no shave december

everyone always goes all out for no shave november but no shave december is slowly gaining popularity.  i've been working hard these last two months.

it turns out i have a face for beards. i might make this a permanent look for january.

p.s. have a happy new year!! be safe.

captain pabst

yesterday my mother and i made the pilgrimage to milwaukee to tour the gorgeous pabst mansion.  isn't it so pretty?!  we were thoroughly impressed by it.

captain frederick pabst is known for his brewing company (hello, pbr!).  in 1864 mr. pabst bought a half interest in his father-in-laws brewing company and would eventually inherit the remaining half, forming the pabst brewing company.  between 1890 and 1892 mr. pabst and his wife built their charming mansion on what was then grand avenue.  the cost to build this mansion? $250,000.

sadly, no photos are allowed inside which is a rule i love to break.  here is the formal dining room.  oh hot damn, look at that fireplace.  

for comparison, here is the servant's dining room.  it had a really pretty stone sink to the left side which i couldn't get a picture of because rules suck.  totally charming, love those tiles.

here is mrs. pabst's private sitting room.  again with the amazing fireplace.  we counted 10 fireplaces which were all totally unnecessary because they had central heat.  

also, my mom must have been trying to tell me that people were coming. she looks a little scared.

how adorable are these sinks!? someone put them in my house.

back in the day there were about 10 mansions on grand avenue, all are gone except for the pabst mansion.  mr. and mrs. pabst only lived here for about twenty years before they both died, it was then sold to the archdiocese until the 1970's when it was bought and opened for tours.  

five stars, well done mr. pabst

p.s. i love your beer.

thursday update

hi everyone!  how was your christmas?  

mine was pretty fabulous.  on christmas eve we all went to my grandpa's house for a few presents and ham.  but mostly, we met our second-hand smoke quota for the year and drank too much.  my brother makes a mean brandy old-fashion.  

christmas day came with three christmas to attend.  first comes santa, then the boyfriend's family and finally, my other grandparents.  we ended the day on an extreme high note with full bellies of spaghetti casserole.  we only get it once a year so you have to channel your inner fat-kid and dive in.  it is soooo goooooood.

i got a keurig from my g-parents, i don't know how i managed to drink coffee and tea before this.  dat thing is awesome.  my mom got a kitchen-aid stand mixer which is the greatest invention of all time.  i give christmas two thumbs up.

before

the boyfriend's grandparents have a million volumes of family photos.  every picture they take ends up in these books so here is the most ADORABLE picture of the boyfriend (middle) and his bros.  

after

and then he grew a beard.  

i hope your holidays were fab. 

happy thursday.

phab philbin

philbus has officially updated his wardrobe for the holiday season.

his fancy cat friends host many a black tie affair during the holidays. at least he's prepared.

eight years

oh my dear uncle Matt, we miss you.

a few days and eight years ago my uncle Matt took his own life.  he had some battles and troubles over those last few years and finally he couldn't take it anymore.  we all miss him so much but i know that he's laughing and shaking his head at all of our antics from wherever he is.

it's been hard having him away.  i know that his choice wasn't meant to be a goodbye but more like a see you later.

you can't always get what you want

this saturday night we bundled up and headed to milwaukee for a night on the town.  we had dinner at Blue Jacket where a good family friend is currently working as sous chef.  it was expensive but so delicious.  they have an amazing drink list, i personally recommend a "dark & stormy" but only have one if you're a lightweight like me.  all of their dinner dishes have interesting flavor combos, i had escolar cheeks with rice and pickled cucumber.  

here's a question:  isn't a pickled cucumber just a pickle?
also, google escolar fish, it's freaky looking with it's big googly eyes.  those cheeks are damn good though.

after dinner we rolled our bellies to the riverside theater to watch the milwaukee symphony orchestra play a tribute to the rolling stones.  as usual, it was fantastic! in the past we've seen MSO do tributes to queen and led zeppelin.  if you're on the fence about going, there is always a singer so you're not listening to strictly instrumental versions.  plus!  the riverside as $3 pabst tall boys.  can't beat that.

over and out.

a Jaaaaaaakkkerrrrsssss update

our sweet and annoying little jakers came home from the vet last night!  you can catch up on his adventures HERE!

we all could not stop giggling at his droopy droopy drooooooooopy eyes.  he obviously was enjoying the pain meds that the vet gave him.  LOOK AT THOSE EYES!  it looks like his face is melting.

jakers would be napping on the floor, suddenly spring up and stumble around, and then run over to his favorite daddy for some cuddles before returning to his nap.  daddy and jakers sitting in a tree, c-u-d-d-l-i-n-g.  we were also disappointed that he didn't come home with a cone of shame.  it warms my heart in a kind of cruel way to see my pets wearing a cone.  

