Where that blogga' at?

Where the heck have I been lately? I mean, I know we have been slacking on telling the tales of us siblings and Katlin has made a strong comeback, but I have not been on my A game with this. So, what have I am been up to you ask? I have been taking my slow steps towards graduation.

With graduation around the corner, it has been a stressful time trying to keep a steady balance. It has been a struggle trying to stay focused on finding a job, doing well in my classes but still being a senior in college! So, here are a few examples of the steps towards graduation which has been keeping me away from the blog-o-sphere.

So, pictured here is the Mercyhurst University Senior ambassadors. One of the steps taken towards graduation is the annual Ambassador Spring Tea. At this event, the Seniors are celebrated and recognized while new Ambassadors are inducted into our club to take our place. This sad day marked the end of me wearing the green jacket, giving tours and working events!! It's been a big part of my life since Freshman year and hard to say goodbye!







Next is the 100 days party. This party held at the Cornerstone (a blog to come) marks 100 days until we the day we graduate! Pictured here is Amanda, Shannon, Paula and I!















Choooo-Chooo! Next stop on the Graduation train is my favorite holiday (besides my birthday) St. Patrick's Day. We have been so luck with the weather down here in Erie, Pa and could not have been happier with the weather on March 17! We took advantage of the sunshine by spending the day outside with friends celebrating a great Irish saint ;)







Last week I said my final goodbyes to Mercyhurst Student Government! I have been so blessed to have been given the opportunity to have served as MSG President and part of this organization for the past five years! Pictures here is flowers, a cake and a special card from everyone that deeply touched my heart! This was a huge step towards graduation which may have been the hardest!




You think I forgot this part? The whole "growing up" and "finding a job" part of graduation? Here is a stack of 18 resume packets that I sent out for jobs! Stay tuned, I hope someday I have a blog post that this was a successful technique. For now, all I can do is hope for the best and say a few extra prayers!





So there you have it everyone! This post has been a glimpse of what I have been up to lately and quite frankly, all year. It has been a whirl-wind of adventures and emotions. But most importantly, I have so many reasons to smile everyday!

The blogs will come more frequent I am sure! I hope you enjoyed my first one back, and accepted my apology for slacking!

Stay tuned,
Meghan

Rebranding Myself

So after my class made the journey to the "Women in Politics" seminar last week, I found myself becoming more and more convinced that I wanted to be a woman in politics. Obviously running for any kind of public office would be in the distant future, but it put all kinds of ideas in my head.

Then, my friend Courtney, who has done a lot of work with various politicians and has worked on political campaigns, convinced me to attend a conference with her in DC called "Next Step."
While it didn't take much convincing, because I love DC and I love Courtney, I am really excited about it. The conference is aimed at women just like me who aren't quite sure what the next step in their career will be. (See what they did there?)

So long story long I need new business cards and I can't quite decide what they should look like. While my resume has a pretty distinct design, (check it out at http://www.katlinhess.com) I don't really have a personal logo. I am considering doing an entire re-branding, including sprucing up my resume design, but I want your feedback. Which design looks the most me?

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:


Option 4:


So what do you think? I am open to any and all suggestions/criticisms so please share your honest opinion! Are these too simple? Too obvious? Let me know below or comment on the link on facebook!

We're Baaaaaack!

So we've been talking about getting back to blogging for about 3 months now, but we've both been super busy and we keep putting it off, so I am taking the first step. Hello world!!! Or should I say hello again!

I have a lot of reasons for wanting to start blogging again, first like I've mentioned before it's good writing practice, and since I've been eyeball deep in academic papers and my huge thesis/research based project I haven't been doing any writing for fun. Also, I just read about two girls who started with a blog and eventually wrote their own cookbook, and I am fully prepared for that to be my future. Oh, and I recently saw "The Vow" and one of her first questions when she woke up from her coma and realized she had lost her memory was "Did I keep a journal?" I figured a blog is even better, because it usually has pictures.

