Snow(y) Days...

Last week: sunny, warm Orlando.  This past week: cold, snowy Iowa.  I'm not really complaining though... there is nothing quite like a white Christmas. It's snowing again now, and it looks so beautiful and white.  I know in January I'll be sick of it, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy the weather. 

I had a great Christmas with my family, and I've been fortunate enough to have seen some of my friends from high school for coffee or lunch in town. 

Here are some pictures from break so far:

Our car after coming back from Orlando...

Christmas card for next year? Please no. 

Goofing around...

My gifts!

Gifts from Santa... :)

I liked that a lot of my gifts this year are USEFUL.  As I get older, I realize that I need less crap and more things that I can use.  Hence why I like the fanny pack for running, the 2013 planner (semester at Purdue...come at me, bro), and the Vera Bradley duffel bag.  They're cute and fun gifts, but I'll be toting them everywhere this coming year... which is great!

Anyway, have a fabulous New Years Eve, and stay safe and warm :)

Saying goodbye is the hardest part...

I can't believe it's that time of the semester already... time for the end-of-tour dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse.  All the co-ops dressed classy and ate delicious food.  We started a new tradition too: co-op awards.  That was a blast... I wrote all the awards on notecards, but a friend came up with most of the clever ones. 

Anyways, I was at Kohl's earlier during the day, and I fell in love with the black, polka-dotted top... I had to buy it after I tried it on.  I can dress it down with jeans and flats or dress it up with black slacks or a skirt.  I plan on wearing it for some KKY stuff this spring. 

I also curled my hair for the first time in... well, a long time anyways.  It took me forever, and it was pretty much gone by the time I got to dinner, but it was fun and a nice change of pace. I thought the black top and flats, dark skinny jeans, and gold jewelry were sophisticated, but the red nails added some edge.  

The outfit... head to toe! 

I don't usually do selfies in the mirror, but I wanted to show off my hair!

Boys in sweaters... definitely the best thing ever ;)

The dinner was fun despite the fact I didn't get to sit by a certain someone... I was slightly disappointed about that.  But I just held my head up and enjoyed the people I sat by.  Trying to live in the moment and enjoy every minute of every day.  These tours are going by too quickly to not appreciate all the people and memories!

Next time I write, I'll be home in Iowa.  Texas, it's been real :)

Work hard, play hard

I can't believe my second co-op tour ends on Friday.  It amazes me how quickly time flies by...  I think the best advice I could give myself would be to enjoy every minute of every day.  While I need to take care of chores and work and such, I need to make time to enjoy the blessings I've been given :)

I've been spending a lot of time with a certain guy, but I'm not sure where things are going... work has prevented me from really having time to think about things before we talk again.  I plan on making some time today to get my thoughts down on paper (probably in my journal).  

Anyways, I have a lot of chores to do before dinner at a friend's house.  Right now Kirstyn, Sarah, and Becca are planning our Christmas party for next week.  I was invited, but I need some 'me time'.  Here's to getting lots done and seizing the day. 

The following two pics are from when it was actually a little chillier.  However, the grey sweater from H&M sheds everywhere... I had to de-fuzz my shirt multiple times during the day... which is a shame since I love the rhinestones.

Another grey-sweater-black-shirt outfit.  I just think the colors are so chic.  Especially with my grey-and-black pumps and my white watch and pearl earrings.  Classy.  

Of course, some days I get to wear jeans, so I go for a lot more laid-back style.  I wore this to work one Friday.  I think it's still grown-up, but the light pink and the floral-print shoes are girly.

I hope you have a week full of peppermint mochas, sunshine, and Christmas music. :)  

Rainy Sundays

It's warm (in the 70s) and rainy today.  I think that factored into the difficulty I had dragging myself out of bed... I slept close to 8.5 hours and just wanted to keep sleeping.  I wanted to get up to blog, read PostSecret, email my roomie at college (she sent me a Halloween card), and download T-Swift songs :) before church at 10:30 a.m.  I also need to vacuum and wash my dishes before volunteering at a nursing home at 1:30 p.m.

