Book Review - The Selection series

Hello all!

Currently, I am an emotional wreck. Why? Because I just finished another incredible series and am now going through withdrawal after experiencing an emotional, plot twisted, heart shattering, cruel roller coaster ride within the last 9 hours.

As I mentioned earlier this month, I began reading The Selection by Kiera Cass. I read it in 2 days. I got the sequel, The Elite. Read it in 2 days. Got the final book, The One. Read in 9 hours. As you can tell, this series captivated my interest quite well.

Now, lemme give you a run-down of the plot: This takes place many years in the future (after the fourth World War). The United States no longer exists; however, there is a new country instead. This new country is built around the idea of castes. Each caste is assigned a different type of job, the lower the caste, the worse the job and the poorer they are. The Royal Family is a One. (They're the best of the best. The highest in the social class. They're the top-dogs.)

When the prince is of age, forms are sent out to every girl who is between the age of 16 and 20 with the hope that one will be the future princess. However, only 1 girl from each province is selected (there are 35 provinces total). Each girl is competing against each other in order to win the love of the prince and also the crown. The protagonist, America, is a Five. She is strongly encourage to apply for The Selection with the hope of being the next princess. (That's all I'm gonna tell you now. Don't wanna give too much away.)

So, basically, this is another love story set in a dystopian society. But it's so worth it!

The thing to me that really stood out was the writing. It was incredible! I could imagine what was going on perfectly and I could really feel the emotions that were going on. And the plot. Oh man, this plot rocked! I had numerous moments where my jaw fell to the ground and I couldn't believe it. (There was actually one point today where I got so upset that I slammed the book shut, stormed into my house (I was outside in the sun reading, obviously), did an angry lap around the dining room table, fell to the floor, sobbed, got back up, marched back outside, mentally cursed numerous characters and the author, and continued reading. All within about a minute.)

I'm hoping now that you will understand why I'm an emotional wreck. I was smiling, I was laughing, I was shocked, I was angry, I was crying, you name it, I felt it. (Granted, this was the third book, so there was a lot going on, too...) I had to take a moment to myself when I finished it just to process what had happened within the last 60 pages or so.

I'm really hoping that you're curious now and want to read it. (The series is now one of my favorites.) The book basically was glued to my hand or face all day and I couldn't put. It. Down. EVER. Fingers crossed that any of my invisible viewers will pick up and copy and devour it as well. (I also love a good book discussion, so hit me up if you wanna talk about it.)

Happy reading. :)

Love,

Katie

 

The Color Run: Tips and Tricks

Happy Wednesday!

Hope that you guys are enjoying this BEAUTIFUL Wednesday. The sun is out, no clouds in the sky, not too hot out, it's fantastic. AND I have a brand new book I'm reading (The Selection by Kiera Cass). I encourage all of you to get a copy and start reading. I got it yesterday and am already 150 pages in. 

But let's forget about that and talk about one of the most popular events going on right now: The Color Run. The Color Run is known as the happiest 5k on the planet, and it kinda is. I've run it twice now and LOVE IT! You can't really call it a "run", though. It's more like a colorful party... 

You register online (the earlier you do it, the cheaper it is) and pick up your packet at a designated store. With your registration packet you get an official, white Color Run t-shirt, a few tattoos, a sweatband, a color packet, and some other goodies. 

At every kilometer, a different color is thrown on you. (It's cornstarch colored via food dye.) As the race goes on, you get more and more. The beginning of the race starts off with a party and the end of the race ends with a party. It kinda rocks. 

This is such a fun race to run with friends! I totally encourage you do it with others! While we were running we saw girls dressed up as Disney princesses, one woman wore a wedding dress, a new couple ran together, a huge family ran together (they each had the last name and a number on the back), and lots of tutus. 

If this sounds like something you'd wanna do, check out the website! Click here! It's hard to explain how freaking awesome it is in a few short paragraphs, so I encourage you to check out the website and make up your mind about it. 

And if you do decide to do this (which all of you should), then here are some tips and tricks I have for you! 

Preparing for the Race 

• Register early
• The earlier you register, the cheaper it will be 
• Being in a group also lowers the price
• Try to register for an early time 
• The later it gets in the day, the hotter it gets, the more the color sticks to you, the harder it is to get out, etc. 
• Pick up packet early
• You'll receive an email about picking up your packet and I really encourage you to pick it up during the suggested time frame. Picking it up the day of the race is just a huge hassle. 
• Bring an ID or the confirmation email 
• If you are picking up someone else's packet or they are picking up your's, you need to sign the waiver. Without the waiver, there is no way for you to take someone else's stuff. 
• The Color Run store is also at the packet pick-up place, so bring money if you want to buy some items 
• Bring an old towel or two to put on your seat in the car. 
• This will minimize the possibility of you getting color all over the car. (It will come out, but sometimes it's hard to see or you forget it's there and then you end up getting color on some of your regular clothes.) 
• Bring an extra set of clothes with you and leave it in the car. 
• New shoes, a clean (but still okay to get dirty) shirt and pants 
• You may not need it, but it's always better to be safe than sorry 
• Put anything valuable in a plastic bag! 
• Cell phone, camera, watch, wallet, keys, etc. 
• This keeps the color away from some of your more valuable items 
• Bring water to leave in the car as well. 
• There are water stations, but it's nice knowing that you have a bottle of water waiting for you in the car as well 

What to Wear  

• In simple terms: Nothing that you will be devastated it if gets ruined 
• You can wear your official Color Run t-shirt, or you can wear a different white shirt 
• Wear old shorts or pants that you are okay getting dirty/staining 
• The color comes out eventually, but it takes time 
• Bring an old pair of running shoes that are okay getting colored 
• For example, lawn mowing shoes! Shoes that still fit, but aren't your main shoes. They look a little crappy, but still okay. (Why do I have the feeling that I'm the only one with a pair of shoes designated for lawn mowing...?) 
• Make sure to bring sunglasses or goggles! 
• Wear a hat or bandanna to help reduce the amount of color in your hair 
• If you're blonde-like me-then this color will stay in your hair longer than people with darker hair. But if you're cool with having random colored spots in your hair, then go for it. 
• Make sure you put on sunscreen! 