So there it is, we're officially back in action, unfortunately with nothing new to report, other than the weather here is absolutely gorgeous and St. Patrick's Day was an awesome success (although I am starting to feel old, I can't keep up with the college kids anymore.)

Have a fabulous Monday and stay tuned for more action here soon!!!

Katlin

Reasons I Hope I'm Not Lactose Intolerant

So for those of you who have not seen or talked to me in the last 48 hours, I have developed one of the weirdest conditions I have ever heard of. Weird as in the receptionist at Urgent Care and the nurse who saw me both started laughing after I told them what was happening to me.

For some reason from the moment I woke up yesterday to this very moment, approximately 40 hours later, I have been burping. Not like oh, it happens for 10 minutes and then goes away, but more like in the last 5 minutes or so that it has taken me to write these first two paragraphs I have burped approximately 60 times.

I know, I know, I must be exagerrating. Well my friends, as anyone who has seen me in the last two days can tell you, I am not. It is outrageous and the doctor was like so what are your other symptoms? And I said, none, I just keep burping, and she looked at me for a while and then said well, I don't know. So she gave me a list of suggestions to follow, (none of which have worked quite yet).

Included in this list was "avoid dairy, because it may be related to lactose intolerance." This to me was quite possibly the worst diagnosis I could have received because I love dairy, in a yogurt every morning and cheese at every meal kind of way, so this is my list of the foods I will miss most if I am in fact lactose intolerant.

1. Reed's Pizza. Quite possibly one of my favorite meals, it consists of dough, his family's homemade sauce recipe and unfortunately for me a whole bunch of cheese. I am heartbroken. Really this applies to all pizza, but today I really really really wanted this pizza until Reed so kindly reminded me that I was told to avoid dairy and it probably wasn't a good idea for me to eat this right now, also he is probably hoping that they find a cure just as much as I do so that I will stop complaining to him about it.

2. Cheesecake Ice Cream. I will give you a second to take that all in, cheesecake and soft-serve ice cream all in one? Um yes it's delicious, and if it had more nutritional value I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. Luckily that temptation is gone, at least until next summer, but while we're on the subject we'll just throw cream cheese and cheese cake into this category.

3. Peppermint Mochas, and other milk based espresso drinks. I can't stress enough how much I love these babies. Like really I can't go a day without thinking about one, or at the very least putting flavored creamer in my coffee every morning. I will miss my coffee/milk drinks terribly. Looks like it's strictly non-dairy creamer and soy milk for this girl.

4. Macaroni and Cheese. Like Kel loves orange soda, I love Macaroni and Cheese. Particularly when it's homemade, or made at Fat Bobs. (That is an actual picture of their delicious mac and cheese) I love it, I love it I doooooo.

5. Cheeseburgers. Like a night without stars a burger without out cheese is just bland. I don't know if I can actually get around this one. I might just have to cut hamburgers from my diet too, or maybe just take a whole bunch of lactaid.

So those are my top 5, and in the interest of me getting to bed on time, (although I doubt I will sleep because the doctor told me I should try to sleep sitting up) I will spare you the rest of my list (for now at least). Sleep tight everyone, I promise I will keep you posted on my "condition" and if all else fails maybe I'll get my own reality show out of this. Just think I could be the next medical mystery series on TLC. (I am currently accepting nominations for show titles.)

The Pink Champagne Cupcakery

Okay, okay I know it's been like 3 weeks since our last blog post and I take full responsibility. But between traveling for work, midterms, a wedding in Texas and Meghan's birthday (21 woo hoo) it's been hard finding time to sleep, let alone blog.

But don't worry, we're back and I have a confession to make, not a big reveal for anyone who has ever met me, but at least now it's here in writing. I am addicted to cupcakes. I love baking, eating, decorating and sharing cupcakes, and any time I see a cupcake shop I feel obligated to go in.