Last night, a group of us went to see Cloud Atlas.  I honestly did not like it.  There were excessive amounts of murder and too many time/place jumps.  I got frustrated that I couldn't watch good portions of the money because I was covering my face.  Ugh.  And then my stomach actually felt upset after the movie!  What a waste of 10 dollars and 3 hours. 

Okay, I'm doing bitching now.  I'm just getting nervous because I only have five weeks of work left... five more weekends in Houston.  It makes me feel panicky.  Like if I'm not enjoying every minute of every day, I'm wasting my time.  And it also frustrates me that nothing is happening between me and this guy I like.  We're running out of time... 

Friday night on the other hand was a blast!  We went country dancing, and Chris and Lucas joined us!  They were both good at two-stepping and polka-ing :)  And then the pop songs came on and we rocked it.  Also, Footloose.  Love that line dance. 

Portia, me, Kris, and Sarah... love these ladies!

Carpe diem!

Weekends...

My crew in the Osprey,

... are the best.  I love them.  They go way too quickly though, as I'm sure you know.  My weekend was crazy busy.  Saturday consisted of shopping, a soccer game, pumpkin carving, chicken-pot-pie-making, and a Halloween party.  Today was IHOP (yummmm) followed by the Wings Over Houston Air Show.  The air show was amazing!  I don't know the names of planes, and I can't tell you their history.  But I can appreciate the roar of the jet engines and the coordination of the Blue Angels.  And I can enjoy every minute of being with my fellow co-ops.  It amazes me that I never tire of being with them. 

The Blue Angels

And lastly, a shot of my new shoes.  I'm about to plan my outfit for tomorrow, which is definitely feature these babies. :)  Anyway, have a totes fantastic Monday! 

SO PUMPED

October skies...

Wow.  It's been more than a month since I last wrote, and of course, a lot has happened since then.  I've survived beach party, improved at rock climbing (but only when three of my experienced friends are there to coach me), ran a half marathon (13.1 miles... piece of cake, well, if you're Lis anyways), passed my specialist mastery (an oral exam) for my job... and so much more.  I can't believe how fast time flies... it amazes me that more than half of my second co-op tour is over.  I've resigned myself to just being present every day and enjoying every moment. :)   I loved going home to Iowa for a weekend, and when I was there, I felt like that was were I was supposed to be.  But when I came back to Houston, Sarah picked me up at the airport, and we went to Olive Garden for Kris's 21st birthday.  And sitting there, talking to my friends, laughing, and not caring that it was 10:45 p.m. and we had work the next, I realized that I also loved being in Houston.  How blessed am I that I really have three places I can call home?  Of course, where my family is will always be my true home... they're my greatest blessing <3  Lisa, Laura... if you're reading this, I love you!

Okay, I'm done being deep and philosophical. I've obtained lots of new clothes lately :)

Co-Op/Intern t-shirts... love it!

Front of new sweater I bought at Target for $9 on clearance :)

Back :)

Shorts for volleyball... they have Spandex (and funky Spandex) underneath

Cytennial t-shirt to commemorate Lisa being on the Cardinal Court :)

Shirts my family made for our half marathon.  Lisa, Laura, Mom, Nanny, Uncle Tom, Stephen, and I all did it together.

Shirt from the half marathon :)

Shirt from JC Penny's.

Who knew JC Penny's still had cute clothes?!?!  I was shocked, but the shirt above and the pink shorts were super cheap, and adorable!  I wore the Cytennial t-shirt last night to Capture the Flag, because it was actually chilly here in Houston.  Note the word choice of chilly and not cold.  It's in the fifties and windy, but I know it's probably colder back home :)

It's Hump Day!

