#9 Go to Nami for Brunch

Obviously, I love green/Nami but I had only been for lunch and I had heard amazing things about their BRUNCH. If you didn’t know, brunch is my fav meal of the day. I love how the Nami website describes brunch:

When I found out Linda was moving to LA, I knew we had to catch up over some brunch! I love that brunch is, by nature, a little slower and a little more about the conversation.

I know Linda from my ResLife days. I was sososo intimidated by her when I first met her- she’s creative, smart, and just….cool. She named her cat Banksy BEFORE Exit Through the Gift Shop got super trendy, okay? But as I got to know her, she turned out not to be intimidating at all- she’s fun, friendly, and great to chat with. I’m so glad we had the chance to catch up before she goes off to be a genius and get her DOCTORATE. (Yeah- she doesn’t mess around.)

We both ordered this:

SO.GOOD. Seriously- look at it

I did admit to the girl behind the counter that I sort of ordered it because of the Ye shout out. Judge away- I love me some Kanye. But the food was as good (if not better!) than his rhymes. I was stuffed all day!

So if you can make it on a Sunday morning, go!! It’s so worth it!!

At the beginning of the summer, I wrote out a list of fun things I wanted to get done this summer! You can read the complete list here and all the posts here!

the proposal: jen & clark 4 ever.

Can I be honest with you for a moment, Internet? One time (sort of recently) I started crying while watching Saved by the Bell because I wanted a group of friends that were as tight and diverse as the kids at Bayside. It can be so hard to make good girl friends and Jen has been such an answer to my prayers! It has been so great to see her grow in relationship with Clark and tackle issues head on. Naturally, when Clark started secretly planning the proposal, I was elated. He has done nothing but honor her throughout their whole relationship. I think it’s rare to find a man who has character like Clark- willing to apologize, a man of his word, and more. Plus it’s clear that they are disgustingly in love with each other. Here’s how it all went down… In pictures:

lately by the letters.

These are all things that shouldn’t get their whole own post but have happened lately or that I’ve found or whatever! As always, it’s my blog & I do what I want! Haha here they are from A to..I…not Z…because again- I do what I want. Haha

a. See the last sentence above. For some reason this is really funny to me.

b. this is a picture of some of the lovely ladies I work with. I keep trying to decide if I fit in the picture. Most of you that know me, know of my blonde phobia/intimidation so this picture may come as a surprise to you.

c.dude- did you know gelato is like SUPER popular in Gilbert? Well it is. There was a line out the door. Which I voluntarily waited in. Which is weird because I hate lines. I did run into an old friend and eat some delish gelato. So…worth it.

d.im loving spending summer with my sisters. Just loving it.

e. best QT drink combo: half dr pepper/half regular dr pepper. Ok that is after they got rid of strawberry fanta- because the best combo before was strawberry fanta/squirt.

f. this is funny to me too. Sorry about the language. Or not. YOLO.

g. Switching gears, Beni J posted this & Bridgette told me the exact same thing a few months ago. about a year ago Sarah gave me a word about arrows/ this arrow statute and about 2 years ago Steve gave me a word about getting shot out of a bow. So- I think God may be trying to tell me something! Ha

h. Little Betsy has set a moving date. 😦 but :). She’s doing the missions base that Marina wrote about here. She has to raise like $2800 to go. Support her?

i. My fb has been giving me ads for hijabs & raver wear. Prettttty accurate depiction of my life, fb.

What have you been up to, world? Any fav Qt combos?

High Five for Friday! #h54f

Yet another week of soaking up the summer. Between all three of our schedules, it can be hard to figure out when my sisters and I will do all the things we want to do. I suppose that’s a good problem to have- too much fun to schedule! We have managed to get some things in… Here are the top 5 of the week!

1. Postino What a dream. So fun to catch up with Emily and eat delish bruschetta. Oh and witness so many dates!

2. Sky sky baby. We cannot get enough of this kid- he is so full of personality! His bro & sis are fun to hang out with too!

3. Train Park. Fun fun fun!

4. Happy homecomings. It was so fun to run into Megan @ Los Favs. Also, obvs I love that Morgan is home too! God is moving all around the world- this is the generation that will take His name to the ends of the earth!

5. Summer treat. I stopped by my sisters’ apt the other night and they had froyo & fruit waiting. Yummmmmm

Who knows where this weekend will take me! I’m teaching Kids Church on Sunday- and that’s always an adventure! Do you have any big weekend plans?!

Xoxox

Katie

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth!

#17 Go to an outdoor concert

Nothing says summer like doing things outside that you normally do inside! Haha I really wanted to go to an outdoor concert and I knew the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale did free ones on Sunday nights! We loaded up blankets and snacks and staked out a spot. This was one of the times I noticed the cultural differences between IL & AZ. Arizonans know it’s going to be hot as heck so they bring sheets not blankets. Noted.

GOOD EATS: Crepe Bar

Betsy just came back from a trek round the world. To celebrate her home coming, we got our nails done at my place and then went to lunch. We’ve been dying to try Crepe Bar forever! It’s at rural & Elliot in a random strip mall. They are only open from the morning to the early afternoon and are randomly closed some times, but this turned out to be the perfect afternoon to go! Look how cute it is:

We went on a Thursday at about noon and it was PACKED! I was shocked! The girl at the counter was hilarious in a Tempe hipster sort of way. She was nice but was totally oblivious to how seriously she took her life. I was asking her about the menu and another employee walked by with this plate of 3 cute bites of something. I asked her what that was and her response was, “oh it’s an amuse. They bring those out all the time.” Um…a what? I thought for a second and realized she was talking about an amuse bouche- meaning a small bite eaten before a meal. Duh. Haha

I ordered the turkey crepe with fontina cheese, cole slaw and stone fruit relish. Bets got the chicken pesto crepe. Both were delicious and super rich! We had planned to order a sweet crepe for dessert to split but ended up being way too full.

