Saturday, January 1, 2011

Project 365: The End.

People often say their lives flash before their eyes. Whether it be a tramatic event or a stressful semester in school, we seem to be unable to appreciate each individual day. This year I took a photo each day for 365 days. Looking back at each blog post, I am able to remember my entire year... the sweet memories, the laughter, and the simple stories. My goal was to pick up my camera each day and explore the little things that made this life so special. I tried to capture an entire day of events in a single photo. It was challenging and extremly frustrating at times, but it told an incredible story and made this past year always fresh in my memory. 2010 was a year filled with laughter, joy, and unforgetable memories. This project changed my perspective on life and made me a better person. I am done with my 365, even though a part of me will deeply miss it and I may suffer some minor depression! I appreciate ALL of the people that been a part of this project throughout the year. Whether you stumbled upon it one simple day, or you read it religiously... YOU are the reason I made it a priority each and every day. Now that my challenge is complete, you may be wondering what's next. I am still wondering the same thing. If you know me, you know that I love two things: blogging and taking pictures! I am going to create a new personal blog. It won't be a daily blog, because they're too much work! I will blog when I feel inspired or when something significant happens. This won't be the last you hear from me. But for Project 365... this is my last post. This project has been my life for the past year, so as I click publish for the last time... you can bet I shed a few tears. Thank you to everyone that has supported me! I highly suggest starting a Project 365 of your own, it may be tedious work... but it is well worth it. I made my entire project into a digital scrapbook and I will cherish it for the rest of my life. Project 365, you gave me a reason to smile everyday. For that I have to thank you!

The End.

Day 365: Cheers to 2011!

Tonight was New Years Eve, which meant it was Day 365!!! I went out to dinner with Katy, Anam, and Taylor Campbell in Town Center. It was nuts... there were people and cars everywhere! I enjoyed having a nice dinner with my girls before all of the New Year festivities began! After dinner, I went with Lauren to the Myklebust's New Years Eve party! There were a ton of people from Lauren's graduating class, a few from mine and a bunch of people in between. I got to hang out with Erin and Brittany, which is always a good time!! I had so much fun catching up with old friends and meeting many new ones. I was having the time of my life talking and laughing with everyone! When the clock struck midnight, I knew that was the end of an incredible chapter of my life. This past year has been the most memorable year of my life. It was a hesitant goodbye to 2010, but I know the best times of my life are yet to come! Cheers to 2011!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Day 364: Singleton Slumber Party!

Tonight I had a slumber party with the Singletons! Maggie and Alan went to a nice, peaceful dinner downtown and booked a hotel room for the night by the Galleria. They left the kid's and me at the house to party it up! We built this incredible fort and yes, it was a group effort! Even little Ellie was shuttling pillows into the game room! We put our pajamas on and had a pizza party, a dance party and an ice cream party! We listened to Toy Story's "You got a friend in me" at least a dozen times... and it never got old. I could swing those little girls around and dance with them all night long! We played board games and watched movies in our giant fort! They stayed up way past their bedtime, but that's the point of a sleepover! When I was cleaning up dinner, Caroline turned to me and said, "Miss Kaitlyn, you're the greatest babysitter ever." I responded, "Caroline! That's so sweet... thank you!" And Grayson chimed in, "Miss Kaitlyn, I was just about to say that same thing!" That completely made my night. I may do over the top things when I baby-sit and in every other aspect of my life, but that's just me. I had so much fun with my kiddos and I loved my slumber party with the sweet Singleton babies! What a fun and memorable night! <3

Day 363: "Beautiful People"

Tonight Taylor treated me to an early dinner at BJs! We hit up the half price mini pizzas during happy hour and our favorite chips and salsa. You're supposed to be 21 to get the happy hour discounts, but our waitress let it slide by! It was a nice early dinner with one of my best friends! Afterwards, I went to the 2010 PALs Reunion. Every Christmas break the PALs plan a reunion to unite all of the current and previous PAL classes. It was fantastic to see all of my best friends from last year! I have missed all their crazy stories, funny jokes and bright smiling faces! Everyone's lives are completely different now, but it felt like nothing had ever changed. It amazes me how strong the relationships still are that we built in this class last year. It was a great PAL reunion with my favorite "beautiful people"! :)

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Day 362: Fifty.

Today was my Dad's 50th birthday! Yesterday, the Engle girl's decorated our entire house like crazy! There were streamers flying from every cabinet, plenty of decorations hanging from the ceiling and signs galore! We had 50 of everything set up all along the counter...
50 Jello shots to keep you young.
50 bucks to AMC movies for your entertainment.
50 kisses from your sweeties.
50 diet cokes to keep you goin'.
50 Starbursts to brighten your day.
50 Band-Aids to heal your basketball wounds.
50 brownies because you are just too sweet!
50 tissues to blow your nose.
50 Snickers 'cause they are your favorite!
50 vitamins to keep you feelin' good!
50 Coors Light to keep your Mountains bright
50 mints to keep your breath fresh.
50 lottery tickets to help you win millions!
50 coasters to help you coast through the next year.
50 cups for your gamin' luck!
Jason and Dad drove 14 hours home from New Mexico in a U-Hall truck last night. Needless to say... they were exhausted and their sleep schedule was shifted! We celebrated my Dad's birthday together as a family at the Lasagna House. He opened up all of his gifts and Shannon's gift to him was very interesting. To everyone's surprise... she set up a scavenger hunt for him (much like mine and Lauren's). It turned out the final gift was a re-gift of the Just Dance Wii video game that my Dad had already given to my Mom for Christmas. She must have found it in the return pile! The things that girl comes up with... hilarious! I can't believe my Dad turned fifty years young today. Happy Birthday Mike Engle! You're the best, "sickest", cheesiest, funniest, most understanding Dad in the whole world! Here's to the next 50... love you SO much!! ♥

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Day 361: Reunion

Tonight we had a Summer 2010 Reunion. One night last summer, I hung out with all of these same six kids. At our previous game night, we played Taboo and Sardines. We attempted to recreate that night, but instead it turned into its own unique night! We started with Girls vs. Boys Taboo and the girl's totally dominated... 40-37. Oh yeaahhh! Afterwards, we attempted to play Cranium... but that was a fail. We had a photo shoot, went on an adventure to McDonald's and Wal-Mart, watched Elf and just hung out. It was a very chill and fun night! I LOVED hanging out with Amber... I've missed her so much! I would say it was a great night of recapturing our sweet summer memories, and turning them into our cheesy Christmas break memories! <3

Monday, December 27, 2010

Day 360: Slow Down

Today is Day 360... Which means the year is almost over. It really has flown by! Today at work, I made a Happy New Years sign. I had made one for almost every holiday and this sign will be the last one for this year! It was in the shape of a party hat, even though the cooks thought it was shaped like a tepee! Dad, Jason and Aunt Diane flew to New Mexico to gather all of my uncle's things from his old house. So... after work, we had a girl's party at my house. Ariel came over; we played Apples to Apples with my mom and sisters and had a One Tree Hill marathon. After Taylor got off work, he came and broke up the girl party! Ariel, Taylor and I had fun hanging out, talking and laughing a lot at each other. I love my friends and I'd really love it if 2010 would slow down just a little bit!