I love Wednesdays... it means we're getting close to the weekend :)

It's still warm here in Houston, but I broke out the scarf! I love how it easily dresses up a plain, green v-neck t-shirt essentially.  Tuck that into a black skirt, throw on flats, and voila!  I wore my usual accessories: white watch, moon/star ring, and pearl earrings... typical me.  

 

Have a great Thursday! 

Being happy is productive...

I needed a day to just catch up on life... I tell myself that I will take time off for myself one night a week and just do things like dishes and balancing my checkbook and keeping up with my email. But then sports and Sherlock's (the local bar every goes to for happy hour after work) and baking and training for my half marathon and more sports get in my way.  I realized that that is a-o-k.  I saw a post on Pinterest that read, "Being happy is productive..."  What a good reminder that it is fine to just roll with life... I guess we can sleep when we're dead!  

I love getting to dress up for work.  I rocked the jeggings with a denim button-up for Casual Friday, and last Friday I wore a dress with cowboy boots.  Speaking of cowboy boots, I think I'm going dancing tonight.  I can't wait.  I miss line dancing, waltzing, and two-stepping.  Fun times ahead :)

The following pics are from Endeavour's stop at Ellington Field.  I love the first picture.  Not too many of us are looking at the right place, but that is the beauty of it.  I love how happy we look. Sometimes it hits me like a ton of bricks that why I love my job, the thing I really love about my co-op is the people.  NASA gets an A+ for hiring amazing people!  Everyone brings interesting talents and senses of humor.  <3

Mah frands :)

Me with the shuttle (taken by a media photographer)

Last night Kirstyn and I made souffle!  Seriously!  It was delicious.  Definitely the trickiest thing I've ever made. It tasted like a light, fluffy brownie.  I don't think Matt and Brian liked it though... haha. To each his own. 

Also, I've been hooked on this song ever since Kirstyn played it for me. Love music, love Glee.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xskvngG-5zk

Happy Saturday y'all.  Work on being happy. 

Birthday Blessings

Hey y'all.  My birthday was this past Friday, and all day I could not stop thinking about how BLESSED I was.  My inbox was flooded with birthday wishes from the other co-ops and people in the Bible Study I attend.  My NASA bestie put a Birthday balloon on my chair, so people popped into my cube all day to wish me happy birthday. My friend who moved to Stanford on my birthday sent me a package with gifts from China and the Philippines (a beautiful scroll with a painting from China and pearl earrings from the Philippines). My roommate from college sent me a card. My guy friend created a PowerPoint entitled "Krista's Birthday Briefing" and filled it with pictures for my wedding Pinterest (inside joke).  I'm not sure if I was crying because I was laughing so hard or because I felt so lucky to have amazing people in my life.  Maybe now that I'm 22 I'm just getting sentimental, but when I reflect on where I am right now, at this very moment, I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the amazing family, great friends, and fantastic opportunities God has blessed me with. Seriously.  I feel so content right now.  I don't feel lonely, even when I'm by myself. I feel happy and complete.  I know my family loves me, and I have friends all over the nation.  I have people that went out of their way to make my birthday special.  Who could ask for more?!?!

Okay, I'm done being sappy! :)  Here are some pictures from my special day!

The ladies!

On Saturday, I ran a 5K with three Penn State buddies.  I ended up getting third for my age group, so I won a medal!  Gary and Brian beat me, and I ran at about a 7:40 mile.  But it was fun, and I ran into a Purdue alumni who I met at Purdue Alumni Band last fall... he remembered me!  It is a crazy small world!

Heroes Run 5K

Balloon from Kirstyn

I got awesome gifts!  I love everything so much!  I already wore my purse, and I'm going to wear my yoga pants with the green band tomorrow to Dance Jam.  I can't wait to watch Moulin Rouge (one of my favorite movies) and go shopping with my NASA bestie!

My gifts!

Yesterday was a sports day... I ran a 5K, watched Kirstyn's soccer game, played soccer, and played football.  It was fun!  

