Casual Contemplations

#69. Student Loan

katydmiller — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:01:18 +0000

I was very fortunate to have generous and supportive parents and did not have debt when I graduated (both times). I took out a small loan for graduate school through the Delta Gamma Foundation and incredibly it was a interest-free loan. Though it was small, I began paying it off while jobless and/or working part-time. And yesterday, I stuck my last payment in the mail! I am lucky in my parent’s generosity as well as the offering from the best fraternity I could have ever joined.

Tagged: 101 in 1001, delta gamma, loan

#96. Yazoo

katydmiller — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:22:21 +0000

After a little break, another item off the ol’ 101 list is complete!! I have lived in Nashville for 7 years now – though not all of which I was 21 years of age – but I had never toured the Yazoo Brewery – old or new location! And they definitely have some of my favorite beers. The tour guide was fun and the taproom is just a great place to hang out after!

Tagged: 101 in 1001, beer, Yazoo Brewery

#82. Gamble

katydmiller — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 04:30:51 +0000

Correction to my last post: I actually killed 4 birds with 1 stone. Some talent, huh?? And shows you how much I remember what’s on my 101 list! Our adventure to Vegas also covered #82 off my list, which I somehow missed. Gambling at a casino obviously happened in Vegas. In multiple casinos. Not my new favorite pastime, but Blackjack was definitely fun. Don’t really like losing money though and turns out I’m not the luckiest gal ever. Oh well!!

Tagged: 101 in 1001, gambling, las vegas

3 Birds, 1 Stone

katydmiller — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:50:53 +0000

Tess, my parents, and I took a vacation this past weekend. A flat out vacation. To a brand new place: LAS VEGAS!!!!! It’s been a while. Naturally I wanted to be able to cross some things off my 101 list, so I made it a productive trip and crossed off 3:

#9 – half marathon other than Nashville
#32 – a new state – Nevada
#33 – Las Vegas

Neither Tess nor I had been to Vegas before, and Tess had never run a half before, so it was a trip full of firsts! We ran the strip at night, which was incredible. I expected it to be easier than Nashville since it is completely flat…..but I actually felt ten times worse after. I think it had a lot to do with the time difference and the fact that it was a night race, and we’re going to blame it on that. But I did finish in 2:16:25 – which is not too bad at all!!

We spent the next couple of days exploring alllll of Vegas. And I mean all. Old Vegas, new Vegas, all the hotels, different casinos, different games, different restaurants, a show, and even the Hoover Dam. We saw Criss Angel – maybe not the best show I’ve ever seen but it was pretty incredible – he made a lot of things and people disappear and sawed a girl in half. Run-of-the-mill magic. And the Hoover Dam was just an amazing wonder to see.

The trip was great, and I might go back with a group of friends as long as it is warm (not freezing like it was the whole time)! Viva Las Vegas!!

Half Marathon success!!

MGM with Mom and Dad!

Wonder of wonders Hoover Dam

Best show of all - Fountain at the Bellagio

Tagged: 101 in 1001, half marathon, las vegas, travel

Georgia On My Mind

katydmiller — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:54:02 +0000

Although I’ve resisted moving back home – Georgia will always be my true home. Loved this performance last night at the CMA Awards from the Zac Brown Band, joined by Gregg Allman (of the Allman Brothers)!!

Tagged: CMA Awards 2011, country, Georgia, music

#85. Karaoke

katydmiller — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:00:43 +0000

I am not a singer. I am not completely tone-deaf, but I sound better in the car with the music blasting. And I do not like all eyes on me. This weekend we descended on Gulf Shores for Amanda’s bachelorette party, which also happened to be my 26th birthday. So what better weekend and location to put myself out there and step up to the mic?! Not gonna lie, it was a little easier to sing when there were all of 10 people in Tacky Jack 2, all of whom were over the age 40. And believe it or not, I got up there more than once. Dixie Chicks were the pick of the night and we sang Sin Wagon and Some Days You Gotta Dance. Real crowd pleasers

Tagged: 101 in 1001, karaoke

#43. Concert

katydmiller — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 23:08:10 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve crossed off any 101 items! But recently, #43, to see a concert in another city, was fulfilled! I was visiting Atlanta and went to see Butch Walker with one of my closest friends, Tess! It was the most interesting venue I’ve ever been to, Variety Playhouse. It’s part theater seating, part standing only. Butch definitely puts on an entertaining show, which may or may not have to do with the alcohol and/or drugs that he may or may not be on. But it was definitely a show. And tons of fun!!

Tagged: 101 in 1001, Butch Walker, concert, music

#56. Recipe Box

katydmiller — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:00:39 +0000

#56 on my 101 list was a fairly long on-going task. I have wanted a recipe box for a while, and both my roommate and my brother were thoughtful enough to get me ones for Christmas last year! They are different and I love them both! First, it took me a while to decide on recipe cards to buy – I wanted something that is nice looking but that also wouldn’t be outdated in a few years. I finally found some online and ordered. Then got to work slowly copying alllll the recipes off my computer. It took a few months, but I finally finished and organized them all into one of the boxes. I’m going to use the other box for just sweets and desserts since I have more of those than other recipes combined, haha! But figured it could count already

Tagged: 101 in 1001, recipes

Spoonful of Sugar

katydmiller — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 13:00:54 +0000

#46 on my 101 list is definitely worth the money – to buy 3 classic Disney movies on DVD. I already owned many of them, but there were a few keys ones that I needed to add to the collection. So while waiting for my credit on sold books at McKay, I browsed through the kids DVDs. They are really not any cheaper even there because most of them are actually new – but I had enough credit to cover one and some books I had nabbed off the shelves. It was a difficult decision, but I ended up with Mary Poppins because you just really can’t beat a Disney sing-a-long. I am pretty sure it’s the best music a Disney movie has to offer.

I grew up watching Mary Poppins all the time – spending summers with my grandmother I would grab a large bag and pretend that I had my whole life in it. And would, of course, pretend I could float out of the sky with my umbrella. It’s definitely a must own.

Tagged: 101 in 1001, Disney, Mary Poppins, movies

#36. Caves

katydmiller — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:46:11 +0000

I was really excited when I put #36 on my 101 list – something different, not your typical weekend activity – to visit some caves. I left it generic because there are numerous cave options outside of Nashville, but Groupon made made it an easy option when they offered Spelunking at Cumberland Caverns. So two friends and I made the 2 hour trek to McMinnville, TN. Apparently it was a popular day for caves, as there were about 80 people there for the spelunking tour. They split us into two groups, gave us our helmets with headlamps, and sent us through the “sizing box” (representing the smallest part of tour to fit through).

The tour was definitely more intense than I expected! Lots of army crawling, sliding, and squeezing – and lots and lots of mud. It was a blast and I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy outdoorsy activities. And the best part – we got to keep the headlamp!!

(Thanks, Shelbie, for the pictures!!)

Climbing....

...and crawling

covered in mud and dirt at the end

Tagged: 101 in 1001, caves, Cumberland Caverns, spelunking