Jakers and other ramblings

our poor little Jakers is feeling under the weather.

his real name is Jakob but since his move to our house i've begun calling him Jakers because it's funny. you have to say it in a high-pitched singsongy type of way, Jaaaakerrrssssss!  he really perks up when you say it like that which in my mind means that he likes it.

anyway, he is suffering like most old men (Jakers is 70) from an enlarged prostate.  so this coming Tuesday is D-day or should i say N-day?  Neuter time!  he's on a variety of medications and we get to chase him around the backyard to get a poo sample.  and by we i mean my poor father who loves Jakers way more than the rest of us.

you see, Jakers has poor manners.  he jumps on the couch, stands on the couch, eats my underwear, barks at everything, eats the boyfriend's socks on the regular, violates our other dog Lilly (she is 91) and generally pees on things that should not be peed on.  but against all the odds, my dadio loves his little Jakers.   if my good 'ol father heads outside to take out the trash or whatever, Jakers will stand by the door crying his little eyes out until the pops returns. it's just a bizarre, they have an unhealthy kind of attachment.

on a side note, it's monday.  am i supposed to hate mondays? that seems to be what the internet is telling me.  i guess it's different when your monday doesn't start until 6:45 tonight.  which brings me to my next point, i have my first real day of work today.  MY FIRST DAY!  i'm excited but also terrified.  i'm beginning to realize that i may have survived all that time in nursing school but tonight is when i will actually learn to be a nurse.  day one.  square one.  why did i pick such a stressful profession.

see you on the other side, also known as tuesday.

faithfullly

my dad, who i commonly refer to as pops or popsicle, is currently in our basement cleaning the carpet.

but there is a twist!  he is cleaning the carpet while belting out his best rendition of faithfully by journey. i can hear it in HD quality through the air vents.

need a refresher on that particular tune?

it is also noteworthy that this is the boyfriend's go-to karaoke song.  he sings it in this delicious raspy voice with his heart on his sleeve.  i'll try to sneak a video next time for your listening pleasure.  if you're reading this boyfriend, disregard that last sentence.

my go-to karaoke song?  lights by journey or paradise city by guns n roses with axl rose microphone dance included.

giving thanks this friday

today i am thankful that my three day computer class has finally come to an end.

today i am thankful for the lady who gave me chocolate during a particularly boring portion of said computer class.  she was a life saver!

today i am thankful for new shoes.

Elaine, butter cake and a strawberry basil martini.  

today i am thankful for my friend Elaine.  she is so fabulous and kind and such terrible influence on me.

today i am thankful for butter cake and strawberry basil martinis.  my new favorite combination.

today i am thankful for root beer.  it was the best refreshment after a long long day.

today i am thankful for my debit card and payday.  without such, none of my recent reckless purchases would have been possible.

today i am thankful for my bed.  i can't wait to go to sleeeeeeeeeeep.

today i am thankful for my boyfriend and his glorious beard.  'nuff said.

today i am thankful for my new job.  no matter how much stress it may cause me, it will always be better than no job.

Philbin and Shelly

today i am thankful for my cats.  gosh darn it, they are ADORABLE!



have a great weekend everyone!

coven

ok, what is up with the newest episode of american horror story: coven?!  i'm 6 minutes in and it all feels extra weird and icky.  whatserface ripped out that dudes heart and now that jesus lady is making her son take off his pants!  who writes this stuff?  i remember watching the Saw movies when they first came out and i felt very concerned that someone or a group of people thought up all those terrible ways to torture those poor characters.  i can't believe that some people can think like that, it weirds me out to no end.

if you need me, i'll be over here too shocked to drink my hot chocolate.

||update||
i just finished the episode and i don't want to give anything away!  just watch this episode now! so weird and dirty feeling.  the coven is getting gritty and vicious-er.

garbage day

all freaking day long i've felt like a giant, cranky, smelly pile of garbage.  after many hours of rotting within myself, i sat down and pondered "what the hell is up with today?"  here's what i discovered:

#1 i slept like poop

#2 i just recently (less than 36 hours ago) developed an absolutely disgusting cold which will probably last for at least another week.  so yippee for me, i'm a lucky, lucky gal.  

#3 it's dark and foggy/rainy today but mostly dark.  we really need to petition to stop this whole day-light-savings nonsense, NO MORE FALLING BACK A HOUR!  here in wisconsin, it could not get any darker/sadder and yet today it did.  this fog/rain is gross and it has been nighttime dark all day.  mother nature is just asking all of us to just drown in our seasonal-affective disorders.  instead of handing out suckers and dog treats at the bank it needs to be vitamin D supplements and sun lamps.

#4 the boyfriend and i finally insulated our windows.  you know, that fun thing you do with plastic and a hair dryer…it's not that fun.  more depressing than anything.  all of this nonsense means it's most likely winter time.  winter time means snow.  snow means cold.  cold means hiding inside.  hiding inside means serious cabin fever.  

on the upside, it's 40 degrees out.  i also wasted 35 dollars on smelly candles and new slippers at walmart.

how do you get over the winter blues?

and if you live in florida or hawaii, don't you dare share how nice and sunny/warm it is there!  i don't want to hear it!

P.S. i'm a little sassy (as if you couldn't tell)

a whole new world

yes, it's true, i'm back in action.  i know i always say that but i think it's really happening this time.

it has been seven months since my last post and i feel like an entirely new lady.  a lot has happened and it all feels strange.

some of you may recall my intense struggle with nursing school and i'm proud to say that i made it to the other side.  that graduation tune played for me!  i almost cried right there in the middle of the ceremony; an incredibly large weight lifted off of me and it was the most amazing moment.  now fast forward to august, i took the dreaded state board exam for nursing and made that thing my bitch!

after an intense job hunt i finally settled on a part-time position at burlington memorial hospital.  i'm not overly pleased but you can't be picky when no one else wants to hire you.  (i applied for close to 35 jobs, burlington was my back up plan.  it's brutal out there in the real world!)

you may notice that all past posts have been deleted, i did it on purpose.  those old posts were whiny and annoying plus i didn't much like the person i was back then.  so here is to starting fresh, new beginning and all that jazzercise.

P.S. you can find me on instagram but be warned that i mostly post cat pictures @karleighr
P.P.S i'm also on twitter every once in a blue moon @karleigholson

P.P.P.S i forgot i'm on pinterest too.  @karleigh olson