- 1st: Orientation at Kohl's. Thank goodness. I almost had to move home! -

- 4th: Surprising and exciting interview at Creative Kids. I was offered the position on the spot! -

-5th: Officially became a Nevada citizen. I got a NV Driver's License. -

- 11th-14th: My sister and her boyfriend came to visit! We had great fun playing games and chatting! Kristi also won 700$ playing bingo! Go Kris! -

-17th: Filled out paperwork for Creative Kids, quit Kohl's, gave GameStop my two weeks notice -

- 22nd: My first official day at Creative Kids! -

- 29th: Aly took me out to eat at Red Robin! Thanks! -

- Getting Prized in the mail! -

- Picture a mess of tears anytime I worried about money. Which was frequent. -

Raspberries! I've found a place that sells them fresh and cheap! It's awesome!

- I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore - Decent. Not my favorite, but I did enjoy it after a slow beginning. -

- The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley - Wonderful! It's a reread, and it was just as magical the second time! -

-The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - Such a fun novel. It's meant for a younger audience, but it was still good! -

- Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien - SO wonderful! It was my first ARC, and it was amazing! I LOVED it! -

- Tithe by Holly Black - Good enough by the end, but the beginning was a bit too raunchy for my liking. I ended up pretty invested in the story though. -

- Book of A Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - Another reread. Such a cute story. Not my favorite of Hale's, but it's still a favorite on my bookshelf! -

- Capt. Hook by J.V. Hart - So clever and fun! I had so much fun reading this book again! -

- LOST - I got the urge to watch all the madness again. Still as confusing as it once was. -

- Chuck - Alyson and I have been watching it together. Man, I love this show! It's so quippy! -

It always astounds me how the months with the least amount of highlights are the ones where I am the busiest. I've been working so hard these past two weeks and it's been very rewarding. And exhausting. Being an adult is super scary, and was very much on the forefront of my mind this month. But I think I did a pretty good job at keeping it together and sucking it up.

- 1st: My sister and I drove the nine hour trip to our home town. -

- 2nd: Played games at my aunt Shaneen's house with the family. -

- 4th: Happy 4th of July! The day started with a parade and ended with a BBQ, family and fireworks. -

- 5th: Hopped in the car for the drive back to Vegas. Nine hours is much too long. -

- 8th: Kevin gets here for his 8 day visit! -

- 8th-16th: Kevin and I did so many things over these 8 days. Like swimming, movies, walking the strip and more. You can check out the full list here! -

- 13th: Interview at Kohl's. Cause I need me a second job! Also, happy birthday Dad! I love you!-

- 16th: Kevin leaves. I cried. A lot. -
- 25th: My sister took me out to eat at Red Robin. Good food! Good company!

- 27th-29th: Stress beyond belief. So glad that lifted a little. -

- 29th: Got the job at Kohl's! Yay! -

Any moment with Kevin. There were so many. If I had to choose. The end of day one of his visit when we realized that we still had seven days left. That was a good feeling!

A toss up between watching Kevin leave or finding out I might have to move home to live with my parents. Both were very awful. And both made me cry. A lot.

Chicken Fingers from Raising Canes. They are SO good. How have I missed out on these for so long?

Also, it's not food, but Raising Canes has the BEST Lemonade ever. Seriously. Try it. Now.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I think this was the fourth time I've read it. Kevin and I read it together. I love this book!

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - So good! I almost passed this one up. So glad I didn't!

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien - I wasn't sure for the first few chapters, but I ended up loving it!

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - A wonderful prequel to the Mortal Instruments series! I love Clare's books!

Entwined by Heather Dixon - So cute! And surprisingly nail biting! I loved it!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Read with Kevin. Loved it just as much the third time. He loved it too!

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson - Took much longer to get through than it should have. I didn't love it.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Still not thrilled with it. I'm not as numb and exhausted as I was when I first read it. Thanks for reading it with me, anyway Kevin.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - Wonderful! It was fantastic! Alan Rickman's performance was the best part!

Avatar: The Last Airbender - Definitely one of the best cartoons out there, if not one of the best shows period!

The month went from very busy to very very very slow. And all of that down time made me feel very down. I'm feeling much better now. Things are beginning to work themselves out. At least a bit. It's going to take some hard work on my part. And I'm excited to get my hands dirty in August. 

- 10th-12th: Kevin came to visit me for the weekend! It was much to short, but it was pretty much perfect! -

- 18th: My wonderful brother-in-law's birthday! Happy Birthday, John! -

- 19th: Happy Father's Day, dad! You're the best father any girl could have! Thank you! -

- 26th: My cousin and her husband and adorable son stayed with us for the night. It was so fun to catch up and revisit old memories with them! -

I went to pick Kevin up down on the strip where his friends were staying. I waited in an elevator lobby for him to meet me. We were talking on the phone, I turned and there he was. That kiss was pretty darn incredible!

