple headbands and proclaimed, "LOOK, I'M A HIPSTER!"

Life is funny.

today i am thankful for...music

Some days are just kind of UGH.  Today was one of those days.  So when someone put on their iPod (thank you, Jacob, if you are reading this) during yearbook, their upbeat playlist was just what I needed. It's funny how a good dose of music can do wonders to a disheartened spirit.  After both yearbook classes got out, I put on my Phoenix channel on Pandora to listen to while I worked on homework.  The song above came on.  The universe knows what's up...and does its best to help out.  I am thankful for this.

today i am thankful for...knowing/not knowing

It's senior year.  There's one thing all of us really don't want to talk about, yet at the same time desperately do want to talk about...all the time.  The first thing out of our lips when there's one mention of next year or anything remotely related to higher education is..."Do you know where you're going?"  It's a question you dread, yet at the same time secretly love to hear.  What's more thrilling than the unknown, after all?  Thankfully I do know where I am going, but I'm just as clueless about what I'm going to do with myself as anyone is...  Come on, how exciting is that?

today i am thankful for...procrastination

Why is it that homework makes me think of 32049832409 things other than the thing I'm SUPPOSED to be thinking about?  Take just now, for instance.  For some reason, Kate Nash pops up into my head and I put on "Pumpkin Soup" and I wonder, What the heck happened to Kate Nash?

So I googled her (Blasted Google is like the gateway drug to procrastination, I swear) and realize nothing has happened to her--I have just lost touch.  But, thanks to a little frenemy called Procrastination, we have reunited.  This makes me happy, because her music is so fun and empowering and say things like "I'll just read a book instead."

today i am thankful for...Christmas dress shopping

My grandma and I have a tradition of going shopping for a Christmas dress each year.  Sometimes my grandpa even tags along like a good sport, as he did today.  Today marked our most successful mission yet--I found "the one" at our first stop.  I guess it wasn't so hard, considering our first stop was Anthro, but it was impressive nonetheless! 

I also had an enlightening experience:  I walked into Barneys for the first time in my life (granted, we've only had one here for maybe a year or so).  I wasn't expecting anything but a snobby department store...what I found was heavenly.  It was minimal, but still cozy and creative.  I also saw many designers' clothing for the first time IN PERSON.  Isn't it odd that I felt so "in the know" about fashion when I had never seen or touched a Proenza Schouler or 3.1 Phillip Lim in person?  I don't know what hit me while I was in there, but I was in a daze the rest of the afternoon.  It also didn't help that a man there, dressed in a snazzy suit, stopped me and said, "I love your look; so Barneys!"  Uh, my life is complete?!

And then we went into Kate Spade, which embodies basically everything I believe in:  bright, playful colors, prints, polka dots, sparkles, with a retro sensibility.  Seriously, walk into Kate Spade and this is what I believe my brain consists of:  everything sparkly and colorful and nostalgic.

And don't even get me started about the Christmas decorations!!!!!

I swear I was zoned out into my happy place for at least an hour or two.

And a big thank you to my dear grandparents (and yes, I do know they will read this because they are that hip) for another memorable afternoon and another fantastic Christmas dress.  I love you guys.

just so we're clear

...this is what my future looks like. Okay? Okay.

today i am thankful for...harry potter (yes, again!)

Today my dad picked me up early from school to see Harry Potter, just like we did back when I was in elementary school.  IT. WAS. THE. BEST. ONE. YET.  Probably one of my favorite movies OF ALL TIME.

Let me tell you--I cried my eyes out.  I started crying within the first two minutes!  It was so freaking good, I am beside myself.  Everything--EVERYTHING-was just...just brilliant.

I laughed, I cried, I cringed, I jumped--I cried some more.

And now I wait.  For the end.

Yet, as much as I want to see the second part, I am okay with waiting.  Because for me, this is more than just the end of a series of books or movies.  For the past nine years--half of my entire life--I have invested myself in these characters, these books, these movies, these actors.

