just a tribute: to my birthday 2.0

Birthday Extravaganza Day 2:

Day 2 started out by me waking up at 8:30 in the morning to an obnoxious jack hammer right outside my window. Needless to say, I was not pleased. However, I took it as an opportunity to get up, make a delicious egg breakfast and catch up on my reading :) Around noon John and I went over to visit my dad and his girlfriend Ally. First we sat in front of the fire and had some tea and cookies and I got to open their gifts...a gorgeous designer handbag and shoes!!

Afterwords, we took off to bike ride the C &O canal into Georgetown. We parked about 6 miles outside of the city and biked in where we then enjoyed some lunch and cocktails :) It was such a gorgeous day and I am so happy to have spent it with such special people. Here are some photographs of my special Saturday:

This picture was taken when we finished biking into Georgetown and walked around the waterfront.

How handsome is he?

Nothing like sugary cocktails to counteract all the healthy bike riding :)

I can never have too many pictures with him :)

Papa Dukes!

My boys!



What a gorgeous day!

I love Georgetown.

Beautiful sunset.

Saturday night John and I had plan of going out for a romantic birthday dinner, just the two of us. However, when we got home from biking at around 7:30 we were absolutely exhausted and we both fell asleep until about 8:45 when our romantic evening turned into sweats and Chinese take-out....I could not have been happier!

Stay tuned for my 24th Birthday Extravaganza Day 3...the final day!

just a tribute: to my birthday

What a whirlwind birthday I had this year! I feel very blessed to have spent it with almost all my close friends and family.

For some reason my birthday celebration always ends up being a few days long (not that I'm complaining). Therefore I have decided to write a blog post for each day I celebrated (three days)!

Birthday Extravaganza Day 1:

My day started with a strange family tradition that I have done my entire life. Us Kellihers wake each other up and butter the birthday individuals nose. Come to think of it, Ive never received a concrete reason why my family does this, but it wouldn't feel like a birthday without it. Later on that day John treated me to a birthday lunch at Seasons 52. If you've never been there the food is amazing and I highly recommend it.

After work I drove home and opened the door to a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, a delicious bottle of wine, and a present the size of a jewelry box, all from John-Pants :)

After opening my present from John, the two of us hopped in the car and were off to my mom's house to celebrate with my 4 siblings, Andy, and Katie O! We grilled chicken kabobs and veggies, had a delicious funfetti cake, and then opened up more presents :)

Shannon was playing with my new iPhone 4s that I bought as a birthday present for myself :)

My best friends.

Out of 24 years of birthdays, this was the first year Katie O got to bring my cake to me!

Nine candles are harder then you think!

 All in all, day one was absolutely amazing and I could not have asked for anything more.



just a tribute: to reading

Let me just start out  by saying I never thought I would ever go from reading a tangible book to an electronic one. But ever since John bought me an iPad, I have been hooked on reading books off of it. I usually start off a book by reading it every night before I go to bed, but once the plot thickens (and depending on how good it is) I could easily spend hours in the morning and afternoon consumed in the book. I have recently read some really good books, and am always looking for some recommendations for more! Some of the books that I have recently read and recommend are:

I most recently finished reading The Help. At first, I wasn't sure I wanted to read it, but then I kept on hearing about all the rave reviews that the movie was getting, so I thought I would give it a try. I was not disappointed, it was a very well written novel that shared an important part of our history. Luckily, The Help was still in theaters when I finished reading and John was gracious enough to take me to see the movie!

If a movie comes out based on a book, I always try to read the book before I see the movie. I didn't see Water For Elephants in theater, so I thought I would read the book before it came out on video. I am so glad I did, it was such a romantic book! I definitely take after my mom when it comes to reading, because I love me a romance novel ;)

This was another book where I read it first, then saw the movie. It was a very cute, light, and easy read. I also recommend the sequel to this, Something Blue.

I am sure the majority of you reading this have at least heard of this AMAZING series. But if not, I am honored to have been the one to introduce you. They are great books that once you start, you just cant put them down. Luckily when I first started these books I was on vacation in Cancun with John and had plenty of time to spare! I am so excited for the movies to come out!

This is a picture of me reading the second book in Cancun! 

just a tribute: to great danes

If you want to know something about me, you should know that I love dogs, specifically Great Danes. For me, the bigger the dog, the cuter it is. As soon as I get a house with a yard, a Great Dane is going to be the first thing I purchase (maybe even 2...but I'm still working on approving this with john)

I recently had two Great Dane encounters that just validated my love for them even more so then before. The first was at a bridal shower for my girlfriend Karie. I met a female Great Dane that was according to the owner, technically "small" for the breed weighing in at 115 pounds! I made my friend take a mini photo shoot of me with the dog. Then I put her in my car and drove away....not really, but I wanted to.

My second encounter was at Clifton Day where I met a 150 pound male Great Dane. He had to have been one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met. I crossed paths with him a few times and each time one of my friends had to snap me back into reality. I was so upset when John finally arrived and I couldn't find the dog anywhere to show him! I am also regretting not taking a picture with him. However I will post pictures of other Great Danes that I have found online :)

 A dog can never be too big !