Dropping Kevin off in the exact same spot was really hard. Sometimes this long distance thing REALLY sucks.

Pancakes. Seriously.

Matched by Ally Condie - It was decent. The writing was a little shallow, but I thought it was interesting enough.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - So sad. So beautiful. The writing is simple, but really good and gripping.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - Disappointing. I was expecting something different. I loved the ending though!

The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley - A surprisingly WONDERFUL read! I loved this book from beginning to end! It was refreshing to LOVE a book after so many 'eh' books.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher - Interesting and original. I'm having mixed feelings. I liked it but still didn't feel connected to it.

Heroes - Season one only. It's the only one worth watching.

Glee - Season one as well. It was the only one on Netflix.

Medium - I've been watching it for months. Finally just got tired of it. It just stops being amazing after season 3 or 4.

Samantha Who - Hilarious and cute! I'm only halfway through season one.

I didn't do anything too exciting this month. There were definitely some INCREDIBLE experiences, but it was just refreshing to have a month where I could just relax a little. I read a lot of books, watched a lot of wonderful shows, and just had time to myself. It was nice. I'm definitely looking forward to a few more exciting things in July!

- 3rd: Interview at Hallmark. It went wonderfully. I never got called. -

- 6th: Interview at GameStop. Also a great interview! -

- 8th: Happy Mother's Day mom! I love you so much! -

- 12th: My 22nd birthday! I spent the day watching all three Extended Lord of the Rings and lounging. It was a beautiful day and a great way to start this year of my life! -

- 13th: Interview at SmashBurger. No word. But I did get the job at GameStop! -

-19th: My first day of work at GameStop! Crazy times! It's a lot to learn. I think I'm finally getting the hang of things. -

- 20th: Drove with Alyson up to Salt Lake City. We met Julie and Cassie and we started our Cousin's Weekend by eating at Cafe Med. Then we laughed a whole lot at Laughing Stock. -

- 21st: Cousin's Weekend day two! We ate at Zupa's for lunch then went to Toad's for some arcade fun! Dinner at Olive Garden was the best way to celebrate that we didn't get raptured! -

- 22nd: We left our lovely cousins and met my beautiful sister Kristi and her boyfriend Ronnie in Provo. Kristi is so nice. She is letting me borrow her car for a while until I can get my own. -

-24th: My man graduated from College! He is amazing! I'm so proud of you Kevin! -

-27th: Alyson and I joined her friend Akilah and Akilah's friend Kisha and we headed to the airport. We took two planes and landed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We hopped in our rental car and drove to New Orleans where we had ice cream and walked around Bourbon Street and explored the French Quarter.

-28th: Louisiana Day Two. We had Po Boys for lunch and bought me a cowboy hat for the concert. We went a bit late to the Country Fest and saw Sugarland and Tim McGraw perform. Both were awesome! -

- 29th: Louisiana Day Three. We had Beignets for lunch! Oh man! So tasty! Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a lunch and I got really sick from hunger. The first bit of the concert wasn't so fun because of it. But Kenny Chesney got me feeling better! -

- 30th: We got back in the dreadful planes. But after hours of traveling, I made it home. Thank goodness. -

- 31st: I got my first pay check! Woo! -

Finding out that Kevin is going to be here for a visit in June! That phone call was VERY happy!

I only had either of these once this month, but I think they are tied for first. The Salmon Sandwich from Cafe Med or the Chicken Enchilada Chili from Zupa's. Mm!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Wonderful. But it was the hardest for me to read.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - My favorite of the series I think. I love this book!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Such a wonderful end to a wonderful set of books! I think J.K. Rowling is pretty much a genius!

The Tales of Beedle the Bard - Easy read. I've been meaning to read it since I read Deathly Hallows the first time. It was an interesting little look into the history of the wizarding world.

Ender's Game - Very interesting book. Not what I expected. It's good, but it wasn't my all time favorite.

Salt Lake City, Utah (and surrounding areas)

Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana 

Well, I did it! I posted every day in April! I'm pretty proud of myself!

Now for a recap of the month of April.

- 1st: April Fool's Day. -

- 2nd: Alyson and I went to Chili's for lunch. She also had friends in town. It was nice to catch up with Tori. -

- 3rd: I finally got to kiss Kevin. Happiest day of my life! -

- 4th: Kevin and I spent the day enjoying each other's company. -

- 5th: Kevin and I cooked dinner for his parents, took pictures and went to the strip. -

- 6th: Saying goodbye to Kevin was about the hardest thing I've ever done. I miss him so much. -

- 12th: Interview at Creative Kid's Learning Center. I didn't get the job. -

- 16th: Went to Cedar City to visit my mom, aunt and cousins. -

- 19th: Job fair. Was offered a job I had to turn down because of transportation issues. -

Happiest Moment: 

Opening the door and seeing Kevin standing there. It was such an incredible feeling!