LUCKILY- they did bring us a few amuses! Which was SO fun! They were totally free and plated adorably! The first was a plate of 3 lemon squares with a custard drizzled on the plate. The next was 3 mini cookies that had a dark chocolate sauce on the plate. They were served with 2 shot glasses of “coffee milk.” Bets said it tasted like the coffee flavored See’s Candy lollipops!

We sat there forever and chatted- I think that’s why we got 2 amuses. Once we finally got up to leave, there was a sign posted in the parking lot that said “Free Snow Cones!!” Welp, we took full advantage! The Water & Ice was under new management and trying to attract business.

Overall, I was impressed with the food at Crepe Bar- it’s the perfect place to meet a friend for a cute lunch.

If you go:
Crepe Bar
7520 S Rural Rd, Tempe
(480) 247-8012

Mon Closed
Tue-Sat 7am–3pm
Sun 9am–2pm

#7 Do some fun active things!

I have always wanted to take a ballet class- it just seems fun, classy, and feminine. When I drove by Ballet Fusion Fitness, I knew I had to try it out! It’s a studio designed specifically for adults who want to take ballet! Their classes are divided into actual ballet classes and fitness classes inspired by ballet. I took Ballerobica…this is how they describe the class:

“Ballerobica is a 60 minute total body workout that combines the fundamentals of ballet with cardio and strength training. The ballet bar (barre) is used to support the body in both static and dynamic movement, which leads to long, lean muscles.”

I was super nervous to go but I got up early and went any way! The instructor was sooo nice, gave me a tour of the studio, and had me fill out a few forms. The class was split up into several portions with breaks for water& stretching in between each. I tend to get overwhelmed or bored in classes and the short sections helped break things up. It was fun to listen to the instructor use ballet terms and to point my toe like a ballerina. She also had a great playlist of fun, upbeat music. I left feeling like Jodie Sawyer.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like I got hit by a truck. My arms felt like jello. I could barely put my seat belt on! I guess that means it worked! I’m looking into signing up at a studio- it was a really fun way to work out!!

Sweatin’ Pretty,

Katie Cannon

At the beginning of the summer, I wrote out a list of fun things I wanted to get done this summer! You can read the complete list here and all the posts here!

High Five for Friday! #H54F

Can I just say life is gooooood right now? Because it is. The only downfall of summer in Phoenix is having to get into a car…especially one with leather seats. But enough complaining- on to the top 5 of the week!

1. Pretending to be a mermaid. Got to go swimming in this pool & go down a water slide. Love love love.

2. Free SnoCone! Bets and I went to lunch and when we left, there was a sign that said “Free SnoCone.” We took full advantage! So summery and yummy!

3. 5th&Wine A little celebration to say goodbye to Erin before she goes to camp! The place is adorable & hidden in Old Town amidst the weird junk shops & art galleries. (Shout out to Erin! My first coworker to be mentioned on the blog! Haha)

4. Good bye, Abby! Oh I am so thankful for Abby. She is such a good friend. Like she is good at being a friend. And she just left for a LONG FREAKING TIME (like 2 months….) to go advance the Kingdom around the world. Pray for her with me! This girl is a certified world changer.

5. Betsy came home! While there were lots of goodbyes this week, there was a big homecoming! Betsy and her team came home with many stories to tell! So so so so proud of her! Mag and I were so excited to see her! (and the rest of the team, of course.)

I’m excited to knock a few things off the bucket list this weekend!!

Xoxox

Katie Cannon

Linking up with Lauren Elizabeth!

#8 Find the perfect summer robe!

I wasn’t sure if I was ever ever ever going to knock this one off of my list! It is so hard to find a robe that isn’t super ugly or super expensive! I tried a bajillion places before I found the one….

Maggie was making fun of me because I didn’t want to pay more than $20….and I kept finding robes for $21. Haha but check the deal I got:

One penny below my goal! Gotta love TJ! I’m so glad I have this fun, lacy, and feminine robe to use instead of my big thick winter robe. Oh and it has POCKETS! I know this seems ridiculous butttttt this changes my whole day! I love using it in the morning and it just starts my day off right! Hahah

Luxury in the Little Things,

Katie Cannon

At the beginning of the summer, I wrote out a list of fun things I wanted to get done this summer! You can read the complete list here and all the posts here!

#13 Make a great summer salad!

I love a good, crisp, fresh salad during the hot summer! I had never tried putting watermelon in salad before and it was…. AMAZING!

Here’s what went into the salad:

-Mixed Greens
-Grilled Chicken
-Watermelon
-Blueberries
-Sliced Almonds
-Feta
-Red Onion
-Home made dressing!

Yum yum yum! Why didn’t I put strawberries in, you ask?! Because I was making gluten free brownies for dessert and I wanted to put sliced strawberries on top!

Served with some pink lemonade and enjoyed with a great friend, this salad was wonderful! Watermelon will be finding its way into my salad all summer!

Xoxox
Katie Cannon

PS: Here are some other watermelon filled salads to inspire you:

Watermelon Salad with Mint Leaves
Juicy Watermelon Salad
Thai Watermelon Salad

Katie Cannon
At the beginning of the summer, I wrote out a list of fun things I wanted to get done this summer! You can read the complete list here and all the posts here!