Hope you all had a good weekend!

I heart pink...

Two pics of me in my absolute favorite color, pink. :)  I just can't deny that I love the color.  In fact, as I write this, I'm typing on my pink laptop. I'm wearing pink running shorts and my pink running shoes.  My wireless mouse is pink, and the Swiss Army knife I just used (confession: to cut open a bag of brownie mix) is... you guessed it, pink.

Anyway, I wore this first outfit to Dance Jam on Monday.  The exercise class is difficult and so much fun.  I take cues from one of the other young ladies in the class: she was a dancer for the Houston Texans.  So copying her moves sometimes makes me look boss.  I sweat so much, feel absolutely great, and learn dance moves to a popular song. Win, win, and win. Also, this tank is a win. Boiler up!

For work the next day, I continued my streak in a top my twinsie lent to me.  It was light-weight... perfect for the summer heat! I wore my key necklace, my white watch, and pearl earrings.  I must emphasize (again) that I love my watch.  It gets worn pretty much every day.  

Keep things in perspective... it's almost Friday!  Cheers :)

Make someone else happy...

I was thinking about some of the people I could not live without, and I realized that they all have one thing in common: they routinely do things to make me happy (or to help me help myself be happy... if that makes sense).  I realized that there are people in this world who expend a lot of effort trying to build others up.  I want to be one of those people.  So I'm trying to be even more vocal in giving compliments and thanking people for what they've done for me.  I'm trying to send thoughtful notes to some friends and text messages to others to stay in touch and remind my Purdue buds that I love them!  I'm trying to post on peoples' Facebook walls to make them smile.  Seriously, what is Facebook for?!?!  We might as well use it to brighten our friends' days.

End monologue about happiness...

Now this is something I know will make my sister happy: fashion.  I wore this outfit on Wednesday, and I felt very polished and professional.  Yet I felt like the lace and the soft pink nail polish made it sweet and not too stiff.  Wednesday was a fun day: I got to OJT and go to a plaque hanging (an ADCO got to hang the plaque for the Soyuz mission... holla).   I was going into MCC with two of the MCG (Motion Control Group) Group Leads and feeling a little socially awkward when Estrella (a girl I know from B-Stud) met us on the stairway.  She looked so happy to see me and gave me a great big hug. I could not stop smiling after that encounter.  One awesome thing about NASA is simply how many people on-site know each other... sometimes it seems like a big family!

Anyways, I'm about to go to Tookie's (a restaurant in Seabrook) with some of the co-ops who are already here.  It's supposed to be a great place for hamburgers.  Om nom nom!  Have a happy, relaxing, productive weekend! <3

Confessions of a Non-Shopaholic

So I'm watching the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic", and it makes me glad that I don't have too much debt.  Students loans, and that's it.  In a way, this movie frustrates me, because I can't understand how you could do that to yourself.  If you're going to shop like crazy, at least hit the sales (and don't buy designer).  As much as this movie wants me to go shopping, the calling to stay in my pajamas and write this blog is greater.

Today was Day 2 of my second co-op tour at NASA.  I'm working in the Missions Operation Directorate, so I am required to dress up much more than last tour. No jeans and hardware any more... it's black pants and ballet flats and videos about the ISS. And I love it. Seriously, I hope that I have 'the personality' of a Flight Controller.  How cool would it be to sit in the Mission Control Center and fly the International Space Station? 

Anyways, on my first day, I wore my nicest black pants... they're Calvin Klein.  They're also a little long, so I wore them with my pointy-toed black high heels.  I also wore a black-and-tan striped tank under a green, three-quarter length sleeve jacket, my KKY lavalier, and gold hoop earrings.   I'm a little sunburnt from spending Sunday at the pool at Kirstyn's apartment complex, but I snapped a picture of my first day outfit. 

