Hello, y’all! It feels so nice to be logging back on. I haven’t been as consistent as usual here on Lonestar Southern as I adjust to Andrew spending more time at home and attempt to feel out what blogging looks like during this sensitive time, and I appreciate your flexibility with me! I think most of us are trying to figure out what our life looks like during this odd time, and I keep reminding myself that that is perfectly ok.
As you may have seen on Instagram, yesterday was my 27th birthday! I don’t think I’ve actually ever shared my age on here and if I’m being honest, I think it’s because I didn’t want anyone (including myself) judging me for what I had/hadn’t done by a certain age.
Here, at 27, I’ve never felt more content or at peace with where I’m at. It feels freeing to openly celebrate that number, and the highs and lows that have led up to it, to the fullest! So thank you for all of your kind comments and messages yesterday. They made the day feel so special!
In honor of another lap around the sun, I thought it might be fun to share a bit more about me! When I took a poll on Instagram Stories for what list you’d like to see here, I got quite a few messages saying “both!” So, without further ado, here are 27 random things about me and 27 things I love!
top (sold out from Zara) // earrings // bracelets // bangle // white jeans // shoes
27 random things about me
- My husband and I went to the same high school but didn’t meet until after college.
- I started Lonestar Southern as a class project during my sophomore year of college.
- My celebrity crush? William Moseley from Narnia.
- I have pointy eyebrows… as in they grow up at the ends and look like devil horns!
- When I was little I wanted to be a missionary actress in Hollywood.
- I don’t like cheese! (Exceptions: pizza & Kraft mac n’ cheese)
- Ever since I was little, I’ve always dreamed of owning a horse.
- I have a massive birthmark on the center of my back that looks just like the Snapchat ghost. (And I always forget it’s there!)
- My dad and I have a secret handshake we’ve been doing every time we say goodbye since I was in the first grade.
- I was in Paris during the November 13 terrorist attacks.
- I believe the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice is way better than the Kiera Knightly version. (Fighting words, I know!)
- The English Garden Rose is my favorite flower in the world.
- My ultimate stress relief is a hot bath in the dark with candles and Enya playing in the background.
- I have this weird habit where I have to rinse my feet off right before getting into bed.
- I’m an Enneagram 9.
- My ultimate dream has always been to be a mom. (Not quite yet, though! :)
- I played Sandy in Grease during my senior year of high school.
- I’ve always preferred dressing up over being comfy.
- One day I would love to own a massive Bernese Mountain Dog. (I just don’t know if I can handle the shedding.)
- I wish I had a fabulous singing voice, and feel like maybe one day I’ll wake up and it will just *happen.*
- “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (the Michael Buble version) was the song Andrew and I danced to for our first dance.
- I hate icing and don’t really like birthday cake… so my mom makes me a homemade apple pie every year!
- I once got to shake James Taylor’s hand at a concert and to this day it’s one of my favorite memories.
- After flying into a microburst a couple of years ago (this flight in particular) turbulence terrifies me.
- My mom kept me and my sister’s hair really short when we were little, so we’d wear ballet skirts and dish towels on our head to pretend we had long hair.
- I was on the golf team during my freshman year of high school because it was the one spring sport that didn’t involve running.
- If I could live in any other US city in the world it would be Washington D.C.
27 things i love
- Tent camping.
- This lip color in “merry rose.”
- Asian food. I probably make some sort of stir fry 3/5 nights a week!
- Road trips, especially if they involve country music and a stop for McDonald’s french fries.
- These pajama pants. I own two pairs now and they are truly a dream!
- Needle pointing. This is my current project and this is my next one.
- Light pink, oval-shaped nails. This is my current favorite color.
- Jelly Belly candy… all other types of “jelly beans” are imposters!
- Collecting art, a love my parents passed down to me. I own two pieces currently and hope to build on that!
- Folk music. Alison Krauss is my favorite.
- The 1 Hotels signature candle. You can only buy it at the front desk, but apparently this one is inspired by the scent!
- Africa New Life & Starfish Project… seeing their work firsthand changed my life.
- The off-the-menu chicken fingers at Hillstones/Houston’s.
- White jeans, year-round. This is my current favorite pair.
- Our mattress topper!
- Figuring out how to do home projects my self, like hang curtains, assemble furniture, paint doors, etc.
- Yasso mint chocolate chip bars. I have one almost every night!
- Estes Park, Seaside, Santa Fe, Charlotte, Carmel Valley
- The slippers I wore on my wedding day and continue to wear daily.
- Dance classes. I’m currently loving the dance cardio classes on the Peloton app!
- This latte recipe I’ve been making every afternoon. Here’s our coffee maker we love!
- My family. My friends would always make fun of me for wanting to stay at home so much.
- Tennis dresses (here, here and here)
- Southern Living… my mom had a whole chest of issues while I was growing up.
- Slow mornings spent with Jesus, a cup of coffee, prayer and journaling, and Peter Bradley Adams on in the background.
- The earrings I designed for my bridesmaids… they’re by far the most-worn pair I own. You can see the full collection I designed here.
- Miniature schnauzers… specifically Flynn! Having a dog has been the most wonderful thing and definitely a highlight of this past year. I’m so glad I waited until I was ready to take on the responsibility!
It was so fun to create these two lists, and I highly recommend you make them for yourself on your birthday! I bet they will be fun to look back on year after year as the things we love change and random facts about ourselves evolve!
Although it may sound cheesy, I truly want to thank y’all for being one of the best parts of this past year. Getting to share my life with y’all year after year is such a privilege and joy, and I’m so thankful for your part in it!
Cheers to 27, and all that lies ahead!
“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
Love from the Sunshine State,
Kate
Yay! Happy Birthday! I love these lists, they’re so fun and now I think I’ll keep one on my phone each year. Because you’re right, looking back each year would be fun.
You should look into bernedoodles – my dream dog! All the cuteness of a Bernese mountain dog without the shedding!
My parents also went to the same high school but met after college! Such a fun post!
What wonderful lists! I found myself touched by so many of the things you wrote and laughing out loud at others like … you don’t like cheese except on pizza and in Mac & Cheese both of which are almost all cheese. I would love to do something like thing for myself however I am twice your age and I’d probably fall asleep before I could finish my lists. I hope your birthday was a wonderful as you are Kate!! Oh and Andrew’s haircut is PERFECTION!!!
Well, Washington DC would love to have you :) Happy Birthday!!
What do you do with your needle point projects once you’ve completed them?
So happy you love Alison Krauss! My parents believe they accidentally named me after her. They love country music, and her first album to hit the Billboard charts was released a few months before I was born in 1990. When I was 4 months old she won her first Grammy, and my parents looked at each other while watching the broadcast and my mom said “Wait… did we not come up with Allyson’s name on our own??”
Happiest 27th birthday wishes Kate!! Loved learning a bit more about you :)
xoxo A
http://www.southernbelleintraining.com
Happy (belated) Birthday! I gasped when I saw that you shook James Taylor’s hand. He’s my silver fox crush and I don’t care who knows it. Sigh. Also, as a non-native DC resident of 12 years, don’t go out of your way to live here. There is very little community and the people are oh-so rude. It’s been fun, but I can’t wait to leave!
xo,
Britt
http://www.basicbritt.com
Wonderful post! Washington, d.c. and the NOVA area is WAY overrated and overpriced. I lived there for 10 years. Your southern soul would freeze and miss the south like myself. 💖