When I was in third grade, I wanted desperately to be a part of the magical world of Harry Potter...and to be honest, I have never stopped.  I collected Harry Potter legos, the Time-Turner, Harry's wand.  I wore my pink zip-up sweater with my rainbow belt and jeans, my hair parted in the middle (I would leave my hair in braids at night to achieve Hermione's curly locks--of course now my hair is plenty curly of its own accord) to look like Hermione in Prisoner of Azkaban...I also spent a lot of time trying to figure out how time travel worked.  I visited MuggleNet every single day, preying on all that is Harry Potter.  I obsessed over what Emma Watson wore (it's thanks to her I discovered my love of ballet flats in fifth grade) and copied her hairstyles.  I made shirts that said things like "I'd rather be at Hogwarts" and "Weasely is our King."  I waited for the fifth, sixth, and seventh book to come out at midnight (even if I was in Hawaii) and read for days, listening to Hedwig's Theme on repeat.  I went to the midnight premeire last Harry Potter summer (I'm so planning a three day HP festival for this summer...  Kidding.  Sort of.) and dressed up as Mrs. Weasely.

So in a way, I feel like I have been initiated into a magical world of sorts; a world that people all over the planet relate to and love just as much as I do.  Harry Potter is a comfort to me, one that I will always hold onto even as I grow old enough to have kids of my own to read the books (and they WILL read them).  Harry Potter is my past, present, and future (I so just stole those words from Tom Riddle, didn't I?).

To this day,
I reread the books over and over, discovering new connections each time.
I listen to Harry & the Potters, every word memorized.
I watch the movies, saying lines out loud (Izzy looks at me like I'm mad).
I frequent Harry Potter tumblrs like my life depends on it.
I make Harry Potter metaphors, allusions, similies, and puns like nobody's business.
I gasp when I see or hear anything relating to Harry Potter.
I can hear someone utter the words Harry Potter from across a room.
I try to knit, in hopes of one day knitting sweaters as lovingly as Mrs. Weasely.
And yes, right now I am watching Potter Puppet Pals.

It all boils down in the cauldron  to this:
I still love Harry Potter as much as I did nine years ago....and yeah, I just cried some more writing this post.

today i am thankful for...harry potter

Today was wicked.  (Yearbookers FTW.)

1st hour AP Gov - We listened to this.  Listen/read.  It sounds awesome!

2nd hour AP English - The scene between Hamlet and Ophelia was really performed by a Slytherin student and Dobby.  It ended with "Bad Ophelia, bad Ophelia!" with Dobby hitting Hamlet's rejected possessions-Harry Potter books of course-against his head.

3rd hour AP French V - We watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in French, what else?

Lunch - I wandered around campus with these guys taking pictures for yearbook.  A lot of people actually dressed up!  It was great. (Oh, and there's Dobby on the left, with the Golden Snitch, a Gryffindor student, and Hedwig.)

Yearbook - We played Harry Potter Clue, listened to Harry & the Potters, and added up House Points. It's a close battle between Gryffindor and Slytherin.  (But isn't it always?)

...and then I went home and watched Half-Blood Prince. Life is bloody brilliant.

HOLY HIPPOGRIFFS, I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL DEATHLY HALLOWS!!!!!!!

today i am thankful for...life

Life is just way too much fun.  Seriously.  My little sister thinks I'm crazy for getting so excited about things such as the newest episode of Gossip Girl or deciding which Hermione hairstyle I should go with for my costume tomorrow...  But really, it's the silly things that make life so fantastic.  Like today in 4th hour yearbook when we played Harry Potter Clue, or last Thursday when I heard a Christmas song slipped in while we were shopping at Old Navy.  Or yesterday, when it finally hit me:  I'm going to college next year. Uh, WHOA.

Life is full of silliness and wonderfulness, and bit of seriousness in between.  But mostly it's a lot of getting extremely excited when your AP government teacher puts on his Harry Potter soundrack station on Pandora.  One thing is for certain:

Yes, I get a little carried away when it's Harry Potter season. 
Yes, I get a little carried away when it's holiday season. 