So today as I was figuring out how to spend the 3 hours I had between my high school visits in Franklin, PA, I googled "coffee, Franklin, PA" and I found the French Creek Cafe. It had rave reviews on urban spoon and I was sooo excited to try the turkey brie panini. So I plugged the address into my gps, drove out there and then walked up to the door to find it closed until Wednesday. Super disappointing but downtown Franklin is adorable so I just kept walking. Just as I was about to settle for Subway I passed the most glorious sign "Pink Champagne Cupcakery, Cupcake and Espresso Bar"

What!? Pink, champagne and cupcakes!?! Oh and it's an esspresso bar too? It was like someone was in my head and designed this place just for me. It is seriously adorable here. But really, pink, champagne, cupcakes, lattes and a Cinderella reference, I am in love.

Ridiculous. Well the latte was delicious, my blueberry muffin was exceptional, and as soon as I eat the mini cupcakes I got to go I will let you know how they are, but by the looks of them, they will be pretty good too.


Someday when I open my bakery I want it to look exactly like this. Seriously, I can't say enough. Who needs a panini for lunch? A cupcake is way better. Can't wait to get back here!!

A Thank You- Via Blog

Hello my fine friends! This past week has been a little bit stressful. So, to say the least, the infamous "Hess Family Care Package" I received on Saturday was more than appreciated!

I wanted to share a little bit about this Hess family tradition. I have been lucky enough to be a part of a family that, well, gets along. We do many things together! Whether it be baking hundreds of cookies with all the aunts around Christmas, or spending a weekend away with the uncles to visit a cousin's college - we do it all.

A tradition that started before my freshman year is to send all of the neices/nephews/cousins a care package about 4 times a year. There are 10 of us kids total in the family, but every year the number of care packages change based on who is in college! So, because Katlin is now an old working woman - she is off the list.

So, what you may ask, do these packages entail? ANYTHING and EVERYTHING. I have received things such as candy & food, chapstick & tissues, towels & toothpaste, and ALWAYS cookies & cash.

This is my public thank you to my mom and dad, my aunts and uncles, my cousins and the other sister Kelly. I know it is always a challenge figuring out new things to put into the boxes and I am sure it gets a bit expensive! My roomates are always shocked when I get one. You never cease to surprise me with what I receive! Thank you, it is always appreciated :)

Stay Tuned!
- MH

Adult Truths

Well now that I've spent about 20 minutes trying to plug in my computer, literally 20 minutes, I finally found a solution for charging my laptop at our kitchen table.

For some reason all of the outlets in our house only have the two flat slots for plugging things in. As the guy who helped me find a converter at Valu told me, our outlets are not "grounded" and I should probably just get them "grounded." I said sir, do I seem like the kind of person who would be worried about that? He said no, laughed, and sold me the $2 piece of plastic that allows me to plug things in upstairs in my room.

What I had not accounted for was that every single outlet in this house is exactly the same, and I probably should have just bought 10 converters and had one in every room, but instead I only bought one, and was forced to be much more resourceful. I am currently working at my laptop with the kitchen table pulled close to the wall so that my charger will reach without the extender (which will not plug into a 2-slot outlet) balancing the charge box on, yes, a chapstick, balancing on top of a bottle of wine.

Okay, so now that that is settled, I have to confess that I don't really have anything interesting to share today. Basically I have done nothing even remotely exciting in the past week, so instead I am cheating. Someone posted a link to this hilarious list on one of my facebook friend's walls, and whenever I need to laugh I read it.

Unfortunately I discovered this morning that "he who shall not be named" is no longer my friend on facebook, thus I had to do some serious hunting to find it. I thought it was "Musings of a twenty-five year old" and although the results of that search were pretty funny, The closest I could find was a blog post called "Adult Truths" and I would love to share it with all of you:

1. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer browsing history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.
13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?
20. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
21. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
22. The first testicular guard, the “Cup,” was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

I have absolutely no idea what number 22 has to do with the rest of the list, but I do think it's kind of hilarious...I hope that you all enjoyed this list as much as I do, any other "adult truths" you can think of?