Standing in the same place that we had our first kiss and watching him drive away. My heart broke more than it ever has before.

An Education. Beautiful movie. The cinematography was breathtaking and the fashion was awesome! I definitely want a few of those pieces in my closet!

Pancakes with strawberries, whipped cream and maple syrup. Pretty sure I ate that dish at least 10 times throughout the month.

This month has been a roller coaster of emotions for sure. I go from being so happy one moment to a complete mess the next. There are so many things to be happy about, but even more that is stressing me out. I don't have a job yet, I miss my man, I'm scared that I might have to move home. It's an anxiety attack month. Next month is going to be filled with greatness. Let's hope that it's better!

Highlights:

- 4th-7th: Jamey came to visit Alyson. We had good times. We went to the strip, and ate at Red Robin and Macaroni Grill! -

- 5th: Happy Birthday Alyson! -

- 6th: I went to see Beastly. It was only okay. But I had fun wandering the casino while I waited for the movie to start! -

- 7th: I had an interview at Target. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. -

-12th: Aly and I went out and got some Starbucks and enjoyed Chinese Food. -

- 17th: Happy St. Patrick's Day! I just love a day for everything green! -

- 19th: I celebrated my 200th post! Quite the milestone! -

- 24th: I met an online friend in person for the first time! Clair and I had lots of fun getting Yogurtland and SmashBurger while chatting and gossiping about other bloggers. -

- 24th-26th: I was home alone while Alyson went to a wedding. It was nice to have the house to myself. -

- Alyson and I played a whole lot of New Super Mario Bros. Wii. We laughed so much I thought I was going to die. It was great times! -

- I was browsing pictures for a post around the 22nd, and found a few of my grandma. It was one of those moments when I realize that she's not really around anymore. I'm not going to be able to visit home and see her. She won't be there on holidays. She's just not here anymore. It was a really bad night. -

New Movies Watched: 
- Beastly: It was fun to get out of the house, but the movie was extremely cheesy and the acting (except for Neil Patrick Harris) was mediocre. -

- Due Date: What a stupid movie. I loved it. Oh man. -

(It was a good month for TV shows. These are the ones that I finished this month.)

- How I Met Your Mother: This show is hilarious. I'd been meaning to watch it for ages, and it didn't let me down! It is just too funny! -

- Pushing Daisies: I really enjoyed the whimsical nature of this show. I liked the first season better than the second, but it was just enjoyable all around! -

- Better Off Ted: I LOVE this show! I didn't even know it existed when it was on the air, and was so sad when I realized that there were only two seasons! So so funny! -

- Big Bang Theory: Another show I had been meaning to watch for such a long time. I love all the of the nerd references and geeky humor! I enjoyed being able to relate to everyone in the show the way I don't usually with the pretty people shows. So great! -

- New York Cheesecake frozen yogurt with kiwi from Yogurtland, without a doubt! -

- SmashBurger: SO good! I'm so glad Clair suggested it! -

- Farmer Boys: It was so far away from our house that by the time we got back the food was kind of cold, but it was definitely enjoyable. I loved that my burger had avocado on it! -

Favorite Photos Taken:

Overall Impression: 
It was a good month. A bit stressful because I haven't found a job yet; but I had so much fun blogging this month and I had so much to look forward to. It's been a long time since I felt this happy!

Overall Impression: It's been a hard month. There have been a lot of blessings, but it's been a sad one. I'm excited for November to start, just lose myself in writing. It's going to be amazing!


Just to remind you all, things in November will be a little different around Simply Kate. Because I'll be so busy writing my novel, I won't be able to post in the way we're all used to. I've come up with a little bit of a schedule for the month to make it easier for me to keep up with my blogging without pulling me away from my novel.


Mondays will be all about the questions you have for me.
Tuesdays are about my past. Funny stories and videos of me as a kid.
Thursdays will be all about giveaways! Be sure to check in and enter!
Fridays will be done by Guest Bloggers! I have some wonderful bloggers lined up! Exciting!
Sundays are dedicated to my progress in NaNoWriMo! I'll post my word count and maybe an excerpt from my writing that week!


I'm so excited to start!

Happiest Moment: Getting the job! 

Saddest Moment: The few moments when I've realized that my grandmother wasn't going to be with us much longer. 

TV: 

Overall Impression: Lots of ups and downs. Just like most months. So many good things happened this month, and also a lot of sad things. I'm excited to move on to a new month of experiences.