Yes.  I get a little carried away. 

But can you blame me?

today i am thankful for...my alarm working

....because yesterday it went off an hour late.

P.S.  This picture I took in Scotland reminds me of 12 Grimmauld Place. 

today i am thankful for...tumblr

Just looking at my "archive" makes me smile.

today i am thankful for...lazy days

Today I woke up feeling less than spectacular, so what followed was the laziest of days--it was precisely what I needed.

Today I...

• tumbled...then tumbled some more
• snuggled up with a blanket and read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban...for the second time this weekend (I've watched movies 1-4)
• listened to Sufjan and did a little studying
• compiled a Harry Potter playlist consisting of the third movie soundtrack, Hedwig's Theme, Harry & the Potters, and random songs/artists that have words such as "magic," "ghost," or "owls" in them (my favorite is when I connect songs such as "I Sing I Swim" by Seabear to HP...  'I Sing I Swim'...MERPEOPLE!  Obviously.  And "Keep the Car Running" by Arcade Fire?  Harry and Ron have to keep the flying Ford Angela running to get to Hogwarts when the platform isn't working. DUH.)

And that's it.  How wonderful is that?

hey leighton, stop making me look bad, will ya?

Dear Leighton Meester,

I have a hat just.like.this. that I wore the other day with my hair just.like.yours., so imagine how I feel when I s(tumble) upon these pictures of you.  I don't know whether to feel flattered or discouraged about my efforts in comparison... So I will let it slide.  But just this once.

Best regards,
Kaylie

(P.S.  I am officially addicted to tumblr.  It started out as a harmless no-strings-attached relationship, but when I began to feel overwhelmed about all the awesome pictures I was finding and how I could blog them all gracefully, I caved.  Welcome to my life as a Marie Wannabe!)

today i am thankful for...nice folks

Today I brought over some treats (cake cookies) and some treasures (old stuff I don't need anymore, plus a life-size Care Bear) up to school to support our New Global Citizens project for the Bocas School Project in Panama.  Unfortunately I couldn't stay long, but I had a legitimate reason--a few fellow yearbookers and I went up to Old Town Scottsdale to cheer on our fantastic yearbook advisor who was participating in the 3 Day Walk.  It was a blast!  Everyone was so energetic and enthusiastic and encouraging... and PINK!  It was great.

today i am thankful for...yearbook

Next week, we are starting "House Points."  Each editor's editing group will now be a House (I selfishly assigned myself to Gryffindor).  Whoever has the most points at the end of the deadline wins the House Cup!

Of course, on Thursday we are going to Harry Potter-fy our outfits.  Of course.

You better believe we are this bloody awesome.

today i am thankful for...moccasins

...because they keep my feet warm around the house.  It's as simple as that.

picture via tumblr

today i am thankful for...naps

What would life be like without naps?  Not as lovely as it is with them, that's for sure.

today i am thankful for...glee

I am SO happy Kurt finally found a boyfriend (especially a sweet, ridiculously attractive one that is played by Harry Potter).  And this version of Teenage Dream is...well, a dream.  A Capella!  Chandeliers!  Blazers!  It's like Glee went Gossip Girl for five minutes.  Best.  Thing.  Ever.  AND SO MANY UNEXPECTED TWISTS!  I love you, Glee.

confession: i am secretly blair waldorf

...or at least her nerdy doppelganger.

Evidence:

We both wish we were in an Audrey Hepburn movie.

(Although I've never had an Audrey dream sequence like Blair often does, I do have a trench coat and have tried this hairstyle from Breakfast at Tiffany's many of times myself.) 

We both like to pretend we're modern-day Marie Antoinettes



We both have this dress

(but mine isn't Marc Jacobs...)

We both know the value of a good hat

(not to mention retro clothes)

We both ♥ French macarons

(beaucoup, beaucoup!)