Today I wore black pants, my purple top, and zebra print ballet flats with my pearl earrings, white watch, and moon/star ring.  I try to be dressy but stylish.  Some of the young, female Flight Controllers dress so fabulously.  Some wear wearing dresses with sweaters and high-heeled sandals, but I'm not brave enough to try that out yet... I'm only the co-op. But I love being the co-op! :)

LB and K take Houston by storm...

Happy Tuesday!  For right now, I'm relishing the fact that I am still wearing my pajamas at 10 a.m.  I have some errands I want to run later today, and I'd love to go to Zumba at 4:30 p.m., but for the moment I am enjoying that there is NOTHING I HAVE to do.  Just things I want to :)  Woot!  

Speaking of things I want(ed) to do... yesterday I went to Dance Jam.  The dance was a little bit harder than the last one, but it is such a good workout.  I sweated so much... can't wait for next week!  I'm hoping that Dance Jam plus Zumba will be good cross-training for my half marathon. I do need to start running though... hmmm. 

At Wild West

Anyways, I wanted to blog about my little sister's Texas experience!  I know that I had a great time, and I think she did too.  We went to Space Center Houston first, which was pretty cool.  I kept telling her how big the Saturn V rocket was, but when we walked into the building in which it is housed, she just said, "Whoa."  

That same night we went country dancing with some of my friends from Bible Study!  It was a blast... Laura and I rocked the dresses with boots. :)  We stopped at a coffee shop on the way home and didn't get back to my apartment until after 3 a.m.  You know it's a good night when... haha

Saturday was just a relaxing day. We drove down to Galveston Beach, which is only about forty minutes from my apartment. What a remarkable change from when I first saw Galveston in January... the beaches were packed with families and lots and lots of swimmers.

Laura and I sitting on the beach

 That night we went to Rudy's (a BBQ place) for dinner before hitting the mall.  Laura didn't buy anything, but I splurged (kind of) on a full-price lace top from Charlotte Russe. Okay, it was only $15, and I can wear it a lot...

Go Astros! On Sunday, Laura and I drove into downtown Houston for the Astros game in Minute Maid Park.  Sadly, they lost to the Brewers, but it was an exciting game.  I thought I was going to have to force Laura to try Blue Bell Ice Cream, but she willingly tried Cookies and Cream in a waffle cone.  I had Red Velvet Cake ice cream... om nom nom.

Laura and I at the game.  Her outfit was so cute and summery!

 After the game, we went back to Seabrook and rented Act of Valor.  It was a good movie, but it made me cry.  Then we hit the Kemah Boardwalk.  We went to the candy shop, and I bought Laura some rock candy... her favorite!  We rode one ride, the swinging ship, and had a blast!

I was definitely sad to see her go.  I miss her already!  But she is starting college soon, so she has that to look forward to, and more and more of my friends are arriving in Houston.  I am so happy that my family is so close!  So very blessed...

Have a great Tuesday!

Hello, Houston!

Ahhhh!  After a few wonderful days back home with my family, my lil sis and I headed down south to the city that I love... HOUSTON, TX. Seriously, being back here makes me feel like I never left. I love the skyline of the actual city, my apartment near NASA, Tutti Frutti, and Minute Maid Park.  It's funny how somewhere I've only spent four months in can feel like home.  It's an exciting place, and Clear Lake is small enough that it feels personal too :)  Maybe that is why I like it.  I had a great time with my little sister, and now I just have a week to kill before I start my second co-op tour at JSC.  I have lots I want to do though, so I'm sure this week will fly by...

Anyway, a few pictures from summer school that I was too busy to post:

Presentations for class...

Color Run Indianapolis with Lis, Chelsey, and Jennifer

Purdue Tank... next time I'm ditching the jean shorts for athletic shorts...

Rain, Rain, Please Come Today!

Yesterday and today have been rainy and cloudy, and I am totally okay with that.  We definitely need the rain.  I knew we were in a drought, but the realization of how bad it was did not hit me until I was sitting in the amphitheater on Slayter Hill looking out at the brown, dead grass on the hill.  It looked terrible!  However, our concert on Tuesday went very well, and we had a good crowd sitting on that dead grass.  