During the Race 

• Keep mouth closed while running through the color 
• When walking through the color, go slow with your arms up. This will help maximize the amount of color you get 
• Go at your own pace. Don't feel the need to be like all of the competitive runners. 
• This isn't a timed race so it's kinda silly for people to treat it like it is a serious 5k...

Cleaning 

• Dust off all of the color before taking a shower 
• There are people with leaf-blowers to help get the color off, so take advantage of that if you're interested 
• If you have lots of extra color on you that could be dusted off and you get it wet, it takes longer for all of the color to leave your skin   
• Wash the color off in cool water
• Be prepared to SCRUB all of the color off 
• It takes a few times. Trust me. 

Other 

• If you can, schedule your time for an earlier race. Last year I ran the 2:30 race and it was super hot! This year I ran the 10:45 race and it was so much better! 
• You'll want to arrive at the race about 45-30 minutes early. 
• If you do go in a group, set up a spot to meet up if you guys finish at different times. 
• If you don't have pockets to put your valuables in, then bring a bag. 
• There is a possibility that they'll have bag checks or whatever, but who knows?  
• I brought a string bag last year and it was kind of annoying to have, but this year I brought a fanny-pack and it was so much easier! (Still annoying, but not as bad as the string bag.) 
• People who did not sign up are allowed to be observers. 
• My parents and my friend's parents were at The Color Run taking pictures for us. It can be a lot of walking around, but it's so fun to see how creative others can be! 
• As fun as it sounds to roll around in color, be cautious!
•  The color will leak through your shirt anyway and still stain your skin, but if you roll around in a color, then the color that stains will be a lot more vibrant. (A friend and I rolled around in the blue powder...I looks awesome on our shirt, but made us stay blue a little longer than my other friends...)
•  If you just have to roll around in the color for the sack of doing it, roll in a light color that won't stain as much. 
• Do it with friends! It's such a fun atmosphere and you have a better time if you're with other people! (Unless you're a competitive runner and being with friends throws you off your game...Then ignore this suggestion and do what you gotta do.) 
• HAVE FUN! 
• It's known as the happiest 5k on the planet for a reason! Enjoy it because it is super fun! :) 

I hope that this has inspired all of you to do The Color Run now! It is so much fun and it's a great event! And, if you do decide to do it, lemme know how it goes! Can't wait to hear all about it! 

Love, 

Katie 

P.S. Here are some Before and After pictures of the group. Remember: You start out clean, but end up dirty. :)

Dauntless Cake

Hello people of the internet world!

Long time, no blog, huh? I'm sure you've been thinking: "What happened to my favorite blonde blogger? Usually she's ranting about something random."

So I'm back! I can't believe that it's been over a month since my last post, but I have much to say!-Just not now.

Today's post is about cake. Yum! (Side note: I'm the queen of attempting to do something special for someone and having it backfire...Badly. So, we're gonna see how this cake thing goes...) Tomorrow is one of my best friend's 18th birthday. In celebration, I've made a Dauntless chocolate cake. (For all of you who don't know what Dauntless chocolate cake is, it's this yummy cake that is mentioned in the Divergent series. Dauntless are allowed to indulge themselves is such goodies as chocolate cake and it's known for being extremely rich and delicious.)

I found a recipe on Pinterest and made some modifications. I'm gonna share it with all of you and hope that it works out! (Is now a bad time to mention that I haven't had a slice yet?)

Ingredients   
Cake 

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix and everything that it needs (egg, water, oil, etc.) 
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk 

Frosting 

• 1 container of frosting (optional) 
• 1 stick of butter 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of cocoa powder 
• 4 tablespoons of milk 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla 
• 1/2 pound of powder sugar 

Directions 
Cake 

1. Bake cake as directed on box. 
2. When done baking, use a toothpick and poke holes all over the cake. 
3. Pour the can of sweetened condensed milk in moderation over cake and spread. Add more as the cake soaks it up. 
4. Once the can is empty or you feel that you've added enough to the cake, let it soak in the cake for about 20 minutes. 

Frosting   

1. Combine butter and cocoa powder in a sauce pan on medium heat until the butter is fully melted. 
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the rest of the ingredients until it has a nice smooth texture.

Notes  

• I made this as a 2 layer round cake. Make sure that you take the cakes out of the pans BEFORE poking the holes and adding the condensed milk...Just trust me on this one. 
• If you choose to leave in a single, rectangle pan, then you should be be fine. Only take it out of the pan if you really want to. 
• I bought an additional can of chocolate frosting; which was a good idea. I made the frosting recipe that was given to me, but only made half a recipe and used it as a filled instead. 
• When frosting a cake overall, put on one thin layer knowing that it will get all crumby and messy. Then just let it sit and harden. When hardened, put on another frosting coating and frost it up! Add as much or as little as you want!  
• If you go with the single pan, you don't need to use two things of frosting. I'd encourage you to use the homemade one, but whichever you want. 
• I also used the leftover filling as an additional spread on top. I did a dribble kind of thing and just let the frosting do as it pleased. It looks good to me. (Then again, I haven't HAD any of it yet, so...) 
• And, lastly, it wouldn't be a Dauntless cake without a quote from the book.   

Lemme know how it goes! Hope it works out okay for all of you! 

Love, 

Katie

P.S. I had the cake. It was delicious. I highly encourage all of you to try it! :)