My favorite are the tan Great Danes with the black faces and I love floppy ears (ears that are not cropped). But, no matter what color Great Dane I get, I will love it just the same!

 My dog won't be allowed on furniture, but this picture was too cute to pass up!

My. Heart. Just. Melted.

If anyone reading this knows of any Great Danes needing rescue, let me know! Until then I am checking daily at all the local rescue shelters!

just a tribute: to reality tv

Laugh all you want, but watching reality TV is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don't know about you guys but watching the people on reality shows, like the Real Housewives, is truly a self esteem boost.  In an odd way, seeing all these people with all these ridiculous problems helps me to appreciate what I have and who I am surrounded by. I've also discovered that "Mo money equals mo problems", but don't quote me on that in about 10 years when I will actually have some money saved up.

My second favorite type of reality shows are talent reality shows. Currently I enjoy watching the X Factor. John laughs at me almost every single week because I cry almost every single episode. As embarrassing as this is, I have a habit of putting myself in that persons position or one of their family members position and I react how I would have felt if I or one of my family members accomplished what these people accomplish.  Why couldn't my Grumpy pass down his singing talent to me?

The last type of reality TV show I like to watch, and another tear jerker, are the heart felt make-a-world-a-better-place reality shows. The two I watch that fall into this category are Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Surprise Homecoming. I made the mistake of pulling up little clips of surprise homecomings on YouTube at work one time and I lost it. Luckily no one saw me, but I wont be doing that again anytime soon.

That's all I have for now on reality TV, plus The Biggest Loser is about to come on! Until next time.....

just a tribute: to jmu

It's so crazy to say that just a year and a half ago I was still going to class with my fellow Duke Dogs. The four years I spent at James Madison University have got to be the craziest years of my life so far. I had the opportunity to experience so many things and make so many friends! Quick shout out to my besties:
Ray Ray, The Business, Cab Sav, LBG, and Sus-Pants ....you know who you are! I definitely made some great memories with these ladies and so many more people, and I am proud to say I have no regrets!

I recently had the opportunity to stop by JMU on my way home from my good friend Karie's wedding and it was so surreal. In just a year and a half so many things had changed. The most obvious thing was of course the stadium. You can see how big and purple it is right from Interstate 81, it went from being a high school stadium to a university stadium! The second is the Center for the Arts, I haven't had the chance to go inside yet, but I have high expectations for it when I do! The third change I'm happy I didn't have to experience. They apparently don't let students drive through campus anymore during the week. I only have one thing to say about this....LAME! I think whoever decided this should try to walk across campus in a short amount of time. Although, they do allow buses to still drive through, I imagine if they were anything like they were when I was there, they are jam packed.

All in all, my trip was way too short and I am already planning trips back! Below are some pictures of my short trip back down memory lane....

 It's tradition to take pictures by the James Madison statue on the Quad (It's also tradition to streak the quad but I won't go there)

 Did I mention how cold it was?

 Giving Jimmy some love!

John would have made a great Duke dog! Don't worry while we were their I bought him some JMU apparel, and I also got myself a flashy alumni shirt!

Such good memories!

just a tribute: to fall

Out of all the seasons I would have to say I think fall is my favorite. I love going outside and being comfortable in jeans and a sweat shirt. I love the color of the leaves changing. All the reds, oranges, and yellows make me feel so warm, which is appropriate because I feel like my body temperature is usually on the warm side making me a human heat-pad.  I also love the smell of fall air. Yes, fall has its own scent and if I could I would manufacture a bottle of it and wear it...then I would bottle-up some Home Depot Cologne for John because that is his favorite scent (I'm so thoughtful).

Another reason I love fall is because you can just about get pumpkin anything available to you. My favorite pumpkin things are:

• Pumpkin pie- I could eat this for dessert every night and never get sick of the delicious flavor it has to offer.
• Pumpkin scented candles- I have an obsession for candles already because as mentioned above, they give off warmth, and they also give the perfect amount of light. Just add the pumpkin scent to the mix and I am in heaven.
• Pumpkin Lasagna- I made this delightful dish for the first time last year (with the help of my amazing sous chef, John) and it did not disappoint.
• Pumpkin cream cheese- I actually have this in my fridge right now, and plan on making a loaf of pumpkin bread to go with it. I'm pretty sure it will turn out to be one of the best combinations of all time.
• Pumpkin pancakes- Im actually not a huge pancake person, and I also have never had pumpkin pancakes. But if I did, I imagine I'd like it....a lot.
• Pumpkin beer- I was pretty much saving the best for last. Who wouldnt like pumpkin flavor in liquid form. On the first day of fall I went down to Harris Teeter just to pick up a pack of pumpkin beers and they didn't have any. Needless to say I was not a happy camper, and lucky for John he got to hear me constantly complain about it. However, they (Harris Teeter) finally got some sense knocked into them and I now have a six pack of Sam Adams pumpkin ale waiting for me in my fridge.

As a conclusion to this pumpkin rant I would just like to say that all of the about items are so amazing that there is a chance they will all eventually get their own tributes.