Another good thing about the rain and clouds is that it almost cooled off a little bit. I wore this outfit yesterday, and it was exciting to wear something besides shorts.  The jeggings make me feel trendy, but they're also super-duper comfortable... basically they're fashionable stretch pants. The top is one I wore a lot down in Houston.  It is great with skinny jeans and TOMS.  Again, I wore my floral sneakers and my star-and-moon ring along with my new pearl earrings. Today I resorted to pink athletic shorts, my Paint Crew t-shirt, and my pink tennis shoes... I just feel like going comfy for Friday.  Only one class today, and it's a guest lecturer, but we get points or something for showing up! It ought to be interesting, and then my weekend full of studying and studying and studying and Batman can commence.  Have a great Friday!

Pearl Earrings

I finally replaced my cheap pair of pearl earrings that I lost in Houston... I hate to relive that fateful day, but I was swimming with friends when I went to fiddle with my earrings and realized I had lost one of them.  Since that day, I've been wearing these bigger diamond studs (pretty but kind of flashy).  So when Amanda, her sister Abby, and I went shopping on Saturday, I bought a three pack of pearl earrings (different sizes) from Claire's.  I am so excited. I am going to wear them today (even though today is a shorts-and-a-t-shirt day).  I realized that it was worth spending the $8.03 to get three nicer pairs.  I will most definitely get my use out of them.

This is the outfit I wore for my Saturday in Shipshewana. I wore those darn floral sneakers again (I cannot get enough of them), but this time I opted to make them more sophisticated by wearing khaki bermudas with a v-neck tucked in. Is the tucked-in shirt too much?  I thought it looked alright with the belt and seemed less blah than just a v-neck and bermudas, but I could be wrong.  Anyway, this was an outfit I wished to accessorize with pearl earrings, so after I bought the earrings, I wore them.  I also wore my favorite star/moon ring.  

Visiting Shipshewana was very fun, but now I need to shift back into school mode.  I have twelve days of classes left and then finals... dun dun dun.  Anyway, this blog is a great way for me to take a break from studying.   

Have a happy Monday!

Eight hours of sleep and coffee...

Lately I've been running on eight hours of sleep a night and coffee... I think that if I hadn't hurt my knee (and hence could exercise), I'd be one happy camper!  Then again, I'm also just feeling good this morning because I had a test yesterday and hence had no homework last night.  I was able to do Cardio Blast after eating dinner with a good friend, and then I called my mother and my twin.  And then a certain boy texted me... ;)

Anyway, today is a 'lazy-but-still-stylish' day.  At least in my books anyway.  I am wearing my navy shorts, a light purple v-neck, and my grey-and-black striped TOMS.  Of course, I don't know if I could go to class without my watch and my star/moon ring.

Here are two outfits that I wore recently.  It was too darn hot for awhile to wear anything too stuffy, but I sucked it up and dressed up.  It was awfully tempting to just wear athletic shorts and t-shirts.

The outfit above felt fun because of the different lengths... short shorts with a three-quarters-length sleeves.  Also, I wore the cute bracelet I made from the pendant Lisa gave me.  Plus I love those tan sandals.  I feel like they're sophisticated, but they're still sandals!

I wore the other outfit yesterday (I like to dress up for my tests) and felt trendy but sophisticated at the same time.  The jeggings (which I need to wear more) seem edgy, but the floral print shoes seem sweet.  Plus the top is just so cute (I know, I know... it's in my last blog post too...).   It was a comfy outfit for a Monday and gave me some extra pizzazz.

I love having time to blog, so I'll try to snap some more pictures of clothes soon.  I wish I could wear dresses, but those just aren't conducive with biking to class... *sigh*.  Maybe I'll rock one this weekend up in Shipshewana.

Have a great Tuesday!