And most importantly, we like to be in control of things, whether it's planning a party or choosing the perfect outfit for each situation--because yes, it does matter.

XOXO,

K

today i am thankful for...cough drops

 ...because my allergies are making an unwanted appearance and having a scratchy throat is no fun. 

today i am thankful for...kate spade

Love, love, love Kate.

stevens fever

Full disclosure:  Dahlya and I are obsessed with this man:

Can you blame us?

We just had a conversation that went a little like this:

Me: (after watching this) Hottieee.  WHY IS HE TWICE OUR AGE?!?!

Dahlya: WHY ISN'T HE MARRIED TO US?!

Me: Life is cruel.  At least I get to hear his voice every time my phone rings...because he calls me all the time.

Dahlya: I feel like I should rename everyone in my contacts "Sufjan" so that when I look at who's calling it will always be him.

Me: I don't know how I'm ever going to find someone to fill the hole Sufjan has left in my heart.

Dahlya: "Dear Sufjan, We both have unusual names, hippie parents, play the banjo, and own a yellow visor.  Please marry me?"  That is my proposal to him.

Me: Man, we are crazy fangirls.  I think we have Stevens Fever.

Dahlya:  YES! WE DO!

Me:  But sooo much more acceptable.

Let's face it--we both frequently wear hats, can knit (I just googled "sufjan stevens knitting" to verify this and read that he taught knitting to the blind in his spare time.  Are there no limits to the love I can have for this man?), and have brown hair... We are obviously made for eachother.  Now please half your age and fall in love with me.  Cool, thanks!

today i'm thankful for...family

My aunt and grandma told me how they are secretly planning to surprise me next year by sending me money and random gift cards.  ("So you can eat...in restaurants!" said my grandma.  "So you can buy books...for fun!" said my aunt.  Too cute.)

My sister staked out in my room to work on crafts as I went through my closet (she helped me decide what needed to go by answering "On a scale of 1-10...").

My dad bought a collection of Christmas oldies at Costco.  Between this and my Songs for Christmas, we're set.

My grandma got me a Kate Spade barrette last year for Christmas that says "Mistletoe" that I am SO ready to wear (plus my mom bought be a jingle bell ring yesterday...I will try to abstain as long as I can before I wear it everyday until Christmas).

And just now my family and I sat outside for dinner (it's beautiful!) and ended up watching about 20 YouTube videos on my mom's MacBook Pro when we were finished eating.  Gotta love young, hip parents.

A shout-out also to my papa (whose love of dogs always makes me smile), my grandpa (who shares my love of taking pictures), my cousin (who is finally asking for my advice after 17 years), and my dog (who cuddles me and cries so much when I get home from school each day like no one has ever cried out of happiness to see me before and most likely never will).  And of course, everyone else.
I love you all so much.

today i am thankful for...friends

Erin just left after a night of Due Date and blogging lessons.  I couldn't have asked for better friends.

I have a friend that...calls me to tell me HE'S NOT MARRIED! and I know "he" is Sufjan.  (That's us at the concert above.)

I have a friend that...asks me to sew a button onto his suit.

I have a friend that...makes me laugh all through English (even though she's not the only one--much to her dismay).

I have a friend that...texts me from across the country to talk Gossip Girl and Christmas shopping.

I have a friend that...makes the best chocolate peanut butter vegan cupcakes I have ever tasted.

I have a friend that...makes the best holiday mix CDs this world has ever known.

And I also have a friend that...teaches me how to make pro snowflakes during French.

What more could I ask for?  ....Uhh duh, Sufjan growing 18 years younger for me, that's what.

But really, not much more than that.

something wicked awesome this way comes

Only two more weeks!  

Here are some magical Harry Potter finds to hold you over:

Hogwarts, here I come.  (Coolest shop ever!)

So you can have the whole lightning bolt thing going on without all the troublesome Unforgivable Curse business. (found here)

Good thing Harry had his priorities straight.  (found here)