Finally, what I love about fall, is my birthday lies in this remarkable season. Thank you Mom and Dad!

just a tribute: to snail mail

One of the best things when I lived away from home at college, or when John lived in Colorado and I was in a long distance relationship, was that I recieved snail mail. There is no better feeling in the world then going to the mail box and seeing letters, invitations, or packages addressed to you! Unfortunately, with today's technology people rarely take the time to address a bunch of invitations when they can just send an evite or make an event on facebook (I'm included in this).  Having said all that, I think the next event that I can convince John that we need to host, I will mail out the invitations for :) And dont worry family and friends, I have been known to find plenty of excuses for a celebration!

just a tribute: to las vegas

Recently I was sent to Las Vegas for work were my company was hosting a two day event at The Wynn.  Having only been at this new job for about 2 months, I was very excited to learn more about the company, meet more co-workers and get to know my boss better as well. I was also excited about a little vacation time at the end of the week. My schedule was as follows: arrive Monday and unpack, unpack more and start setting up conference rooms on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were the actual days of the event, John arrives Thursday night, John and I explore Sin City on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday it was finally time to get home!

Day 1:
Monday was an early morning, I had an 8:30 AM flight which means I was up at 5:30 to finish packing (cause I obviously procrastinated), and off to the airport by 6:15 to make it on time. Quick shout out to my beautiful mother who got up to take me to the airport! It was just my boss and I flying out on Monday and luckily we were on the same flight. When we finally arrived in Vegas, there was a limo waiting for us to take us to the hotel, it was at that moment I decided I never want to travel to Vegas unless it's with work. I then received more royal treatment when I was greeted by this beautiful chocolate tray waiting for me in my hotel room (on the 39th floor):

the tray

the view

The rest of the day was spent working until my boss and I went out to dinner at this delicious restaurant named Okada, where we wined and dined on delicious sushi :) I was asleep in bed by 8:30 PM.

Day 2:
I woke up ready for the day at 5:30AM (that 3 hour time difference is a killer). Unfortunately, Tuesday wasn't as exciting of a day. We spent the whole day unpacking, organizing, and doing last minute changes to the event. However, after my first full day of Las Vegas meals, the food still had yet to disappoint!

Day 3:
Wednesday was the first day of our event and I spent most of the morning managing the registration desk, and telling people what to do (I bet if you ask any of my siblings they would tell you that's something I'm very good at). All in all it was a very successful first day, followed by an amazing kick-off event hosted at Surrender night club. It wasn't until this night that I realized people in the Interactive Markets industry really like to drink! But none the less I left the party way before it was over because I had another early morning:)

Day 4:
Thursday was the last day of the event, but more importantly it was John's arrival day :) After the day of conferences I was able to get everything packed up and ready to be shipped in time for our cocktail closing event which my boss graciously invited John to. We then joined some of my coworkers on a client dinner, it was some of the best food and wine I have ever had....and I don't even want to see what the final bill was.

Day 5:
After a wonderful night of sleep and getting the chance to sleep-in, I was SOOO ready to get off the Wynn property and explore the strip. However, our first stop was at Walgreen's where we purchased a gallon of water (the dry heat and altitude were brutal) because the 120z bottles of Dasani were disgustingly priced at $8.00. After walking up and down the strip in the daytime for a few hours, I can honestly say that Las Vegas is extremely sketchy and dirty.....I was not impressed. After we completed our tourist duties we visited Chipotle for lunch and then got ready for a delicious dinner and show. I was lucky enough to score two free ticks to see La Reve, the water acrobatic show playing at the Wynn:

Day 6:

The best part about Day 6 was getting the chance to walk the strip at night! When the strip is all lit up it looks extremely glamorous. It was one hundred times better then walking it during the day time. My favorite part of Saturday and maybe of the whole trip (besides every meal), was watching the Bellagio fountains! They were absolutely magical and I was completely swept away...every 15 minutes because thats how frequently it played.

Don't expect all blogs to be this long!

just a tribute: to kettle corn

If you ask anyone who knows me, what one of my favorite things is, I am 96.3% sure that they would say kettle corn, specifically Colonial Kettle Corn. It is the reason I attend fairs, festivals, and farms, it is my favorite food group.

Whenever I am fortunate enough to come across a kettle corn stand, there is no doubt in my mind that I will buy the largest bag they offer. I could eat an entire extra-large bag of kettle corn in about 15 minutes, but fortunately and unfortunately for me, John is usually looming over my shoulder and giving me church eyes.

As an announcement to all my family and friends reading this blog, my birthday is coming up and I will happily accept bags of colonial kettle corn, or if you really want to be in my good graces, you can get me a kettle corn popping machine!

Im embarrassed to include this particular photo below, but it's a photo of me in my happy place, in kettle corn mode:

So cheers to the fall season, a reason for fairs, festivals, farm visit, and above all KETTLE CORN!

just a tribute: to blogging

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to start a blog. I could never think of a subject that I know enough about or am overly passionate about, and therefore have put it off....until now. I decided, why not write a blog about everything I like? Why not write a tribute to all the people, places, and things that make me the person I am today?

I hope all of you will be as amused with my comments, stories, and bad jokes, as I am amused by all the things that inspired them :)